The official was ashamed that the Crown Prince, at the age of five, had already shown extraordinary talent. He had been learning martial arts from the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery since he was three, and was also frequently taken out to study and be taught by his maternal grandmother, a first-rank general, and his maternal grandfather, the Regent of Great Wei. He was indeed outstanding and far surpassed all the male heirs in his family.

What he feared most was that His Majesty would accuse him of plotting to murder the monarch, a charge he would never dare to admit, even in death.

Then the emperor snorted coldly, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking, all of you trying to stuff people into my harem."

You hope I'll become a foolish ruler bewitched by women, so you can manipulate me at will. But let me tell you, even after I'm gone, my empress and crown prince won't let you have your way.

Today I will tell you plainly that I have kidney deficiency, and I cannot even have a princess if I want to. You still want to force women on me, which is an attempt to kill me.

Since you're all threatening my life, I won't bother with any courtesy. If anyone dares to harbor any further thoughts, I'll castrate you and send you to the palace as eunuchs..."

The emperor himself admitted his incompetence, even escalating it to regicide, so that no one dared to mention taking a concubine again.

When Ye Zhen heard the news, she was talking to Yin Yue and Wan Xing, and she was laughing so hard that tears almost came out of her eyes.

Yinyue and the other woman laughed along, "Miss, you didn't choose the wrong son-in-law."

Several years ago, the two women married Fu Guang and Xing Ze respectively. Now, Fu Guang has joined the army and Xing Ze has joined the Imperial Guard, both holding considerable official positions. They have also become ladies of high rank and can no longer serve Ye Zhen. However, they often visit Ye Zhen together in the palace.

Ye Zhen nodded with a smile.

She was very happy in her life. Her husband was considerate, her son was well-behaved, and her father and mother would spend at least half the year visiting her in Da Yuan.

Five years ago, after becoming pregnant, Master went to Dongwu with Huo Zhan. The following year, she gave birth to a daughter and would bring the child back to Dayuan every year.

She also visited her master in Dongwu with her parents, and Dongwu is now a peaceful and prosperous place.

With the support of the Great Wei, the benefits were distributed to the people in the form of the master's dowry. In addition, Huo Zhan brainwashed the people of Dongwu, telling them that many of the policies that benefited the people were proposed by the master. In the end, the people of Dongwu respected the master very much, and no one mentioned the past anymore.

The only thing that troubled his master was that Huo Zhan would occasionally act foolishly, be possessive, and jealous, but fortunately his master could control him.

The two children also protected their master. Whenever Huo Zhan displeased his master, the two children would sleep with their master on either side of them, not letting their father get close.

Huo Zhan once carried one child in each hand and left the two children with the wet nurse. The next day, the two children persuaded their master to come to Dayuan, where they stayed for more than half a year. No matter how Huo Zhan tried to coax them, their master ignored him. Huo Zhan never dared to abandon his children again.

The two children warned Huo Zhan that if it happened again, they would take their master to the Great Wei.

The journey to the Great Wei was long and arduous. Huo Zhan had built a pipeline from Dongwu to Dayuan, which could be reached in a month by fast horse, but a round trip to the Great Wei would take nearly a year. It was difficult for an emperor to leave for such a long time.

Thinking of the scene where Huo Zhan was so subdued by the two younger ones that he dared not vent his anger and could only kneel on a washboard before his master, Ye Zhen's smile grew even wider.

Everything is fine now, the only regret is that I couldn't give Xie Azhao a daughter.

When Shi Yu came to visit his great-granddaughter and learned of her thoughts, he patted her head and said, "Zhenbao, don't worry, your wish will come true."

Because of these words, Ye Zhen felt much more at ease, and became pregnant again when the Crown Prince was six years old.

This time it's twins, a boy and a girl.

Xie Tingzhou was delighted to issue several more imperial edicts, all of which benefited the people of Dayuan and brought them joy.

He also made changes in the court, allowing Wang Jingshuo, who had become the Grand Censor, the head of the Cai family, the Marquis of Zhongyong, and two important ministers he had promoted after his ascension to the throne to handle government affairs on behalf of the emperor.

With the five oxen and horses keeping each other in check, Xie Tingzhou was no longer worried about them ganging up on the emperor, which made him much more relaxed and allowed him to spend more time with his wife and children.

When the Crown Prince turned twenty, he began to assist the country and oversee government affairs, and Xie Tingzhou was relieved of most of his responsibilities.

Ye Zhen also handed over the management of the harem to the princess, while his youngest son took over the management of the Charity Hall. The brothers, who were six years apart in age, had a harmonious relationship.

As Xie Tingzhou grew older, he became increasingly attached to Ye Zhen. Every evening after dinner, he would take Ye Zhen to the crabapple tree he had planted to help her digest her food.

In their spare time, the two would play chess under the tree, play the piano or flute, or swing on a swing.

When life is happy, time always flies by.

When Xie Tingzhou was sixty years old, he fell seriously ill.

The ordeal he suffered in his youth had damaged his health. Later, he devoted himself to governing the country. Several years ago, he noticed that his health was deteriorating, but he couldn't bear to part with Ye Zhen and paid great attention to maintaining his health.

But lifespan is predetermined by fate.

The crabapple blossoms were exceptionally vibrant that day. Xie Tingzhou lay in Ye Zhen's arms, gazing at the sea of ​​pink flowers above him, and laughed, "No wonder you were a flower thief back then, these flowers are truly beautiful."

Ye Zhen hugged him and laughed, "Of course, I've always been picky."

"So when you saved me back then, was it because you were attracted to my looks?"

"Yes, if you weren't good-looking, I wouldn't save you."

Xie Tingzhou laughed, but then he started coughing. He quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief, then crumpled it into a ball and held it in his palm.

Now that he is old, he is not as fast as before. Ye Zhen clearly saw a patch of crimson on the handkerchief. She looked up and blinked, forcing back her tears.

Xie Tingzhou continued, still looking at the flowers above his head, "No wonder, when we met again I had a full beard, and your attitude towards me wasn't as good as the first time."

Zhen'er, I hope I can be beautiful again in my next life, so you'll look at me again.

His voice was much weaker than before, Ye Zhen's lips trembled violently, but the smile on his face remained unchanged, "Okay, but if you're not good-looking, I'll still love you in my next life."

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