Chapter 132

The future queen is a powerful figure. This was the impression all the civil and military officials in the court had when they first met Ye Jia.

Those who had secretly planned to criticize Ye Jia due to her status now had to think twice. Regardless of what others thought, Ye Jia didn't take them seriously at all. During her time in the palace, aside from the six palace secretaries reporting to her on palace affairs and some decisions she needed to make, she focused most of her energy on weapons and consolidating her business.

Although the prevailing theme of the era was to prioritize agriculture over commerce, Ye Jia still believed that commerce was the key to revitalizing the economy. She firmly believed that the economic base determined the superstructure, and without money, one would be controlled by others.

If you want to be invincible, you can't say that you have to control the economic lifeline of Dayan, but you must have economic conditions that are strong enough.

However, one thing is undeniable: the future empress's status is a very valuable bargaining chip. The empress's influence is much stronger than before. Even those working under Ye Jia are now much more honest, and she has been able to recruit people with real business acumen. Ye Jia was too busy to spare any time, and the Ministry of Rites finally completed all the necessary preparations during this period.

As Ye Jia expected, Zhou Jingchen had no intention of ascending the throne. He was not particularly determined to defend Dayan, so the throne was reserved for Zhou Shubai.

Ye Jia: "...Do you think it's reasonable to dump the burden on a child who is only one and a half years old?"

Zhou Jingchen rarely squeezed out some free time from the busy affairs of state and climbed into Ye Jia's bed late at night.

As soon as he got up, Ye Jia kicked him in the lower back. He helplessly climbed up, clutching his lower back. One of his long legs was crossed, revealing his bony ankle. His slender foot gleamed white in the candlelight. He looked innocently at his cold-hearted wife and blinked, "Why is that unreasonable? He gets to be the emperor, and his own father does all the dirty work."

After saying this, Zhou Jingchen couldn't hide his resentment.

"..." Although this is true, the emperor's burden is heavy. Xiao Shubai is a child less than two years old, and such a huge pot is thrown on his head. It is true that fatherly love is like a mountain collapsing and cracking, and it can really crush people to death when it falls.

Ye Jia choked inexplicably. In the original book, Zhou Jingchen also didn't want to be the emperor, so he gave the throne to the heroine's son.

"You said you conquered Dayan because you had nothing better to do, so you were looking for something to do?"

"..." Zhou Jingchen choked for no apparent reason. He rested his right elbow on his leg and tilted his head to look at the figure with long black hair on the bed. The jade crown on his head was removed, and his black hair, which had grown to his calf, was spread out gracefully on the carpet. The collar of his thin undergarment was open, revealing the smooth lines of his collarbone, which was so beautiful. He smiled faintly: "Does Jia Niang want to be the queen?"

Ye Jia's heart skipped a beat, and she narrowed her eyes and looked at him: "What does this have to do with whether I want to be the queen?"

Zhou Jingchen said as a matter of course: "If you don't want to be the queen, why should I be the emperor?"

Ye Jia was so angry that she laughed. She didn't want to fight yet, but Zhou Jingchen also wanted to join the army to fight, right?

"Don't blame me."

"Passing the buck?" What is this word? It was the first time Zhou Jingchen heard it.

Ye Jia didn't bother explaining, and simply made a vivid gesture of putting a hat on her head. Zhou Jingchen, a very smart man, understood immediately, and smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits. He nodded and admitted very obediently, "Yes, I'm passing the buck. After all, we are husband and wife, sharing the same bed and coffin. I still need to rely on Jia Niang, right? I'm a useless man with a lot of debts, so shouldn't I follow my wife?"

"...How long are you going to keep talking about this shit?" Ye Jia was originally chatting with him seriously, but he let her lead her off the track after a few words. "You're so proud of being a gigolo?"

"I'm proud." Zhou Jingchen nodded seriously, "Why can't I be proud?"

"I was born this way, and you see I was born this way. Isn't this a match made in heaven, a match made in heaven?"

...What the hell was she trying to talk to him about just now? What's wrong with this guy?

Being interrupted by him, Ye Jia felt his head buzzing.

After a pause, Ye Jia couldn't help but scold him: "... You are gold, wood, water, fire, and firewood, and you are salt, do you know Zhou Yunan!"

Zhou Jingchen grinned so hard that his teeth were visible, his shoulders shaking for a long time before he couldn't help but burst out laughing. He hadn't expected Ye Jia to be so amused by scolding people, and the anger he had been holding back for a long time suddenly dissipated. He covered his cheeks with his hands and laughed, nodding repeatedly to agree with Ye Jia: "Right, right, right, gold, wood, water, fire, and firewood, rice, and salt..."

Ye Jia: “…”

I wanted to have a good chat with him about this. It wasn't that Ye Jia thought the throne shouldn't be given to little Shubai. It was that it wouldn't be too late to wait until the child was seven or eight years old... What could a one-and-a-half-year-old understand now? At seven or eight, at least he was eloquent. By tricking him into becoming emperor then, I'd have consulted little Shubai's opinion, which would have at least made the family seem more democratic.

...Well, Ye Jia didn't plan to stay in the harem for long.

The walls of this shabby place are frighteningly high, and at night, the shadows of the trees create a spooky atmosphere. I don't know how many people have died in this palace, but it's certain that the most ghosts are in the Heavenly Prison and the Imperial Harem. Ye Jia considers herself a very practical person. She can temporarily take on important responsibilities and handle some matters. However, she is not very interested in caring for the royal family.

Ye Jia wasn't familiar with the specific duties of a queen in history. Her impression was that she was in charge of the six palaces and managed the concubines. Of course, she didn't despise the profession, but she simply felt that managing women for Zhou Jingchen was something she was really impatient with.

"The Prince Regent is very good, and the Princess Regent is also very good."

Zhou Jingchen, like a worm in Ye Jia's stomach, knew exactly where Ye Jia's bottom line and principles lay. In fact, he had once planned to become emperor himself in this life to prevent a repeat of his past life's mistakes. However, after the birth of little Shubai, his thoughts changed. In his previous life, he chose Zhou Ye's orphan because he had no children of his own. Now that he had children in this life, he naturally had no concerns about a repeat of the tragedy.

"The Prince Regent's Palace is located outside," Zhou Jingchen said with a smile, his eyes sparkling with ripples. "If you don't like living in the palace, you can move out."

Ye Jia blinked and looked down at him.

They'd both been so busy these days that Ye Jia hadn't really looked at Zhou Jingchen in a while. Now, taking a closer look at him, Ye Jia realized he'd become noticeably thinner. His body had grown increasingly lanky, his underwear baggy. Lack of sleep had often clouded his features, and Ye Jia's eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for him.

Zhou Jingchen naturally did not miss the pain in her eyes, and his heart was sweet: "Jia Niang doesn't want to be confined in the deep palace for a lifetime. Isn't it good for her to follow her husband?"

The palace is so deep because one can never reach the end of it in a day. Those who have experienced the free wind and unrestrained clouds outside would have their souls worn out and decayed if they were imprisoned for a long time.

Ye Jia: "...Even if you become regent, won't we still have to stay in the harem?"

"Wait until the court is stable." Zhou Jingchen dusted off his knees and climbed back into bed. He held Ye Jia's wrist with one hand, buried his face in the side of her neck, and took a longing breath. "When Dayan recovers, our family will return to Beiting."

In reality, it wasn't just Yu who was reluctant to leave Beiting; the person most attached to it was actually Zhou Jingchen. He had lived two lives mired in intrigue and deception, possessing supreme power and the authority over life and death. Those who didn't possess it yearned for it, while those who did were constantly terrified. He believed the happiest years of his two lives were simply those spent in Beiting.

The food didn't need to be too elaborate; he would enjoy whatever Jia Niang cooked. The room didn't need to be too big; half a bed would be enough.

Seeing him blinking with sleepiness, Ye Jia finally softened her heart. She reached out and touched his cheek, then bent down and kissed him between the eyebrows. "It's okay to pass the burden to Xiao Shubai. This kid is obviously smart."

Hearing this, the person whose face was buried in Ye Jia's chest slowly raised the corner of his mouth and gently pecked Ye Jia's heart. Feeling the person in his arms tremble slightly, Zhou Jingchen narrowed his eyes. It seemed that compared to his son, he still won.

Although he was exhausted and indeed too sleepy to open his eyes, he couldn't resist the urge to try something filthy after not touching his wife for so long. Zhou Jingchen turned over, lifted her up, and placed her on his waist. He touched Ye Jia's cheek, and then, using both soft and hard tactics and acting coquettishly, he let his wife ride him. Considering that he might die suddenly if he didn't sleep, Ye Jia slapped the man who wanted to do it again, and the two finally fell into a peaceful sleep.

On the day that little Shubai ascended the throne, Yu was completely bewildered. It wasn't until she saw her little grandson, as small as a snowball, sitting steadily on the dragon throne that Yu asked Ye Jia a question, seemingly sleepwalking: "So, I don't have to live in the harem from now on?"

Ye Jia didn't like the harem, and Yu Shi disliked it even less. If it weren't for the ancestral etiquette, she would have moved into the old Jingwang Mansion on the day she entered the city.

"Yes." Ye Jia looked straight ahead, maintaining a calm and composed expression as she responded softly, "If Mother wants to live in the harem, then she can stay. If she doesn't want to, then she can leave. It's up to Mother."

When Yu heard this, her hands almost shook with joy.

Speaking of which, these past few months in the harem had practically worn out her patience. If it weren't for Ye Wumei, Xiao Shubai, and Ruijie'er, she'd have driven herself mad. Yu Shi was unlike the noble ladies of Beijing. She didn't enjoy vegetarianism or Buddhist chants, nor did she enjoy watching opera or playing mahjong. She had no other hobbies in her life, and she wasn't one for quieting down. Living in the deep palace was like being in prison.

"That's great, I'll move back tomorrow."

The Yu family had also been brought to Yanjing and would be back in a few days. If she were free, Yu could move back to her parents' home for a while. "No, no, no, no, I can't leave. If I leave, won't little Shubai be left alone?"

"...Yun An and I will take care of it." Ye Jia felt guilty about what she said and quickly added.

Yu didn't say anything, but just glanced at Ye Jia.

No one knew better than Yu Shi how busy Ye Jia was on a daily basis. She was a good daughter-in-law in every way, except for not being good at taking care of children. With so many things to worry about, she had less time to focus on the children. Although Yu Shi didn't want to be imprisoned in the harem, she was even more reluctant to let little Shubai suffer. After much thought, she finally sighed and said, "Forget it, I'll just stay in the palace."

Ye Jia: “…”

Xiao Shubai ascended the throne and became emperor, and Zhou Jingchen naturally became the regent.

As a couple, Ye Jia did not become the Regent Princess.

Zhou Jingchen, this man, had the ingenuity to create a special title for Ye Jia, a king of a different surname. He enjoyed a fiefdom, free access to the palace, and, along with Zhou Jingchen, assisted the new emperor in ruling the country. Honestly, Zhou Jingchen hadn't told Ye Jia about this bizarre move beforehand, and Ye Jia was a bit surprised. Her only reaction was that Zhou Jingchen was indeed a worm in her stomach.

As soon as the book was put down, there was an uproar.

But as Ye Jia's achievements were publicly read out one by one in the list, the buzzing voices of objection in the crowd gradually died down.

If any man present had achieved so many feats, being crowned a king of a different surname would have been a matter of course. Unfortunately, the person standing before them was a woman, the one who should have been empress. While there had been regent princesses in Great Yan's history, this was the first time a female king of a different surname had held such power. Furthermore, a female king of a different surname with actual power was unprecedented and unparalleled.

Some immediately stood up and denounced the absurdity, citing classics and denouncing the various harms of "hens crowing at dawn." Some were so emotional that they told Zhou Jingchen to rescind his order, or else they would die by hitting the wall outside the ancestral temple!

"Go ahead." Ye Jia was a little surprised at first, but since Zhou Jingchen gave her the respect she deserved, why wouldn't she accept it?

Ye Jia slowly stood up and smiled slightly: "If you don't die in the ancestral temple today, I can also personally give you a ride. If you don't mind, I can also give your family a ride."

As soon as Ye Jia finished speaking, many people remembered the three-foot-high dust storm that had blown up the training ground more than a month ago, and they fell silent in an instant.