“That princess was hell-bent on having the Emperor for herself, so Shuang’er was sure that she would do everything she could to poison him. We don’t know for sure whether the Emperor is currently poisoned or not, but there’s at least a glimmer of hope. To burn all his boats, we decided to go to Southern Xinjiang and destroy the guiding herb,” Zeng Lunan said honestly. However, he had forgotten about this after Shuang’er died.

Long Chi pondered for a while, then said, “Since it’s Shuang’er’s last wish, I’ll send someone to Southern Xinjiang to destroy the guiding herb.”

Zeng Lunan immediately offered, “Let me go.”

“Very well. I’ll have someone escort you there.” Long Chi quickly made his decision.

He had not forgotten that Madam Ling was still in the imperial capital.

With Madam Ling around, the poison in Royal Uncle’s body would definitely be correctly diagnosed in no time.

At this moment, someone from their side was probably on the way to Southern Xinjiang to find the guiding herb.

Unfortunately, the mission had to be delayed due to Shuang’er’s death at the hands of Chen Qiyu.

Long Chi could only hope that they could still destroy the guiding herb in time.

Zeng Lunan did not object to the arrangement.

Since Shuang’er hated Lu Liangwei so much, he would fulfill her last wish.

If the Emperor failed to receive treatment, he would die of the poison, and without the Emperor to protect her, Lu Liangwei would fall from grace.

The thought made him cheer up at once. “There’s no time to lose. I’ll set out this instant.”

…

After the treaty between Danjue and Great Shang was signed, it was time for the Danjue ambassadors to return to their country.

However, before they departed, Great Shang specially hosted a farewell banquet for Wanyan Jin and his entourage as a gesture of friendship.

It was spring when the Danjue ambassadors left. Soon, the third month of the year came, and the weather began to grow warmer.

Lu Liangwei was already six months pregnant, and her stomach grew bigger each day like a balloon being inflated.

One afternoon, Lu Liangwei was lounging on Long Yang’s lap. As she rubbed her stomach with one hand and gazed at the man carefully marking Palace Memorials, she could not help but ask, “Do you prefer boys or girls, Your Majesty?”

Hearing this, Long Yang paused in his work and glanced down at her.

The girl was lying on his lap, her face a translucent pink and her eyes shining with anticipation.

He was actually not fond of children, but he could not help getting excited when he thought of the child she was going to deliver.

“Why does it matter?”

His words instantly dampened Lu Liangwei’s enthusiasm, and she rolled her eyes. “If you don’t want to answer, forget it.”

Long Yang frowned. “You’re the Empress. How could you do something so inelegant?”

Lu Liangwei was taken aback. “How was I inelegant?”

“You rolled your eyes at me.” Long Yang tapped her on the head with the handle of his brush, a look of disapproval on his face.

Hearing this, Lu Liangwei pulled a bored face at him.

Their relationship was no longer as tense as it was before. He would spend every night in Grand Phoenix Palace and even take afternoon naps with her. If she did not feel like sleeping, he would move all his Palace Memorials there and mark them while making some occasional small talk with her.

However, even though he now doted on her the same way he did before, there were times when he would still point out her little faults or even reprimand her mercilessly.

“I didn’t just roll my eyes at you—I even pulled a face at you.” Lu Liangwei met his gaze defiantly, curious to know how far he could tolerate her antics.

“Lu Liangwei!” Long Yang furrowed his brow and looked at her sternly.

Lu Liangwei put a hand to her stomach. “If you talk so loudly, you’ll scare our children…”

When Long Yang’s gaze landed on her huge belly, and his words were immediately caught in his throat.

The sight of him restraining himself filled Lu Liangwei with glee, and she grew even more fearless.

“After our children are born, I’ll tell them that you don’t like them, and when they start talking, I won’t teach them to call you Father.”