Chapter 74 A Deeply Planned Manner Unfortunately, the people kneeling before her were the emperor…

"You all hope for a change of dynasty in this capital so that the master you serve can ascend to the throne, is that it?!" The emperor slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

The emperor had just started to feel a little better these past few days, and he was already eager to summon his ministers.

During the court recess, the rumors circulating in the capital almost overwhelmed the palace.

He had expected the ministers to come forward to congratulate him upon seeing his improved condition, but instead, they stood below the hall, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, a minister was pushed forward. After hesitating for a while, he spoke, and what he said was about the matter of establishing an heir!

The emperor was furious.

These days, memorials have piled up like mountains. He glanced at them briefly and found that most of them were about this matter, which annoyed him so much that he simply swept them all aside.

I can't believe these people are so audacious as to bring it up to his face! What else could they possibly mean but to curse him to death?

The leading minister trembled and immediately prostrated himself, saying, "Your Majesty, I dare not! But Your Majesty must consider the well-being of the nation..."

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The establishment of an heir is an ancient system inherited from our ancestors, and we, your subjects, have absolutely no disloyal intentions..."

"Shut up, all of you!" The emperor didn't want to hear them.

This group of people kept coming up with all sorts of excuses, but it all boiled down to the idea that he was old, sick, and about to die, and that they were hoping his two good-for-nothing sons would take over his job!

But when he went to check the princes' homework a few days ago, the eldest prince's notebook was completely blank, he couldn't even recognize all the commonly used characters, and he was trying to get away with it with a grin.

The second prince was even more outrageous. He pushed all his homework onto his study companions while he lay down and slept soundly. When he was caught red-handed, he started to pretend to be sick, making up all sorts of excuses like headaches, fevers, and stomach aches.

The emperor was furious at the thought that the very person these ministers had so desperately tried to elevate to the throne was such a scoundrel.

Overcome with anger, the emperor began to cough uncontrollably, and the ministers instantly knelt down, trembling with fear.

Don't anger the emperor to the point of illness; the heir to the throne hasn't been decided yet!

When everyone was in fear, Princess Zhaoxin slowly walked out from behind the screen, gently patted the emperor's back to soothe him, and took out his usual medicine pills from his sleeve, instructing the eunuch to bring warm water for him to take.

"Father, please do not be angry. You are the Son of Heaven, blessed with long life and good fortune. How could you be affected by a few words from others?" Zhao Xin said, his gaze slowly sweeping over the kneeling officials below.

pity.

The people kneeling are the emperor next to her, not her.

She blinked, concealing her ambition perfectly, and continued to massage the emperor's shoulders, playing the role of a humble and obedient daughter: "Father is already extremely busy with countless affairs of state, and yet these people are so inconsiderate, not one of them understands how to care for His Majesty's heart."

The emperor finally caught his breath and turned to look at her: "Xin'er, now only you don't upset me!"

In front of all his ministers, he pointed at them like a wronged child and said, "Look at them, they all wish for my death and for your two younger brothers to take the throne!"

“We had no such intention…” someone below couldn’t help but speak up.

“My younger brothers are still young and need Father’s careful guidance,” Zhao Xin reassured them gently. “Besides, Father’s complexion has improved a lot recently, and he is about to be safe and sound. Anyone who dares to speak out will be severely punished by your son. They will be dragged out and beheaded!”

These words sound rather impulsive, like those of a spoiled princess who doesn't know her place.

Some ministers below were already showing their disapproval, and one of them solemnly said, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words!"

However, to the emperor, this was proof that his daughter was wholeheartedly protecting him, and he felt extremely comforted.

He finally smiled and said, "Xin'er is the most understanding of me!"

When the emperor looked at his ministers again, he sighed deeply.

"Enough, I am tired. You may all leave. Do not mention this matter again in the future, understand?"

This statement implies that the matter will not be pursued further.

The ministers, who had been holding their breath, finally breathed a sigh of relief. They felt their heads, which had been teetering on the edge, finally fall back onto their necks. At this moment, no one dared to disobey him anymore, and they repeatedly bowed, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

The emperor rose wearily, turned and left.

Only Zhao Xin remained standing beside the dragon throne.

She gazed silently at the kneeling officials, a faint smile playing on her lips before quickly disappearing.

Sunlight streamed into the hall, casting a long shadow of Zhao Xin that perfectly covered the empty dragon throne behind him.

----

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince wishes to see you," a eunuch announced respectfully outside the Imperial Study.

The emperor was reviewing memorials when he heard this. He immediately thought of the eldest prince's blank homework and promptly refused, saying, "Send him back! Don't come to see me until he finishes his homework!"

The eunuch hesitated, "The Crown Prince said he personally prepared the soup for you..."

He could tell at a glance that it was his mother's idea. He was already tired of these people always trying to curry favor.

The emperor waved his hand repeatedly: "Take it back! What kind of behavior is it for a prince to neglect his duties and devote himself to such kitchen matters!"

"Punish him for ten days and let him think carefully about what he should do!"

Unexpectedly, the eldest prince, who came to curry favor, ended up being punished instead, and the eunuch retreated meekly.

The emperor continued to peruse the memorials in his hands, and at a glance, he saw nothing but phrases like "severe drought in Luzhou" and "major epidemic in Luzhou."

He knew about the drought, but when did this epidemic start?

He gradually frowned.

Famine and epidemic have always been regarded as punishments from heaven. If earthquakes, solar eclipses or other such events were to occur, he might not be able to hold his throne.

But after taking a closer look, the emperor's brows relaxed.

It turns out that both of these disasters have been resolved!

The prefect of Cizhou who submitted the memorial did not dare to take credit. In his memorial, he stated frankly that it was thanks to the proper handling of the situation by Su Lin, the prefect of Luzhou, that these two major incidents were resolved.

At the same time, he also praised Su Lin's talent and asked the emperor to give this capable minister an important position so that he could share the country's burdens.

The emperor vaguely remembered the name; it seemed to be the young man that Princess Zhaoxin had recommended to him.

It was the princess who knew how to share his burdens; she recognized his talent at a glance and solved so many problems.

The emperor vaguely remembered that the princess had said this man was the one she loved.

After all these years of experience, it's time to give him a chance to be worthy of the princess.

He was pondering which vacant positions in the capital would be suitable for this future "imperial son-in-law" when the eunuch arrived again, saying that Princess Zhaoxin was outside requesting an audience.

The emperor had no suspicion of this easy-going daughter and immediately allowed her to enter.

Unexpectedly, the princess brought some bombshell news.

As soon as Zhao Xin entered, he hurriedly bowed: "Father, urgent report from the northern border! Foreign tribes have invaded the border, demanding that our dynasty cede territory, otherwise they will send troops!"

The emperor was shocked and, without even having time to think about what had just happened, slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "This is outrageous!!"

Since the previous dynasty's battle, the northern border had been peaceful for decades, and no one expected it to stir up trouble at this time.

The matter was of great importance, but Zhao Xin remained calm and proceeded with the matter in an orderly manner: "There is also bad news. Rumors have it that there are spies in the Northern Army, and secrets such as city defense maps may have been leaked. We must reorganize the Northern Army, as the existing generals are no longer trustworthy."

The emperor almost fainted.

He had only recently recovered from a serious illness, and this series of blows almost made his blood boil with anger. After a long while, he weakly asked, "Xin'er, what do you think we should do about this?"

In the past, he would never have entrusted such an important matter to someone else to make a decision.

But during his illness, he vaguely sensed that the current political situation was no longer entirely under his control.

The ministers, each with their own thoughts, were all eyeing the dragon throne beneath him. Fortunately, he had a capable daughter whom he could rely on.

If Zhao Xin can select capable ministers and generals as before, he can rest easy.

Zhao Xin hurriedly bowed again: "This matter is of great importance, and your son dares not make a decision on his own!"

The more she refused, the more the emperor wanted to entrust her with this important task.

This child is cautious and reliable; even if he can't be perfect, he will never mess things up.

Most importantly, she has never shown any favoritism towards any of her brothers all this time.

In this matter, the emperor only believed that she would not secretly take action to support a certain prince to ascend the throne.

It is clear that military power is of paramount importance. If it were to fall into the hands of any prince's backing, they would likely force him to abdicate soon!

The emperor helped Zhao Xin up, brought her to the table, and personally wrote an edict, solemnly affixing the imperial seal.

Those who receive this decree shall be regarded as if the emperor himself were present.

"Xin'er, I'm entrusting this matter in the North to you." The emperor solemnly handed the edict to her. "You may freely dispatch and transfer anyone you deem useful."

"As long as you can resolve this matter, I will grant you a fief and a title upon your return. When you get married, I will make you the most honored woman in the entire Great Yin Dynasty."

He patted Zhao Xin on the shoulder: "Not to mention Su Lin, whom you have your eye on, even other talented young men, as long as you like them, your father will send them to the princess's residence."

Zhao Xin's cheeks flushed red: "How could Father Emperor make such a joke!"

Despite her angry rebuke, she did not refuse the imperial edict.

She bowed deeply and said, "Your subject will certainly not fail your father's trust."

"Go," the emperor said.

Zhao Xin turned around and walked out of the hall, each step taken with utmost solemnity.

The sun was shining brightly outside, the sky was cloudless, and the azure sky made the whole world seem incredibly vast and distant.

The early spring breeze blew through the newly sprouted buds on the branches, and also gently lifted the strands of hair on her cheeks.

Zhao Xin lowered his head, looking at the imperial edict in his hand, and felt his blood surging uncontrollably.

The Northern Army's long-term truce had indeed produced a bunch of good-for-nothings; she had done her research and couldn't be clearer.

Even the presence of spies this time was within her expectations.

Those good-for-nothings, if you just offer them a little bribe, what wouldn't they do?

But she had already planted her own people in the army and quietly laid a trap. Once those useless people were ousted, everything would be hers.

All she was waiting for was an opportunity, for the emperor to lower his guard and gradually begin to rely on her as his daughter, so that he would share the power in his hands with her, instead of handing it over to those ambitious ministers and his two equally useless sons.

The emperor promised her the highest rank, but the highest rank in her eyes was not the so-called princess or empress, but the only supreme ruler under heaven.

She really wanted to sit in that position.

Zhao Xin composed herself and summoned a maidservant beside her: "Send me back to the princess's residence."

The maidservant quickly replied, "Yes."

While waiting for the carriage to arrive, Zhao Xin secretly began to make plans.

She was going back to write a letter to Su Lin.

Finally, such an opportunity had arrived, and as a long-time ally, she certainly wouldn't forget her.

This grand scheme, meticulously planned over many years, has finally been put into action with its first move, and her hidden allies are far more numerous than just Su Lin.

Zhao Xin gripped the imperial edict tightly.

Father, having been in a high position for so many years, you may have forgotten.

Women like us, who have nowhere to stand, once we grasp something, we'll never let go.

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Author's Note: Actually, the original outline was intended to focus more on the modern setting, but once I started writing about the Empress, I got so engrossed that I forgot everything else...

I had the idea for this princess's story conceived around 2018, and it just so happens to fit into this book. [Applause]