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In reality, Wei Ling wasn’t lost due to the drug’s effect. He knew clearly who brought him into the room and could even smell the familiar scent of pine when the person awkwardly leaned in to kiss him.

That person rummaged around in his mouth for a while, making him feel a surge of heat. Just as he was about to respond, the person suddenly retreated, trembling hands moving to undo Wei Ling’s belt.

Wei Ling felt both distressed and amused, reaching out to stop him, his voice hoarse, “I can do it myself…”

The person seemed frightened and quickly rolled away from him, standing cautiously by the bed, “Marquis? Wei… Wei Ling?”

Does he even know who I am?

Wei Ling ignored him, busy struggling with his own belt. The room was dimly lit, and he could only see it was still daytime from the tightly closed windows. But Wei Ling didn’t care about that now; he felt like he was about to explode. Seeing the figure standing in the dark motionless, he abandoned his belt and hugged the person’s waist, turning him around and pressing him down, “What are you standing there for? Do you want to run? It’s too late…”

“…” He never wanted to run.

Tan Yulou’s heart pounded like a drum, but he didn’t dare to utter a sound.

The guy with the medicine couldn’t endure it any longer and let out a muffled groan. He rubbed against Tan Yulou, muttering, “Yulou…”

Tan Yulou closed his eyes…

Meanwhile, Cheng Duo, still in the palace, received the message sent back by the hidden guards and suddenly smiled. He turned to the two people in front of him and said, “Today, there’s a flower-viewing event at Xichun Garden. Duke Guo and General Tan, why don’t you accompany me to take a look?”

As the current Duke Guo, Wei Zhenyuan had no idea what riddle Cheng Duo was playing, but he thought that the flower-viewing event was hosted in the name of Prince Yong, and his nephew and great-nephew must have already gone there. Moreover, his eldest nephew’s major life event hadn’t been resolved yet, so, as the uncle, he naturally had to show concern…

General Tan had the same thoughts, and he even flattered Cheng Duo with a big smile, saying, “Emperor, this flower-viewing event is truly a great help for me. As you know, I only have one son, Yulou, who’s not young anymore. If everything goes well this time, I will definitely have to ask His Majesty for the imperial decree to marry.”

Cheng Duo nodded with a smile. The imperial decree for the marriage was certainly going to be granted, but he wondered if General Tan would be happy when the time comes…

The imperial carriage arrived at Xichun Garden in the afternoon. Prince Yong and his entourage came out to welcome them, and Cheng Duo gently grabbed Yong-ge’s hand, showing concern, “You’ve been busy all morning. Are you tired?”

Yong-ge chuckled, “I just gave orders and let others handle everything. How could I be tired?”

While saying this, he allowed Cheng Duo to secretly massage his waist under the cover of his clothes, and he quite enjoyed it, squinting his eyes slightly.

“Where’s our little crown prince?” Cheng Duo asked again.

“Having played enough, he’s still asleep,” Yong-ge replied. Thinking of the other two people, he felt a bit uncertain and exchanged a glance with Cheng Duo, seeking answers in his eyes.

Cheng Duo pinched his little finger, looking like he was wrapped around Prince Yong, and said reassuringly, “Don’t worry, everything is fine.”

The Emperor and the Empress were whispering to each other intimately as soon as they arrived, and everyone didn’t dare to look at them. Only Wei Zhenyuan, who was being ignored, felt sour. His son didn’t even spare him a glance!

Prince Yong seemed to have just remembered him and awkwardly called out, “Father…”

“Hmm.” Wei Zhenyuan finally softened his expression and nodded.

Although Prince Yong had the title of Empress, as soon as he entered the imperial family, he should prioritize the Emperor over others. However, Wei Zhenyuan had joined the family halfway through and still felt like he hadn’t heard enough. Since Cheng Duo didn’t remind him either, he decided to play dumb.

As Prince Yong was standing a little away from the crowd, only Cheng Duo and General Tan, who was following behind him, heard him call Wei Zhenyuan “father.”

General Tan instinctively glanced at the Emperor and saw him with a stern face and expressionless. His heart skipped a beat. He felt that Wei Zhenyuan’s attitude was not good. Although the Wei family’s military played a significant role in building the empire, Prince Yong was the Empress of the Wei family. Everyone knew that loyalty might not necessarily be rewarded. Moreover, the Emperor had already promoted and incorporated many of the Wei family’s generals into the Cheng family’s ranks. They were probably no longer surnamed “Wei” but “Cheng” by now.

General Tan’s speculation was soon confirmed because, right when Duke Guo wanted to ask the Empress something, the Emperor pulled him away. Afterward, inside Xichun Garden, palace attendants arranged for famous talents of the capital to perform in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This was an atmosphere that hinted at selecting candidates for the imperial harem.

Prince Yong sat beside Cheng Duo and looked down the first row, seeing his father’s upset expression. He wanted to laugh. To prevent his father from inquiring about his eldest cousin’s whereabouts, he and Cheng Duo had put in a lot of effort…

However, the performance of talents might be a camouflage, but there were still ambitious girls and gers in the crowd who tried to gain the favor of the higher-ups.

After tasting it, Prince Yong turned to Cheng Duo unhappily but found that Cheng Duo wasn’t even looking at those people. He simply placed several snacks that he liked in front of him and even fed him with one of the fruits using a fork… It was no different from when they were alone in the palace.

Prince Yong felt a bit embarrassed in front of everyone and reached out to take the snack, but Cheng Duo stopped him, “No, you might get your hands dirty.”

Prince Yong: “…”

Alright, showing off affection in public could indeed deter those fluttering butterflies…

On the other side, Madam Tan looked around but couldn’t find Tan Yulou. The servant she had sent to find him also said they didn’t see him. She felt that something had happened and wanted to inform General Tan but was hesitant due to the inappropriate occasion.

It wasn’t until the end of the banquet, as people started to leave, that she finally found her husband. Anxiously, she said, “Yulou is missing!”

General Tan seemed a little impatient with her appearance and scolded her, “What are you panicking for? Yulou is a grown man. Can he get lost?”

While he was talking, a palace attendant came to invite General Tan, saying that the Emperor wanted to discuss matters with him.

General Tan didn’t suspect anything and readily agreed. Then he turned to dismiss his wife, “You go back first.”

To avoid embarrassing him in public!

“But Yulou…” Madam Tan hesitated to speak.

With a palace attendant standing by, General Tan couldn’t act too harshly. He could only perfunctorily say, “I’ll find him and bring him back when I see him, okay?”

Madam Tan walked away feeling uneasy.

Meanwhile, at the Wutong Courtyard, Tan Yulou had already awakened. He didn’t dare to wake up Wei Ling and endured the discomfort in his body while quietly putting on his clothes and grabbing his shoes, intending to leave.

However, when he tried to open the door latch and pulled it, the door didn’t budge. He thought he didn’t use enough force, so he tried again, and the door creaked open but immediately bounced back into place, making a loud noise.

Tan Yulou was startled. Had the door been locked from the outside? Who did that? When they entered, there was no one around. Could it be that someone had noticed them inside and intentionally locked the door to trap them?

“Um… Yulou, are you leaving? Why didn’t you wake me up?” Wei Ling, disturbed by the noise, sat up from the bed, holding his forehead and sounding a little confused.

“…” Tan Yulou couldn’t care about anything else and quickly walked back to the bedside, picking up the clothes from the floor and trying to put them on Wei Ling, “Quick, put on your clothes. The door has been locked from the outside, and someone might break in at any time!”

“What? The door is locked?” Wei Ling was momentarily bewildered, feeling a bit embarrassed as Tan Yulou pulled back the blanket. But soon, he understood the seriousness of the situation from Tan Yulou’s urgent tone and hurriedly cooperated, putting on his clothes.

Seeing Tan Yulou helping him put on the inner robe and reaching for the pants, Wei Ling stopped him, “I’ll do this myself!”

Although they had done everything together, letting Yulou help him put on pants so quickly was still hard for him to accept.

Tan Yulou was almost desperate, “Hurry up, stop talking nonsense, lift your leg!”

Wei Ling: “…”

Wei Ling adjusted the hem of his inner robe, feeling embarrassed, but when footsteps came from the courtyard outside, the high-pitched voice of a child was especially clear, “Mother, why are you covering my eyes? I can’t see anything!”

The two of them glanced at each other and paid no attention to anything else, hurriedly putting on their pants. Just as Wei Ling finished putting on his pants, the palace guards had already broken open the door.

The guard who broke in didn’t dare to look too much, lowered his head, and retreated. Leaving behind the disheveled couple on the bed and several people led by Cheng Duo standing at the doorway, staring at each other.

General Tan was in shock, “Yulou! You, you…”

Tan Yulou felt chills all over his body, looking lifeless. With his current status, he had countless excuses to make up, but he couldn’t utter a word in panic!

Wei Ling was more composed. He held Tan Yulou’s hand and said calmly, “Yulou, it’s okay, leave it to me…”

But before he could finish, Cheng Duo interrupted, “General Tan, there’s no need to be too angry. Marquis Wei and Young General Tan Yulou were accidentally drugged, which led to this fortunate event. Since it has already happened, why not grant them a marriage? Let them live together privately as a couple.”

“But, Your, Your Majesty, they are both men!” General Tan was dumbfounded and, after speaking, secretly looked at Duke Guo, who stood beside him in silence, hoping he would say something.

Duke Guo remain silent because he didn’t know what to say. In fact, when he saw the palace guard breaking open the door and revealing the “caught in the act” scene inside, he was already exasperated!

However, he always maintained his composure, presenting his usual deep and serene expression without showing any signs of surprise.

General Tan noticed his expression and felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He had sympathized with Duke Guo before, thinking that offending the Emperor would lead to trouble sooner or later.

But he never expected that the trouble would not only befall the Wei family but also implicate their Tan family!

This situation was undoubtedly a deliberate arrangement by the Emperor. Just think about it, Yulou was the only son of their Tan family, and Wei Ling was the only heir of the Wei family! By forcing the two of them to get married, the Emperor wanted to make sure they had no offspring!

General Tan’s face turned ugly, and Cheng Duo asked Wei Ling, “What does Marquis Wei think about this?”

Wei Ling glanced at Cheng Duo and then at the little nephew in his arms, who blinked at him. How could he not understand what was going on?

He quickly responded, pretending to hesitate, “I… I’m willing.”

“Duke Guo?”

Duke Guo remained expressionless, “As long as Wei Ling is willing, that’s fine. As an uncle, I shouldn’t interfere too much.”

Cheng Duo asked Tan Yulou, “And Young General Tan Yulou, what do you think?”

Tan Yulou didn’t dare to voice any objections, looking at his father’s disoriented expression. He quickly responded, pretending to be hesitant, “I… I’m willing.”

“General Tan, it seems everyone is in agreement. So, you and your son won’t object either, right?”

General Tan didn’t dare to object and could only close his eyes and pretend not to see his son’s pitiful look. He replied, “I… I have no objections!”

“Then it’s settled. Marquis Wei and Young General Tan Yulou will stay at the Xichun Garden for a few more days, and when the time is right, they can officially marry before returning.”

General Tan: “…”

The Emperor was clearly preventing him from letting Yulou escape!

Feeling dejected, General Tan returned home alone. As soon as he entered, he ran into Madam Tan, who had been waiting for a long time. She hadn’t seen her son and asked anxiously, “Husband, where’s Yulou?”

General Tan covered his face with pain and said, “The Emperor has granted him marriage to Marquis Wei!”

Madam Tan turned pale and said, “Husband, do you already know? Yulou, he…”

“Duke Guo has already acknowledged it. What can I do?” General Tan suddenly looked up and warned, “This matter is known to you and me. Don’t let anyone else find out, or our Tan family will be in great trouble!”

“But why? Yulou…”

“Let’s just endure it for a while. When the situation calms down, I’ll secretly arrange for a woman to give birth to a child for him. Then we can say the child was adopted from our family.”

Madam Tan was completely bewildered at first, but as General Tan explained, she gradually realized that her husband didn’t know that Yulou was a ger! seaʀᴄh thё Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Indeed, she had disguised it so well. When Yulou was born, her husband was away fighting, so she pretended that the child had contracted chickenpox and removed his birthmark when he was just born. The child was young, and the wound healed quickly, leaving no scar behind.

Since her husband didn’t know, the Emperor must also be unaware. But for the sake of dealing with the Wei family, Yulou was now also implicated!

What could she do? Tell her husband that Yulou was a ger? Not only would the Emperor be furious, but her husband would probably go mad as well. He might even divorce her…

Madam Tan couldn’t say anything. When she saw her son later, she could only repeatedly warn him not to reveal his true identity. As for Marquis Wei, they had to avoid him if possible.

Yulou thought, “It’s too late; Wei Ling already knew!”

The Emperor and the Empress were also aware; they had helped him when he was injured. The play at the Xichun Garden must have been arranged by them. It was strange that they didn’t know!

But it was for the best. He concealed his identity as a ger, allowing him to continue going to court. With his parents both harboring ulterior motives, they couldn’t oppose him, and his father couldn’t blame his mother…

With this in mind, Yulou felt even more grateful to Cheng Duo and Yong-ge.

Wei Ling and Tan Yulou received the imperial decree for marriage and had a low-key wedding. Although they couldn’t make a big fuss about it, both of them were very content.

Aside from Madam Tan, who was nervous, and General Tan, who was forcing a smile, the others were actually quite happy about the wedding.

In the second year of their marriage, Tan Yulou became pregnant. General Tan didn’t forget his plan and took advantage of Wei Ling’s absence from the capital to secretly call him to a private residence, saying, “Yulou, your father has prepared a surprise for you.”

As Yulou got off the carriage, his father’s “surprise” seemed nothing compared to his, as his face changed abruptly. “Yulou, your belly…”

Why was it so big!

Having understood the truth, an annoyed General Tan brought Yulou to the palace and complained to Cheng Duo, “Emperor, were you all aware of this and kept it from me?”

Cheng Duo was playing chess with Yong-ge, who touched his nose and said, “According to Doctor Hu, my sister-in-law is pregnant with twins. How about General Tan and the Wei family discuss it and let the younger one take the Tan surname?”

General Tan: Can we even do that?

Upon careful consideration, the Tan family actually gained an advantage! Yulou’s younger son would be both the Crown Prince’s cousin and the future Marquis Wei’s own brother. With such a child inheriting the Tan family, as long as he wasn’t foolish, he wouldn’t oppose it.

General Tan finally realized that it had been three years since the Emperor ascended the throne, and the Empress Wei was still residing in his Zhanqian Hall. Not to mention selecting concubines, the Emperor wouldn’t even spare a glance at maids and court ladies!

Last year, when some ministers suggested selecting concubines, they were immediately rebuked by the imperial censors, accusing them of seizing others’ ancestral homes and causing villagers’ deaths. Behind this, there must have been the Marquis’s involvement, and perhaps even the Emperor’s interference.

His previous speculation about the fall of the Wei family was just wishful thinking. The Emperor and Marquis Wei were protecting them, securing the Empress Wei’s position. Besides the Crown Prince, the Emperor didn’t have any other children. When the Crown Prince grew up, the Wei family would thrive for at least several more decades!

Wei Ling was probably as stubborn as the Emperor… With this in mind, General Tan had no complaints about his wife giving birth to a ger.

After all, he was getting old and couldn’t have any more children, so he might as well start nurturing his grandson!

After the two left, Cheng Duo looked at Yong-ge and said, “It seems like the identity of Young General Tan might have been exposed. Now is the right time; we can gradually promote women and gers to leave the inner palace and even serve as officials…”

Yong-ge smiled slyly, “The academies I founded already have several girls and gers as principals. Sooner or later, they will cultivate enough scholars eligible for the imperial examination.”

“Are you that confident?”

“Of course! Just look at who’s guiding me from behind!” Yong-ge chuckled and leaned on Cheng Duo’s shoulder, whispering, “Cheng Duo, we will make this country better and better.”

Cheng Duo pretended to sigh, “Yes, we can’t leave a mess for our Lin’er… He’s not as talented as I am.”

“Cheng Duo, Lin’er is behind you.”

“…”

“He heard you criticizing him.”

“…”