Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished. Not only was it ineffective, but it was free? If it were effective, it would cost a life!
Xue Chao, however, felt slightly relieved. So he had bought fake medicine after all. He could still have children, he could still have a son!
"Can these brothers still be trusted?"
[They naturally wouldn't trust it, so they really tried it. The result was that these three brothers never had another child born to them from that point on.]
"Then, that one son and one daughter Xue Chao later had... whose are they?"
Whose are they? This huge question echoed simultaneously in the hearts of Xue Chao and all the officials present.
Emperor Mingxi's expression changed. He sat upright, but his hands clenched into fists.
[The Liu family's ancestral home was in Nanyue. To be more specific, their family were originally servants of the Jiang family. After that great purge, they entered Dayan, changed their names again, and became people of Dayan.
The Jiang family was able to find Jiang Wan's son thanks to information provided by the Liu family.
Later, when the Jiang family left, they gave the Liu family a task: to keep an eye on Xue Chao.
Before the current Emperor of Nanyue ascended the throne, in order to compete for the imperial position, he took over part of his maternal family's forces and also learned about the Liu family and Xue Chao.
After he took the throne and developed ambitions towards Dayan, Xue Chao, the future Marquis Pingyue, became an important pawn.
Therefore, the future Marquis Pingyue, his marchioness, and even the next generation all had to be people he could control.]
Emperor Mingxi secretly gritted his teeth, feeling somewhat ashamed. He hadn't expected that Gan Sheng had started scheming against his Dayan so early.
It seemed that he, Xie Fei, had grown too accustomed to peaceful days in recent years, focusing his gaze mostly within the country, thus underestimating his peers across the land.
The ambition to annex neighboring states was likely shared by all five of his royal peers; only he was still dreaming of eternal peace!
Hearing this, Yue Fuguang suddenly thought of the deceased former heir's wife, Lady Liao, who died in childbirth, and couldn't help but ask, "Lady Liao's death... who was behind it?"
[The ones who acted were still members of the Xue family, but people sent by the Emperor of Nanyue helped cover their tracks.
Even if the Xue brothers hadn't acted, Nanyue's people would have. After all, if Lady Liao didn't die, how could Liu Ling enter the household?
As early as five years ago, Liu Ling was cultivated by the Liu family, or rather by the Nanyue Emperor Gan Sheng, specifically tailored to Xue Chao's preferences to become the future Marchioness of Pingyue.
After three years of marriage, Liu Ling and Xue Chao had no children. Even when her maidservants were given to Xue Chao, the result was the same. Taking advantage of the couple's visit to her family home, the Liu family secretly took Xue Chao's pulse while he was drunk.
They confirmed he had been poisoned with a sterility drug, and it was the most potent kind, 'Not a Single Seed.' This poison didn't affect marital relations, and initially, the body showed no abnormalities.
But...]
With the system's "but," Xue Chao's despair sank his heart even deeper into the abyss. He knew that what followed the divine artifact's "but" was certainly not good news.
[But this poison has no antidote. Moreover, the more frequent the marital relations, the more the body would gradually weaken.
After all, the Xue brothers couldn't kill Xue Chao outright, but having him weaken and die naturally, unknowingly, was the best outcome.
After learning this, the Liu family quickly reported to Gan Sheng, who promptly sent a trusted confidant to consummate with Liu Ling, resulting in Xue Chao's son and daughter.
That confidant was a descendant of the Jiang family, making him, in fact, Xue Chao's cousin.]
Pfft!
Xue Chao desperately covered his mouth. Blood flowed through his fingers and into his sleeves, like a stain on his dark red official robe that could never be washed clean.
"Once the sterility drug proved effective, and the Xue brothers tested it on themselves, they should have realized within a couple of years that the drug wasn't the problem, but the person was, right?"
[Indeed, after the three brothers took the drug and didn't taste anything unusual, they beat up the drug seller and left.
Actually, the seller knew his own drug was genuine, as it was the handiwork of that master from Nanyue—it had to be authentic.
These four brothers of the Pingyue Marquisate had used his drug. If he didn't run now, once they figured it out, he wouldn't have a life left.
The seller packed up and fled overnight. A little over a year later, when the three brothers discovered that none of their wives or concubines had borne any fruit, while their eldest brother's young daughter had already been born,
they couldn't help but have doubts. When they went to look for the drug seller again, they found he had long since vanished.]
"These three brothers are truly both wicked and foolish. Their retribution came swiftly and mercilessly. Did all three of them have wives and children?"
[Xue the Second had two sons and two daughters, Xue the Third had one son and two daughters, and Xue the Fourth had one son and one daughter.]
Everyone glanced meaningfully at Xue Yao. The legitimate son schemed against his elder brother and nephew for the title, only to end up completely wiped out. One wondered how he felt.
Xue Yao: What could I possibly feel? My heart is dead; please burn paper offerings for any matters! (Image of a living person slightly dead JPG)
As for Xue Chao, he harbored both secret hatred and relief. He hated Liu Ling's betrayal but was relieved they weren't married yet; a green pasture hadn't grown on his head, and he had still managed to bear two fruits.
As for his second, third, and fourth brothers who hadn't yet taken the sterility drug... after court adjourned, he would take care of it. Currently, only Xue the Second had a son and a daughter among the three brothers. Xue the Third's wife was pregnant, and the gender was unknown.
Xue the Fourth wasn't even married yet. Hehehe! Xue Chao laughed maniacally in his heart, nearly going mad.
The person standing behind him, seeing his body trembling, thought he was crying. Those who knew the situation secretly patted him, signaling him to hold back his anger and not give himself away!
Those who didn't know the situation quietly moved away, thinking he was having a fit, and couldn't help but think to themselves: if you're sick, you should get treatment; what's the use of crying!
Xue Chao: Is it that I don't want treatment? (Image of a roaring emperor JPG)
"Didn't they suspect where their eldest brother's two children came from?"
[They naturally did suspect and even secretly investigated the Liu family. Just as they discovered some clues, the Liu family caught wind of it.
They quickly sent away the Jiang descendant, erasing all traces of him. The Xue brothers also noticed that a tutor was missing from the Liu household.
They had seen that man once. Looking at the son Liu Ling bore for Xue Chao, the more they looked, the more the two resembled each other. So, very directly, they confronted their sister-in-law Liu Ling behind Xue Chao's back.
Liu Ling stubbornly refused to admit it. She was well aware she wasn't from Dayan, and her relationship with the Jiang descendant wasn't mere adultery; they were scheming for the Xue family title and the Xie family's empire.
Actually, the Liu family had long discovered that the three sons born to the Marchioness Yang Shi had always coveted the title belonging to the eldest branch, and that the lost son of the former wife, Xue Ju, was also the work of these three brothers.
Because of this, after her own son was born, Liu Ling rarely appeared before these uncles. Little did she expect they would still set their sights on him.
Liu Ling said one sentence at the time that nearly shattered the three brothers' alliance.]
"Oh? What did she say that had such destructive power?"
[She said: Since you all claim you can no longer have children, shouldn't you consider the children you already have in this lifetime?
Our branch has long been aware that you uncles have coveted the marquisate title. I just wonder, if you succeed in seizing the title, which of you three brothers will become the Marquis Pingyue?
The three brothers were stunned on the spot. They had been so busy fighting for the position that they forgot there was only one seat, but three brothers.
More importantly, they all had sons, and they all wanted to secure this wealth and glory for their own sons.]
