Crown Princess
The autumn light of the seventh year of Taichu seemed clearer than in previous years.
On the third day after Ning Lingyao's marriage, she went to the palace with her husband Ji Ling to express her gratitude according to the etiquette.
She was wearing her wedding dress, and her eyes still showed the shyness of a bride and her longing for the future. She and Ji Ling walked side by side on the palace road, just like a perfect couple.
In the Minyou Hall, Ning Lingyi accepted their great gifts. Her gaze lingered on her sister and brother-in-law for a moment, and she encouraged them with a few gentle words, "Husband and wife should live in harmony and be of one mind and one heart."
The atmosphere in the hall was harmonious, as if it was just an ordinary family dinner.
Just as Ning Lingyao and Ji Ling said goodbye and their figures had not yet completely disappeared from the jade steps outside the hall, several eunuchs walked out of the Minyou Hall with the bright yellow imperial edict in their hands, and went to the Princess's Mansion, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Tongchuan Tianxia Office.
The decree is not long, but every word is of great significance.
"Princess Chang'an Lingyao, my sister, is gentle, virtuous, and virtuous. I hereby promote her to the title of Princess Chang'an, with the rank of a prince. Effective immediately, she will serve in the Ministry of Revenue, observe government affairs, participate in cabinet meetings, and support the foundation of the nation."
"Chen Zhiwei, the Minister of Revenue, was a man of great talent and wisdom, and had made great contributions to the management of finances. He was promoted to the position of Minister of Revenue, assisting the Princess Zhenguo and managing the finances of the entire country."
The two decrees were like a huge rock thrown into a seemingly calm lake, instantly stirring up huge waves!
The meaning of the word "Zhen Guo" is self-evident! The whole country was shocked and the government and the people were in an uproar.
Previously, because Ning Lingyi had no children and her body was injured by many hidden injuries from years of fighting, she was not expected to live a long life, and private discussions never stopped.
No one believed that she would give birth to a child with her husband Tuoba Hong, who had an awkward status. More people speculated that this ambitious empress would inevitably be caught up in the turmoil of the succession dispute in her later years. Countless eyes were watching in secret, waiting for that change.
But now, this decree shattered all speculations.
She will never have biological children.
The person she chose was her sister, Ning Lingyao!
The one she wants to establish is the Crown Princess!
For a time, various factions inside and outside the court were undercurrents, and the discussions that had been hidden underwater could no longer be suppressed and surfaced.
*
In the flower hall of the residence of Prime Minister Shen Qingyan, the air was filled with the aroma of incense. Dozens of important officials dressed in red and purple official robes gathered there. They were all from the imperial examination system and were the backbone of the court who upheld orthodox ideas.
"Absurd! Absurd!" An old imperial censor with white hair and beard pounded the table. "Your Majesty has ascended the throne with unparalleled achievements. This is the will of heaven. We, the ministers, have no objection. Can you make your younger sister the crown prince? How could this be considered the norm since ancient times? A younger brother inheriting the elder sister's legacy is a temporary measure. A younger sister inheriting the elder sister's legacy is unheard of! Even if you have no sons, you should choose a virtuous and capable member of the royal family to be adopted as the legitimate heir!"
Someone immediately retorted coldly, "Royal family? Lord Li, have you forgotten that in the first year of Taichu, His Majesty issued a decree that all royal titles of the previous dynasty would be hereditary and pass down to the next three generations! His Majesty has long since disowned those parasites as kin. How could he hand the vast empire back to them?"
"Then isn't Ning Lingyao a member of the royal family?" another person asked angrily. "Isn't the blood flowing in her body Ning's family? Why is she the only one to be exempted?"
"Then you should submit a memorial to His Majesty and ask him!" someone said sarcastically, "Let's see if His Majesty will listen to your words."
Seeing that the hall was about to break out into an argument, Shen Qingyan, who had been sitting silently in the main seat, gently raised his hand and stopped everyone from talking.
"Everyone, please calm down." His voice was not loud, but it made everyone quiet down. "Your Majesty is in the prime of life, just over thirty years old, and the Princess Zhenguo is even younger, only in her early twenties. There is a long future for them as sisters."
He slowly scanned the crowd, his tone calm, "Since ancient times, there have been cases where emperors and crown princes have clashed to the point of being at loggerheads, even resorting to war. There are examples like Emperor Wu of Han and Crown Prince Li, and Emperor Taizong of the previous dynasty and Crown Prince Yin. Aren't there many such cases?"
"Your Majesty is now in control of the world. But power is the most destructive thing. What she can give today, she can take away tomorrow. The Princess is young. If she makes a mistake in the future, what if Your Majesty changes his mind?"
He hadn't finished speaking, but everyone present was a seasoned official, so how could they not understand?
To oppose it now would be to go against the Emperor's will and seek one's own death. It would be better to wait and see what happens.
Between the emperor and the "crown prince," how long could family affection last in the face of supreme power? They could only wait, waiting for the rift that was bound to appear.
An unspoken understanding was reached when everyone's eyes met.
*
After this decree was issued, Ning Lingyao's life suddenly changed.
She was no longer the princess who only needed to study the canal blueprints in the Ministry of Works. She became the "Princess Guarding the Country" and was at the center of the vortex.
Every day when she stepped into the Ministry of Revenue and participated in cabinet meetings, she could feel countless gazes, probing, scrutinizing, awe-inspiring, and many more hidden beneath the surface of respect, making it difficult for her to ignore them.
What made her even more upset was that people with different expressions began to appear around her.
They might be old ministers who seemed concerned, or they might be old members of the royal family who were met by chance, or even some loyal old people in the palace.
They always found opportunities to whisper the most heartbreaking words in her ears in the most earnest tone.
"Your Highness, we are deeply worried about you! His Majesty is now pushing you into the public eye, but who knows if it's just a temporary solution? If His Majesty one day has his own bloodline, where will you be? In history books, how many people who used this as a shield ended up having a good ending?"
"Your Highness, be careful! Her Majesty is a man of great talent and vision, yet also a man of absolute authority. Her allowing you to participate in government affairs today doesn't necessarily mean she's truly giving you power. If you obey in everything, you'll be mediocre and incompetent; if you show off your talents, you'll be coveting the throne! Both advance and retreat are wrong!"
"Your Highness, there are no sisters before power. Look at the events of the previous dynasty. Which one of them is not a bloody lesson? Your Majesty is wise now, but people can change, especially those who sit on the dragon throne..."
These words, like fine needles, penetrated every hole and pierced her heart.
She knew clearly that this was a tactic to sow discord, but after hearing it so many times, looking at her sister's calm and unpredictable face, and the occasional arguments due to different political views, those words were like ghosts, breeding a faint haze in her heart.
She became increasingly depressed, with an indelible gloom between her brows. When handling official business at the Ministry of Revenue, she often stared blankly at the piles of documents.
Ji Ling saw all of this.
On this day off, he didn't say much, but gently took Ning Lingyao's hand and said, "Yao'er, let's go out for a walk."
He did not take her to any prosperous place, but took a car out of the city and came to the canal in the suburbs of Beijing that was repaired by Ning Lingyao.
In the autumn canal, the water flows slowly and clearly, reflecting the high blue sky.
The canal banks were reinforced solidly and neatly, and the fields on both sides were well irrigated. Although the harvest had already begun, one could still imagine the abundant harvest at that time. Farmers in groups of three or two saw them from afar, and although they did not know their identities, they nodded and greeted them in a friendly manner. Some even shouted that the harvest this year was good, thanks to the canal.
Ning Lingyao walked silently, her fingertips brushing over the meticulously stacked stones along the canal. This was her political achievement, the practical things she had done for this land and these people.
Ji Ling accompanied her, walking the entire length of the canal like a typical married couple. He didn't offer any profound lectures, but when she paused, he would whisper about a bank she had pondered over and over, a section of the canal she had discussed several times with an old farmer.
The setting sun stretched the two figures out long.
On the return carriage, Ning Lingyao leaned on Ji Ling's shoulder, looking out the window at the fields and villages passing by. Suddenly, she spoke softly, "I know what they said, too."
Ji Ling held her hand tightly.
She continued, her voice gradually firming, "The Imperial Sister's heart is as deep as the ocean. Any arrangement she makes must have a deeper meaning that we cannot fully understand. When I was fifteen, I dared to ask the Imperial Sister for permission to fight for a path for myself and for all women in the world. Now that the Imperial Sister has placed such high hopes on me, how can I be afraid and hesitate because of a few rumors?"
She turned her head and looked at Ji Ling. The depression in her eyes had mostly dissipated, and the brilliance he once knew shone again. "She pointed this path for me, so I will walk on it. I believe in her, and I also believe in myself."
Ji Ling smiled slightly and said gently, "Your Highness, I will always be with you."
From the seventh year of Taichu to the tenth year of Taichu, a full three years.
Ning Lingyao, bearing the title of "guardian of the country", with the unreserved assistance of the Minister of Revenue Chen Zhiwei, delved into the empire's finances. She experienced the game with conservative forces, dealt with thorny disputes over money and grain, and had several heated arguments with her sister Ning Lingyi over her governance philosophy.
After every argument, she thought she had angered the majesty of heaven, but every time, after a period of silence, the imperial sister either adopted some of her suggestions or pointed out her shortcomings. She never received any substantial punishment for her defiance.
She thought, maybe the imperial sister really thought she could do it.
So she became more confident.
She grew rapidly under pressure, shedding her last bit of immaturity, becoming calm and capable, and gradually her brows showed the decisiveness of a superior.
The autumn of the tenth year of Taichu seemed no different from the fateful autumn three years prior.
Ning Lingyao was in the duty room of the Ministry of Revenue, calculating with Chen Zhiwei the reserve plan for granaries across the country for next year. The sunlight filtered through the high windows and fell on her focused profile.
Suddenly, a clear and loud voice of a eunuch came from outside the hall:
"The imperial edict has arrived, Princess Chang'an, the guardian of the country, please accept it!"
Ning Lingyao and Chen Zhiwei looked at each other, straightened their robes, walked out steadily to greet him, and knelt in the yard.
The eunuch unrolled the roll of bright yellow silk, and his voice echoed throughout the Ministry of Revenue, soon to be heard throughout the empire: "I have inherited the Mandate of Heaven and reigned for ten years, diligent and vigilant day and night, never daring to slack off. Princess Chang'an, Lingyao, the guardian of the nation, possesses both virtue and talent. She embodies my ideals and lives up to my expectations. I now faithfully abide by our ancestral teachings and respond to public opinion. I hereby inform Heaven and Earth, the ancestral temples, and the state that I bestow upon you the title of Crown Princess, appointing her as the Crown Princess and placing her squarely in the Crown Prince's seat, to uphold the rule for eternity and capture the hearts of the people."
"Announce it to the whole world, and let all know it."
The Crown Princess!
The dust has settled.
Ning Lingyao kowtowed deeply, her forehead touching the cool stone slab. "Your humble servant accepts your command and thanks you. Long live your majesty, long live your majesty, long, long live your majesty."
The autumn wind blows through the ancient trees in front of the courtyard, making a rustling sound, like a long sigh, or like the prelude to a new era.
*
After the imperial edict was announced, silence returned to the Minyou Hall.
Ning Lingyi stood alone in front of the window, gazing into the direction of the East Palace. The autumn wind blew into the palace, ruffling her frosty temples.
She silently said in her heart: "Yao means beautiful jade."
"Yao'er, I will clear the thorns on your path and break the arrows that attack you from behind. This vast land will be handed over to you in the future. Don't let me down.
"This world was once mine, and it will be yours in the future..."
"One day, it will become the world of all people."
Outside the palace, the autumn sun is shining brightly, illuminating the entire palace.
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