Chapter 343: Chapter 343: After Disguising Herself as a Man, the Rabbit Spirit Ran Away with a Baby in Her Womb 53

It was not without significant effort that he managed to become the Crown Prince, and for him to be recognized as the rightful firstborn son, the Emperor of the Shen Kingdom even elevated his birth mother to the position of Empress.

When the Emperor of the Shen Kingdom was younger, he left a trace of affection with a commoner woman, who bore him a Princess. But after so many years, no matter how hard the Emperor tried, he couldn’t find her, only able to mourn in silent sorrow.

Shen Qingman, seeing that the Royal Family had few heirs, had always believed that it was exceedingly difficult for one child to come into the world. Yet now, witnessing Su Zhiruan holding four children, he was left agog, completely shattering his original beliefs.

“I thought… the probability of twins was already minuscule, but today really opened my eyes!” Shen Qingman conceded, not because his experience was limited, but because for over twenty years, he was the only progeny in the Imperial Family. Despite countless beautiful women filling the harem, none but himself had siblings, save for the sister his father said had been lost for many years–no other heirs!

Su Zhiruan saw him treading carefully over to take a closer look at the babies and couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

“I must bring you back with me!” Shen Qingman exclaimed with sudden excitement, but he kept his voice low, and after he said that half-sentence, he hurriedly turned to look at the children, then back at Su Zhiruan, “Don’t worry, the Empress’s harem gets along well. They will definitely help you take good care of the children. Later, I’ll tell you what to say when you meet my father.”

Su Zhiruan did not refuse; she nodded, “Okay.”

Soon, the servants that Shen Qingman had brought silently moved the children to the carriage, and Su Zhiruan also boarded the carriage.

On the way, Shen Qingman analyzed many aspects of the royal family relationships for her.

The relationships within the Shen Kingdom’s Royal Family were quite straightforward. Perhaps due to the hereditary scarcity of heirs, the current Emperor was the only child of his predecessor, and now Shen Qingman was also the single child of the Emperor, with no other royalty related by blood or marriage.

The Empress, Shen Qingman’s birth mother, was originally just the daughter of a fifth-rank official. After giving birth to Shen Qingman, she rose to prominence, transforming from a sparrow to a Phoenix, becoming the Empress right below only one person. But since she was a concubine’s daughter in her family, she was used to being bullied and was weak and easy to talk to in temperament.

Besides her, there were several other concubines and numerous lower-ranking ones in the harem.

Perhaps because for so many years none had borne offspring, except for the newly entered concubines who harbored thoughts of palace intrigue, the other concubines had long since given up, accepting their lot. After all, they had no children, and their small nation was being eyed by larger ones, unsure of when it might be annexed, making the struggle for favor meaningless.

This led to a rather curious atmosphere in the harem of the Shen Royal Family–where the concubines were not ambitious, spending their days playing mahjong, indulging in food and drinks, and having fun, creating a seemingly harmonious scene.

When Shen Qingman finished speaking, even he fell into silence.

Su Zhiruan thought for a moment, and became somewhat curious, “Hasn’t your father arranged a marriage for you? Do you have any children?”

“Naturally, I do not,” Shen Qingman said frankly, patting his chest, “Whenever my father thinks of matching me with a lady, I just bring up the Princess he left behind among the commoners–the very identity you’ve taken on–and my father stops talking.”

Su Zhiruan fell silent again.

It was her own fault for asking that question.

Shen Qingman was clearly a bachelor!