Qiao Zhen consulted the imperial physician, who said it was because of her pregnancy, so Qiao Zhen and Ye Shangzhou had no choice but to give up.

In the days that followed, Ye Shangzhou perfectly embodied the word "obsessive-compulsive disorder" (OCD).

If someone sweats, they take a bath and change their clothes; if their clothes get dusty, they change their clothes and bedding. In these two situations alone, the servants of Fuque Palace are so busy that their feet barely touch the ground.

But that didn't change the fact that Qiao Zhen could smell the stench of excrement whenever she saw Ye Shangzhou, so Qiao Zhen moved back to Yishui Pavilion, leaving Ye Shangzhou alone in Fuque Palace to question his life.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Ye Shangzhou's leg pain worsened to a new level. It progressed from bulging veins to mental confusion to trembling all over. This gradual process terrified Qiao Zhen.

Qiao Zhen was four months pregnant, and her lower abdomen was noticeably protruding. Although she lived in Yishui Pavilion, she missed Ye Shangzhou terribly, fearing that he would be angry and there would be no one to comfort him.

Fortunately, on the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, Qiao Zhen's sense of smell returned to normal. She went to visit Ye Shangzhou at noon every day as usual, but found that she did not smell the nauseating stench of feces. She immediately removed the handkerchief and went into Ye Shangzhou's bedroom, but there was still no strange smell.

At that time, Ye Shangzhou was in so much pain that he was exhausted. Without Qiao Zhen to comfort him, he lost weight very quickly, and his once strong body was reduced to just bones.

Qiao Zhen felt both heartache and anger when she saw him like this. She felt heartache for him suffering so much, and anger that he hadn't eaten properly or taken good care of himself.

"Night, Sorrow, Boat!"

She seemingly rough but actually very gently helped Ye Shangzhou sit up, "Wake up!"

Ye Shangzhou was already somewhat delirious. He vaguely saw Qiao Zhen in front of him, but the scene before him was very blurry. He closed his eyes, then opened them again with difficulty, "A-Zhen?"

Qiao Zhen shook Ye Shangzhou's shoulder, trying to wake him up, while softly calling his name, "Your Majesty? Zhouzhou? Little Shangzhou?" Wait... Shangzhou, Shang Zhou? It's quite a homonym, so Ye Shangzhou becoming a tyrant was foreshadowed from the very beginning with his name?

Ye Shangzhou looked at Qiao Zhen in a daze, but Qiao Zhen smelled a fishy smell. She immediately pried open Ye Shangzhou's mouth and found that there were several cuts in his mouth.

"Why are you doing this?" Qiao Zhen sent someone to summon the imperial physician to prescribe some medicine for Ye Shangzhou to treat the sores in his mouth. After giving the instructions, she mercilessly berated him, "If I smell blood in your mouth again, I will stuff my smelly socks that I haven't washed for three days into your mouth."

Ye Shangzhou grumbled and tugged at Qiao Zhen's sleeve, his face full of grievance.

Qiao Zhen gave a soft hum, but her movements became even gentler. "If you don't want your mouth stuffed with stinky socks, you should speak up if you're in pain. If you're in pain, it hurts me. If you're in pain but you're enduring it, it hurts me even more."

After that, Ye Shangzhou fainted several more times. In March, when everyone thought that Emperor Linxian was about to die, the poison in Ye Shangzhou's leg was swallowed by the elixir, and his leg was able to move again.

Ye Shangzhou immediately issued another decree to reduce taxes for two years, which was another cause for universal celebration.

The happiest person was Qiao Zhen. Ye Shangzhou's leg recovery meant that he could continue to rule, continue to be the king of the Great Ye Dynasty, and continue to fulfill Qiao Zhen's mission.

But Ye Shangzhou was miserable. The elixir not only cured his leg ailment, but also made his body healthier, especially a certain part of his body, which was very energetic. Sometimes, just a reproachful look from Qiao Zhen would make Ye Shangzhou want to take a cold bath.

Although March is when the weather warms up, it's still so cold that you just want to shrink into your blankets.

April of the ninth year of Emperor Linxian.

After a month of massage and perseverance, Ye Shangzhou was able to get out of bed and take a few steps. The first thing he did was to hug Qiao Zhen, who was standing, and the first thing he said was, "I am no worse than them."

It was only then that Qiao Zhen realized that Ye Shangzhou had always been insecure, and her comforting words only treated the symptoms but not the root cause. Fortunately, the source of his insecurity had now been completely resolved.

In mid-May, Qiao Zhen was about to give birth, so Ye Shangzhou stayed by her side all day. He still left the memorials to Ye Huaijin to handle. Anyway, he didn't need to worry about Ye Huaijin rebelling. After all, this was an era where might made right, and the person with heavy military power was the boss.

On May 20th, Qiao Zhen sat on a soft couch eating grapes that Ye Shangzhou had sent someone to bring back to the palace from afar. However, before she could even taste them, her stomach started to hurt. But since it wasn't her first time giving birth, she had some experience, so she calmly asked Ye Shangzhou to help her to the delivery room bed. "Your Majesty, I think I'm about to give birth. Quickly go and call the midwives, have them boil water, and prepare scissors, gauze, and medicine."

Ye Shangzhou was momentarily stunned.

Qiao Zhen raised her hand and shoved him hard. "What are you standing there for? My water broke!"

Upon regaining his senses, Ye Shangzhou hurriedly relayed the instructions Qiao Zhen had just given him.

"Ouch—it hurts!"

"No, it hurts so much, ah—"

"Has he come out yet? Why hasn't he come out yet?!"

Qiao Zhen cried out in pain inside the delivery room, while Ye Shangzhou wandered around outside like a headless fly.

Xiao Xunzi said anxiously, "Your Majesty, judging from the Queen's voice, she seems to have a lot of strength. And since the Queen is a lucky person, she will surely be safe."

About two hours later, the midwife came out of the delivery room, holding an infant in her arms. "Congratulations, Your Majesty! It's a boy!"

Without even glancing at the midwife, Ye Shangzhou bypassed the delivery room and entered. He held Qiao Zhen's hand, which trembled slightly. "Ah Zhen, let's not have any more children. Not a single one."

Qiao Zhen was pale and sweating profusely. "What nonsense are you talking about? We still need to have more children, to build a school."

Ye Shangzhou leaned down and kissed Qiao Zhen's lips. "We won't have any more children. As long as a school has one student, it's not a waste of the teacher's potential. You should rest well."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!