Wu, the imperial garden.

Wu's climate was somewhat kinder than Great Xuan's, and most of the flowers in the imperial garden had already begun to bud.

In the pavilion, Ning Chen and the woman emperor sat facing each other across a low table.

The air was thick with the scent of flowers.

The woman emperor took off her crown and set it aside, uncovering a face both striking and touched with something martial.

"The rest of you may withdraw."

The woman emperor said it evenly.

Fu Lu bowed. "Yes!"

Fu Lu and the maids in attendance both withdrew.

Ning Chen made a small sound of surprise, glanced at Fu Lu as he left, then looked at the woman emperor.

The woman emperor smiled faintly. "Lord Fu is this emperor's man."

Ning Chen had half guessed it, but was still somewhat startled.

"Impressive. I'd thought Song Tiancheng valued Lord Fu highly. I hadn't expected him to be a double agent."

The woman emperor smiled evenly. "Without some tricks of my own, this emperor's throne would have changed hands long ago!"

Ning Chen's eyes went to the woman emperor's belly. "How is there nothing to see?"

The woman emperor shot him a look. "If it could be seen, the sky over Wu would already be falling."

"You haven't bound your waist up, have you?"

The woman emperor said nothing.

Ning Chen knew he had guessed right. "Take care with it. Don't hurt my son."

"This is this emperor's child. What business is it of yours?"

The corner of Ning Chen's mouth twitched. "Without me, where would you have gotten a child?"

The woman emperor said evenly, "Without you, would there have been no other man in the world?"

Ning Chen: "..."

"If you could have found another man, why drug me and steal my seed?"

"Because you barely caught this emperor's eye."

As she said it, the woman emperor put a hand to her belly, and something rare crossed her face — a touch of maternal softness. "Four months now. It'll be hard to hide much longer."

Ning Chen frowned. "Even once…