He cried?

Well……

"What’s wrong with you?"

The lamp wick suddenly made a sound, startling the concubine who coughed and scrambled to his feet, his voice thick with nasal congestion. He knelt down and said, "Go back, excuse me, I'm fine."

"Then why are you crying?"

If someone cries inexplicably in the middle of the night, disturbing the emperor's sleep, they could be dragged out and executed without anyone daring to utter a word of dissent.

"Slave, slave, slave..."

The slave couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"If you don't tell me, I will punish you."

The concubine, fearing that His Majesty would truly punish him, choked back tears as he explained the reason: "His Majesty refuses to take me. I wonder if I have done something wrong that has displeased His Majesty."

So that's why.

Anxin lay back down, resting her arm on her head, and said, "It's alright. I'll stop them from talking nonsense. These days, Consort Song has only been sleeping with me. The Changsheng Palace is tight-lipped, so you can rest assured."

The concubine was taken aback. Was Song Shijun the same?

"Lie down."

Seeing that he was still sitting there, Nan Yu patted the bedding. The view inside the curtain was not very clear, only an outline could be seen. After the concubine carefully lay down, neither of them spoke.

The concubine was still a little nervous, afraid that she would lose all her reputation tomorrow.

Unlike Lin Shijun, who held an official position in the previous dynasty, he could only rely on His Majesty in the palace. Gradually, Nan Yu fell asleep.

It started moving around randomly again.

My legs were pressed against the man's legs through the blanket.

Unlike with Song Ying, she didn't snuggle into his arms and simply sleep on her side, using him as a footrest.

The concubine was so frightened that her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

I didn't dare to sleep, afraid that I might change my sleeping position and make His Majesty uncomfortable.

He endured until four o'clock before the eunuch woke His Majesty.

With Song Ying not around, Nan Yu really didn't stay in bed any longer. He woke up as soon as he was called. The concubine, disregarding his numb body, hurried down to help His Majesty put on his shoes. Deng Xin noticed that he looked tired and had particularly heavy dark circles under his eyes. He probably didn't sleep well last night.

He said, "Go back to the palace and rest. You don't need to serve me here."

The concubine could no longer endure it, and when His Majesty ordered the release of the man, he returned.

Just after Song Ying finished sleeping, she received a letter saying that last night His Majesty had favored a concubine, only reading half of the words before crumpling the paper into pieces. The madness in the depths of his eyes was almost distorted, and he would probably actually sneer when he was angry.

Having just arrived in Youzhou, it's impossible for me to go back for the time being.

Song Ying could only keep a record of everything.

When the concubine returned, the palace servants kept congratulating him. The concubine felt embarrassed and was also terrified, fearing that word would spread that His Majesty had not touched him the night before.

That would truly become a laughing stock in the imperial harem.

Nan Yu rewarded the concubine with some fine things, and many male concubines came to learn from her and offer their congratulations.

The concubine could only awkwardly deal with the situation.

With Song Ying absent, Nan Yu went to court every day to discuss state affairs with ministers, learn about governance strategies, review memorials, eat, drink tea, and sleep. He never favored any of the concubines.

Nan Yu dared not treat her concubine as just a bedmate, for fear that they would misunderstand.

I was also afraid that my lord would misunderstand.

He was even more afraid that Song Ying would come back and he would make Song Ying his bed partner all the time, which would make the concubine feel disappointed. So he changed her every day and rotated them so that everyone would be balanced.

Although the emperor's room was small, the bed was large. Nan Yu did not want the emperor's attendants to be near her, and there was even room for two more people to sleep in the middle.

They rarely do anything inappropriate, not even holding hands. The most inappropriate thing they might do is unconsciously put their legs on them while sleeping.

In the morning, the servants would leave on their own initiative, and he would not keep them for lunch.

Others invited her, but Nan Yu declined, citing being busy.

He would be invited by the concubines in the harem, and on the first and fifteenth of each month, he would go to the Empress's palace for lunch and dinner, but he would not sleep there.

The Empress Dowager didn't say anything the first or second time, but the third time...

This is going to get out of hand.

The Empress Dowager had no choice but to make the trip herself.

Because she asked someone to invite the emperor, Nan Yu declined with various excuses. He had no experience last time, so she gave him a long lecture, which made him stressed. He dreamed of the Empress Dowager's face for several nights.

And there was that old nanny beside her, constantly urging her to give birth.

He was scared.

He would only go to pay his respects occasionally, and then leave immediately, not giving the Empress Dowager a chance to say another word.

Halfway through reading the memorial, Wei Yuanhua announced that the Empress Dowager had arrived. Nan Yu was so startled that his hand trembled. He wanted to go out and avoid her, but as the emperor, he could neither jump out of the window nor climb over the wall. Since she was almost here, he could only bite the bullet and greet her.

The Empress Dowager didn't speak directly upon arrival; instead, she inquired about her son's health first.

"State affairs are important, but the emperor should also take care of his health. I've heard that the emperor stays up all night reviewing memorials, and none of his servants try to persuade him to stay healthy?"

Upon seeing this, Wei Yuanhua immediately knelt down, bowing his head low, and hurriedly said, "This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die."

Nan Yu sat cross-legged, forgetting to bring the agate beaded string that was placed next to the table. She could only fiddle with the gold thread on the hem of her skirt. Wei Yuanhua knelt down, and she glanced at him before saying, "Get up."

Wei Yuanhua stood up, not daring to raise his head, and stood carefully to the side.

Nan Yu said to the Empress Dowager, "I will be more careful in the future. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Mother."

The Empress Dowager sighed softly, and after about two seconds, spoke tactfully:

“Yesterday, Princess Wu brought Hongqing to see me. I found the child to be adorable with his chubby face and round head.”

Upon hearing this, Nan Yu immediately understood.

“Prince Wu has many children. If Your Majesty likes them, I will issue an edict to bring one to the palace to be raised, so that Your Majesty can also experience the joy of having a grandchild.”

Empress Dowager: "..."

Is that what she meant?

Seeing that the emperor was feigning ignorance, one could only subtly reveal the truth:

"The Emperor is not young anymore, it is time to consider the offspring. Prince Wu is only one year older than you, and he already has three sons and one daughter. Except for Yulin who is still young, the others have as many children as they want, regardless of whether they can have them or not. Only the harem, I have never heard any news about it. The Emperor should visit the harem more often."

Nan Yu's head was about to explode. Poor little lamp wick, he has no feelings for girls, what should he do?

"I have been there. I went to the Empress's palace three times, Consort Zhen twice, and some other concubines as well."

The Empress Dowager sighed in distress, "What's the use of going to dinner? The Emperor should be thinking about the imperial heirs."

"The border is unstable right now, and I have no mind for that. Let's talk about having children once everything is stable, Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager could only offer advice, not force, and after a few more words of concern, she left.

After the Empress Dowager left, Nan Yu felt that the air was sweeter. The crown was too heavy, and it was inevitable that there would be many descendants. Deng Xin thought that he would hold on for another two years. If he couldn't hold on, he would find a younger brother with strong political abilities.

He was made Crown Prince, and after his death, the Crown Prince would succeed him.

The cycle continues, and now it's the concubine's turn again.

When Nan Yu finished court, she was stunned to see the concubine in the Hall of Longevity.

Wei Yuanhua reminded him, and he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have told his concubine to come earlier last night because it was going to rain in the afternoon and getting wet would make her catch a cold. He was afraid that Dengxin would get infected, and he was most afraid of getting a fever.

The palace where the male favorite lived was relatively remote. If he came after dinner, it would take an hour to walk there, and taking a sedan chair wouldn't be much faster either. So it was better to let him come at noon.

"Your Majesty," the concubine bowed respectfully.

The wick hummed in agreement.