Song Yu filled two full pages before reluctantly setting down his brush.
"Liuxi, go find out if there are any families in the capital who only bear sons and never daughters," Song Yu said, his obsidian eyes glinting with mischief. "The methods I've written need such families to testify for me."
"This servant will investigate immediately."
Liuxi was utterly numb. He had now sunk to the point of researching which households had too many sons.
"Actually... the Emperor seems to fit the criteria."
The statement was shocking.
Both Song Yu and Shen Qingping froze.
It wasn't wrong... but...
"Your Highness, the Princess is right. The Emperor indeed only has four princes."
Not a single princess.
Song Yu let out a dry chuckle. He couldn’t possibly ask his father to hand over his so-called "son-bearing secrets" to Prince Qi, could he?
If he did, he might not live to see the next sunrise.
"The Emperor has four princes, the Ping Prince's Mansion has three, and Prince Chu's firstborn was also a son. Only Prince Qi's household..." Song Shihuan rested her chin on her hands. "Perhaps the problem lies with Prince Qi himself?"
It just didn’t align with the Song family’s usual traits.
"If Prince Qi is the issue... then that’s just perfect."
Song Yu slapped the table excitedly. "I always suspected something was off with that fourth brother. His harem is the largest, yet apart from Xiyao, he hasn’t fathered any other children. Truly, heaven punishes the wicked."
What thrilled Song Yu even more was that if Prince Qi really was the problem, he’d likely try every single one of the "methods" Song Yu had written.
......
Fortune favors the persistent.
Liuxi found a destitute family in the outskirts of the capital who had six sons in a row and could barely scrape by.
"My master can ensure your family is well-fed and protected," Liuxi said with a smile. "But in return, you must do something for him."
"What is it?"
The woman spoke urgently. With so many growing boys to feed, their household was truly starving.
"You just need to do this... then that... and finally this..."
Liuxi explained in vivid detail until his throat was parched. "Understood?"
"Yes."
The man, woman, and their six sons answered in unison, startling Liuxi into stumbling back.
Good heavens—they’d birthed an entire infantry squad!
The next day, the woman and her six sons set up a ragged mat in the bustling marketplace and began begging from passersby.
"Please, have mercy. Our family is starving."
"Spare some food."
The spectacle quickly drew a crowd. Once the onlookers grasped the situation, someone suggested:
"If you’re starving, send your sons to work as laborers."
"Even serving in a wealthy household would help."
People chimed in with advice.
Then, a childless man’s eyes gleamed with interest. "With so many sons, have you never had a daughter?"
The woman shook her head. "My husband and I only ever bear sons."
Nearby, Gou Wu’s heart burned with excitement.
After searching high and low, here was the answer delivered effortlessly!
"You there—tell that woman she may follow me to my estate for food."
......
Gou Wu led them to a newly purchased courtyard.
"Master... will you truly give us food?"
"Of course. But first, you must tell me how to conceive a son." Gou Wu wore a veil, hiding his face.
"Master struggles to have sons?"
The bluntness stung.
"To be honest, I am the sole heir of my family, yet after all these years, I only have one daughter. I’ve shamed my ancestors." Gou Wu sighed, subtly framing Prince Qi’s predicament as his own.
"How pitiful."
The woman spoke slowly.
"I do have some secret methods for bearing sons. Since you’re offering food, I’ll gladly share them."
"Truly?" Gou Wu was overjoyed.
The woman pulled out a yellowed paper covered in scribbles that baffled Gou Wu. "What does this say?"
"To conceive a son, the root lies with the man. So he must make certain... adjustments."
Prince Qi’s Mansion.
"Why must I drink this medicine, not my consort? And why does it reek?"
Conventional remedies were always for women—since when did men need bodily adjustments?
Prince Qi glared at the foul-smelling, blackened brew, his brows furrowed tight enough to crush a fly.
"Your Highness, the woman said her husband drank this exact concoction. It contains... the urine of a newborn male infant."
Even Gou Wu found the medicine... excessively vile.
But for the sake of an heir—
"Your Highness, I’ve prepared candied fruits. Pinch your nose, gulp it down, then suck on one to mask the taste."
"You expect me to drink piss?" Prince Qi erupted, convinced Gou Wu was mocking him.
"Your Highness, I would never dare deceive you! The woman swore her husband drank this." Gou Wu panicked. "If this is unacceptable, there are alternatives."
"Like what?" Prince Qi seethed.
"Hop like a frog a hundred times daily."
"Drink bitter melon soup to purge internal heat."
"And also—"
"Enough."
Prince Qi’s veins bulged. Were these methods to have a son or to become one?
It felt like a prank.
"Your Highness, the woman insisted the most effective method is... still this medicine." Gou Wu forced the words out under immense pressure.
"How... how long must I drink this?"
"Seven days." Gou Wu seized the opening. "After the seventh dose, if you lay with your consort on the eighth night, a son is guaranteed."
Prince Qi took several deep breaths, steeling himself.
Then, pinching his nose, he downed the entire bowl in one go.
But before the candied fruit touched his tongue—
Gag—
The mere thought of its contents made him vomit violently, drenching the study in a revolting stench.
"Does this... still count?" Prince Qi looked helplessly at Gou Wu.
"I’ll... prepare another dose." Gou Wu offered a grimace worse than tears. If it was all expelled, of course he had to drink again.
Gou Wu fled like the wind, while Prince Qi swept everything off his desk in fury.
All that suffering—for nothing!
Why could everyone else sire sons...
Except him?
