Chapter 975 Preference and Exceptions
Recently, a terrible rumor has been quietly spreading among the royal family and nobles.
The general content is that Emperor Ji was injured while marching and fighting in wars in his early years, so he will never have his own children in this life.
This rumor was so sensational that no one believed it at first.
But if you think about it carefully, Emperor Ji is obviously at the age of full vigor and vitality, but his harem is empty with only one queen and one concubine. He is usually indifferent to women, and he has no children for many years.
It seems... that the rumor is really possible.
But the clan nobles were not fools. No one dared to easily believe something that could shake the foundation of the country. They just investigated secretly and pondered over it carefully.
Until one morning during the court session, Gongsun Rong brought a one-year-old girl to Emperor Ji and handed her to him personally.
All the civil and military officials in the court were stunned.
Emperor Ji held the child's hand, swept his cold and majestic eyes over the crowd, and asked a question that no one had thought of -
"What kind of heir do you think can benefit the people if he inherits the throne?"
One problem directly burned out all the old-fashioned CPUs in the court.
The first reaction must be the Crown Prince!
As for whether the crown prince is the legitimate heir, the eldest son, or the most virtuous, the royal family and court officials have different opinions, so it is really hard to say.
It was surprisingly quiet in the morning, so quiet that the only sound could be heard was the unconscious babbling of a one-year-old baby.
Finally, one person stood out from the crowd.
"I believe that the selection of a crown prince should be based on virtue first."
The clear and melodious voice poured down like a spring, and everyone looked at the person who spoke - Ji Shan.
At the head, the usually dignified emperor laughed out loud for the first time, "What a great way to put the virtuous first!"
Ji Shan's words broke the deadlock.
Cheng Xi no longer expected the civil and military officials in the court to understand his meaning, and simply issued the decree he had written in advance.
All clan members and court officials could send one young son into the palace to be raised uniformly there.
As for what kind of person he wanted to educate, Cheng Xi did not say it explicitly, but based on his previous words "the crown prince should be virtuous first", even a fool could understand what Emperor Ji wanted to do.
Such a shocking thing, because the beneficiaries were clan relatives and court officials, in the end even the several imperial censors just frowned and did not say a word of opposition.
After court dismissal, Cheng Xi brought his one-year-old child to Shi Li.
Shi Li had long known that Gongsun Rong had found an orphan by chance among the people, and would bring the child here today to kick off the opening of the "Royal Kindergarten".
But when she saw the child that Cheng Xi brought to her, she was still stunned.
After reacting, he reached out and poked the child's cheek, looking at Cheng Xi speechlessly, "Did you really just find this child?"
How could any random child look exactly like her?
Looking at that pair of round eyes, Shi Li even suspected that she had lost her memory and had really given birth to a child and then forgotten about it.
Cheng Xi smiled without saying anything and just handed the child to Shi Li.
It was not known whether the child was destined to be with the couple, but he was not shy at all and simply stretched out his hands to let Shi Li hold him.
Who can resist such a soft and cuddly mini version of themselves?
Shi Li couldn't refuse, so she held the sweet-smelling baby in her arms and started teasing him with a smile on her face.
Cheng Xi was watching from the side, the frost on his face disappeared without a trace, and he looked like an ordinary man enjoying his beautiful wife and children surrounding him.
It took some time for the clan members to digest this matter, but they quickly and swiftly sent the child over.
The Royal Kindergarten is running smoothly.
Of course, there are also relatives who are reluctant to be separated from their own flesh and blood. After they have come to terms with it, they no longer care about the wealth and glory in the palace, and they happily enjoy family happiness behind closed doors.
All the other children in the kindergarten came with names, but the one sent by Gongsun Rong was a real orphan, without even a name.
Shi Li and Cheng Xi once again achieved a tacit understanding in the matter of naming.
"Qin'er?"
"Why not call Qin'er first?"
The couple who said the same thing couldn't help but smile at each other.
After solving this problem, Shi Li also had a direction to work hard for. She taught the kindergarten children on a regular basis every day and played with them after class.
Life is carefree.
However, he often heard rumors about the princess and Prince Yan, and was worried about Cheng Danzhu.
At this time, Concubine Wei once again proved that she was the chosen worker.
Without Shi Li's instructions, he quietly found out about many things, and then reported to her when Shi Li was not busy.