Chapter 95: The Lost Princess Bai Yueguang 26: Become a Plaything
The mourning period for the late emperor was three years according to ritual. As Princess Xuanping, Wen Qianning naturally had to observe mourning according to ritual.
After the funeral, she no longer wore bright and gorgeous clothes, and spent her days traveling back and forth between the Buddhist temple and the palace.
Wen Qianning knew clearly that according to the original plot, once Emperor Xuanping died, the entire Xuanping was completely changed. The former splendor and prosperity was nothing but a precarious illusion.
As expected, although Wen Yuanzhao had ascended the throne, his shortcomings were soon revealed.
He has always been ambitious but incompetent, and he succeeded in usurping the throne with the help of foreign countries and the conspiracy of powerful eunuchs in the palace. However, when he actually sat on the dragon throne, he found that the world was not as he imagined and could be controlled at will.
The treasury was empty, court officials were hindering him, and Wen Yuanzhao had no means to stabilize the government. Instead, he was urged to repay the conditions he had exchanged with the southwestern foreign countries when he usurped the throne.
In just a few months, they ceded several important border cities, claiming it was in exchange for peace. However, once these cities fell, the border gates would be wide open, exposing Xuanping's entire territory to the enemy.
Xuanping was once a powerful nation among the many states, relying on its cavalry and elite troops to establish its prestige on the frontier. However, due to the incompetence of the new emperor, the country's situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse.
The garrison commanders from all over the country were dissatisfied and kept making suggestions in the court, but Wen Yuanzhao was a violent man and would not tolerate any rebuttal. He actually ordered the demotion or even execution of several ministers who made direct suggestions in order to establish his authority.
For a time, everyone in the court was in danger and kept silent.
There was no respite, and the wars continued unabated. The southwestern foreign states, far from content with the conquest of the city, pressed on, encroaching further on the border. The northern grassland tribes, seeing Xuanping's weakness, also took advantage of the situation and marched southward to plunder.
In addition, floods were frequent in Xuanping during this period, and the treasury had no money to provide relief, leaving the people displaced. The capital of Xuanping was no longer as prosperous as it once was. The streets were filled with starving people and the cries of refugees were alarming.
The mourning period had barely ended, and the state had already deteriorated to such a degree that the people no longer spoke of the former majesty of Xuanping, but instead lamented the new emperor's incompetence. Streets were deserted, wasteland was increasingly plentiful, and the people were living in poverty. Everyone could see that Xuanping was declining step by step.
Wen Yuanzhao had been emperor for only a year, but he was already overwhelmed by internal and external pressures.
The treasury was empty, military pay was insufficient, and the border troops repeatedly petitioned for silver, but received no response. Rebellions arose in various places, and Xuanping was soon on the verge of national destruction.
However, the new emperor was not only unable to turn the tide, but became even more eager for quick success.
Knowing that his foundation was unstable, without the prestige of the previous emperor and without any real military achievements, the only people Wen Yuanzhao could rely on were the powerful people who held heavy troops and wealth.
But how could the powerful be easily won over? In order to win their support, Wen Yuanzhao even set his sights on his younger sister, Wen Qianning.
"Princess Zhaohua is stunningly beautiful, unparalleled in her beauty. If she can be used as leverage to gain financial and military support, then why not? This is also her duty as a princess."
Wen Yuanzhao said this in the imperial study, his eyes looking very sinister.
The eunuchs around him fell silent for a moment. Everyone knew that when the late emperor was alive, he doted on Princess Zhaohua and protected her in his palm.
Now that the late emperor has passed away, Wen Yuanzhao actually wants to treat Princess Zhaohua as a chess piece to be thrown around at random in exchange for money and manpower. It is really heartbreaking.
Wen Yuanzhao no longer had time to care about these things. He knew in his heart that now that his father was buried, Wen Qianning's status in the palace was no longer what it used to be.
As long as I have an order, who would dare to oppose it?
At this critical juncture, the son of the prime minister was the first to take the initiative to meet the emperor and presented him with generous gifts.
In the imperial study, Wen Yuanzhao sat in the upper seat, looking at Xie Yunji, who was dressed neatly and smiling calmly.
"Your Majesty is in need of talents right now. If you want to win over people, the Xie family is willing to contribute our family's financial resources to help Your Majesty fill the treasury and alleviate the current difficulties."
Xie Yunji spoke slowly, his eyes full of composure as he was determined to win over Wen Qianning.
"What I lack now is military pay and troops." Wen Yuanzhao spoke directly, without beating around the bush. "My dear, as long as you can help me stabilize the government, I will exchange anything for it."
Hearing this, Xie Yunji smiled slightly and looked up at him.
"Your Majesty, I seek...Princess Zhaohua."
He was not surprised in his heart, as some powerful people had secretly mentioned Princess Zhaohua recently. However, Xie Yunji was the most direct one and could not wait to find him.
"You're quite straightforward." Wen Yuanzhao sneered. "My little sister has been raised in the inner palace since she was a child. Now that our father is dead, her fate is entirely up to me. If you're willing to pay the full price, I can send her to your residence immediately."
The light in the man's eyes was so blazing that it almost overflowed with lust.
Now, although he has a concubine and many other girls, and there are countless beauties in his mansion, none of them can compare to Wen Qianning.
That was Princess Zhaohua, Xuanping's most noble daughter, the woman he once loved most. If he could truly possess her and defile her at will... even if she didn't want to, it would be enough to make him ecstatic.
"Your Majesty is wise." Xie Yunji suppressed the desire in his heart and bowed deeply. "The Xie family is willing to sacrifice our lives for Your Majesty. I only hope... Your Majesty can fulfill your wish as soon as possible."
The candlelight flickered in the hall, and the two people's eyes met, and they understood each other's thoughts.
A deal was made.
*
During this time, Wen Qianning's heart was always shrouded in a shadow. She knew where the plot was going, and she knew that soon Wen Yuanzhao would hand her over to the powerful in exchange for money and troops.
So, she carried a small scented sachet with her every day. Even Zhuiyun and Zhuyue didn't know what was inside, they just thought it was an ordinary girl's personal belonging, perhaps with a few scented beads hidden inside.
Only Wen Qianning herself knew that she had put a poison in the sachet.
This makes it convenient for her to take medicine and commit suicide at any time, thus ending her role in this world.
On this day, a palace maid brought a glass of wine on the emperor's order.
"Your Highness, this is the wine His Majesty has given you."
Wen Qianning looked at it and understood what this glass of wine meant without asking.
Disobeying the order was futile. The palace maids just stared at her, silently oppressing her. They must have listened to Wen Yuanzhao's orders and insisted on watching her drink the wine before they could return to report.
Staring at the glass of wine, a cold glint flashed across Wen Qianning's eyes. After a brief silence, she raised her hand to take it.
The clear wine rolled down his throat, his vision became blurry, the world spun, and his body slowly fell down.
When she woke up again, what she saw was no longer her Yaoguang Palace, but a gorgeous bedroom that she had never been to before.
The embroidered gold curtains hung low, the screens were painted with peony branches, and the floor was covered with soft brocade carpets. Every detail was extremely luxurious.
She had seen such splendor in the Xuanping Palace before, but when the country's situation took a sharp turn for the worse, there was no such grand occasion anymore.
Which powerful family, harboring all kinds of corruption, squeezed the blood and sweat of the people to create such splendor?
The rich have wine and meat, but the poor freeze to death on the streets.
These carved beams and painted buildings may appear magnificent on the surface, but in fact they are rotten and disgusting.
Wen Qianning couldn't help but reveal an expression of disgust. She propped herself up and touched her belt. Fortunately, the small sachet was still there.
"Sister Zhaohua, you finally woke up."
A greeting came, and Wen Qianning looked up suddenly, only to see the door being pushed open, and then a person walked out slowly. It was Xie Yunji.
The corners of his lips curved up, and his tone was so gentle that it seemed as if he was reminiscing about the past with Wen Qianning: "Sister Zhaohua, are you feeling unwell?"
"His Majesty loves you and would not let outsiders look down on you, so he personally sent you to my palace so that I can take good care of you."
Wen Qianning's heart sank. In the original novel, this plot was only mentioned in a few words, saying that she was sent to the mansion of a powerful person. Unexpectedly, this "powerful person" was actually Xie Yunji.
Ji Hanlin had reminded her to stay away from this man, but now it seems that he is indeed not a good person.
Xie Yunji approached slowly, each step seeming to tread on her heart. His smile grew softer, his eyes unable to conceal his possessive and greedy desire, as if he had already regarded her as easy prey.
At this moment, the door was pushed open from the outside.
A gorgeously dressed woman rushed in quickly and threw herself into Xie Yunji's arms with a delicate voice: "Young Prime Minister!"
Xie Yunji's brows furrowed, a flicker of impatience in his eyes. He hated it most when someone disturbed his interest, especially when he was about to catch his prey.
The newcomer was completely unaware and just walked forward.
The woman was just a maid of humble origin. Recently, because of her good looks, she climbed into Xie Yunji's bed and was quite favored by him, so she became more and more daring.
At this moment, she still couldn't figure out the situation. Jealousy swirled between her brows and she couldn't hide her resentment: "I heard... there's a new beauty in our mansion. As expected, the young prime minister really brought her back!"
As he spoke, his eyes gradually shifted towards Wen Qianning, and he became more and more angry the more he looked.
Wen Qianning was born into a pampered family. Even though she was wearing simple clothes at the moment, the delicate and noble temperament on her face could not be concealed.
In comparison, even though she had some beauty, she looked particularly vulgar.
The jealousy in her heart instantly surged like a tide. She felt that Wen Qianning was particularly annoying and was unwilling to have her favor taken away. So she said to Xie Yunji with a venomous tone:
"Young Master, you promised me that you wouldn't treat me badly! Why are you bringing someone else in now? Could it be that... could it be that the companionship I've had these days isn't as good as this new person?"
The woman's eyes were red and her posture was sad, as if tears were about to roll down at any moment.
Although she seemed aggrieved, she was actually pressing forward step by step, intending to use her crying to force Xie Yunji to give her a clear answer.
The man just looked at her coldly with a gloomy expression.
In the past, he might have reached out and held her in his arms and coaxed her for a few words. After all, what he liked most was to enjoy a woman's tenderness and dependence.
However, today was different. He only had eyes for Wen Qianning. There was a huge difference in their status and hierarchy. How could he allow a little maid who was not even a concubine to demonstrate in front of Princess Zhaohua?
"How dare you." Xie Yunji's voice suddenly turned cold, interrupting the woman's sobbing. "Who do you think you are? How dare you barge in without my permission?"
"You're just a lowly bastard trying to climb onto my bed. If you hadn't been serving me to my liking, why would I have let you stay in my bed for a few more days? Don't you think twice? Do you really think you can shed your lowly status and become a noble?"
Unexpectedly, Xie Yunji was so ruthless. The woman trembled and her face turned pale.
Wen Qianning, who was standing by, watched coldly and remained silent.
A wave of sarcasm welled up in her heart. The so-called son of the prime minister was nothing more than this.
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