Chapter 113 You Should Leave the Palace
A grand banquet was held in the palace for three days to celebrate Guan Zhiwei's triumphant return.
She was incredibly generous; with a wave of her hand, she bestowed rewards upon all her subordinates.
The emperor was very compliant, granting him whatever he desired. Guan Zhiwei held one of the Three Dukes, and having exhausted all possible titles, the emperor practically emptied the imperial treasury, sending a flood of rewards to the Grand Tutor's mansion.
Zhang Xiao had already sensed something amiss and smiled strangely, "No matter how much His Majesty rewards us, it's never enough."
Gao Huan glanced at him. "There's something I need to tell you."
"Please speak, my lord."
“Find a stone and carve on it: ‘A woman descended from heaven, and the year is bountiful.’”
Zhang Xiao, with a confident expression, said, "Rest assured, my lord, I will handle this matter perfectly. Should I get you another fox? 'The Great Chu will rise, Chen Sheng will be king.'"
Gao Huan waved his hand: "Just come up with a pretext, no need to exaggerate it. It will still be recorded in the history books in the future."
People used to exaggerate things, like getting pregnant in a dream or stepping on a giant's footprint. It was quite shocking at the time, but as people became more aware, it became quite embarrassing.
While they were busy discussing things here, Guan Zhiwei wasn't idle either.
She went to the palace and stopped the emperor from bestowing endless rewards upon her.
The emperor was full of praise: "Grand Tutor, you are brave and invincible. What would have taken others years to fight, you resolved with ease. You saved so much time and allowed the soldiers to retire and return to their fields, without delaying spring planting and autumn harvest. What a great deed you have done. No amount of praise or reward can adequately express the extent of your merits."
He did put on a smiling face, but unfortunately Guan Zhiwei didn't have the idea that you shouldn't hit someone who's smiling.
She said casually, "Your Majesty need not bestow any more gifts upon me; it's too much trouble to move them around."
The emperor understood the unspoken meaning, paused for a moment, then looked up at her, pretending not to understand: "Whatever mansion the Grand Tutor desires, I will build it for him, even if it means emptying the national treasury."
"Your Majesty, I think you are a very intelligent ruler."
"Grand Tutor, I am willing to share the world with you. If you are worried about our offspring..." The emperor said as if he had made up his mind, "If you become Empress, I will relinquish all power. If I am not worthy of your attention, you may have children with other men in your heart, and I will treat them as my own."
Guan Zhiwei laughed: "Your Majesty, then what's the point of being emperor?"
The emperor's eyes flickered slightly, as if tears were welling up. "I just don't want a dynasty that has lasted for hundreds of years to collapse in my hands. I beg the Grand Tutor to grant my request. From now on, the Great Zhou Dynasty will still belong to the Grand Tutor."
Guan Zhiwei pondered, "A nation can decline in just two or three hundred years. The Great Zhou Dynasty has already done quite well. Why should Your Majesty continue to struggle?"
The emperor, unsure of what to say, could only cite her words and ask, word by word, "Grand Tutor, do you still remember your promise from back then?"
Guan Zhiwei pondered for a moment. She always liked to make oaths to deceive people, and there were countless such oaths. After thinking for a long time, she sighed and said, "Your Majesty has it tough. You still remember a drunken rambling."
A faint look of despair appeared in the emperor's eyes.
He dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs who were serving him, and in a very humble manner, almost kneeling and begging for mercy, he asked, "From now on, I will listen to the Grand Tutor in everything, is that alright?"
Guan Zhiwei scratched her head.
To put it somewhat like Versailles, she really wasn't interested in being emperor.
At the beginning, when she was vying for power, she was still full of passion, but she had lived too long.
She experienced all the things that people yearn for: power, a life of luxury, and a superior social class.
Whether rich or poor, everyone dies eventually.
After a while, all the days seem meaningless.
The problem is, we're already here.
"Your Majesty, look how far I've come, and look how many people are behind me. Plenty of people want to join me in this effort, regardless of which dragon it is."
She shrugged and said, "I had no choice."
I really have no choice; everyone wants me to be emperor, it's the will of the people.
The emperor, utterly despondent, asked, "Grand Tutor, are you still going to let me live?"
Guan Zhiwei smiled brightly: "There is only one emperor in the world, but there are all the people in the world. Your Majesty has come down from the crowd and gone into the crowd. What can't you live?"
The emperor remained silent.
Whether this silence is acceptance or rejection is no longer up to him.
His only value was abdication.
During this process, there should be several instances of declining and refusing, making it seem as if the emperor did so voluntarily.
The emperor had anticipated this outcome, or rather, it was one of several outcomes he had foreseen, and perhaps even a relatively favorable one.
He was able to leave the throne alive.
The burden of the world was too heavy for him to bear, so it was only natural for him to put it down.
But there was one person who couldn't accept it, even more so than the emperor.
That was Empress Jiang.
"Your Majesty, Guan Zhiwei is a traitorous rebel who dares to force Your Majesty to abdicate! You should issue an edict to summon those righteous men outside the city to come to the capital and kill her!"
"I've had enough."
The emperor closed his weary eyes. "I have tolerated one powerful minister after another, as if there is no end to it."
Empress Jiang knelt before him, holding his hands tightly, trying to give him some strength, and said fiercely, "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test his mind, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body, leave him destitute, and thwart his actions, so as to strengthen his resolve and increase his abilities."
"Your Majesty, the situation is hopeless."
"Your Majesty! The Great Zhou Dynasty has been established for three hundred years and is of legitimate rule. It should not be lost in your hands."
The emperor looked at his hands and murmured, "Perhaps Heaven destined me to be the ruler of a fallen kingdom. Otherwise, why would I have ascended the throne at such a young age, without any support and of no use?"
Seeing that nothing she said would work, Empress Jiang angrily shook off his hand and stood up.
"You shall be the ruler of a fallen kingdom, I shall not be the empress of a fallen kingdom."
What do you want?
"What I do is none of Your Majesty's business." Empress Jiang bowed and turned to leave resolutely.
She became empress at the age of twelve.
Everyone praised her, saying she was naturally virtuous and intelligent, and divinely aided.
She took the wise and virtuous empresses in history as a model and held herself to high standards.
We must understand the greater good and prioritize the overall situation—the interests of individuals and families are insignificant, while the interests of the nation take precedence over everything else.
She should be skilled at offering advice and assisting the monarch—she should be the one to make up for His Majesty's mistakes.
She was of high moral character and set an example by being frugal. She led the concubines in raising silkworms and weaving cloth, and set an example for the harem with her kindness and studiousness.
She possessed political wisdom, but was not autocratic—seeing the unstable situation, she was even willing to give up the position of empress, not coveting power, but only seeking peace for the country.
She served as empress for so long, and was willing to dedicate her entire life to the title of empress.
Now, tell her she can't be queen?
No way!
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