"I’ve heard a little about the King of Qin’s reputation. He’s a benevolent ruler, with low labor and taxes for the people. However, I’ve also heard that he’s dissolute and spends nights in the palace. Is this true?"

Yan Yan was a stubborn old man, absolutely intolerant of such misconduct.

Wei Yan, however, was inwardly thinking, "My lord does whatever he wants."

"My lord is ruthless to the enemy, but exceptionally good to his subordinates. He sends them silk, brocade, money, and grain, and even allows their children to go to school."

"There’s nothing wrong with that. Education ensures future generations have ability. Without ability, one can only live off past glories and eventually become nothing more than a handful of dust."

"General, you misunderstand. The Prince of Qin’s reputation is widespread, but he only serves His Majesty and has offended the powerful Yuan family, who have slandered him. The Yuan family has countless followers and former officials; spreading rumors is easy, but refuting them is incredibly difficult. The Prince of Qin is a man of high moral character, focused on practical matters and indifferent to empty fame. If you don’t believe me, General, I can send soldiers to escort you to Luoyang. You’ll see for yourself wherever you go, and you’ll know the truth easily!"

Yan Yan stroked his beard, seemingly deep in thought. "Since you say so, General, then I will believe you this time. I am willing to persuade the garrison along the way to surrender, but that Commander Zhang Ren is rather stubborn. Perhaps showing him the seal of the Governor of Yizhou would be the only way to subdue him."

As a colleague, Yan Yan knew Zhang Ren all too well.

Zhang Ren was very capable and extremely loyal. When Liu Bei entered Sichuan, he was the only one who posed a threat to Liu Bei; a single misstep could have led to Liu Bei’s downfall.

The Shu region is riddled with natural defenses, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack—a natural barrier.

"Thank you, General! You are truly righteous!"

Wei Yan was overjoyed. As the vanguard, his invincible advance was already an achievement beyond expectations.

Two months later, Lu Ming was still in the palace, playing with Wang Yi’s daughter on the bed.

However, publicly, it was still announced that Wang Yi had given birth to a son...

And on the day of his birth, Lu Ming announced that Wang Yi’s daughter, Lu Yue, was bestowed the title of Heir Apparent, who would inherit the throne.

If he were to ascend the throne, he would be the Crown Prince!

With the birth of the Heir Apparent, the ownership of territories increased significantly that day.

Some who were previously wavering became loyal, and many offered to follow him.

The city’s prosperity increased, becoming even more bustling.

"Husband, intelligence from Yizhou."

Zhang Chunhua approached with small, quick steps.

Her shapely figure remained slender, only her lower abdomen was slightly protruding. If nothing unexpected happened, she was pregnant.

As a girl who hadn’t conceived, she and Bu Lianshi had been serving each other in bed. Even though her ovaries weren’t mature, after countless acts of ejaculation, the semen flooded her ovaries, which gradually matured after absorbing the semen.

A fresh egg was released and fertilized, resulting in her pregnancy!

This wasn’t unusual. There were over a dozen girls Zhang Chunhua’s age in the brothel who had been repeatedly raped by Lu Ming and gotten pregnant.

This kind of despicable bestiality was so incredibly pleasurable...

Especially seeing their tender bodies with their large bellies.

This feeling was particularly sinful and pleasurable.

Lu Ming handed his daughter, Lu Yue, to his wife, Wang Yi.

He then opened the envelope and began to examine it, his eyes narrowed. It was a letter delivered by a falcon.

Only important letters are delivered by falcons; there are simply too few people capable of training them...

Furthermore, feeding falcons requires considerable effort.

Therefore, only important letters are delivered by falcons. Compared to traveling day and night on horseback, a falcon can deliver the message in half a day.

After glancing at the letter, Lu Ming frowned, a cold smile playing on his lips. "It seems Yizhou is about to be taken. I need to go there; perhaps I should take the opportunity to reorganize things."

"Husband, should we take a few sisters with us? They could help you. The women there need to be vetted before we can use them with peace of mind."

Wang Yi suggested from the side. She didn’t care how many women Lu Ming played with, or how many children he had.

Her position was already firmly established. And the Queen!

"It’s alright, with the harem, I can come back anytime."

Lu Ming stroked Wang Yi’s cheek and kissed her on the corner of her mouth. "Rest well. Once you’ve recovered, I’ll fuck you!"

"Yes, my husband, I will definitely work hard to exercise and strive to share a bed with you as soon as possible."

Wang Yi blushed as well. Even after giving birth, she needed to exercise, practicing yoga and bathing in herbal decoctions.

Appropriate exercise would help her body regain its vitality and elasticity quickly.

Before setting off, Lu Ming also visited his mother, sister, and younger sister to inform them.

Because of the imperial harem, they could live there and have sex anytime, anywhere. This was why Lu Ming didn’t bring women with him when he traveled; it was no longer necessary.

Women’s Hospital. This was a hospital under the jurisdiction of the Jiaosifang, specifically responsible for women’s services.

The Jiaosifang had now become an independently operating entity. After receiving orders, it processed the goods according to the orders and then handed them over to the Ministry of Revenue, which was managed by Zhang Chun, an old follower. The Ministry of Revenue had fixed monthly orders for the Imperial Education Bureau, and this portion was non-negotiable.

The Bureau’s income came from processing goods and selling them to the Ministry of Revenue’s merchant caravans, who then traded and sold the goods, earning silver.

Besides the families of criminals, many poor women also worked here to earn money, the simplest tasks being washing clothes.

They also helped with farming and raising livestock.

They processed paper and did movable type printing.

These were numerous and complex jobs requiring considerable manpower.

Madam Wang’s belly was quite large.

She had come to see the doctor today to check if everything was normal and for a routine examination.

The baby’s position also needed to be checked by palpating her belly.

If it was incorrect, the position would need to be adjusted to facilitate the baby’s birth.

Across from Madam Wang stood a woman with a full head of silver hair—her mother-in-law, Grandmother Jia!

Now, Grandmother Jia is heavily pregnant, making walking difficult, and her feet are much swollen.

Even so, she needs strong maids to help her walk around the palace gardens every day.

At such an advanced age, it’s easy to wonder if she can even give birth, and whether there will be any danger.