Xuan Ling said sternly, "Did you hear me, my dear ministers? I do not wish to bring this matter up again. If anyone continues to make irresponsible suggestions, please do not blame me for not considering the friendship between the monarch and his subjects!"

Late at night, Xuan Ling put his hand on Sheng Xiyan's pregnant belly, rubbed it on the snow-satin undershirt, and joked:

"Yanyan, don't frown. I've cordoned off the east side of the imperial mausoleum and will take you there tomorrow..."

Um?

Sheng Xiyan raised her head and held her Adam's apple in her mouth, looking fierce and aggressive:

"I'm not going anywhere! Are we going to live in a coffin with three children? I won't accept that. What should I do?"

Tears rolled down his collarbone: "Your Majesty, do you know that when you executed the censors, they looked at me... like they were looking at Daji."

Xuan Ling hugged her and kissed her, whispering, "Those dog slaves just follow the crowd. I'll kill a few of them to scare them away, and they'll be quiet in a few days."

Sheng Xiyan suddenly grabbed his wrist: "If this is really a punishment from heaven..."

Xuan Ling bit his fingertips and pressed them on her lips: "I am the sky!"

The smell of blood filled the air as the kiss spread, the candlelight was extinguished by the palm wind, and in the darkness, panting mixed with whispers: "If these three children lose even a finger, I will slaughter everyone in the world."

"Fool, why are you biting your hand?"

Sheng Xiyan pressed the blood on his fingertip with her sleeve and teased, "Wouldn't the emperor become a tyrant if he did that?"

Xuan Ling lowered her head and pursed her lips, her voice vague but firm:

"Whether he's a tyrant or a wise ruler, he's still a man who loves you... Yanyan, don't be afraid of anything."

Sheng Xiyan pursed her lips, "If you are a tyrant king, I will be a demon concubine."

"Tsk, what a perfect match... Let me comfort your frightened little heart."

*

Despite the execution of the two censors, the rumor of "the alien fetus has touched the gods and the plague has devoured the imperial city" is still spreading widely inside and outside the palace.

After noon that day.

In the Yangxin Palace, Xuan Ling was reviewing memorials.

Commander Xue of the Imperial Guards came in to report, "Your Majesty, I have led a thorough investigation and discovered some phosphorus powder and an earring in the Zhongzheng Hall."

Xuan Ling immediately ordered: "Go and ask the Six Palaces to identify who the earring belongs to."