Chapter 64: Ascend the throne, marry you, and make you queen
Min Shian's lips, which were originally raised, froze completely when she saw the last few lines. Her pupils dilated, her heart stopped, her eyes went white, and then she knew nothing.
She heard intermittent sobbing and felt a little confused, so she kept walking and walking towards the source of the sound.
She didn't know how long she had been walking, but she didn't feel tired at all. Suddenly, a woman's figure vaguely emerged from the white mist.
The woman lowered her head and sobbed softly.
She wanted to go up and ask, why are you crying?
But he found that he could not make any sound no matter what he did. Even his legs felt like they were filled with lead and he could not move at all.
The woman didn't move her body, her neck twisted strangely, and she slowly turned her head. She had a face exactly like Song Tinglan's, and she looked at her quietly with an expressionless face.
The next moment, the woman grinned and her head fell to the ground.
Min Shian woke up suddenly. It took her a long while to gradually wake up from the dream. When she regained consciousness, she tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out.
Chuntao and Xiamei, who were outside, heard the noise and came in immediately.
"Master, how are you? Herbal tea and water are ready for you."
The blush at the corners of Chuntao's eyes hadn't faded yet, and they were bloodshot. It was obvious she'd been crying a lot and hadn't rested properly. Xiamei also looked tired.
Before Min Shian could ask, Chuntao knelt beside the couch and explained, "Master, Xia Mei said that you fainted after reading Madam Song's letter, and it's already the second day."
"Lord Song has instructed that he has gone to Beifeng and will take a rest today. If you are still not awake tomorrow, I will have this servant inform Eunuch Li that you will be excused from the morning court for the next three days."
Min Shian nodded and drank some cold tea, which made her throat feel better. She said, "Tinglan..."
Chun Tao pursed her lips and said with some reluctance, "Madam Song asked me to tell you that she couldn't bear to let General Xiao go alone, and that the two children would have to trouble you in the future."
Min Shian sat on the couch in a daze, tears silently flowing.
*
"Yun Yuan, come and let your godmother hug you."
After the morning court session, Min Shian went to the Imperial Garden to look for Xiao Yunyuan. She waved to the little girl among a group of maids and coaxed her affectionately.
The four seasons pass in the blink of an eye. The little one who was crying in the cradle has now grown into a cute and adorable little girl.
Min Shian picked up Xiao Yunyuan with one hand and wiped the dirt off her face with her fingers. She waved to the maids who were kneeling on the ground, and they quickly retreated.
She lowered her eyes and looked at Xiao Yunyuan's smiling face, feeling a little dazed.
The little girl was only five years old, but she was growing very fast. Her strong physique showed that she was born after a brave and warlike general.
The little girl's appearance was exactly like Song Tinglan's. Her every frown and smile had the shadow of Song Tinglan, especially her eyes that seemed to be able to speak, which looked very much like Song Tinglan.
"Mom~" Xiao Yunyuan waved his little arms, trying to attract her attention.
Min Shian kissed her on the cheek and said, "What's wrong, Yun Yuan?"
"Mother always stares at Yun Yuan in a trance. Is she missing my other mother?"
Min Shian was amused by her words. He tapped her forehead and said, "I wonder who you inherited this weird look from."
After the incident, Song Yanxuan arranged for Tinglan to be buried together with Xiao Yuange. Afterwards, Yunyuan was taken to the capital by Song Yanxuan and raised in her palace.
Ever since Yun Yuan started recognizing people, she had always called her "mother." No matter how she tried to correct her, the little girl wouldn't change her ways. Later, she stopped forcing her, as Yun Yuan was still young and didn't understand certain things.
The twin brother Xiao Yunye was raised in Beifeng. Xiao Baizhan seemed to want to keep him away from the battlefield. He never allowed others to teach him martial arts and even thought of sending him to the capital.
But in the end, Xiao Baizhan still couldn't bear to let go. Yun Yuan was already in the capital, and if he sent Yun Ye away, he would really have no legitimate grandchildren.
Fortunately, the border was stable and there was no threat of foreign enemies, so Xiao Yunye was kept in Beifeng.
Xiao Baizhan's military power had been handed over two years ago. By then, Min Shian was already well versed in the art of ruling. She chose a compromise, neither completely taking back the military power nor handing it over to Xiao Baizhan again.
Min Shian split the tiger talisman into two, she kept one half and gave the other half to Xiao Baizhan.
In this case, if there is a war, using the tiger talisman to mobilize troops must be approved by her.
In order to prevent the Xiao family from continuing to dominate the market, she selected several outstanding talents through martial arts examinations and sent them to Beifeng and Yeping for training.
Now they are also emerging.
During these five years, Min Shian took careful steps to gradually undermine the power of the aristocratic families. She was good at taking a long-term approach and would not suddenly deprive the other party of everything they had. Instead, she would start from some minor details and influence the other party subtly.
Gradually test the opponent's bottom line, and then suddenly swallow it up.
In the early days of his regency, Min Shi'an first tried to take back some insignificant profits from various families. Naturally, the aristocratic families did not care about this and agreed reluctantly.
Later, her demands gradually expanded, and by the time the major families wanted to turn against her, it was already too late.
What Min Shian controlled at that time was different from before.
Especially since the four major families took the lead in keeping silent, these small families were not a threat at all in Min Shian's eyes, and they had no choice but to hand over most of the family resources and power.
But the four major families are not all as the outside world thinks. Regarding the division of power, Song Sheng's maternal family, the Jiang family, reacted most strongly.
After all, the Jiang family monopolized the entire Jiangnan business, and no one could give it up easily.
Song Yanhao's mother, Madam Jiang, did not want to get involved, so she wrote a letter to Song Yanhao, telling him to do whatever he wanted. Then Madam Jiang took Song's father to travel around and live in seclusion.
The Jiang family led all the noble families and wealthy businessmen in the Jiangnan area to unite and secretly resist Min Shian's control, with a tendency to form their own faction.
But how could Min Shian let them get what they wanted?
She had already arranged for Zhong Shishi to mingle in, gathering information for her while secretly stirring up trouble and discord, making the entire Jiangnan industry a mess.
As a result, the various ethnic groups in Jiangnan were divided into several small gangs. The Jiang family was unable to take care of themselves, so Min Shian gradually infiltrated various industries in Jiangnan through Zhong Shiyou.
The Jiang family only lasted for more than three years before the Jiangnan industry was completely controlled by Min Shi'an. Afterwards, the Jiang family retreated to a corner and no longer made any moves.
From then on, Min Shian firmly grasped the world in his hands.
So she issued a decree to reduce taxes and labor service, and approved silver subsidies for the people to farm, which were distributed to various counties to encourage agricultural development.
He who wins the hearts of the people will win the world, and he who loses the hearts of the people will lose the world.
Min Shi'an was well aware of this truth. After taking complete power, the first thing he thought of was how to seek welfare for the people.
She did all this not just to secure her position, but also out of her own heart.
At the beginning of this year, after she implemented the new official selection system, she added an additional requirement: those who passed the imperial examination would be selected regardless of gender, age, or family background. The court needed more pillars of talent.
The official selection system was different from the previous monopoly by aristocratic families. This time, it started from the lowest level of the counties and prefectures, and was assessed layer by layer. After overcoming all obstacles and finally reaching the capital, one was already halfway to success.
Regardless of whether or not he gets the top spot in the end, as long as his talent catches the eye of the Crown Princess, what does it matter if he doesn’t get the top spot?
This move was supported by children from poor families and ordinary people. Naturally, while they were excited, they did not forget the saying that it did not distinguish between men, women, and children.
Originally, people in the government and the public had quite a few complaints about this. They all believed that women should not show their faces in public. The gentle ones only needed to stay at home to take care of their husbands and children, while the lowly ones should be men's playthings and should not compete with men.
But the most noble person in Dajin today is a woman, and this woman has managed to convince most people in the world.
Although everyone still disagreed with this, fortunately the reaction was not as intense as before. Everyone devoted themselves to studying and preparing for the preliminary examination at the end of the year.
Min Shian also knew that this was a long and arduous task, but she had secretly made up her mind to find a way out for women in the world, and she would never give up.
She firmly believed that there must be women in the world who were unwilling to be confined to the walls of the backyard.
There will definitely be fathers and mothers who love their daughters.
There must be women like Song Tinglan who are full of knowledge but have no opportunity to display their talents.
"Mother, mother!"
"Father Song is here! Why is mother distracted again!" Xiao Yunyuan's chubby little paws bravely pinched Min Shian's face. It didn't hurt but felt a little itchy.
Min Shian looked up at Song Yanxuan who was walking not far away, chuckled, and then lowered his head to Xiao Yunyuan in his arms.
She poked Xiao Yunyuan's face and corrected him, "It's not daddy, it's uncle."
Song Sheng took the child from her arms and held her up skillfully, saying softly, "Why bother with a child? She'll understand when she grows up."
"How's your preparation for the end-of-year assessment going?"
"Xie Hemiao has taken full responsibility. So far, everything is going smoothly. It's a good start."
Two people and a child were walking aimlessly in the imperial garden.
During the year she was in charge of the country, Song Yanhao gradually delegated power to her and patiently guided her on what to do. After she encountered earth-shattering events and was able to remain calm and plan all countermeasures, Song Yanhao completely gave her all the power.
Now he is just a leisurely tutor, responsible for teaching Xiao Yunyuan his lessons.
"Tutor Zhang is attending court today." Min Shian said calmly.
Song Sheng bent down and plucked two flowers, handing the larger one to Min Shi'an and the smaller one to Xiao Yunyuan, who was in his arms. He replied, "Teacher is old, so something important must have happened. What happened?"
"Yes, the Grand Tutor requested at the morning court that I be allowed to ascend the throne."
Song Sheng smiled and looked at her, not surprised at all. He said with a hint of meaning, "When Your Highness ascends the throne, don't forget what you promised me."
"Don't worry, I'll always keep it in mind."
Then Min Shian laughed and said in a long tone: "Marry you and make you the queen."
In the 43rd year of Tianchong, Emperor Tianchong was seriously ill and had not yet recovered. The Crown Princess made outstanding achievements during her regent period and was highly loved. With the recommendation of everyone, she ascended the throne and became emperor in the autumn of the 43rd year.
The country's name was changed to Lan and the reign title was Fengsheng.
After Song Yanxuan beside him finished reading the imperial edict, all the officials below bowed and shouted in unison.
"Long live the emperor—"
"My dear ministers, please stand."
At this point, Min Shian sat on the supreme throne, with thousands of people worshipping her below. She finally created her own prosperous era with her own hands, and her history will never come to an end.
[End of full text]
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