All the good things fell on me?

Ye Qinglian looked at the table full of delicious dishes, thought for a moment, and then shook her head.

How is that possible...

If eating could improve cultivation, then everyone would just stop cultivating and spend their days eating like her, becoming the strongest in the world just by eating. There couldn't be such a good thing.

She gnawed on a rabbit head, still unable to understand.

Even if physical strength became more apparent in the later stages of cultivation, it shouldn't be this fast. Her cultivation progress was truly too rapid.

But she hadn't cultivated much!

Still, it was a good thing, and she should investigate it.

"What Realm are you at now? Have you reached Subtle?"

"Qinglian, your husband is a transcendent expert. Whether I've reached Subtle or not truly doesn't matter. The key is, what I want to reach isn't Subtle..."

A rabbit head was shoved directly into Chu Ning's mouth, and Ye Qinglian glared at him with a furious expression.

"So you haven't reached Subtle yet. Why aren't you cultivating properly? Stop focusing your thoughts on me and saying such strange things!"

Subtle, of course, referred to a Realm.

The lower three Realms were Spiritual Agility, Subtle, and Knowing Fate. Chu Ning could now skillfully wield sword qi, which meant he had definitely reached the Spiritual Agility level. At the Knowing Fate level, one could begin to extend their lifespan.

If there were no unexpected circumstances, it would be best not to use those lifespan-extending pills. It was better to rely on oneself as much as possible. She didn't want the scoundrel to one day be unable to survive even with lifespan-extending pills...

But what was Chu Ning talking about?

What did he want to reach!

"Qinglian, you've already bitten it..."

Ye Qinglian, with a blank expression, picked up another piece, as if she hadn't heard him.

However, Chu Ning started buzzing in her ear again.

"So, doesn't this count as an indirect kiss...?"

Crack!

The chopsticks in Ye Qinglian's hand snapped suddenly!

"Are you going to eat or not? Do you want to anger me first thing in the morning!"

"Heh... I was just thinking if we could be even more intimate in the future, like feeding each other porridge mouth-to-mouth..."

A flicker of surprise flashed in Ye Qinglian's eyes, and she couldn't help but shiver.

"You can think of something so disgusting? You're hopeless!"

Chu Ning's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "Haven't you heard of 'sharing sustenance in the wilderness'? A couple trapped underground without water survived by sharing each other's saliva and were eventually rescued. It's pretty much the same when kissing, isn't it? You're spitting saliva into each other's mouths. Don't you understand?"

Ye Qinglian's skin crawled.

"Can you not say such disgusting things while I'm eating? You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"No, I'm just stating facts. But couples, especially loving couples, really like doing such things. You'll probably like it in the future too..."

"Don't even mention such disgusting things, let alone expect me to do them!"

She glared at Chu Ning, stating her current stance, while Chu Ning merely offered an evaluation.

"That's hard to say..."

"Chu Ning!"

Ye Qinglian stood up indignantly.

"No matter how good you are to me, you're just the father of my child. I haven't acknowledged you yet!"

"And don't even think about that kind of thing!"

Her stance was firm, her attitude resolute. There was no way she would do such a thing, not in this lifetime!

However, Chu Ning just looked at Ye Qinglian with a smile.

"Shall we continue eating, then?"

Ye Qinglian emphasized, "Don't say any more disgusting things, or how can I eat!"

Then, she sat down again, focusing on her meal.

"Then eat more. Eating more is good for your body..."

"Heh."

Outside the Three Palaces of the Imperial Palace, at the location of the new Cabinet, which was now the central governing body of the Great Gan Dynasty, second only to Mingde Hall.

Thousands of official reports were submitted daily. Most of them were handled by the Cabinet itself. According to the design of this political system, every report and every person who handled it had to be recorded, especially those that did not require the Emperor's personal attention.

If something went wrong, everyone involved, from top to bottom, would be held accountable.

The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, the former Prime Minister Qiu Zun, along with two veteran officials who held the same position as Prime Minister, handled these matters together.

Underneath them were thirty-six Cabinet members and one hundred and eight scholars, who jointly governed.

The Six Ministries—Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works—handled matters in batches before transferring them to the Cabinet.

A nearly perfect political system, free from any factional strife.

Imperial power was too formidable, its strength too great, leaving no room for thoughts of factionalism. Everyone focused solely on governing the nation.

The young woman walked into the Cabinet Office and saw Qiu Zun, who was busy with state affairs. The other two Grand Chancellors and the Minister of Rites, who had already been waiting there for a long time, immediately handed her a secret letter.

"Palace Official Ye, this memorial was urgently delivered at dawn. It is not yet public knowledge and is not suitable for discussion on the surface for now."

The elder said with a grave expression, "I don't know how to handle this matter either, but those people have already thrown out a hint. Whether to accept it is up to Your Majesty. After all, no one knows if it will be for better or worse..."

"Please trouble Palace Official Ye to deliver this secret letter to Your Majesty for her personal judgment. If Your Majesty feels the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, perhaps it will truly lead to diplomatic relations and an alliance between the two countries."

Xiao Bing took it with a bewildered expression. Only those who knew, including the messenger, were in the room.

She did not look at it but vaguely sensed the changes within. After a brief moment of thought, she immediately headed to Qianqing Palace.

In the Cabinet, the First Chancellor Qiu Zun took a deep breath.

"Even though our Great Gan Dynasty's National Destiny has surged and its Dragon Qi has increased significantly, it's certainly not to the point where the Great Zhou Dynasty would personally request an alliance. I have a feeling this matter is not that simple..."

It was common knowledge that such a behemoth aimed to conquer the world.

The stability of the Five Great Dynasties was merely on the surface; in reality, there were constant battles, big and small, everywhere.

Yet, a dynasty that would be capable of annexing the entire world in a decade or even less was now humbly seeking diplomatic relations with the Great Gan Dynasty.

Indeed, it was humble, even offering half of its national treasury resources as a gesture of sincerity, only wishing for friendly relations between the two countries.

Even if a dynasty's Dragon Vein and destiny were strong, it shouldn't come to this...

A moment later, inside Qianqing Palace, Ye Qinglian, who had just finished eating and was about to lie down and rest, received the secret letter.

At this moment, the sky was slightly cool, and the dawn light broke through.

Ye Qinglian stared blankly at the contents of the letter.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was willing to establish diplomatic relations with the Great Gan Dynasty at a price, for eternal friendship!

Furthermore, she could achieve a perfect situation without paying any price.

How could this be possible? That Ying Dang was also a monarch rarely seen in history; he wouldn't make such a move for no reason...

No, no, something must be wrong.

The Ye Family's destiny protected them, the Dynasty's Dragon Qi surged, her cultivation improved rapidly, and now even the strongest dynasty among the Five Great Dynasties was bowing its head and seeking an alliance, as if afraid of angering some entity...

Good things couldn't just fall into her lap; there had to be a reason...

She frowned, frantically pondering everything that had happened recently.

Where exactly was the problem...

"Imperial Sovereign, that's His Majesty's bed. You can't..."

"Go, go, go! I gave you all the good food, and you're siding with outsiders. How can I not get on my wife's bed? No one can stop me. I'm going to lie here today!"

For a moment, Ye Qinglian wondered if it was because of Chu Ning. After all, the surge in Dragon Qi seemed to be related to Chu Ning's three incense offerings...

But maybe it was just a coincidence? Maybe it was because of the child in her belly?

However, upon seeing Chu Ning acting shamelessly with her maidservant, she immediately dismissed the suspicion.

Impossible, it definitely wasn't him.

That guy was just a shameless scoundrel who loved to take advantage of others.

Could it be... the Old Ancestor's protection?

That must be the reason.

No!

How did this guy get into her bed!

And he's using her blanket!

"Chu Ning!"