Everyone, regardless of the era, is inherently gossipy.
Seeing the new Emperor looking as if he were about to drop some bombshell news, the civil and military officials immediately sat up straighter, pricking up their ears.
"The matter is this: When I was still the Crown Prince, I had a son with the Crown Princess, who is now the Empress.
The continuation of the royal bloodline is a good thing. Unfortunately, there were disloyal subjects coveting the position of Crown Prince who wished to harm my imperial son.
In their madness, they used a stillborn infant, found who knows where, to impersonate my imperial son.
After this act of substitution, they intended to drown my imperial son alive in a basin of water!"
Perhaps from spending too much time with someone, the new Emperor's ability to change his expression had grown, and even his skill at speaking blatant falsehoods had reached a new level.
Moreover, what the new Emperor said was not entirely untrue.
When Lin Zimo was just born, he was indeed pushed into a basin of water by Madam Xiahou, nearly drowning.
Thinking of this, the new Emperor's not-so-bright complexion turned even more somber.
"Fortunately, my imperial son was blessed with great fortune and was rescued by the opportune arrival of Lord Lin Jingxing.
Lord Lin, being kind-hearted, saw that my imperial son still had a breath of life and took him to seek out renowned physicians.
Unexpectedly, after a period of careful recuperation, my imperial son miraculously survived!
During this time, Lord Lin, through various clues, ascertained my imperial son's identity.
After several twists and turns, he finally came before me.
The moment I learned my imperial son was still alive, I was overcome with emotion.
Most of you, my esteemed officials, are fathers yourselves, and I believe you can empathize.
However, precisely because he was lost and then found, I became even more anxious about this imperial son.
Considering my circumstances at the time and the unpredictable potential dangers.
Even with a thousand reluctances in my heart, I could only grit my teeth in pain and send my imperial son away from me, far from the turbulent East Palace.
For this reason, I needed to arrange a new identity for my imperial son and find someone of known background to raise him.
And Lord Lin Jingxing, who was studying in the Hanlin Academy at the time, was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.
Thus, after deliberation.
Lin Jingxing took the imperial son back and had him recognized as his own, adopted by him and his recently wedded wife.
This adoption lasted for five years.
As for why the Empress would enter and exit with Lord Lin, the reason was simply her deep affection for her son.
At first, the Empress suffered the pain of losing her child.
The Empress, who had been weeping her days away, finally received the joyous news that her imperial son was still alive, only to be forced by my incompetence to be separated from her newborn imperial son.
So, when she learned that Lord Lin had been promoted to Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture and had moved his family to the capital.
The Empress could no longer suppress the excitement in her heart and urgently wished to see her imperial son.
This led to a series of misunderstandings that followed.
But in the final analysis, it was my incompetence, my failure to allow them even the simplest reunion of mother and son."
After speaking, the new Emperor gazed tenderly at the person beside him and confessed:
"Empress, you have suffered these past years.
I know you harbor resentment towards me, but I promise you.
From this day forward, as long as I am on the throne, the harem will never take in new consorts; there will only be you, the Empress.
Furthermore, I solemnly declare that I will rename our imperial son, Lin Zimo, to 'Xia Zimo' and establish him as the Crown Prince."
Lin Qingge couldn't help but give a thumbs-up to the new Emperor's performance.
Tsk, a dog of a man is indeed a dog of a man.
The story he spun, if she hadn't known the truth beforehand, she too would have been deeply moved by this poignant love story.
But the reality was that this dog of an Emperor, in order to comfortably remain a hands-off ruler.
Not only did he tolerate that imposter Shangguan Yuyan, but he shamelessly entrusted his own flesh and blood to his cheap brother's care.
Or rather, not!
Although her cheap brother had readily agreed, he had sent the infant Lin Zimo back to their hometown to be raised by her.
So, was she the ultimate sucker?!
Feeling weary, Lin Qingge crossed her arms and glared at the new Emperor, who was performing a solo act on the high platform.
Meanwhile, the civil and military officials, who had absolutely not expected the new Emperor to reveal such a shocking secret and even directly establish a Crown Prince, stood up in a flurry after their initial shock and advised:
"Your Majesty, your humble servant believes that the position of Crown Prince concerns the destiny of the entire Great Xia Kingdom and must not be handled so carelessly!"
"Indeed, Your Majesty. His Highness the Prince has been living outside the imperial family for many years; he should first be recognized by his ancestors and have his royal identity confirmed before any arrangements are made."
The civil and military officials spoke one after another. The already kneeling crowd instantly doubled in size.
Their anxious and worried expressions were as if the one being made Crown Prince was not a prince, but an enemy who would rob them of their wealth and status!
Some even began to attack the Empress.
"Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven, bearing the royal bloodline.
Your deep affection for the Empress is indeed a beautiful tale.
But if it causes the Empress to be stigmatized as one who bewitches the Emperor, hinders the continuation of the royal bloodline, and sows chaos in the harem..."
"Go to hell with your sowing chaos in the harem!
Is it that there is no existing prince to inherit the throne, that the royal bloodline is being hindered?"
Lin Qingge could tolerate other things, but she absolutely could not tolerate these scoundrels slandering her sister Ning Yue!
They were all thousand-year-old foxes, who were they trying to pull a fast one on with this ghost story!
Thinking of this, Lin Qingge sneered and directly tore off the fig leaf:
"Your Majesty's deep affection for the Empress and having an intelligent imperial son is a blessing for the people and a fortune for Great Xia.
But you, all of you, have come out to obstruct it.
What right do you have to point fingers at other people's family affairs in their own home?
Is it because your mouths are more venomous than others', or because the previous Emperor had a dream last night and told you to meddle in His Majesty's harem?"
"You—"
Lin Qingge's fierce barrage left the assembled ministers speechless.
Yet, even so, she had no intention of stopping.
"What about me?
If I'm not mistaken, several of the adults who voiced the most opposition just now have daughters awaiting marriage, right?
Pfft!
Isn't it just that His Majesty has abandoned the three thousand beauties of the harem to favor only the Empress, thus preventing your carefully raised daughters from entering the palace to accompany him?
His Majesty has been on the throne for a short time, and the vast harem has only the Empress, who has been childless.
If daughters were sent into the palace at this time, and the mother's status elevated by her son, the entire family would soar.
If lucky enough to give birth to the eldest prince, prosperity would be within reach.
Tsk, this is truly a clever calculation!
But man proposes, heaven disposes. The adults' plans had not yet begun to be implemented.
His Majesty suddenly revealed that he and the Empress had a son.
This was akin to a bolt from the blue for you.
For the sake of your high positions and the prosperity of your families, even if you couldn't persuade His Majesty to expand the harem, you must sabotage the matter of the Crown Prince.
Gentlemen, am I correct in my assessment?"
"Preposterous! Utterly preposterous!"
Although what she said was the unspoken truth that everyone knew, admitting it was out of the question.