Chapter 136 A New Dynasty, A New Look

With Chen Ruliang's conviction, the position of Minister of Works became vacant again. Emperor Yuanxing then transferred Xiao Yu to the position and promoted Pang Weihan, the Right Vice Censor who had rendered meritorious service in the trial, to Grand Censor.

The Grand Censor and the Ministers of the Six Ministries were both of the second rank, but the Grand Censor's duty was to supervise all officials, so he did not wield as much real power as the Ministers of the Six Ministries. Furthermore, because the Ministers of the Six Ministries directly handled state affairs, they were more likely to be promoted to Prime Minister when the position of Chancellor of the Secretariat became vacant. Now, Emperor Yuanxing had only recently ascended the throne when he reinstated Xiao Yu to the Six Ministries, clearly paving the way for Xiao Yu to take over the Secretariat.

For the officials in the capital, even if Emperor Yuanxing immediately appointed Xiao Yu as prime minister, they wouldn't be surprised. First, Xiao Yu had sufficient political achievements; second, Xiao Yu was the emperor's tutor who had taught him for the longest time; and finally, it was Xiao Yu's desperate opposition to the empress's deposition that preserved the dignity shared by Empress Dowager Xie and Emperor Yuanxing. Otherwise, if the late emperor had truly deposed the empress, and if he had lived longer, who could say that he wouldn't have then deposed the crown prince as well?

Regardless of whether Xiao Yu was trying to protect Emperor Yuanxing or to uphold the late emperor's reputation and ensure the stability of the court, he was willing to sacrifice his own life for Emperor Yuanxing and his mother. Who in the entire court could match such loyalty?

Therefore, Pei Xingshu's joking remark that Xiao Yu could act with impunity in the court of this dynasty is entirely true.

In addition to a series of official reshuffles, Emperor Yuanxing also promoted the late Emperor's Consort Lin and Consort Liang to the rank of Dowager Consorts in accordance with the rites. He also conferred the title of Prince Shou upon the twelve-year-old son of Dowager Consort Lin and the title of Princess Chang Le upon the eight-year-old daughter of Dowager Consort Liang. Because they were still young, Prince Shou and Princess Chang Le would continue to stay in the palace for education and education until they reached the appropriate age to establish their own residences.

The late emperor's harem still had some low-ranking beauties who had no children, ranging in age from seventeen or eighteen to twenty-three or twenty-four. Empress Dowager Xie decided to send them back to their parents' homes and allow them to remarry.

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When the couple brought up this series of events separately, Luo Fu read out the titles bestowed upon Prince Shou and Princess Chang Le, and sighed, "Looking at the titles the Emperor bestowed upon these two younger siblings, it's clear that the Emperor still wants to be a kind elder brother. At least he has the heart to be a good elder brother. It all depends on how Prince Shou and Princess Chang Le act in the future."

Whether they were born of the same father and mother or half-brothers, affection is built up little by little. Consort Li, relying on the emperor's favor, became arrogant and did not respect the former empress and crown prince. She and her four children also regarded their stepmother and eldest brother as enemies who had stolen their rightful honor. The mother and her children worked together to humiliate the late emperor, so it is no wonder that the former crown prince wanted to settle scores with them after ascending the throne.

The wives, concubines, and children of nobles and wealthy merchants could fight tooth and nail for their family property; when it came to the struggle for the throne, the number of royals who died or were exiled would only increase.

Xiao Yu was well-versed in history and was particularly familiar with the various ruthless tactics employed by new emperors to consolidate their power during succession to the throne.

Xiao Yu's ambition was to assist a wise ruler in creating a prosperous era. As long as the new emperor was not too cruel and did not implicate innocent officials and common people, Xiao Yu did not want to interfere. Just like when the late emperor ascended the throne, he first punished the family of the Duke of Changguo, the wife of the Prince of Qi, who might support the Prince of Qi's rebellion. Although the Duke of Changguo's family had indeed committed various crimes, everyone knew the real reason why the late emperor investigated the Duke of Changguo's family.

The same applies to Emperor Yuanxing's exile of Consort Li and her five children. Consort Li and the Second Prince's ambitions are well-known, and the mother and her children have also been accused of verbally cursing the Empress Dowager and the new emperor, which is a great disrespectful act. However, as long as Emperor Yuanxing does not pursue the matter, such verbal matters can be completely overlooked, and Consort Li and her children can live peacefully in the palace and the capital.

But why should Emperor Yuanxing repay evil with kindness? If Emperor Yuanxing had truly repaid evil with kindness, would he have gained a reputation for benevolence, but would it have truly been a good thing for the court and the people of the world?

Sometimes repaying evil with kindness is a good thing, but sometimes it can turn into raising a tiger that will cause trouble.

"It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature." Consort Li and the Second Prince's ambition to seize the throne had long since taken root and grown into a towering tree. If Emperor Yuanxing were truly benevolent, it would likely only embolden Consort Li and her son, especially the Second Prince. He might lie low for a while, gradually building up his own power base in the capital as he grows up. One day, the Second Prince will rebel. At that time, whether the Second Prince succeeds or fails, a number of officials, guards, and even civilians will die in the process.

Rather than letting Emperor Yuanxing show pointless leniency and leave behind countless future troubles, Xiao Yu actually agreed with Emperor Yuanxing's decisive measures of punishing Consort Li and her son according to the law and exiling them all. Moreover, as long as Emperor Yuanxing was lenient enough towards Prince Shou and Princess Chang Le, he would not be known for mistreating his brothers.

The Prince of Qi's Mansion.

With the late emperor's passing, Prince Qi, Prince Shun, and Grand Princess Kangping all had to observe a year of mourning. The two princes were obligated to observe mourning, but as for Kangping, who lived outside the palace, she had already observed three years of mourning for her father and mother, just like her brothers. Now that her beloved elder brother had passed away, it was only right and proper for her to observe a year of mourning. Otherwise, in the eyes of the new emperor's nephew, it would appear that she did not respect the late emperor enough. Kangping would never sacrifice the greater good for a small matter.

Kangping himself was willing to observe mourning. Even if Prince Shun had a stroke, he wouldn't be able to go anywhere, not even walk his birds. Only Prince Qi, who was fond of martial arts and activity, felt uncomfortable at the thought of being locked up in the palace for the next nine months and not being able to drink or eat meat.

Besides being dissatisfied with the rigid rules of mourning, King Qi also secretly harbored a fire in his heart!

The fourth brother, who was originally in the prime of his life, has passed away. The newly enthroned nephew is only twenty years old after the New Year. He looks weak and scholarly, and he doesn't even dare to participate in hunting as if he is afraid of blood. What kind of emperor can such a nephew be? Consort Li and Chen Ruliang, who have no troops, no power, and no influence, dared to instigate the fourth brother to depose his wife and then the crown prince. This majestic uncle of the king, the second son of the founding emperor of the Great Zhou, if he were to stand up and compete for the throne with his pale-faced nephew, surely a group of civil and military officials would support him?

For the eleven years of the late emperor's reign, Prince Qi and Princess Qi had always lived a life of humility and subservience. Now, when Prince Qi revealed his ambitions to his wife, she was surprisingly intrigued. Back in her youth, she had no fear of Kang Ping; it was only because of circumstances that she had to fawn over him. If her husband could truly succeed, she could finally vent all the humiliation she had suffered!

In mid-January, just as Prince Qi and his wife were secretly plotting which officials' influence they could win over, a maid who had gone out to buy supplies brought back news that Emperor Yuanxing had ordered the Three Departments to investigate the case of Chen Ruliang's false accusation against former Left Chancellor Yang Sheng.

Prince Qi snorted, "Chen Ruliang is Consort Li's uncle. He's never been one to say anything good. It would be strange if the Emperor didn't settle scores with him."

The couple didn't take it seriously.

Two days later, the nanny brought back another message: several officials had been arrested and interrogated, including a group of palace servants from Consort Li's palace.

Princess Qi laughed gleefully: "Ever since Xie Huaqing married into the royal family, she has never fought or competed. Even I respect her out of respect for her as her sister-in-law. Yet Consort Li dares to rely on the late Emperor's favor to often embarrass Xie Huaqing. Now that Xie Huaqing is the Empress Dowager, if the Emperor still has any temper, he will not tolerate Consort Li."

After listening to the opera, the couple continued to ponder their important matters.

By the end of the first month, just as the month-long mourning period for the country was coming to an end for the officials and common people outside, they still had eight months left. The old woman came to deliver news again, saying that Chen Ruliang had been sentenced to the extermination of his entire clan, and that Consort Li and her five children had been sentenced to exile in Lingnan!

King Qi and Queen Qi were both stunned for a moment.

Chen Ruliang and Consort Li deserved their punishment, but the Second Prince, the Second Princess, the Fourth Prince, and the Fifth Prince were all Emperor Yuanxing's half-brothers. Especially the latter two princes, who were only eight and five years old after the New Year. Even if they had insulted Emperor Yuanxing and his mother, it could be considered innocent childish talk. Yet Emperor Yuanxing exiled them all? Lingnan is a long and arduous journey. Even with Empress Gao's connections, several of the deposed crown prince's descendants died of illness. How many of Consort Li and her children would actually survive to reach Lingnan?

The Prince of Qi barely cared for his own grandson, so naturally he wouldn't feel sorry for his fourth brother's distant nephews and nieces. However, from Emperor Yuanxing's punishment of Consort Li and her son, he realized that this pale-faced, scholarly-looking imperial nephew actually possessed a ruthless and decisive heart. His fourth brother, fearing a rebellion, didn't openly deal with him, but instead clipped his supporters. This imperial nephew…

The fifty-three-year-old King Qi couldn't help but shudder.

Princess Qi also started to back down: "Forget it. Li Wei won't even help his own daughter and grandson, let alone you. Li Chong has now taken over his brother's title of Duke and is only grateful to the Emperor. He is even less likely to help you rebel. Your dream is probably not going to come true. Rather than turning it into a nightmare, you might as well enjoy a peaceful and happy life for another ten years or so."

She didn't want to be exiled, and she didn't want to go to Lingnan to be with her former sister-in-law and niece!

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On the 27th of the first lunar month, the national mourning period ended. After discussing it with her sister, Luo Fu decided that at the end of the month, when Xiao Yu and his brother-in-law were on leave, the two families would go to Ganquan Town together to pay a belated New Year's visit to their parents. The late emperor's death was too timely; the month-long national mourning period encompassed New Year's Eve, the first day of the first lunar month, and the Lantern Festival, causing officials and commoners in the capital to abandon the usual custom of visiting relatives and friends.

As a result, the people in the capital who were eager to visit their relatives all had the same idea as Luo Fu. When the two families arrived at Dingding Gate at the end of the month, they were considered early, but they were still stuck inside the city gate, with a long line of people waiting to leave the city.

Seven-year-old Cheng couldn't sit still in the car. She would lift the curtain and peek out the front every time, and then pout every time she sat back down.

Roland, who had sat down over there, teased his niece: "Your father is a high-ranking official. If you ask him to talk to the Imperial Guards at the gate, we can move to the front and leave the city ahead of time."

Luo Fu watched the spectacle with a smile.

Cheng'er glanced at her aunt, then suddenly lifted the curtain and called out to Pei Xingshu, who was standing by the carriage, having dismounted to avoid startling the horse due to the large number of people, "Uncle, Aunt wants you to go and tell the city guards to let us pass first."

My father was the Minister of Works, and my maternal uncle was the Minister of Revenue; they were both high-ranking officials!

Upon hearing this, Pei Xingshu looked at Xiao Yu standing next to him. Xiao Yu frowned: "You really had this thought?"

Pei Xingshu: "How dare I be presumptuous before the Imperial Tutor?"

Xiao Yu: "..."

He began to suspect that Pei Xingshu was jealous of his past as an imperial tutor, which was why he had been increasingly sarcastic and sarcastic towards him lately.

After waiting in line for more than two quarters of an hour, they finally left the city. With fewer pedestrians around, Xiao Yu sat on horseback and brought up state affairs with Pei Xingshu: "When will you approve the silver requested by Jinzhou for repairing the Great Wall? The Ministry of Works sent people to verify that there are indeed more than three miles of damage that need to be repaired."

Pei Xingshu: "...I'm off today, so I don't want to argue about money with you."

After saying that, he went to his wife's younger sister to complain about Xiao Yu.

Luo Fu lifted the curtain and glared at Xiao Yu: "Don't bother your brother-in-law like you're collecting debts."

This woman has only been the Minister of Works for a short time, yet she has already complained endlessly about her brother-in-law!

Xiao Yu: "..."

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Author's note: Here it is, 100 little red envelopes!

Then I'll take a break tonight and sort out my thoughts on the three dynasties. I'll continue with double updates tomorrow!