"Emperor!"
Xia Ruqing suddenly called out softly.
"Hmm?"
Zhao Junyao responded in a gentle voice, soft and tender.
Xia Ruqing slowly clasped his hand, their fingers intertwined, and the warmth from his fingertips was so comforting that it made her want to cry.
I... don’t know what you have been through!
But I want to make things easier for you, I want to lighten the burden on your shoulders, I want you not to carry so much weight.
Thinking of this, she bit her lip and said.
"Emperor, I... will give the order tomorrow to conduct a selection in the Capital City!"
"There’s no need to make a big fuss, just select some noble ladies in the Capital City to fill the harem."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Junyao turned his head sharply to look at her.
His eyes were full of disbelief, and... a faint disappointment and sadness.
"Qingqing, why?!"
"You..."
"Emperor!"
Xia Ruqing dared not meet his gaze and turned her head away.
"Emperor, you are the ruler of a nation, and the triennial selection is a matter of course! It is a rule that has been followed for over a hundred years!"
"If it is abolished because of me!"
"I cannot bear such responsibility!"
"Moreover..."
She suddenly looked up at him.
"The rumors in the Capital City are already out of control!"
"You must be very tired of dealing with them!"
"I don’t want to see you gloomy and distracted all day!"
"I want to get rid of this matter as soon as possible!"
"If quieting things down means holding a selection, I don’t care!"
Because in the palace, she could hardly get any outside news, so what she said sounded a bit naive.
Zhao Junyao was at a loss, not knowing whether to be angry or amused.
"You..."
"How foolish, this isn’t a matter of holding a selection or not?"
At this point, it’s a life-and-death struggle, how can a selection solve it?
"Don’t overthink things!"
As always, he stroked her hair to softly comfort her.
Xia Ruqing suddenly pushed his hand away, with a hint of anger on her face.
"I’m not overthinking!"
"You tell me nothing, so I can only sit here every day!"
"Duanning Palace is so big, and yet I’m all alone!"
"I also want to have a carefree life without worrying about anything!"
"But I can’t do that!"
"You look more haggard every day, yet you tell me every time that nothing has happened and I shouldn’t worry!"
"Do you believe that yourself?"
"After returning from Guangnan, does your promise still count?"
"Didn’t you say that in the future, no matter what happens, we will face it together?"
Zhao Junyao was momentarily speechless.
He rubbed his throbbing temples in frustration, finally speaking weakly after a while.
"Qingqing, this matter has nothing to do with you, I don’t want to involve you!"
"Please be good, and take care of yourself!"
But Xia Ruqing was not grateful at all.
"How could it have nothing to do with me, then who is it related to?"
"Is it a matter of the court?"
Zhao Junyao shook his head.
"Then isn’t it?"
Xia Ruqing laughed coldly.
"Matters of the court naturally have ministers to worry about them for the Emperor, I certainly can’t intervene!"
"But this isn’t a matter of the court, it’s a family matter of the Emperor!"
"If I can’t intervene even in this, then I’m a useless Empress!"
Zhao Junyao stared at her, feeling warmth and exhaustion in his heart.
This foolish little fox, sometimes she’s incredibly foolish, and sometimes she’s incredibly smart. He truly didn’t know how to handle her!
Since there’s no hiding it, he might as well tell her everything!
With this thought, he slowly spoke.
"Empress Dowager Zhen is gone! She was poisoned by the Empress Dowager!"
"And..."
Zhao Junyao tried to maintain a calm tone as he continued.
"I suspect that I am not the biological son of the Empress Dowager, and I have already sent someone to investigate this!"
After hearing these two sentences.
Xia Ruqing stood there as if struck by lightning.
She wanted to offer comfort, but her mind was a blank, unable to utter a single word.
She didn’t know how long it took for the immense waves within her heart to gradually recede.
Xia Ruqing gave a bitter smile.
"How could this happen?"
"If the Emperor is not the Empress Dowager’s biological son, then who is?"
Whether it was unintentional or not, Zhao Junyao blurted out a name without thinking.
"Zhao Junqi!"
Having said that, both he and Xia Ruqing were dumbfounded.
They stared at each other, full of shock, left speechless.
"Emperor, is it true?"
Xia Ruqing’s face turned pale.
If it’s true, then what is Zhao Junqi’s true identity? And what does this mean for Zhao Junyao?
Heavens, what is this all about?!
Is the royal bloodline so easily confused?
This truly overturned her understanding of the ancient feudal society.
The storyline of switching a prince with a civet, something that seemed only in dramas, was unfolding right before her eyes.