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

Although that's what he said, Song Jinglan naturally wouldn't actually do it. If he really let those ministers know about his words, those old men would probably be terrified.

However, Song Jinglan paused slightly at this point, and looked at Jiang Yuyue with a deeper meaning, "But after thinking about it carefully, some of what those old men said makes a lot of sense."

"Oh?"

Jiang Yuyue didn't loosen her grip on his neck; instead, she tightened it slightly, her eyes still carrying a hint of threat. "What did you say?"

"Now that we only have Mo'er as our child, the entire harem feels rather desolate."

Song Jinglan spoke slowly, his gaze fixed intently on her, a suggestive smile playing on his lips, "It seems I haven't tried hard enough. I need to find a way to get Her Majesty the Empress to have a few more children."

Jiang Yuyue: "..."

That night, Jiang Yuyue paid the price for her boastful words. Song Jinglan on the bed was unusually fierce and ruthless, and only after she repeatedly assured him that she would never keep a male concubine did he reluctantly give up.

As the sunlight began to fade, the two inside the bed slowly came to a stop. Jiang Yuyue's face was flushed, and she was breathing heavily as she leaned against the man's strong and powerful chest.

"But how do you plan to explain this to those ministers?"

Jiang Yuyue raised her eyes to look at him, "If they keep pressing the issue, that's not a solution either."

"They are simply looking at the empty harem and want to send women from their clan into the palace to seize power, or they occasionally whisper in my ear to pave the way for their careers, or they plot to make a crown prince. In short, very few of them are truly thinking about the country and its people."

Song Jinglan said lazily, "If anyone mentions taking concubines again, I will bestow a marriage upon a woman of suitable age from their family. It must be their rival. Once these officials are busy with their own family affairs, or until they have no more suitable women to send to the palace, they will naturally stop mentioning the selection of concubines."

"As for the crown prince, our Mo'er is so intelligent, the position of crown prince will be his sooner or later. Since these ministers are making such a fuss now, let's issue the decree to establish a crown prince as soon as possible and put an end to their delusions."

These words made Jiang Yuyue's lips twitch slightly. Only Song Jinglan could come up with such a despicable idea. She felt a little sorry for the ministers who had such an emperor...

Song Jinglan truly kept his word. The next day in court, he immediately issued an edict to establish his eldest son, Jiang Qimo, as the crown prince.

Upon receiving this imperial edict, many ministers were alarmed. The appointment of the crown prince would greatly hinder their subsequent actions.

"Is Your Majesty being a little too hasty?"

As expected, ministers immediately stood up to oppose the matter.

"The eldest prince is only five years old now, too young to be in charge. Moreover, His Majesty is in the prime of his life. The matter of establishing an heir can be postponed for a while. It is not too late to establish an heir when the eldest prince is older!"

"Since ancient times, the succession has been either established by the eldest son of the empress or by the eldest son of the empress."

Song Jinglan glanced at him and asked indifferently, "My eldest prince is born to the Empress, and is both the legitimate heir and the eldest son. If the position of Crown Prince is not given to the eldest prince, does my dear minister have another candidate?"

"This……"

These words left the minister speechless for a moment, but he still refused to give up and brought up the matter of selecting concubines again.

"Then Your Majesty should also consider the matter of selecting concubines. There are quite a few eligible young ladies from official families in the capital. Your Majesty could hold a selection to see who is suitable. If a suitable woman is found to enter the harem to help the royal family continue its lineage, that would be excellent."

"There are indeed quite a few women of marriageable age."

Song Jinglan nodded in agreement, which ignited hope in the hearts of the ministers below. Could it be that the emperor was really going to give in?

"Minister Hu, I've heard that your youngest daughter is gentle in nature, and even more beautiful than the moon and the flowers, and also possesses a wealth of knowledge and great talent?"

The sudden inquiry delighted Minister Hu. Hearing Song Jinglan's words full of praise for his daughter, he was almost overjoyed and quickly bowed again.

"I never expected that even His Majesty knows of my daughter. I am truly flattered! To be favored by His Majesty is a blessing my daughter has accumulated over eight lifetimes. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, my daughter is well-educated, reasonable, and gentle. If she enters the harem, she will always put Her Majesty the Empress first and will never have any thoughts of overstepping her bounds..."

Song Jinglan seemed not to have heard what he said and turned his gaze directly to the row of military officers.

"I've heard that General Zhou's eldest son is also a handsome man. I think that Minister Hu's daughter is a perfect match for this young master Zhou. So today I will act as matchmaker and bestow a marriage upon them."

Upon hearing this, both the general surnamed Zhou and the minister surnamed Hu froze, their expressions turning extremely unpleasant, as if they had swallowed a fly.

After all, everyone in the capital knew that the Hu family and the Zhou family had been at odds since their ancestors' generation. Although they both worked in the court, they had not interacted for many years, and their relationship had become so strained that they would fight whenever they met. And today, Song Jinglan actually bestowed a marriage upon the two families?!

"Your Majesty! Please reconsider!"

General Zhou quickly stepped forward, "My son is not talented enough and is probably not a good match for Miss Hu. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"

The minister surnamed Hu snorted coldly upon hearing this and immediately retorted, "Your Majesty, Qi Da is not a suitable match. How can a tiger's daughter be paired with a dog's son? I've heard that this young master Zhou is uncouth and vulgar, while my daughter is beautiful and intelligent. Wouldn't it be a waste to marry her off to a brute like him?!"

General Zhou had only intended to exchange a few polite words, but he hadn't expected this man surnamed Hu to take advantage of his kindness and so disparage his son. He was immediately enraged and shouted, "What did you say?!"

"Could it be that I misspoke, even half a word?"

Minister Hu also had a cold face, his words full of sarcasm, "Only General Zhou treats your son like a treasure. My daughter would never marry into your family!"

These words further escalated the conflict between the two, and the hall became as chaotic as a marketplace. In the heat of the moment, the two sides even started a verbal battle. If it weren't for other ministers holding them back, they might have started fighting right in front of Song Jinglan.

Jiang Feili, standing to the side, saw it all clearly and couldn't help but admire Song Jinglan's brilliant move of diverting trouble. In order to prevent these ministers from continuing to covet his harem, he had even come up with such a despicable idea.

Although the move was a bit insidious, after this incident, as long as the officials in the court still wanted peace in their own homes, they probably wouldn't dare to casually mention adding more women to their harems again.