Xue Shen smiled and said, "Alright, a bet is a bet. We need to decide on the nicknames before my father-in-law and elder brother arrive. As for the formal names and courtesy names, there's no rush."

Shen Youying smiled and said, "We took so many before, let's pick one from them."

The two then took out the names they had chosen earlier and looked at them one by one, head to head. Finally, Shen Youying pointed to the two nicknames and said: "Where I sleep, the forest breeze rustles; when I wake, the mountain moon shines brightly. My body and mind are free from burdens and enjoy lasting peace."

"Sese and Tuantuan are good names, with nice meanings. How about naming our son Sese and our daughter Tuantuan?"

Xue Shen looked at his two children and said with a smile, "Sese is a bit too girly for a boy, and a girl is too delicate. I'm afraid she won't like the name 'Yue Tuan Tuan' when she grows up. How about we switch them? Let's call our son 'A Tuan' and our daughter 'Sese'."

Shen Youying thought about it and thought it was a good idea. She first tapped the tips of her two children's noses and called them with a light laugh, "A-Tuan, Sese."

Perhaps the two children recognized their mother's voice, for they stretched out their little hands, whimpered a few times, and then fell asleep again.

Shen Youying's body had not yet recovered. After talking with Xue Shen for a while and spending some time with the two children, she could not resist her sleepiness and fell asleep on Xue Shen's shoulder.

Xue Shen lovingly touched her cheek, called the wet nurse in, and handed the two children over to them for care before carefully helping Shen Youying to sleep.

Halfway through, Shen Youying was disturbed and frowned and hummed. Xue Shen coaxed her softly twice, and she fell into a deep sleep again.

After everyone had fallen asleep, Xue Shen got up and rode back to the East Palace.

Inside the Eastern Palace, Shen Mingjiang and Shen Xiuyi had already arrived. Both father and son had gloomy expressions and were waiting for Xue Shen in the flower hall.

Xue Shen had already gone to visit Shen Youying and her two children at the other residence, so he was not in the East Palace. The father and son could only wait in the flower hall.

Wang Deshun only told the public that His Majesty was too heartbroken to accept reality and was now staying at home, not wanting to see anyone, only wanting to spend more of his final days with His Majesty.

Shen Xiuyi sat listlessly in the flower hall, gritting her teeth as she whispered to Shen Mingjiang, "He hasn't shown up yet. This act is going too far. I think he's not acting; he's already slipped away to visit Zhaozhao and her child at the other residence."

Thinking of this, Shen Xiuyi felt somewhat displeased: "He really knows how to leave the two of us here to put on a show while he goes off to enjoy family life."

Shen Mingjiang shared the same thought; as a first-time grandfather, he was naturally eager to see his daughter and grandson.

But Xue Shen was different; he kept a cover and didn't show up for a long time. They couldn't leave because they couldn't see him, so they could only wait in vain.

Shen Mingjiang gritted his teeth and said in an unpleasant tone, "Wait a little longer. Even if you went to see Zhaozhao, you should be back by now."

The father and son were talking in hushed tones when Wang Deshun walked in, his hands tucked into his pockets.

He said in a low voice, "Please come with me, Your Majesty. His Majesty's mood has calmed down a bit. Please go and see the Empress one last time."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingjiang and Shen Xiuyi knew their guess was correct. Xue Shen had actually left them there while he went to the other courtyard to see Zhaozhao.

Shen Mingjiang snorted and followed behind Wang Deshun with a gloomy face. To outsiders, this appearance made it seem more believable that the Empress had encountered an accident.

*

When Xue Shen summoned Shen Mingjiang and his son, the news of the Empress's death in childbirth had already spread like wildfire.

Families like the Xie family, who were on good terms with Shen Youying, naturally did not want to believe such terrible news. Xie Qinglan even cried bitterly and insisted on going to the East Palace to see for herself before she would believe it.

It is said that the emperor was greatly shocked and refused to believe the reality of the empress's death. Even the Shen family father and son, after receiving the news, went to request an audience, but were left waiting in the Eastern Palace for most of the day. It was only with great difficulty that they were finally summoned by His Majesty and allowed to see the empress one last time.

Xie Qinglan was now in a predicament; he wouldn't even be able to see anyone, let alone incur the emperor's wrath. Therefore, Xie Lianhong could only stop him and try to persuade him with kind words.

As for the Wang family and their ilk, after hearing the news, they outwardly appeared to be overwhelmed with grief, but inwardly they were already laughing all the way to the bank.

Madam Wang, in particular, went to find her daughter immediately after receiving the news. She stroked her daughter's head and said with a smile, "My Yunting has finally made it through. The previous one is gone, and the child couldn't be saved either. Once you enter the palace, there will be no obstacles left."

Upon hearing this, Wang Junting subconsciously smiled: "The rumors outside are actually true?"

After he finished speaking, he seemed to realize that his smile was inappropriate, so he quickly suppressed his smile and reminded Madam Wang, "The Empress's death is a national mourning, Mother, you should restrain yourself."

Lady Wang snorted upon hearing this: "She hasn't even held a coronation ceremony yet, what kind of empress is she? Everyone called her empress before only because of the emperor's face. Now she's lost her body and her child. After a while, the emperor will find a new favorite, and once she's gone, no one will remember her."

She looked at her daughter's beautiful face with satisfaction: "With a new emperor ascending the throne, it won't do if there's no one in the harem. After the seven-day mourning period for the deceased wife and the burial of the Shen family woman, it's time to put the selection of a concubine and the establishment of an empress on the agenda."

"Isn't this a bit too fast?" Wang Junting looked worried. "Given His Majesty's feelings for the Empress, he won't establish a new Empress so soon."

"Silly girl, don't be fooled by His Majesty's current appearance of being heartbroken. That's just how men are. After a few days, when his grief fades and he sees all those beautiful women around him, and with the ministers offering their advice, how could he not be tempted?" Lady Wang patted her hand and smiled, "Even if we don't establish a new empress, we'll still have to choose concubines, won't we?"

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