The emperor setting up a seat for his empress in the Golden Palace was not merely a seat, but a symbol.
A symbol of the emperor and empress ruling together.
The empress was no longer confined to the inner palace and held the imperial seal; she had the freedom and right to direct the affairs of the country.
Equivalent to—
Jun Chenbi gave away half of his power.
A monarch's willingness to share his noble and supreme power and honor with others is already a unique form of favor.
Or rather... love.
The Jun royal family has always produced many devoted lovers.
For example, the late emperor and Consort Shentu. This consort nearly wiped out all of the late emperor's children, yet the late emperor still indulged her arrogance and domineering ways.
For example, the founding emperor of the Yong Dynasty only married one empress in his lifetime.
The royal family and members of the royal clan believed that their current emperor, because of the late emperor, was averse to women and even disliked them. They worried that the emperor's severance of affection might be detrimental to his offspring, but at the same time, they were relieved that perhaps this generation of emperors from the royal family would not fall for women again.
Who knew—
Their emperor didn't fall for women; he fell for men!
They weren't those fools who were easily fooled into believing any prophecy. Of course, that's not to say that the temple was unreliable. The temple was still very mysterious and prestigious in the Dayong Dynasty, including among the powerful and wealthy families. It's just that the prophecy looked like... utter nonsense!
Although it is unknown how His Majesty managed to get the Yue State Preceptor to ascend the Star-Picking Tower and publicly deliver this absurd prophecy, it did not prevent the astute nobles from sensing something fishy.
His Majesty's absurd act of marrying a male empress, which he used to deceive the world with divine pronouncements, shows how much he cherishes this woman.
And then they took the absurdity to the extreme step by step.
The traditional rule that the imperial harem should not interfere in politics has been completely distorted.
Compared to the late emperor's favor towards Consort Shentu, it was actually...
It's even better than that!
Consort Shentu was arrogant, ruthless, and caused chaos in the palace, earning her the title of "Demon Consort." Many people worried that if Jun Chenbi were to delegate the power of interfering in politics to his empress, Qin Ge might become the second Consort Shentu. With power in hand, people are prone to becoming arrogant.
Fortunately, he did not follow the example of the late emperor's concubine, Shentu, who devoted her mind to crooked ways. He held power and did not betray the tyrant's trust.
Having experienced countless worlds, Qin Ge possesses the most advanced intellect and vision in this world. Given time, he could even create a mobile phone and a television.
However, he knew that those high-tech products were too much of a waste for an ancient world, and that forcibly pushing history forward with advanced knowledge might not be a good thing for the Great Yong Dynasty.
Therefore, he only disseminated the advanced knowledge he knew to the people of Dayong within a controllable range.
Qin Ge improved farming tools, increased crop yields, exempted people from taxes and corvée labor, and made the people of Dayong prosperous. He also revised the laws, modified and improved unreasonable clauses in the Dayong Code to prevent wrongful convictions, and added many new clauses.
For example, the official system of the Dayong Dynasty allowed women to be employed regardless of gender, with the most capable being appointed.
For example, same-sex marriage is allowed.
The latter only affects a small portion of people who seem absurd, strange, disgusting to the world, and who actually like the same sex.
It gave them the courage to be together, defying societal norms and societal expectations.
And the former—
The fact that women could serve as officials in the court was a significant and memorable event in the history of the Dayong Dynasty!
A great man once said that women hold up half the sky. Although the social customs of the Yongzheng Emperor were open, they still did not support women showing their faces in public, even though many women were just as talented as men.
However, when they reached a certain age, they were forced to marry out of their families, sometimes to someone they didn't even know. Then they could only use their talents and cunning to fight within the household.
Qin Ge felt it was such a pity.
If these women are given a chance, they will seize it and strive to climb the ladder.
Later, it became common for women to serve as officials in Dayong. These extraordinary women were no less capable than any man. They made their grand entrance on the magnificent stage of history, shining brightly.
Later, the reign of Emperor Qingjia, during which the emperor and empress lived in the same court, was known as the "Enlightened Prosperity," and Emperor Qingjia and his empress were referred to as the "Two Saints."
However, our Emperor has little interest in saints or wise rulers; he became a wise and virtuous monarch because of his empress.
Even though the people sang praises to Her Majesty the Empress for improving people's livelihoods and benefiting future generations, and even though Qin Ge's reputation among the common people and the citizens of Dayong once surpassed that of the legitimate emperor, and even when the royal family and loyal old ministers suspected that Qin Ge was not content with just being an empress and wanted to do something that would usurp the throne, Jun Chenbi never doubted Qin Ge in the slightest.
Inside the Imperial Study.
The emperor rested his head on one hand, his posture languid, yet he swiftly tossed out the secret memorial—
"I know perfectly well whether the Empress has any ulterior motives or not. Prime Minister Qin must be old and deaf to think that way."
"It was my fault. Considering that Prime Minister Qin is getting old... then let him retire and return to his hometown!"
He casually stripped the prime minister of the country of his official title.
Qin Xiang... no, he can no longer be called Prime Minister, Qin Zhongde's face suddenly turned ashen.
He's in the prime of his life; there's no need for him to retire and return to his hometown!
Qin Zhongde's lips trembled, and he was prepared to swallow his pride and weep profusely, hoping to change the emperor's mind: "Your Majesty, this old minister has been loyal to you and to the Great Yong Dynasty. Over the years, even if I have not made any great contributions, I have certainly worked hard..."
At that moment, Qin Ge walked in from outside the hall.
It was done without any prior notification from anyone.
This was a right granted to him by the emperor.
Qin Ge could go anywhere in the palace without needing to report, and no one could stop him.
Therefore, he entered silently, listening to Qin Zhongde, the original owner's scumbag father, lamenting.
Qin Ge was not wearing any fancy clothes. He usually dressed very simply, mostly in colors such as sky blue, moon white, and azure, which gave him a youthful vigor and vitality, as well as a calm and elegant taste.
Only on solemn and grand occasions would he wear magnificent robes in colors symbolizing nobility, such as purple, red, and bright yellow. On such occasions, Jun Chenbi would be especially passionate that evening, often stripping Qin Ge of his robes halfway down, leaving him partially exposed, then pressing him against the embroidered couch, or simply embracing him and kissing his bare shoulders and delicate shoulder blades beneath the richly colored robes…
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