Chapter 11 — Destined for the Phoenix Throne, I Refuse the Crown Prince

At that juncture, Lu Beiuyuan had reached the very end of his tether. Seeing that she intended to abandon him and flee for her own life, a raging fire of fury instantly scorched his chest. With a single thrust, he drove his sword straight through Xuan Khanh Khanh's breast. It was said that before drawing her last breath, her lips were still moving, muttering incoherently to herself over and over again, repeating that same bizarre, incomprehensible phrase.

How could things have turned out like this? Why is nothing resembling the plot!

I felt no pity for her whatsoever, nor did I experience any sense of sadistic triumph. She had believed herself capable of peering into the grand designs of the heavens, yet remained utterly oblivious to the bitter truth that she was nothing more than a disposable piece upon a vast chessboard. In the blink of an eye, half a year slipped away. As the scorching heat of midsummer finally descended upon the capital, I found myself growing excessively drowsy day by day, my appetite waning until nothing tasted quite right. At first, we simply attributed it to the oppressive seasonal heat, but when the imperial physician arrived to take my pulse, he discovered that I was already two months with child. Upon receiving this startling news, Lu Wenhe stood frozen in place, utterly dumbstruck. Gazing at his expression—a chaotic blend of profound astonishment and uncontainable joy—I could not help but softly chuckle.

While I settled comfortably into my chambers to nurse my pregnancy, news arrived from the distant Kingdom of Eastern Women. After the Marquis of Shuande entered the matriarchal realm as a matrilocal husband, Her Majesty the Queen had initially found him somewhat satisfactory; after all, he possessed a handsome visage and a noble imperial lineage. Yet, as the months dragged on, the Queen slowly realized that aside from his superficial beauty, this Marquis of Shuande was utterly useless. Not only was he entirely incapable of serving or pleasing others, but his temperament was also thoroughly atrocious. Growing increasingly discontent, the Queen eventually handed the Marquis over to her most favored male consort to be properly disciplined and taught some manners. Unable to endure such profound humiliation, the Marquis attempted to fight back. Unfortunately, that favored consort was a vicious and ruthless brute; in a sudden fit of rage, he had the Marquis summarily castrated.

Setting my teacup down, I sat in profound silence for a long while, momentarily at a loss for words. I vividly recalled the days when I had just returned from the southern lands of Jiangnan to attend the grand floral banquet, back when Lu Beiuyuan had uttered such venomous threats—claiming he would rather wed an eighty-year-old crone than ever take Xie Fuzhen as his wife. Little did one know that his fortune would prove to be so remarkably good, successfully marrying into a household where his wife was indeed an octogenarian, and an imperial empress at that. It was merely a pity that he possessed no sense of gratitude, failing utterly in his duty to serve his royal spouse with devotion. Instead, basking in his perceived favor, he had grown arrogant and insolent. Meeting such a wretched fate was nothing less than he deserved. Reclining against the soft cushions of my couch, I could not suppress the laughter bubbling up from my throat.

Lu Wenhe turned his gaze toward me, a puzzled crease forming on his brow. What are you laughing at?

Nothing at all, I murmured, a smile still playing upon my lips. I merely feel that I might be able to consume an extra half-bowl of rice for lunch today.

A brief moment of astonishment crossed Lu Wenhe's features, before he threw back his head and laughed heartily. At that very moment, just beyond the lattice window, the scenery was breathtakingly lush and beautiful.

Several months later, I gave birth to our eldest daughter, Zhaoyang. For a woman, enduring the pains of childbirth was akin to walking through the gates of the netherworld; unable to bear the thought of me suffering such agony ever again, Lu Wenhe solemnly vowed that this single child would be our last. The moment Zhaoyang reached her first month of life, she was formally proclaimed Crown Princess, receiving personal instruction and tutelage directly from Lu Wenhe himself.

By the time Zhaoyang reached her fifth year, Lu Wenhe fell victim to recurring, blinding headaches. When the affliction grew particularly severe, his vision would blur to the point where he could scarcely distinguish words on paper. Consequently, I had all the imperial memorials transferred to our private quarters so I could read them aloud to him. As this arrangement persisted, I eventually took over the task of reviewing and approving the documents entirely. Rejoicing in his newfound leisure, Lu Wenhe even ordered the artisans to construct a secondary golden throne, placing it right beside his own dragon throne within the grand audience hall, insisting that I ascend the court alongside him to deliberate on affairs of state. In the annals of history, it would forever be recorded as the era of the Two Saints Ruling the Court.

The End.