The next morning, sunlight shone through the thin clouds onto the streets and alleys of Shangjing.
In front of the Su family's gate, an inconspicuous sedan chair sat quietly, surrounded by a somber and oppressive atmosphere.
Before long, the gate of the Su family slowly opened, and several servants escorted Su Qianqian, who was dressed in plain clothes, out.
Her beautiful face now appeared pale and haggard, her eyes revealing endless sorrow and despair.
And so, with the help of her servants, Su Qianqian sat in the sedan chair, and as the sedan chair bearers lifted it, it slowly headed toward the temple outside the city.
Throughout the journey, the sedan chair curtains were tightly drawn, and only faint sobbing could be heard from inside.
At the same time, news of the Emperor's punishment of Miss Su spread like wildfire throughout the capital.
For a time, people in the streets and alleys, teahouses and taverns were talking about this in astonishment.
Everyone speculated about how Miss Su had offended the Emperor and incurred his wrath.
Even if the Su family doesn't punish Su Qianqian, no one will ever come to propose marriage again.
It will also affect the marriage prospects of the sisters in the family.
Various rumors spread like wildfire.
Some say that at the palace banquet that day, Miss Su deliberately fell into the water in an attempt to attract the emperor's attention, but she did not expect to disturb the emperor's presence and incur his wrath.
Some people say that Miss Su suffered such a fate because she disrespected the Empress and offended the Empress.
Furthermore, rumors circulated that the Emperor's cruel punishment of Miss Su was actually a way to demonstrate his loyalty to the Empress, who was present, and to show his favor and respect for the Empress.
Of course, many people also believe that the emperor's move was intentional, aimed at discouraging ministers from sending people into the palace. He was simply using Miss Su as an example to warn others.
Amidst the conflicting opinions, the truth seems to become increasingly elusive.
However, whatever the real reason may be, the emperor has clearly achieved his goal.
After this incident, no minister in the court dared to easily suggest that the emperor select concubines, for fear of inadvertently offending the emperor and being implicated.
*
On a sunny, breezy day, Jiang Chuwei, after many hardships, finally gave birth to the eldest prince.
The news spread like wildfire throughout Daqing, and people were overjoyed, spreading the word far and wide. The streets and alleys were filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Having an heir is beneficial to the country.
The Emperor has always been a diligent and wise ruler, but ever since Jiang Chuwei gave birth to a prince, his heart seems to be tightly bound to this little guy.
The emperor, who used to be busy handling state affairs in the imperial study, has now become somewhat lax and no longer enters that room as frequently as before.
On the contrary, he spent all his time in Fengning Palace, unwilling to leave even for a moment, as if the most precious treasure in the world was located there.
Not only that, but even when attending court, the emperor was always absent-minded.
After the morning court session had finally ended and the other ministers were preparing to leave, the emperor suddenly called them back and began to chat enthusiastically, with the topic of conversation revolving entirely around how to raise children.
Those ministers who were originally eager to report on important military and national affairs to the emperor could only helplessly smile and patiently listen to the emperor recount his stories with the young prince.
Gradually, the court officials discovered a pattern—if they wanted to win the emperor's favor, they had to start by learning how to take care of their own children and grandchildren, so that they could get on the emperor's good side.
Inside Fengning Palace, Jiang Chuwei watched with disdain as Lin Muheng clumsily changed his son's diaper.
He carefully manipulated the small diaper, his forehead already covered in a thin layer of sweat, but his movements still appeared very clumsy.
Jiang Chuwei couldn't bear to watch any longer and couldn't help but scold, "Hurry up and let the nanny come. If you keep making a fuss like this, the prince will feel uncomfortable."
Upon hearing this, Lin Muheng stopped what he was doing as if waking from a dream, a look of doubt on his face: "Is there some kind of trick to changing diapers?"
Seeing this, Jiang Chuwei couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle. She reached out and gently pulled Lin Muheng over, then personally went to the table, poured a cup of hot tea, and presented it to him with both hands, saying softly, "Your Majesty, you are of noble birth. Your hands are meant for reviewing memorials and governing the people. This kind of trivial matter as changing diapers should be left to the nanny."
Just then, the wet nurse immediately understood, quickly stepped forward to take the little prince in her arms, bowed respectfully, and hurriedly withdrew.
Jiang Chuwei narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her fair, jade-like hands gently rested on the Emperor's broad, sturdy shoulders, and she began to gently massage him, her fingers moving lightly.
Lin Muheng leaned back comfortably on the dragon throne, his eyes slightly closed, fully enjoying the tenderness.
"I know you just want to be involved in raising the prince yourself, so you can experience the hardships and joys of fatherhood. Isn't that one of the greatest pleasures in life?"
Lin Muheng couldn't help but dream about the future. When her son grew up, she would be able to hold his little hand, sit in the courtyard, and leisurely tell him all sorts of interesting stories from their childhood.
Perhaps they'll talk about how adorable their son looked when he was learning to walk; or perhaps they'll mention the cute and funny things he did when he was learning to speak...
These warm and beautiful memories will become the most precious emotional bond between father and son.
Lin Muheng gently grasped the Empress's soft, boneless hand with his large, strong hand, slowly turned around, and gazed at the Empress with deep affection.
A slight smile played on his lips as he said softly, "Wei'er, our prince is already three months old! The imperial physician said..."
However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the Empress's sudden action. The Empress gave a soft, coquettish hum and swiftly covered Lin Muheng's lips with her warm, moist lips, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
The kiss came so suddenly and passionately that Lin Muheng was taken aback at first, but he quickly recovered and a feeling of joy welled up in his heart.
His deep eyes instantly shone brightly, as dazzling as the twinkling stars in the night sky.
He couldn't help but smile broadly, thinking to himself, "After so many days and nights, we've finally waited for this wonderful moment. Our sweet time together as husband and wife has returned once again!"
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