It was a perfectly normal statement, and for some reason, it touched a nerve with Si Fengwu, who started laughing like a giddy fool.
"It seems these three little brats managed to grow so robust, and I wasn't entirely useless after all!"
His proud demeanor completely bewildered Lu Qingwan.
She shot him a speechless glance, then lowered her head to diligently feed the little ones.
Seeing that Lu Qingwan wasn't paying him any mind, Si Fengwu unamusedly rubbed his nose and quietly slipped away to deal with his official documents.
A while later, after finally finishing with the three little ones, Lu Qingwan looked up and saw a table had appeared before her bed.
Si Fengwu, who was supposed to be in the side hall handling memorials, had somehow moved a table to her bedside. He was engrossed in his documents, and Lu Qingwan had been watching him for a long time without him noticing.
Lu Qingwan smiled silently and reached for a memorial, beginning to read it. Only then did Si Fengwu look up. "Old Madam Wen mentioned that prolonged reading during your confinement is bad for your eyes. There aren't any urgent matters in court that require your personal attention recently. Leave them to me."
Lu Qingwan chuckled, "You really can't handle this..."
Si Fengwu tilted his head curiously. Upon seeing the cover of the memorial, he burst into laughter. "These rascals, last night I heard them talking about collectively asking you for wives. They actually dare to do it?"
He looked as if he had already known the contents of the memorial Lu Qingwan had picked up.
Lu Qingwan's eyes crinkled as she laughed, "Perhaps stimulated by the three little ones, they've started yearning for the cozy life of wife, children, and a warm hearth?"
The memorial she had casually picked up was from Lian Yu, Chi Jingchuan, Shao Nanchuan, Wen Rusong, and a host of other unmarried men, all requesting Lu Qingwan to grant them marriages.
The memorial was penned by Chi Jingchuan, the most talented among them. His words were sincere, his brushwork sharp, and between the lines, one could sense their longing for the harmonious married life and plentiful offspring like that of Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan.
Lu Qingwan, who had been smiling, found her smile fading after reading it.
"These individuals are all top-tier young talents in the imperial city. It’s not as if they can't find wives themselves. Why must they ask me to bestow marriages?"
Lian Yu's talent was undeniable, and his family background was no less impressive. Although he was a solitary figure, Lu Qingwan had recognized him as her brother and bestowed upon him the imperial surname, granting him boundless honor.
Chi Jingchuan, Wen Rusong, and Shao Nanchuan were all direct descendants of prominent families.
Naturally, Chi Jingchuan's memorial also mentioned Tang Xiao, Li Jin, and other single men.
These men had followed Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan from the very beginning. To this day, each of them held important positions in the court. As long as they didn't blunder, they would be the founders of great noble families in the future. Yet, they were nearing thirty and still without wives, having to implore Lu Qingwan for marriage.
Frankly, Lu Qingwan felt both that she and Si Fengwu had delayed them for so many years and that it was utterly unreasonable.
Si Fengwu, however, did not share her confusion. "The new dynasty has just been established, and all resources are new. Various factions have not yet formed. If they were to marry their families independently, even if they themselves had no such intention, outsiders would naturally perceive them as a single interest group. This would lead to them being guarded against, and even become points of attack in future court struggles. However, if it's like Shao Minmin and Nan Wushang, where everyone knows you personally bestowed the marriage, they wouldn't overthink it. While this seems like a childish prank by these scoundrels, it's likely that some elder is using their marriages to subtly advise you! A few imperial decrees of marriage can indeed resolve the mutual suspicions among ministers; it's quite a worthwhile endeavor."
Lu Qingwan was astonished by the intricate workings of politics. "Bestowing marriages is not a problem, but I can't just randomly pair people up, can I? Both of us have suffered from arranged marriages. How can we force them down the same path we did..."
Before she could finish, Si Fengwu's expression changed. He said coolly, "What do you mean 'both of us have suffered from arranged marriages'? Are you implying you were wronged by marrying me?"
Lu Qingwan was speechless. "What are you overthinking? Wasn't I almost married to that troublesome Feng Qingheng? Besides, our marriage was also a blind union. That we are happy today is entirely due to our good fortune. Who can guarantee that other blind unions will be as happy as ours? Although many lovers might eventually grow tired of each other, we can't forcefully bring two complete strangers together from the start, can we?"
In Si Fengwu's heart, Lu Qingwan, as the emperor, could command anyone to accept a marriage decree happily. However, seeing that Lu Qingwan was unwilling, he wouldn't force his own ideology upon her. He merely cooperated, "If that's the case, perhaps we can invite young talents from the imperial city to the three little ones' full moon celebration. Let them interact with each other. If anyone takes a liking to someone, we can bestow marriage on the spot. If not, it will at least provide them an opportunity to get to know each other. Later, we can create more opportunities for them to meet more people. What do you think?"
Si Fengwu, a man of cold heart and stoic demeanor, had inadvertently become a matchmaker. How could Lu Qingwan not be pleased? Moreover, she understood well that habits ingrained over millennia were not easily changed. If she were to issue an imperial decree for all the children of Tianfeng to pursue free love and advocate for marital freedom, her decree might not even spread throughout Tianfeng before the doors of the Weiyang Palace were mobbed. While she yearned to lead Tianfeng towards a modern civilization, it had to be done gradually. In the decades, centuries, or even millennia after being influenced by her, this time-space might welcome a new civilization, but that was of little concern to her in the present.
Seeing her mood improve, Si Fengwu picked up other memorials and began discussing them with her.
Lu Qingwan had initially thought that without internet or electronic gadgets for amusement, her postpartum confinement would be extremely arduous. In reality, under Si Fengwu's meticulous arrangements, her confinement was exceptionally fulfilling; there was simply no opportunity for boredom. However, Si Fengwu had heard some saying that a month was insufficient for full recovery, and forty days were necessary. Thus, she was forced to remain confined for a full forty days.
On the day she emerged from confinement, Lu Qingwan felt like the Monkey King, having been suppressed by the Five Finger Mountain for five hundred years. From Weiyang Palace to the Imperial Study, to the Lu family, and even to Qianjinfang and Jici Hospital, she toured every place she could. Finally, she returned to Weiyang Palace with satisfaction.
Si Fengwu trailed closely behind her, "Slow down. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. How can you be exposed to the wind?" After admonishing Lu Qingwan, he started complaining, "This weather, why must it snow out of the blue? When we go out, we don't even wear a proper... " His constant nagging gave Lu Qingwan a headache.