Chapter 79 (079) I'm leaving first.
I haven't tried it, so I don't know if I'll dislike it.
The suggestion was rejected, but their relationship has changed now, so they should at least give it a try.
Zhao Jialing's thoughts were written all over his face, not to mention his innermost feelings.
Xie Lanzhao was speechless for a moment. She gazed at Zhao Jialing and said slowly, "What if I... don't like it?"
Zhao Jialing's heart skipped a beat. Would there be another twist? She stared blankly at Xie Lanzhao, finally banishing her chaotic thoughts to the winds. She muttered, "Then let's try a few more times." As she spoke, she reached out and pulled Xie Lanzhao into her arms.
Zhao Jialing sat in the chair, and the two of them sitting side by side felt a little awkward. Xie Lanzhao, who was being embraced, could only sit on Zhao Jialing's lap. She reached out and grabbed the armrest of the chair to steady herself. Her eyelashes were drooping, and the shadows partially obscured her calm eyes.
"Don't grab the chair." Zhao Jialing swallowed nervously, her heart pounding, and muttered softly.
"Hmm?" Xie Lanzhao's reply was very soft, the slight upturn at the end like a feather fluttering. Her thoughts seemed clear, yet also like floating and sinking in water, making it difficult to grasp a point of focus.
Zhao Jialing then said, "Me."
Xie Lanzhao stared intently at Zhao Jialing without saying a word.
Zhao Jialing blushed, muttered "Put your arm around me," and then took Xie Lanzhao's hand, placing it on her shoulder. Her eyes were bright as she said, "Like this."
Holding onto the chair was indeed a bit awkward. Xie Lanzhao's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she gently raised her other hand and placed it in a comfortable position. Zhao Jialing was delighted. She took a deep breath, hugged Xie Lanzhao's waist, and pulled her closer to her. Her thoughts raced, and her lips moved as she uttered a string of words: "If we were in that position just now, and I hugged you too tightly, I might have broken my hand in a scuffle."
Xie Lanzhao: "..." Sometimes he doesn't speak, sometimes he talks too much, and sometimes he talks nonsense. Doesn't she think it's inappropriate? But upon closer reflection, Her Majesty has always had this temperament since childhood, and when he gets angry, there's a kind of beauty in his indifference to the lives of others.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Jialing looked at Xie Lanzhao with confusion, noticing a hint of helplessness in her eyes. "Did I say something wrong?" Zhao Jialing asked, reflecting on her words for a moment, but quickly dismissing the thought. She stared intently at Xie Lanzhao and said affectionately, "It's time to get down to business."
Xie Lanzhao blushed slightly and deliberately asked, "Is it time to start preparing for tomorrow's court session?"
Zhao Jialing glared at Xie Lanzhao and gave a soft snort. She spoke as if giving a heads-up, saying, "It's about to begin." After hesitating for a moment, she added, "If you don't like it, remember to say so." Sigh, she didn't even want to think about this annoying possibility.
Seeing Xie Lanzhao nod, Zhao Jialing adopted a reverent attitude, holding her breath, and slowly brought her lips closer to Xie Lanzhao's red lips. Her warm breath tickled her face. Just as they were about to touch, she suddenly said to Xie Lanzhao, "Why are your eyes open!"
Xie Lanzhao: "..." A blush had already crept up to her earlobes, and she seemed intent on pushing Zhao Jialing away. But she didn't move, only resignedly closing her eyes. As soon as her vision fell into darkness, her sense of touch became acute; His Majesty's fallen hair nestled against her shoulders and neck, bringing a tingling sensation that seeped deep into her skin.
Seeing Xie Lanzao close her eyes, Zhao Jialing's tension eased somewhat. "It's really starting," she said. This time, she pressed forward without hesitation. Her heartbeat was drawn out, and time seemed to stand still for a moment. Then, with a sudden buzz in her head, Zhao Jialing dazedly looked up and asked expectantly, "How is it?"
Xie Lanzhao was truly at a loss. After all this preparation, it was just a fleeting touch, a brief, indistinct movement. What could she possibly feel? But one thing was certain: the familiar presence enveloped her, soothing her body and soul. Even if she were to act rashly, she wouldn't push the person away. In Zhao Jialing's hopeful gaze, Xie Lanzhao nodded slightly.
Zhao Jialing was satisfied; she was afraid Xie Lanzao would back down at the last minute. She hugged Xie Lanzao tightly, nuzzled her shoulder, and ruffled her clothes before looking up and sighing, "This little attempt has been quite a rollercoaster ride."
Xie Lanzhao: "?"
Were the so-called setbacks not something she created herself?
“I know you went to sleep by yourself last time,” Zhao Jialing said, staring at Xie Lanzhao. “But not tonight.”
The blush on her face gradually faded, but her pounding heart betrayed that her emotions were not as calm as they appeared. Xie Lanzhao met Zhao Jialing's gaze and asked slowly, "Why? Weren't the other rooms made up?"
Zhao Jialing was dissatisfied, but what else could it be? Wasn't that perfectly legitimate? She thought to herself, but she had to find an excuse, saying, "I was afraid you were cold." As she spoke, she pulled Xie Lanzhao's hand down and rubbed it, "My neck just felt like it had two blocks of ice stuck in it."
Xie Lanzhao chuckled softly, "Then Your Majesty may allow me to go find two heaters." It wasn't quite appropriate to sit on His Majesty's lap any longer, so she broke free from the emperor's embrace, stood up straight, and smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes.
"I didn't mean to dislike you." Zhao Jialing reached out and grabbed at empty air, somewhat disappointed. Quickly, she blinked and offered her utmost sincerity, "I was just concerned about you."
This concern lingered in her heart, and even after she lay down in the warm bed, Zhao Jialing didn't forget to inquire about her well-being. She kept adjusting her position, trying to find the most comfortable spot. Xie Lanzhao, on the other hand, frowned slightly. She gently pressed down the fidgeting Zhao Jialing and asked in a low voice, "Is Your Majesty itchy?" This was the first time she had shared a bed with someone since becoming an adult. Her expression remained calm, but the speed of her heartbeat betrayed her. Compared to Zhao Jialing's "lively" demeanor, she lay there almost motionless.
Zhao Jialing was quiet for a moment, then said, "You seem a little nervous." In the darkness, his hand groped under the blanket, trying to feel Xie Lanzhao's heartbeat.
Xie Lanzhao gritted her teeth and grabbed Zhao Jialing's wandering hand: "Is Your Majesty not attending court tomorrow?"
Zhao Jialing's mind was very active. She was not sleepy and was in a good mood to chat with Xie Lanzhao: "The spring night is too short, I am reluctant to sleep."
Xie Lanzhao: "Winter Night".
Zhao Jialing laughed: "That's short on top of short."
Xie Lanzhao reminded her, "Not long ago, His Majesty wished time would pass more quickly."
Zhao Jialing was quick-witted now: "That's because there's no happiness to savor." In the vast darkness, only the lights outside provided a faint glow. Zhao Jialing turned over again, "On this special day, aren't you excited and overjoyed?"
Xie Lanzhao kept her eyes closed, listening to Zhao Jialing's incessant chatter without responding. Her mind was hazy, the familiar scent around her lulling her into a dreamlike state. It wasn't until a voice, "Xie Lanzhao, how can you sleep?" pierced her ears that she was jolted awake. She turned her head, looked at the rambling Zhao Jialing, and lazily asked, "What is it now, Sixth Sister?"
Zhao Jialing was startled: "What did you call me? What did you call me?"
Xie Lanzhao: "I am sleepy."
"Oh, then you go to sleep," Zhao Jialing said, a little reluctant, but not wanting to wake Xie Lanzhao. Although the imperial examinations had been changed to be held every three years, the Ministry of Personnel's year-end winter selection still proceeded as usual. The Ministry of Personnel was extremely busy verifying the qualifications of both current and incumbent officials. During this period, officials in the relevant departments of the Ministry of Personnel did not even need to participate in the regular court sessions. Xie Lanzhao, as the Minister of Personnel and also the chief minister who weighed the entire country, was undoubtedly burdened with immense hardship.
Zhao Jialing thought she would be swept away by the excitement and unable to sleep all night. But in the quiet of the night, with only the soft sound of breathing around her, she slowly drifted off to sleep. When she woke up again, it was time to return to the palace. There were ceremonial guards during the morning court session in the Xuanzheng Hall, so she could not accompany Xie Lanzhao.
At this moment, all was still silent, with only the wind whistling through the streets and alleys under a sky full of cold stars.
After fastening his cloak, Zhao Jialing said to Xie Lanzao, whose long hair was flowing, "I'll be going now." She looked at her long, black hair with a slight itch, wishing she could pick up the comb from the dressing table herself, but unfortunately, time was running out. Luckily, they were in Guangzhai Ward, only a street away from the Daming Palace; if they were in Wuben Ward, wouldn't it be even more rushed?
With one thing weighing on his mind finally resolved, Zhao Jialing was in high spirits.
Her gaze fell intentionally or unintentionally on Xie Lanzhao in the front row. This perfectly timed eye contact in the crowd always had a kind of lingering feeling that could last a lifetime.
The court assembly proceeded as usual. Aside from the renewed mention of the "pilot program" for Mingde Academy, the main focus was on the memorial submitted by the magistrate of Wannian County. The magistrate, Liu Fenghua, was newly appointed. She had previously served as a county magistrate, and due to her impressive achievements, she was promoted to magistrate of Wannian County. County magistrates in various prefectures were ranked according to their official rank, ranging from the sixth to the seventh grade. However, counties like Wannian, Chang'an, Luoyang, and Henan were special cases, with their magistrates holding the high rank of the fifth grade or higher. Generally, reaching this level meant further advancement towards higher positions in the three central government departments.
However, while serving as a magistrate in a county in the capital might elevate one's official rank, the actual power is less than in a local post. After all, it's under the emperor's nose, where high-ranking officials and their relatives run rampant. This is especially true in Wannian County, east of Zhuque Avenue, where the residences of high-ranking officials are everywhere. If a magistrate is too upright, he is likely to offend people, jeopardizing his future career.
The magistrate of Wannian reported: "There are many ruffians in the streets of the city, with disheveled hair and stripped clothes, playing large balls in the streets, and carriages and horses dare not approach." These ruffians are rampant and fierce, and have some unclear and ambiguous relationships with noble families. The previous magistrate did not dare to deal with them, after all, they were a group of people that even the Prefect of the Capital found troublesome. As soon as Liu Fenghe took office, he began to tackle this tough nut.
Zhao Jialing frowned repeatedly upon hearing the report from Wannian Ling. The late emperor had issued an edict to rectify the situation, but these rampant scoundrels were difficult to eradicate and would always return within a few years. This was actually related to the prevailing chivalrous spirit; while robbing in the countryside was considered banditry, robbing and murder in the city was seen as a gratifying act.
Zhao Jialing said coldly, "These unscrupulous people have disrupted the laws of our country. They must be apprehended and punished according to the law. There is no need to report this to the emperor." She issued an edict rebuking the local scoundrels and approving of Liu Fenghua's proposal to eliminate the villains.
After the meeting.
Xie Lanzhao said, "The spirit of chivalry has a long history. The common people, driven by injustice, yearn for heroes to avenge them and rid them of evil." They are aware of the harm caused by the roaming streets by these heroes and villains. Yet, when these villains eliminate those they hate, they feel immense satisfaction. This peculiar mentality leads to a situation where, while the court suppresses chivalrous figures, the people revere them and stand up for justice. She said, "To eradicate this, the only solution is to change the law."
"Will the revision of the new law take some time?" Zhao Jialing asked again. She could see the progress through the bulletin board. No one was slacking off. It was just that the historical and literary classics were vast and bound to take a lot of time and energy.
Xie Lanzhao nodded and suggested, "I believe that when revising the legal codes, we might release the old codes first to replace the old ones." The Great Yong Code includes categories such as General Regulations, Guarding and Prohibitions, Official System, Household and Marriage, Disputes and Litigation, Theft and Robbery, and Adjudication. Categories such as Guarding and Prohibitions and Official System do not require major changes and were placed at the end during the re-editing. The Household and Marriage Code and the Disputes and Litigation Code were tackled first; these two volumes have already been re-edited and annotated.
She paused for a moment, then added, "Although releasing them in batches is a bit troublesome, if you think about it carefully, every time the format of the edict changes, the prefectures and counties have to file it. Issuing it in sequence is actually not a problem; for them, it's just another routine matter."
Zhao Jialing: "...I know, you mean to say that the court changes its orders frequently."
Xie Lanzhao smiled: "I didn't say that."
Zhao Jialing glanced at her and said, "Then let's just draft an imperial edict." Promulgating the household and marriage law and the litigation law, which have been cleansed of their dross, as soon as possible would be a great merit.
After the emperor and his ministers reached an agreement, the decree was issued swiftly. At this time, the main quest "Revising the Code," which had been almost forgotten by Zhao Jialing due to the long delay, triggered an achievement called "Heavenly Constitution," the reward of which was "Auspicious Omens."
Zhao Jialing was stunned.
Firstly, she hadn't expected to trigger the achievement, and secondly, she was puzzled by the reward. Did the system think she had received enough surprises in the previous rounds, so this time it arranged a lackluster reward to prevent her from being overjoyed and ending up disappointed?
【Auspicious omens can cultivate sacredness.】This is what the enlightened ruler system says.
"Am I not holy enough? Besides, it has a six-month cooldown period." Zhao Jialing frowned.
"But it can be used on others!" the Wise Ruler System added.
Zhao Jialing was shocked, and countless thoughts raced through his mind in an instant.
For example, regarding her affair with Xie Lanzhao, if people try to dissuade her, wouldn't it be enough to create an auspicious omen to silence them? This is clearly the will of Heaven!
"As for those amazing technologies, host, don't bite off more than you can chew. Besides, some things can be acquired through learning at Mingde Academy," the Mingjun System added.
"Like printing," Zhao Jialing thought to herself. The system had given her a simplified version, but the printing workshop had already begun researching movable type. As for woodblock printing, the craftsmen were still working on color printing, striving to ensure that the Huangyong Printing Workshop was at the forefront of the technology.
After calming herself down, Zhao Jialing put the mission aside, but suddenly, she remembered something else and asked, "[Are missions being triggered less frequently?]"
The Wise Ruler System naturally replied: "As the host grows stronger, the need for assistance will naturally decrease."
The system's goal is to cultivate a wise ruler; it is merely a raft. The path ahead still requires the host to walk steadily, step by step.
Zhao Jialing raised an eyebrow: "You have excellent judgment, so readily approving of me."
Wise Ruler System: "..." Although the host's self-indulgence is as usual, if it were before, the host would only say "Then I'd better just lie here and not grow," which would be a great improvement, wouldn't it?
In the depths of winter in December, the weather was bitterly cold, snow was heavy, and everything was desolate.
At Hamao Ridge, southeast of Wannian County, the Wannian magistrate and his men were on high alert. Hamao Ridge was surrounded by taverns and famous wines like Langguanqing, which attracted powerful young men from Chang'an who frequently caused trouble in the area. These men loved to drink but never paid a penny. They would maliciously release snakes into the taverns to extort money. If the taverns reported them to the authorities, the young men would retaliate even more severely, leaving the people of the Hamao Ridge area angry but unable to speak out.
Among the notorious street thugs of Xiamaoling was a gang called Mao Banli, who took pleasure in launching projectiles at passersby and extorting money from merchants. Mao Banli was idle and unproductive, a heavy drinker, and had been to and from the government office several times. Because his father was a servant in the household of the Prince of Puyang, the previous magistrate dared not arrest him.
Normally, some young thugs would avoid the officials and scatter like birds when someone came to arrest them. But Mao Banli was arrogant and domineering in the market, used to humiliating officials, and when he heard that the new magistrate was a woman, his attitude became even more disdainful. Since they didn't run away, Liu Fenghe was happy to let them be and ordered the officials to go forward and drag out all the young thugs who were drinking heavily in the tavern.
Mao Banli was not afraid at all, and even shouted arrogantly: "The Duke of Qin, who followed Emperor Taizu in conquering the world, said that when he was twelve or thirteen, he would kill any rogue he met; at fourteen or fifteen, he was a thief, only drawing his blade when he was displeased; at seventeen or eighteen, he was a good thief, killing people on the battlefield; at twenty, he became a great general, using his soldiers to save lives. I, Mao Banli, am twenty-five this year. If I don't aspire to be a great general, can I at least be a colonel?"①
Seeing the young scoundrel's ferocity and arrogance, Liu Fenghua frowned and ordered without blinking, "Beat him to death in the street!" This was to establish her authority in Chang'an. Mao Banli's expression changed drastically, and he raised his voice, "I am a member of the Prince's mansion, how dare you—" Before he could finish his threat, the stick that struck him immediately made him scream in pain.
In the icy snow, pools of blood were a shocking sight, creating an exceptionally somber atmosphere.
The villagers who were watching hated the group of scoundrels, but when they saw the bloodstains on the ground, they felt a chill run down their spines.
Liu Fenghua had the body taken back to the county government office. She continued to lead her men to capture the young masters she had identified. No matter whose house they were hiding in, they had to be found!
In less than half a day, the memorial impeaching Liu Fenghua was delivered to Zhao Jialing's case.
It wasn't exactly an impeachment, because it didn't come from the censors, but rather from various powerful figures who felt that the lowly Wannian magistrate was disrespectful, daring to touch even their people. Although he was just a servant, being beaten to death in the street was a disgrace. But the most furious were the nobles who had been purged by Liu Fenghe for protecting their families.
Zhao Jialing couldn't be bothered with these nobles; they were all relatives of the late emperor or Emperor Renzong, or families formed through marriage, and she wasn't particularly close to them. Even if they were close relatives, so what? Didn't they see that the Huan family was a thing of the past? Even if the Huan family were to rise again in the future, it would be due to her younger cousin's efforts, and had nothing to do with Huan Qi himself.
The nobility of imperial relatives without real power is actually very unstable, and everything depends on the emperor's protection of them. If His Majesty does not intend to protect them, their titles are useless when they encounter officials with real power. However, under normal circumstances, the emperor will choose to protect the nobles, while an official without background or power will simply be sent to a remote post.
The reforms of the past two years have had a significant impact on the imperial relatives and nobles. These people believed that they had invested money and manpower and had already kept up with the emperor's pace, so they wouldn't suffer any major misfortune. As a result, they dealt with what they considered minor matters according to their ingrained thinking.
But Zhao Jialing refused to stick to the old ways and slapped these people in the face. Paying money is paying money, breaking the law is breaking the law, they are two different things.
Under the deliberate instigation of Zhao Jialing and his ministers, not only Wannian County but also Chang'an County began to crack down on the idle men who bullied men and women. Whether they fled to the homes of noble families or to the Imperial Guard camps, they were all brought to justice. This interrogation also uncovered a series of secrets within the noble families. The nobles had entrusted these idle men with some of their shady dealings, which was why they had previously been happy to protect them. These men couldn't withstand the torture and revealed everything they knew, such as which family favored concubines over wives, which family murdered unborn children, and which family committed adultery, causing quite a stir.
However, in the memorial submitted by Wan Nianling, Zhao Jialing was most concerned about an old case that Liu Fenghua had unearthed—nine years ago, on the Lantern Festival, several children went missing, and the case was closed as dead after no results were found. Liu Fenghua mentioned it because she found some clues when investigating Hao Shao, and she requested that the old case be reopened and the investigation continued.
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