After the eldest sister-in-law of a fishing family became a widow, her disabled younger brother-in-l

Song Jinglan almost gritted her teeth as she said, "You ate four out of five plates of desserts by yourself, and you even tried to take the last one from your father?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yuyue couldn't help but click her tongue. This person clearly knew exactly how many plates of pastries she had bought, yet he had been pretending to be confused!

Seeing that he had failed to snatch the pastries, Jiang Qimo became furious, flailing his arms and legs, "Father, you're so stingy! Tonight I want to sleep with Mother, not with Father!"

These words made Song Jinglan's face darken even more. "No!"

Seeing the tense situation between the two, one big and one small, Jiang Yuyue couldn't help but chuckle. In the end, she stepped forward to end the farce between father and son, reaching out to pull Jiang Qimo into her arms and gently comforting him.

"Mo'er, be good. This plate of pastries is for your father. When he's busy one day, your mother will secretly take you out of the palace. You can eat as many pastries as you want!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qimo's face regained its smile. He even turned around and made a very arrogant face at Song Jinglan before running away with small steps.

Song Jinglan was furious at the sight. This kid was really getting more and more unruly!

Such peaceful days did not last long. Although Song Jinglan had now established an empress, there was only one empress in the harem, which seemed rather inappropriate to the ministers.

One morning at court, a court official stepped forward and submitted a memorial to remonstrate with the emperor.

"Your Majesty, since ancient times, emperors have always had three palaces and six courtyards, and they need to take in many concubines to ensure the continuation of the royal family."

Upon hearing this opening, Song Jinglan knew that these ministers were not holding back any good words, and that minister continued to offer advice.

"Although the Empress is virtuous, she has few children, which may shake the foundation of the country. Your Majesty's favoritism towards the Empress may violate the rules of propriety. I urge Your Majesty to select more concubines to consolidate the country!"

Once someone set this precedent, many officials immediately followed suit.

"Her Majesty the Empress is known for her virtue and will surely understand His Majesty's difficulties! Moreover, His Majesty is currently at the height of his power, and it is inevitable that Her Majesty the Empress alone is working hard to serve him. If we had a few more concubines in the harem, they would surely be able to share a lot of the burden with Her Majesty the Empress!"

"Moreover, emperors throughout history have all taken in many concubines to fill their harems. If Your Majesty does not hold a selection of consorts for a long time, the people may become suspicious, and if this continues, it may affect the stability of the country!"

Even celestial phenomena have been invoked: "The Imperial Observatory observed the night sky and the Purple Star was dim, indicating an empty harem..."

"..."

All sorts of excuses were put forward by these court officials, which annoyed Song Jinglan to no end. How many of these officials truly cared about him? Most of them were driven by conflicting interests and simply wanted to send their daughters into the palace to get a share of the pie.

"Previously, my ministers said that my harem was empty, and that it would be good to establish an empress."

Song Jinglan's tone was heavy, "I have granted your wishes by establishing an empress, and now you are going further, demanding that I take in more concubines? After I select concubines, will you, my beloved ministers, again make other demands in the name of the country and its people?"

Song Jinglan's gaze swept over them, and then he slowly said, "The Empress and I are in perfect harmony. Do you only feel satisfied when my harem is in turmoil?"

Such a serious accusation caused unease among the court officials, but some bolder ones continued to offer their advice.

"Your Majesty, please make a clear judgment. Your Majesty has misunderstood our meaning. We only spoke out for the sake of the country. If Your Majesty is worried about unrest in the harem, you may select some gentle and obedient women to enter the palace. In this way, they can share the heavy responsibility of producing offspring with the Empress, and there is no need to worry about power struggles in the harem. Isn't this a good way to kill two birds with one stone?"

"After all, Your Majesty has few children now, and the foundation of the country is inevitably somewhat unstable. I urge Your Majesty to consider this matter carefully."

Upon hearing this, Song Jinglan glanced at him and said, "The Empress has given birth to my legitimate son, and the eldest prince is healthy and intelligent. Are you perhaps cursing the eldest prince with these words, my dear minister?"

Upon hearing this, the minister's legs went weak, and he hurriedly knelt down on the ground with a thud, "Your Majesty, I dare not! Your Majesty, I dare not!"

The morning court session ended in such a chaotic manner, which made Song Jinglan quite unhappy. Now that everything inside and outside the court was calm and peaceful, these ministers, having nothing better to do, actually wanted to reach into his harem.

These officials seem to be living too comfortably!

The farce that unfolded in the court today quickly reached Jiang Yuyue's ears. Jasmine rushed over to report, her face full of worry.

"Your Majesty, I heard that many ministers in the court today advised His Majesty to select concubines. What do you think... what should we do?"

Jasmine's words were full of worry, after all, as a maid who had grown up with Jiang Yuyue, she knew her very well.

Jiang Yuyue was very proud. The reason she avoided Song Jinglan in the first place was because she was unwilling to humble herself and share her husband with other women. Now that these officials are pressuring her, if the current emperor really can't withstand the pressure and takes another woman into the palace, wouldn't that cause trouble again?

Jiang Yuyue's reaction was much calmer. She had expected this situation, since there had never been a precedent of an emperor having only an empress in his harem. It was to be expected that these officials would be restless.

But Jiang Yuyue wasn't worried at all about what Song Jinglan would do.

Even when she was missing, Song Jinglan insisted that no concubines be taken into the harem. Since he had promised her that there would be no other women in the harem, he would definitely keep his word.

Seeing that she was not in a hurry at all, Jasmine couldn't help but ask again, "Your Majesty? What do you think we should do now?"

Why throw yourself into chaos?

Jiang Yuyue said calmly, "Right now, it's just a suggestion from court officials, and His Majesty hasn't given his consent yet."

Hearing this, Jiang Qimo, who was writing nearby, looked up, his eyes darting around. Although he was still young, he had a general understanding of these things and immediately began to comfort Jiang Yuyue.

"Mother, don't worry, Mo'er has a way to solve this!"

"Oh?"

These words piqued Jiang Yuyue's curiosity, and she looked at him with a smile, "Then tell me, Mo'er, what's your plan to resolve this matter?"

"If Father Emperor brings other women into the palace, then Mo'er will take advantage of those women being asleep and use her brush to draw them all as ugly monsters with big, painted faces!"

As Jiang Qimo spoke, he waved the calligraphy brush in his hand, "Once they turn into ugly monsters, Father will definitely drive those women out of the palace! That way, Mother won't have to worry!"