Extra six
Before she could speak with Yan Shujin, Empress Dowager Yan received a letter from Yan Zhili. Yan Zhili's letter did not offer much advice, but only mentioned the current state of affairs in the country and inquired about Empress Dowager Yan's health. He did not say anything more.
After the Empress Dowager had it read aloud, she memorized it and would think about it over and over again whenever she had free time. She had originally thought that her son was advising her, but now it seemed that he meant something else entirely, as if he wanted her to think about it herself.
As she pondered, Empress Dowager Yan began to ask herself again: Baojie clearly had more advantages than Guige, so why did she think Baojie should assist Guige?
It's probably because Guige is a grandson, while Baojie is just a granddaughter who will eventually get married. However, although Baojie is married, her daughter has the surname Yan.
Not only that, Empress Dowager Yan also remembered the matter of establishing female households.
Although I still feel deep down that this is a heretical thing, I also feel that other things their family has done are not so easy to accept.
Empress Dowager Yan recalled a sentence in Yan Zhili's letter.
“Mother, you are also a woman. You will have granddaughters and great-granddaughters in the future. I hope they will lead such wonderful lives.”
These words ultimately silenced Empress Dowager Yan regarding Emperor Yan's choice of Yan Shujin as his successor. When Yan Shujin came to dine with Empress Dowager Yan, she directly asked, "Baojie, do you plan to have your future children surnamed Yan or Xinghan?"
Yan Shujin was taken aback upon hearing this, and a guess formed in her mind: "Whether the second child is a boy or a girl, the surname will be Han."
Empress Dowager Yan frowned, agreeing with the suggestion but feeling a bit awkward about it. In the end, she simply said, "You must remember one thing."
Yan Shujin sat up straight and looked at Empress Dowager Yan.
After a long silence, Empress Dowager Yan said, "You must remember, this empire will belong to the Yan family."
Yan Shujin said, "I promise."
Empress Dowager Yan slowly exhaled and finally said, "That's good, that's good. But I'm afraid your days ahead will be difficult. Many people will point fingers at you."
Yan Shujin said softly, "Grandmother, there's no need to worry too much. I've survived the hardest and most difficult times. Now that I'm living in luxury, how could it be any harder to survive than before?"
"And as long as I stand high enough and wield enough power, who dares to say anything to me?" Yan Shujin's tone was gentle, but it carried a sense of confidence: "If it's said behind my back, I can't hear it anyway, so why should I care?"
Empress Dowager Yan smiled, looking at her granddaughter's features, which were still so familiar, only more mature than when she was young, and looked even more beautiful. Empress Dowager Yan never thought that her granddaughter would be so dazzling when she grew up: "That's good."
Yan Shujin took the Empress Dowager's hand, pressed her face against her palm, and said with a smile, "Grandmother, there's no need to worry."
Empress Dowager Yan hummed in agreement. Her granddaughter had changed, but when she acted coquettishly, she seemed exactly the same as before: "What do you plan to do with Gui-ge in the future?"
Yan Shujin said, "I need to talk to Brother Gui before I can make a decision. I need to see if Brother Gui wants to stay in the capital or go to his fiefdom, and where he wants to go in his fiefdom."
Empress Dowager Yan said, "You are the closest siblings, so naturally you should discuss this properly."
Yan Shujin knew that Empress Dowager Yan was worried about Yan Qiyu. She had not intended to make things difficult for or guard against her younger brother, so she did not feel troubled and her words were sincere.
Compared to Emperor Yan's attitude towards aristocratic families, Yan Shujin's attitude was much tougher. She only gave the aristocratic families two paths: survival or death.
To survive, one must relinquish power, prohibit the keeping of private armies, and even limit the number of servants in one's household. Furthermore, it is forbidden to possess weapons privately, and those without official rank are not allowed to carry weapons.
Apart from that, only the books in their collection were copied and stored in the imperial archives. The court was also willing to provide some compensation. All other family property was returned. When Yan Shujin arrested them, he only had the property sealed off and did not confiscate it. This was also in preparation for this situation.
If they refuse, then their entire family will be executed and their property confiscated.
Emperor Yan could see that Yan Shujin wanted to restrict the powerful families, but he didn't intend to exterminate them. Of course, those who didn't know their place could be killed, which would also replenish the national treasury.
Looking at what Yan Shujin did, Emperor Yan occasionally thought back to the past. If he hadn't been blinded by power back then, and hadn't felt complacent because those who were once high and mighty had knelt before him, and hadn't been so restrained in his pursuit of a good reputation, wouldn't everything have been different?
However, life doesn't offer many "back" moments. Even though Emperor Yan noticed that Yan Shujin had made a mistake, he didn't correct her immediately. Instead, he let her learn from her mistakes on her own, while he protected and guided her from the sidelines.
Emperor Yan initially gave Yan Shujin two years, but after Yan Shujin had settled things with the aristocratic families and rewritten the local chronicles, he directly abdicated the throne to Yan Shujin.
Only a year and a half had passed. Emperor Yan knew that if he were still around, Yan Shujin would not be able to act effectively and would be vulnerable to exploitation. Moreover, Emperor Yan wanted to resolve everything before he could regret his actions.
The weather was exceptionally fine on the day Yan Shujin ascended the throne. She knelt on the ground to receive the imperial seal, and was then helped up by Emperor Yan himself. She turned to look at the people kneeling below.
She never imagined she would be where she is today, yet she has gradually made it this far.
Yan Shujin knew that she would encounter many things and many twists and turns in the future, and even a lot of insults from scholars. But the most difficult time had passed. She stood here, not needing everyone's approval. She did what she wanted to do and was willing to do.
My only wish in this life is for all people in the world to be happy, healthy and well.
Author's Note: The next chapter will be about the Empress.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution!
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