Changchun Temple.

It's quite beautiful in spring.

Some people were jumping around trying to sneak in and peek, but the Imperial Guards were chasing them closely, so they crawled in through the dog hole!

Fu Dingchen, Eunuch Xiao, and others came and set up nets to fish here.

There were rumors before that some scholars wanted to use the connections of the two princesses, plus the eldest princess, but the security there was too tight. So, a special "dog hole" was opened here, which looks quite similar.

Fu Dingchen looked at the scholars crawling out of the net with curiosity.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" someone outside urged.

"Ah, I'm stuck!" This guy is too fat, or he has a lot of silver tied around his waist. You can't rely on your looks to get into a princess's favor. If looks don't work, then you can use silver.

Hey, you guys in the back! Push them in!

The first few caught remained silent, ready to die together.

The fat man got up and looked at Fu Dingchen's face: "Brother, who are you?"

Fu Dingchen quickly replied politely, "Just some nobody."

Two more nameless guys came in after that. That's about all we've got for today.

When the eunuchs came, they stripped them of everything they could. What's the point of wearing those long robes? They'd interfere with their work.

Then take these newcomers to work.

The fat man asked blankly, "Where's the princess?"

An older palace maid said from the side, "They're farming inside. Farm well, all of you: the three who do the best will be rewarded; the top six will keep their official positions. The rest of you, well, good luck to you."

The fat man looked at the field; there were already about ten. If this continued, wouldn't there be twenty or thirty? Only six could keep their titles and honors?

One of them shouted arrogantly, "Who dares?"

The Imperial Guards appeared out of nowhere and dragged him away.

The others, seeing their fierce and menacing appearance, did not maintain their unyielding spirit.

Fu Dingchen seemed perfectly normal; they weren't exactly known for their integrity.

A man in his thirties, who looked like a seasoned veteran, sat next to Fu Dingchen and asked, "Brother, have you seen the princess?"

Fu Dingchen said, "I have met Your Highness."

The seasoned veteran sized him up for a while, finding him particularly sleazy, and finally huddled close to him, saying, "Tell me about it."

The eunuchs came over and dragged him away to be flogged.

The seasoned veteran, screaming in pain as he was beaten, shouted at the top of his lungs, "I have achieved fame and honor!"

The blows were made even louder.

Some of the more unruly ones were terrified. "Mommy, where is this place?"

Who was that short-lived fool who said there was a princess here? Does a princess want to kill people?

The waters of Sheng'an are indeed deep! Who can't cultivate these few acres of land? Hiring a few people would only cost a few taels of silver.

Fu Dingchen thought to himself, "I'm happy to."

Aren't most people just looking for fun?

It doesn't matter who spreads the word. Anyone who dares to make a move just because they hear there's a princess is like someone blocking the entrance to Xuande Gate—they deserve a beating.

The eunuch was extremely satisfied with the neatly arranged floor.

Inside the Xiaochangchun Temple.

Taihua Zhenren, Taiqing Zhenren, Changqing Zhenren, and others probably heard the commotion outside.

I'm so angry!

It's a good thing he didn't come in, otherwise he would have been utterly humiliated to see the princess's fate!

People have pride. Some people wanted to gloat before, but Xiaochangchun Temple is neither open to entry nor exit.

Taihua Zhenren was forced to farm, so he wanted to avoid seeing anyone even more. He thought it best to kill all those people.

The palace maids watched from the side, thinking, "The princess is quite good at farming, isn't she? What can't she do?"

The Nankang Zhenren was pretending to be dead, and no one paid her any attention.

Master Nankang has given up on himself; he's not going to let her die anyway.

The palace maids saw her as a mangy dog ​​and didn't mind feeding her bad food, but she was getting old anyway.

Among the palace maids, some were older than her, yet still quite capable. The Lady of Nankang still thought she was the Grand Princess.

Night falls.

The Eastern Palace has quieted down.

All I want to do after a long day is sleep.

Actually, it wasn't that tiring, we're all young people; but we don't do much work usually, so it gets tiring.

Cheng'en Hall, the private quarters.

Xie Zhou held his wife, wondering if she was feeling unwell.

Huan Yue said, "It could also be that you're going to be a father."

Xie Zhou's eyes widened! Really?

Huan Yue said, "It's fake."

No, no! Xie Zhou took it seriously! There's no rush to call the imperial physician, but we must be careful from now on!

This is his first child, and he's determined to be a good father! He hugged his wife and cried.

I thought she had been punished and would never have children again. She's such a good wife.

Huan Yue sensed that the bastard was crying.

Cry now, there will be other times to cry in the future.

Xie Zhou held his wife and cried for half the night, not knowing when she finally fell asleep.

He cried until the bed was soaked, but he couldn't wake her.

Under the dim light, Xie Zhou looked at his wife and found her more and more beautiful!

With her delicate features, round eyebrows, chubby chin, and thick, flowing black hair, she looked incredibly adorable even while asleep.

She doesn't worry about what might happen when she falls asleep, such as what her bedmate is like, or whether she has ever trusted him at all.

She doesn't have endless worries; when pushed to the limit, she'll break a boulder on her chest—the effect of saying it is more terrifying than actually doing it!

Because once it's said, it could be done at any time, and that's what we're afraid of; but once it's done, it's over, and everyone can go their separate ways.

So, once she finishes speaking, she can lie down here and sleep peacefully. Who is next to her in bed, or perhaps that doesn't even enter her dreams?

Xie Zhou watched for half the night and thought that his son might have been frightened, so he quickly came to stop his mother.

Who wouldn't stop this?

If we really have a son now, we'll have a good story to tell later!

His wife didn't break the boulder by herself; she relied on their son!

Perhaps the time for breaking the boulder won't come when his son arrives.

But these things can't be rushed.

It would be good to take down the Wunu Kingdom first, as planned.

Or they could fight on one side for decades without either side getting over it, letting his son reap the benefits?

Was Xie Zhou jealous of his son, or jealous of himself?

Anyway, he and his wife will live to be a hundred years old, at least eighty more years, and the boulder will have long since crumbled!

Huan Yue opened his eyes. What was that bastard doing now? Had he finished crying and was now playing with him?

Xie Zhou kissed her: "What did you dream about?"

Huan Yue said, "The son of the Red Emperor killed the son of the White Emperor."

Xie Zhou bit her! What nonsense is this? A rebellion after slaying a snake?

Huan Yue could kick him down with one foot.

Xie Zhou hurriedly pressed him down, holding her down with all his might: "It's not stable yet, don't move around."

Huan Yue asked, "What are you doing?"

Xie Zhou looked into his wife's eyes without blushing and said, "I love you."

Oh, Huan Yue turned over and went back to sleep.

Xie Zhou held her and urged her to get some sleep so she wouldn't be listless during the day.

He's going to be a father soon!

It's best if his father doesn't find out, or he'll be showered with rewards. Nobody knows whether his father is going to be the grandfather or he's going to be the father; this is a usurpation of power, and he can't resist. After all, his first son is so important.

Therefore, he absolutely could not tell anyone, not even his father. He had to protect his wife and son.

From now on, we'll beat him up when he deserves it, and we'll reason with him when necessary. He'll have someone to beat up now.

Is there any possibility of this family dynamic changing? What if the Emperor were to interfere...?

Xie Zhou was filled with worry, but thankfully he fell asleep.

After all, he has a son, so the Crown Prince's position is basically secure. This is a good thing for the whole country! His wife deserves the most credit!