Chapter 273 Successor
Inside the Jingren Palace, the Empress Dowager sat on the phoenix chair with a slightly frown on her face, looking worriedly at the Emperor Lin Ruiyuan standing below.
"Emperor, I know you have deep feelings for Jiang Wan, but she is gone. As the ruler of a country, you should put the country first and not dwell on the sorrow of the past."
The Queen Mother spoke earnestly, patting the armrest gently.
Lin Ruiyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes revealing determination and sadness, "Mother, how could I forget? Wan'er and I had a bond stronger than gold, and she left in front of me like that. Every time I think of her, my heart aches."
The Queen Mother stood up, walked to the Emperor, and gently held his hand. "Yuan'er, I understand your pain, but look at you now. You have no one in your harem. You don't even have an heir to this huge country. What should you do?"
Lin Ruiyuan broke free from the Queen Mother's hand and turned away, "Mother, I have no interest in this now."
The Queen Mother sighed, "Emperor, you must know that you have a great responsibility. If Jiang Wan is still alive, she would not want to see you so depressed, and would not want to see the country without a successor. You should cheer up, choose a new concubine, and expand the royal family."
Lin Ruiyuan was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Mother, I no longer have any thoughts about other women."
The Queen Mother raised her voice slightly, "Emperor, you are confused! Are you going to disregard the country and the people of the world for the sake of a dead person?"
Lin Ruiyuan's body trembled, and a look of pain appeared on his face, "Mother, please stop talking!"
The Queen Mother looked at the Emperor like this, feeling both angry and compassionate. She softened her tone, "Emperor, I am doing this for your own good, for the sake of this country. Think about it carefully, and don't be so stubborn."
After that, the Queen Mother shook her head and turned to walk towards the inner hall, leaving Lin Ruiyuan standing there alone, looking lonely and full of thoughts. After a long while, he dragged his heavy steps and left Jingren Palace.
……
A few days later, the Queen Mother summoned the Emperor again.
The Queen Mother looked at the Emperor with a serious face and said, "Emperor, I have been unable to sleep at night these past few days. I am filled with worry all over you and this country."
Lin Ruiyuan lowered his head slightly, looking tired: "Mother, I know your painstaking efforts."
The Queen Mother tapped the armrest of the chair and said, "Why don't you make a change? If you continue like this, how can you be worthy of our ancestors?"
Lin Ruiyuan pursed his lips tightly, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Mother, how can you change your feelings so easily?"
The Queen Mother stood up, walked in front of Lin Ruiyuan, and looked him straight in the eye: "Emperor, as the Son of Heaven, you must know how to make trade-offs. Jiang Wan is gone, and this is a fact that cannot be changed. You can't let this emotion become a stumbling block that hinders the inheritance of the country."
Lin Ruiyuan frowned, with a trace of pain and struggle in his eyes: "Mother, I have thought about letting go, but every time I think of every little thing with Wan'er, my heart feels like it's been torn apart."
The Queen Mother sighed and softened her tone: "Child, I am not asking you to forget Jiang Wan immediately. I just hope that you can consider the overall situation and try to accept new people."
Lin Ruiyuan raised his head, his eyes firm: "Mother, choose someone from the royal family!"
The Queen Mother looked at Lin Ruiyuan with a complicated expression. After a long while, she slowly said, "Since you have made up your mind, I will send someone to take care of this matter. But the choice of person still needs to be carefully considered."
Lin Ruiyuan nodded slightly, his expression still solemn: "Everything is up to the Queen Mother to decide."
A few days later, the list of the royal family members was presented to the Queen Mother, who read it carefully and discussed it with the nanny beside her from time to time.
"These children are still young and I'm afraid they can't take on such important responsibilities." The Queen Mother said, pointing at a few names.
The nanny agreed, "The Queen Mother is right. We should choose someone who is older, sensible and steady."
After a round of screening, three children were finally selected for final consideration. The Queen Mother summoned Lin Ruiyuan to discuss the final selection.
Lin Ruiyuan looked at the information of the three children, pondered for a moment, and pointed to one of them, a boy named Lin Yanche: "Let's pick him."
The Queen Mother looked at Lin Yanche's information and nodded: "This child looks good, has good character, and is quite intelligent."
Soon, Lin Yanche was brought into the palace and officially became an adopted son.