Extra: Jiuning Lingyao: Taihe Chengzhi
On the night of the first year of the Guangqi reign, when Ning Lingyao hastily fled the capital, she never imagined that one day she would inherit her sister's throne and become the emperor of this vast empire.
Even after her sister ascended the throne and ruled the world, she never thought about it.
Her sister will always have her own children. Even if she doesn't, there are still male children in the royal family. She never dared to hope that her sister's eyes would fall on her.
In the seventh year of Taichu, when the decree to appoint her as the Princess Zhenguo was issued, Ning Lingyao felt endless panic in her heart. It was not that she did not believe in her sister's decision, she just did not believe in herself.
She lived almost her entire life under the dazzling halo of her sister.
My elder sister was the founding monarch, an invincible commander on the battlefield, and an autocratic emperor in the court. Her achievements were brilliant and her career was as bright as the sun.
And she was just a shadow following behind him.
The pen of history is sharp, and the successor will inevitably be compared with the founder. Can she really bear the responsibility? Will she really live up to her sister's expectations?
Fortunately, her sister gave her enough time.
From the seventh year of Taichu to the twenty-fifth year of Taichu, a full eighteen years.
Her elder sister taught her how to manage government step by step and pushed her into practical work to hone her skills.
Through day after day of learning, observation and practice, she shed her immaturity and finally became a qualified successor.
In the twenty-fifth year of Taichu, her elder sister passed away suddenly. She was already forty-one years old and was no longer the frightened girl she used to be. She had enough ability to take over the vast empire left by her elder sister.
She thought about it for a long time and finally decided to name the year "Taihe".
At her coronation ceremony, she addressed her ministers: "Tai means great, inheriting the legacy of Taichu; He means harmonious, expressing our wish for peace and prosperity for the world and the people. I believe this is also the late emperor's ultimate wish from the bottom of his heart."
The road to Taihe is not smooth.
In fact, twists and turns had already begun to arise since she began to govern the country in the 20th year of Taichu.
That year, my elder sister went against all odds and promoted Su Qingfan to the position of Chief Minister. People in the court and the public said that His Majesty was paving the way for the Crown Princess.
But for Ning Lingyao, it was a kind of pressure.
Compared with Su Qingfan and those old ministers who followed her sister all the way from Mingzhou, what she did was really too little.
She lacked the achievements to match her sister's glory, which made her more cautious and even hesitant in exercising her power as regent.
She can only be more diligent, take care of things herself, and strive to avoid mistakes in government affairs.
But no one expected that just when she was realizing her ambitions, her sister suddenly changed.
First, she became increasingly harsh in her treatment of her ministers, often demoting or dismissing them from office. Even Su Qingfan, who had always been her sister's right-hand man, was repeatedly reprimanded. During one court meeting, he was even beaten with a stick. Her sister even threatened to "depose the prime minister."
Rumors began to spread quietly.
It is said that His Majesty has grown old, has become self-willed and conceited, is obsessed with power, and is unwilling to let go.
Ning Lingyao didn't believe it.
How could her elder sister, who had been so wise and powerful throughout her life, become one of those foolish and senile kings in history books? She had witnessed with her own eyes how her elder sister valued talent and how she readily accepted good advice!
She tried to find her sister to argue: "Sister, why do you treat Su Xiang like this? She is an old minister who has followed you for many years!"
Ning Lingyi turned her back to her: "Why, are you going to tell me how to be a king now?"
"I dare not, but..."
"Back off!"
That time, my sister became furious and put me in solitary confinement for three months.
When she finally came out of confinement, she felt the oppressive atmosphere of the entire court. It was thrilling to serve an aging and unpredictable king.
Various forces that had been temporarily dormant due to the power of their sister seemed to be beginning to surge again.
Ning Lingyao sat alone in the Princess's Mansion for a day and a night.
She remembered her sister's advice: "If one day in the future, I become ugly and obsessed with power... I want you to kill me with your own hands."
I was confused at the time, but now I think it was a prophecy?
No, she would never kill her sister.
But she had to do something.
The next day, she brought along Duke Wuyi Wang Mengzi, Prime Minister Su Qingfan and other core ministers and broke into her sister's bedroom.
She knelt before the imperial couch and said, "Sister, please rest assured and enjoy your life in the harem. I will handle the political affairs."
Wang Mengzi knelt down immediately after him and said in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, for the sake of our country, please reconsider!"
Su Qingfan also knelt slowly: "Your Majesty, we beg you to do so."
Ning Lingyi leaned on the couch, his eyes sweeping over her, then over the mass of kneeling ministers behind her, and asked, "Are you trying to force the emperor to abdicate?"
"It's not to force you to abdicate." Ning Lingyao raised her head and looked directly at her sister. "It's to preserve your lifelong reputation and to keep our Taichu kingdom stable. Please...help me."
"Fulfillment?" Ning Lingyi chuckled. "Is this your reward to me? Is this what you should do as the Crown Princess?"
"I will always remember your teachings." Ning Lingyao looked at her directly. "As a ruler, you should put the country first."
She took an ornately decorated dagger from the tray held by the eunuch beside her, raised it above her head with both hands, and presented it to Ning Lingyi: "If you suspect me of disloyalty, you can use this sword to kill me today. I will have no complaints."
There was a dead silence in the hall, and everyone held their breath.
Ning Lingyi looked at her, her gaze lingering on her resolute face for a long time, then moved to the dagger. She reached out, grasped the hilt, slowly pulled it out, and finally, gently touched Ning Lingyao's neck.
The moment the cold sword blade touched her skin, Ning Lingyao heard Wang Mengzi's nervous gasp, but she always looked straight into her sister's eyes and never retreated.
The expected pain did not come.
She heard a very light sigh, followed by the crisp sound of a dagger falling to the ground.
"Forget it..." Ning Lingyi's voice seemed to age a lot in an instant, "This position will be yours sooner or later."
She waved her hand and said, "As you wish."
Sure enough, sister, still sister.
Ning Lingyao kowtowed deeply: "Your humble sister...will definitely live up to your trust."
From then on, Ning Lingyao began to truly take charge of the government affairs, and Ning Lingyi moved to the deep palace and no longer asked about specific government affairs.
Until the first year of Taihe, the country was stable and all things were revived.
Once when sorting out old palace files, Ning Lingyao accidentally came across the imperial physician's pulse diagnosis records from twenty years after Taichu. It was clearly recorded that her sister had already become ill due to overwork at that time, and her five internal organs were weakened, and no medicine could save her.
Her hands trembled as she stroked the yellowed pages. Those pulse records were like a key that unlocked the doubts in her heart.
Her elder sister's seemingly "foolish" behavior in her later years, her sudden harsh criticisms, her suppression of Su Qingfan, and even her deliberate attempts to provoke her, the Crown Princess...
Everything has an answer.
She is not clinging to power, she is paving the final path for herself in her own way.
She deliberately played the role of a foolish king, arousing the fear and dissatisfaction of the court officials, and then through the "forcing the emperor to abdicate", she transferred all the sympathy, expectations and loyalty to her, Ning Lingyao.
She was using her last bit of reputation to clear away potential obstacles for her, forcing her to grow rapidly, and making all the civil and military officials in the court loyal to the new monarch.
"Your Majesty..." The personal maid stepped forward worriedly, only to see her in tears.
A drop of hot tear fell on the yellowed paper.
"Sister... I finally understand you."
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