Oh no! Seven kids at the start, all yellow and skinny.

Chapter 284 Win-win cooperation

Zhou Jinghan remained silent.

Yunyi stroked her chin: "Could it be that you don't want to establish an heir anymore?"

"Heh." Zhou Jinghan suddenly sneered. "Second Brother was raised by him. Everyone knows that Second Brother is a born crown prince, the future heir apparent. And Second Brother has lived up to expectations. He has been excellent and hardworking since childhood. I dare not say that he is unmatched in civil administration and martial arts, but he is the best among his peers. Everyone says that he is a wise ruler bestowed by God upon the Great Zhou. This is God's blessing for the Great Zhou to prosper for another hundred years. But what is the result?"

Yunyi knew this, after all, even if the original owner was uneducated, she was still one of the noble ladies in the capital. As she got older, she naturally paid more attention to the young men of various families, and the Crown Prince was the dream lover of many noble ladies.

After all, she was good-looking, virtuous, and of high status; she would be willing to be a concubine.

However, it was later predicted by Master Zhiyan that the Gu family's daughter was a phoenix destined by heaven, and the Imperial Observatory even calculated the origin of the phoenix star. Therefore, Gu Chengyun became the destined crown princess.

The Crown Prince and Gu Chengyun had known each other since childhood and had feelings for each other. After their marriage, they were even more affectionate, and the Crown Prince's residence didn't even have a concubine.

Especially after the birth of the Crown Prince, Gu Chengyun's position as Crown Princess became even more secure.

Of course, there is another key point, which is that the Empress and this daughter-in-law got along very well, so there was not a single flaw to be found.

However, this seemingly perfect prince suddenly suffered a severe blow, which reminded her of the tragedy her teacher talked about in her literature class in her previous life. The so-called tragedy is showing you how something beautiful is destroyed.

It seems that being too perfect makes one the envy of the heavens.

"Do you know? According to ancestral rules, if the crown prince does not succeed to the throne after reaching adulthood, he must act as regent. However, my second brother had an accident on the day he came of age. His appearance was ruined and his legs were crippled. The Great Zhou does not need a crippled crown prince."

Yunyi reached out and grasped Zhou Jinghan's hand: "Since ancient times, the struggle for the throne has always been bloody. The Crown Prince has been attacked by a villain. After all, the Emperor has no shortage of sons."

"Do you know why Second Brother later set himself on fire in the Eastern Palace?"

Yunyi shook her head; the original owner of this body hadn't left any information about it.

"It's because of the Zhenyuan Marquis case."

"Is there a grievance?"

Zhou Jinghan nodded: "Back then, Marquis Zhenyuan was accused of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, and the evidence was conclusive. In the end, his entire clan was exterminated, and thousands of people died. It was a bloodbath. However, the An family of Marquis Zhenyuan fought alongside Emperor Gaozu to conquer the country and guarded the southern border of the Great Zhou. How could they possibly have colluded with the enemy?"

"The Crown Prince found out about the situation, then requested a retrial, and that's when the trouble started?"

"Ah."

"Who do you suspect?"

Zhou Jinghan suddenly looked up at Yun Yi.

"Whom do you suspect?" Yunyi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I……"

“Although you don’t say it, I can guess. I also think it was him. After all… a smart person like the Crown Prince couldn’t possibly be without means of self-protection, unless that person is someone he trusts very much and someone he couldn’t have imagined.”

Zhou Jinghan swallowed hard and remained silent, which was tantamount to acquiescing.

Yunyi sighed, "Royal matters are the most troublesome. I don't like getting involved, but I've ended up in one anyway." She paused, then added, "Let me ask you another question, Zhou Jinghan, do you want that position?"

"Huh? Me? I..."

"Then let me rephrase my question: Do you want your second brother to get that position back?"

Zhou Jinghan was still stunned.

"Sigh." Yun Yi sighed, then suddenly leaned closer to Zhou Jinghan and lowered her voice slightly, "What if I wanted to change the dynasty?"

"Huh?" Zhou Jinghan's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Yunyi frowned as she looked at her: "You're so slow and indecisive, it's unbelievable..."

"No, I'm not being long-winded, it's just... what you said is too horrifying, I... I don't know how to answer right now, after all..."

"Is it terrifying?" Yun Yi raised her eyebrows slightly. "In this world, those who are righteous will have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous will have few. The relationship between the military and the people is like that between water and a boat. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If the emperor is good, the people will support him. If the emperor is bad, then overthrow him. For example, in the previous dynasty, wasn't it because the emperor in the later period was too incompetent and the people were suffering that Emperor Gaozu raised an army in rebellion?"

"You're right, so... you want to be an empress?" Zhou Jinghan sighed, knowing that if he continued to be so surprised, the little woman in front of him would probably get annoyed. Therefore, he had to force himself to adapt to her way of speaking and speed as soon as possible. But could he really talk about beheading so calmly? It felt like asking whether he was eating steamed buns or dumplings today, which was too difficult for him.

"I don't want to, but if that person isn't capable, it's not that I can't do it. After all, I don't want to be oppressed." Yun Yi rubbed her forehead. She had traveled through hundreds of matriarchal planes and served as empress ninety-nine times. It was just too tiring.

Although emperors wield great power, if they don't want to become tyrannical rulers and be overthrown, they have to get up earlier than chickens and go to bed later than pigs. She has always felt that the early deaths of many emperors in history were closely related to lack of sleep.

When I watched TV before, they said that emperors were so carefree and could leave the palace at will, doing whatever they wanted. But that was all fabricated and embellished. In reality, unless there was a major incident, emperors rarely had the freedom to leave the palace.

Even more bizarrely, the emperor's every move was being watched.

Moreover, their eating, drinking, and bodily functions are all recorded.

For example, the eunuchs would record how many bites of food one day, how many times one drank tea, and how many times one defecated.

Even more outrageous, when the emperor favored a concubine, there were people outside listening and watching the time. If a concubine lasted half an hour, that might be normal. But if a concubine lasted more than half an hour tomorrow, it meant that the emperor liked her even more, and her treatment would be improved.

Conversely, if the emperor finished in just a few minutes, then the green plaques might not even be displayed anymore.

In short, the emperor's life seemed enjoyable, but it was actually quite perverse.

Of course, this world is not a harsh history.

"Yiyi," Zhou Jinghan said tentatively, "In the future, just tell me about things like this, but don't tell anyone else."

"Did not say."

"As for... my actual thought is that if my second brother can recover, I am willing to support him to go back."

"As long as he doesn't discard me after he's served his purpose, I'm willing to let him go back." Yun Yi nodded. Actually, Zhou Jingyu was the most suitable, after all, he had a strong following. If he changed in the future, she could just kill or overthrow him. She was confident in that.

"Thank you, Yiyi."

"Thank you for what?"

"Thank you for helping me... us."

"We should call it win-win cooperation and mutual benefit."