“Father? I, Jiang Wuyou, am the youngest daughter of Jiang Jing, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. My father died in the line of duty while pursuing the Fifth Prince and was posthumously granted the title of Duke Cheng'en by the Emperor. And who are you?” Wuyou touched her active belly, her tone gentle and melodious, but her words sent chills down one’s spine.

"What did you say? How is this possible? I'm still alive! I'm still alive!" Nearly, she was quite agitated by the news and rushed over while screaming, her eyes filled with bloodshot eyes and resentment.

He did nothing wrong, so why did he end up in this situation? This is clearly an attempt to make him disappear from everyone's sight forever, turning him into a dead man. In short, social death.

"Why? Do you think the Emperor doesn't know about your collusion with the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince to seize the throne? If it weren't for my sake, the Emperor would have dragged you out and torn you to pieces long ago. You are already very fortunate to have achieved this result."

Wuyou sneered. Jiang Jing was truly insatiable, daring to collude with someone like the Fifth Prince. Wasn't he afraid of being devoured alive by him?

The most ridiculous thing is that the Fifth Prince actually came to her with this matter, threatening her to help him seize power. How could she possibly agree to such a request? He must be dreaming. For that selfish and wicked Jiang Jing, would he ever make any concessions?

"I...you forced me to do this. If you had helped me, I wouldn't have done this." Jiang Jing's eyes darted around, but he became self-righteous at the end. In his opinion, it was all Wuyou's fault. His own father had elevated him to the position of Imperial Concubine, but Wuyou didn't think of repaying him and treated him coldly. He didn't get any benefits and didn't even have the title of Imperial Father-in-Law. Naturally, he was unwilling to accept it.

"I don't want to waste any more words with you. My father, Chenggong, is already dead. He died gloriously for the court and the emperor, while you are just an unrelated person." Wuyou's tone was sarcastic and silent.

"Your Majesty, I was wrong before and offended you a lot. Please forgive me. But I really didn't intend to usurp the throne. It was all that vile woman Jiang Changle who acted on her own initiative. I was unaware of it! You must clear my name! I will do anything you ask of me in the future, even if it means my death."

After listening for a while, the Third Prince's mind raced. He immediately squeezed out a few tears, looked pitifully at Wuyou, and put on an innocent appearance, shifting all the blame onto others.

"Heh, Third Prince, if there wasn't solid evidence, why would the Emperor send people to arrest you? You don't need to make excuses; everything is already settled. But rest assured, the Great Zhou Dynasty doesn't kill princes; the Emperor will spare your life."

Upon hearing this, the third prince's eyes lit up. He thought that as long as he could save his life, he could worry about the rest later.

"You all should stay here in this prison and wait for the Emperor's decision after this matter is settled!" Wuyou brushed the dust off his clothes and spoke casually.

Ignoring the shouts and curses of the three people behind him, Wuyou's figure gradually disappeared into the darkness that had emerged. After realizing that he had completely disappeared, the three began to blame each other and eventually started fighting, creating quite a farce.

Standing outside the imperial prison, gazing at the bright moonlight in the darkness, Wuyou fell into deep thought. The Fifth Prince's rebellion and poisoning of the Emperor had been exposed, but this cunning man had managed to escape.

The other party's gentle facade has been shattered, and he will be disgraced and have no chance of pursuing the throne again, unless he seizes power by force and starts an uprising.

However, this is nothing to fear. Zhou Huaijin is deeply loved by the people, and the Great Zhou Dynasty is prosperous. If the Fifth Prince were to act righteously, he would not gain the support of others and would only add more charges to his name.

"It's so late, why are you still wandering around outside? Your unborn child is going to be restless." Warm skin suddenly fell on her shoulders. Wuyou turned her head to look at the tall man beside her, smiled gently and kindly, and leaned her head on Zhou Huaijin's shoulder.

"It's alright, my son understands his mother and won't cause any trouble. Besides, you're here with me." Their breaths mingled as they gazed at the bright moon in the sky, the atmosphere unexpectedly harmonious.

More than a month later, Wuyou was full-term, and the children at the affiliated middle school couldn't wait to come out and open their eyes to see this new and wonderful world.

The baby's cries echoed throughout the palace, bringing joy to everyone's faces. Zhou Huaijin, however, was terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat and nearly collapsing in his legs. A delighted smile played on his lips, as if he were a first-time father, determined to give this child the best of everything in the world.

Meanwhile, news arrived from outside the palace that the Fifth Prince had been killed by a riotous mob of Qingzhou residents while en route to his arrest in Qingzhou. Qingzhou had suffered a severe drought, leaving its people destitute. The Fifth Prince, who was in charge of disaster relief in Qingzhou, embezzled funds and replaced the grain with inferior coarse grains mixed with sand and gravel, causing the deaths of many Qingzhou residents.

The Fifth Prince happened to flee to Qingzhou, where he was recognized by the local people and beaten to death by the enraged crowd who had lost their family. Upon hearing this news, Zhou Huaijin remained silent for a long time, unable to tell whether he felt sad or relieved.

He once thought highly of the Fifth Prince, and the prince had always performed well. However, the prince was truly cunning and had deceived him for several years. He had almost died at the prince's hands, and the last bit of fatherly affection he had left had been completely worn away.

"That's enough, give him a proper burial!" Zhou Huaijin waved his hand, a layer of skin appearing between his brows. He had done his best to fulfill his last duty of fatherly love.

"Your Majesty, congratulations on the birth of your son! The little prince is very healthy, and the Imperial Concubine has already fallen into a deep sleep. This is the little prince." The midwife, holding a yellow swaddled baby, smiled broadly. After speaking, she moved the little prince forward so that the Emperor could clearly see the child's face.

Although the child's features were wrinkled and his face was rosy, Zhou Huaijin still saw a resemblance between himself and Wuyou in the child's eyes and features. The sadness in his heart was instantly washed away by the joy of the newborn, and a gratified and loving smile appeared on his face.

"Very well, a generous reward awaits. The young prince shall be named Zhou Jiaxi." Xi is the character for imperial seal, implying the succession to the throne; Zhou Huaijin's intentions were self-evident.

Once the news spread, everyone understood Zhou Huaijin's intentions: as long as the young prince didn't go astray, he would surely become the next emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The remaining two princes also quieted down. Having witnessed the fates of their three elder brothers who had fought for the throne, they naturally dared not compete anymore.

The birth of the young prince was a cause for celebration throughout the land, and the news spread to every corner of the Great Zhou Dynasty. In an extremely remote mountain village, two men and a woman, dressed in coarse linen clothes and looking haggard and disheveled, laughed and cried upon hearing the news, but still had to muster their spirits to do farm work and housework. Despite their pain and sorrow, they could only grit their teeth and persevere.

They used to look down on ordinary people the most. Now they are even worse off than ordinary people, doing the hardest and most tiring work, eating coarse food and wild vegetables, and spending their remaining days in misery.

Sometimes death is a relief, but they don't have the courage to seek their own death and can only grit their teeth and persevere.