Since that day, when the old abbot of Baima Temple enlightened Xiao Che with the words "Parents love each other and the family is harmonious, which is the greatest blessing," the grand "Blessing KpI Conference," which caused the entire religious community to "involve" to the point of complaining, finally came to a hasty end.
The enlightened monks and celestial masters, who had been tormented to the point of questioning their existence, felt as if they had been granted a pardon. One by one, they fled the capital, a place of trouble and turmoil, vowing never to set foot in this heartbreaking place again, a place that would make their "spiritual hearts waver."
Xiao Che did take some of what he said to heart.
He no longer dwelled on those vague and ethereal "evil spirits" and "inauspicious energy," but instead devoted all his enthusiasm and energy to the new and more challenging field of "family harmony."
Thus, following "literary prenatal education" and "artistic prenatal education," he enthusiastically brought out the "Outline of Preschool Education for Emperors," which had been shelved.
However, after that "battle song prenatal education" filled with the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses, Lin Wanwan finally couldn't bear it any longer and unilaterally announced the suspension of all of Xiao Che's "artistic cultivation" courses.
The reason is that the little one in my belly has been moving unusually frequently lately, which is less like enjoying the music and more like... protesting.
Whenever Xiao Che's stirring "General's Command" played, the little guy would kick and punch inside her belly, making a huge commotion, as if to say, "Stop playing! If you play it again, I'm going to come out with a knife and fight!"
Xiao Che deeply regretted this, believing that his son/daughter was naturally heroic and resonated with his music. However, since the Empress had spoken, he could only reluctantly give up and temporarily shelve the "Imperial Preschool Education Outline".
With the prenatal education classes suspended, Lin Wanwan finally had a few days of peace and quiet.
On this warm winter afternoon, the red plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom. Xiao Che, who rarely had official duties, accompanied Lin Wanwan for a walk along the garden path.
After undergoing a major safety overhaul, the Imperial Garden has become somewhat unrecognizable. All the paths leading to the artificial hills and ponds have been temporarily blocked, leaving only the flattest, widest avenue covered with thick anti-slip carpet for the Empress's exclusive use.
The two walked side by side, with Xiao Che carefully supporting her. His nervous demeanor made it seem as if he were supporting not his wife, but a glass bottle filled with nitroglycerin.
"Your Majesty, if you keep being this tense, I'll soon forget how to walk." Lin Wanwan tried to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter.
"Nonsense!" Xiao Che reprimanded seriously, his face stern. "Better safe than sorry. You now... well, you now carry half of the Liang Dynasty in your belly, how can you be careless in the slightest?"
Lin Wanwan was amused by his twisted logic and was about to retort when she saw Ruolan carrying a thick cloak, walking quickly from a distance.
"Your Majesty, the wind has picked up. His Majesty specifically instructed me to fetch this." As Ruolan spoke, she draped the cloak over Lin Wanwan, a barely suppressed smile playing on her lips.
"What are you laughing at, you little rascal?" Lin Wanwan noticed keenly.
Ruolan quickly composed herself, but couldn't help herself. She lowered her voice and whispered to Lin Wanwan, "Your Majesty, when I went to get the cloak just now, I passed by the Imperial Household Department and heard...it was quite lively inside."
"Oh? How lively is it?"
Ruolan's lips curled into a wild smile: "They're opening a betting pool... on whether the little prince in your womb will be a prince or a princess!"
Lin Wanwan was taken aback upon hearing this, then chuckled. She hadn't expected that the gender of her child had become the most popular "gambling topic" in the palace.
"So... what's the current 'odds'?" she asked with great interest.
"Of course!" Ruolan puffed out her chest proudly. "Naturally, over 90% of the bets are on the prince! The odds are almost at rock bottom! The Imperial Observatory has even said that they observed a dragon's aura swirling beside the Ziwei star, the imperial star, which is an omen of the crown prince's birth! Now the entire palace is convinced that your child will undoubtedly be a prince!"
These words are not an exaggeration at all.
Since ancient times, the imperial family has placed great importance on the foundation of the nation, and princes are the cornerstone of that foundation. The birth of a prince by the empress as her first child is considered a top priority for stabilizing the court and appeasing the people. In everyone's eyes, this is almost a certainty, an unquestionable political correctness.
Lin Wanwan listened, a thought suddenly occurring to her. She looked up at the emperor beside her, who was seriously examining the ground for any pebbles that might trip him, and a mischievous idea arose in her mind.
She decided to ask this "future father" himself what he really thought.
"Your Majesty." She cleared her throat, deliberately speaking in a tone that carried a hint of amusement.
"Hmm?" Xiao Che's attention shifted from the ground to her face.
"I just heard that everyone in the palace is betting on the gender of our child," she said with a smile. "And everyone is convinced it will be a prince. Your Majesty, do you think... if they knew that you, the wise and mighty emperor, once uttered those earth-shattering words in court, 'A daughter can also be a queen,' wouldn't they bet everything on the princess?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Che frowned, clearly displeased with the palace servants' unauthorized discussion of the imperial heir: "Nonsense! How dare they gamble with the imperial heir! I will have Li Dequan..."
"Oh dear, Your Majesty," Lin Wanwan quickly pulled him back, interrupting his impending "punishment order," "It's just the palace servants having some fun, why take it so seriously? I'm just curious... Your Majesty, putting aside matters of state and the court, just ask yourself, do you prefer a little prince or a little princess?"
She asked directly, her clear eyes fixed on him with a mischievous, probing look.
This question instantly silenced Xiao Che.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead helped Lin Wanwan to a nearby warm pavilion to sit down. He pondered for a moment, and a serious look, as if he were weighing a matter of national importance, actually appeared on his handsome face.
Lin Wanwan didn't urge him, but waited quietly. She knew that for any emperor, this was not a simple matter of "like or dislike".
After a long while, Xiao Che slowly raised his head and looked at her.
“If he is a prince,” he began, his voice calm and powerful, carrying the innate sense of responsibility of an emperor, “he will bear the weight of this vast empire on his shoulders from the moment he is born. I will be the strictest father in the world, and I will personally teach him the art of being an emperor, how to balance the court, how to appease the people, and how to protect… this land beneath our feet.”
His words, as always, were full of strength and responsibility. This was the most standard expectation an emperor had for his successor.
Lin Wanwan nodded; this answer was exactly what she expected.
However, Xiao Che changed the subject.
“But…” He paused, and his originally calm gaze suddenly became incredibly gentle the moment he looked at Lin Wanwan, so gentle that it seemed to melt away all the winter's chill.
"But if it's a princess..."
His voice unconsciously softened considerably, carrying a hint of cautious longing that even he himself was unaware of.
"Then I will make her the freest and most favored woman in the whole world."
Lin Wanwan's heart skipped a beat.
Xiao Che continued to speak in a gentle, almost suffocating tone, slowly painting a picture of an unprecedented blueprint that would overturn the entire era.
"I will build the best academy for her, invite the best teachers in the world, and let her read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. She can see all the scenery in the world, appreciate the desolate smoke of the northern desert, and admire the spring rain of the south."
"She doesn't have to get married."
These six words, spoken by an emperor, carried immense weight!
"If she meets someone she likes, that person must be a first-rate hero in this world, and must pass my test. If she never meets such a person in her life, that is fine too. You and I will take care of her for the rest of her life."
"She can be a lady-in-waiting, she can have her own staff like you, and do whatever she wants. As long as she is happy, I will clear all obstacles for her."
“As long as it’s what she wants to do,” Xiao Che said, holding Lin Wanwan’s hand with a gentle yet firm gaze, “I will grant it.”
Lin Wanwan was completely stunned.
She stared blankly at the man before her, at the genuine sincerity and doting in his eyes. Her heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by a warm, large hand, a bittersweet, throbbing sensation, yet also an unprecedented surge of emotion.
This is not an emperor talking about his child; it is a husband making the most solemn promise to his beloved wife.
"Why..." she couldn't help but ask softly, "Why...why would you think that?"
Xiao Che smiled. He reached out his other hand and gently stroked her cheek, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.
“Because I know,” he said in a low voice, “this is what you want to see in a woman.”
"You hope that they can not be defined by their birth and marriage, and that they can stand between heaven and earth based on their own talents. My daughter, my daughter and your daughter, should naturally be a role model for all women in the world."
He understands.
He actually knew everything.
He understood the respect for women's value behind her establishing the system of female officials; he understood the yearning for freedom behind her wish for her daughter to "take her mother's surname and be content with what she has." He did not regard these as "womanly views," but rather treasured them in his heart and was willing to devote the power of an entire empire to realizing all of this for their daughter.
This love extended to everything connected to her, this deep-seated understanding and respect, which stirred Lin Wan-wan's heart more than any "I love you" could.
Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
Looking at the man before her, this emperor who appeared cold and ruthless to outsiders but acted like a child in front of her, all her defenses crumbled at that moment.
She subconsciously looked up at the emoji area above his head.
There, the serious reflections on the foundations of the nation and the stability of the country had vanished. In their place was a cute cartoon emperor, looking at two tiny baby icons with a conflicted expression—one wearing a small crown, the other with a bow.
Above the entire emoji, a line of small text with pink hearts clearly appears:
I love all our children! But my daughter seems a little cuter? .jpg
So... after all that he said, deep down he actually favored his daughter a little more?
Lin Wanwan looked at the insincere handwriting and the feigned serious expression on his face, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Tears, however, slid down her cheeks along with the laughter.
She didn't say anything more, but simply reached out her hand and took his warm and generous hand in her own, firmly.
A thousand words are left unsaid.
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