Heng'er's calculations were accurate; two days later, her second child with the prince was born smoothly.
It was a daughter, and the prince and his wife were still overjoyed.
"A son and a daughter, how wonderful! How wonderful!" These were the words the mistress said after she learned that the child was a daughter.
Before the prince had a princess, he had no children for many years, but now he has both a son and a daughter. It is truly a blessing from heaven.
The prince doted on this daughter terribly, and almost every day after returning from outside, he would immediately check on the child's condition.
Heng'er wasn't jealous because of the prince's favoritism, because he himself also loved his younger sister very much.
"Mother, my little sister looks like a porcelain doll. When she grows up, she will definitely be as beautiful as you."
Gu Jiangli was delighted to hear this, thinking, "When Heng'er grows up, he will surely be as handsome as his father."
Heng'er smiled and poked his sister's cheek with his finger. The sleeping sister grabbed her brother's finger, as if she wanted to respond to him.
The brother and sister haven't learned to communicate yet, but they already understand each other perfectly.
When her younger sister turned one month old, the emperor personally sent her a congratulatory gift.
Congratulations to my sworn brother and sister-in-law on the birth of their beloved daughter.
Large quantities of precious gifts were moved into the palace.
Over the years, the emperor would occasionally visit the prince's residence to talk to him, sometimes about political affairs, and sometimes about family matters.
Unbeknownst to them, their relationship with the emperor had truly become like that of brothers.
This time, the emperor personally delivered the gifts, and the Prince's residence naturally invited him to dinner as before.
But Gu Jiangli felt that the prince's expression was different from usual today, and that keeping the emperor here was definitely not just about having a meal.
Sure enough, after the meal, the mistress took her younger sister and Heng'er and left, leaving the three of them alone in a room.
The prince remained silent for a long time, and the atmosphere became somewhat strange. The emperor, who had been relaxed, gradually became somewhat reserved.
"Brother, is there something you wish to tell me?"
Gu Jiangli also looked at the prince curiously, wanting to know what he had to say.
The prince, with a calm expression, asked, "I have heard that some ministers in the court want to hold a selection of candidates to enter the palace."
Gu Jiangli was slightly surprised.
The selection of candidates means filling the harem, and having a harem means having offspring.
If the emperor has an heir and establishes a crown prince early on, it will be troublesome for Heng'er to ascend the throne.
The emperor's face also showed some panic. "Brother, this is the opinion of the ministers in the court. I know that I am still young and there is no need for the young ladies to enter the palace for the time being."
"Of course you can select concubines; it's your right as emperor. But I don't want you to become a father too early; you're not yet capable of being a father."
The emperor was startled.
Although the prince spoke calmly, the content of his words sent a chill down his spine.
He secretly pondered the meaning behind the prince's words: Did he mean that they should not have children for the time being, or that they should never have children?
If he had a child, what would be the impact on the prince?
The thought that the prince now has both a son and a daughter, while his own royal lineage is reduced to only a few young brothers, makes him realize that the path to becoming emperor will be incredibly difficult.
"Brother, at my age, I haven't thought about having children yet..."
"I hope that your other brothers will not have to think about having children for the next few decades."
The emperor's face was deathly pale.
If he still doesn't understand after all this, then his nearly four years as emperor have been for nothing.
His brothers were all forbidden from having children, which meant that their royal lineage was thus cut off.
The reason why the prince did this is obvious.
"Brother, do you want to sit in my seat?" he asked cautiously yet bluntly, nervously watching the prince's expression.
But the prince shook his head: "If I wanted to sit, I would have done so four years ago."
The emperor, upon hearing this, also found it reasonable. "So, what do you intend to do?"
"When Heng'er is a little older, you can abdicate the throne to him directly."
The emperor's expression changed drastically, and his lips trembled slightly as if he wanted to say something but could not utter a word.
Gu Jiangli listened silently from the side, feeling somewhat apprehensive.
What's meant to come will come.
He remained silent for a long while before speaking bitterly, "The young prince is only four years old, and my sworn brother has already planned this far for him?"
“I am his father, and I will naturally give him what he wants.”
The emperor's eyes gradually reddened as he thought of his father.
A father who, though he made him crown prince, never loved him for a single day and could send him to his death at any time.
After a long pause, the emperor finally spoke stiffly: "Since it is my sworn brother's wish, I will draft an edict when I return this time, and when the young prince is a little older, this position will be handed over to him."
His voice was choked with emotion. He paused for a moment, then said, "As for my brothers, you can rest assured, my sworn brother. I will establish rules in the edict that no descendant of the Li family may covet the throne after the heir ascends the throne. With this edict, they will no longer have any improper thoughts about the throne."
"I can assure my sworn brother that they will have no descendants in this life. I beg my sworn brother to spare their lives and let them go to remote counties and villages to live out the rest of their lives in peace."
The prince nodded.
The emperor was very savvy; he was quite pleased with this.
"Your Majesty, you can rest assured that if your Li family doesn't try to take Heng'er's position, I naturally won't make things difficult for them. In any case, they are still royalty. Even if they have no chance of the throne, I can ensure they enjoy wealth and honor for the rest of their lives."
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