Chapter 9: If she wants it, the world can only be hers.
At the dinner table, the Emperor personally picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of crystal-clear perch sashimi into Li Yuanzhao's bowl.
"The imperial kitchen has prepared special dishes for you today, all of which are your favorites. Eat more."
Li Yuanzhao quickly stood up, picked up the white jade bowl with both hands, and accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Father Emperor."
The Emperor feigned displeasure, saying, "We are family, father and daughter, why bother with these formalities? I remember when you were little, you would climb right onto my lap and snatch snacks."
Li Yuanzhao's lips curled up slightly. "By the way, Father, when I was managing the floods in Sudong, I happened to hear an interesting story. I wonder if Father would be interested in hearing it?"
The Emperor's interest was piqued. "Oh? Tell me about it."
"It is said that there was a wealthy family in eastern Jiangsu who owned thousands of acres of fertile land and were extremely rich. The couple had only one son, whom they raised like a precious jewel from childhood."
"It's strange, but this young man managed his huge family business so well before he even reached adulthood, and the business has multiplied several times over."
The elderly couple were extremely pleased with their son and looked forward to him getting married soon so that they could formally hand over the family business to him.
She paused, "Who knew that one day, a local thug suddenly appeared at our door. He was ugly and repulsive, and he kept spewing foul language, insisting that he was the family's biological son."
The Emperor listened intently, then couldn't help but exclaim, "Absurd!"
“The couple didn’t believe it at first,” Li Yuanzhao’s eyes darkened, “but to their surprise, this man actually produced evidence. It turns out that when the wife gave birth, she happened to be staying at a temple, and another peasant woman was also giving birth that night. The midwife was confused and switched the two children.”
The Emperor frowned deeply. "What happened next?"
"After the couple examined the bloodline, they confirmed that the scoundrel was indeed their biological son. The handsome and refined young man, on the other hand, was considered a bastard."
As he spoke, Li Yuanzhao picked up his celadon teacup and took a small sip.
She looked up at the Emperor and said, "Father, tell me, on one side is the adopted son whom you have carefully raised for eighteen years and who is outstanding, and on the other side is your biological son who has been living in poverty and suffering all kinds of hardships. How should this couple choose?"
The Emperor pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "The bond of raising children is hard to sever. Since the family is wealthy, it's fine to support them as well."
Li Yuanzhao said softly, "But this vast family fortune is unique. That son is illiterate and only knows how to eat, drink, be merry, and indulge in pleasure. If this huge fortune is handed over to him, he will probably squander it sooner or later."
The Emperor looked at Li Yuanzhao with suspicion, "What? That couple actually gave their family business to their adopted son?"
Seeing Li Yuanzhao's noncommittal expression, the Emperor suddenly slammed his hand on the table, "How could you be so foolish! How can the patriarchal clan system and blood ties be confused? To hand over the ancestral foundation to outsiders, what kind of behavior is this!"
Li Yuanzhao looked at him expressionlessly and asked, "What does Father Emperor think should be done?"
Without hesitation, the Emperor said, "Since my own son is not capable of handling important matters, I will let my adopted son assist me in managing things and ensure his lifelong wealth and honor."
Li Yuanzhao continued, "But how can that adopted son accept this change? He was originally a chosen one of heaven, how can he easily submit to someone else now?"
The Emperor sneered, "He has usurped the family's place for over a decade, and now instead of being grateful, he wants to fight with his own son? If he truly harbors such intentions, he should be expelled from the family as soon as possible to avoid causing a great disaster!"
The Emperor's words were like a cold, sharp blade, instantly bringing Li Yuanzhao to his senses.
She instantly remembered what the time traveler had said: that her father would strip her of her title and demote her to a commoner.
She knew, of course, that this test was incredibly foolish, but deep down she couldn't help but still harbor a glimmer of hope for the father-daughter relationship she had built up over the years.
Hearing his father's words with his own ears, the last glimmer of hope in his heart was completely extinguished.
She should have known that for emperors, blood ties are more important than anything else.
Since that's the case, then I don't need to worry about the eighteen years of father-daughter relationship anymore.
She now stands at the center of power, second only to the emperor, and even just one step away from the very top of that power.
How could she willingly withdraw and submit to someone else?
Whether she is the daughter of an emperor or the daughter of a peasant woman, if she wants it, the world can only be hers.
The Emperor, however, was completely unaware of Li Yuanzhao's unusual behavior and softened his tone.
"Just like you, Que Nu, you have the blood of me and your mother flowing in your veins, so this empire should continue for thousands of years through your bloodline."
Li Yuanzhao lowered his head, concealing the emotions in his eyes, his voice calm and even, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will follow your teachings."
The Emperor smiled with satisfaction, then, as if remembering something, asked casually, "I heard that you gained a new favorite yesterday."
Li Yuanzhao paused slightly as he held his chopsticks, knowing that someone must have gossiped about him to his father.
She calmly picked up a piece of roasted meat and said lightly, "It's just that I saw he was quite handsome and invited him back to my residence to enjoy tea and discuss painting for a few days."
The Emperor didn't take it seriously, his eyes filled with indulgence, "It's alright to play with these lowly things."
He paused, then his tone suddenly turned serious, "As for your marriage, it's time to put it on the agenda. Do you have someone you like?"
Li Yuanzhao put down his jade chopsticks and said respectfully, "Your subject has no one he favors. I leave the matter of marriage entirely to Your Majesty."
The Emperor stroked his beard with satisfaction and introduced them to his daughter one by one.
"Pei Huaijin, the eldest son of the Pei family of Hedong, is of noble character and refined taste, a perfect match; the heir of the Duke of Xu's family is both scholarly and martial, a rare young man; the young master of Minister Lin's family is as handsome as jade, as good-looking as Pan An, I've heard he's extremely good-looking, you'll definitely like him. The newly appointed Jinshi, Du Cong, writes excellent articles, also a remarkable person..."
Seeing his daughter remain silent, the emperor added meaningfully, "And your cousin from your maternal uncle's family, Shen Churong, although he is a bit young, is strong and vigorous, a young talent."
The Emperor patted her hand. "I think these young people are all quite good. You can choose carefully."
Li Yuanzhao listened quietly; these people did indeed seem quite good.
The Pei family is a prominent clan with a century-long reputation for integrity; the Duke of Xu is the descendant of a meritorious official and wields considerable power; not to mention his uncle, who now holds the position of Governor of Youzhou and Commander-in-Chief, commanding an army of 100,000…
But her father didn't understand that she didn't want to choose just one of them.
If she wants it, she wants it all!
He possessed both high moral standing and military power, and was also handsome...
It would be best if no one was left out.
"Your subject... will consider it carefully."
The Emperor was finally satisfied and allowed Li Yuanzhao to leave.
As soon as Li Yuanzhao left the imperial study, he instructed Ru Mo, who was waiting beside him, "I think Lord Liu has been having too much of a time lately. Let his two precious sons have more fun, and it would be best if they could... make Lord Liu worry more about his family affairs and stop watching my Xihe Palace."
Ru Mo understood and said in a low voice, "Yes."
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