Perhaps her expression was too obvious, Yan Ruo Zhao laughed, "What are you thinking about? The Emperor has never had any other thoughts. Otherwise, there wouldn't be only me in his Crown Prince's palace."
Lu Qing Wan grinned awkwardly, "Then what are you two...?"
"We don't plan on having any more children."
Yan Ruo Zhao said this very calmly. Before Lu Qing Wan could ask, she explained, "Back then, we wanted a child. Regardless of whether we could protect him, we had Yuan'er. As a result, he suffered so much.
That was due to the circumstances. We had no choice.
But now, we have the ability to protect him. If we had another child, it would inevitably divert the love that should have belonged to Yuan'er, which would be unfair to him.
Therefore, His Majesty and I have decided that in this life, Yuan'er will be our only child. We will not have any others."
Lu Qing Wan was exceptionally surprised. Since she transmigrated, everyone around her had been of noble status. She never thought that the Crown Prince Si Feng Ming and the Crown Princess Yan Ruo Zhao were anything special.
However, even so, she couldn't believe that in an era where everyone adhered to filial piety as paramount and having heirs as crucial, someone would make such a bold decision.
And the ones who made such a decision were the Emperor and Empress of a nation.
In an instant, she thought of many questions, but in the end, she only said, "Little Yuan'er is truly lucky to have parents like you."
Yan Ruo Zhao lowered her eyes and smiled gently.
"Lucky is not the word. At least he will receive all our love. Only then will his journey to this world not be in vain."
Lu Qing Wan blinked, having no time to think further. A eunuch from Kunning Palace came to report, "Empress, it's time to depart."
The enthronement ceremony and the Empress's ennoblement ceremony were held simultaneously. There was still much to do on this day.
Lu Qing Wan gathered her scattered thoughts and handed a pill she had prepared earlier to Yan Ruo Zhao, "After a day like this, you probably won't have time to eat until evening.
Take this pill with you. When you feel extremely tired, take one. Even on an empty stomach, it will help you maintain your strength."
Yan Ruo Zhao knew of Lu Qing Wan's reputation as a divine doctor and that such a small matter was effortless for her. She didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it.
Just as she was about to leave, a unfamiliar young maid entered and whispered a few words to the head eunuch beside Yan Ruo Zhao. The head eunuch then prepared to do the same and whisper to Yan Ruo Zhao.
Yan Ruo Zhao frowned, "The Princess of Qin is not an outsider. Speak directly."
The head eunuch had been Yan Ruo Zhao's head maid when she was in the Crown Prince's palace. Knowing Yan Ruo Zhao's closeness to Lu Qing Wan, she didn't hesitate.
She said frankly, "My lord received news that the King of Yuezhou is trying to win over several veteran court officials and influential families. They plan to openly question the Crown Prince of Qin's identity during the ancestral worship, forcing His Majesty to disarm the Crown Prince of Qin and expel him from Zhongzhou.
His Majesty and the Crown Prince of Qin have also been notified, but they have already departed and may not be able to spare the time.
My lord has asked us to remind the Princess of Qin to be prepared."
Yan Ruo Zhao's heart tightened, "Didn't the Crown Prince of Qin's identity already enter the imperial genealogy when he first returned to Zhongzhou?
Even the former Emperor personally acknowledged him. What else is there to question about his background?"
The head eunuch naturally could not answer this question. Lu Qing Wan, however, calmly said, "They don't actually care whether the Prince is a descendant of the Great Qin imperial family or the late Crown Prince's heir. They just want an excuse to attack him."
Lu Qing Wan sneered, "Empress, please rest assured and accompany His Majesty for the ancestral worship. The enthronement ceremony and the Empress's ennoblement ceremony today will proceed without any issues."
Seeing Lu Qing Wan's expression, Yan Ruo Zhao smiled helplessly. Lu Qing Wan always had such a strategic demeanor that it made her feel as if her worries were groundless.
All words of comfort and admonition turned into a simple "Be careful" and she was then escorted away by the maids and eunuchs.
Lu Qing Wan subtly gave a look to Ying Shi beside her. The latter nodded, and two unfamiliar maids appeared behind Yan Ruo Zhao.
Since Yan Ruo Zhao, the mistress, had already left, Lu Qing Wan couldn't possibly linger in Kunning Palace.
Ying Shi quietly asked her, "Your Highness, what do we do now?"
Feng Xi Wu being the late Crown Prince's heir was unquestionable. However, someone daring to question his identity in public during such an important occasion as the enthronement ceremony would undoubtedly cast a shadow on Feng Xi Wu's background.
In this era, there were no definitive ways to prove paternity. As long as those people spoke, if Feng Xi Wu ever fell into someone's hands, his background would become the first avenue for others to attack him.
Lu Qing Wan pondered as she stepped out of Kunning Palace. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her. She beckoned to Ying Shi.
"Tell the brothers below to be vigilant and protect the Emperor and Empress along the route. If there are any assassins, leave them to the guards. Your mission today is to ensure the safety of the Emperor and Empress. Don't get your priorities wrong!"
Ying Shi agreed and instructed her attendants to relay the message to the brothers below.
She had expected Lu Qing Wan to perhaps order something to prevent the King of Yuezhou and others from causing trouble.
However, even after Lu Qing Wan returned to Feng Xi Wu's side, she still hadn't received any specific instructions.
Ying Shi could only suppress her curiosity and, at the same time, stare intently at the King of Yuezhou, lest he jump out and cause trouble for her mistress.
The enthronement ceremony was a lengthy process, and Feng Xi Wu, being the new Emperor's only brother, had to be present to observe.
As his Princess Consort, Lu Qing Wan naturally could not avoid it either.
The two stood closest to the altar, watching Si Feng Ming and Yan Ruo Zhao perform the celestial sacrifice and recite the complex sacrificial texts.
After all the procedures were completed, the King of Yuezhou and others, who were supposed to cause trouble, showed no signs of activity.
Feng Xi Wu was puzzled, "Did the Prime Minister relay any information to you?"
Lu Qing Wan blinked innocently, "No. Did something happen?"
Her expression was quite deliberate, almost as if she wanted to tug at Feng Xi Wu's sleeve and exclaim, "Quick, ask me what I did?"
Feng Xi Wu chuckled and lowered his voice, "What did you do?"
Lu Qing Wan replied in a soft voice, "Although Lan An is not a very good person, I think his previous idea was quite good.
If one of the feudal kings were to die here, their sons would only be grateful to us for giving them the opportunity to inherit the throne. The probability of them turning against us for a mere four people is extremely low.
I had someone test the situation with the King of Yuezhou first, to see if it was indeed as Lan An described."
Feng Xi Wu turned back in surprise. Amidst the throng of people, he saw the familiar old face of the King of Yuezhou. He thought he had guessed wrong.
Just as he was about to say that he had already made arrangements and would not give the King of Yuezhou and the others a chance to act, a sudden commotion erupted in the crowd.
Lu Qing Wan's eyes lit up, and she quickly gestured to the person beside her. Ying Shi turned and left.
Feng Xi Wu looked back in astonishment and saw the King of Yuezhou and several officials being surrounded by maids and guards and leaving the crowd.