"Why?" Looking at his wife, the emperor felt for the first time that he didn't recognize her at all.
They weren't childhood sweethearts, but the moment he first saw her, he knew he would marry no one but her. At that time, he was still the young crown prince, and later he made her his crown princess.
Perhaps due to her poor health, or for some other reason, she never had children. Even after her father, the emperor, fell ill and passed away, and he became emperor, there was still no sign of pregnancy.
The circumstances were extremely unusual; he needed a child to prove his innocence. To prevent her from being blamed and to avoid her dying of depression due to gossip like her mother, he took other concubines.
But she knew perfectly well that she was the only person he had ever truly been with. Even if he, an emperor, was of pure heart, he still had a substitute.
The Emperor only married the Empress Dowager throughout his life, so how could he be a philanderer? However, the Empress Dowager, who was the sole recipient of the Emperor's favor, was constantly troubled by gossip. Some said she had seduced the Emperor and forbade him from choosing concubines, while others were even more malicious.
On the surface, no one dared to offend her, but in private, the emperor saw his mother secretly wiping away tears many times, yet she said nothing to his father, who remained unaware of her presence.
"You know I only have two children. Why are you doing this to Wan Ge? She's not just my child, she's yours too!" Even tigers don't eat their cubs; Wan Ge is her own daughter!
The Empress's eyes immediately reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes. She shook her head immediately, "I...I didn't want to either. I didn't mean to. I was just afraid...Wange has become so outstanding now, I'm afraid she really..."
They feared she might actually covet her brother's position, and that she might genuinely want to become emperor.
The emperor's hands, hanging by his sides, were clenched tightly. He had always known that his wife favored Xiao Chen, and he understood that it was normal for people to prefer sons over daughters in this world, which was why Wan Ge became the crown prince.
He truly couldn't believe that the Empress wanted Wan Ge dead, and in such a way at that.
If it weren't for the special power that the Emperor left him, he might never have found out what the Empress had done, and who would have thought that the Empress would actually want to kill her own child.
…
For a long time afterward, Wan Ge continued to pay her respects to the Empress every day, as usual. However, their relationship grew increasingly distant; sometimes she would simply offer a greeting and leave without saying another word.
Feng Su also worked harder and harder, but...
Looking at the young man with his hair tied up in front of her, Wan Ge wondered why he was getting colder and colder. Why did her little husband seem to be becoming less and less talkative?
Wan Ge beckoned to Feng Su, and Feng Su obediently stood over.
Before Wan Ge could say anything, a young boy ran in.
Eleven-year-old Nan Wanchen gently tugged at Wan Ge's clothes, a faint smile on her face, and said, "Brother, I heard you're going to choose a principal wife. Does that mean I'll have a sister-in-law?"
In this era, some people of Wan Ge's age are indeed already fathers, but... Wan Ge thought to herself, what's the point of choosing a concubine when I'm just a girl! But it won't be long before I abdicate, will it?
The emperor knew she was not legally eligible to choose a concubine; the selection was at the request of the ministers. They felt the crown prince was getting on in years and should have his own concubine.
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