Chapter 2192: Chapter 2192: Is This My Imperial Grandson?

In truth, the Emperor Zhong was well aware of it, but he had never regarded these sons as his own, not even sparing them a single glance.

As for the palace maids who had unintentionally been favored by Emperor Zhong and bore sons, they were all executed after giving birth.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager rubbed her forehead with one hand, feeling a severe headache.

How could she have given birth to such a beast? He had utterly disgraced her old face! If not for the necessary presence of the Minister of State and the Prime Minister, she would have wished to drive all of them out!

“Hah!”

She let out a heavy breath, feeling as though her brain was buzzing noisily.

“Begin.”

She waved her hand dismissively toward the nanny beside her, signaling her to proceed.

The nanny obeyed and brought all twenty-three princes to the Imperial Garden, which had already been set up with numerous tables. Each palace maid led a prince to sit at a designated spot.

Elegant platters of snacks were brought to the tables; however, each plate contained only a single piece, with one portion placed at each table.

The Empress’s nanny, the Minister of State, and the Prime Minister watched from a pavilion in the distance, observing the little princes in the Imperial Garden. They saw some princes, having finished their own plate of snacks, proceed to snatch from the tables of other princes.

“This… Are these really the grandchildren of the Empress Dowager?”

Several princes relied on their strength to not only seize the snacks but also beat others! The scene descended into chaos, with the sound of crying even reaching the pavilion. Palace maids hurried to comfort the princes who had been hit, their shouts drowned out by the arrogant yelling of certain princes who boasted about how favored their consort mothers were.

“They truly are… truly are…”

For a moment, she was at a loss for words. Even the Ninth Prince stood there with his mouth agape, astonishment written all over his face.

“Is this truly the royal family of the Central Imperial Country?”

In the past, even though the Emperor’s ambitions were grand, he would remain disciplined within the palace, never allowing his inner thoughts to be apparent.

But just look at the princes in the Imperial Garden — a complete rabble of misfits. Two of the princes even broke into wailing simply because they couldn’t secure any snacks.

The State Knights all furrowed their brows, while the elderly Minister of State raised his hand to clutch his chest, feeling as though his heart might stop beating.

Traditionally, after the princes turned three, they would be assigned one or two tutors, but this rule had been abolished by Emperor Zhong.

They had assumed Emperor Zhong had his own reasoning for this decision, yet they hadn’t imagined he would singlehandedly manage to raise his sons into nothing but wastrels.

“Nanny, which concubines gave birth to those four princes?”

Fortunately, there were still four princes who refrained from joining the battle over the snacks. Instead, they stepped aside. The Empress Dowager noticed one particularly young prince who, while moving away, even made sure to lead the palace maid beside him to safety, holding her hand and guiding her aside.

She felt a glimmer of comfort — at least it wasn’t a complete disaster.

“This old servant will send someone to inquire right away.”

For the moment, the nanny couldn’t recognize them, as the group was positioned too far away to clearly identify them.

Soon, the people sent by the nanny returned with the information. Those four princes were none other than the ones without any official titles. Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager shook her head and muttered under her breath, cursing Emperor Zhong for being an unrelenting bringer of harm!