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"Summon Xiao Jiu," Fu Yicen ordered.

Xiao Jiu, having spent the day doting on Xia Huaixi, had just managed to lull the child to sleep and left him in Xiangcao's care. Just as he was about to rest, two burly guards barged in, hauling him before Fu Yicen.

Upon seeing the emperor, Xiao Jiu instinctively shrunk his neck, his legs giving way as he knelt, stammering, "Paying... paying my respects to Your Majesty."

Hearing Xiao Jiu's voice, Zhou Rendong turned to glance at him and, to everyone's shock, began screaming in terror!

The woman in his dreams bore a face identical to Xiao Jiu's, claiming he was a hermaphrodite and could bear the emperor's child!

Assessing the situation, Fu Yicen concluded that Xiao Jiu was undeniably linked to Zhou Rendong's torments and immediately ordered for him to be thrown into the dungeons.

Xiao Jiu repeatedly kowtowed, his voice soft and pleading, "Your Majesty, I... I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. I've taken good care of the young prince…”

"Interrogate him thoroughly," Fu Yicen coldly interrupted.

Xiao Jiu was dragged away by the guards and thrown into a damp, cold cell, where the torture and questioning began.

Meanwhile, Zhou Rendong's condition worsened by the day, struggling to distinguish dreams from reality.

He began avoiding sleep, forcing his eyes wide open, trying desperately to stay alert.

Fu Yicen held him, a man caught between wakefulness and dreams, gently kissing his cheek. Yet Zhou Rendong, gripped by fear, burrowed into Fu Yicen's embrace, clutching his collar, murmuring, "Don't abandon me... don't... don't send me back..."

"Back to where?" Fu Yicen took a deep breath, holding back his anguish as he asked.

Trembling, Zhou Rendong managed to whisper after a while, "The servant quarters."

Fu Yicen's brow furrowed, his voice choked, "Is your torment... about that period?"

The time when he was cast aside, merely eking out an existence...

However, Zhou Rendong shook his head, continuing his disjointed whispers, "I too can bear a child. Don't... don’t leave. I... I can..."

He remembered that Su Ruoyu had fertility medicine!

He could take it. Please don't abandon him...

Chapter 118

One Hundred and Eighteenth

"Dong'er, I won't leave you."

Fu Yicen, overwhelmed with helplessness, kept trying to soothe him with words.

It seemed to work somewhat, as Zhou Rendong appeared dazed, and his tears began to abate.

"Did... did I have another nightmare?"

Fu Yicen exhaled in relief. He initially wanted to probe further about the dream, but Wan Wenyuan gestured for him not to push. While Zhou Rendong was lucid, he should eat and drink some calming medicine.

Fu Yicen complied, trying to pique his interest by mentioning the spring hunt and that he would take him along.

Sure enough, Zhou Rendong was intrigued, asking about preparations for the hunt and whether they could bring Xia'er.

Fu Yicen answered in detail, holding Zhou Rendong's hand as they went outside for a breather.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before Zhou Rendong felt drowsy again.

Struggling to stay awake, he discreetly pinched his thigh, using pain as a means to stay alert.

Fu Yicen noticed, his heart aching with each glimpse, feeling increasingly at his wit’s end.

"Yi Gege, I'm... I'm so tired."

He leaned against Fu Yicen's chest, wanting to sleep yet afraid to close his eyes. The skin beneath his eyelids took on a pale blue hue, making him look extremely haggard.

"How about I sleep with you?" Fu Yicen held his hand, placing it over his own heart, "I'll be with you even in your dreams. Don't be scared, alright?"

Zhou Rendong could no longer resist the fatigue. Without a word, he fell asleep in Fu Yicen's arms...

This time, his dream felt even more real.

Fu Yicen took his hand, leading him to their bedroom. Pulling back the bed curtains, inside sat a young maiden.

With a protruding belly, she gave Fu Yicen a captivating smile, her voice dripping with sweetness, "Your Majesty, the baby kicked me."

In the next moment, Fu Yicen released Zhou Rendong's hand, rushing to the woman on the bed.

The woman leaned into Fu Yicen's embrace, casting a provocative glance at Zhou Rendong and coquettishly said to Fu Yicen, "Your Majesty, since the Empress can't bear children, why not just discard him?"

"Very well," Fu Yicen, without hesitation, ordered Zhou Rendong to be thrown back into the servants' quarters.

Heart sinking, Zhou Rendong returned to the familiar quarters of the general's mansion, undertaking grueling tasks.

The twisted dream sequence seemed to speed up. In a blink, the woman went into labor. After a day and night of agony, she delivered a baby resembling Fu Yicen.

Holding the infant, she gloated in front of Zhou Rendong, "Unable to produce an heir, the Emperor will never cherish you forever. Just die!"

Suddenly, a dagger appeared in her hand. With a swift motion, she aimed for Zhou Rendong's heart.

"Ahh—"

Zhou Rendong jolted awake, his eyes meeting a deeply worried Fu Yicen. Another glance at the bed, the one dominated by the woman in his dream, and he scrambled in fear, rolling off it.

Fu Yicen, rubbing his temples in distress, scooped Zhou Rendong into his arms.

The taunting words from the dream woman echoed repeatedly in Zhou Rendong's ears, until only one thought remained in his mind.

He needed to bear a child for Fu Yicen!

No matter the pain, he would endure to make it happen!

"I... I need to see the Empress Dowager," Zhou Rendong pleaded, his lips dry, "Please, may I?"

"Of course." Although Fu Yicen was unsure of his intent, he couldn't deny such a simple request.

After lunch, Su Ruoyu, aided by Wan Wenyuan, entered the palace.

Having not seen Zhou Rendong for a while, she was taken aback by his haggard appearance.

"What happened?"

Like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline, Zhou Rendong clumsily climbed off Fu Yicen and rushed towards Su Ruoyu.

"Empress Mother," Zhou Rendong began, but noticing Fu Yicen and Wan Wenyuan's presence, he hesitated and lowered his head.

Fu Yicen, discerning Zhou Rendong's unease, clenched his fist and said to Wan Wenyuan, "Master, we'll wait outside."

In a heartbeat, only the two of them remained in the room.