Empress Li was obviously surprised. If she had given birth to a daughter, Emperor Qi would naturally be the best choice for her husband. Women would always be locked up in the harem for their entire lives, relying on the love of men and the favor of their mother's family to survive. There was not much difference between living in the palace and living in an official's home.
But her Yuan'er was originally an extremely intelligent heir to the throne...Now that the Kingdom of Li is in danger, and the defeated royal family members are all imprisoned, perhaps it would be better to be a queen in the central palace, which is free and decent.
Queen Li was not ignorant of the ways of the world, but she could not help feeling sad.
In the past, when I was in my hometown and in the palace, I had to put on a smile even if I was sad. Now that I am far away from my homeland, I cannot let the new emperor feel disgusted with Yuan'er.
Queen Li took a deep breath and smiled, "Yuan'er has finally found someone she loves."
Li Yuan observed her mood changes and knew that she might not believe the truth in the palace. After all, even he himself did not believe it when he first met Lin Su.
But time will tell, as long as Lin Su remains the same, his mother will always feel at ease.
Lin Su stepped forward, took Li Yuan's shoulder and said, "The wind is strong here, so we can't talk for too long. Yuan'er and the Queen Mother should settle down first before we can have a good chat."
Queen Li called Li Yuan by his nickname, which was a mother's tenderness. But when Lin Su called him, Li Yuan always felt that there was something else behind it. However, it was difficult to refute him at this time, so he could only follow his steps and obey him obediently.
After the group settled down, Li Yuan suddenly thought of his nephew and asked hurriedly, "Why don't you see Chen'er?"
Li Chen, the eldest grandson of the Li Kingdom, just turned three this year.
Empress Li was depressed for a moment and said, "Xiaobao has been away from home. I think he is not used to the climate there and has fallen ill. He is taking medicine and resting now."
In this era, a high fever could take a person's life. Lin Su looked at Lu Ning, who quickly reported, "The young prince was fine in the capital of Li, but after arriving in Qi, he began to vomit and have diarrhea and poor appetite. A doctor has been sent to see him and has prescribed medicine. He will be fine soon."
A sick child is more dangerous than an adult. Li Yuan was obviously a little anxious and looked up and said, "Your Majesty, I want to go see him."
"I'll go with you." Lin Su naturally agreed.
Apart from Li Chen's illness, Lu Ning had arranged everything else very well. At least the place where the women and children lived was more spacious and comfortable than the one where a group of rough guys lived, and there were maids to serve them.
"Grandma... Grandma... Baoer wants... Grandma..." As soon as I entered the house, I heard faint crying and begging voices. It was obvious that the child was still in pain, but did not dare to cry uncontrollably.
"Be good, grandma will be back soon, baby, be good..." The maid was obviously a little at a loss, but it was not that she was deliberately being negligent.
When the group entered, the maid was relieved to see Queen Li and said, "Madam, you are back. The young master was crying so hard that he wanted to be brought back."
Naturally, Lu Ning would not easily tell the identities of Queen Li and Li Chen to the maid he recruited, and only said that she was a lady.
"Grandma..." The child lying on the bed was very thin, with a haggard face and sunken cheeks, which made his already big eyes look even bigger, and he looked pitiful.
Queen Li was heartbroken. She stepped forward, picked up the child, and patted the child's back skillfully, saying, "Grandma is back, Grandma is back, Bao'er is fine."
The tiny child seemed even lighter when held in his arms, and even his sobs sounded like a kitten: "Grandma... Bao'er hurts..."
"Where does it hurt? Grandma, can you please call a doctor to take a look?" Queen Li coaxed patiently.
When Li Yuan first saw his nephew, he felt only warmth, but the child was clearly not as healthy as an ordinary child, which made him feel extremely distressed. He stepped forward and asked, "Mother, why is Chen'er like this?"
The child raised his head, opened his eyes and looked at him, his eyes brightened: "Dad, Daddy..."
Queen Li had not yet answered, but when she heard the name, she and Li Yuan were stunned: "Baoer, this is..." the emperor's uncle.
But Li Yuan interrupted him, "I'm daddy, Baoer, I'm daddy."
"Daddy..." Li Chen called softly, but stretched out his arms for a hug.
Li Yuan had never held a child before, so he could only carefully hold the child in his arms, feeling the skinny body in his arms and said, "Baby, baby, baby, daddy is here."
"Yes, Daddy is back." Li Chen's arms had no strength, but he held Li Yuan tightly until the sobbing slowly stopped, the breathing gradually became steady, and he actually fell asleep.
Queen Li tried to take the child and put him on the bed, but she found that even though the little guy was asleep, one of his hands was tightly grasping Li Yuan's belt. If she tried to pull it open forcibly, he would probably wake up again.
"It's okay, I'll hold him first." Li Yuan had never seen this nephew before, but he felt very close to him.
"Bao'er looks exactly like Yuan'er when she was a child. Even your royal brother doesn't look this similar. Now, they really look like father and son." Queen Li sighed. If her Yuan'er could marry and have children, the children would surely be very cute.
"I wasn't this thin when I was a child. Why is Chen'er so thin?" Li Yuan asked. Even though he didn't understand children, he knew that Li Chen's current size was different from that of ordinary children.
Queen Li sighed, glanced at Lin Su, who sat quietly beside her without disturbing her, and said softly, "Chen'er's bloodline was once questioned. Although it was later confirmed, within the imperial palace, even servants dare to criticize those who are not favored. His diet is not meticulous, and he is not treated by the imperial physician when he is sick. Chen'er has suffered a lot."
She was telling Lin Su about her own experience, and was also telling him that while Li Yuan was in great favor today, she could do whatever she wanted, but if the feelings faded or she became disgusted with him in the future, Li Yuan's experience might not be better than hers.
Li Yuan knew a thing or two about the palace. The favored concubines lived a life of luxury, while the unfavored concubines were even lower-class than servants. He could take care of them occasionally, but he couldn't get involved in everything. Now that it happened to his own relatives, he felt extremely distressed and filled with resentment.
"Given his current physical condition, I'm afraid he can only be cured by careful care." Li Yuan said, patting the child in his arms.
"Hold it here and let me see it." Lin Su put down the teacup in his hand and said.
Li Yuan blinked, then remembered that he was proficient in medicine and poisons. He walked over and asked, "Your Majesty, do you have any ideas?"
"You can only know after taking the pulse." Lin Su pinched the child's wrist, which was indeed thin and pitiful.
With a physique like this, even if he is taken care of carefully, he probably won't live to adulthood.
Lin Su took the pulse, his eyes darkened slightly as he said, "It's not that he was born with a weak constitution, it's that he was poisoned."
Li Yuan tightened his arms and asked, "How could it be?!"
"Impossible. When Li Yuan's brother was still alive, he also asked the imperial physician to see Bao'er, and Bao'er was already like this then." Queen Li was also anxious.
Lin Su withdrew his hand and said, "It wasn't given later, but a poison passed down from the mother. The amount is very small, and ordinary doctors can't detect it. The poison is called Mengwei. It won't be fatal immediately, but will only make people weak and die. This amount of medicine will not harm an adult, but it will kill a child."
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