"Foolish!" Empress Lin sat bolt upright, her voice rising sharply, filled with barely suppressed anger and disappointment. "Peace and happiness? That vile woman, Xi Lingyuan, relying on the backing of the Prince of Nan Jing's mansion, has been relentlessly pressing forward, opposing me at every turn! Your father is now bewitched by her and her son, Prince Xiao, and is growing increasingly distant from me! Without a high position, without power, my two children, along with your unborn brother, will be nothing more than fish on a chopping block in this deep palace! At the mercy of others!" She grew more and more agitated as she spoke, her fingers unconsciously gripping the fabric of her dress around her waist. "Your so-called carefree life is nothing but a coward's excuse for escapism! As my son, how can you be so irresponsible!"

Looking at his mother's face, slightly distorted with anger, and listening to her undisguised hatred for A Yuan and her fanaticism for power, Xi Lingche felt a chill in his heart.

He remained silent for a moment, his eyes revealing a hint of detachment and weariness: "Mother, your obsession runs too deep. My elder sister... is not as despicable as you think. As for your son," he stood up and bowed deeply, "we are on different paths, and cannot work together. Your son only begs Mother... to take care of yourself, and... to let others go." After saying this, he no longer looked at Empress Lin's face, which had instantly turned ashen, and turned to leave Kunning Palace.

Watching her son leave without a backward glance, Empress Lin's chest heaved violently. She grabbed a warm, smooth jade inkstone and smashed it to the ground! With a crisp "bang," the precious inkstone shattered into pieces!

"Useless trash! Useless thing!" She gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with rage and resentment. "Fine! Fine! You're useless, I won't count on you anymore!" She suddenly clutched her lower abdomen, her eyes turning unusually sinister and fanatical, as if grasping at the only piece of driftwood in the darkness. "I still have this child! This child is my true hope! Xi Lingyuan, Xiao Chengkang, you just wait! I will make you... suffer a terrible death!"

Inside the imperial bedchamber, the fragrance grew even stronger. Lianxing wore only a sheer, gossamer-thin nightgown, her graceful figure faintly visible in the candlelight. She nestled in Xilinghao's arms, her slender fingers tracing circles on his chest, her breath sweet as orchids, carrying a hint of coquettish charm: "Your Majesty... you've been reviewing memorials these past few days, and you look so thin. It breaks my heart."

Xi Linghao embraced the warm, soft body, feeling the allure of her youthful form. However, the "hard work" of the past few days had left him feeling somewhat exhausted. With a hint of weariness in his eyes, he sighed and said, "The affairs of state are heavy, so this is unavoidable."

Lianxing's eyes gleamed like a cunning fox. She rose, walked barefoot to the dressing table, and carefully took out a longan-sized, crimson pill from an exquisite cloisonné enamel box. The pill emitted a strange, slightly spicy, sweet fragrance.

"Your Majesty," she said, her voice soft and alluring as she held the pill to Xi Linghao's lips, "this is my family's secret 'Dragon and Tiger Pill,' made from the essence of hundreds of herbs, best for strengthening the body's foundation and invigorating the spirit. My father, over sixty years old, still... retains his virility after taking this pill." As she spoke, a blush rose to her cheeks, her eyes captivating. "Your Majesty...would you like to try it? I...want to see Your Majesty at your most majestic..."

Xi Linghao was aroused by her flirtation, and his competitive spirit was stirred by her words that his "male prowess was undiminished".