The relatives of the Prince Mansion were numerous, and upon receiving the invitation overnight, they all gathered at the mansion.

Even Mingzhu was seeing so many relatives for the first time.

Fortunately, she had a clear understanding of the social connections in the capital, and even with meeting someone for the first time, she could identify their status with just a few words.

But the two little ones were directly confused.

There were many elders and even more brothers and sisters of the same generation. Zimu and Zishan were taken to kowtow in front of elders at one moment, hugged by brothers and sisters the next, and finally went to see the little babies still in swaddling clothes.

Previously, they had attended many banquets in Yanzhou, but this kind of grand event was a first for the little ones. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Feeling somewhat reserved, they obediently followed beside Ah Zhen and Mingzhu.

Rarely seeing them so quiet, Ah Zhen’s eyes were filled with teasing laughter.

He nudged his daughter’s small shoulder, "Don’t you like playing? So many people here, let them play with you."

As a result, he received a sideways glance from his daughter.

Ah Zhen immediately complained to Mingzhu, "Wife, look at her."

"Deservedly so."

Mingzhu held her daughter’s small hand and led her to see the little granddaughter at her uncle’s house.

The little baby had a small ponytail on her head and was chubby and fair. Having just grown two teeth, she was being passed around by the adults.

Zimu enjoyed the feeling of being an elder sister. To help her relax, Mingzhu took the chubby baby and held her, playing with Zimu together.

Suddenly, Zimu remembered what her grandmother said.

She carefully asked Mingzhu, "Mother, will you give us a brother or sister?"

As soon as she spoke, everyone around perked up their ears.

Although Mingzhu had given birth to a pair of twins, for families like theirs, having just two children was too few.

Since she wasn’t giving Ah Zhen a concubine, the responsibility of birthing children fell solely on her.

She had to have many children to allow the Duke’s Mansion to flourish.

Zimu awaited her mother’s answer, but heard her father respond indifferently, "I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed; Father can’t give you a brother or sister."

"Huh?"

Zimu’s small head was puzzled.

Wasn’t it only the mother who could bear children?

The people present exchanged glances, unsure of what he meant.

Princess An He, feeling anxious, blurted out a question, "Is there something wrong with your health?"

"Yes."

Ah Zhen remained unperturbed, feeling no embarrassment at all, "I suffered a minor injury on the battlefield before."

The silence was palpable.

No one expected this to be the reason; they thought Mingzhu didn’t want more children.

For many men, such injuries are hidden secrets, kept by all means from becoming public knowledge.

Ah Zhen just declared it outright, showing no embarrassment at all.

For a moment, it was unclear whether he was lying.

Or if he had such a strong psyche that he didn’t care what others said behind his back...

His uncle inquired further, "How did you get injured? Weren’t those battles very successful?"

Ah Zhen calmly sipped his tea, "Just encountered a minor mishap while clearing the battlefield."

Others weren’t clear on the situation, but his uncle was.

Immediately, he placed the blame on the Wei Family.

"Damn it, causing you to get hurt wasn’t enough, he even dared harass Yun Ling, recently even finding trouble with Lan Ci, what cheek!"

Ah Zhen replied, "It wasn’t him who injured me; getting hurt was my own failing, so no need to place the blame on him."

"It’s his fault. If it weren’t for his recklessness, would you have been injured?"

Offspring are a serious matter, the boy from the Wei Family will forever owe Ah Zhen.

Even if the one who acted wasn’t him!

"On the battlefield, accidents are normal."

"Don’t cover for him. Your uncle will definitely seek justice for you!"

Mingzhu gave Ah Zhen a contemplative glance.

This guy sure knows how to speak.

Receiving his wife’s gaze, Ah Zhen raised his eyebrows.

He indeed got injured on the battlefield, without wrongly blaming Lieutenant General Wei; he was telling the truth.

It’s just that they love to imagine.

Infertility is a significant issue. Relatives from the Prince Mansion feared hurting Ah Zhen’s self-esteem, and didn’t say much more.

They simply looked at Zimu and Zishan more tenderly.

This lifetime, Ah Zhen would only have these two children.

Mingzhu originally intended for Ah Zhen to handle the elders’ pressure to produce more children himself; she didn’t expect him to say such things on such an occasion.

Although it might resolve the issue once and for all, rumors would certainly spread in the capital.

He might even be rumored to be incapable as a man.

Mingzhu glanced at Ah Zhen, who remained composed.

Seemingly unconcerned by any of this.

His inner strength was substantial; he didn’t care about others’ opinions, allowing Mingzhu to refrain from challenging him.

After all, Ah Zhen tarnished his reputation for her sake.

The two little ones listened in confusion, only aware that their father was injured.

Their big eyes brimmed with tears, leaning against Ah Zhen, one on each side, asking if he was hurt.

With his children worried about him, Ah Zhen gave Mingzhu a triumphant look.

See, a bit of deserved pity works.

His daughter had just turned her back on him, but now she was worried to the point of tears.

"Father, I won’t make you angry anymore."

Zishan also expressed, "Father, you’re the best, better than Uncle Xi and Uncle Chang An, I won’t complain about you anymore."

Ah Zhen, feeling awkward, cleared his throat, "No going back on your word."

The two little ones swore to listen to Ah Zhen from now on, not opposing him anymore.

Mingzhu felt helpless, but couldn’t say much, so she simply let them be.

The atmosphere grew awkward, unable to openly discuss this topic, forcing them to resist addressing it.

However, this way those who wanted to use progeny as leverage to persuade Ah Zhen to take concubine completely lost the opportunity to speak.

Not for offspring, later bringing people into the backyard would only lead to his indulgence in women.

This would harm Ah Zhen!

After meeting with the relatives, Ah Zhen and his family left the Prince Mansion.

Princess An He called out to Mingzhu, "You ride my carriage."

Mingzhu knew Princess An He wanted to discuss something, so she let Zimu and Zishan travel with Ah Zhen.

The two little ones understood, fearing their grandmother would make things difficult for their mother.

Zimu decided, "Brother stays, I will travel with mother."

Zishan was displeased, countering, "Father’s not in a good mood; sister, you cheer him up, I’ll travel with mother."

Ah Zhen felt puzzled; when was his mood bad?

He grabbed his son by the back of his clothes, "Listen to your sister."

Zishan flailed around, glaring at Ah Zhen, wanting to curse, but upon remembering something, could only swallow his words.

His little face puffed up, clearly aggrieved.

Zimu comforted him, "There are differences between boys and girls; you go with father, I’ll go with mother. That’s the most reasonable arrangement."

After speaking, she agilely climbed into Princess An He’s carriage, leaving no chance for Zishan to refute.

Mingzhu told Ah Zhen to take good care of their son, then boarded the carriage too.

Ah Zhen was still processing his daughter’s words, feeling a strange sense, thinking there was something odd about it.

Only after getting in the carriage did he realize what seemed amiss.

He and Mingzhu were not going to separate!