After Zhou Qiongyue explained Yuan Chaokang's whereabouts, she wanted to slip away. "Cousin, do you want me to step aside for a moment?"

The emperor leaned back casually in his chair and said, "No need. I heard that my cousin's illness has recovered, so I came to see you specially."

Zhou Qiongyue held up her head with her hands, looking delicate and frail. "Cousin, my illness hasn't completely healed. I still have headaches from time to time."

No matter what the emperor was planning, Zhou Qiongyue had no intention of doing what he wanted.

The emperor looked at his cousin who became delicate in an instant. He reached out and touched his beard. He found it quite amusing to see his cousin like this.

The emperor was particularly curious about what image he had in his cousin's mind over the years.

The emperor naturally asked what he was thinking, "I'm very curious, what image do I have in my cousin's mind?"

Zhou Qiongyue supported her head with one hand, her eyes full of smiles, "Cousin, do you really want to know?"

Since the emperor asked, he must really want to know. "Of course, tell me, I will forgive you."

"I guess one doesn't come here for no reason!" After Zhou Qiongyue finished speaking, she had an expression that said 'cousin, you asked me to say this'.

When the emperor heard this, his hand that was stroking his beard paused for a moment. He thought carefully about the past and tried to find an example to refute it.

But the more the emperor wanted to touch his beard, the more his hand paused.

"We are all family. What my cousin said hurts my cousin's feelings."

Zhou Qiongyue rolled her eyes at the emperor, not so gracefully. "Cousin, stop beating around the bush and just say it!"

The emperor made a gesture as if counting money and said, "This year, Tianyuan Kingdom has suffered many natural disasters, and the treasury is short of silver again."

Zhou Qiongyue stood up upon hearing this and slowly turned around in front of the emperor. "Cousin, your cousin has become so thin that a gust of wind can blow her away. And you still want me to earn money for you?"

Zhou Qiongyue's eyes almost said that the emperor was not a human being.

The Emperor... The Emperor could only helplessly explain that he really wasn't that crazy. "That's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask you for some advice."

As soon as the emperor finished saying this, he gave Eunuch Hou a look that told him to clear the area.

"Then should I step back a bit?"

Yuan Bohua quickly made his attitude clear. He could retreat a little, but he couldn't go down directly.

He was afraid that the princess would get into a fight with the emperor and suffer. The eunuchs would definitely not dare to intervene, and if he was there, he could still take sides.

The emperor looked at his old friend who seemed to be afraid that his princess would suffer, and he really felt that Yuan Bohua was also blind and heartless.

When had he ever seen his princess suffer a real loss? "Fu'an is still being polite to me. You are husband and wife, and there is nothing you cannot listen to."

After the emperor said this, he ignored Yuan Bohua and looked at Zhou Qiongyue seriously, "Cousin, how do you think the current chaos in the court can be resolved?"

Zhou Qiongyue didn't want to get close to the mess in the court. "Women are not allowed to interfere in government affairs. I'm afraid you've asked the wrong person."

In fact, I wanted to ask my cousin, "I have insisted on not appointing a crown prince all these years. Have I done anything wrong?" When the emperor asked this question, his face looked very lonely.

Even so, Zhou Qiongyue didn't believe that the emperor would really feel lonely, because the emperor was a natural actor.

But now that things have come to this, if Zhou Qiongyue doesn't say something, she's afraid the emperor won't let her off today. "I'm also curious, why hasn't my cousin appointed a crown prince?"

"I don't think I have the skills of the late emperor, nor am I as kind to the princes as the late emperor. Look at the late emperor's final fate, that's what worries me."

The emperor was indeed afraid that someone would threaten his position.

"If you want to say that, cousin, I'm saying something a bit disrespectful. Would you like to hear it?"

"Oh, tell me about it!" The emperor wasn't really asking his cousin for advice. He just had a lot to say and wanted to share it with someone.

"Cousin, you just said that your skills are not as good as those of the late emperor. Is that just modesty? How about I give your sons a chance to fight you?

Even if someone beats you, your cousin should be happy because the disciple is better than the master. There's nothing to be afraid of when your own child beats you.

I, your wife, think it is terrifying that each generation is inferior to the previous one."

As soon as Zhou Qiongyue finished speaking, Yuan Bohua immediately scolded her, "Yue'er, don't talk nonsense."

Yuan Bohua quickly explained on behalf of the princess, "Royal brother, Yue'er is just a woman in the inner house. She doesn't understand the consequences of this. Please don't argue with her."

Zhou Qiongyue was afraid that the emperor and Yuan Bohua would start to argue, so she quickly used her white lotus coquettish method, "Cousin, the prince is a cruel minister."

"Fuan, please speak softly. We are just joking as a family. Besides, I think what my cousin said makes sense.

Since I am their father, it is a bit difficult for them to defeat me. After all, the old are the wisest.

As for the serious consequences, it is that my life may be in danger.

Actually, I was really afraid of death before, but after seeing my uncle and aunt pass away recently, I feel that death is not that scary.

By then, everyone I know will be gone. Even if I have immense power, what's the point? I'll just be surrounded by people chasing profit."

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, Yuan Bohua pulled Zhou Qiongyue down to kneel.

The emperor extended his hand to support the two of them. "Stand up, I really don't mean to blame you two. Apart from my cousin, no one dares to say in front of me that they will raise their child to be good enough to let him compete with me."

At this time, Zhou Qiongyue's heated mind calmed down, and she felt scared by her previous words. She could only quickly make amends, "Hehe, actually, I was just saying it casually. I was just thinking that you should be happy to have a successor."

The emperor praised Zhou Qiongyue, saying, "My cousin is a sincere person."

In fact, Zhou Qiongyue's words really made the emperor feel enlightened. Ever since he attacked the late emperor, he was no longer the high-spirited emperor he used to be.

Every time the ministers in the court advised him to appoint a crown prince, they would talk about how filial this one was, and how filial that one was. The emperor thought it was all a joke. In the face of imperial power, how could there be truly filial people?

Zhou Qiongyue was afraid that the emperor would ask her about her earnings, so she suddenly had an idea and looked at the emperor with a smile, "Thank you for the compliment, cousin. It would be great if you could reward me with some money."

After Zhou Qiongyue finished speaking, she looked towards the emperor with anticipation.

The emperor immediately turned his head to the side, pretending not to see his cousin's eyes, "I recently painted a landscape painting myself, I will give it to you as a reward!"

At this time, the emperor was complaining in his heart, as if the cousin who spent money was back again. The emperor thought that not only the old men who managed the national treasury were thinking about the silver in his private treasury, but even his cousin was thinking about his silver.

The cousin actually started to not want to make money on her own and wanted to rely on her cousin. The emperor felt that this world was too terrible.

"I just remembered that I still have some memorials to review, and I've already had lunch, so I'm leaving now."

After the emperor finished speaking, without waiting for Zhou Qiongyue and Yuan Bohua to react, he took Eunuch Hou over the wall and went out.

Only Zhou Qiongyue and Yuan Bohua were left sitting there with confused looks on their faces.