Chapter 93
In the days that followed, Emperor Chengyuan continued to deal with the powerful and influential officials with ruthless methods, causing them great distress and making them cry out in despair. Their power was greatly reduced, and their prestige and reputation were not what they used to be.
Just as they were furious and ready to launch a counterattack against the monarch, His Majesty the Emperor suddenly took a step back.
He no longer insisted on making Lady Wen empress, but instead conferred upon her the title of Imperial Concubine and welcomed her into Changchun Palace.
Powerful officials and civil servants: "..."
Damn, I feel like I've been completely outmaneuvered by the emperor, losing both my wife and my army!
But the emperor has already backed down. If they cause any more trouble, they will be considered traitors and rebels.
That would give Emperor Chengyuan a pretext to send troops and crush them one by one.
Ultimately, the pen can't beat real swords and spears!
Who allowed Emperor Chengyuan to firmly control the military power of the Yuan Empire?
Before they can die together, they will be the first to perish.
It's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death, especially for those of them at the top of the pyramid, who are even more afraid of death.
And who said they lost?
If they can force the emperor to back down once, won't they do it a second time?
Sooner or later, the empire will once again fall into the hands of these powerful and influential civil officials, and the emperor will be at their mercy.
Emperor Chengyuan sneered: Fool!
This time, it seemed like he had backed down, but in reality, the six ministries of the cabinet and the powerful local positions had all undergone a major reshuffle, with more than half of them replaced by his cronies.
The emperor further consolidated his control over the entire empire, bringing power back into his own hands.
The next step is to slowly erode it.
The powerful and influential civil officials were deeply entrenched, but because they were so deeply entrenched, they easily overlooked many things. If the emperor could seize these weaknesses and defeat them one by one, he would eventually be able to bring this interest group to a complete collapse.
Then, it will be the time for the emperor to reap their lives.
Given Emperor Chengyuan's cunning and methods, within ten years, the world will be under his absolute control, with those who obey him prospering and those who oppose him perishing.
Those who orchestrated this struggle for the empress's coronation for their own benefit, who slandered Wen Xin behind her back, and who coerced the emperor, Emperor Chengyuan has all been added to his death list.
No rush. Once His Majesty has married his young wife, we can deal with them one by one.
...
Wen Xin's entry into the palace was scheduled for the summer solstice.
Instead of returning to the Wen family to await her marriage, Emperor Chengyuan gifted her Peach Blossom Manor and even placed the memorial tablets of Wen Ting and his wife there.
From now on, Peach Blossom Manor will be her maternal home.
She would also ride in the phoenix carriage from here to enter the palace and marry the emperor.
Oh, speaking of the etiquette for the imperial concubine's entry into the palace, the officials are arguing with the emperor again.
His Majesty is being far too willful.
Is it really possible to make the bestowal of the title of Imperial Concubine more grand and extravagant than the bestowal of the title of Empress?
Whose imperial concubine uses the ceremonial carriage of an empress?
Whose imperial concubine entered through the main gate of the palace?
Whose imperial concubine wore a phoenix crown with nine phoenixes flying together?
Whose imperial concubine was going to perform ancestral rites and announce them to the world, receiving the homage of civil and military officials in the Hall of Union?
Utterly absurd!
However, His Majesty the Emperor didn't care. If they felt it was inappropriate, then he would simply change it to the Empress Conferment Ceremony, which would be just as appropriate.
Civil officials: "..."
So all that fuss they made before was for nothing?
Your Majesty, could you please spare us?
The emperor sneered: Who was the first to prevent me from properly marrying my beloved wife?
The civil officials lamented: "A tyrannical ruler, blinded by lust! What a tyrannical ruler!"
However, in the end, the officials backed down.
They were severely weakened in their last confrontation with the emperor and are not capable of engaging in a direct confrontation again in the short term.
No matter how solemn and dignified the ceremony is, a concubine is still a concubine.
Their daughter still has a chance to ascend to that phoenix throne.
Once Lady Wen enters the palace, they can then legitimately submit a memorial to the emperor requesting that he select concubines to fill the harem.
The imperial harem can't be dominated by Consort Wen alone, can it?
Once an emperor has tasted the beauty of women, he will surely be unable to resist.
The daughters in their family are all beautiful and innocent. After a while, when the Emperor's novelty towards Consort Wen wears off, he will surely prefer them.
The powerful and influential officials were particularly shrewd in their calculations.
They simply assumed Wen Xin was merely a stepping stone for their daughter, and stopped pressing the issue of the imperial concubine conferment ceremony being considered excessive.
Besides, she is currently enjoying the Emperor's favor, but once the Emperor tires of Consort Wen, everything she has experienced today will be her death knell.
Hehe, they'll see!
Wen Xin shook her head weakly: I'll wait too.
Then we'll see who dies first!
...
On the summer solstice, the capital city was covered with flowers and red silk, and the people were fortunate enough to witness a grand wedding.
The entire empire knows that His Majesty will marry his beloved concubine today, and the whole country is celebrating.
Therefore, the emperor opened the granaries to distribute grain, relieved the poor throughout the land, exempted them from corvée labor and taxes for a year, and prayed for the well-being of the imperial concubine.
The people of the Yuan Dynasty lived a very comfortable life for the next year. They had no problem with food and clothing and were able to accumulate more grain and wealth for the following year. Their lives got better and better.
Putting aside those powerful officials and nobles, the common people were overjoyed and sincerely wished His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine a loving and harmonious relationship and that they would have a son soon!
Inside the palace, amidst the sounds of ceremonial music, Emperor Chengyuan, dressed in a red dragon robe, led his bride, adorned in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, to the Hall of Union to receive the homage of the officials, and personally handed her the Phoenix Seal.
Wen Xin held the seal and glanced out of the corner of her eye at many officials whose eyes and mouths were twitching. They were holding onto their sleeves tightly to keep from jumping out and spitting as they cursed the emperor for his recklessness.
She was in a very good mood.
However, a hint of helplessness appeared in Wen Xin's eyes as she glared at the emperor, as if to say: We've already agreed that you'd make her a concubine, so why are you still like this?
His Majesty the Emperor was so enraged by his young wife's scolding that his heart burned with intense passion.
If it weren't for wanting to give her a perfect wedding and prevent some fools from questioning her status, Emperor Chengyuan would have already been eager to pick up his beloved concubine and head to their wedding night!
After the ceremony of bestowing the title of imperial concubine, Emperor Chengyuan went to the front hall to receive toasts from the officials, while Wen Xin received the greetings of the noblewomen in Changchun Palace.
The furnishings and decorations in Changchun Palace were all arranged according to the Empress's regulations, and were even more luxurious and exquisite.
Wen Xin changed into a bright red peony brocade jacket with a stand-up collar, and wore a phoenix hairpin. She was elegant and beautiful, with unparalleled grace.
The noblewomen muttered to themselves: "This imperial concubine acts more like a noblewoman than the empress. She's only doing this because the emperor still favors her."
However, as long as the emperor still protects and favors Consort Wen, they can only suppress their dissatisfaction and respectfully bow and kowtow to her.
Wen Xin's gaze swept over the few noblewomen who had once mocked her so brazenly outside the Cining Palace. Seeing them flinch slightly, her smile became even more gentle and subtle.
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