Jiang Tian's complexion was like a peach blossom, and her eyes were like autumn water. After being nourished, she became even more radiant and beautiful.

"I estimate it will be a month or two before I come again. If... if you find someone else and want to marry them during this time, you don't need to inform me."

Just thinking about Yuan Ye makes my chest ache terribly.

Jiang Tian smiled slightly: "Don't worry, I won't bother you."

Even though she knew she was deliberately misinterpreting things, Yuan Ye still felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

"If you really want to find someone, find someone who doesn't mind our relationship. If you find a pedantic scholar, he might not accept you and might even harm you, after all, people's opinions are a fearsome thing. Find someone you can completely control, and your life will be better."

Jiang Tian looked at him with admiration: "You're right, I will definitely do my best to find it."

Yuan Ye shut his mouth.

After returning home, he dared not think about whether Jiang Tian was married or not, and he couldn't sleep whenever he thought about it.

Two months later, he went to see Jiang Tian again.

He was greatly relieved to learn that she was not married.

He asked Jiang Tian why she wasn't married yet, and she said she was still choosing.

Two months later, he came again and found that Jiang Tian was still choosing.

In the blink of an eye, another year has passed.

The so-called illicit relationship between the two lasted for a year.

Throughout the year, Yuan Ye endured countless torments from the ministers.

They tried everything, but Yuan Ye just wouldn't budge.

The answer is that the affairs of the court are too complicated, and there is no time to consider marriage.

His ministers pleaded with him to leave an heir, but he pretended not to hear them on the night of the Lantern Festival.

He didn't give in, and Jiang Tian didn't find a new husband either; the two seemed to have reached a certain tacit understanding.

If I'm free on the Lantern Festival, I'll come once a month.

If you're too busy, come once every two months.

In short, whenever he had free time, he would always go to see Jiang Tian.

Jiang Tian remained quite carefree, opening several more shops.

Yuan Ye secretly hoped that she could drive to the capital.

Another year passed, and on the night of the Lantern Festival, he caught a cold and developed a persistent high fever.

When he opened his eyes and saw Jiang Tian, ​​he thought he was dreaming: "Looks like I've missed you too much..."

Jiang Tian gently patted his face: "You're not dreaming. I came to see you after learning you were seriously ill. But don't drag me into the harem and not let me leave."

Yuan Ye stared at her for several moments, realizing she was real. His heart pounded, and a smile forced a smile from his pale lips.

"No, I'm so glad you can see me."

Jiang Tian stayed with him for two days, and Yuan Ye's illness gradually improved.

Because of this cold, the ministers brought up the old issue again, some even willing to die to prove it, just so he could have more children soon.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, he was in his prime and could have as many children as he wanted. What was he doing?

Many ministers were extremely dissatisfied.

A prosperous nation with no heir is a colossal joke.

Seeing the anger in his eyes, Jiang Tian gently told him, "You and I have been together long enough, Yuan Ye. You should start thinking about what to do next."

Yuan Ye smiled and pulled Jiang Tian into his arms.

“You haven’t found a husband, and I haven’t found another woman. Isn’t this good enough for us?”

“Of course it’s wonderful. I not only slept with the most distinguished person in the world, but this person also treated me extremely well. I wouldn’t even dare to dream of such a thing. But I don’t want you to suffer infamy because of me.”

Yuan Ye sighed, his eyes filled with an indescribable clarity and relief.

"Then I'll tell you the truth: I don't plan to have any children in this life. Are children that important to me compared to you? I've been thinking about this question a lot during the time we were apart."

“Initially, I believed that I had an obligation to carry on the family line and that I had to be worthy of my ancestors; but later, I thought that if you hadn’t recognized that strange poison and saved my life while I was on the battlefield, the Yuan family’s dynasty would still not have been able to survive after I went to the underworld.”

“Back then, I was constantly fighting with Grand Tutor Chen. If I had made a single mistake, I wouldn’t have survived either.”

"If I can't even survive, there's no need to talk about my descendants."

Jiang Tian looked at him silently.

"I've tried to break up with you, and I've thought about forgetting you, but after struggling for so long, you're still in my arms, and you've always been the only one in my heart. Now, I've come to terms with it."

"Throughout history, this land has witnessed countless dynasties and changed hands countless times. Even if I have children, and they have grandchildren, can they guarantee that the Yuan family's rule will remain unshaken forever?"

"How many commoners became emperors, and how many emperors were beheaded... It's all recorded in history books. I can guarantee that the generation I educate will hold onto the throne, but I can't guarantee that the next generation will produce a wise ruler. If I hadn't removed my father from the throne beforehand, our Yuan family's rule would have ended long ago."

"So, to think that having a child will ensure the throne remains in the same hands is nothing but a pipe dream. Our Yuan family doesn't have any particularly noble blood; each generation has its own consequences. So, I've come to terms with it."

“In the future, I can simply find a child to inherit my throne. Whether they are my biological children or not is not important. What matters most is whether they can safeguard the country. If I give birth to an incompetent ruler, I will be implicated and suffer eternal condemnation.”

Jiang Tian was clearly shocked by his words and remained silent for a long time.

Seeing her wide, round eyes, Yuan Ye found her rather cute.

"So, you don't need to ask me anymore if I'll worry about the continuation of the lineage. When I bring a child into the world, I'll say it's my own child, and no one will dare say a word against it. Even the emperors who are portrayed as incorruptible in history books have many scandalous rumors in unofficial histories—who can guarantee that every emperor's bloodline is pure? As long as he has the surname Yuan, that's fine."

Yuan Ye has completely come to terms with things. As for what his ancestors think, he'll only know when he meets them.

“You don’t have to do this…” Jiang Tian hesitated before speaking.

Yuan Ye smiled and said, "It was my own choice."

Jiang Tian looked extremely emotional and even cried on his shoulder.

Yuan Ye suddenly felt a little smug.

With this honest confession, their relationship will definitely get better and better, and it's best if Jiang Tian doesn't think about finding a gigolo.

Many days later, Jiang Tian finally slowly accepted his astonishing decision.

"If you want to adopt a child, you might as well send someone to search among the people to see if your father or grandfather has any blood relatives living outside."

The Yuan family had only one son per generation for several generations, with few descendants. But who could possibly know the details of what happened many years ago? Perhaps there really were other bloodlines of the Yuan family scattered among the common people.

In fact, Yuan Ye had long since stopped thinking about whose child the child she brought back was.

But seeing that Jiang Tian was worried about him, as if she was afraid he would get beaten up if he went down there, he accepted her suggestion.

He had no illusions about finding a "relative" in the community, but unexpectedly, they actually found someone.