The Emperor Has No Heir, So I Give Birth to Twins and Claim the Phoenix Throne

The country woman Xiniang took her two children to the capital to reunite with their family at the Duke of Zhongyong's residence.

She was originally Shen Wu, the Duke of Zhongyong's eldest daughter, who got lost at a lantern festival when she was three.

Overcome with grief, the Duchess adopted Shen Bao'er, a daughter from a collateral branch of the family, to ease her longing.

On the day Shen Wu reunited with her family, the Duke said, “You've brought shame upon our family. You had children out of wedlock, so you cannot be entered into the Shen family register.”

Shen Wu was reduced to a poor relation living at the Duke's residence, treated far worse than the adopted daughter who had taken her place.

Her skill at making perfume made her famous throughout the capital, and the adopted daughter grew jealous and tried to seize it.

To help their adopted daughter, the Duke's family threw Shen Wu out.

On the day of the palace banquet, everyone in the Duke's household had to kneel before the poor relation they'd thrown out.

The two children they had considered a disgrace accidentally smashed a white jade teacup worth a fortune at the most prestigious table.

The Empress Dowager was overjoyed. “May you have peace year after year! What a wonderful omen. These are truly my precious grandsons!”

The Duke's family was overwhelmed with regret. “We were wrong! You're not a poor relation, you're the Duke's eldest daughter!”

Shen Wu leaned against the most powerful man in the world, her face cold. “Don't go claiming we're related.”

The man said, “The Duke of Zhongyong's family offended my empress. Strip them of their title and banish them from the capital.”

The Empress Dowager had a secret: the current emperor had contracted a fetal toxin while in her womb, and it prevented him from having children.

When the emperor turned twenty-two, the poison flared up, leaving him unable to have heirs.

The Empress Dowager was distraught. Would the empire have to pass into someone else's hands?

Then one day, she saw a little boy who looked exactly like the emperor as a child. There were two of them!

The Empress Dowager fainted from happiness.