Chapter 131: Changes in the Wind
Understanding their needs, Zhou Chaoyun decided to create a new position for Jiang Xiqu. Given his abilities, he could patrol the palace during Shang Yuji's shift. Patrolling the palace would also ensure Shang Yuji's safety. In the end, Jiang Xiqu agreed to take on this task.
Before leaving the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Shang Yuji feigned profundity: "Your Highness, isn't holding the morning court at 5:00 AM too early? Perhaps we could change it to 9:00 AM?"
Sigh, the morning court session starts at five in the morning. Subtracting the time for washing up and commuting, it means she has to get up and ready at four in the pitch black of the morning.
Your Highness, let her go and let yourself go too.
"..." Zhou Chaoyun was speechless for the first time, as there weren't many people who spoke so openly about the morning court system.
Fortunately, Zhou Chaoyun was not the kind of rigid leader who believed that ancestral laws could not be changed. He simply said, "I will discuss this matter with everyone later. If everyone agrees, it can be implemented."
Shang Yuji had only said it casually, but to her surprise, the princess accepted her suggestion and thanked her repeatedly.
Stepping out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a gentle spring breeze blew, creating a scene of bright and beautiful spring weather.
Zhou Chaoyun watched as the two walked away hand in hand, disappearing through the palace gate, and then sighed.
Recalling Yi Ning's letter, she couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Such a loving and harmonious couple, the price they paid for Da'an's uncanny ability to foresee the future was the extinction of their lineage...
In her view, people do not necessarily have to have offspring, but they should at least have the right to choose, rather than being forcibly deprived of it.
Rather than saying she felt something special for Shang Yuji, it's more accurate to say she always felt that she, or Da'an, owed her a great deal.
Changing one's destiny sounds simple, but if it were truly that simple, why would Master Xuanqing have failed to succeed despite trying so many times?
Ah San had told her about the conversation the three of them had last time at the mansion, so she was already mentally prepared for Shang Yuji's confession at Taihe Palace.
If we compare Shang Yuji's tragic past life with her present life, we can see how much effort she has put in.
She gave them a chance to change the fate of Da'an, and the prime minister was only one of the gifts they could offer.
If Shang Yuji were a person who valued power and profit, this gift would have been exactly what she wanted, but she wasn't.
Which person with great power would be willing to leave the center of power and ask for a year or two of leave from their superiors?
...Zhou Chaoyun had a headache. "A person without desires is invincible." This kind of great talent is both the easiest and the hardest to satisfy.
She would accept any reward, and this willingness to accept anything was precisely her way of accommodating them.
After thinking it over, Zhou Chaoyun sighed and suggested that they choose an heir for the throne.
Entrusting the imperial heir to their care would fill anyone with trepidation, fearing punishment for mishandling the child. But Zhou Chaoyun knew they wouldn't see it that way. In fact, she suspected the imperial power had little influence over them; otherwise, the incident of Prince Zhengqing "greeting" the emperor wouldn't have happened. Therefore, the imperial heir in their hands was merely an ordinary child.
After walking away, Shang Yuji took Jiang Xi's arm and said excitedly, "His Highness agreed that I can take a year off after working for two years. During the year off, we will travel to Da'an and see all the spring scenery in Da'an!"
"Then I'll pack my bags for the long trip in advance!"
"We need to carefully decide where to go first... Is it the northwestern desert or the northeastern snow forest? The southeastern mountains and the southwestern forests are also good, or perhaps we could go along the eastern coastline to see the sea? There are so many places that we might not be able to visit even in a lifetime."
“Ah Ji, we need money for the journey. His Highness just said that I get paid for guarding the capital. You can use that to cover the expenses of the journey.”
"Hmm... Keep some money for yourself, so you won't be short of funds when you need it. It's a pity I have to work first, so thinking about these things now is a bit too far off."
"Let's take it slow, there's no rush."
Jiang Xi couldn't help but move closer to her, her eyes smiling as she carefully watched Aji ponder their future. Aji had read through all the promises made in Da'an Spring, and he was included in the plan.
As she said, they will not separate and will be together wherever they go.
Birdsong fills the air, and the air is filled with the fragrance of flowers; this is the best day of spring.
·
One month later, the coronation ceremony was held as scheduled.
The new emperor offered sacrifices to Heaven at the Temple of Heaven and to his ancestors at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, proclaiming that he had received the Mandate of Heaven.
He ascended the throne in his imperial robes and crown, and all the officials knelt and kowtowed three times and nine times, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"
The edict of accession was read aloud, and the reign title was Xingyuan.
Rewards were bestowed upon the officials, and the political landscape of the court underwent significant changes.
After the process, all the martial arts practitioners involved felt exhausted, let alone Shang Yuji, who played an important role in it. As soon as it was over, she simply slumped onto Jiang Xi's back and let him take her away from the palace.
Even after getting into the carriage, she was too lazy to move and nestled in his arms to rest.
The powerful minister's crimson official robes intertwined with the military officer's scarlet court attire. Shang Yuji lightly touched his lips, then breathed a sigh of relief and pressed down on him. Her voice, weak and feeble, mingled with the clatter of hooves and the rumble of wheels. Jiang Xi, whose attention was entirely on her, naturally heard it all clearly.
"Those old fogies who rely on their age and status, they're practically on their deathbeds, yet they don't do anything to save face. Instead, they resort to underhanded tricks to try and ruin the ceremony, trying to show that His Majesty's ascension to the throne was illegitimate. Hmph! We've caught them red-handed, and if we don't skin them alive, they'll really think we're pushovers."
"Would you like me to give them a ride?"
After quickly finishing her rambling, she felt a little better: "Not for now. These old folks are more useful alive right now, but we can teach them a lesson, for example..."
Before she could get close, Jiang Xi bent down and whispered in Shang Yuji's ear, "Eat something bad and you'll be crawling through the toilet all night, having a few nightmares, and laughing for hours on end..."
These were all minor but troublesome punishments. Jiang Xi agreed and began to think about which Gu worms in the Gu cage would be suitable for this task. Otherwise, she could just catch a few and raise them selectively.
The two were very close. Shang Yuji gazed at the flawless profile so close to her. The moment their eyes met, she cupped his cheeks in her hands and squeezed them hard twice.
Unfortunately, they were still outside, so they couldn't openly bully Jiang Xiaoxi, who looked so soft and vulnerable.
The carriage was a bit bumpy, but Jiang Xi held her back and waist firmly with both hands, his expression softening and a smile playing on his lips as he let her do as she pleased.
Shang Yuji withdrew her hand and asked, "They've been retaliating fiercely these past few days. Are you alright?"
"No, they can't beat me."
The palace guards were replaced by Zhou Chaoyun's personal guards. At first, some people were dissatisfied with Jiang Xi, who had been sent to the palace as an "unofficial" but held a very high rank. However, after working together for only a few days, their complaints gradually disappeared.
For military generals, might makes right. Although this Lord Jiang didn't pay much attention to them, occasionally wandering around the palace walls and often appearing from strange places, his strength was undeniable.
Because the month leading up to the Princess's coronation ceremony was the final deadline for various factions to struggle, many unidentified assassins, secret guards, and spies came to the palace during this month.
The plan was to capture them alive, take them away for interrogation, and ensure their survival. Those thieves who fell into the hands of the authorities might have a chance to live, but those who fell into Lord Jiang's hands would have no chance of survival. Whether it was the dazzling whip flashes, the chilling swordplay, or the strange poison the guards themselves didn't quite understand, every move was deadly, giving these men no chance to beg for mercy.
As the fight progressed, Lord Jiang became increasingly swift and decisive. Previously, some people could withstand ten moves from his blade, but now, anyone who could withstand five moves was considered a master.
They even heard that Lord Jiang could use Gu worms to locate their respective families. Once, Lord Jiang flew through the capital carrying a severed head and a corpse, and threw the severed head and body into the house of the head of the family to which the head belonged. If the guards or hidden assassins of the family came out to intercept them, Lord Jiang would whip his way up and kill them until the blood flowed like a river, forcing the head of the family to kneel down and beg for mercy.
The truth is that the Lu family's assassins threatened Shang Yuji, intending to kidnap the important minister Shang Yuji to intimidate the emperor. This not only angered Shang Yuji, but also drove Jiang Xi to kill them in a fit of rage.
Later, it's unclear whether the powerful families reached an agreement: assassinating the new emperor was acceptable, but provoking Shang Yuji was not. She was difficult to deal with, and the people around her were also difficult to deal with; it would be a losing proposition.
The Lu family was also reckless, insisting that the assassins had nothing to do with them and that their claim to the new emperor that Jiang Xi's attack was a frame-up and a violent act of governance.
Naturally, the Lu family did not fare well afterward. The new emperor exposed the Lu family's numerous crimes to the head of the family and questioned him about the punishment. The evidence was conclusive, and the head of the family could not deny it. In the end, the family's property was confiscated, and the entire family was exiled thousands of miles away.
Jiang Xiqu, who becomes extremely fierce and menacing once provoked, is only seen as weak and pitiful by that Lord Shang.
In summary, many things have happened in the past month. The new emperor is ruthless and shows no mercy to the veteran officials in the court. If they reveal even the slightest flaw, they will be kicked out of the center of power. The worst thing is that they will be beheaded, have their property confiscated, and be exiled. Their family's years of savings will be destroyed in an instant, and they will live a miserable life.
Meanwhile, the first civil official parachuted in, Lady Shang, remained steadfast and unshaken. Those who tried to harm her always encountered inexplicable "accidents" or "mistakes" that led to their failure, or worse, to pay a terrible price. This strange and difficult-to-deal-with phenomenon was referred to by many as "evil."
The truth is that Shang Yuji is too lucky. Anyone who dares to make a move against her will be resented by the nation's fate. As a result, the nation will bring misfortune upon those with ill intentions, causing them to suffer bad luck in everything they do, cutting off all their family's escape routes, and reducing their years of hard work to ashes.
As for those outside the official ranks, Jiang Xi, a first-rank military officer, was no match for anyone. No matter how many experts or how powerful they were, once they entered the capital during his duty period, they would vanish like mud oxen sinking into the sea, never to return.
It takes decades to cultivate a master, but dealing with these masters is just a matter of Jiang Xi cutting them down a few times.
It's a completely unprofitable business!
The carriage stopped in front of the Tian residence, or rather, the Prime Minister's residence. After Zhou Ao sent the Tian family away, the Tian residence was vacant. Because Zhou Ao was in such a hurry to get rid of them, many good things in the Tian residence had not been moved out in time. Zhou Chaoyun simply waved his hand and sent people to clean it up. After confirming that there was nothing wrong, he converted it into the Prime Minister's residence and let Shang Yuji and others move in.
The previous master of the Prime Minister's mansion was from a family of high-ranking officials, but in the end, it all benefited them.
After disembarking from the carriage and entering the mansion, the journey to the main house was quite long. Shang Yuji didn't want to walk, so Jiangxi walked for her instead.
As night fell, Shang Yuji draped her arms around the back of his neck, leaned closer, and whispered in his ear what she had wanted to do in the carriage:
"Lord Jiang, you don't need to get up early tomorrow as it's a day off."
"Then let's sleep a little longer and get up later."
"Why can't I go to bed later?"
Noticing that he quickened his pace and moved with a gust of wind, Shang Yuji casually grabbed a few strands of his smooth, black hair and twirled them around her fingertips.
"Ah Ji, I'll be gentler this time, it won't hurt like last time..."
She covered her mouth to stop herself from saying the rest: "It's good that you know, we'll talk about it when we get back!"
"Mmm!"
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