"Your Highness, we have three thousand Imperial Guards in Hangzhou. Do we still need to ask Lord Song for troops?" Zhang Cheng asked.
Qin Chuan glanced at Zhang Cheng, nodded resolutely, and said, "More than 10,000 people died from the dike breach alone, and countless more died from the famine caused by the floods. This time, we need to arrest a large number of people, even half of the officialdom in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. We need to purge them. The Embroidered Uniform Guard alone is probably not enough. Let the Embroidered Uniform Guard keep an eye on those officials first, so as not to alert them. You quickly find Song Lian to bring troops to arrest people."
"Yes." Zhang Cheng accepted the order and led a team of Imperial Guards away.
Xiao Yue and Jiang Lianyue were also present at this time. Xiao Yue looked nervous, as if something had happened.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Qin Chuan walked up to Xiao Yue and asked gently.
Xiao Yue said urgently, "My elder sister sent someone to deliver an imperial edict, saying that there is an urgent matter and she is summoning you back to the capital."
"Li'er has summoned me back to the palace on urgent business?"
Qin Chuan raised an eyebrow and then asked, "Did they say what the emergency was?"
Xiao Yue shook her head: "No, it's probably not a good thing."
"Could it be..." Qin Chuan looked nervous and panicked after hearing Xiao Yue's words, "Could it be that someone is planning a rebellion again... Xiao Yun wants to rebel?"
“No, that’s impossible…” Xiao Yue shook her head, then sighed, “Oh dear, I just don’t understand my elder sister. Why can’t she just say things clearly…”
"Since she has something to attend to, I have no choice but to return to the capital. I'll leave things here to her..."
Just as Qin Chuan finished speaking, Xiao Yue interjected, "You can leave things here to me. This is something I was originally meant to do, but you insisted on coming."
Hearing her say that, Qin Chuan felt a warm current flow through his heart. He couldn't help but open his arms and hug her. His eyes were a little moist. He gently patted her back and said, "You have done so much for me. You have always given silently for me. I will remember your kindness for a lifetime."
"I'm not just doing this for you, I'm doing it for the common people. You idiot, don't hug me so tightly, I can't breathe..." Xiao Yue said, panting and frowning.
Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan quickly relaxed his grip and gave an embarrassed smile. He realized he had indeed been too excited just now...
At this moment, Jiang Lianyue, who was looking at the two of them, had a hint of doubt in her cold eyes.
She wondered if Qin Chuan was carrying aphrodisiacs.
His Majesty is irresistible to him, Jiang Ran is irresistible to him, Xiao Li is irresistible to him, and now even Xiao Yue has fallen for him, as well as Su Rushi and Su Ruyan. He is clearly a lecherous scoundrel, so why are these women so infatuated with him?
She just couldn't understand it.
After comforting Xiao Yue for a few words, Qin Chuan and Wen Yan walked up to Jiang Lian Yue and said, "Lian Yue, I'll have to trouble you to stay here. You are skilled in martial arts, and no one can defeat you. Please take good care of Yue Yue for me. Thank you!"
As he spoke, Qin Chuan solemnly clasped his hands in a salute to Jiang Lianyue.
This was the first time Jiang Lianyue had ever seen him bow to her so formally, and she was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.
In the end, she softened a little and nodded: "Don't worry, I will do as you say when you head north."
"Thank you very much."
Qin Chuan bowed again, then took Li Aniu and headed north in a carriage.
Behind the carriage, there were always hundreds of Imperial Guards following to protect it.
After Qin Chuan left, Xiao Yue gazed at the streets and roads lit up with the evening lights, staring in the direction he had gone. She stared blankly for a long time, her eyes glistening with tears, before she was brought back to her senses by Jiang Lian Yue's call.
...
Six days later, Qin Chuan finally returned to the capital.
Because the Empress was busy with state affairs, she did not come to pick him up. After Qin Chuan entered the palace, he took a palanquin to look for the Empress in various places, but he saw her on the steps in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
At this moment, the Empress was wearing a dragon robe and a nine-tassel crown. She turned around and saw Qin Chuan return. Her eyes were full of surprise. She quickly lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands and walked down the steps.
"My husband."
Qin Chuan looked at her with a smile. After not seeing her for a few days, he felt that her beautiful face had become even more beautiful than before, and had a touch of charm.
"Li'er, what happened? Why did you suddenly call me back?"
"Come with me back to my bedchamber, and I'll tell you more."
A moment later, in the sleeping quarters of Weiyang Palace.
"My husband, I have some wonderful news to tell you."
"What good news?"
"I...I'm pregnant."
Upon hearing the news, Qin Chuan didn't feel extremely surprised. Perhaps it was because when Ru Yan told him she was pregnant, he had already lowered his expectations.
Right now, when he heard Xiao Li tell him the news, not wanting her to see that he wasn't excited, he hugged her and pretended to be very excited: "Li'er, this is wonderful..."
"My dear husband, I'm so happy. I called you back to give you a surprise." Xiao Li bit her lip, her chest heaving.
Qin Chuan thought to himself, "Why don't you just write a letter and say so? I'm getting along really well with Xiao Yue in Hangzhou..."
Moreover, the important matter of the dam breach case was not yet resolved.
"My husband, tell me, whose surname should our child take?"
Xiao Li took Qin Chuan's hand and let him touch her belly, which was not yet protruding, and asked expectantly.
Qin Chuan smiled slightly and said, "Our child is going to inherit this empire, so naturally he'll take your surname, don't you think?"
Xiao Li hesitated for a moment and said, "But children always take their father's surname. Isn't that unfair to you?"
Qin Chuan said, "What does it matter whose surname he takes? The key is to raise him well, to make him diligent in his duties and love the people, so that he can live up to the expectations of the people and our ancestors. By the way, let's have one child, regardless of gender, and leave this great country to him."
"This...can it work?"
Xiao Li's phoenix eyes darted around, thinking, "If something unexpected happens to our child, who will inherit this empire?"
However, she didn't say it out loud. What puzzled her most was having a child... It seemed impossible given their sex life.
Seeing the confusion on her face, Qin Chuan took out a small box and chuckled, "After you give birth, when we have sex again, you'll have to wear this..."
What is this?
"Oh, this is for contraception. You'll understand later."
Hearing Qin Chuan say this, Xiao Li's face darkened and she said, "I don't want contraception. If I have more children for you, it will set an example for the world. What, you don't want that?"
Qin Chuan quickly and gently comforted her, "It's not like that, Your Majesty's wife. I just don't want you to suffer. Besides, if we have so many children, and they scheme against each other for the throne, how heartbroken we parents would be..."
Xiao Li listened and felt that what he said made some sense, so she nodded.
However, she would never accept the idea of contraception.
She gave a mischievous smile: "I'm pregnant, so I won't be attending court anymore. This throne, no matter what, has to be given to you."
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