"The Duke of Ji has disregarded the authority of Heaven. He has been fined one year's salary and confined to his quarters for three years. The Imperial Women's Academy is established for the benefit of the people and is a national policy of the Later Qi Dynasty. It must not be abolished."
"From now on, anyone who dares to bother the Empress with this matter will be punished for treason, without any leniency."
Shen Jinchen glanced at the Imperial Guards, then at Ji Changming, remained silent for a long time, and finally made a decision.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't! Don't let this woman be bewitched. What kind of future do you think you're putting the country and its people in? She's a hen that can't lay eggs. If you let her have her way, the Later Qi dynasty will have no successor."
In the end, Shen Jinchen and Shen Youji could no longer bear it and, risking their lives, kowtowed to admonish him.
"Duke Shen, there is no need to worry. Even if my Empress cannot bear an heir, the Later Qi dynasty will still have a successor. Starting today, I will select a crown prince from the Eastern Palace. Any talented young man aged ten to seventeen in this dynasty can participate in the selection."
"If the Empress has no children after three years, she will choose one of the men who participated in the selection to be adopted into the royal family and made the Crown Prince, so that he can rule the Later Qi dynasty after I pass away."
"Does this provide an explanation?"
Shen Jinchen looked at the civil and military officials with a stern face.
"Your Majesty, you must not make such a decision for a woman. The Later Qi... is something we have worked so hard to achieve. We must not let this woman ruin it."
As soon as Shen Jinchen finished speaking, Shen Youji and Ji Changming panicked and immediately knelt down to beg Shen Jinchen to retract his order.
They never expected that a big disturbance would end like this.
"My mind is made up. There is no need to persuade me further. This was a promise I made to Her Majesty the Empress before I ascended the throne. I have always been a man of my word and will never break my vow. That's enough. Court is adjourned for today. Any other matters can be discussed tomorrow."
After arguing all morning, Shen Jinchen was exhausted and wanted to go back to rest. He didn't want to deal with this group of people.
"His Majesty!"
Seeing Shen Jinchen leave with Cen Xi, the court officials all knew that there was no room for maneuver in this matter, so they all knelt down and kowtowed, remaining silent.
After that, the court remained silent for half a month. Only after His Majesty the Emperor's decree to select an heir was proclaimed to the world did people realize that even if the Empress in the palace had no children in this life, it was impossible for her to be deposed. Only then did they put aside their slanderous thoughts about the Imperial Women's Academy and officially acknowledge the existence of the women in the Imperial Women's Academy.
The emperor's plan to adopt a crown prince spread like wildfire across the land within months.
Even the Taoist priests who cultivate in the mountains and the Buddhist monks who eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist prayers have heard some rumors.
This naturally included Jun Jianchou, who had already become a monk. After hearing the news, he personally went down the mountain to the prefecture to inquire about the reason.
Although I have converted to Buddhism and purified my six senses, I can never forget the people I should forget.
He never imagined that Cen Xi would be infertile for life.
Upon learning of this, he initially did not want to get involved, but after chanting sutras in the meditation room for ten days, he still could not calm his mind.
On the eleventh day, he quietly left Tianmen Mountain and went to Medicine King Valley. Half a month later, he came out of Medicine King Valley, had someone bring him a bottle of medicine, and sent it to the capital.
Upon returning to the temple, he was caught red-handed by the abbot.
"Wu De, where have you been?"
“I went on a journey for a while, Master. This is the medicine I brought back.”
"Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise. You don't know if this trip will save or harm people. I hope you won't regret it."
The abbot took the medicine, said some incomprehensible things, and then walked away alone.
Jun Jianchou seemed to understand, but it didn't matter. He was just doing what he wanted to do.
He wouldn't think about anything else, nor could he.
In late autumn, on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Cen Xi received a pregnancy-enhancing pill sent by Jun Jianchou, and sighed deeply.
This scene was witnessed by Shen Jinchen, who had just entered. He snatched the pregnancy-enhancing pill from Cen Xi's hand and examined it carefully.
Smiling, he asked Cen Xi:
"This was sent by Jun Jianchou."
"Um!"
"Even though he's become a monk, he still can't purify his mind. It's really difficult for him. I heard he studied under Medicine King Valley?"
"Um!"
Cen Xi spoke in a flat tone, showing no emotion, but Shen Jinchen, who had been married to her for a long time, naturally sensed the melancholy in her heart.
So Shen Jinchen offered words of comfort:
"Everyone has their own way of living, you don't need to worry about it. I heard that the divine doctor in Medicine King Valley has amazing medical skills. I sent several groups of people before, but none of them could get into Medicine King Valley. This medicine might work, let's give it a try, and not let down his efforts from so far away."
"Okay, I'll take one in a bit."
Cen Xi nodded in understanding.
"What are we going to do later? We've already tried everything, so let's just give it a shot."
Shen Jinchen held her in his arms and gestured for Qingyi to bring water to Cen Xi.
Qingyi understood and quickly brought over a cup of water.
Shen Jinchen poured out the medicine and had Cen Xi take it. Then he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers, frantically sucking on her breath.
Recently, Shen Jinchen has been extremely busy because many young people have come to the Eastern Palace to report for duty.
It had been a long time since he had tasted the flavor of his woman, and the atmosphere tonight was just right; he was determined not to let it go.
Jun Jianchou was surprised that Cen Xi was still thinking about him. Well, then he hoped that the medicine he sent would be effective.
He kept saying that it was no big deal not to have children, but as a human being, one always longs for offspring.
If Cen Xi could give birth to his child in a year or two, then why would he bother going to the Eastern Palace to see those people vying to be his son?
And he really wanted to know what his children with Cen Xi would be like.
Now that Jun Jianchou has given him hope, he no longer cares about being jealous; he only hopes that the final outcome will be good.
Perhaps heaven rewards those who persevere, for a month and a half later, good news indeed came from the palace.
A woman who had been declared childless in this life unexpectedly became pregnant.
Shen Jinchen was overjoyed. The next morning at court, he directly announced a general amnesty to celebrate the Empress's pregnancy.
But he was the only one who was happy about this. All the civil and military officials already had many complaints about Cen Xi, and when they heard the news, they all had a look of utter dismay.
Especially the Duke of Ji and the Duke of Shen, who had completely broken ties with Cen Xi, felt as if they had swallowed a fly.
But as painful as it is, you can't stop someone from having a baby, so you can only keep it to yourself.
Time flies, and Cen Xi was resting in the palace during her pregnancy. Soon, the day of her delivery was approaching. The palace became busier than ever before.
Shen Jinchen visited her almost every day to feel the baby's movements in Cen Xi's belly. He even pressed his belly against hers, letting the little one kick him.
Today was no different. As soon as court ended, Shen Jinchen went to Kunde Hall and listened to Cen Xi's belly again.
"Hey! He moved, he moved. Ah-Xi kicked me again."
After feeling a slight tremor, Shen Jinchen excitedly showed off to Cen Xi.
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