"Do you have the guts? His Majesty is now seriously ill, and all sorts of rumors have already spread throughout the court and the public! You all should either find the culprit, cure His Majesty's illness, or try to calm those rumors down. There's nothing wrong with arguing here!"

The speaker was Qi Yi, Empress Xiao's father and the Grand General Protector of the Nation.

Even though he is over sixty years old, he is still energetic and dignified without being angry.

As soon as he spoke, the people who had been arguing fell silent.

No one can do what Qi Yi said.

Empress Xiao listened for a long time, but her face showed no emotion whatsoever.

"In your opinion, Father, what should be done?"

Qi Yi looked at Empress Xiao, who was now on the throne: "Your Majesty, His Majesty's illness has come on strangely. This old minister believes that while we investigate the cause and treat the illness, we should also select a prince to oversee the country!"

"His Majesty is seriously ill, but the court must not be thrown into chaos; daily affairs must continue in an orderly manner!"

Empress Xiao played with the long nail guard and asked, "Your Majesty now has three sons: the eldest, Yuan Huai; the second, Yuan Yi; and the third, Yuan Si."

“Yuan Huai is the son of Consort Jiang, and also the eldest son of a concubine. Yuan Yi is my son, the second son of the legitimate wife, and the son of Consort Mei, who is only ten years old now.”

"Only Yuan Huai and Yuan Yi are qualified to serve as regents. Our dynasty has always valued the eldest son, so it seems that the responsibility of regent can only be entrusted to Yuan Huai, but..."

Empress Xiao feigned distress and said, "However, Yuan Huai is not in the palace now, and the last time he returned to the palace, he had a big argument with His Majesty. The relationship between the father and son is really hard to say. Now that he has left the palace, it is not very appropriate for him to oversee the country."

Empress Xiao put forward her words, and immediately someone rushed to flatter her: "Your Majesty has too many concerns. In my opinion, although the eldest prince is indeed the eldest son of the emperor, in terms of status, neither Consort Jiang nor the eldest prince himself can compare with the second prince."

"Your Majesty, I also believe that Consort Jiang is not a citizen of our country. How can the son of a foreign concubine be entrusted with such an important task?"

“Unlike the second prince, the eldest prince has the status of being born of the legitimate wife and also has a powerful maternal family like the Grand General. If we’re talking about who’s more suitable, then the second prince is undoubtedly more suitable!”

"I propose that the Second Prince oversee the state!"

"I second that proposal!"

Empress Xiao's lips curled up slightly, her face showing distress: "What you all say makes sense, but the responsibility of overseeing the country is indeed heavy, and I need to think it over carefully!"

"I am tired, you may all leave now!"

After everyone in the hall had left, Empress Xiao returned to her original state.

She looked at Qi Yi with a worried expression: "Father, His Majesty's illness is really strange. If I may speak disrespectfully, if he passes away like this, without even an imperial edict to establish an heir, what will happen to Yi'er's position as crown prince!"

Qi Yi turned around and sat down: "Your Majesty, please don't be anxious. You are the Empress and have a legitimate son. So what if Consort Jiang has a son born out of wedlock?"

"Besides, you know how much Consort Jiang despises this son."

"The relationship between the Crown Prince and His Majesty is one of irreconcilable differences, which is common knowledge throughout the court and the country. It would be strange if His Majesty were to pass the throne to him!"

Empress Xiao was somewhat reassured by her father Qi Yi's words, but the most important thing at the moment was the matter of overseeing the country.

Qi Yi said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, leave the matter of Yi'er overseeing the country to this old minister."

The next day, news spread through the palace that His Majesty had left an oral decree that, if necessary, the Second Prince would oversee the country.

Whether this imperial edict was true or false is unknown, and the ministers wouldn't concern themselves with whether it was real or not.

With His Majesty ill, the Xia Kingdom's court has become a veritable dictatorship under Empress Xiao.

With the support of General Qi Yi, the protector of the nation, who would dare to disobey?

Deep within the Xia Kingdom's royal palace, a unique three-story palace stands tall.

The palace was exceptionally magnificent, yet its magnificence was tinged with a sense of desolation.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty is seriously ill, and the Second Prince has taken over the reins of government."

Consort Jiang was meditating with her eyes closed, and did not respond to the maid's words at all.

Seeing this, the servant could only sigh helplessly and then retreat.

The palace doors closed, and silence returned to the room.

Inside another palace, the ten-year-old third prince was practicing calligraphy.

Consort Mei listened to the servant's report, a hint of worry appearing between her beautiful brows.

"Is there any movement from Consort Jiang's side?"

The maid shook her head: "No."

"That's enough. We won't get involved in these matters. Close the palace gates and announce to the outside world that from this day forward, I will stay at home, observe a vegetarian diet, chant Buddhist prayers, and pray for His Majesty's well-being."

"This servant understands!"

Empress Xiao scoffed at the reactions from both sides.

"Consort Mei is useless. Let her pray if she wants to."

"Keep a close eye on Consort Jiang and don't let her have any chance to contact His Majesty!"

"This servant understands!"

When the new Emperor Xiao of Xia fell ill, everyone in the court and the country felt threatened.

Everyone is speculating whether the Second Prince will ascend to the throne if Emperor Xiao passes away.

In contrast to the turmoil in the Xia Kingdom, Xiao Yuanhuai's side remained completely unaffected.

After a night of deep sleep, he woke up the next morning feeling an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

The feeling of being sickly and weak was completely gone, as if I had been reborn.

Ning Yao thought he would leave the Ning family after he recovered, but she didn't expect to see him teaching Ning Yiyi martial arts in the training ground in the early morning.

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow and watched for a while before leaving.

Why not find a free tutor for Ning Yiyi by simply providing three meals a day?

With Ning Yao's tacit approval, Xiao Yuanhuai stayed there temporarily.

——

On the fifteenth of August, Shen Cile went into labor and gave birth to a baby boy, whom she named Ning Zhoumo.

The entire Ning family was filled with joy.

The master was overjoyed and rewarded all his servants, including the farmhands and laborers who tended the fields.

Even those who worked at Shuiyunjian, Yingkelai, and Pinglanlou received tips.

Perhaps it was because of the new joy in the family, everyone had a smile on their face.

"Miss, what a joyous occasion!" Zhilan entered beaming with happiness.

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong? Why are you so happy?"

"The crops in the fields have yielded a bumper harvest!"

Ning Yao couldn't help but stand up: "This is truly a joyous occasion! Let's go and take a look."

In the sweltering summer heat, the sun beats down relentlessly.

Despite being drenched in sweat, many people still gathered on the ridges of the fields.

Nothing compares to a bumper harvest from crops you've grown yourself!

When Ning Yao arrived, Ning Lang was talking to a farmhand dressed in short clothes.

Seeing Ning Yao arrive, Ning Lang quickly led his men forward: "Third Miss."

Ning Yao nodded: "How is the situation?"

The servant only met Ning Yao once, although Ning Lang took care of everything after that.

But he knew that the Third Miss's presence meant that she took this matter very seriously.

He recounted the situation truthfully, word by word, and Ning Yao nodded repeatedly as she listened.

"It's much better than I expected. Thank you all for your hard work. You'll all be rewarded after the harvest!"

The servant was overjoyed; in any other master's household could one receive two rewards in such a short time!