Over the months, one of the ministers, Minister Hu, had gained a lot of weight. His expensive clothes seemed a little tight around his waist as he shifted uneasily as he spoke. "Your Highness, may I ask what urgent matter has brought us here?"
Zhang Lian leaned back in her chair and narrowed her eyes at him. She declared expressly, "I want to dismiss all the concubines I currently have."
The ministers looked at each other nervously, three in particular who were close to the concubines.
A tall man with sharp features and a thin mustache, Minister Lang, was one of them. He leaned forward and had a worried expression on his face.
"Your Majesty," he asked carefully, Your Majesty, what has led you to this decision?"
Zhang Lian said casually. "I simply don't like them also, "I've never even slept with them, and I doubt they're happy either."
The ministers exchanged eye contact, not knowing how to react to such a straightforward statement. The next one who spoke was Minister Wang, a guy in his late fifties with white hair and an old look.
With caution, he said, "But Your Highness, you can't have just one child." You need two or three heirs at the very least for the kingdom's future." Zhang Lian said. "Minister Wang, I know that," she said calmly. "That's why I intend to choose new concubines."
The ministers continued to exchange nervous looks as they tried to figure out why the queen was so trying to get rid of her present concubines, especially since she hadn't slept with any of them.
Zhang Lian went on, her voice becoming more serious. "I want you to find me concubines with spiritual roots so that my future children will have the best chance of having spiritual roots."
The ministers were taken aback by her sudden request, and the room became silent. They soon came to the conclusion that the queen just had a baby and obviously like every mother who wanted the best for their children the queen wanted the same and what's better than being a cultivator.
A younger man, Minister Li, had a clean-shaven face and sharp eyes. He leaned forward and, he questioned, in a calm voice. "But, Your Majesty, how will we identify people with spiritual roots?"
Zhang Lian answered, "As you know, my uncle is a cultivator & he had given me some information. Individuals with strong spiritual roots have unique looks—they are either extremely attractive or super ugly.
Also most of them may also stand out and look different from their parents in appearance, But in this we need to make sure it's not because of... other reasons, like mother having affairs with someone else." she continued.
The ministers moved in their chairs uneasily as they considered what she had said. They thought that wouldn't mean they can also have kids with spiritual roots.
"And make sure that these matters are kept secret. Lastly, only gather information on them. When I tell you to bring someone to me, you will bring that person—make sure they are at least ten years old."
Zhang Lian pushed her chair and stood up with those last words. As she went towards the door, her long robes touching the floor, the fine fabric moving softly with each step.
Reaching the door, she reached out and pulled it open. The guards outside instantly straightened and prepared to follow her.
Zhang Lian peacefully said, "Let's go," to Lan and her guards. The guards and Lan nooded following the queen.
The ministers remained in the room after the queen left, full with excitement that this information might also open the door to the possibility of having children with spiritual roots.
They were looking at each other as to what to do next, then silence was broken by one of the ministers, a man with a square face. With excitement in his voice, he suggested, "Let's make a proper plan." "We'll divide the task, who will do what, while also keeping this matter secret." Other ministers nodded in agreement.
"To keep this information hidden, the best strategy is to assign specific tasks to the guards to look into, then assign tasks to other guards so that none of them ever fully understand why we need this information. This will allow us to complete the assignment swiftly."
The other ministers gave a nod of agreement, but they were clearly serious about the task at hand. Their voices quiet and intense, they defined their next actions and started talking about the details of them.
---
Meanwhile, Zhang Lian, being accompanied by her guards and Lan, headed back to her rooms.
Zhang Lian suddenly stopped while they were walking, leading Lan and the guards to stop as well. Slowly, she turned around and met Lan's green eyes. "Lan,"
Zhang Lian ordered, "Go and bring me Zhang Ping. I haven't seen him in a while. I wonder how he's doing. Also bring some food along"
Lan bowed slightly and forced a kind smile. She said, "Yes, Your Highness," with respect, but on the inside, she was cursing her lot.
She thought irritably, "Damn it." *You're expecting me to do work all the time, when I've been starving all day.* She knew better not to say anything, so she kept her thoughts to herself.
After nodding in satisfaction at Lan's reply, Zhang Lian started to move in the direction of her room, with the guards following closely after. Lan, on the other hand, made a U-turn and went to get the baby & food.
The cat, who had been watching patiently from Zhang Lian's shoulder, suddenly flew down and started to circle around her head as Lan moved away. The cat asked, "Nya, why did you call for the baby?" with curiosity.
As Zhang Lian answered, her face softened a little, showing a unique warmth in her eyes. She softly answered, "Nothing much," and her movements slowed. "After seeing so many children today, I miss him a little."
The cat tilted its head, considering what she had said.
---
After a while, the door slowly opened with a creak sound. Lan came in, carefully holding a tray of food. Behind her, a maid followed, nervously holding the baby.
The new maid looked really nervous. Her black hair was tied up in a neat bun, but some strands fell loose over her shoulders. She wore a plain yellow servant's robe on her white soft skin, which was tightly holding her big breasts and big ass. Her brown eyes flickered nervously, thinking what would happen next.
The sound of the door opening caused Zhang Lian, who was resting on the bed, to open her eyes. Her beautiful white hair fell over her shoulders as she sat up. She quietly said, "Ah, the baby's here," her eyes softened, as she saw the child with blue hair and blue eyes sleeping in the maid's arms.
The maid moved toward the bed and after arriving near the bed, she hesitated before moving forward and giving the sleeping baby to the queen, shaking a little.
Zhang Lian carefully took Zhang Ping into her arms and held him to her chest. His cute little cheeks puff up with each breath, giving his tiny face a peaceful appearance. With gentle movements Zhang Lian ran her fingers over his smooth face.
She experienced an odd emotion inside of her—something gentle, kind, and soft. She looked at him with a mixture of interest and curiosity, wondering what was happening.
Zhang Lian touched his little nose and lips with her finger and murmured, "So soft." "And cute too," she said, smiling a little.
The cat flapped its wings and went close to the baby. "Look, Nya! The baby is cute!" The cat spoke as it pointed with a paw to the baby's small hands. Zhang Lian, still focused on the baby, nodded."
Zhang Ping woke up suddenly and opened his eyes wide. He started crying Making sounds…
"Huh!, Ahh. The room echoed with the baby's cries.
The cat's ears vibrated as it gave off a scared expression, saying, "Holy crap, it's crying! Not a problem of mine!" it quickly opened a system window before vanishing into it, leaving Zhang Lian by herself to deal with a crying baby.
Zhang Lian's calm expression changed in annoyance as the cat left.
She then tried to calm the baby, she tried giving him gentle bounces in her arms. She groaned, "Why are you crying?" She continued, her voice less noisy "Don't cry, don't cry," but the baby simply cried harder, his small fists clenched as his cheeks flushed.
With a defeated sigh, Zhang Lian returned the baby to the breastfeeding maid after glancing at her. She said, "Take him back," with a cold tone. "He's crying too much."
With a pounding heart, the maid quickly took back the baby into her arms.
Why is the queen so angry it's just a baby ? she thought.
However, Zhang Ping stopped crying and began to relax in her arms as soon as she held him and gave him a little shake & said, calm down little prince, calm down in a sweet voice.
When Zhang Lian saw this, she got even more angry and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Take him away."
With a nod, the maid quietly took the baby from the room. She left the queen's presence, and complained, "Queen nature is so bad even though it's just a baby," as she walked down the hallway, she continued to curse the queen in her mind.
…..
Lan, who had been quietly waiting in the background, moved forward once the maid left. She took the plate from the table and in a calm but a little tired voice she said, "Here's your food, Your Highness."
Zhnag Lian sighed as she nodded and started eating after taking a quick glance at the door, then at the lan and then the food.
…..
A week later, Zhang Lian sat in her room, wearing a simple white robe that hung loosely on her body.
The fabric was light and soft and Her long hair was tied back in a low ponytail as she held a list provided by ministers in her hands, and started reading it.
On the list 1st one was; A young boy, 10 years old, named Chen Guo, from the village of Sugar.
Zhang Lian raised an eyebrow as she read about the strange events that happened at the boy's birth. "When he was born, there was a weird dark creature in the sky that no one could explain."
"Some people thought it was a curse, while others called it a sign from heaven." She continued reading, with curiosity.
The boy was born ugly—his skin was dark, his face covered in pimples even as a baby. His hair & eyes were purple, unlike his parents, and he didn't look anything like them.
Still, hoping he might have strong spiritual roots, so his parents took care of him. Later, they had another child, a normal boy, and shifted their attention to the normal boy.
Zhang Lian kept reading about Chen Guo's miserable life. *The children in the village mocked and humiliated him for his appearance; even his own brother referred to him as a monster.*
The cat stretched and gave the queen a smile as it sat close by. It jokes, "Nya, this one's interesting." "You should at least give him the chance. Who knows, perhaps he possesses a unique spiritual root or a special body."
Zhang Lian looked at the cat and asked. "Special body?". The cat quickly opened the system screen for her.
---
/[System: Baby-Making System]
Host: Zhang Lian
Special Skill: Holy Mother Body (Allows pregnancy with 100% success rate)
---
"Look, Host," the cat said, pointing with its paw on the screen. "You have a 'Holy Mother Body,' so you can get pregnant in just one shot, also ensuring that you become pregnant, according to your bearing capacity.
Zhang Lian stared at the screen, remembering the details. "Oh yeah, you told me that," she muttered. "So, But what if this boy has something like that too? Can this physics be shared to the baby and I get more benefits?"