The emperor is the emperor after all, and he knows the personalities of his children very well. They are father and son, father and daughter, and also ministers. If an emperor can see through the personalities of those around him, he is truly incompetent.
Therefore, the emperor also knew that Li Han and Li Shu would definitely not do as Li Yuan said. However, no matter how good the emperor was at guessing people's hearts, he could not see the whole picture, otherwise he would not favor a woman as scheming as Concubine Song.
At this moment, the imperial physician suddenly rushed over: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" The imperial physician's face was full of excitement: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is pregnant?"
"What?" Everyone present except the emperor and Li Yuan was very surprised.
"Mother, that's great, I'm going to be a brother!" Li Yuan excitedly pulled Concubine Song's arm, as if he was pregnant himself.
The emperor also hurried forward and whispered, "My dear concubine, you are pregnant now. You must take good care of yourself. Go back and rest!" Turning to the imperial physician, he ordered, "Take good care of you. If anything happens to you, I will not forgive you!"
Concubine Song became a noble concubine because of her son. She was promoted to a noble concubine because she gave birth to a prince named Li Yuan. If she had another son, her status would be even higher than it is now. Even if she gave birth to a girl, she would be a noble princess of the Kingdom of Li. With both a son and a daughter, I am afraid even the queen would look up to her.
Li Han knew that something was wrong and thought that Concubine Song was just trying to scam him. He didn't expect that such a thing would happen. This caught Li Han off guard. Coupled with Li Yuan's instigation, he was afraid that he would not be able to escape punishment.
As expected, the emperor's face darkened instantly, and he scolded Li Han harshly: "Han'er, as the eldest princess, you should respect your elders and care for your compatriots. But look at you now. You hurt the imperial concubine, messed around with Li Shu, and targeted Li Yuan everywhere. You are really capable. You have disappointed your father."
"Father, I..." Li Han knew that the emperor was really angry, so she didn't dare to follow her temper anymore and immediately wilted. After all, no one could offend the emperor. When the emperor was angry, millions of people would die. She didn't want to lose her life for such a trivial matter.
The emperor was unwilling to listen to Li Han's explanation, nor was he prepared to let her make one: "Alright, what you did today was too inappropriate. If I don't punish you severely, what will happen to you in the future?"
When Lu Li heard that the emperor was going to punish Li Han, he immediately panicked. Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs, but the emperor's mind was even more cruel than a tiger. He quickly explained to Li Han, "Your Majesty, the princess didn't mean to do it. Just think of her as young and ignorant, so forgive her. Besides, since we know that the imperial concubine is pregnant today, she should be happy. So forgive Li Han!"
"Hmph!" The emperor said coldly, "It is the father's fault if the son is not well educated. How can he be forgiven for acting so recklessly?" The emperor did not listen to Lu Li's defense of Li Han, and seemed determined to punish Li Han.
Afterwards, when the queen heard about this, she hurried over and saw Li Han and Lu Li kneeling in front of the emperor, who looked very angry. She knew that this matter must be very serious.
"Your Majesty, Li Han is wrong. It is also the fault of your mother, the queen, for not teaching him well. I am the queen of Li Kingdom, the mother of a country. If you want to punish Li Han, you should punish me as well!" The queen stepped forward, stood in front of Lu Li and Li Han, and knelt down.
The emperor saw how eager the queen was to protect her son and felt helpless: "Queen, are you forcing me?"
"I dare not. I am just a mother protecting my child!" The queen spoke righteously and fearlessly to the emperor.
It was the first time the emperor had seen the queen so determined. He sighed helplessly, "Alright, if you keep protecting them like this, something bad will happen sooner or later. The victim in this matter is Concubine Song. As long as she doesn't pursue the matter, then forget it!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Then, the Queen stood up, walked to Concubine Song, and bowed condescendingly: "Concubine Song, Han'er was wrong to disturb you. It is my fault as a mother. Please forgive Han'er!"
Concubine Song was very excited when she saw the Queen apologize to her, but she didn't show it on the surface. She still looked aggrieved and hurried forward to help the Queen up. "Your Highness, what are you doing? You are the mistress of a palace, and you are apologizing to me. It really makes me feel embarrassed! We are both mothers, so I naturally understand your feelings. I think Li Han must have done it unintentionally. Things have come to this point, so just apologize and that's it. We are all family!"
"Your Excellency is magnanimous, and I admire you!" Then the Queen said to Li Han, "Han'er, why don't you apologize to Noble Concubine Song and admit your mistake!"
"Mother!" Li Han was very reluctant. It was obvious that they had deliberately framed her. Why should she apologize to this vicious mother and son?
"Han'er!" The queen's tone suddenly became serious.
Li Han didn't want to embarrass the Queen, so he reluctantly walked up to Noble Concubine Song and bowed. "Noble Concubine Song, it was Li Han who was reckless before and didn't know the seriousness of the matter. I hope that Noble Concubine Song will not hold my faults against me and forgive me!"
The Queen and Li Han have already done this much. Concubine Song also knows that there should be a limit to what she does. Today, she is very satisfied that they can bow to her. "Alright, these are just small things. If you know your mistakes and correct them, you are still a good child. If you have nothing to do, come to my palace and play with Li Yuan. We are all family and should be closer to each other!"
"Since the Imperial Concubine doesn't care, then let's forget about this matter. You all should go down and don't delay the Lantern Festival tonight!"
Afterwards, the turmoil subsided, everyone dispersed, and the palace returned to peace.
Li Han suffered a loss this time and also dragged the Queen into it, feeling very sorry. For Li Han's sake, the Queen not only lowered herself voluntarily, but also personally delivered supplements to Concubine Song. Her smug look at that time made Li Han feel disgusted.
"Han'er, don't provoke Concubine Song these days, so as not to cause more trouble. After all, this palace is still not peaceful!" The queen said to Li Han earnestly.
Li Han didn't say anything more this time. She had learned a lesson and was now familiar with Concubine Song's methods. Although she was unwilling, she had no choice but to nod to the Queen: "Mother, I understand!"
After a small episode, the Lantern Festival came. According to the rules of the palace, people in the palace can go out on the day of the Lantern Festival. It can be regarded as a private visit to understand the people's sentiments, share the happiness of the people, and celebrate the Lantern Festival with the people of Li State.
At night, Li Han adjusted his mood, forgot everything that happened during the day, and accompanied the emperor and the queen out of the palace.
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