"Mother, do you know who my younger brother's sweetheart is?"

Suddenly, Li Lexin thought of something and looked at Guan Zhiyue with a gossipy glint in her eyes.

Guan Zhiyue reached out and gently tapped her forehead, saying, "Little girl, don't be so curious."

"Mother, but I really want to know!"

"Shh! Look, Jingyu is embarrassed because we're teasing him."

After Li Jingyu finished coughing, he looked at Guan Zhiyue and said, "Mother, shall we discuss this matter in detail after I have made my own determination?"

"Alright, Mother will wait! Anyway, you are still young, you have plenty of time to meet the person you truly love."

"Your father and I were in a marriage of convenience that blossomed into love. I hope my children..."

Both can be mutually loving, and then walk hand in hand into the sacred hall of marriage.

"Mother, what is love?" Li Jingyu suddenly asked.

Li Lexin, who was standing to the side, also sat up straight, wanting to hear what her mother thought about love.

Guan Zhiyue said with a smile, "Do you all want to know?"

The two nodded in unison, even the few little rascals who had climbed out of the river and were swarming towards them...

Upon hearing this, he shouted loudly, "Mother, I'm here too!"

"Yes, yes, me too, me too."

"Mother, we all want to know."

Soon, all the children except the tenth child gathered around; the ten older children...

With an eleventh child still in swaddling clothes, Guan Zhiyue's lips curled into a wide smile.

She cleared her throat before saying, "Love is a desire for self-improvement, arising from the desire to foster the mental maturity of oneself and others."

Li Jingsheng scratched his head; he was only about three years old.

He seemed not to quite understand the question, and he grabbed his hair as he looked at Guan Zhiyue.

"Mother, I don't quite understand."

Guan Zhiyue smiled, reached out, pulled him close, and hugged him.

Then he said, "Our Jing Sheng is still young, let the older brothers think about this issue."

Liking someone doesn't necessarily mean loving them; but loving someone requires...

But you absolutely have to like him. Liking can easily turn into love, but after loving someone, it's hard to go back to just liking them.

"This is love, just as Father and Mother love you. This is also a kind of love, the love of family."

"As for your father and me, we have the love between husband and wife. In the future, you will all meet someone you want to walk hand in hand with. I hope that person will be your true love."

Li Jingrui quickly interjected, "Is it the kind that Father and Mother have?"

Guan Zhiyue smiled, looked around, and saw that her children were all smart and adorable.

They are still young, and some even have several children, so they still have some baby fat.

Judging from his current facial features, he will definitely be the most handsome man in the Southern Kingdom when he grows up and becomes an adult.

She said with a smile, “There will definitely be no shortage of girls who love me then.”

"But you must know how to protect yourselves, and also protect the girls you love."

"Before we have the ability to provide for her, we should protect her well."

You can't possess her prematurely, or even use your status to bully her.

"You are very fortunate to be born noble, but all things in this world are equal..."

Guan Zhiyue stopped abruptly at this point; she was no longer in that world where everyone was equal.

The mindset here is perpetually patriarchal; how could she possibly succeed on her own?

How can it shake ideas that have been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years?

Her sudden stop startled the children who were engrossed in their studies.

Everyone looked at her, asking suspiciously, "Mother, please continue. Why did you stop? What was the meaning of 'equal'?"

"Oh, equality means fair and just treatment. We should always stand on the side of reason."

Guan Zhiyue's words struck a chord in the hearts of every child; they had always known that...

Their father and mother practiced monogamy. But the teacher taught...

They practiced polygamy and even told them that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent.

However, they believed that if a woman lacked talent, how could she provide companionship and comfort?

This is like telling her that you plant a couple of plum trees in the courtyard, their shadows filling the empty space and filling her clothes.

She told you, "Then I'll break off a branch?"

Is it possible to still have the same kind of fun?

They couldn't help but shake their heads repeatedly.

Just as they were about to ask some other questions, the aroma of food wafted from the imperial chefs who were cooking.

The little ones were filled with curiosity as they smelled that aroma!

Her eyes even revealed a desire to find out more; Guan Zhiyue would not mistreat the children.

She smiled, closed her eyes, and sniffed hard before saying, "Let's go, let's go learn something too."

See how the imperial chef transforms ordinary, fresh ingredients into such mouthwatering dishes.

With Guan Zhiyue's permission, the children scrambled to their feet.

Like a wild horse that has broken free, it headed towards the stove built by the river.

"Yue'er, thank you for your hard work." Li Qiji walked over, holding the child in one arm and taking Guan Zhiyue's hand in the other, his voice incredibly gentle.

Guan Zhiyue said with a smile, "What are you thanking me for? These are all my children."

It's also our responsibility as parents to instill the right values ​​in them!

"In the future, if you have time, you should also talk to them about patriotism and national sentiment. This is how children grow up."

Only then will they understand patriotism and love for their family, and only then will they feel true loyalty to their country.

"Yes, my wife is right. From now on, I will teach our sons properly whenever I have time."

Guan Zhiyue gave a soft "hmm" and nodded, then followed her toward the dining table by the river.

----

March 15th, 21st year of Zhenggan.

While Guan Zhiyue was playing with Yuanyuan in the courtyard of the Cold Palace, she heard Shizhu softly report: "Your Majesty the Empress, the Emperor has sent Chief Eunuch Hua to deliver a message."

"What is it?"

"I heard from Steward Hua that the Emperor of Ningjian Kingdom has come to visit."

"Yuan Ningsu?"

Shi Zhu nodded, remaining silent. After all, she was a servant, and it was inappropriate for her to address the Emperor by his given name so directly.

She didn't have the guts, even though it was from another country, she still wouldn't dare.

Guan Zhiyue's eyes lit up for a moment before she asked, "Has Empress Chen arrived?"

"You've arrived. That's why His Majesty summoned you."

Guan Zhiyue nodded and then said, "Okay, I understand. Take good care of the little princess."

The maids in the courtyard then said, "Yes."