The Queen sealed her heart and locked up her love, and the Emperor was trapped in the crematorium

"I have no intention of breaking you up." The Queen Mother forced a smile, her tone filled with helplessness and bitterness.

She wanted to, but could she break them up?

But if they separate on their own, then they are not destined to be together.

Instead of strangling it, it is better to stir up the situation, watch the fire from the other side of the river, and reap the benefits.

Xiao Chengxu raised his eyebrows, his deep eyes flickering with light, as if he was thinking about the true intention of the Queen Mother's words, but he did not reveal it, just remained silent and did not comment.

"But things are unpredictable, Your Majesty." The Queen Mother sighed softly and continued, "Just in case, Your Majesty should choose a smart and clever child from the royal family, raise him in the palace and teach him personally. You can be prepared so that you won't be in a rush when the time comes."

Indeed, the Queen Mother's words did make sense. Even Xiao Chengxu himself had had similar thoughts, which could be said to coincide with the Queen Mother's thoughts.

However, this involves the issue of the successor to the next generation of the dynasty, which is an extremely sensitive and important topic. Even though the person who made this suggestion was the queen mother, Xiao Chengxu could not help but feel apprehensive.

"Mother, why are you so sure that the Queen and I are destined to be childless? Could it be that you are an immortal who can predict the future? Or do you know something that I don't know?"

Xiao Chengxu's voice suddenly became low and cold, and his sharp eyes like an eagle fell directly on the empress dowager, as if he wanted to see through her appearance to her true inner thoughts, which made people feel cold and creepy.

Facing the emperor's sharp and cold gaze, the queen mother's expression did not change at all. She still replied calmly: "Your Majesty is worrying too much. I am just imagining things. After all, everything in the world is unpredictable and anything can happen, right? I am also thinking about the country and the people. I hope Your Majesty will not blame me."

"I wonder who among the royal family members your mother thinks is worthy of important positions?" Xiao Chengxu looked at the empress dowager with a twinkling gaze. His tone seemed casual, yet seemed to carry some deep meaning.

The Queen Mother's face was as gloomy as water, without any ripples, and she said softly: "It depends on who the Emperor prefers. I can't make the decision."

Her voice was calm and no emotion could be heard in it.

Xiao Chengxu sighed inwardly and continued, "Really? I thought my mother had taken a fancy to the child of Prince Nan'an."

Although Xiao Chengxu did not ask too much about the affairs of the harem, he knew a lot of things. For example, before the Queen Mother returned to the palace, she had been very close to the women in the Nan'an Palace. After returning to the palace, she had summoned the Nan'an Princess many times.

The previous King of Nan'an, because of his meritorious service in following the emperor, was the only prince among the previous emperor's princes who stayed in the capital instead of going to his own fiefdom when the previous emperor was alive. He was then conferred the title of prince and enjoyed supreme honor.

With all this, how could Xiao Chengxu not have doubts? He stared closely at the Queen Mother's eyes, trying to see a clue from her expression.

However, the Queen Mother's eyes remained calm as water, and she replied calmly: "There are indeed a few smart children who are promising. If the Emperor takes a liking to them, it would be their great fortune."

After saying that, she gently picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

Xiao Chengxu's heart moved.

The implication was that the Queen Mother did not deny that she had had contact with the Nan'an Palace. After all, there is no impenetrable wall in the world, and as long as there is action, there will inevitably be clues left. What's more, the Queen Mother did not deliberately avoid others. Now even Xiao Chengxu has pointed this out. If she continues to cover up or deny it, it will be meaningless.

At this point, the topic came to an end. Although Xiao Chengxu did not express it explicitly, his attitude was self-evident. At least at this stage, in the short term, he would not select a candidate from the royal family to train.

It was understandable that Xiao Chengxu had such thoughts. After all, he was only nearly 30 years old, not 40, 50, or even 60 or 70 years old. He was not at that stage yet, so he would not easily consider adopting a royal family member.

After stepping out of the Cining Palace, Xiao Chengxu's anger grew more intense.

"I have not passed away yet, but they are all eyeing my throne covetously. Are they hoping that I will die soon? Is it because I am in the way and blocking their way?"

If it was just the Queen Mother who mentioned this, Xiao Chengxu might not be so angry. But there was an ignorant minister in the previous dynasty who dared to write a letter to Xiao Chengxu, begging him to stop favoring the Queen for the sake of the country and the people, and to favor the concubines in the harem. He even said in the memorial that the Queen had health problems and could not give birth to children. This was simply touching Xiao Chengxu's reverse scale.

So, at the morning court the next day, Xiao Chengxu mercilessly denounced the minister in front of all the civil and military officials in the court.

Thinking that this minister was so concerned about the emperor's family affairs, Xiao Chengxu simply went with the flow and gave him many singers and dancers, ordering them to serve this "enthusiastic" minister well and help him have children.

The minister has a beautiful lady in his family. One can imagine how lively his backyard will become when the minister returns to his mansion with a group of beauties personally gifted by the emperor.

Sure enough, the next day, the minister asked for leave from the court, saying that he was seriously injured and could not get up, so he could not attend the court. The news quickly spread throughout the capital, and everyone heard that the minister was beaten by his wife and could not get out of bed.

The emperor was furious, and the whole palace was filled with a suffocating and oppressive atmosphere. The palace maids and eunuchs were terrified and knelt on the ground, not daring to look up for fear of angering the emperor. Even Feng An, the favorite of the emperor, did not dare to show his head easily or make a sound.

Xiao Chengxu was in his prime, full of energy, and held supreme power. What he feared most was that someone would covet his position and power. Any disturbance, even the slightest sign, would arouse his vigilance and he would eliminate it with severe means. How could a small palace servant dare to offend the emperor at this time?