I woke up early, and the snow had stopped.

It was chilly.

Lady Yang did not dare to slack off. As the Empress's belly grew bigger day by day, everyone in the Eastern Palace became more alert.

A group of people are already busy shoveling snow. They don't care about other places; they want to make sure the Qing'e Palace is as clean as possible.

Lady Yang went to the east side hall.

Many lanterns hung under the eaves, and lights were also lit inside.

The side hall is quite special. There is a wide veranda outside, and there is also a corridor inside the lattice windows. Inside, there are seven rooms, with the central room being the main room.

The lights were brighter in the middle of the north side, near the entrance, and the two palace maids guarding inside were dozing off.

Yang watched without paying attention to them, just making sure everything in the room was arranged properly, even if it meant checking twice a day.

The palace maids quickly emptied the ashes from the charcoal and replaced it with a freshly lit brazier; at least six of these braziers were needed in the room.

The eunuch came and carried away the cooled hot water, replacing it with freshly boiled water.

Regardless of when the Empress gives birth, what is desired is that she can give birth at any time.

Xiangnu also came over to confirm that there were no problems and that she was able to handle any situation.

The birth of a child is unpredictable, and the Crown Prince has only one goal: to ensure the safety of both mother and child.

Several palace maids solemnly swore on their lives, after all, the Crown Princess and the Imperial Grandson were extremely important.

Such preparations don't take much effort, saving you from being scrambling around later.

In Anxiang Courtyard, Fei Hegu couldn't sleep early in the morning, so she got up and went to Shicui Hall to sit.

Almost everyone is here; if the Empress were to give birth even a day later, everyone would be worried.

Even in the East Palace, one dares not wander around aimlessly, as the Shicui Hall is very tidy.

Di Baose came over yawning, who would have thought she dreamt that the imperial grandson was being filial to her. Was she someone who lacked filial piety? The crown prince was her cousin, and the imperial grandson was her cousin's nephew, so there was nothing wrong with him being filial to her.

Ren Zhaoxun looked at her and asked, "Is Consort Di pregnant?"

Di Baose couldn't show a sour face, so she said, "Don't worry, everyone."

Ren Zhaoxun was pleased.

Di Liangdi's words of reassurance were very effective.

Fang Tang came over, looking quite worried.

Fei Hegu asked, "Is the Wunu Kingdom causing a great disturbance?"

Fang Tang scoffed: "I don't know about the Wunu Kingdom, but I do know that there are people in the court who want to stir up trouble."

Ren Zhaoxun complained: "What men and women? I think some men are not as good as women."

Meng Pingting chuckled: "Men are sometimes inferior to women. How many men do you think can compare to the Empress Dowager?"

There's no comparison with Consort Huan; if she punched you, only a man could withstand it.

A eunuch ran in to report: "A female Taoist priest came from outside Xuande Gate and said that Consort Huan is carrying a demon's child and that she must take it away."

Di Baose was furious: "Didn't you take her in?"

The eunuch said, "Take it..."

What they care about isn't that; they just know the imperial grandson can't be taken away by her, so they can spread rumors.

The rumor-mongers are popular again, but in a different way.

Fang Tang sneered: "Even those in the court who read the classics actually believe in this stuff."

Ren Zhaoxun said, "What kind of books do they read!"

Ju Zhaoxun said, "We should read more books and do more things."

Everyone nodded in agreement. The Empress would definitely have a chance to slap them in the face!

The amount of work done by someone like Gong Zhaoxun, the Charity Secretary, is beyond the reach of most people. What does mere words matter?

Xuanzheng Hall.

The lights are on.

Today's event is so significant that the courtiers are very agitated and have started arguing in waves.

Today, I sit on it.

Although everyone wanted to show off in front of him, they were all vying for it, and if they did, they would fight, and a real fight would break out.

Although Lü Liang returned seriously injured, he was specially given a seat in court, but it was no big deal for him to stand up and beat up a few useless people.

It wasn't that Lü Liang was arrogant, but rather that a group of people surrounded him, spitting as if they wanted to beat him to death as an apology.

Lü Liang was a general on the battlefield, how could he die such a pathetic death?

As the fight broke out on one side, Fu Dingchen led a group of people into a brawl on the other side.

Even someone as steady as Huang Dian got caught up in it; there's no other way, you have to protect yourself.

We are watching from above right now.

Xie Zhou and the King of Wu were watching from the side.

The cause of the incident was simple: the people of Wunu Kingdom, which had been conquered by the Great Zhao, rebelled, and the situation became critical.

Some people felt that the territory of the Wunu Kingdom should be returned to them.

Therefore, they did not seek the help of the King of Wu regarding this matter.

As for the crown prince, with the emperor around, he can stay out of the way.

Neither the King of Wu nor the Crown Prince were interested in causing trouble.

No one tried to stop the fight, and it didn't last long; they were all quick-draw fighters.

They also used politeness to cover up their (insecurity) and (lack of strength).

Fu Dingchen, young and vigorous, was fine after tidying up and said he could fight another three hundred rounds.

Huang Dian tidied himself up, and he's alright. He's really refined; he just doesn't want to move.

Several people, with bruises and swollen faces, nosebleeds streaming down their faces, and one with a knocked-out front tooth, knelt down in front, crying and sobbing.

Sima Jian, drawing out his words and acting like a sage, cried out, "Lü Liang, ahh..."

Fu Dingchen, not yet satisfied with the fight, came over in a lewd manner to stir up trouble: "You're blind in one eye, you still have the other one, didn't you understand?"

Sima Jian was furious; his eye had been struck, but he hadn't gone blind!

Fu Dingchen said that if he was blind, then he must be blind: "You defeated ones are in league with the Wunu Kingdom. Those of us who won naturally belong to Great Zhao."

Grand Secretary Xu was amused.

It's quite a coincidence that the grandson of the Wunu Kingdom didn't win the battle.

Even if Lü Liang had taken action, the group of civil officials couldn't have won.

Fu Dingchen said with great momentum: "Some things are not absolutely right or wrong, but we, the victors, and you, the losers, must feel differently. You were born in the Great Zhao but cannot experience victory, while you were born in the Great Zhao but feel the same way as the Wunu Kingdom."

Sima Jian opened his mouth.

Fu Dingchen is equally skilled in verbal sparring, and this isn't the first time: "You're like the saying, 'When the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king.' Your understanding of the loser is unparalleled. However, even when there's no tiger in the mountains, it doesn't mean the monkey can become king. Don't underestimate the Great Zhao; you couldn't even beat a country bumpkin tomorrow. Someone like you should find a suitable occasion, not try to turn defeat into victory in this most unsuitable place."

Sima Jian was so angry that he burst into tears!

A group of people sided with Sima Jian and criticized Fu Dingchen.

Sima Jian was so aggrieved that he wanted to hit his head against a pillar!

The King of Wu asked, "Where did this monkey come from?"

Fu Dingchen exclaimed with delight: "A monkey wearing a crown!"

Sima Jian circled back to the emperor and said, "Your subject is utterly loyal and devoted!"

Xie Zhen asked, "Should we return all the land of Wunu to him, and let the assassination attempt on my father by the princess of Wunu go?"

Xie Yu said sharply, "Sima Gong is not suitable to represent the Great Zhao in the court, but he would be better suited to play the role of the Wunu Kingdom on the stage."

Xie Zhen was taken aback: "Third Brother, you've come up with a great idea!"

Xie Liu asked, "Doesn't it look like it to you?"

Xie Zhen nodded, "It's so similar, so very similar!"

Everyone thinks it looks like it!

Xie Zhou said, "It is difficult for each person to find their own Achilles' heel."

King Wu nodded: "Indeed. Sima Jian is still more suited to playing the role of the Wunu Kingdom; he's more convincing than the real thing."

Sima Jian couldn't help it; he cried so hard the sky darkened.

"Your Majesty! Your humble servant began studying at the age of three, and forty years have passed since then! Your heart is set on serving your country!"

There's no rush right now, just watch his performance.

Xie Zhou was anxious because his son hadn't been born yet, but this was something that couldn't be rushed.