Many eunuchs came to flatter him, and many civil and military officials also came to fawn over him.

It was so much fun!

He never expected that one day the Embroidered Uniform Guard would suddenly come and surround the Ma family's residence.

When Maggie, who was in the palace awaiting childbirth, heard the news, she was so frightened that she fell down and suffered from severe abdominal pain.

The next day, she gave birth to a blonde, blue-eyed daughter.

Maggie knew, of course, that the child she was giving birth to could only be that of a Semu person.

She had also made preparations in advance, instructing the Ma family to prepare a pregnant woman so that she could switch her with someone else later.

The plan was meticulously prepared, and the eunuchs and palace attendants had all spent a fortune to bribe them.

Who could have known that the emperor would return to the palace and send a large force to surround her residence?

They were caught red-handed trying to switch the beams and pillars.

Lu Xingjian chuckled softly.

"Is she going to pin the blame on me for her child?"

They thought he was being taken advantage of.

Su Wanwan thought a step further: "Your Majesty might as well admit it first, and then announce to the public that the child died suddenly."

"This way, outsiders will know that the emperor is fertile, and the pressure to select an heir from the imperial clan for adoption will be less."

Lu Xingjian gave her a cold look. "Are you doing this on purpose?"

"I could possibly give birth to a child of this kind?"

"You won't rest until the whole world gives me a green hat."

Su Wanwan snorted coldly, "The ones who insist on labeling you are not Wen Gong and Ma Ang, and have nothing to do with me?"

"Why aren't you going to settle accounts with them? What kind of nonsense is this, taking your anger out on me?"

Lu Xingjian was still resentful of the humiliation he suffered at the Nine Borders, and he immediately flew into a rage. He ordered someone to take the newborn foreign child and head straight to the Ma family.

The Ma family built a large and imposing mansion in Taipingcang East, claiming it was a gift from the Emperor.

Lu Xingjian stared at the tall and imposing Ma family mansion, his back teeth clenching so hard they made a clattering sound.

His legitimate wife, Su Wanwan, has always lived in a small, cramped house, which has remained unchanged for many years.

However, this so-called "Imperial Brother-in-Law" family is so ostentatious that they seem to want the whole world to know that the emperor himself slept with Ma Ji.

Ma Ang was surprised that Lu Xingjian would come to the Ma family in person, so he quickly prepared a banquet to entertain him.

Lu Xingjian lazily looked behind Ma Ang and said, "Isn't your concubine heavily pregnant and about to give birth?"

"Should we call out the son or the daughter who was born so we can see them?"

Ma Ang was sweating profusely.

The so-called concubines were pregnant women he deliberately sought out, two of whom were carrying his own children.

"This lowly concubine dares not pay homage to the Emperor. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Lu Xingjian's voice instantly turned cold, "Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do?"

"Brother-in-law Ma?"

Ma Ang shuddered in fright and quickly knelt down.

Lu Xingjian was too lazy to argue and ordered his men to immediately search the Ma family's property.

Instead of conducting a trial in accordance with the three judicial authorities, they had the entire Ma family force-fed poisoned wine.

Upon hearing this, Ma Ji, despite her postpartum weakness, rushed into Xiaoyuan to plead for mercy.

Su Wanwan didn't let her in, but instead met her outside Xiaoyuan.

"His Majesty is not here."

Maggie's face was deathly pale as she stared intently at Su Wanwan. "From the very beginning, you've been waiting for this day, haven't you?"

Su Wanwan sighed, "Didn't you bring this upon yourself?"

"If it weren't for you secretly passing messages to the Tatars, would His Majesty have been working in vain for almost a year on the frontier?"

Maggie swayed slightly and chuckled, "He deserved it!"

"Who told him to lie to me so badly?!"

Su Wanwan looked at her quietly, "Isn't it because you wanted to hold onto him too much and get rich and powerful from him that you turned out this way?"

Maggie said, "You're talking nonsense!"

"I love him to the bone, I've schemed and poured my heart and soul into him, yet I always lose to you, you widow!"

Su Wanwan waited for her to stop before saying something softly.

"No, you never loved him."

"If you love him, you will know where his fears are and where his vulnerabilities lie."

Do you think he can't live without me?

"It's just that I understand him best, I'm the least troublesome, and I never offend him."

The autumn twilight shone on the entrance of Xiaoyuan Garden, as if everything was gilded with a layer of gold.

Lu Xingjian arrived at some point and stood quietly in the golden light, listening to her words.

His heart suddenly ached for no reason.

What Wanwan said left him speechless.

That's right.

She is not only a lover, but also a partner you can rely on.

It is a tacit understanding formed from childhood, and a trust cultivated through countless life-or-death choices.

He was terrified.

He fears death and the possibility of being harmed by those around him.

Therefore, he urgently needs a ballast, a ballast that can give him complete peace of mind.

No one but Wanwan is qualified to do it.

The greatest harm she could do to him was to distance herself from him and elope with Xiao Bin.

Instead of killing him outright.

Even though she imprisoned him in anger, it was all bark and no bite. She would still come over at night and sleep with him, and their relationship actually got better.

She knew that line and would never cross it.

Therefore, he would willingly offer her everything, including his true feelings and his life.

Lu Xingjian waved his hand, signaling someone to take Maggie away.

Su Wanwan stood at the entrance of Xiaoyuan Garden, clenching her hands as she looked at him.

Lu Xingjian picked her up and said, "I killed a lot of people today, are you scared?"

Su Wanwan nodded. "Will you kill me?"

"Let's see how you behave today."

"How do you want me to behave?"

"I want it to be even more wild; my husband will like it even more."

"Oh, I can't do it, you might as well kill me."

"Then you wash yourself clean and wait, and see how I kill you."

Su Wanwan looked at his face in the twilight and gently touched it.

So many years have passed.

He has grown from that naive and aloof young prince into a mature, steady, and decisive monarch.

Instead, she became more and more innocent and fragile, like a blank sheet of paper.