At the end of June, after declining the throne three times, Wei Jingzhuo accepted the imperial edict of abdication and ascended the throne as Emperor Ming of Jin, with the reign title Jingyuan.
On the day of the coronation ceremony, the capital was packed with people. Envoys from various countries came to offer their congratulations.
The King of Xirong sent his crown prince and queen, and the Southern Chu Kingdom sent its eighth princess. Even the usually inconspicuous Northern Frontier sent envoys, bringing rare treasures as tribute to the Great Jin Dynasty, expressing their willingness to submit.
Many people traveled from afar to witness the majesty of Emperor Ming, Wei Jingzhuo, and the elegance of Empress Su Wan.
Wei Jingzhuo met with the people atop the imperial city walls. He wore a dark royal robe, his handsome face radiating an aura of dominance. His lofty imperial bearing caused the people to shout "Long live the Emperor!" and many girls cried out in delight.
Empress Su Wan, standing next to him, was quite the opposite. Dressed in gorgeous and elaborate palace attire, she was listless and yawned constantly, looking as if she hadn't woken up yet.
On such a solemn occasion, Su Wan's actions were clearly impolite, but the official in charge of etiquette didn't dare to utter a word.
Everyone knows that Emperor Ming is famously doting on his wife. Even if Su Wan yawned or fell asleep on the spot, Emperor Ming wouldn't mind.
After Emperor Ming ascended the throne, he first granted a general amnesty, then bestowed the title of Prince Xiaoyao upon his second elder brother, Wei Wuji. General Meng Ruliu, a woman, had rendered meritorious service on the battlefield and was promoted to Grand General Zhenguo. Emperor Ming went all out, issuing an edict that from the first year of the Jing era onwards, women could participate in the imperial examinations and would receive the same treatment as men.
This matter was immediately opposed by some old-fashioned officials in the court, with a few die-hards jumping out to uphold the old system. Their reasoning was that Meng Ruliu had followed Emperor Ming in his campaigns, making her an exception. Furthermore, she was the Empress's sworn sister; appointing her as a Grand General was no problem. So, were they really going to allow women to participate in politics?
Emperor Ming tried to reason with these people in the court, but they were still unconvinced. One of them took off his shirt, hugged a pillar, and said that if His Majesty allowed women to participate in politics, he would kill himself to atone for His Majesty's sins.
These diehards were making a huge fuss, but Emperor Ming was neither worried nor angry. He simply ordered them to be sent to see the Empress.
The goddess's words carried weight. No one knew what Su Wan had said, but the ministers immediately changed their minds after leaving her palace. And so the matter was settled.
Afterwards, someone asked an old man, who didn't say it explicitly, but rather pointed out in a very subtle way that the empress's medical skills played a key role here.
Emperor Ming would get up before dawn every morning to handle state affairs, while the empress would sleep in late in the palace.
Several days passed, and one evening, Emperor Ming was discussing state affairs with the Prime Minister in the Golden Palace when the Empress suddenly summoned Zhao Fu to the palace.
Zhao Fu felt uneasy, wondering what the Empress's purpose was in suddenly summoning him.
Ever since the Jin army returned from Southern Chu, Su Wan had her younger brother Su Yuze, steward Zhao Fu, and Granny Cui, among others, brought to the capital. Su Heng and his wife, along with Yang Yaozu and others, remained at the Su family residence in Suiyang, guarded by the Lu siblings.
Su Yuze can receive a better education at the academy in the capital, and Granny Cui has returned to the palace. Only Zhao Fu doesn't know what he's supposed to do. He's just a steward, and Su Wan hasn't bought a house in the capital, so what's the point of bringing him here?
It wasn't until he met Su Wan that Zhao Fu finally understood Su Wan's intention in bringing him to the capital.
"What was my mother like when she was sick?" Su Wan asked. "Do you remember?"
Zhao Fu said, "Your Majesty, I don't remember very clearly either. But at the beginning, it seems that the lady was in a deep sleep all day..."
He recounted fragments from his memory, and Su Wan covered her mouth, yawned, and said, "That's it."
Zhao Fu noticed Su Wan's action, and recalling her behavior on the day of his ascension to the throne, he connected it with his own memories and couldn't help but tremble slightly. He asked, "Your Majesty, why do you ask these questions?"
Su Wan said, "It's alright, I was just asking casually. I wanted to know what my mother's situation was like back then. You can go now."
As Zhao Fu left the palace, he felt increasingly uneasy.
The Empress's mother from back then seems to look similar to the Empress now. Could it be that the Empress is also going to get her mother's illness?
That would be terrible. Back then, we consulted so many famous doctors about the illness, but they couldn't cure it at all. In the end, she became so thin that she looked like a skeleton.
But then I thought, that's unlikely. How could someone as kind as the Empress possibly have such an incurable disease? Perhaps her fatigue is simply due to lack of rest.
His heart was filled with mixed feelings. He left the imperial city and walked along the main street towards the inn where he would be staying. When he reached a secluded spot, someone called out to him, "Mr. Zhao, my young lady requests your presence."
Zhao Fu looked at the newcomer, whom he did not recognize. He was a young man with delicate features and a strong, muscular build. Judging from his accent, he seemed to be from the Southern Chu region.
A week ago, Emperor Ming ascended the throne, and many people from Southern Chu came to the capital. In addition, with the country now at peace and prosperous, there are quite a few people from Southern Chu coming to the capital of Great Jin for business and sightseeing, so he didn't pay much attention to it.
He didn't want to get involved in other people's affairs, so he vaguely declined, saying, "I don't know your young lady. You must have mistaken me for someone else."
The young man said, "Aren't you Mr. Zhao Fu from Baohe Hall in Suiyang County?"
Zhao Fu didn't want to talk, so he walked past the young man. The man caught up with him, lifted him up by his belt, and said, "Miss wishes to see Mr. Zhao. Please do not refuse."
Zhao Fu was furious and shoved the man in the chest. It felt like iron and stone, not like human skin at all, and his hand ached from the impact.
The young man laughed and said, "Since you refuse to go with me, sir, I have no choice but to offend you."
Seeing that things were going badly, Zhao Fu was about to shout when the young man gently covered his mouth with his hand and led him into an alley, to the front of a house.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
