Wang Qingyao never had a second child.
This was quite unconventional in ancient times, especially for royalty.
However, with no one above her, no one dared to rush her.
When Pingping and An'an were fifteen, Wang Qingyao began preparing to conceive their second child.
Pingping was now the Crown Prince, possessing both capability and benevolence, with his own established faction, and his position as Crown Prince was secure.
Even if she were to have a younger brother, it would not shake his status.
She had witnessed firsthand the fratricidal strife among the three sons of the late Emperor Wei Guifei.
To this day, only Prince Rong remained among Wei Guifei's three sons.
Prince Rong was benevolent, and although his consort hailed from the Wei family, she was not as ruthless or morally corrupt as other members of the Wei clan.
After Ling Yun ascended the throne, he continued to treat Prince Rong and his consort well, not holding them accountable for the past.
Prince Rong was infertile. The Fourth Prince, confined to Jiayao Peak, had a son with a palace maid who attended him. Ling Yun, with the consent of Prince Rong and his consort, decided to have the child adopted by Prince Rong.
The Fourth Prince, constantly indulging in wine and women, had long since ruined his health.
When the news of the deposed Crown Prince broke, Ling Yun thoughtfully sent word to Jiayao Peak as well.
The Fourth Prince then realized that he had been manipulated by the deposed Crown Prince and Wei Yu all along. Overwhelmed by immense anger, he fell ill, and after languishing in bed for four months, he passed away.
As for the deposed Crown Prince and his consort, Ling Yun was not overly concerned. He assigned sufficient guards to watch them, not fearing even a lifetime of imprisonment.
However, the late Emperor, being a man of many considerations, had sent poison to the deposed Crown Prince, his consort, and Wei Guifei before his death.
He wished to clear the path for Ling Yun's ascension and any potential troubles after his enthronement.
Indeed, Ling Yun's reign had been peaceful, with no unexpected appearances from the former Crown Prince's faction.
Yet, Wang Qingyao remained uneasy.
Even in ordinary families, siblings sometimes turned against each other over inheritance or unequal parental affection, let alone royalty.
Therefore, she only dared to prepare for a second pregnancy when Pingping and An'an were fifteen.
If, by chance, they had a son, and if this young son were ambitious, Pingping's strength would still be sufficient to handle him.
However, family education was crucial. As long as Wang Qingyao raised him well, there should not be a situation of sibling rivalry, right?
While Wang Qingyao was still hesitant and indecisive, a bigger problem arose.
The marriages of Pingping and An'an needed to be put on the agenda.
Pingping, being the Crown Prince, his marriage was not as urgent.
But in ancient times, a woman came of age at fifteen. Although Wang Qingyao had amended the law to eighteen for marriage, preparations could begin at fifteen.
An'an, as the legitimate eldest princess, held an inestimable status.
Across the entire empire, very few men were worthy of her status; marrying anyone would be a downward match.
Wang Qingyao considered herself an open-minded parent. As long as An'an liked the person and they had good character, she did not care about their family background.
However, most of the eligible men who had been around An'an in recent years were related to her by blood.
Fang Rui, the eldest son of the Fang family, was An'an's cousin.
The eldest son of Wang Zijing was An'an's cousin.
The eldest child of Wang Qingzhen's family was An'an's cousin.
The only legitimate son of Wang Qingzhu's family was An'an's cousin.
Although these relationships were permissible for marriage in ancient times, Wang Qingyao, a modern person aware of the harms of consanguineous marriage, absolutely could not accept it.
Ling Yun intended to arrange a marriage between An'an and Fang Rui. After Wang Qingyao explained the dangers of close-relative marriage, he remained somewhat skeptical.
"Impossible," Ling Yun mused, "Aren't so-and-so and so-and-so cousins? Weren't their children fine?"
"If they had abnormal children, would they tell you? Besides, many issues are intellectual and difficult to detect, but we cannot take the risk."
That was true. Ling Yun also began to worry.
Of course, there was one person who was not related to An'an by blood.
That was Tian Yu's son.
However, Tian Yu had once been Wang Qingyao's fiancé, and Ling Yun had always disliked him, and by extension, disliked his son.
While he wouldn't deliberately cause trouble, marrying his daughter to him was absolutely out of the question.
"Actually, we should ask An'an," Ling Yun suggested.
Wang Qingyao nodded, but felt a bit worried. An'an was carefree, only knowing how to play, and was still young, like a middle schooler in modern times. How could she know who was suitable for marriage?
Dating was one thing, but marriage was a lifelong matter.
Eighteen was still too young for marriage.
Wang Qingyao sighed, knowing that this age could not be pushed back any further. When this law was first promulgated, many people had objected. In ancient times, a woman over twenty who was not yet married was considered an old maid.
Ling Yun saw her worried expression and guessed what she was thinking.
He was more optimistic than she was.
"What are you afraid of? An'an is the legitimate eldest princess, noble and unparalleled. With us and Pingping here, she will be worry-free for her entire life. Even if she marries the wrong person, we will support her and give her a chance to correct it."
That was true.
With this thought, they were about to send for An'an.
Unexpectedly, a palace maid from An'an's palace ran over in a panic.
"Your Majesty, Empress, something is wrong! The Princess, the Princess... the Princess has run away!"
Ling Yun stood up abruptly: "Run away? What do you mean, run away? Did she sneak out of the palace to play?"
The maid was the head palace maid in An'an's chambers. She stammered, her face contorted in distress, "No, the Princess left a letter saying she wants to go out and wander the martial world, to uphold justice..."
As she spoke, the maid cautiously handed over a piece of paper. On it, in An'an's scribbled handwriting, it clearly stated that she had grown up and wanted to venture into the martial world. It also asked Wang Qingyao and Ling Yun not to worry, as she was taking Jinning and Qiangwei with her.
Jinning was the son of Jin Tiao and Yin Zhu, inheriting Jin Tiao's excellent martial arts skills, and was An'an's secret guard.
Qiangwei was a disciple of Zhenzhu, inheriting Zhenzhu's excellent martial arts skills. On the surface, she was An'an's maid, but in reality, she was her personal bodyguard, just as Zhenzhu had protected Wang Qingyao back then.
Wang Qingyao remained calm. With Jinning and Qiangwei present, An'an would not suffer any significant losses. With the Xiao family's numerous shops throughout Dasheng, she would also not suffer hardship.
What was called venturing into the martial world was actually traveling and sightseeing, and the luxurious kind.
Wang Qingyao's only concern was that An'an might be captivated by some disreputable hero from the outside world. However, with Jinning there, she wouldn't be so naive, would she?
Jinning...
Wang Qingyao's eyes lit up.
A cold, aloof bodyguard and a capricious princess...
It seemed like a promising pairing...