Chapter 87: Song Jie is too difficult to deal with...
Princess Yongle never expected that Xie Yushu wasn't just talking nonsense out of madness, but was serious.
On that very day, Xie Yushu actually detained her youngest son, Jinghong, in the palace, and no matter how much she threw a tantrum or pleaded with him, it was to no avail.
Princess Yongle was even on the verge of a complete rout, saying, "Is the Empress going to hold my son hostage in the palace?"
Xie Yushu smiled gently and said, "Princess, what are you saying? You are His Majesty's own sister, we are family. Why would I hold my own family member hostage? I just want Jinghong to stay in the palace for two days." She added, "In the common people, couples who have not had children for many years often adopt a child to try to have a son. Maybe our Jinghong can bring me my first prince."
This is utter nonsense! What do you mean by "inducing a younger brother to attract attention"? The Empress is just deliberately making things difficult for her and giving her a warning.
Princess Yongle couldn't really fight her for the child in the palace; even if she did, she couldn't outmaneuver the Imperial Guards!
She could only watch helplessly as the Empress carried Jinghong away, which angered her so much that she immediately went to find the new Emperor.
However, she was not familiar with the new emperor, and now the new emperor was completely bewitched by the empress. When he heard that the empress had detained her son in the palace, he simply said, "It's lonely in the palace. Since the empress and Jinghong are so close, you can keep him in the palace to keep the empress company."
Forget about blood ties and family ties; she only regarded the Empress as family when she saw this beggar brother.
Princess Yongle left the palace and returned home filled with anger and worry. When she saw her husband, Li Shan, weeping, she blurted out, "The Empress is clearly using this as an excuse to suppress me! She's not after our son; she's after our imperial relatives and my second brother's former subordinates in court!"
Li Shan hurriedly told her to be careful with her words, and said angrily, "You know these things in your heart, there's no need to keep them on your lips."
When the late emperor was born, the eldest prince was the first to be killed. Then the second prince claimed to be ill and confined himself to his residence, handing over the throne to Xiao Chong.
Others may not know the inside story, but they do. The Second Prince withdrew from the struggle for the throne entirely because Pei Heng led his troops to place all his former subordinates and family members under house arrest. Song Jie brought the First Prince's head to see him and told him that as long as Xiao Chong gave the order, his family and former subordinates would all be executed.
What other choice could the second prince make?
Pei Heng, who commands a large army, and Song Jie, who has many cronies in the court, joined forces to support Xiao Chong. Moreover, Princess Meng Jing of Kangyang, together with the other two major aristocratic families, strongly supported Xiao Chong. The Second Prince could only protect himself for the time being and bide his time.
But now the new emperor has just ascended the throne, and despite the opposition of the old ministers, he has made Xie Yushu empress and wants women to be granted titles and ranks... Today he is even detaining his son, which is obviously a way to confront the old ministers. We can no longer tolerate this.
"Don't worry, even the Empress wouldn't dare to do anything to Jinghong," Li Shan reassured his wife. "Let our son stay in the palace for a couple of days. I'll figure something out."
Princess Yongle, on the verge of tears, said with worry, "Jinghong has never left me. I don't know what kind of grievances he will suffer in the palace."
#
"This child is easy to coax." Xie Yushu gave some candy to Jing Hong, who was looking for his mother. After eating the candy, he stopped crying and was served dinner by Jin Ye.
Xiao Dao really didn't like having another child. He and Yu Shu didn't spend much time together to begin with, and now that there was another child, Yu Shu would have to take care of him as well.
He said, "Take him away after dinner; we can't leave him in our bedchamber."
Xie Yushu glanced at him and smiled, "Didn't you want children? Now you can start taking care of them ahead of time."
“What I want is our child,” Xiao Dao said, taking her hand. “But if you don’t like it, then we don’t have one.”
His hands were icy cold. Xie Yushu gripped them back, knowing full well that Xiao Dao was not just talking. In his heart, even if he became emperor, nothing was more important than her wishes.
She didn't know what to say for a moment. She hadn't thought about having children because she didn't know how long she would stay in this world. Before this, she was focused on completing the mission and becoming the emperor. She hadn't considered whether she would stay after becoming the emperor and completing the mission.
If she were to hastily give birth to a child and then leave this world, it would be unfair to the child.
After dinner, Jinye took the child and the child's wet nurse to rest in the side hall.
As Xiao Dao was untangling Xie Yushu's hair, his hands became restless, touching her face and neck, and asking her, "Did Princess Yongle cause you trouble today? Otherwise, why would you keep her son in the palace?"
“It would be strange if she didn’t cause me trouble.” Xie Yushu grabbed his hand and said, “But keeping her son in the palace isn’t to teach her a lesson.”
"What's the reason for that?" Xiao Dao asked, puzzled.
Xie Yushu turned to look at him: "Today I not only spared her son, but also appointed Lord Liang's daughter as a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat, a proper fifth-rank official position. The imperial decree will arrive at the Liang residence tomorrow. Don't you understand what this means?"
Xiao Dao frowned and thought carefully, but could only think of: "You want to incite Lord Liang and his group of old officials to join the imperial relatives led by Princess Yongle?"
"Yes and no," Xie Yushu said. "Think about it again."
Xiao Dao couldn't think of anything, so he bent down to take off her shoes and said, "I'm too stupid to think of anything. You're so smart, your decisions are never wrong. Whatever order you want me to issue, I'll issue it."
Xie Yushu looked down at him and patted his head. He then looked up at her with a smile and said, "You're not stupid, you just started studying too late."
Xiao Dao wasn't stupid; he was just raised as a beggar by the King of Song, so he started too late.
“Pei Heng told me that you learn everything very quickly.” Xie Yushu touched his face again.
He pressed his face close to her palm and said, "I can understand the military formations that General Pei taught me, but I can't understand what Grand Tutor Zheng taught me at all. The words and sentences are more and more profound and difficult to understand. Although Grand Tutor Zheng didn't say anything to me, I know he thinks I'm stupid."
He couldn't help but say, "I heard that when Song Xiang was young, he also studied under Grand Tutor Zheng. Grand Tutor Zheng said that Song Xiang could memorize those poems and essays after reading them only once."
He looked at Xie Yushu with a mixture of inferiority and expectation as he spoke, as if he knew he was far inferior to Song Jie and was afraid she wouldn't like him.
Xie Yushu cupped his face and said softly, "It doesn't matter if you can't remember the poems and texts. I still liked you even though you couldn't read before."
Xiao Dao looked up and kissed her with satisfaction, his inferiority complex dissipating considerably because of her sweet words.
No matter how clever Song Jie was, Yu Shu did not choose him.
Xie Yushu found him adorable, and even after becoming emperor, he would be overjoyed with just a few words of praise.
The imperial edict arrived at Liang Shou's residence the next day.
The new emperor had already mentioned this matter in court, saying that the empress valued talent and appointed Liang Shou's daughter, Liang Shuhe, as a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat.
There was surprise and protest in the court. The Great Xun Dynasty had never had a woman as an official. However, the position of Zhongshu Sheren was very delicate. It was only responsible for the paperwork in the palace. There were female officials in history who held this position.
Since the title was bestowed upon Liang Shou's daughter, the former officials all watched to see how Liang Shou would handle the matter.
Liang Shou stepped forward and resigned from his position on behalf of his daughter.
But after the court session, the imperial edict was still issued.
The imperial edict was issued by the Empress, but it was stamped with the Emperor's dragon seal, which was clearly irregular.
When Liang Shou received the imperial edict, he felt like he was holding a hot potato. If his daughter complied with the edict, it would mean that he not only agreed to the empress's interference in politics, but also contradicted himself by agreeing to the reform of women serving as officials.
He should never have accepted this imperial decree; he should have sent his daughter to the palace with the decree to resign and apologize.
But the daughter's resistance was surprisingly strong.
When he asked his daughter to come to the palace to resign, she picked up a pair of scissors and cut off her hair. The whole family was terrified. Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents, and for a woman to cut off her hair is an act of utter disobedience!
He was taken aback by the fact that his usually obedient daughter would silently put up such a fierce resistance.
Liang Shuhe simply placed the severed hair on the table, without crying or making a fuss, and calmly asked her father, "Did you really teach me to read and write so that I could marry a good husband in the future?"
Liang Shoujing was completely stumped by the question.
“I cannot obey your command.” Liang Shuhe knelt down with her hair down and kowtowed to him and her mother: “I can obey my father’s command to enter the palace to resign, but I also swear here that I will never marry in this life. I will go to Yuqing Temple to become a nun.”
Madam Liang and her eldest daughter wept bitterly, pleading with Liang Shou: "The Emperor and Empress value Shuhe so highly, why would you, as her father, ruin her bright future? Is it all for his own face and outdated ideas?"
Liang Shou was both grief-stricken and angry, and nearly fainted.
In the end, Liang Shuhe still went to the palace to express his gratitude and take up his post.
When Xie Yushu saw Liang Shuhe in the palace, he noticed that her jet-black hair was half shorter, and he understood that she had won her battle.
She smiled and beckoned Liang Shuhe over, then touched her uneven, broken hair and said, "I'll have the palace maids trim it for you in a bit, and it won't be noticeable when you wear your official hat."
Liang Shuhe stood beside her knees, smelling the ink and paper scent on her sleeves. For some reason, her eyes welled up with tears. She knelt down again and solemnly thanked the Empress: "Shuhe thanks Your Majesty the Empress. I will do my best in the future to live up to Your Majesty's choice today."
"Whether you can seize the opportunity or not depends on yourself." Xie Yushu told her to get up and then instructed her, "Draft the decree for Princess Meng Jing of Kangyang to inherit the title of Marquis."
Liang Shuhe looked up at her and realized that the Empress had never given up on the idea of letting Princess Meng inherit the throne.
"Do you also think that women should not be granted titles or hereditary ranks?" Xie Yushu asked, looking at her.
Liang Shuhe said, "If I said that I have never thought so, Your Majesty probably wouldn't believe me. But I have always believed that those who are virtuous and capable are qualified to be ennobled and inherit titles, regardless of gender. Just as women have the obligation to support their parents, they should also have the right to inherit the family business."
Xie Yushu looked at her young and innocent face and slowly smiled; that face was also full of ambition.
#
The imperial decree granting Meng Jing the title of Prince and granting him hereditary privileges was issued again at the morning court session two days later.
The young emperor smiled and said to Liang Shou in the court, "Lord Liang, this decree was drafted by the new Imperial Secretary. He is truly talented and can learn from history."
For the first time, Liang Shou kept quiet at this moment.
This time, the protests were much less frequent, and the emperor's mind was made up. On the same day, Meng Jing went to the Daqing Hall to receive the imperial decree and express his gratitude.
She went from being the Princess of Kangyang to the Prince of Kang, becoming the first woman in the Great Xun Dynasty to be granted the title of prince. This caused an uproar throughout Bianjing, and rumors began to circulate in the streets and alleys that "the empress is interfering in politics, a woman is ruling the court, and the Great Xun Dynasty is doomed."
Xie Yushu did not take these rumors to heart; she simply refused Princess Yongle's request to enter the palace to see Prince Jinghong.
That night, Princess Yongle and Li Shan went to see the old officials left behind by the Second Prince. In the name of these old officials, they summoned Liang Shou and his group of veteran officials to discuss a joint protest against the Empress's interference in politics.
Liang Shou originally agreed that the empress dowager should not interfere in politics, but when he heard Princess Yongle say that she wanted to take this opportunity to force the emperor to release the second prince from his residence and give him the fiefdom he deserved, he frowned and stood up, saying: "If you two are doing this for the good of the Great Xun and the good of the people, you should not have proposed to lift the second prince's fiefdom."
The new emperor has just ascended the throne, and his power base is unstable. If the second prince is released from his fiefdom and sent to his fiefdom at this time, who can guarantee that the second prince will not have any other disloyal intentions? If he does have disloyal intentions, war will surely break out again.
He disagreed, and he also disapproved of Princess Yongle's involvement. He stated bluntly, "This old minister also disagrees with what the princess said, that the empress is holding the young prince hostage. We are gathered here today to discuss the stability of the court and the peace of the world, not to fight for the princess's child or power."
Upon hearing this, Princess Yongle's expression immediately changed, and she rebuked him, saying, "Lord Liang is an old minister whom my father personally cultivated. Now that the Empress has given your daughter an official position, you must side with the Empress. If Lord Liang truly cares for the good of the Great Xun Dynasty, he should have your daughter resign! There is no precedent in the world where women hold official positions or participate in politics and the country remains peaceful!"
Liang Shou looked at her and said coldly, "Princess Yongle, you are the last person who should say such a thing to me. If you really think that way, you shouldn't be here. You should be at home taking good care of your husband and children!"
Princess Yongle was so angry that she slumped over her desk and stood up.
Before she could say anything more, Liang Shou had already turned and left.
That night, Xie Yushu changed into civilian clothes and left the palace to go to the residence of the Marquis of Yong'an.
Meng Min experienced a difficult labor and had been in labor for almost two hours without successfully delivering her baby.
When she arrived at the Yong'an Marquis's residence, Meng Jing and Meng Jinyue were already in the delivery room.
She heard Physician Lu asking Meng Jing whether to sacrifice the greater or lesser child, and a chill ran through her heart.
Then she heard Xie Jianing's trembling voice, "Save my mother! You must save my mother! I only want my mother!"
Meng Jing answered without hesitation, "Lord Lu, we are only considering Minmin's safety."
"Then I understand," Physician Lu replied.
Xie Yushu stopped at the door without going in. She felt a pang of guilt. It was she who suggested that Meng Min get pregnant. In this era, childbirth was dangerous for women. She should have just suggested that Meng Min kill Xie Zhi'an instead of getting pregnant to secure her position.
She wasn't ruthless enough back then.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Xie Zhi'an hurrying towards her.
Xie Zhi'an also brought another midwife with him. Upon seeing her, the midwife immediately bowed and said, "Your subject... greets Your Majesty the Empress."
"Where were you when your wife gave birth?" Xie Yushu stood under the eaves, looking at the man who was her father, and asked him coldly.
He answered with trepidation, "I have been here the whole time, but the situation was critical, so I went to ask the midwife who delivered Jianing." He answered very hastily, as if he was afraid that Xie Yushu would blame him.
Under the moonlight, he bowed his head, both respectful and fearful.
Xie Yushu thought that power was something to be feared. He and those old court officials were both dissatisfied with her and afraid of her.
She remained silent, and Xie Zhi'an's forehead was already breaking out in a cold sweat with anxiety.
Suddenly, the sound of a baby crying came from the room, followed by the anxious voices of the midwife and Doctor Lu. Xie Jianing called out nervously, "Mother! Mother, can you hear me? Mother!"
Xie Yushu turned and pushed open the door. As she stepped inside, she heard Doctor Lu say, "She's awake! She's awake! Madam Meng is awake too! Mother and daughter are safe!"
Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
When Meng Jinyue saw her in the inner room, he was delighted and called her Yushu. Then he immediately changed his address and bowed, calling her Empress.
Xie Yushu went in, lifted her hand to help her up, and leaned over to look at the child Meng Jing was holding.
“It’s a daughter,” Meng Jing said with a smile, then showed it to Meng Min, who had just woken up in bed: “Look, she looks so much like Jia Ning when she was little.”
Meng Min lay on the bed, her face covered in cold sweat, and gave a weary but somewhat disappointed smile: "It's a girl..."
Xie Jianing, who was sitting by her bed wiping her sweat, immediately said softly, "I like younger sisters. Girls are better. Don't ever say you'll have a younger brother to support me again. Haven't you always had your aunt supporting you since you were little?"
“That’s right.” Meng Jinyue pulled Xie Yushu’s hand and leaned closer, saying, “My mother has already been granted the title of Prince, and the title of Yong’an Prefecture will be inherited by Jianing in the future. Girls are very good.”
When Meng Min saw Xie Yushu, tears welled up in her red eyes. She reached out and took Xie Yushu's hand, saying, "Thank you..." She had so many words of gratitude to express to Xie Yushu.
Thank you, Xie Yushu, for telling her about Widow Ye, which allowed her to see Xie Zhi'an for who he really was.
She also thanked Xie Yushu for helping her regain control of the Prince's Mansion.
I am especially grateful to Xie Yushu for overcoming all opposition and allowing her elder sister to be granted the title of princess, paving a new path for her daughter and all daughters of the world...
She was also very grateful that Yu Shu didn't hold it against Jia Ning.
So much gratitude turned into tears.
Xie Yushu held her hand, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You need to get better soon. I have already prepared the titles of Princess for Jianing and Jinyue, and I am just waiting for you to recover and receive the imperial decree."
Meng Min cried even harder.
Xie Jianing wiped away her mother's tears and looked up at Xie Yushu. She never expected that after treating Xie Yushu so badly before, he would still grant her the title of princess.
In truth, she knew very well that she had been the one targeting Xie Yushu all along, and Xie Yushu had never retaliated against her. This was only because of Meng Min and Meng Jing; otherwise, with Xie Yushu's abilities, he could have executed her eight hundred times over.
Her mother held her hand.
Xie Jianing blushed and whispered to Xie Yushu, "Thank you."
Xie Yushu looked down at Xie Jianing and couldn't help but smile. Had Yushu experienced the joy of wielding real power? Now she could easily make everyone fear her, and even those who used to hate her were grateful to her.
In a sense, Xie Jianing is an absolute egoist; the people she loves are simply those who bring her glory.
#
A wind picked up when we left the Yong'an Marquis's residence.
She saw Cangshu outside the mansion gate, and walked over with Jinye. Sure enough, she saw the familiar carriage parked in the alley.
That was Song Jie's carriage.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Song Jie stepped down from the carriage and walked towards her.
"So you really do have spies in the palace." Xie Yushu sneered. Song Jie found out about her leaving the palace so quickly; he must have planted quite a few spies around her.
"I placed informants to make it easier to pass messages to you," Song Jie said gently, his voice as soft as a wisp of smoke. "If you don't like it, I'll remove them immediately."
"How much of what you said is true?" She didn't believe that Song Jie would really leave.
Song Jie looked at her and sighed in the night breeze: "Have I ever lied to you?"
"You haven't lied to me because I'm smart enough." Xie Yushu wasn't buying it and grabbed the hood that was about to be blown off by the wind.
Song Jie couldn't help but smile and stepped forward to pull her hat up. At very close range, nose to nose, he said, "The wind is too strong. Let's talk inside the carriage. My men intercepted a letter at the Second Prince's residence."
"What letter?" Xie Yushu asked.
He knew that "serious business" would be the most effective way to entice her, and she still got into his carriage.
Inside the carriage, Song Jie handed the short note to Xie Yushu: "It was found in the egg basket used for delivering vegetables. The person delivering the vegetables was a merchant I checked and found to be without fault, but he didn't know how there was an extra note in the basket. I guess someone secretly put it there."
"What do these numbers mean?" Xie Yushu frowned. "Have you investigated who had contact with that merchant? Who was it that wanted to deliver the letter to the Second Prince?"
“I checked, but he comes into contact with many unfamiliar customers every day, so I couldn’t find anything.” Song Jie moved closer to her, his cool hand holding hers, and pulled the letter closer, pretending to read it. “But Liang Shou and the others met with Princess Yongle tonight and even had an argument, just as you expected…”
He was very close, his breath almost touching Xie Yushu's face as he spoke.
Xie Yushu glanced at him, knowing his intentions, but still handed him the letter, saying, "Take it and read it over there."
Song Jie didn't take it, still holding her hand, looking at her closely: "You know I don't care about reading letters..."
The carriage swayed, and Xie Yushu looked at him in the dim light. Their eyes met, and the longer they looked at each other, the redder Song Jie's ears became.
With a slight sway, he leaned closer to her face and lightly pecked her lips, asking in a hoarse voice, "Didn't you say another day? Is today okay?"
She didn't answer him, but just looked at him with a playful smile.
Song Jie couldn't stand her gaze, so he tightened his grip on her hand and kissed her again.
She didn't dodge. As if receiving a signal, Song Jie leaned over, cradling the back of her neck, and kissed her all the way down, forcibly intertwining their fingers, stroking the back of her neck as he kissed her...
The carriage swayed and came to a stop in front of the Prime Minister's residence.
Inside the carriage, Song Jie was still kissing her neck, feeling her breathing becoming increasingly rapid. Her lips pressed against his shoulder as she asked softly and huskyly, "Would you like to come into my residence, Yu Shu?"
Xie Yushu was already somewhat confused and infatuated, and before he could even utter the words of refusal, he was already open to speak.
He put more effort into his hands and asked her again, "If you don't want to go in, you can stay in the carriage..." He pressed his face against her chest and hugged her tightly, "Yushu, I just want to stay with you a little longer. I don't know how much longer I can live, or whether I can live long enough to help you ascend the throne... Stay with me a little longer."
Xie Yushu leaned on his shoulder, her desire outweighing her guilt...
She shamefully thought: Song Jie is just too difficult to deal with...
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Author's Note: Extra chapter today! 6,000 words updated!
P.S.: My puppy's surgery went smoothly, and he's now in the recovery phase. Thank you! [heart emoji]
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