The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Sky Curtain: Our system has principles and resolutely avoids involvement in pornography.

The curtains in the scene were completely drawn, and only faint moans could be heard coming from the gaps.

"My darling, my sweetheart, am I more powerful or is this old man more powerful?"

Zheng Jiao, who was nearly killed by a homophone: ...

I advise you to have some self-respect.

"Hmph~ You can't compare to the master..."

The woman's voice was quickly shattered by the defiant man.

Wow, who would have thought? Xu Ru is still vigorous despite his old age; even his concubine thinks of him when she's having an affair.

In front of so many ministers, Xu Ru's face was instantly ripped off; he was both anxious and angry.

Other ministers: !!!

It turns out the woman inside the curtained curtains was Xu Ru's concubine!

How old is Scholar Xu? Can he really be that capable? They didn't believe it!

A seemingly casual gaze fell on a strange spot on Xu Ru. Xu Ru's anger at being cuckolded slowly turned into embarrassment. For the first time, he even felt that his clothes were not conservative enough.

He's old enough to know his own situation; how could he still be so capable? It's obvious those two are making fun of him.

Liao Hongsheng approached him with great interest.

Xu Ru thought he had come to rescue her, and was so moved that she shouted in her heart, "What a good person!"

Then he heard Liao Hongsheng's sleazy voice ask him, "Scholar Xu, we're all men, we should learn to share..."

Xu Ru's face darkened instantly.

Liao Hongsheng continued, "Is that your new concubine whom you took a few months ago? Do you know that adulterer?"

Xu Ru's face was ashen, but Zheng Xun would considerately answer the questions he was unwilling to answer.

[Holy crap, this man is actually Xu Ru's illegitimate son, Xu Jun? Stepmother literature? Does your Xu family play such elaborate games?]

It turned out that this illegitimate son was uneducated and incompetent, which was why Xu Ru often scolded him. He held a grudge and always wanted to find an opportunity to take revenge.

[But Xu Ru is a troublemaker. At his age, he still wants to play the "one pear blossom tree pressing down on a crabapple" trope. With a large group of women in his backyard, even with his good energy, he can't take care of them all. So, some kind-hearted people help him take care of them.]

Not only his illegitimate sons, but also his steward and grooms, all vied to help him water the flowers. None of Xu Ru's three youngest children were his, yet he shamelessly boasted to his colleagues that he was still vigorous in his old age and could still have children.

The officials who were close to Xu Ru had all heard him boast. The more high-profile he was back then, the more embarrassed he is now.

I knew it! How could someone so old still be so amazing? It turns out it's the result of someone else's hard work!

It felt great to be bombarded with gossip. Even the most composed ministers listened with great interest, their eyes shining, and their voices became much louder when reporting on matters.

A man who doesn't respect himself is like rotten cabbage. He may think he's charming and attracts countless women, but they never love him as a person; they love his money, power, and the strong young men in his household.

Didn't he notice that the men in his household were all younger, stronger, and more handsome than the last?

Xu Ru: ...

Those damn bastards!

They like his money and power, he doesn't care, as long as they can make him happy, he's willing to support them. But how can they be so unethical, taking his money and sleeping with the people in his mansion!

Can't you at least respect your status as a concubine?

It's a pity about Madam Xu. She was such a lively and beautiful woman in her youth. After marrying her beloved, she worked hard to manage the household and bear children for Xu Ru. But all Xu Ru gave her in return was one concubine after another brought into the mansion.

At first, she comforted herself by thinking that this was the way of the world, and that no man didn't have multiple wives and concubines. At least she was still the lady of the house, and her husband rightfully belonged to her.

But with more people come more trouble. Today two are arguing, tomorrow two are fighting over profits. It's always a noisy mess, never quiet. She sits in the courtyard all day dealing with those women and a yard full of children. She has endless things to handle, until she exhausts herself to the point of miscarrying her second child.

Her eldest son was frail and sickly, and although he managed to live for another year, he still died young. This second child was the one she had been hoping for for three years.

She had a thousand grievances in her heart, but when her husband returned, the first thing he did was to berate her, saying that she couldn't distinguish between what was important and what was not, and that she was power-hungry and unreliable.

After Xu Ru finished cursing, he left, leaving Madam Xu lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the past.

She was once the pampered youngest daughter of her family, but the days of running freely on the estate and leisurely enjoying the cool breeze in the lotus fields in a small boat were long gone. That innocent young girl had passed away just a few years after getting married, leaving behind only an empty shell called 'Madam Xu'. She regretted it; she shouldn't have been so headstrong, shouldn't have married into the Xu family against her parents' wishes, and shouldn't have misplaced her deep affection, only to be met with a mess of troubles.

As I thought about it, tears unknowingly soaked my pillow.

Zheng Jin: Indeed, getting married is a gamble. I will stay away from gambling, starting with myself.

Imperial Censor Jiang glanced at Xu Ru with great incomprehension. He and his wife had been married for many years and remained as loving as ever. He simply couldn't understand how Xu Ru could be so heartless and disregard his wife, when Madam Xu was neither ugly nor unpleasant.

He was equally puzzled as to what Madam Xu was after. If she was after true love, then Xu Ru wasn't truly in love with her either. If she was after money and status, then her family wasn't exactly humble either.

People in this world are so strange, unlike him, who only cares about his own wife.

It is said that if one cannot sweep one’s own room, how can one sweep the world? If one’s private morality is flawed and one’s family is not well managed, it is not a respectable thing to do anywhere. Other ministers could not help but shake their heads at this.

They all plotted to treat their wives better when they got back, otherwise they would end up like Xu Ru, being cheated on without even knowing it.

After the initial passion faded, only indifference remained. Madam Xu was fully aware of the chaos within the household, but she merely observed it coldly. She began to search for herself, declining unnecessary tasks and no longer taking on so much responsibility, focusing instead on recuperating. She would often spend ten days to half a month at the manor's Buddhist temple, until she became pregnant again. While teaching her children, she never forgot to dress herself up beautifully, enjoying the flowers and scenery every day with great ease.

However, her child was mediocre and only got a sinecure. Then, Xu's grandson, Xu Zhen, who later became famous in the capital, was born.

Knowing the household was in chaos and fearing her bright grandson would be ruined, she found a highly respected teacher for Xu Zhen and took him on a journey to broaden his horizons. Xu Zhen lived up to expectations, making a name for himself in the literary world at a young age. Eight years later, he led the last remaining bloodline of the royal family to retreat south of the Ming River, supported the young emperor's ascension to the throne, and, despite his weakened body from serious injuries, preserved the Great Yong dynasty for two more years until his death.

Xu Zhen's short life was truly remarkable, with the only blemish being his grandfather, Xu Ru, who died of a stroke.