The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 3)

Chapter 427 - It's Time

Ye Yun sat by the bedside, her clothes disheveled, unwilling to eat dinner. Finally, Lu Mei had someone bring the meal to the Fourth Prince's room before she ate a little.

In the evening, Ye Yun still didn't want to leave, and it was Ning Chen who persuaded her.

"I know you're worried about Jing'er, but the Sixth Prince and Fourth Princess are also relying on you. You absolutely cannot wear yourself out; now you are the mother of three children."

Thinking of the two little ones, Ye Yun's heart softened.

With Ning Chen accompanying her, they went next door to check on their son and daughter.

Both little ones were sleeping soundly.

Ye Yun kissed each of their foreheads before returning to rest.

Lying on the bed, although Ye Yun and Ning Chen both had their eyes closed, they were not asleep, each lost in thought.

Ye Yun was concerned about the children, while Ning Chen had more on his mind.

The struggle for the crown prince was subtly beginning, yet he was not prepared.

Thinking back to when he was a prince, his elder brother Ning Ze was the legitimate firstborn, well-versed in both literature and martial arts. Even though their father had yet to designate a crown prince, all the brothers felt it had to be him.

Thus, Ning Chen had never thought of contending for it from the start.

The Second Prince, however, had caused some ruckus in his youth due to his mother. But as he grew older and formed his own opinions, he stopped fighting for it.

As for the Fourth Prince, Ning Rui, the current Prince Kang, his frail health and lack of maternal protection meant he didn't dare even think about it.

Despite all this, the brothers remained well-behaved, but because their father had delayed making a decision on the crown prince, the tragedy of the eldest prince Ning Ze murdering their father had occurred.

Indeed, if Ning Ze hadn't failed back then, Ning Chen could never have ascended the throne. But now that he had, he had to bear the consequences.

Ning Chen was not the late emperor, who relished in seeing his sons fight for power. He wanted to do his utmost to ensure harmony among his children.

Thus, he thought that if a crown prince could be established early on, while the children were still young, clarifying the roles of ruler and subjects, perhaps the future would be much better.

The late emperor had few offspring—only four sons and two daughters—but he already had seven sons and four daughters, so there was no need to continue selecting concubines.

Now, in the harem, he almost only visited Zhaochun Palace and occasionally went elsewhere due to matters from the previous dynasty, making it pointless to have brought in so many women and waste their time.

Though Ning Chen lived in the palace, he never felt it was a good place. Once you entered, you dedicated your entire life to it.

With these thoughts, his sleep was very light.

In the early hours of the morning, there came a gentle knocking at the door.

Yuan Jiu whispered, his voice filled with excitement.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Fourth Prince has woken up!"

Ye Yun had stayed up the first half of the night and had just fallen asleep, but Ning Chen heard it.

Quickly, he gently covered Ye Yun's ears and spoke softly to the outside, "Don't shout; Guifei has just fallen asleep. I will be there shortly. First, go and summon the imperial physician."