Upon hearing Zheng Yi's words, the expressions of everyone present changed.

Jie'er and Yu'er shrank back, not daring to look at the others.

As for Concubine Zhen, she was momentarily stunned, then blushed with embarrassment.

"Your Majesty, what do you mean by this? Are you mocking me?"

"The three of us, mother and daughters, serve Your Majesty together; I don't mind, but Jie'er and Yu'er..."

"No, no, no..."

Zheng Yi said, "My beloved concubine worries too much. What I mean is that no matter what these two children do in the future, or what kind of people they become, they are my sons and also your relatives."

"I will not abandon them."

The three women immediately said, "We thank Your Majesty..."

Meanwhile, Su Xi's expression was somewhat strange. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

What did this elder sister mean by what she said?

Mother and daughters serving His Majesty together?

Could it be... that she and the two beautiful sisters who gave birth today... are mother and daughters?

Only upon this thought did she realize why, at her first meeting with the three women, she felt their eyebrows were strikingly similar.

Unexpectedly...

How could this be...

Su Xi's perception of the world began to change, her thoughts started to become confused.

"Your Majesty~"

Concubine Zhen said softly, "Since Jie'er, Yu'er, and I have entered the Royal Family, we have long accepted our fate. We three are both mother and daughters, as well as sisters."

"As for their children, they can just call me aunt."

"Fate, huh?"

Zheng Yi laughed, "It's best that you think this way. I like all three of you and don't wish to forsake any one of you."

"Time passes like a river, ceaselessly through day and night."

"In life, one should enjoy themselves. Any worries can simply be cast aside."

Although Li Lizhen, Dongyun Jie, and Dongyun Yu are mother and daughters, Li Lizhen has been raised by the Royal Family since childhood, with a status belonging to the Shadow Guard.

Due to continuous indoctrination, she has long regarded Zheng Yi as the sky in her heart.

Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu are not much better; they have been brainwashed since childhood to be loyal to the Imperial Family and to Your Majesty.

Ethics and such have long been suppressed by their loyalty to the monarch.

If it were any ordinary mother and daughters, persuading them would not be easy.

"Your Majesty, have you thought of names for Jie'er and Yu'er's children yet?"

Concubine Zhen said, "These two little ones look so alike, almost identical to Jie'er and Yu'er when they were young."

At this, Zheng Yi solemnly said, "Jie'er, Yu'er, and Concubine Zhen."

"You three should know, Jie'er and Yu'er are cultivators, and so am I."

"Among the children we give birth to, there is a great chance that they possess a Spirit Root, so I do not wish for them to be drawn into the struggle for the throne."

"I only hope that they can live safely and eventually set foot on the Path of Cultivation."

"Therefore, I want to name them 'Chengping' and 'Chengan.' What do you three think?"

"Chengping and Chengan?"

The three women murmured, "Though the names are ordinary, there is indeed Your Majesty's thoughtfulness within them."

"We also wish for our children to live peacefully and have long lives."

"Then let these be the names."

"Zheng Chengping, Zheng Chengan..."

"We thank Your Majesty for bestowing the names!"

The three women were all very satisfied with the names for the two children. After a bit of consolation, Zheng Yi had Concubine Zhen find an empty room for Su Xi to settle in.

"Bingtai Palace has the most consorts, and it's quite lively. Let Su Xi stay in Bingtai Palace for the time being."

Zheng Yi instructed, "You should make time to have a good conversation with Su Xi, show her around the palace."

Li Lizhen glanced at Su Xi and nodded understandingly, "I will abide by Your Majesty's command."

Under the instruction of Concubine Zhen, a guest room was quickly arranged, and Su Xi settled down comfortably.

When Li Lizhen returned to her sleeping quarters, a pair of hands immediately embraced her.

"Ah..."

She exclaimed and reached back instinctively to pull a hairpin from her hair in defense, but quickly realized what was happening.

"Your Majesty?!"

"My beloved concubine is so agile, it seems you exercise quite a bit,"

Zheng Yi said while lifting her up and walking toward the bed, laughing.

Concubine Zhen blushed, "Your Majesty, Jie'er and Yu'er are still next door~"

"What are you worried about? They just gave birth and are already resting tonight."

"The wet nurse is taking care of the children, there's nothing to worry about~"

"Your Majesty~"

Concubine Zhen, with eyes as soft as silk, suddenly wrapped her arms around Zheng Yi's neck, saying, "I also want to have a child for you~"

"A child?"

Zheng Yi laughed, "No problem!"

"I just don't know whether the child will call Jie'er and Yu'er sisters or..."

"Your Majesty~!"

"Hahaha..."

After a night of passion, Zheng Yi did not take any protective measures, but instead allowed himself to merge with Li Lizhen.

The Pure Yin Qi and Pure Yang Qi within the Yin Yang Treasure Mirror were not transferred, so whether a child could be conceived was left to fate.

However, in Zheng Yi's view, in the absence of Pure Yin Qi or Pure Yang Qi, it would be very difficult for a regular woman to become pregnant.

The next day, Zheng Yi summoned Liu Cheng'en, the Cabinet, and others to inquire about the war in the Southern States.

"Your Majesty,"

Li Changfeng said, "The war in the south is still intense, with our Imperial Court's main army and the rebel forces of the southern states still engaged in a stalemate within the Xuzhou region, with victories and losses on both sides."

"However, due to the presence of the New Army, our Imperial Court's main army still maintains the strategic advantage on the battlefield."

"And what about the Grand General?"

Zheng Yi asked in confusion. According to his predictions, by deploying the New Army, they should have swept through the south like an autumn wind, yet it's been more than six months and the southern rebels are still not subdued?

Li Changfeng said, "Your Majesty, it appears there are several cultivators among the southern rebels, as well as a large number of martial artists."

"They often hide among the rebels, launching surprise attacks and executing assassination strategies; over thirty officers of various ranks have already been killed."

"Even Grand General Xu has faced two assassination attempts, though they were both suppressed by him."

"Cultivators..."

Zheng Yi murmured, it seems these cultivators are indeed the variable in the southern rebellion.

Only cultivators could use various means to resist the New Army's artillery.

But... it still seems unlikely!

No matter how many cultivators there are, it would be at most a dozen or so.

But there are a full two hundred thousand in the artillery New Army!

Unless... there's something within the southern rebels that Xu Mujun fears.

Or... is it due to another reason?

"Cheng'en."

"I am here."

"Do we have a personal letter from Grand General Xu?"

"Yes!"

Very quickly, Liu Cheng'en brought up a wooden tray with five sealed envelopes, respectfully handing them over to Zheng Yi.

All five envelopes were sealed with wax, clearly not having been opened.

He took the envelope with the earliest date, which was from October in the 9th Year of Zhengyong.

During that period, it was after Xu Mujun had traversed Yuanhe Mountain.

The content was quite simple, merely a brief account of the battle at Yuanhe Mountain and the detailed plan to suppress the southern rebels at Xuzhou.

The second, third, and fourth letters were similarly straightforward, only occasionally inquiring about Xu Qingluan's situation.

The real change came in the fifth letter.

Cultivators.

As expected, there have indeed been cultivators among the Xuzhou rebels.

They acted in secret, using magic to destroy the army's supplies and burned countless provisions, forcing the army into a passive defense.

Even though they had the advantage of firearms, facing cultivators who come and go without a trace was frustratingly futile.

"To deal with cultivators... one must utilize other cultivators."

"But, the only cultivators I have that I can deploy are Xuan Jizi and Chen Liancang. "

"Compared to the cultivators of the southern Tuoba Family and the other cultivators hidden among the rebels, they pale in comparison!"

Zheng Yi shook his head, "What exactly is Xu Mujun struggling with?"

"With two hundred thousand New Army troops as the main force, supported by other troops, they could have directly swept through Xuzhou, Jiangzhou, and other areas, destroying Tianlong Temple, the Tuoba Family, and other strongholds, attacking them where they must protect, so why..."

Zheng Yi kept contemplating, unsure of what Xu Mujun was really up to.

"Your Majesty!"

Li Changfeng suddenly said, "There is another matter I must report."

"Please speak, my loyal subject."

"Grand General Xu has submitted several memorials to the Cabinet, hoping Your Majesty can reward the members of the Xu Clan..."

"Hmm?"

Zheng Yi asked curiously, "Why reward the Xu Clan?"

"To claim credit."

Li Changfeng said, "Most of the Xu Clan members have followed the Grand General in battles, and indeed have made notable contributions, but the awarding of honors and responsibilities should be after the major campaigns, so the Grand General's actions seem like overstepping his bounds."

"After our discussions, we felt this matter is quite thorny, so we suppressed it to seek Your Majesty's decision."

"Is there anything else?"

Lu Xiangqing said, "Your Majesty, in addition to the Xu Clan members, the Grand General also wishes for the court to confer a title on his newborn grandson..."

"Grandson?"

Zheng Yi quickly recalled something, "Zhong Chun has given birth?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Liu Cheng'en said softly, "Miss Zhong Chun gave birth to a son last February. At that time, Your Majesty was in seclusion, so I did not report it."

"The Grand General was very excited upon learning of this and personally penned a family letter back to the Xu Mansion, naming his grandson 'Xu Jingzhong,' and now he is one year and three months old."

"One year and three months old?"

Zheng Yi nodded, "It seems I was neglectful."

"Requesting official positions for the Xu Clan, a title for his grandson—isn't he also asking for a considerable amount of gold, silver, jewels, land titles, and beauties?"

The group hesitated for a moment, then all said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty's insight is unrivaled, but... we have suppressed it, not knowing how Your Majesty wishes to decide?"

Zheng Xuanyue further said, "Your Majesty! Xu Mujun, relying on his merits, is using his military power outside to pressure the court to secure personal benefits for his clan and descendants; such a precedent must not be set!"

"I believe it would be prudent to recall the Grand General and appoint another to lead the efforts to eliminate the southern rebels!"

"What do the rest of my loyal subjects think?"

Lu Xiangqing cupped his hands, "I... second Lord Zheng's suggestion."

"Grand General Xu has indeed endured great hardships and achieved merits, but now is the crucial moment for our Great Yu Court's final battle against the rebels. For the Grand General to leverage this moment against the court seems rather... short-sighted!"

Zheng Yi looked towards Wang Anshi, asking, "Wang Aiqing, do you have any other opinions?"

Wang Anshi turned sideways respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Grand General must have his deep reasons for these actions."

"But regardless, the primary duty remains the eradication of the southern rebels."

"In my humble opinion, changing generals at this moment would be a grave violation of military strategy, so the court could consider agreeing to his requests, and wait until the rebels are defeated."

"Once the army returns to court, we can discuss merits and rewards..."