Traveling through the busy farmland of a peasant girl

When the news of Empress Shen Li's pregnancy came, she was filled with joy and pride of being a new mother. She completely ignored the many taboos that everyone said and resolutely decided to announce it to the world in the court.

During the morning court session, the Golden Palace was solemn and dignified. The ministers stood in order of rank in a state of total silence.

Shen Li, dressed in a gorgeous gown embroidered with golden dragons, sat upright on the majestic dragon throne. Her face shone with a gentle glow. After glancing at the ministers, she spoke in a clear and firm voice, "My dear ministers, today I have good news to share. I am pregnant."

These words were like a huge rock dropped into a calm lake. There was a brief silence in the court, and then the ministers whispered to each other, and then they knelt on the ground, shouting "Congratulations, Your Majesty". The congratulations echoed throughout the hall.

After the court quieted down a bit, Shen Li continued, "After I become pregnant, I need to rest and take care of the baby. I will no longer attend court every day, and most of the government affairs will be handled by Lord Ruihua." As soon as these words came out, the ministers started talking again. Some had doubts about Lord Ruihua's ability, while others were happy about the empress's good news.

Shen Li looked around at everyone with a piercing gaze, his expression solemn, and he slowly said: "Since I ascended the throne for half a year, Ruihua Jun has always been by my side, handling countless affairs in the court.

In just six months, whether it was the thorny problems of people's livelihood or the complicated disputes in the court, he was able to deal with them clearly and in an orderly manner.

Faced with the interest game among various forces, he was always able to weigh the pros and cons and come up with appropriate solutions; when implementing new policies, faced with numerous obstacles, he relied on his excellent eloquence and extraordinary strategy to persuade a group of ministers to ensure the smooth implementation of the new policies.

His ability and loyalty are evident to me, and so are all your beloved ministers. From the moment I ascended the throne, I anticipated that various circumstances might prevent me from personally managing state affairs, and so I early on focused on training Ruihua Jun to assist in government affairs.

Now that I am pregnant, I need to rest assured and take care of the baby. From now on, I will leave the government affairs to him. My dear ministers, please rest assured and do not worry about this." After hearing this, the ministers knelt and accepted the order.

When Emperor Xuan Ye learned that Shen Li was pregnant, he was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He immediately ordered people to summon Shen Li's father, Duke of Zhenguo Shen Shaodong, and her mother, Zhang Xiu Niang, into the palace.

Xuan Ye saw Shen Shaodong in the inner hall, and walked over to him with a big smile, patting his shoulder: "Shaodong, Li'er is pregnant, and we're all going to be grandfathers!"

Shen Shaodong's face was also filled with joy: "Yes, Your Majesty, this is a great joyous event!"

Xuan Ye pulled Shen Shaodong to sit down and said with emotion, "Speaking of which, at first I envied you for having a treasure like Li'er. Later, as I got to know you better, I realized you were a rare military talent. The soldiers you led are all loyal to their country and patriotic, facing life and death without fear. You are truly the pillars of our country!"

Shen Shaodong quickly said modestly, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is all my duty."

Xuan Ye continued, "And those concepts you proposed, such as 'prosperity, democracy, civilization, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendliness', coincide perfectly with Li'er's ideas. You truly deserve to be Li'er's father. Your thinking is truly unique. No wonder you were able to raise such an outstanding empress like Shen Li."

Shen Shaodong responded with a smile: "This is all for the country and the people. I hope to contribute to this world."

On the other hand, Zhang Xiu Niang was extremely anxious after learning that her daughter was pregnant, and hurried to Shen Li's bedroom. When she saw Shen Li, her eyes instantly reddened, and she quickly stepped forward to hold her daughter's hand, saying distressedly: "My daughter, you are pregnant, please be careful!"

Shen Li looked at her mother's anxious look, and her heart warmed. She smiled and comforted her, "Mom, don't worry, I'm fine."

Zhang Xiu Niang, however, did not dare to relax at all and began to give detailed instructions: "You are in good health now, so you can't work as hard as before. You should pay more attention to your diet. Eat more nutritious food and less spicy and greasy food. You should also walk slowly on weekdays and have someone by your side at all times. Also, you must stay in a good mood and don't worry about trivial matters."

Shen Li nodded seriously and agreed one by one: "Mother, I remember everything, don't worry."

Zhang Xiu Niang talked a lot, from daily life during pregnancy to the situations that might be encountered during delivery, no matter how big or small.

Shen Li listened quietly, feeling her mother's meticulous care, her heart filled with warmth. Everyone was immersed in this joyful atmosphere, looking forward to the arrival of a new life.