Chapter 322 The Daughter Given to Her by Heaven
On the day of the Crown Prince's full moon celebration, Li Yuanzhao held a banquet in the Linde Hall and granted a general amnesty.
He also bestowed the name "Li Qianyuan" upon the eldest prince.
She not only inherited the character "元" from her name.
The name "Qian Yuan" comes from the Book of Changes, which says, "Great is Qian Yuan, the origin of all things," symbolizing the beginning of all things and the rule over the universe.
The meaning of this name is obvious, clearly demonstrating the expectation of inheriting the imperial lineage and creating a new era.
This shows how high her expectations were for the eldest prince.
When Li Qianyuan turned one year old, Li Yuanzhao directly issued an edict to establish him as the crown prince, promulgated an edict throughout the country, and offered sacrifices at the ancestral temple.
The imperial decree caused an uproar in the court.
Many of the male officials had mixed expressions and felt disheartened.
Many of them secretly harbored a hidden hope.
We hope that Your Majesty will give birth to a boy who will one day inherit the throne and return the imperial position of the Great Qi to a man.
But this hope vanished completely with the appointment of the crown prince.
However, no one dared to openly express their dissatisfaction. After all, His Majesty had already demonstrated his ruthless methods and now held absolute power. The appointment of a crown prince was a matter for the emperor, and the court officials had no choice but to obey.
But privately, everyone still harbored some unspeakable disappointment and helplessness.
Li Yuanzhao, however, felt quite pleased looking at their ugly faces.
For her, having children was never a consideration.
It was the great Qi dynasty, the court officials, and the people of the world who "needed" her to have a child.
She doesn't need it herself.
Whether she has biological children or not is irrelevant to her.
She has never valued the so-called bloodline.
Just like herself, she was never of any so-called "bloodline of the emperor," so what bloodline did she have to inherit?
Unlike the male emperors of previous dynasties, she did not have their obsession with "carrying on the family line".
After all, they want children, they can have their fun and then it's over without paying any price.
But she was different; if she wanted to have a child, she would have to personally experience the torment of ten months of pregnancy.
Allowing a strange life to take root and grow within her body, absorbing her essence and blood, depleting her vital energy, making her originally healthy body bloated and cumbersome, and disturbing her originally clear mind with the fatigue and irritability of pregnancy.
What's even more terrifying is that at the moment of childbirth, she has to watch helplessly as a life breaks through her body, tears her flesh, and is born into the world, bleeding from her own blood.
He himself would have to walk through the gates of hell, and if he was not careful, it would be the end of both him and his unborn child.
She has always been cold and selfish.
She had worked so hard to build her empire, and hadn't even had a chance to enjoy it for a few days. Why should she risk her life and put herself in such a dangerous situation for the sake of so-called "bloodline continuation"?
Like her mother, who was so powerful and wise throughout her life, she ultimately could not escape the calamity of childbirth and died on the cold birthing bed.
She will never repeat the same mistake.
For her, her own body, her own life, and her own authority were far more important than the so-called "bloodline inheritance".
More importantly, how could she not see through the thoughts of those male officials in the court?
On the surface, they petitioned her daily to bear children, earnestly stating that "the foundation of the nation is of utmost importance," but in reality, they all hoped she would give birth to a son.
If she is indeed pregnant, she herself cannot be sure whether the child in her womb is a boy or a girl.
If she really gave birth to a son, those male ministers would be overjoyed and would use every means to support this "male heir" to "inherit" their throne and return to the "male-dominated world" they desired.
At that time, how many more troubles will arise for no reason among the court officials?
What if, just like when I was born, I secretly changed the boy to a girl?
She herself was a witness to that "switcheroo" and knew all too well the dangers involved.
Moreover, how could she guarantee that when the time came, she would be able to harden her heart and personally kill her own son who had her blood flowing through his veins?
If that's the case, why not just not have a child yourself in the first place, but "choose" a daughter to inherit the throne?
Her fourth younger sister seemed to have figured out her plan as well.
She couldn't wait to get pregnant and give birth right after getting married.
But the baby was a boy.
However, she didn't know that even if she gave birth to a daughter, she wouldn't choose that option.
While members of the imperial family are desirable, they are inevitably embroiled in factional disputes, and since they are not blood relatives, it can be even more troublesome.
Therefore, the safest approach is to put on a show in front of everyone.
Choose a clean, intelligent child and pretend it's your own biological child.
This would satisfy the people's demand for a "crown prince," stabilize the foundation of the country, and allow him to preserve his life's work without having to make any sacrifices.
So she secretly ordered Su Qingci to carefully select a suitable baby girl from orphanages all over the country, bring her back to the palace, and announce to the outside world that she was the princess she had given birth to.
Although Su Qingci was surprised by this "switching the sky and changing the sun" method, she still respectfully agreed to the matter.
Before leaving, Su Qingci hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't help but ask, "Has Your Majesty never thought of searching for your biological parents?"
The secret that His Majesty is not the late Emperor's biological son is no longer a secret among his close associates, such as Su Qingci, Ru Mo, and Pei Huaijin.
If an ordinary person learns that they have other biological parents, they will always have the idea of exploring their origins, wanting to see who gave them life and wanting to know where they came from.
Now that Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, it is not difficult for you to find your biological parents.
Moreover, if other relatives could be found, they would be people connected to His Majesty by blood, making them the only suitable candidates for imperial heir.
Li Yuanzhao looked at her and said calmly, "I am the Son of Heaven, the Son of Heaven, and Heaven is my mother."
Su Qingci was startled and instantly understood.
She set off for orphanages in various places.
Now that the Great Qi is at peace and the people live in contentment and prosperity, fewer and fewer families are abandoning their children.
The orphanages in various places are no longer filled with abandoned baby girls as they were a few years ago.
Finding a newborn girl who is healthy, intelligent, and can meet His Majesty's expectations is no easy task.
Su Qingci traveled south and visited dozens of orphanages before finally finding one that suited her.
The child's father died on the battlefield against the Xianbei, and her mother died after giving birth to her.
Born without parents, they were sent to the orphanage.
And coincidentally, she had a pair of eyes that were remarkably similar to His Majesty's.
Su Qingci was filled with emotion. Perhaps, as His Majesty said, this was the daughter bestowed upon her by Heaven, the crown prince destined for her.
(I don't object to women having children. Childbirth is a woman's right and her own choice!)
The female protagonist in this story doesn't really need to give birth. If she chooses to have the baby herself, her physical condition is perfectly fine, and now that she holds power, she can ensure that nothing goes wrong during the childbirth process.
However, because I am a staunch "no-childbearing" advocate in real life, I hope that the female protagonist in my writing will also not have children.
It's that simple, please understand.
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