Chapter 510
The old emperor died on the night he left his will, and the empress dowager never woke up and died in her dream the next day.
The entire court was busy, dealing with the funeral of the late emperor and the empress dowager, as well as the coronation ceremony of the new emperor. Now the whole capital had heard that the late emperor had left a will, stating that Prince Shun would succeed to the throne. The people, who were unaware of the inside story, were all shocked.
But even though they were surprised, they didn't have much of an opinion. Whoever became the emperor, they would live the same life. What difference would it make? Now that the new emperor had ascended the throne, their lives would be better. Because a while ago, the princes had been fighting for power and the people were living in unrest. Now it was good, and they finally had peace.
Prince Shun took time out of his busy schedule to visit Zeng's residence and met Jing Lie and Yuan Jing. Even now, no one knows who is helping Prince Shun control the situation in the capital.
"Your Majesty, you don't have to be polite. It's just that we each have our own needs. Your Majesty's wish has come true now. Yuan Jing and I just want to live a quiet life. Yuan Jing can write storybooks when he has nothing to do. As for me, I can run my cloth shop. That's enough. When I have free time, I will take Yuan Jing out for a walk."
Prince Shun had never met a man like Jing Lie who was not obsessed with power, did not care about being expelled from the family, and was willing to stay with a man for the rest of his life. He could see that Jing Lie was speaking the truth and was not trying to deceive him, otherwise he would not have put himself in such a situation. Even if he wanted to become an official, with his reputation, the censors would probably bang their heads against the pillars to stop him.
He just felt a little regretful. He knew that Jing Lie was a man of great talent, and this was only what Jing Lie showed. Even Prince Shun couldn't see through how deep his inner talent was, and the same was true for Yuan Jing, the fourth young master of the Zeng family. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to write the Yellow Millet Dream.
"Okay, but those manpower will remain in your hands. When you and Yuan Jing go out to travel in the future, you can also help me look after this country." Prince Shun finally requested.
Jing Lie thought about it and decided it was nothing, so he nodded in agreement. After all, he and Yuan Jing would not have any descendants, and when they passed away, the power would return to the emperor. Prince Shun also thought so, and the two sides hit it off.
"By the way, the fifth prince also left a good thing called cement. Originally, he wanted to use this thing to gain fame, but a palace coup occurred before he could do so. Your Majesty may want to take a look. Although this thing is cheap, it is very practical." Jing Lie used the name of the fifth prince to hand over the cement to Prince Shun.
Prince Shun nodded in agreement, then mentioned another thing: "You mentioned gunpowder..."
The power of gunpowder is too strong. The Fifth Prince used gunpowder to cause the tragic scene in the palace. This made Prince Shun a little afraid. He didn't want such a tragic scene to happen again when he was in his position.
Prince Shun was halfway through his words when Yuan Jing and Jing Lie guessed what he was thinking. Jing Lie said calmly, "Now that gunpowder has appeared in the world, it is impossible to hide it. Although that night was a bit tragic, when gunpowder is used on the battlefield, it is a weapon to kill the enemy. In addition to the Ning Dynasty, there are other ethnic groups, and even in other countries overseas. I don't know if those countries have discovered the existence of gunpowder and have researched gunpowder weapons. Once the Ning Dynasty stops researching and the other side makes a better weapon, what means should the court of this land use to protect this land and the people living on it?"
“Are there other countries overseas?”
"nature."
After talking with Jing Lie and Yuan Jing, Prince Shun felt not relieved but heavy-hearted. With such a mood, Prince Shun quietly left Zeng's house and returned to the palace. After considering for a whole night, Prince Shun finally made a decision not to put the gunpowder aside, but the supervision must be stricter.
Many people were curious about what he talked about with the late emperor that night, and why the late emperor handed over the throne to him. But Prince Shun knew that even if he didn't say it, Jing Lie and Yuan Jing could guess a little bit, why Jing Lie stood on his side and helped him ascend to the throne. Prince Shun also knew the reason, it was for the fourth young master Zeng, whom he was protecting.
When he investigated the death of Zeng Heng and his son, he had actually found out that the late emperor was indeed behind it, otherwise it would not have been possible for that loser Zeng Kang to do it so smoothly. He knew it, and Jing Lie and Yuan Jing also knew it. They were unable to take revenge on the late emperor, so they just watched the late emperor's princes fight each other and get themselves involved. Even the late emperor was so angry at these princes that he was left with only his last breath.
When he was alone with the late emperor, he said that he knew the formula of gunpowder. The late emperor was so angry that he almost fainted on the spot. Fortunately, Prince Shun later talked to him about the current situation in the court and told him that it was the best choice to succeed to the throne. Before his death, the late emperor finally had a clear mind. Except for the intact Ninth Prince, there was no other son. If the Ninth Prince really succeeded to the throne, the court would be in chaos for a long time, especially since Prince Shun still held on to that terrible thing, gunpowder. Thinking of this, he felt that the Fifth Prince died too easily and he should be beaten up again.
After the funerals of the two big men in the palace, Prince Shun successfully ascended the throne and became the new emperor. He named the eldest prince Prince Li and the ninth prince Prince Cheng. Since the fifth prince had invented gunpowder and cement, the new emperor did not make things difficult for the fifth prince's wife and her daughter. He named her daughter a princess and had her be taken care of by the royal family. As for the other people in the fifth prince's mansion, the men were sent to guard the imperial mausoleum and the women were demoted to commoners.
When these people were driven out of the Fifth Prince's Mansion, no one noticed that one of them was missing. That was the former concubine Han Miao. Han Miao was secretly taken to another place because the new emperor had long realized that gunpowder and transparent glass, as well as the later appearance of cement, were all closely related to this woman.
Neither Jing Lie nor Yuan Jing tried to stop him. It was Han Miao's fault that she jumped too loudly and caught the new emperor's attention.
The new emperor did not kill many people, which made the royal family and court officials feel relieved. Even the surviving eldest prince and others breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this uncle was not a person who killed people indiscriminately, so perhaps life would not be too difficult.
Liu Yiyi was worried for many days, and her shop was closed until the funeral was over and the new emperor ascended the throne, and the market was reopened. Only then did she open the shop to welcome customers and do business.
Others did not pay attention to the disappearance of Han Miao, the insignificant concubine, but Liu Yiyi paid special attention to it. After discovering that Han Miao was missing, she was scared for several days. Finally, she just gave up. Instead of being afraid of the uncertain future, it is better to live the present life and wait until that day comes.
In her opinion, Han Miao was really courting death by inventing gunpowder, which almost brought down the entire royal family. If people knew who made the gunpowder, Han Miao would definitely be recorded in history books, and would be regarded as a demon woman who brought disaster to the country, comparable to Daji.
She never expected that the fifth prince would be so cruel. Fortunately, the fifth prince died in the end. Looking at the series of measures taken by Prince Shun after he ascended the throne, Liu Yiyi thought that perhaps this was an emperor with gentle means. Of course, the cruel struggle for imperial power made her dare not participate in it at all. She only wished to stay away from these power disputes.
Two years after the new emperor took the throne, Liu Yiyi was still safe and sound. Although she never saw Han Miao again, Liu Yiyi put her heart at ease for the time being. She took care of the Yiliu shop and the women's club all day long. She, the shopkeeper Liu, became more and more famous in the capital, and more and more matchmakers came to her to propose marriage. Although she was born a country girl, she was rich and the money she earned could be piled up into a mountain. Whoever married her would be marrying a mountain of gold.
Liu Yiyi became more and more impatient. She didn't want to marry anyone. Wouldn't it be good to keep her own money and shop for the rest of her life? In order to avoid those people, Liu Yiyi stayed in the club for two consecutive days and didn't want to see anyone.
"Yiyi, the twelfth volume of The Yellow Millet Dream has arrived, the last volume. I rushed to send it to you as soon as it arrived." Liu Yiyi was drinking tea alone when a voice came from outside. She turned around and saw that it was Xia Zhou, happily waving the book in his hand at him.
Liu Yiyi was also happy: "I've finally waited for the finale. Let me take a look. Eh? Is this the author's original manuscript? Not printed in a bookstore?"
"It's the original manuscript. Fourth brother had someone send it back to the capital from outside. I was afraid that he was having so much fun outside that he didn't even want to write the storybook. I didn't expect that fourth brother still remembered it." Xia Zhou said happily.
Liu Yiyi smiled and shook her head. She had never thought that Si Yao was actually the Fourth Young Master Zeng. No wonder Si Yao's books were sold in Xia Zhou's bookstore. Except for a few people, who knew who Si Yao was? However, the Fourth Young Master Zeng's reputation had improved a long time ago. The only thing that people criticized him for was that he refused to marry and have children. He only wanted to be with men. He was a complete homosexual. Fortunately, he only targeted that man and did not affect others.
Liu Yiyi finished reading the last volume very quickly. As she expected, Jiang Tianci was pushed to the throne by everyone. What Liu Yiyi found funny was that every step Jiang Tianci took seemed to be forced, and it was not that he wanted to rebel and fight the local tyrants. This also made Liu Yiyi more suspicious of the origins of the fourth young master Zeng, but it didn't seem like he was a time traveler.
However, Liu Yiyi felt that it was better to be vague in life, and there was no need to be so clear. Was it so important what the origin of the Fourth Young Master Zeng was? The Fourth Young Master Zeng lived a carefree life with Jing Lie away from the center of power, which even she envied. Although he was a homosexual, he was very affectionate and had a man like Jing Lie willing to accompany him.
Xia Zhou was rubbing his hands dryly beside him, and his nose was sweating from nervousness. When Liu Yiyi returned the manuscript to him, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you?"
Xia Zhou said in one breath: "Yiyi, what do you think of me?"
"What?"
"Can you consider me when you are choosing a husband?" Xia Zhou finally said what was hidden in his heart. The truth was that Liu Yiyi had been targeted by many matchmakers during this period, and he was anxious. What would he do if Liu Yiyi promised him off?
Liu Yiyi's face suddenly flushed red. There was actually someone who came to her so carelessly to recommend himself as a husband. What kind of person was Xia Zhou? She could have been so successful in the past few years thanks to the help of Xia Zhou and his friends. She actually regarded Xia Zhou as a friend. Was she just going to marry him?
Liu Yiyi took a deep breath and said, "You know my situation. I'm not the kind of person who would sit in the backyard and take care of my husband and children. I won't give up my shop and business."
Xia Zhou immediately waved his hand and said, "I don't care. I already know what kind of person you are."
"Listen to me," Liu Yiyi continued, "At the beginning, Zeng Yuanxin and I almost got married, and actually...we even had physical contact."
Liu Yiyi gritted her teeth and told the story. She was confused at first and wanted to make it a done deal before returning to the capital. Later, she realized how stupid she was. However, her heart was still that of a modern person, and she didn't have any idea of being faithful to one person. But could these ancient people accept it? So this was one of the reasons why Liu Yiyi didn't want to get married.
Xia Zhou reached out and grabbed Liu Yiyi's hand, his eyes showing understanding but without contempt: "Actually, I knew it a long time ago. That time Zeng Yuanxin came to see you, I happened to overhear your conversation. I don't care. I just know that if I want to marry a wife, I only want to marry a woman like you."
Liu Yiyi looked at the man in surprise. He actually knew about this. Then she suddenly remembered, "Later I heard that Zeng Yuanxin was hit by a club. Was it you who did it?"
Xia Zhou played dumb and smiled foolishly.
Liu Yiyi didn't expect that the case was finally solved after such a long time. She was speechless and laughed at the same time. However, if you want to marry her, she will not give in to the requirements: "If you want to marry me, from now on you can't have concubines, you can't have a maid, and you are not allowed to go to brothels. In other words, there can't be any women other than me, including men." Thinking of the fourth young master Zeng, Liu Yiyi also added a sentence. In this day and age, you have to guard not only against women, but also men. "If you don't want to, then forget it."
"I do, I do." Xia Zhou immediately shouted excitedly. It turned out that his fourth brother's reminder was correct.
Yuan Jing, who was in Jiangnan, received a letter from Xia Zhou, saying that he was going to marry Liu Yiyi and hoped that his fourth brother could come back on the wedding day.
After reading the letter, Yuan Jing said happily: "This guy finally caught up with the person as he wished. It seems that we have to go back to the capital after finishing our business here."
"Let's go back. Next time we can go farther away so these guys can't find us."
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