Emperor Jingming wanted to think about it again, but the empress knew what was going on and said nothing more.

Too much is as bad as too little.

Although her words were tactful, they made her attitude clear and the emperor would not fail to understand.

We have to make it clear if we continue. It is not a wise move to make it clear when the emperor has not made up his mind.

The queen decided to wait and see.

The emperor would always mention such a big thing as adopting a son to her. If the emperor decided on the Prince of Yan, everyone would be happy, but if it was the Prince of Xiang... then she would have no choice but to oppose it.

This time, it was the Queen who left the Yangxin Palace, feeling extremely uneasy.

Emperor Jingming stood up and walked around the hall twice.

Pan Hai stood in the corner, very low-key.

After an unknown amount of time, Emperor Jingming spoke: "Pan Hai, accompany me for a walk."

Pan Hai responded and hurried to follow.

The sunshine outside the palace was very bright, but it did not make the old emperor feel any more relaxed.

Emperor Jingming unknowingly walked deep into the harem and met Princess Fuqing and Princess Fourteen who were coming out of Cining Palace.

"Greetings, father." The two princesses paid their respects to Emperor Jingming together.

Emperor Jingming said gently, "Everyone, get up."

He looked at his two daughters with gentle eyes.

Only a few days before the Lantern Festival, both Princess Fuqing and the Fourteenth Princess had become noticeably thinner.

Unlike his beloved daughter who had been seen in the past with no makeup on, with Emperor Jingming's poor experience accumulated over several decades, he could barely tell that Princess Fuqing was wearing makeup today.

She put on makeup, obviously to cover up her haggard complexion.

Emperor Jingming couldn't help feeling a little distressed.

His daughter was truly miserable and had a lot of misfortunes. She was the apple of his eye, yet she was plotted against time and again.

This was his dereliction of duty, both as an emperor and as a father.

The silence of Emperor Jingming made Princess Fourteen feel a little uneasy, but she was used to being cautious and did not dare to say anything more.

Princess Fuqing perked up and smiled cheerfully: "Is your father taking a walk? Do you want your daughter to accompany you?"

Emperor Jingming felt even more guilty.

Although Fuqing was obviously frightened, he did not show it at all to cause his elders to worry.

With such a temper, if no one protects him - Emperor Jingming couldn't help but think of the Queen's words.

Shaking his head subconsciously, Emperor Jingming said with a smile: "No need, you guys go back and rest."

Princess Fuqing and Princess Fourteen looked at each other and knelt slightly: "I will take my leave."

Looking at the backs of his two daughters leaving, Emperor Jingming sighed inaudibly and retracted his gaze. He no longer had the mood to wander around.

After returning to Yangxin Palace, the warm air in the palace made Emperor Jingming feel a little uncomfortable.

The floor dragon and the brazier should be removed; it's so hot that it makes people irritable.

Sitting down and drinking a cup of hot tea offered by Pan Hai, Emperor Jingming suddenly spoke: "Pan Hai——"

"The servant is here."

Emperor Jingming looked at him nonchalantly, "What do you think is the best relationship between mother and son?"

"Ah?" Pan Hai looked stunned.

Pan Hai had noticed the emperor's abnormal behavior in the past two days, which made him want to keep a low profile.

Emperor Jingming's face straightened: "Say what you think."

For such a big matter, would he make a decision based on a few words from a eunuch? Obviously impossible, but it doesn't matter if he listens.

Pan Hai complained in his heart, but he dared not not answer the emperor's question, so he said carefully: "I haven't read many books, and I don't understand too many principles. I can only talk nonsense-"

Emperor Jingming raised his eyelids and glanced at him, thinking that he was talking too much nonsense, and said unhappily, "Speak."

"I only think of the loving mother and filial son."

Emperor Jingming waited for a while, but Pan Hai didn't say anything, so he raised his eyebrows and asked, "That's all?"

Pan Hai smiled innocently: "No more."

Emperor Jingming's eyes moved downward, passing over a painful spot on the old eunuch's body.

Pan Hai suddenly felt the deep malice from the emperor.

He just said it briefly, why is it so serious for the Emperor...

How could the emperor laugh at an old eunuch like him in such a silent way?

At this moment, Eunuch Pan, the supervisor of the East Factory, had the urge to raise his sleeves and wipe away his tears.

Emperor Jingming silently struck his old confidant and waved his hand, saying, "Go away. I want to be quiet."

Soon Emperor Jingming was the only one left in the palace.

He stared at the tea in front of him, which was rippling with waves.

A loving mother and filial son, a very simple idea.

The Queen favors the Seventh Prince, and if she puts the Seventh Prince under her name, she will surely be able to achieve this.

It actually doesn't make much difference which one of the seventh and eighth sons is registered under the Empress' name. If it makes everyone happy, why not do it?

The main reason why Emperor Jingming hesitated was that once a prince was registered under his name, he would have the qualifications to be the crown prince, and the seventh and eighth princes were originally never under consideration.

To Emperor Jingming, the Empress's preference, other people's opinions, and even his own preferences were not important. What was important was his qualifications to succeed the throne.

Thinking about this, Emperor Jingming paid less and less attention to Prince Qi and others.

Even though the ministers had not started to call for the throne yet, he knew in his heart that the most popular candidate was the fourth son, the Prince of Qi, followed by the sixth son, the Prince of Shu. If one of them was named after the empress, the throne would be set in stone.

But Emperor Jingming didn't want to choose a crown prince so early.

After the lesson of reinstating the crown prince, he knew that hasty decisions were the worst, and he would never be led by the nose by his ministers again. In this way, choosing a prince with no foundation to be registered under the queen's name could actually slow down the ministers who were anxious to take sides.

This was also the most important reason why Emperor Jingming nodded without hesitation after hearing the Queen's request for an eldest son.

The seventh or the eighth?

Emperor Jingming picked up the teacup and took a sip. His mind flashed with the Empress, Princess Fuqing, Concubine Xian, and many other people, even Pan Hai. The balance quietly tilted towards Yu Jin, and he still couldn't make up his mind completely for a while.

The old emperor, who had been in a trance for too long, opened his mouth and spat out the rotten tea leaves.

So bitter!

Yu Jin and Prince Xiang left the palace together.

The King of Xiang left with a lot of questions in his mind. He glanced at Yu Jin and saw that he was calm and collected. He couldn't help but ask, "Seventh brother, what do you mean when you say that our father has summoned us to the palace?"

Yu Jin replied succinctly: "I don't know."

The King of Xiang paused, looked around to see no one, and said in a low voice: "Aren't you curious?"

"Not curious." Yu Jin said with a smile.

He already knows everything, so why is he curious?

There was no point in talking about this. King Xiang pursed his lips and clasped his fists: "Seventh brother, I will go first."

Yu Jin's lips curled slightly: "Spring is here, maybe Father wants to choose a concubine for my eighth brother."

The King of Xiang was stunned and couldn't help but panic.

Choosing a concubine? The shadow cast by his marriage to Cui Mingyue has not yet dissipated, he does not want to choose a concubine!

After the panic, the King of Xiang found a loophole: "That's not right, if it's for the purpose of selecting a concubine, why do you still call me Seventh Brother?"

Yu Jin smiled slightly: "You and I are of similar age among the brothers, and your seventh sister-in-law and I have a harmonious and loving relationship. Father probably wants me to set a good example for my eighth brother."

King Xiang: “…” Really?