The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Chapter 1796 The Southern Emperor is Ill

Yu Hua's traditional thinking was deeply ingrained, so her perspective on the matter was naturally different from Shang Xi's. "So what! I heard that the emperor of Da Lang has several thousand concubines in his harem!"

Shang Xi hit the nail on the head: "That's why his country fell!"

Yu Hua finally came to her senses. "The fall of Da Lang was not due to its debauchery. It was due to listening to slander. If we trace the root cause, the fall of Da Lang had nothing to do with the number of its concubines."

Shang Xi rolled her eyes at Yu Hua! She felt that she couldn't reason with Yu Hua; Yu Hua simply didn't understand her!

Cheng Fengzhen went to the palace, but instead of arguing with Wan Lianxing, he went to complain to him.

He didn't have the guts to confront Wan Lianxing. His own wife's beatings were just for show; no matter how high she raised the paperweight, it would eventually fall at his feet. His uncle, however, was different—he really hit him! Wan Lianxing's technique was steady, accurate, and ruthless. Whether it was a fan, a teacup, or a paperweight, if he wasn't in a good mood, he'd hit him on the head. He wasn't stupid enough to go begging for a beating!

"Uncle, if you don't think about your grandson, can't you think about your nephew? When Shang Xi learned that other countries were also going to offer princesses to us, your nephew's wife almost fainted from anger. She turned pale and fought with her hands, nearly risking her life against your nephew!"

Wan Lianxing stepped onto the crimson steps, holding a dry grass stick in his hand, teasing the homing birds resting on the railing.

The birds weren't big, but they were quite endearing. These birds all had a story behind them; Sui Dan had gotten them for Wan Lianxing. Wan Lianxing usually used these messengers to deliver messages.

Seeing that Wan Lianxing was only focused on teasing the birds and ignoring him, Cheng Feng continued, "Uncle, stop teasing your messenger! Your nephew is right here! Is your nephew about to die?"

Wan Lianxing turned around and took a good look at his nephew. He was tall and strong, with a ruddy complexion, as robust as a donkey. This man didn't look like he had no way out at all; he looked more like he'd been scolded by his wife! "Where there's a will, there's a way; where there's water, there's a ferryman! What are you worrying about?"

Just as Cheng Feng was about to say that You Ning was his son and he had nothing to worry about, he heard Wan Lianxing slowly open his mouth again, "Some things have to be shouldered by someone. I conquered the world, and the Crown Prince sits on the throne. Is it a disgrace for him to take a few princesses?"

Of course he felt wronged; by any measure, Cheng Youning was lucky. But Cheng Youning was still just a child! What could those little shoulders bear? "Uncle, isn't your grandson still young? Is it a good thing to keep so many women in the Crown Prince's residence? Won't they have to fight in the future? If so, your grandson will be very busy. Also, aren't you afraid your grandson will go astray? Too many women are not a good thing. Look at those deposed kings, how many of them weren't licentious? I heard they had three thousand concubines in their harems!"

Wan Lianxing glanced at Cheng Feng, guessing that Shang Xi had said those words when she scolded him. Whether the kid could even think that far ahead was another matter; it seemed he'd been thoroughly humiliated by his wife! "Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. Do you think I look good? I only have an empress in my harem!"

Cheng Feng's eyes darted around: "It's not just one person, is it? There's also Zhuoyang, right? Can't they keep you entertained?"

Wan Lianxing tossed the small straw in his hand at Cheng Feng's face, the blow barely causing any harm. "You brat, have you been itching for a beating for a few days?"

Seeing Wan Lianxing lift his leg, Cheng Feng lifted his leg and jumped down three steps. "Uncle, anger hurts your liver, don't get angry! Your nephew didn't say anything!"

"That Zhuoyang is imprisoned by me in Chenqing Palace. I never see her, so my harem is very peaceful!"

Cheng Feng's eyes lit up with an idea. "Uncle, you can liven up your harem too! You can bring those princesses into your harem, and they'll greet you every day with different accents and dialects. Wouldn't that make you much more entertained? Why bother teasing birds with a blade of grass when you're bored?"

Wan Lianxing stood on the higher step, while Cheng Feng stood on the lower one. The uncle and nephew were at opposite heights, one looking up and the other down. Wan Lianxing fixed his gaze on Cheng Feng's face for a long time before speaking, his tone filled with deep helplessness. "The daughters of ministers are scrambling to enter the palace, and I'm going to accept them? I don't like superficial relationships or gossip. Think about it! Can I be happy looking at a bunch of pretty girls? Don't rub salt in my wounds, or I'll make you suffer!"

Cheng Feng immediately composed himself. He knew that Wan Lianxing's decision was unlikely to change easily, and he had no intention of touching on his sore spot. Instead, he was very worried about Wan Lianxing's safety. "Uncle, Da Lang has fallen. The princess of Da Lang is either imprisoned or trapped. It sounds strange to imprison her in your palace! Why don't you move her to a different place? Although she is the culprit of the whole thing and the fuse that caused Da Lang's downfall, if she knew that Da Lang had fallen, she would definitely hate you to death. For your own safety, it's better not to keep her in your palace!"

“Feng’er’s words are not entirely unreasonable. As for danger, I’m not too worried. On the contrary, Zhuoyang and the Crown Prince have a very good relationship. Are you aware of this? Youning occasionally goes back to Chenqing Palace to visit Zhuoyang and brings her some things. Apart from having few servants and not being free, Chenqing Palace is nothing special!”

“That brat You Ning is still running towards Chenqing Palace!”

"Cheng You often says they are friends, and occasionally, when I am in a good mood, she will take the opportunity to say a few good words for Zhuoyang, hoping that I will give Zhuoyang her freedom. However, You Ning will not be in danger, and Zhuoyang will not harm anyone. I know her true nature well!"

Cheng Feng was surprised, "You're still speaking up for her?"

"It's the Crown Prince who's speaking up for her! Alright, let's not talk about women anymore. You came to see me at this hour not just to complain, were you?"

Cheng Feng feigned a pitiful expression and said, "I couldn't stay at home any longer, so I came here!"

Wan Lianxing couldn't see any pitifulness in him and knew he was faking it, but he didn't kick him out. "Perfect, have dinner with me tonight!"

Just then, a small bird flew down from the sky and landed squarely on Wan Lianxing's hand. This was the ugliest messenger Cheng Feng had ever seen. "Where did this little thing come from?!"

Wan Lianxing smiled, his eyes filled with affection for the little messenger! "Look at this unassuming little thing, it's incredibly loyal and works very hard delivering messages!"

Wan Lianxing opened the letter, glanced at it, his emotions unreadable, then turned and strode into the main hall.

Cheng Feng strode up the steps and followed closely behind, "Uncle, has something happened?"

Wan Lianxing said, "If anything happens, it's not our business. The Southern Emperor is ill and is currently bedridden!"

"The emperor of the Southern Smoke Kingdom? This letter came from the Southern Smoke Kingdom?"