Ning Xihua was feeding fish in the garden when she heard the news of Su Xu and Lin Mengli's death.

She just sighed and said lightly, "I know."

Looking at the koi swarming in the pond, she suddenly felt emotional.

In the original book, Prince Ning's mansion was raided and executed for treason, and the original author was accused of adultery and died of poisoning.

Now, Su Xu was also sentenced to beheaded for treason, and Lin Mengli betrayed Su Xu and committed suicide by taking poison.

It seems that fate has changed all of a sudden, as if there is a cause and effect behind it.

After feeding the fish, Ning Xihua lost interest in continuing to stroll around.

She clapped her hands and said to Song Yi, "Let's go."

Song Yi was a little confused, "The Queen doesn't seem happy."

Ning Xihua shook her head. "It's not that I'm unhappy, I just feel a little... confused all of a sudden?"

After all, she had always been afraid of repeating the mistakes of the original book. Now that the male and female protagonists of the original book were gone, the breath she had been holding since she entered the book was suddenly dissipated, making her a little uncomfortable for a while.

"My lady, the emperor is here to look for you."

Song Yi interrupted her thoughts, she looked up and saw Su Bi striding towards her.

As soon as he stood still, he pulled the person into his arms, not caring about the gazes of the servants around him.

Song Yi lowered her head shyly, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise.

The emperor is still the same as before, he has to get close to his wife as soon as he sees her. The two of them are so sweet!

Ning Xihua was used to it, so she patted him on the back and asked, "Are you leaving court?"

Su Bi rubbed his head against her shoulder and said, "Yeah, I missed you."

Song Yi, who was standing by, buried her head even lower, for she was afraid that she would not be able to hold back and let out an excited scream like a woodchuck.

Ning Xihua also laughed. Even though he was an emperor, he still acted like a child and acted coquettishly to her all day long.

"By the way, a lot of crabs from Taihu Lake were delivered today. I'll send a few baskets over to my father-in-law as well."

When Ning Xihua heard that there were crabs to eat, she instantly became energetic.

Su Bi reached out to tuck her hair behind her ears, her voice sounding a little depressed.

"sorry."

Ning Xihua was immediately confused, "What's wrong?"

Su Bi sighed, "I said I would take you to Taihu Lake to eat crabs this year, but now I'm breaking my promise."

He had just ascended the throne and was in the process of stabilizing the government, so it was inconvenient for him to leave the capital at this time.

Ning Xihua then remembered that at this time last year, Su Bi took her to Yanhuang Lake to eat crabs. Because she was injured and didn't eat enough, he promised her to take her to Taihu Lake next year.

She had forgotten it, but he still remembered it.

Ning Xihua felt a little warm in her heart.

She waved her hands and said, "It doesn't matter. Aren't these crabs from Taihu Lake? As long as we can eat them, it doesn't matter where we eat them."

She didn't lie. Going to Taihu Lake requires a lot of trouble. Wouldn't it be better to eat at home?

Wait, she suddenly realized, is this the ancient version of takeout? In that case...

"Crabs alone are not enough. We also need roast duck from Li's Shop in Jiqingfang, eight-treasure rice from Ruixianglou, plum meat from Chen's Shop in Dongjie, and some snacks like osmanthus cake and almond milk crisps made by Chef Zhang in the kitchen..."

Tsk, just thinking about it made her drool.

Su Bi was amused by her greedy face and said, "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."

Having said that, he told his servants to buy it.

Ning Xihua rubbed her hands in anticipation.

This damn feudalism... smells so good!

Why hadn't she thought of asking someone to run errands and buy so much food at once?

It's like... the boss fed her too well...

In the evening, Su Bi had tables and chairs placed in the pavilion by the lake, and set up a small clay stove. She put the processed crabs into the steamer and steamed them on the spot.

The dishes Ning Xihua ordered were served on the table one after another, still steaming hot, without missing a single one.

"Isn't this a bit like tasting crabs on the river last year?"

Su Bi looked at her, her eyes full of smiles.

The lake breeze blew over, and the lanterns hanging on the corners of the pavilion swayed slightly. As night fell, the candlelight in the lanterns and the glow of the sky complemented each other, forming a beautiful picture of light and shadow.

But all of this could not compare to the gentle light in Su Bi's eyes, which lingered softly in her heart.

Ning Xihua smiled and nodded, "Better than last year."

At that time, the person in front of me was just my sweetheart, but now my sweetheart is someone by my side.

The crabs were steamed, so she just waited obediently with her hands hanging down.

Su Bi waved away the eunuch who wanted to help, and started to cut the crabs himself.

The technique of disassembling the crab is still smooth and pleasing to the eye.

Ning Xihua just held her face with her hands and watched him take it apart quietly, with a look of drooling on her face, and it was unclear whether she was drooling over the delicious food or the beautiful woman.

Su Bi quickly cut open a crab and pushed the crab meat in front of her.

"What are you looking at?"

Ning Xihua was not polite and took the plate and started eating. With the delicious crab meat in front of her, she didn't care about anything else and couldn't think clearly when she spoke. She just ate and mumbled,

"Look at the delicious food, eat the beautiful woman..."

Su Bi raised his eyebrows when he heard that, and the look in his eyes when he looked at her was filled with fire.

"Oh? Then I will make sure the Queen gets what she wants later."

Ning Xihua was so absorbed in the delicious food that she didn't hear clearly what Su Bi said. She just responded perfunctorily, not even knowing what outrageous words she had just said.

After having a full meal and a good drink, Ning Xihua touched her stomach and half-paralyzed in the chair, feeling too lazy to move.

Su Bi still thoughtfully poured her a cup of ginger tea to drive away the cold, complaining, "You eat so much, aren't you afraid of food accumulation?"

However, his hands were already rubbing her bulging belly with moderate strength.

Ning Xihua sighed with satisfaction, and let him knead her belly comfortably.

She tilted her head to look at the sky. The sun had already set completely, and the moon had slowly risen in the night.

The lake breeze blows across, bringing a pleasant feeling.

She looked at Su Bi, who was still rubbing her belly seriously with his head down. The light in the pavilion cast a soft warmth on his profile.

That's great.

Her heart, which had been somewhat confused in the morning, was suddenly filled up, and she no longer felt hesitant or at a loss.

There are no male or female protagonists, no plot, no hidden constraints and oppression in the original book. Everything is free, and destiny is finally in your own hands.

She couldn't help but reach out and touch Su Bi's cheek, feeling very happy.

From now on, every day when the sun rises is a new day waiting for her to write.

And her lover will always be by her side.

…

Time flies, and it is New Year's Eve in a blink of an eye.

The new emperor has been on the throne for nearly half a year, but the harem is still empty except for the empress.

Some ministers had been eager to make a move, but after holding back for a long time, they finally couldn't help but propose the idea of ​​selecting talents at the last court meeting before the New Year.

As soon as this was said, many ministers echoed it and proposed that a grand beauty pageant should be held after New Year's Eve to fill the emperor's harem and expand the royal family as soon as possible.

Prince Ning's face had already darkened, but he rarely said a word.

Since ancient times, the harem and the previous dynasty have been inseparable. The ministers who support the selection of beautiful women all have women of marriageable age in their families. Now that the new emperor's harem is empty, they naturally want to get a piece of the pie.

Although he was the emperor's father-in-law, he could not directly refute it at this moment. Otherwise, he would only be criticized for being jealous of the empress and for the imperial relatives' usurpation of power.

As the ministers were talking, they found the atmosphere a little strange.

Because apart from a few of them, most of the ministers promoted by the new emperor said nothing, and even the emperor had no extra expression.

The sound of their performance became more and more hesitant and quieter, until it finally stopped and the court was completely silent.

"That's all?"

Su Bi asked calmly while tapping the dragon chair with her fingers.

"Say... I'm done."

The Minister of Personnel, who was in the lead, inexplicably felt the pressure from his superior. He touched the sweat on his forehead and suddenly felt a little guilty.

"I heard that Minister Li has only one son, and his backyard has been vacant for a long time. How about I give you ten beautiful concubines first, so that Minister Li can fill his backyard and have many children?"

Upon hearing this, Minister Li immediately knelt down and said, "I am terrified."

Everyone knows that he has a tigress at home, who even suppresses his concubines, not to mention his concubines. If he really brings ten beautiful concubines back home, won't there be chaos in the backyard?

But Su Bi smiled.

"From what I see from Minister Li's expression, he seems to be very interested in the affairs of the harem, so there is no need to refuse."

He still spoke slowly and in a gentle tone.

"Since Minister Li is busy raising children in the harem, I'm afraid he doesn't have the energy to deal with the affairs of the court. I allow you to retire early and return home."

He ignored Minister Li's apology and pleas for mercy and directly issued the decree.

"Li Ru was awarded ten beautiful concubines and allowed to retire and return home. The post of Minister of Personnel was temporarily replaced by the Vice Minister of Personnel."