Since that day in the Golden Palace, when the entire court staged a grand "collective birth-inducing" drama, an invisible storm quickly swept across the entire empire, centered on the palace.
Xiao Che practically fled the scene, ending that absurd morning court session.
The frost on the emperor's face, almost solidified into ice, made all the eunuchs following behind him tremble with fear, even holding their breath to the lowest possible level. They had never seen this decisive and authoritative young emperor show such a... frustrated expression.
Back in the imperial study, Xiao Che intended to bury his frustration along with the memorials, but he soon realized that he was too naive.
The "offensive" by those old ministers is far from over.
He casually flipped open a memorial submitted by Prime Minister Chen Xuan concerning border defense and military equipment. Just as his brow furrowed, his fingertips touched an unusual protrusion.
Without making a sound, he pulled out the thin interlayer, took a closer look, and his lips twitched involuntarily.
It was an exquisitely cut colored painting. The woman in the painting had a kind face and was holding a chubby little boy in her arms, with a beaming smile.
—A painting of Guanyin giving a child!
Xiao Che's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
You, Chen Xuan! Not content with leading the commotion in court, you've now set your sights on my memorials! Are you trying to make sure I don't see them?!
He resisted the urge to tear the picture to shreds, slammed it heavily on the table, and instead picked up the memorial from the Minister of Revenue. Sure enough, tucked between the lines detailing the national treasury's revenue, was another… identical picture of Guanyin bestowing a child!
Next, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel... all the core ministers who participated in the "coup" today, without exception, "unintentionally" attached such a special "attachment" full of "good wishes" to their memorials.
The entire Imperial Study seemed to have instantly transformed from a central hub for handling military and national affairs into an exhibition hall for Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy who grants children!
"Utterly boring!"
Xiao Che snorted coldly, sweeping the drawings aside, his face filled with imperial contempt and disdain. He decided to ignore them and focus on handling state affairs.
However, an hour later, when he had finished reviewing all the memorials and was the only one left in the imperial study, his gaze inexplicably drifted to the pile of drawing papers on the corner of the table.
He hesitated for a moment, but finally reached out and picked up a card.
The Guanyin statue in the painting was exquisitely crafted, and its compassionate face seemed to possess a truly comforting power. Xiao Che stared expressionlessly at the delicately carved doll in the painting, his eyes deep and unfathomable, lost in thought.
His mouth remained cold, but a brand new emoji slowly floated across the area above his head that only Lin Wanwan could see.
It was a chibi-style little emperor, facing a portrait of Guanyin, his hands clasped together, muttering something with a devout yet slightly embarrassed expression.
[Will praying make it more effective? .jpg]
...
The winds of change in the imperial court soon blew into the inner palace.
As soon as Lin Wanwan returned to Kunning Palace, she found that the atmosphere in the palace had become subtle.
The palace maids and eunuchs walked on tiptoe, spoke softly, and looked at her with a gaze she had never seen before... of love and expectation? On several occasions, she even noticed that some of the young palace maids were secretly looking at her belly.
"Your Majesty, look, these are the congratulatory gifts from the ladies of the palace."
Ruolan directed the palace servants to carry in boxes of gifts, her expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Lin Wanwan curiously opened the most exquisite brocade box, and inside lay a smooth white jade statue, carved with a lifelike Qilin, carrying an adorable child on its back.
"The Qilin brings a child..." Lin Wanwan murmured.
"Your Majesty, look at this one." Ruolan opened another box, inside which was a pomegranate bonsai carefully carved from various gemstones, the meaning of which was self-evident.
In addition, there are all sorts of "early birth of a son" ornaments, "continuous birth of sons" pictures, and even agarwood that is said to "help with pregnancy"... The entire storeroom of Kunning Palace is almost filled with these humorous "birth-inducing" gifts.
“These people…” Lin Wanwan rubbed her forehead, feeling both annoyed and amused. “They’ve used all that energy they usually have for fighting over girls on this.”
She knew that these concubines might not all be sincere; more likely, they wanted to use this opportunity to show their loyalty and curry favor with her and the emperor. But such a large-scale collective action still made her feel unprecedented pressure.
This is no longer just a matter between her and Xiao Che; it has become a "key project" for the entire nation!
As evening fell, Xiao Che arrived at Kunning Palace, exhausted.
When he saw the room full of gifts that seemed to radiate the message of "wanting a child," his handsome face, which had been tense all day, finally broke into a deep crack.
"They...didn't even spare you here?" he asked weakly.
Lin Wanwan looked at him sympathetically, nodded, and then, suppressing a laugh, placed the stack of "Guanyin paintings of giving children" that he had brought back from the Imperial Study in front of him.
Looking at this all-encompassing, multi-dimensional "baby-making" offensive from both online and offline channels, as well as from the imperial court and the harem, Xiao Che finally gave up, plopped down in his chair, and sighed helplessly.
Lin Wanwan walked behind him and gently massaged his furrowed brows, softly comforting him, "It's alright, don't be angry. They meant well."
"Good intentions?" Xiao Che scoffed. "I think they're just bored!"
He said this, but his hand unconsciously picked up the Guanyin picture, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Lin Wanwan could clearly see from behind him that the emoji above his head had changed again.
[Will praying make it more effective? .jpg]
The devout chibi-style little emperor reappeared, and this time, he worshipped even more enthusiastically.
Lin Wanwan could no longer hold back, leaning on his shoulder, laughing so hard her whole body trembled.
"What are you laughing at?" Xiao Che was puzzled by her laughter, but his ears turned red.
"It's nothing," Lin Wanwan said seriously, suppressing a laugh. "I just think Your Majesty is right, it's really... too boring."
Xiao Che glanced at her suspiciously, feeling that there was something hidden in her words, but he couldn't find any evidence, so he could only mumble a "hmm".
The unspoken understanding and the awkward situation between the two transformed the originally heavy pressure into a unique sweetness.
Just then, the head eunuch's voice rang out from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, dinner is ready."
"Serve the meal." Xiao Che waved his hand, finally feeling a breath of fresh air from this atmosphere that was "urging birth."
The palace servants filed in and laid out the exquisite dishes one by one.
Everything proceeded as usual until the very end, when the head chef of the imperial kitchen personally carried up a covered white jade soup bowl with great care.
With a beaming smile, he spoke in an almost fawning, suggestive tone: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is… a ‘secret recipe tonic soup’ that we servants have specially prepared for Your Majesty. It is made with dozens of precious medicinal herbs and simmered over a low flame for twelve hours… This soup has extraordinary effects, so please… enjoy it while it’s hot.”
As he spoke, he winked meaningfully.
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire bedchamber froze instantly.
Xiao Che's expression, which had just eased, turned ashen upon hearing the words "perfectly nourishing" and "extraordinary effects."
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