Empress Zhou tentatively asked, "Isn't there still the Crown Prince to share His Majesty's burdens?"

Emperor Cheng'an sneered, "He's not here to share my burdens, but to collect a debt!"

Empress Zhou looked surprised: "Although the Crown Prince is a bit straightforward, he seems to be very respectful to His Majesty."

Emperor Cheng'an exaggerated the argument to her, and then said meaningfully, "The Crown Prince and I are not of one mind, so I can no longer count on the Crown Prince."

Empress Zhou frowned and said, "But now there is only the Crown Prince..."

“It’s not necessarily just the Crown Prince,” Emperor Cheng’an said. “Although my health is failing, the imperial physicians say that as long as I take good care of myself, I should be able to last for a few more years.”

Empress Zhou hadn't quite grasped his intentions yet.

Seeing this, Emperor Cheng'an grasped her hand and said in a deep voice, "Empress, I still need a child."

Empress Zhou's brow twitched, and she suddenly looked up at him with a terrified expression.

Emperor Cheng'an said, "You know my health; it's not good for me now. But you are still young and can have more children."

Empress Zhou retreated repeatedly, trying to break free from his grasp: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable."

Emperor Cheng'an said in a gloomy tone, "There's nothing wrong with that. The Crown Prince takes advantage of the fact that I only have one son and has been disobedient to me on numerous occasions. In that case, I might as well have another child. If he is disobedient, I can support the younger son."

As for whether the child is his or not, as long as it came from the Empress's womb, no one would dare to question it.

As for the Empress, as long as she wants to live, we can only stick with her.

Once he gets rid of Xue Shen and recuperates for two years, and finds some secret medicines, he might be able to have another child. Then he can make that bastard child disappear along with the Empress.

Since the crown prince is unwilling to be emperor, then so be it and let him spend his life assisting his younger brother.