The next morning.
The Qianqing Palace.
As Emperor Sheng Jin was getting up and washing, someone came to report that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had consummated their marriage!
Upon hearing this news, Sheng Jin was overjoyed, and the corners of his mouth immediately curved into a smile. This was truly wonderful news!
He had watched Changfeng grow up since he was a child, and having no children of his own, he had long regarded that boy as his own son.
Just like countless elders who longed to have grandchildren, he privately urged the Crown Prince to favor more women.
But that kid insisted that he was weak and that it would be bad for his body to lose his vital essence too early, so he dragged it out day after day.
Unexpectedly, they consummated their marriage without a word.
Tsk, why did you make excuses before? You're such a clever little devil.
“Then we should reward them handsomely. Baizhu, go and send over the two pairs of jade ruyi scepters and the white jade Guanyin statue from Annam in the storeroom. We should appease the Crown Princess and help her give birth to a prince soon.”
"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will do it immediately and will ensure that Your Majesty's decree is delivered."
"You old fool, hurry up and go."
"yes."
Sheng Jin was in a good mood until the morning court session, and his mood improved even more when he saw the mark on the Crown Prince's neck.
Thus, the court officials felt the emperor's gentle breeze for the first time, and they all became bolder, speaking frankly and freely.
In stark contrast, King Jing, Sheng Changling, had spies in Chonghua Palace and naturally knew what had happened the previous night.
Didn't you say you were abstaining from women? Why did you suddenly break your vow?
Hmph, hypocrite!
Sheng Changling felt a pang of jealousy, but he couldn't figure out what it was about.
It wasn't until much later, when he finally met that person, that he realized some destinies were preordained long ago.
That's a story for another time.
Now, feeling dissatisfied with everything, Sheng Changling gave a wink to the censor beside Lord Shi, and then the censor stepped forward.
Shi Nian followed suit, lodging a scathing complaint against the Crown Prince, accusing him of being cruel and inhumane, and of indiscriminately killing innocent people.
"Oh, is that so?"
Even if the emperor knew about the death of a palace maid in Chonghua Palace.
After all, he was the emperor, and he had many eyes and ears in the palace. No matter what happened, it could not be hidden from his eyes.
But they just listened and moved on, never expecting that someone would be so audacious as to impeach the Crown Prince.
That's making a mountain out of a molehill; people just eat too much and have too much free time.
However, the emperor thought this in his heart, but he couldn't say it out loud, so he still pretended to ask a question.
"Your Highness, I ask you, is this true?"
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case. That palace maid was ignorant of etiquette and offended me. That's one thing, but I discovered that she had betrayed the Crown Princess. A treacherous servant cannot be allowed to live."
"Hmm, not bad. Loyalty is the most important thing for a servant."
Sheng Jin's words were tantamount to tacitly approving the Crown Prince's actions and indicating no intention to punish him.
Under normal circumstances, he would inevitably give a few words of admonition, just to put on a show for the court officials.
But he was in a really good mood today and didn't want to wrong himself by putting on an act to deceive the ministers, so he just went ahead and protected them.
"His Majesty--"
Shi Nian wanted to say something more, but his son pulled him back, preventing him from saying the rest of his words.
Shi Nian's son, Shi Zhuang: Father, don't be stubborn! Your son doesn't want to play the "Nine Clans Elimination Game"!
Useless thing!
Sheng Changling clenched his fists slightly, cursing the old man in his heart for being useless.
But there's no chance to say anything now; we have to wait until things escalate before we can talk about it.
It's okay, he can wait.
After the morning court session, the emperor couldn't wait to keep the crown prince behind for questioning, demonstrating his "favoritism" to the fullest extent.
Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Crown Prince knelt down to pay his respects, his attitude respectful yet showing a touch of intimacy.
"Father, I thank you for your trust."
"Alright, thank me. Just have a grandson with the Crown Princess as soon as possible, otherwise the country will be unstable and I will not be at ease."
"Father..."
This was the first time the crown prince had been teased like this, and he couldn't help but blush.
Sheng Jin looked at it, and the smile in her eyes grew even wider.
Just as he was about to say something more, a voice announced from outside the door.
"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, both men in the hall stood up, intending to personally greet the Empress.
The Empress was Sheng Jin's first wife, his only wife in his life, and the mother of the nation, a model of virtue for all.
During the early years of the struggle for the throne among the five princes, only the Empress discovered Sheng Jin's physical condition and stood firmly by his side, so she was kind to Sheng Jin.
Of course, after ascending the throne, Sheng Jin did not mistreat his first wife, and even promoted members of the Jiang family to important positions.
The Jiang family rose to power in this way, and after more than a decade of development, their influence has become deeply entrenched and they are no longer the same as before.
The Empress did not tolerate the Jiang family's arrogance and often sent people to warn them.
If any member of the Jiang family has indeed committed a wrong, Her Majesty the Empress will be the most impartial and selfless, and will request the Emperor to severely punish the Jiang family.
It can be said that this empress was a role model for women all over the world.
She was naturally kind to the Crown Prince as well. She often looked after the young Crown Prince when he was young, and even reprimanded a servant who had bullied his master when he grew up.
Therefore, both the emperor and the crown prince held this empress in the highest esteem.
"This servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."
"Your subject greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be well."
"Your Majesty, you've arrived."
The emperor and the crown prince personally came to greet them—what an honor! Yet the palace servants seemed to take it all for granted.
The Empress wore a bright yellow phoenix robe. Although her appearance was not outstanding, her demeanor was remarkable, calm and dignified, peaceful and serene.
Upon seeing her two relatives, a warm smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Why did you come out in person? It's one thing for Feng'er, but how could Your Majesty join in this nonsense? It's all my fault."
"It's alright, you rarely come here to relax and rejuvenate."
"Then I shall respectfully comply."
The three of them smiled at each other, the atmosphere was harmonious, like a real family, rather than some cold royal relationship.
"I have come here for Feng'er."
After the three were seated, the Empress drank Biluochun tea and explained the purpose of her trip.
Upon hearing his name, Sheng Changfeng paused for a moment, various thoughts flashing through his mind before finally settling into calm.
Alright, let's hear what Mother has to say first.
"That's right. I've heard about what happened last night. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. The Crown Prince has grown up."
The Empress seemed to sigh with emotion, her face showing an expression of reminiscing about the past, which made the viewers feel as if they had been transported back to the past, and they remembered the Empress's kindness even more.
However, her next sentence abruptly changed the tone, shattering this gentle atmosphere.
"Feng'er is much better now. Should Your Majesty hold a selection of concubines to choose a few suitable people to serve Feng'er, so that the royal family can have more children and be of good use to the foundation of the country?"
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