The three of them also pricked up their ears to listen to the Emperor speak.
"Leng Jinyu, oh Leng Jinyu, I truly envy you!"
The Emperor spoke words that were incomprehensible, leaving Leng Jinyu utterly confused. Even the Cold King and Prince An beside him looked bewildered.
Subsequently, the Emperor glanced at the expressions on the faces of the three below and then smiled, saying, "Minister Leng, giving birth to a daughter like yours is equivalent to having a multitude of sons for me."
The three of them: "..."
The Cold King, Prince An, and Leng Jinyu had varied expressions upon hearing the Emperor's words.
"Your Majesty, what has Li'er done now?" Leng Jinyu asked, puzzled.
"Heh heh..."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor chuckled.
"Who among you could have imagined the saying, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it'?" the Emperor asked, looking at the three.
As the words fell, the Cold King, Prince An, and Leng Jinyu silently recited the phrase, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it." As they pondered it, they began to grasp its meaning.
"Your Majesty, may I ask who uttered these words?" Leng Jinyu inquired curiously.
"These words were not spoken by my sons, nor by any minister in the court, but by your precious daughter, that girl Li'er," the Emperor stated, delivering a stunning revelation.
"Li'er said it?"
Prince An and Leng Jinyu were quite surprised to hear this. Only the Cold King remained relatively calm, as he had always known his consort possessed the talent to govern and understood principles far beyond what they did.
"Yes, these were the words Li'er spoke today when she was admonishing Prince Qing outside the Anji Hall," the Emperor said nonchalantly.
"Father, what happened at Li'er's Anji Hall?"
Jun Mohan's expression changed upon hearing Prince Qing's name. Although he knew Prince Qing could no longer bully Leng Ruoli, he was still worried about Leng Ruoli's situation.
Leng Jinyu and Prince An were also very concerned about Leng Ruoli.
The Emperor did not directly answer Jun Mohan's question. Instead, he turned to Eunuch Li and said, "Eunuch Li, please tell them what happened at the entrance of Anji Hall today."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Eunuch Li responded and then recounted the news he had obtained to the three.
After listening to Eunuch Li's account, Leng Jinyu immediately frowned, somewhat worried that his daughter might truly face retaliation from Prince Qing. Even though he knew his daughter's martial arts were formidable now, he still did not want her to suffer any harm.
The Cold King, however, did not worry about Prince Qing retaliating against his consort. His consort was incredibly capable. Setting aside her martial arts, just her portable system space alone meant Prince Qing couldn't harm her.
Prince An, on the other hand, curved his lips into a gentle smile, and two rosy patches appeared on his handsome face. However, his gaze was fixed somewhere unknown, and no one knew what he was thinking.
In short, recently, whenever he heard Leng Ruoli's name, his face would turn red.
"Cold King, Prince An, can you two understand what Li'er's words to Prince Qing meant?"
The Emperor looked up and asked the Cold King and Prince An.
"What that girl said is very true. If we were not descendants of the Jun family's imperial lineage, we wouldn't even qualify to be ordinary citizens. We consume the tribute grain and tax silver paid by the common people, live lives of wealth and status, yet we insult our very benefactors, calling them lowly. No matter who such words are directed at, they would feel terrible."
"As for Li'er's words, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it,' the meaning is very clear and easy to understand. Cold King, Prince An, do you both understand?" the Emperor asked, pointing at them.
"Father, your son understands. 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it' signifies that our Jun family's imperial court is like a boat, and the common people are like water. The water can allow the boat to sail smoothly, or it can overturn and swallow the boat, sinking it into the water."
Jun Mohan explained the saying with a clear expression and a relatively light tone, his voice trailing off with a touch of gravity at the end.
The Emperor nodded with satisfaction.
"Mm, it is good that you have such an understanding."
Then, he pointed to Prince An and asked, "And you, Prince An, how do you interpret this saying?"
"Father, my understanding of this saying is that resentment does not lie in its magnitude, but in the hearts of people turning away. Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it, therefore, we as superiors should be highly cautious."
Prince An spoke gently and appeared very steady, giving a sense of security and reliability.
"Mm, Prince An's comprehension is also very profound."
The Emperor looked at Prince An and nodded with satisfaction.
"You two brothers have both grasped the meaning of this saying very well. I hope you will always keep the words 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it' in your hearts."
The Emperor exhorted the Cold King and Prince An.
"Alright, let's stop here for today. I imagine both of your hearts have already flown out of the palace and are with that girl Li'er. If I continue speaking, you won't be listening anyway," the Emperor said teasingly, looking at the Cold King and Leng Jinyu.
Subsequently, the Cold King, Prince An, and Leng Jinyu bid farewell to the Emperor and left the palace together.
When the three arrived at the palace gate, the Cold King and Leng Jinyu rode in the same carriage towards Leng Ruoli's Anji Hall. Prince An had also wanted to accompany the Cold King and Leng Jinyu to Anji Hall to see Leng Ruoli, but he couldn't find a suitable excuse to go with them.
In the end, he could only stand there, lost in thought, for a long time.
Meanwhile, on Leng Ruoli's side, after dealing with Prince Qing, she had been busy with her consultations. She also made a round to check on patients, examined Yan Shan's leg, and personally instructed several nurses in the clinic on how to change dressings for patients. Everyone was learning diligently.
Later, Leng Ruoli checked on the condition of the young woman. She had woken up, and her mother-in-law had been by her side. After carefully taking her pulse and examining her, Leng Ruoli found her condition to be very stable.
However, her situation seemed a bit volatile. Leng Ruoli had intended to ask her some questions once she woke up, but it seemed that was not feasible. She would wait until tomorrow to see.
"Auntie, Sister-in-law, you can stay here for the next few days. My clinic has everything you need, including food and drink. Every night, there will be a doctor, a nurse, and four guards to ensure your safety. You don't need to be afraid. If you feel unwell in any way, please tell the doctor, and they will assist you."
Leng Ruoli smiled and spoke gently and kindly to the mother and daughter-in-law.
"Consort, thank you so much. If you hadn't taken us in today, my daughter-in-law might not have lived for two more days," the old woman said with a choked voice, her already swollen eyes tearing up again.
"Auntie, after your daughter-in-law takes my medicine and rests well, her health will improve quickly,"
Leng Ruoli comforted the old woman.
"Yes, yes, thank you, Cold Consort. My daughter-in-law has suffered a lot of grievances recently, and her emotions are unstable. Please don't blame her."
The old woman explained on behalf of her daughter-in-law.