First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

The next day, Mu Lingye slept soundly until noon, when Xuan Ying felt something was wrong and woke him up.

Mu Lingye's unfocused gaze slowly refocused. When all his thoughts returned and his sleepiness completely dissipated, he suddenly realized something was wrong and sat up in bed.

His first glance was to his side, and then to the entire bedchamber.

After failing to find Gu Junxi, he turned to Xuan Ying and asked, "Where is the Empress? Where did she go?"

Xuan Ying respectfully answered truthfully: "Last night, Her Majesty the Empress had to leave the palace for the Ningyuan Marquis's residence due to unforeseen circumstances. Moreover, Her Majesty instructed us not to disturb you, saying that you are not feeling well and will not be attending court this morning."

"When did I become unwell?" Upon hearing this, Mu Lingye keenly sensed that the matter was more serious than he had imagined.

He rolled out of bed, but perhaps because he got up too quickly, he almost fell back onto the bed. Luckily, Xuan Ying caught him.

However, in Xuan Ying's eyes, Mu Lingye's current state was a sign of physical discomfort.

Xuan Ying asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to have a royal physician examine you?"

"No need." Mu Lingye pushed Xuan Ying aside and ordered, "Go to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence now."

Mu Lingye hurriedly went to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence, and as one can imagine, Gu Junxi was not there.

At this moment, Mu Lingye panicked and immediately sent people to secretly search for Gu Junxi throughout the city.

As the saying goes, concern leads to confusion. After searching the entire capital, he finally remembered that Yao Duzhong had mentioned yesterday that he would remove the Gu worms from Gu Junxi.

He remembered that when he went to sleep yesterday, Gu Junxi asked him if something had happened.

With Gu Junxi's intelligence, she must have realized that her physical condition was not optimistic.

Mu Lingye accurately identified his target and went to the place where the medicine was called Du Zhong.

The courtyard of Eucommia ulmoides.

Before even stepping into the pharmacy, one could smell a rich aroma of herbs.

Today, many people have gathered in the courtyard of the Eucommia ulmoides herb; these are all imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy.

Having learned that the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley lived in the imperial palace, he came here specifically to seek his advice.

In the past, Eucommia ulmoides didn't like to see people, but today he made an exception and gathered everyone together.

"Everyone, I've encountered a problem today: how to remove the Gu worms without damaging their roots. I'm willing to share my experience with you all, and I hope you'll feel free to speak your minds."

Three cobblers with their wits combined can equal one Zhuge Liang; the imperial physicians who can enter the Imperial Medical Academy are all highly skilled in medicine.

Eucommia ulmoides invited all the imperial physicians to gather here today in the hope of finding a way to minimize the danger and help Gu Junxi get rid of the Gu poison.

When Mu Lingye arrived, he saw everyone chatting enthusiastically.

Just moments before, all the imperial physicians had been arguing heatedly over their differing beliefs, but upon seeing Mu Lingye, they all instantly fell silent, bowed, and greeted him.

Mu Lingye had no time to pay attention to these irrelevant people who meant nothing to him, and simply pulled the Eucommia ulmoides out of the courtyard.

"Master of Medicine Valley, did A-Xi come looking for you yesterday? She's gone. Do you know where she went?"

Mu Lingye's handsome face was filled with anxiety, and even his voice sounded urgent.

Suddenly, Yao Duzhong had this illusion: if Mu Lingye didn't get any news about Gu Junxi, he would probably cry, break down, and go crazy.

A monarch, ruling over the four seas, what kind of woman couldn't he have?

But he only wanted that one woman.

But God loves to work against people; whatever you want, He'll try to take it from you.

Eucommia ulmoides originally wanted to help Gu Junxi keep the secret, but now she suddenly felt reluctant to do so.

“Junior Sister doesn’t want to remove the Gu worms now. She thinks a 40/60 split is too dangerous. She wants to use these next few months to find Su Li. If she can find Qing Yanzi or Master, her chances of surviving will be much greater. Your Majesty, please don’t blame her. She didn’t tell you because she was afraid you would disagree.”

Mu Lingye felt as if his heart had been suddenly ripped out.

He didn't blame Gu Junxi; all he could think about was what would happen if his Axi fell asleep halfway through the journey due to exhaustion and encountered bad people.

There are always more strange and bad people outside than at home.

"Your Majesty, I will also use this time to further refine my technique for removing Gu poison, adding another layer of protection for my junior sister. You don't need to worry too much. Perhaps my junior sister's choice is the right one after all..."

Eucommia ulmoides continued to persuade him, but Mu Lingye wouldn't listen to a word. He turned and quickly left.

"Sigh..." Eucommia ulmoides sighed heavily upon seeing this.

Although Mu Lingye claimed to be secretly ordering people to search for Gu Junxi, nothing stays hidden forever. Especially ministers like Ning Hanshuang and Prince Su, who controlled important military affairs. In less than half a day, they all knew that Gu Junxi had run away from home.

With both daughters no longer in the capital, there was no point in her remaining there. Ning Hanshuang immediately decided to leave the capital as well, to follow Gu Junxi. However, she had many matters to attend to and had to go to the palace to bid farewell to Mu Lingye.

Also entering the palace at this time were Prince Su and the Left Prime Minister, who had been chosen by others. From the moment Mu Lingye decided to seize the throne, they had stood firmly by his side. Now that Mu Lingye had successfully ascended the throne, they were his most trusted right-hand men.

The court needed him, so Prince Su, who originally only wanted to be a wealthy and leisurely person, said goodbye to the word "leisurely person" and was busy like a spinning top every day.

When the three of them entered the Imperial Study one after the other, Mu Lingye was engrossed in handling official business. Upon hearing the greeting, he simply said "Rise" without even raising his head.

After a long while, he put down the imperial brush in his hand, looked up at the three people in front of him: "Imperial Uncle, Left Prime Minister, Marquis Ning, you've all come together, is there something you need?"

Judging from Mu Lingye's current appearance, there was indeed no indication that he was emotionally affected. He seemed not to care much about Gu Junxi's departure.

Outsiders couldn't discern his emotions, but Mu Lingye truly possessed the talent to be an emperor.

The Left Prime Minister and Prince Su exchanged a glance without speaking, clearly indicating that they wanted Ning Hanshuang to speak first.

Ning Hanshuang looked at the emperor who had just ascended the throne with mixed feelings. She was both relieved and angry at Mu Lingye's calmness.

The good news is that Mu Lingye is indeed the makings of an emperor, and nothing can truly affect him.

What angered Mu Lingye was that, as her husband, how could he sit still when his sick wife disappeared?

Therefore, it is indeed true that a person's perspective changes depending on their position.

Ning Hanshuang lowered her eyes to conceal her emotions and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have come to ask for leave. I wish to visit my two daughters."

Mu Lingye nodded calmly, indicating that he had heard, but he neither agreed nor disagreed.

Instead, he turned his gaze to Prince Su and the Left Chancellor: "What is it, you two?"

It seems there's no way to avoid it now; even if I don't want to talk about it, I have to.

The Left Prime Minister and Prince Su exchanged a glance, and the Left Prime Minister spoke first.

"Your Majesty, you have been on the throne for more than three months now, and there is still only the Empress in the harem. This is really not appropriate. Why not take advantage of the Empress's trip out of the palace to relax and expand the harem? As the Emperor, you bear the great responsibility of succession and cannot be careless."

Although Prince Su felt that bringing up this matter with Mu Lingye now was tantamount to betraying him, he had his own responsibilities as a minister in the court.

He chimed in, "Your Majesty, the Left Prime Minister is absolutely right. Even if you don't want to take more concubines, you should at least take four or five. In my opinion, Princess Longyao would be a good choice. Didn't you say before that you wanted to take her as a concubine? She is still in Sheng Kingdom. I have been in contact with the envoys from Dayu, and they also have the intention to form a marriage alliance."

"Left Prime Minister, Prince Su, aren't you going too far? Xixi hasn't even been out of the palace for a day, and you're already so impatient." Ning Hanshuang held back for a long time, but still couldn't hold back.

She clenched her fists and glared at the Left Chancellor and Prince Su.

The Left Prime Minister and Prince Su both avoided meeting Ning Hanshuang's gaze, but neither was willing to take back what they had said. They said in unison, "Please, Your Majesty, consider this carefully."

The main point is that they know their words and actions are inappropriate, but for the sake of the bigger picture, they refuse to change.

"Your Majesty, what do you think?" Seeing that she couldn't do anything to Prince Su and the Left Prime Minister, Ning Hanshuang could only turn her gaze back to Mu Lingye.

Taking a wife or concubine always requires the consent of the parties involved. If the parties do not agree, there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Ning Hanshuang was fuming and no longer tried to control her emotions.

She felt that as a mother-in-law, she had the right to ask this question.

Moreover, she sees no way to deal with Prince Su and the Left Prime Minister right now; she can't bring them down. But she does have a plan. After leaving the palace, she'll go and see the Left Prime Minister's wife and Ning Haitang one by one.

Let them each deal with their own husbands.

Faced with Ning Hanshuang's question, she had assumed that, given Mu Lingye's personality, he would directly reject the suggestions from the Left Prime Minister and Prince Su. Unexpectedly, he avoided the question.

Mu Lingye's expression was calm, and no one could tell what he was thinking.

"I need to think this over carefully. Left Prime Minister and Imperial Uncle, you should return to your residences first. I will give you an answer once I have made up my mind."

Hearing this tone, the Left Chancellor and Prince Su felt that things were half successful. They bowed and withdrew, relieved but not particularly happy.

People are selfish. Compared to Mu Lingye taking concubines who have no relation to them, Gu Junxi is at least related to them by marriage.

"Sigh, what if the Empress complains about us when she returns?" The Left Prime Minister was uneasy.

Prince Su shook his head with a wry smile: "Whether Xixi will resent me, I don't know. But the Princess Consort certainly won't give me a good look. But what can I do? Since ancient times, the court and the harem have been closely related. The emperor needs concubines to balance the court. I am doing this for the good of Dasheng."

"Who says otherwise?" The Left Prime Minister also gave a wry smile, and walked towards the palace gate one after the other with Prince Su.

They represent the old-fashioned mindset.

Little did people know that capable emperors never needed to rely on women to balance the situation.

In the imperial study room.

Mu Lingye, facing Ning Hanshuang's extreme dissatisfaction with his answer, showed no intention of explaining.

He resumed his official duties, saying only casually, "I will give Lord Ning some time to consider his request for leave. Xu Decai, take Lord Ning to the side hall for a short rest."

"Yes." Xu Decai, who had not left the palace to recuperate, bowed and walked towards Ning Hanshuang, gesturing for her to enter.