Chapter246

The male performer from the flower building on the right also showed off his chest and biceps, lowered his voice, and seriously said, "Young lady, don't listen to his nonsense. Our Lotus Pavilion is the most famous performer building in Dahlia's capital. We have all kinds of performers that will satisfy any of your needs. You should come visit our Lotus Pavilion."

The third male performer in the front right, seeing this, simply took off his clothes, revealing his well-shaped upper body. His voice was extra deep and magnetic.

"Young lady, they're talking nonsense. Our Orchid House is number one in all of Dahlia! We've got every kind of performer, all obedient and well-behaved, strong and able to take a lot. We can satisfy any of your preferences..." As he said this, the performer even winked at her, raising his hand flirtatiously and touching his own firm chest muscles in front of Elara.

Elara: …This scene… was shockingly bold and eye-opening.

These three men were just calling out to Mr. Yu, and now they were undressing and flirting with her. They really could play both sides, sweet or salty...

People in ancient times really were more open-minded...

Just as Elara was unsure how to deal with this sudden wave of flirtation, a folding fan suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the men's stares.

Mr. Yu's tall and slender figure leaned in again. Without making a sound, he almost completely enveloped Elara within his range. He had been ignoring the performers, but now finally looked around, his tone less amused.

"Gentlemen, she's my honored guest. If you keep baring your chests and speaking so improperly, and end up offending her, I'll have to come after you."

With those words, he didn't wait for their response. Mr. Yu nudged his horse's side and took Elara away from that street.

Elara, whose face was half-covered: …Well, that saved her from dealing with those men.

Dahlia's capital was large. Though it was divided into four zones, the gap between the zones wasn't too strict. The bustling East and North zones took up a large portion of the city.

Mr. Yu continued touring the capital with Elara. When they reached the North zone, just as they entered, Gu Yin—also dressed as a commoner—quietly approached them from behind and whispered something into Mr. Yu's ear.

Mr. Yu slightly frowned, then relaxed a few seconds later. He shook his fan and smiled at Elara.

"Elara, didn't I tell you yesterday I needed to catch some rats? Now a few have shown their tails. I'll go handle it. How about letting Gu Yin walk with you for now?"

Elara nodded. "Go ahead."

Mr. Yu left with a few people from the merchant group. Gu Yin took over his place, trailing half a horse's length behind Elara, explaining the landmarks of Dahlia's capital to her.

The North zone was home to the highest officials and nobility in Dahlia, and the royal palace was right at its center.

To avoid attention, Elara dismounted once they entered the North zone, walking while looking around.

Gu Yin also got off his horse, walking beside her and explaining the structure of various noble residences and anything else Elara was interested in.

After wandering for a while, Elara noticed that although Dahlia was more stable and peaceful than other kingdoms, the Northeast zones still had large slave markets.

As they passed another slave area, Elara saw a small, popular snack shop by the street. She was just about to step in and try it when Gu Yin suddenly said, "Careful!" while reaching out to steady her.

But Elara was already quite skilled. She sensed someone bumping into her before Gu Yin even spoke.

Since it felt like a child, she didn't really dodge.

Right after Gu Yin's warning, a boy of six or seven, dressed in luxury with a face like a carved doll, ran straight into her leg.

Elara didn't budge, but the boy bounced back and was about to fall.

Before he hit the ground, Elara grabbed his clothes, squatted down, slipped her hands under his arms, and helped him back up as she asked, "Did you hurt yourself?"

The child stared blankly and didn't speak. Elara lifted her eyes to look at his face—and suddenly paused mid-sentence.

Because… this child looked too much like Mr. Yu! Like a tiny, younger version of him!

Behind her, Gu Yin had gone completely silent at some point, standing there quietly with his head down, his hair covering his profile.

Elara paused for a couple of seconds. After helping the child stand up, she started wondering: had Mr. Yu already taken a concubine? Or was this a hidden son? Then she carefully asked the boy, "Um… who brought you out?"

The boy still didn't answer. He just looked up at Elara with a confused, innocent face—his delicate little features were extremely beautiful.

Even though Elara wasn't one to be swayed by appearances, she couldn't help wanting to pinch the boy's cheek.

But remembering that he was probably a royal relative of Dahlia, she held back.

Just as she was about to take the child to a patrolling soldier, a tall figure suddenly approached them quickly from a distance.

"Thank you, miss. Seventeen, come here."

A pleasant, mature male voice sounded above her. Elara looked up—and paused again.

The man in front of her was even taller than Mr. Yu, also dressed in fine, luxurious clothing, and radiated a cold aura of authority.

Most strikingly, he also looked very similar to Mr. Yu!

If not for their different temperaments and clothing styles, it would've been easy to mistake one for the other.

"Brother… third brother..." The boy finally stammered out a few words when he saw the man, then tottered over to him.

The man bent down, wrapped his long, strong arms around the child, and lifted him to sit on his arm.

After checking that the boy wasn't hurt, he glanced at Elara. Seeing she was fine too, he nodded at her, then carried the child off into the busy market.

After the man left, Elara turned to look at Gu Yin, who still had his head lowered in silence.

"Elara... just now, those two..."

Only after the man and child, who looked very much like Mr. Yu, disappeared around the street corner did Gui Yin lift his head and speak to Elara.

"They are the Third and Seventeenth Highnesses, the Crown Prince's third brother and seventeenth younger brother."

In her past life during the 21st century in ancient palaces, emperors often had many sons.

At first, Elara didn't find anything strange, but after walking a few steps, she suddenly recalled a rumor she had heard somewhere that all royal sons in the Dahlia Palace were born from the Empress. Adding in the fact that there are more men than women in this world, and how those two resembled Mr. Yu so closely, Elara paused and suddenly asked another question:

"You just said that little one... little young lord is the Seventeenth Highness, so the Crown Prince already has seventeen brothers? All from the Empress?"

Gui Yin shook his head.

Right, having seventeen children is an incredible number.

Elara withdrew her gaze, ready to dismiss the claim about the Empress having seventeen children as false, when she suddenly heard Gui Yin say:

"The Crown Prince already has nineteen full brothers... all born from the same mother, the Empress. She is currently pregnant again. If all goes well, in a few months, the Crown Prince will likely have a twentieth younger brother."

Elara froze, her gaze unable to hide the shock as she looked at Gui Yin.

Gui Yin's face remained calm as he continued, "And including the two princesses, the Empress has given birth to twenty-one children of Dahlia bloodline. With the one still in her womb, that makes twenty-two."

Elara... She truly didn't know what kind of expression to wear. Even though this world has more men than women, and in countries with different norms, both men and women could bear children. Still, even after living two lives, she had never heard of anyone who could give birth like that. And it was the Empress of a whole kingdom.

"...How old is your Empress this year? What's her health like?"

For most people, childbirth is a huge strain, especially in this ancient society where medical care is underdeveloped. Giving birth was like stepping through the gates of death. And this Empress had given birth to twenty-one children. Elara genuinely admired her.

Hearing Elara's question, Gui Yin lowered his voice a bit:

"The Empress is forty-nine this year. Her health... isn't good. When she gave birth to the fifth son, the royal physicians had already advised her not to keep using medicine to force more pregnancies, but she was determined. Not even the Monarch could persuade her otherwise."

Elara fell silent, and with sincere curiosity asked, "Does your Empress really like children that much?" To like them so much she gave birth to over twenty?

Gui Yin's expression darkened even more, and he shook his head. After a long pause, he said:

"No. The Empress doesn't like children. She's given birth to many, but the ones she raised with her own hands — so far, there's only one. The rest, including the Crown Prince, were all raised by the court."

Elara's eyes filled with more doubt. "Then why..." Halfway through the question, she suddenly recalled the conversation she had last night with Mr. Yu about the divine blessing, how countries without awakened divine blessings were especially desperate for them.

The Dahlia Kingdom still hasn't seen a divine blessing awakened, and only members of the royal bloodline are likely to awaken it.

Could it be that the Empress insists on bearing children for this reason?

Just as Elara was thinking this, Gui Yin spoke up and confirmed her guess. "The Empress wants a son who can awaken the divine blessing. It's something even the royal family and many powerful nobles are well aware of. She has even publicly declared in court that only a child who can awaken the divine blessing is truly her child, only such a child deserves to be raised by her."