Chapter 93 (Bestowed Marriage)
After seven days of bloodletting therapy on Song Jie, it seemed to have some effect, and his cough improved.
Apart from enduring some pain from acupuncture, there were no side effects, so Xie Yushu felt relieved and allowed Xiao Dao to receive the treatment.
After the first course of acupuncture and bloodletting treatment, Xiao Dao actually felt better. The frequency of chest tightness and coughing up blood at night decreased, but he still often felt dizzy, especially in the morning and at night.
After the second course of treatment began, he simply stopped attending court sessions. Xie Yu said that he went from accompanying him to court sessions to attending alone.
At first, there was a dispute in the court over this matter, and memorials advising her were sent to the emperor. She reviewed those memorials in her own name and then returned them to the residences of the ministers.
Let them understand that no matter how much advice and protest they offer, it will ultimately only end up in her hands, and the Emperor will never review it.
Later, in the summer, another battle broke out on the frontier. The nomadic people, in alliance with small border states, organized an elite army to attempt to invade the borders of the Great Xun Dynasty.
But just as they began their uprising, the prefectures and kingdoms secretly informed the Great Xun Dynasty of this matter.
Xie Yushu immediately dispatched Pei Heng to lead troops to the border.
Speed is of the essence in war. Pei Heng, in alliance with the prefectures and kingdoms, routed the allied army in thirteen days, captured their generals, and swiftly quelled the war.
During this period, controversy surrounding her continued both among the common people and in the imperial court.
It is unclear when it started, but people began to list her three major "derelictions of duty".
She heard it from the ministers in the imperial court.
She asked them curiously, "What are the three deadly sins?"
One of them is that, as the empress, she has not borne the emperor any heirs and remains childless to this day.
Secondly, she is domineering and jealous. Although she is infertile, she does not allow the emperor to choose concubines. To this day, the emperor's harem has no other woman besides her, which is simply absurd.
Thirdly, her encouragement of women to study and become officials was an incitement for women not to have children, which would lead to the downfall of the Great Xun dynasty.
The ministers, trembling with fear, recounted the three charges against her.
She wasn't angry at all, and asked with a smile, "So they're very satisfied with my acting as regent, and can't find a single fault with me."
These are not three deadly sins.
This is a remarkable achievement of her reforms and an affirmation of her abilities.
They racked their brains and could only find "guilt" in the fact that she was a woman, and they only found three, which proves that she has been blameless since taking office.
Taking advantage of the news of Pei Heng's great victory being sent back to the capital, she put the establishment of a women's imperial examination on the agenda.
This battle was her first victory after taking power. She wanted to grant amnesty to women confined to their homes. The reason she had previously established girls' schools was to enable them to take the imperial examinations and embark on an official career.
Since one of her three sins was inciting women to not "behave themselves," she was going to take advantage of the rise of this rumor and add fuel to the fire.
She anticipated that establishing a women's imperial examination system would inevitably lead to months, or even half a year, of debate. She timed the debate perfectly so that it could be implemented before the next spring imperial examination.
Compared to establishing a women's imperial examination system, her decree granting Xie Jianing the right to inherit the title of Marquis of Yong'an seemed rather unremarkable.
In early spring, Marquis Xie Zhian of Yong'an fell ill, claiming it was a cough, but in reality, he had contracted a serious illness.
On behalf of his sister, Meng Jing arranged for Xie Zhi'an to recuperate in a rural village under the guise of medical treatment, so that he would not infect his sister and children with his venereal disease.
On the day she received the imperial decree, Meng Min specially brought Xie Jianing and her youngest daughter Jiaying to the palace to express her gratitude.
The little girl is not even a year old yet, but she is already incredibly cute and adorable.
Xie Jianing held her younger sister in her mother's arms and bowed to Xie Yushu with a smile. These days she had been busy with household affairs. Her mother needed to rest after giving birth, but her father had been diagnosed with that illness...
What truly drove her to despair was that after contracting the disease, her father did not repent for his guilt towards her mother, but instead sought her out by kneeling and begging her to bring back the son that Widow Ye had borne for him.
He was afraid of his aunt and dared not mention the matter to his mother, but instead asked her, his daughter, to plead for him.
He had become very thin by then. He grabbed her hand and tried to kneel down, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face. He said that the Yong'an Marquis's mansion could not be without an heir, and that he would only take the child back so that he could be registered under her mother's name and become her rightful younger brother. He said that he could also support her when she got married in the future.
It was only at that moment that she truly realized how ridiculous and despicable her father's words were.
If her aunt hadn't been granted a marquisate, and Jin Yue wasn't a high-ranking official in the capital, her father would probably have brought Widow Ye and her son into the mansion without even a word, forcing her mother to acknowledge them.
In the end, all she could rely on was her own power and influence, and her father even tried to coax her by saying that "her younger brother would support her."
How ridiculous! Only now does she understand what Xie Yushu was thinking behind every step he took back then.
"Let me give you a hug," Xie Yushu said with a smile, reaching out her hand.
Xie Jianing carried her younger sister forward and carefully handed her to her, saying, "Your Majesty, please be careful, she's very sturdy."
Xie Yushu caught it in his arms and exclaimed with a smile, "You really can't tell how heavy this little face is."
“Yes, she can eat and sleep well.” Xie Jianing couldn’t help but feel proud. “She’s already teething, and these past few days she’s been babbling like she’s trying to talk.”
"It won't be that fast," Meng Min said with a smile. "You, as her older sister, keep praising her."
Xie Jianing genuinely felt that her younger sister was growing up better and faster than other children.
"Such strong little hands." Xie Yushu was holding Jia Ying's little fingers and liked her more and more. It seemed nice to have a daughter.
Seeing that she liked children, Meng Min quietly handed her a prescription and whispered, "Your Majesty found this prescription for me, which is why I was able to conceive Jia Ying. I also consulted several renowned gynecologists and made some adjustments to the prescription, making it even more effective. Your Majesty can give it a try."
Jin Ye took the prescription from Xie Yushu.
Xie Yushu looked up at Meng Min and said with a smile, "It seems you've also heard the rumors about my three sins."
"It's just that some people with ulterior motives want to force Your Majesty back to the inner palace. Your Majesty need not take it to heart." Meng Min comforted her, "You and His Majesty are still so young, and you've only been married for less than a year. You'll definitely have your own child soon."
She saw many small wooden horses and toys drying in the corridor outside the bedroom, and guessed that they were prepared by the Emperor and Yushu for a child. Yushu must want a child, which is why she dared to take out the prescription for conceiving a child.
Yu Shu is no longer an ordinary person. She holds real power and is not only the Empress. Her child will surely inherit the Great Xun Empire in the future. Therefore, Meng Min also hopes that she can give birth to an imperial heir as soon as possible to dispel the rumors in the court and among the people.
Xie Yushu gave Jia Ying a rattle drum made from a small knife to play with. After playing with it for a while, he said, "I also have some things to ask Jia Ning today."
Ask her?
Xie Jianing was somewhat surprised. Usually, when she entered the palace, the Empress was lukewarm towards her and rarely took the initiative to speak to her. Today, however, she actually had something to ask her.
"What is it, Your Highness?" Xie Jianing asked.
Xie Yushu looked up at her and asked without beating around the bush, "Do you fancy your sworn brother, Dugu Ming?"
Xie Jianing was taken aback by the question. "Why is Your Majesty suddenly asking about this?" She had indeed visited Dugu Ming frequently these days, but she had no romantic feelings for him. So she answered frankly, "I only regard him as my sworn brother."
"Do you have someone you like?" Xie Yushu asked again. "If you don't have someone you like, would you be willing to let Dugu Ming marry into your family?"
Even Meng Min was somewhat surprised.
Xie Yushu patted Jia Ying in his arms and said, "Pei Heng won a great victory in the border war this time. The new king of the prefecture has made great contributions. He will come to Bianjing with Pei Heng to pay homage and also to meet his brother Dugu Ming."
"I said I wanted to see Dugu Ming, but actually I wanted to confirm whether Dugu Ming still had a chance to return to the prefecture and compete with him for the throne," Xie Yushu said. "Since he joined forces to fight against Da Xun this time to show his loyalty, I naturally have to reward him."
Xie Jianing now understood that her "arranged marriage" was actually a way to reward the new king of the prefecture.
"I need to arrange a marriage for Dugu Ming. I can't look down on him too much, but it has to be a reward on the surface." Xie Yushu's arm was a little sore, and he handed the child to the wet nurse. "He seems to like you quite a bit. If you don't dislike him, you can let him marry into the Yong'an Marquis's family. Of course, if you have someone you like, I won't force you."
She looked at Xie Jianing and said frankly, "I already asked Jin Yue before you. She doesn't have anyone she likes, but she is willing to take Dugu Ming in. However, she asked me to ask you first because she is afraid that you like Dugu Ming and she doesn't want to take someone else's love away."
Meng Min also looked at her daughter. If her daughter liked Dugu Ming, it was indeed a good marriage. Although Dugu Ming was a hostage, he was still a prince of the county. It would be much better for him to marry into the Jia Ning family than for other useless playboys in Bianjing.
She actually hoped that Jia Ning's husband would have a prestigious enough status, but not too much power, so that she could ensure that he wouldn't be exploited and leave no descendants in the future.
Dugu Ming's status as a hostage makes him seem perfectly suitable no matter how you look at it.
But it's best if Jia Ning likes it herself.
"No rush, you can go back and think about it for two days," Xie Yushu said. "Pei Heng and the others will not return to the capital for three days."
"No need to think about it anymore." Xie Jianing looked up at her as if she had made up her mind and said, "This marriage is very good. It is suitable for both me and the Yong'an Marquis's family. I am willing."
Xie Yushu looked at her and smiled knowingly. In a positive environment, Xie Jianing would grow up on her own without anyone having to say anything.
#
Pei Heng's victory banquet upon his triumphant return to the capital was the most lively celebration since the new emperor ascended the throne.
Previously, due to the national mourning, the enthronement ceremony of the new emperor and the establishment of the empress were not grand. This time, not only did they win a great victory, but they also recovered the small border country. Xie Yushu specially wanted to make the whole world know about her first great victory after taking power.
She prepared fireworks, and the city of Bianjing was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Major restaurants offered free drinks to welcome the heroes of Da Xun back to the capital, as well as the rulers of the prefectures and kingdoms.
Xiao Dao naturally accompanied Xie Yushu to the victory celebration banquet.
Pei Heng saw that his complexion had improved a lot and knew that Xie Yushu had put in a lot of effort to take care of him.
At the victory banquet, the ruler of the prefecture brought his younger sister along. When she saw Dugu Ming, she hugged him and cried for a long time, asking him if he was doing well in Bianjing and when he could return to his hometown.
Dugu Ming felt a pang of sadness. He stroked her head and said everything was fine, adding, "His Majesty and the Empress have treated me very well." But he couldn't answer when she could return to her hometown.
He and his sister were born to the same mother, but the current ruler, Dugu Jialuo, told him that they were half-sisters who had not lived together since childhood and were not close. Therefore, he did not think that the current ruler would try to bring him back to the kingdom.
“Bianjing is very nice. If the princess stays in Bianjing for a while, she will be so happy that she will forget about going home,” Xie Yushu said with a smile to the young princess of the county. She looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, with a wheatish complexion and bright, innocent eyes.
Taking this opportunity, Xie Yushu beckoned to Xie Jianing, took her hand, and said to the princess, "Princess, look, aren't your brother and our Yong'an Marquis of Da Xun a perfect match?"
Dugu Ming looked at Xie Jianing and was stunned. Was the Empress going to bestow a marriage between him and Xie Jianing? He hadn't heard a word about this, and no one had asked him about his wishes... Would Xie Jianing agree?
She was just the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family before, and she refused to marry him. Now that she has inherited the title of Marquis of Yong'an, how could she possibly agree to marry him?
The princess of the county looked at Xie Jianing, then at her brother, and whispered to him, "Brother, do you like it?"
Dugu Ming naturally replied, "I'm afraid I'm not worthy of your name."
Xie Yushu smiled and said, "Since you are mutually in love, then I will act as your matchmaker and arrange your marriage."
Dugu Ming spoke first: "Letting Jia Ning marry me would be a disservice to her..."
"I'm willing." Xie Jianing looked at him, her eyes calm without a trace of shyness or ambiguity.
Dugu Ming was surprised that she would agree. Just as he was wondering, he heard the Empress say, "After you get married, you can move to the Yong'an Marquis's residence. What's there to feel wronged about?"
Dugu Ming looked at the Empress as if he didn't understand.
The Empress looked at him with an undiminished smile and said, "From now on, you will be considered half a Great Xun person."
He then realized that the Empress wanted him to marry into the Yong'an Marquis's family.
When he saw the new king stand up with a smile and come to his side to express his gratitude, he knew perfectly well that his marriage into the Yong'an Marquis's household, making him half a citizen of the Great Xun Dynasty, was a reassurance given to the new king by the Empress.
He will probably never be able to go back to his hometown in this lifetime.
Xie Yushu drank half a cup of wine, and his chest warmed up. "Look," he thought, "this is a marriage bestowed upon everyone who is satisfied. Not only can women be given to foreign lands for sexual purposes, but men can too."
She had just put down her wine glass when she met the gaze of the princess of the county.
Those bright, sparkling eyes looked at her and tentatively asked, "Did the Empress also bestow a marriage upon General Pei? Who is his fiancée?"
Xie Yushu was taken aback by the question and looked at Pei Heng, only to see Pei Heng's face turn red.
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Author's Note: It's almost the end, so there won't be an update tomorrow. I'll save up and try to finish the ending and update it all at once! [Heart emoji]
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