After my whole family overheard my thoughts, they went berserk.

"Bai Haoxing is a scumbag. He likes to defile girls' bodies and has even gone abroad. He made a move on the daughter of a general in Sangnan Kingdom, but the girl's father was a ruthless character. He sent several martial arts masters to cripple him that very night."

"He's completely incapacitated now, his mind is twisted, and he takes pleasure in torturing women. Princess Lingyang is still investigating the mastermind behind this."

What a big melon!

Even the emperor couldn't help but spit.

Too scum!

"Brother Emperor, please do justice for Xing'er!" Princess Lingyang cried out.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow and retorted, "How do you expect me to make that decision? Do you want me to beat my own son for the sake of your son?"

"Father is right!"

“Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. Even the crown prince cannot beat people at will!” Princess Lingyang said.

The emperor was displeased upon hearing this.

"How can that be hitting people arbitrarily? That's called eliminating a scourge for the people. The Crown Prince has made something of himself; he truly is my good son!"

Princess Lingyang stood there, frozen in disbelief that the Emperor would treat her this way.

"Your Majesty, you have always doted on me, and treated Xing'er like your own son. I waited for Your Majesty for so many years..."

As Princess Lingyang spoke, she herself became deeply moved.

"Oh dear, it's been twenty years, and you're still bringing up old grievances. You just want to say that your father has delayed you, so that he will feel guilty and grant your unreasonable request."

"My father is also brainless. He's been rehashing the same old thing for twenty years, and he still buys into her ideas."

The emperor's face was dark, and his brows were furrowed.

Can he be looked down upon by his daughter?

No!

“Princess Lingyang, the matter of you saving me is from a long time ago. I have already made amends to you over the years. We are almost forty years old. We should be more mature and steady. Stop calling me ‘Old Emperor’.”

"Father is so domineering!"

Princess Lingyang wiped away her tears.

Fortunately, she was quick-witted and had prepared two plans before she arrived.

"Your Majesty, I know that Xing'er does not hold the same place in your heart as the Crown Prince, but Xing'er truly loves Si Xue'er. I hope Your Majesty can facilitate this marriage!"

"No, Father! Your new sister-in-law belongs to the Crown Prince. No one can even dream of her. If you marry into the Princess's household, you'll be tortured to death by Bai Haoxing, and the Si family will hate you."

The Emperor flatly refused: "I will send an imperial physician with you to Lingyang Prefecture to treat the Crown Prince. As for the matter of bestowing a marriage upon him, I cannot agree to it."

Princess Lingyang's face fell in disappointment: "Why?"

The Emperor looked at Shi Miaomiao.

Shi Miaomiao had a haughty look on her face.

"Because she's my sister-in-law, so I can't!"

"Because Miaomiao likes Si Xueer and wants to recognize her as her sister-in-law, so it's not possible!"

Princess Lingyang was incredulous.

When has Your Majesty, the ruler of a country, ever been controlled by a five-month-old baby?

"emperor……"

The Emperor waved his hand to decline the guests, saying, "There's no need to discuss this further. Go back now!"

Princess Lingyang was unwilling to accept this and walked out of the palace with tears in her eyes.

Did her twenty-year relationship with the Emperor just vanish like that?

Inside the Huayao Palace, Shi Miaomiao dozed off. She was exhausted. Her father was teaching her to call him "Daddy" in a cutesy way, and her mother was nagging her endlessly.

There wasn't even time to take a nap.

"These court officials don't have many daughters, and many of them only have sons. In the future, the male-to-female ratio in the Huayao Kingdom will become unbalanced."

The Empress was flipping through the booklet, helping Shi Lingfeng choose a concubine.

Shi Miaomiao dozed off.

"That's right, you've already had four sons, isn't that a disproportionate number of children?"

I used to feel like I was living the life of a pampered child, but now I'm almost driven to despair by my father and brothers.

"Si Xue'er, the second daughter of the Si family, is quite beautiful and graceful. She will be coming of age this year and is a good match for your second brother."

"Mother, please don't play matchmaker. But don't worry, she's your daughter-in-law no matter what, she can't just run away."

The Empress chuckled: "You little rascal, you're so clever for your age."

“This Qiutang is also very beautiful, a girl from a modest family, and she is a good match for your second brother.”

Shi rolled her eyes, indicating she was speechless.

"So my second brother is a perfect match, he can be with anyone. It's true, all mothers are the same, their own son is the best, even if my second brother is really stupid."

"However, we need to dig into Qiu Tang's background and find out what she's really like."

These words reminded the Empress; she had mentioned it before.

"Fu Qiutang, aged eighteen, was registered under the name of the mistress of the Zhongwu Marquis's mansion when she was ten years old. This background is written in a very sloppy way."

"The Zhongwu Marquis's family, isn't that Fu Rufang's sister? It's really hard to say about the families of court officials. What if she was a child bride? However, I remember that Qiutang is the daughter of a disgraced official, but I can't remember which family she is."

"Your Majesty, Madam Wu, the Minister of Rites, has come to request an audience," Qing Sui reported.

"Speak of the devil and he appears!"

After receiving the notification, Fu Rufang entered the Huayao Palace.

She wore a jade green long dress, with jade hairpins on both sides of her hair bun, and her earrings were also emerald green. She looked radiant and had the air of a matriarch.

Fu Rufang walked over with a smile and bowed: "This humble woman greets Your Majesty the Empress and the little princess."

"At the beginning of the new year, I should have entered the palace to greet the Empress and the little princess, but unfortunately I am not feeling well. I hope the Empress will forgive me."

Shi Miaomiao looked Fu Rufang up and down, her face beaming with happiness, and she looked quite like a pregnant woman.

"It looks like it's probably true."

The Empress was startled.

Are fertility charms truly effective?

Fu Rufang said with a slight embarrassment, "I have come today to thank the little princess. I am pregnant."

"Your wish has come true, that's a good thing." The Empress was happy for her.

She took out a stack of silver notes and handed them to the Empress: "Over the years, I have managed the medicinal fields and pharmacies and accumulated a lot of silver. Together with my dowry, I have exchanged it all for silver notes and come here to thank the little princess."

Shi Miaomiao glanced at the thick stack of silver notes; so much money!

The Empress was surprised: "I didn't expect you to be so capable, but this is your hard-earned money, and I cannot accept it."

Fu Rufang smiled calmly.

Although she was not favored by her husband, she did not give up on herself over the years, nor did she waste time vying for his favor. Instead, she learned to do business and became very successful.

"Money is just an external thing. I originally thought this money was useless and planned to open a school or hand it over to the national treasury when I got old. Now, how wonderful! It can help add to the little princess's dowry."

"Moreover..." Fu Rufang seemed to have something difficult to say.