Chapter 16: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 16

"Your Majesty, these are the Princely Heirs of Imperial Uncle, alas, always so mischievous," Prince Shen directly pointed at his three sons, whose Princess Consort had passed away due to complications during childbirth years ago, leaving only a few sons. However, Prince Shen did not care much, as his mansion was full of concubines, "In the entire Imperial Family, aside from these unworthy Princely Heirs of mine, there seems to be no other offspring left. Your Majesty, for the sake of our realm, you must take this to heart!"

As soon as he had spoken these words, everyone's face turned pale, and no one dared to breathe a word.

He was drunk, probably not even understanding the enormity of the taboo he had just voiced, but many present were cunning enough to grasp the current predicament.

When the Emperor grows angry, a million corpses lay down.

The issue of progeny was already a taboo in the Emperor's heart; the harem was full of beauties, yet not one concubine had borne an heir.

As rumors abounded among the common folk, one can only imagine.

The current Emperor was a wise sovereign, but without an heir, the state could not be passed down, possibly falling into foreign hands.

Especially since Prince Shen had spoken such words at this moment, it was an offense punishable by death.

"Prince Shen brought a few Young Crown Princes; seems you want quite a lot!" Shen Qi's eyes darkened.

"Indeed, I am anxious; I specifically brought these few rascals to solve Your Majesty's troubles. It's like adopting one for Your Majesty, you must cultivate him well," Prince Shen, his head clouded with alcohol, laughed ambitiously.

The Empress Dowager trembled with rage, barely able to speak.

All the Concubines lowered their heads, rushing forward to kneel on the ground.

And the ministers below had already been kneeling in cold sweat, fearing Shen Qi would suddenly recall any connection they might have with Prince Shen, and directly implicate their entire families.

At this moment, the grand hall was utterly quiet.

The three Princely Heirs shook their heads, seemingly clueless about the situation. They looked up, only to see the Emperor above smiling.

In their eyes, a smile signified approval and affirmation. Not wanting to just stand there, they sat on the ground and began frolicking.

"You three, what are you playing at? Go and greet your elder brother," Prince Shen, having drunk too much, staggered as he spoke, nearly vomiting from the alcohol's effect.

The three Princely Heirs did not listen but simply ran around.

Prince Shen snorted, glancing at Shen Qi and, seeing him make no move, casually picked up a jug of wine from the table and raised it towards the three Princely Heirs, "Did you not hear me speaking? Come here at once!"

Shen Qi's gaze grew even darker, but still, he said not a word. He slowly stood up, with Little Fuzi attempting to step forward and support him, but Shen Qi raised his hand to stop him.

Thus, Little Fuzi, Zhiruan, and Ziyu simply followed behind him as he walked forward.

By then, the Empress Dowager's gaze toward Prince Shen was as if she were looking at a dead man.

Perhaps, at a corpse.

"I've raised you lot this big; you choose one to stay and be the Crown Prince," Prince Shen's hand holding the wine jug wobbled, his steps unsteady, weaving about on the ground, "Hmm? How come there appear to be six Princely Heirs?"

Everyone, kneeling on the ground in cold sweat.

Such a situation had not arisen in the current dynasty, nor indeed in all of history.

As a subordinate lord, Prince Shen repeatedly defied the Emperor and even wished to have his son named as Crown Prince.

This was conspiracy, clear as day.

Prince Shen had no idea about the current situation, merely drunk and suddenly started to violently beat his children, causing chaos at the banquet and his children to run around wildly.

And then, the unexpected occurred.

While Prince Shen was hitting his children, the wine jug in his hand flew rapidly towards Shen Qi, fear evident in the eyes of all those who witnessed this scene.

Little Fuzi and others hardly reacted in time, and although the Hidden Guard had just managed to take action, the wine jug had already reached Shen Qi.

This was but a moment's flash.

At that instant, Zhiruan immediately shielded him and swiftly tackled Shen Qi, "Your Majesty, be careful!"

Blood blossomed across the ground.

Seeing the blood everywhere, Prince Shen, with a large belly, froze in place, and only then seemed to come to his senses.