Chapter 86, "A Qualified Female Lead," is now complete.
Two years after his ascension to the throne, the entire nation finally submitted to Qin Song's succession.
However, the ministers began to add new challenges to her agenda.
"Your Majesty, the affairs of state are heavy, but welcoming a new emperor and establishing an heir is the foundation of the nation and cannot be delayed for even a moment. Only when the lineage continues can a crown prince be chosen. At that time, the ancestral temples will be maintained, the state will be secure, and families throughout the land will rejoice. This is a matter of national importance, and I earnestly hope that Your Majesty will consider it."
"I second that opinion. I believe that Lord Lu, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, is of outstanding character and has a clear conscience, and is capable of supporting the rightful emperor."
"I have a dissent. Grand Secretary Li entered officialdom at a young age, has a gentle personality, and is exceptionally talented. He is more suitable to be the rightful heir."
"I also have another opinion. General Tao, the commander of the Zhenbei Army, has made outstanding military achievements and his reputation is far-reaching. He should be enfeoffed as a legitimate emperor."
In short, they were trying to persuade her to take Feng Jun as her husband, have children, and establish an heir apparent.
She didn't welcome any of them into the palace before starting to discuss the position of the rightful emperor.
Is the next step to persuade her to give birth to a dragon child?
It's really a headache.
Now that her three courtiers have become her right-hand men, how could she keep them confined to her bed?
Qin Song maintained a calm and tolerant demeanor throughout. "What you all say is very true, but I have long since abolished the system of bloodline succession, and the throne is no exception. If any of you are exceptionally talented and have outstanding political achievements, I will consider abdicating the throne to a suitable person among you. Of course, this law still needs to be improved, and I will discuss it carefully with the various departments and ministries before making a final decision. As for my harem, you need not worry about it; I know what I'm doing."
As soon as she finished speaking, female officials who were gradually entering the court stepped forward one after another to offer their advice.
"Your Majesty is wise. The Grand Banquet is held at a crucial time when the world is at peace and trade is flowing smoothly. Since Your Majesty is still young, you should look to the country and its people and prioritize the development of the Grand Banquet."
"Your Majesty, I second that it is appropriate. The Queen of Beisang has ascended the throne and has already sent envoys to seek peace. I urge Your Majesty to make arrangements for receiving her as soon as possible."
"Your Majesty, I have something to report. The 'Promotion of Commerce' initiative is progressing smoothly, and trade is flourishing. Numerous new commercial ventures have emerged in the south, and many foreigners from overseas have landed in the southern coastal areas to discuss cooperation. I have included the specific details in this memorial for Your Majesty's review."
"Your Majesty, I have reported that following the Shuling Academy, about three hundred new-style academies of all sizes have sprung up in the Da Yan region, with no restrictions on the gender of students. This year, the ratio of male to female candidates selected from various regions for the provincial examination is showing a balanced trend. The palace examination will be held soon, and candidates from all over the country will be arriving in the capital one after another. I request Your Majesty to give instructions to make arrangements in advance to avoid any unforeseen complications."
"I also have a report: the Ministry of War has received a secret report that General Tao has won a great victory in suppressing the Japanese pirates and will soon return to the capital in triumph."
Qin Song's eyes grew brighter and brighter. She was so excited that she almost stood up. After the court session ended, Qin Song first looked at the Ministry of War's report.
Tao Yao will be able to return to the capital in triumph in about half a month. If you think about it carefully, Qin Song has not seen her for almost two years.
She insisted on personally going out of the palace to welcome her.
When news of Tao Yao's triumphant return to Beijing arrived, the whole country rejoiced.
As the imperial carriage approached the city gate, Qin Song suddenly heard a beggar standing by the wall, tapping a bowl and telling stories.
"The previous dynasty was plagued by incurable diseases, the national treasury was empty, and the state was in dire straits. However, Emperor Yu was arrogant and extravagant. In order to build temples and palaces, he urgently sought countless gold and silver. He then colluded with the Northern Sang Royal Court, selling out the two prefectures of Yun and Dan in exchange for the gold and concubines promised by the third prince of the Northern Sang Royal Court."
Emperor Yu Fei was the posthumous title given by Qin Song to the former emperor of the previous dynasty.
Even though she already knew the whole story, she still couldn't help but clench her sleeves tightly to hide her anger when she heard it again.
The beggar paused, then continued reading: "Emperor Yu Fei instructed the leaking of intelligence about the Zhenbei Army, leading to their defeat in Danzhou, where tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians perished. He then installed his confidant Chen Peizhi to replace the Zhenbei Army in Yunzhou, and coerced me into serving him by threatening the families of criminals, leaving Yunzhou devastated. Later, he used pretexts such as divine punishment to eliminate dissidents in exchange for promises of benefits from the Northern Sang Imperial Court. Emperor Yu Fei, for his own selfish gain, colluded with foreign enemies and harmed the people; he is unfit to be a ruler and deserves to die a thousand deaths..."
At this point, passersby murmured and cursed, some even angrily kicking away the broken bowl in front of him, while others spat on it and threw rotten leaves at it.
The beggar was already used to this situation. He slowly brushed his filthy long hair behind his ear, revealing a repentant face. It was none other than Xue Ci, the former magistrate of Yunzhou.
Qin Song lifted the curtain and glanced behind Xue Ci. Two guards stood by, watching over him without moving an inch.
This was Qin Song's decree. After ascending the throne, Xue Ci pleaded for the release of his family. When he first took the throne, Qin Song was so busy that he almost forgot about Xue Ci. It was Xue Ci who came to him on his own.
Qin Song had already released his family in Kaifeng, but his crimes could not be let off lightly. So she ordered him to stand guard on the street every day, recounting his crimes in Yun and Dan prefectures over and over again, hoping to bring some solace to the innocent...
Qin Song didn't want to look at him anymore, so he lowered the carriage curtain and headed straight out of the city.
Tao Yao arrived in the capital at almost the same time as Qin Song had learned of her arrival. When Qin Song met her at the city gate, he felt both heartache and relief.
The bright young woman had lost a lot of weight, and there was a scar on her collarbone, but her eyes were resolute, her face was solemn, and she was heroic and spirited.
Qin Song helped her down from her horse and invited her to ride back to the palace in the imperial carriage.
The celebration banquet was held that very night, but Tao Yao didn't want too many people fawning over her, so she allowed only a small banquet to be held in Xuanhua Palace, as she wished.
Originally, it was just Qin Song and Tao Yao, but later Tao Yao invited Chen Xing, Jiang Yue, Yun Qian, and Chun He to drink and chat together.
Shen Xing and Jiang Yue were no longer maids of the Duke's mansion. After Tao Yao went to the southwest to suppress bandits, the two joined Tao Yao's army camp and have now made some military achievements, becoming two commanders of a thousand men in Tao Yao's camp.
Yun Qian took over the new products company created by Qin Song and continued to develop new products and agricultural tools. Only Chun He stayed by her side every day.
Listening to their accounts of what they had seen and heard on the battlefield, Chunhe's eyes lit up: "It sounds so dangerous, but it's also so exciting."
Tao Yao's face flushed after drinking a little wine. "Of course I'm excited! How about Chunhe joins my ranks?"
Chunhe gave an awkward smile, "I'd better not go and hold General Tao back."
Jiang Yue quickly replied, "How could I be a hindrance? You understand medical principles, and we are in dire need of military doctors."
Chunhe laughed, "I'd better take good care of my young lady."
“Give your young lady back. Ah Song is already His Majesty.” Tao Yao laughed heartily, speaking frankly. “By the way, Ah Song, didn’t you restrict the buying and selling of slaves? Why don’t you give Chun He back his freedom?”
Before Qin Song could speak, Chunhe quickly waved her hand: "No, no, no, it's not like that. I left it behind myself. Besides, I'm not a palace maid, I'm a female official. I'm in charge of hundreds of people in the palace."
Qin Song raised an eyebrow and nodded, indicating that she was right.
Shen Xing spoke carelessly and nonsensically, "Haha, then find more men in the palace to be palace maids, and have them grovel and serve as servants."
Qin Song coughed, stopping Shen Xing's laughter. "No matter what industry or position, as long as it restricts men and women, it is a form of plunder. Do you know how many pitiful people in this world are unable to cross the threshold no matter how convenient I make it for them? If even a simple way of making a living like palace maids is squeezed out, no matter what measures are taken, they will never be able to change their situation."
After Qin Song finished speaking calmly, Shen Xing subconsciously wanted to kneel down and apologize for her slip of the tongue.
Qin Song quickly helped her up and stopped her from kneeling. "Alright, I was just stating the facts. I... I said, this meal has nothing to do with status. Just like in Yunzhou, it's just a casual chat under the moon."
The moment everyone at the table stopped referring to themselves as "I, the Emperor," they felt much more relaxed.
Tao Yao started the conversation again, "On the way back to the capital, I met Miss Shuling. I always thought she was a bookworm, but I didn't expect her to be even more stubborn now. I asked her to go back to the capital for a visit, but she absolutely refused. She grew up in the capital, after all. Doesn't she have any attachment to the capital at all?"
Yun Qian added, "I heard that after Governor Gong passed away, Miss Gong never returned to the capital to visit him. I guess she really loved her academy."
Qin Song smiled, pursing his lips, but did not reply.
In Qin Song's view, Gong Shuling was not stubborn, but brave and resolute.
From the moment she fled the capital, she severed all ties with it.
She didn't want to be a tool for her parents to exchange for power, nor did she want to dwell on the past because of her parents.
Whether it was past prosperity or past mistakes, she regarded them all as fleeting clouds. She only wished to start anew, to do what she loved most, undisturbed and free from conflict.
Qin Song tried several times to write to her to persuade her to enter the Hanlin Academy, but ultimately gave up on the idea.
There's nothing wrong with letting her be a reclusive schoolteacher. What Qin Song can do is create a more suitable environment for thousands of women like her to grow.
Qin Song didn't touch a drop of alcohol, but stared at Tao Yao, who had a habit of secretly drinking in front of people she trusted, for a long time. "A Yao, marching and fighting is really a dangerous and arduous task. Personally, I don't want you to risk your life to go to war, including the fall of stars and the moon. I don't want to see anyone sacrifice. But having come this far, I am truly proud of you all."
Qin Song poured herself a cup of wine, intending to toast the three valiant soldiers, but Tao Yao grabbed her hand as she raised the cup. "Alright, how many times have you said that? Actually, I'm very grateful to you. I don't like embroidery or brewing tea, nor do I enjoy composing poetry. I only love leading troops into battle. If it weren't for you, I might never have seen such achievements today. I might have married a so-called ideal husband and spent my days in the inner quarters. If I were unfortunate, I might even have been discarded like trash by my in-laws, ending up in a miserable state..."
"Alright." Before she could finish speaking, Qin Song covered her mouth. "Don't talk nonsense. I will never allow such a thing to happen."
As soon as he finished speaking, the people present exchanged knowing smiles.
After several rounds of drinks, Tao Qingyang tried to enter the inner palace more than once under the pretext of visiting his sister, but Tao Yao ruthlessly turned him away each time.
She was already a little drunk, hiccuping and rambling incoherently, "Don't let him in. I heard about it on the battlefield. He runs to the palace every day, doesn't he care if people bother him? And now, hiccup, I'm not afraid of him anymore. He didn't strangle me back then, and he won't stop me now either."
Qin Song dismissed the palace servant, then reached out and took the cup from Tao Yao's side. Suddenly, he asked with some curiosity, "Alright, alright, don't let him in. I'm quite curious, why did he pinch you?"
Tao Yao snorted resentfully, then downed another cup of wine in a hearty gulp. "Don't you remember? I told you, the first time I tried to sneak into the Northern Border, I secretly asked Imperial Censor Lu to issue me a travel permit. Not only did I fail to get the permit, but my brother found out about it. He lost control and almost strangled me. You even came to apply medicine for me the next day. When you saw my neck, you turned pale with fright, and afterwards you avoided my brother like the plague..."
Seeing that Tao Yao was drunk and somewhat resentful, Yun Qian and Chun He quickly explained for Qin Song: "Miss bumped her head and injured her head, which affected her memory. She doesn't remember many things..."
They talked about the past between the original owner and Tao Yao, and Qin Song suddenly realized why the original owner trembled like a leaf when she was near Tao Qingyang. It turned out that she was frightened by Tao Qingyang's loss of control.
Fortunately, Tao Qingyang has already resolved her inner conflict. If she had continued to go crazy, she... never mind, she doesn't want to think about that in bed right now.
Qin Song couldn't help but turn his head to look at Tao Yao's neck, only to find that her eyelids were already drooping and her body kept leaning against Qin Song.
"Ah Song, my brother is only doing this for my own good. I don't remember what my parents look like, I only remember him. He really likes you, hiccup. You should take him as your wife, take him as your husband."
Qin Song supported her and gently patted her hand, without responding directly to her.
Of course, she couldn't hear me when I tried to respond.
After she finished her long, rambling speech, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Shen Xing and Jiang Yue wanted to help her up, but Qin Song stopped them, saying that she should just sleep on her for a while.
The others then began to speak.
Shen Xing didn't like drinking, and her mind was still very clear. She stared at Qin Song for a long time, and couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Your Majesty, how are you and my young master?"
Qin Song suddenly raised his eyes. "Why do you ask that?"
Shen Xing pursed her lips, "It's because I see that your harem is empty and you haven't taken a single person in, and General Tao and Lord Lu are always by your side. I'm worried that my young master won't have a chance."
As her slightly timid voice fell, Qin Song couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, I won't abandon him."
Shen Xing smiled happily, then asked in a low voice, "Then will you appoint him as the rightful ruler?"
The rightful ruler? Qin Song didn't know either; she was truly in a dilemma.
Seeing that she did not answer, Shen Xing had no choice but to continue: "Actually, when I first met Your Majesty, I lied to you."
Qin Song could hardly remember when they first met.
After thinking for a long time, I remembered that when she caught a cold and had a fever at the temple, they were chosen by the Duchess to take care of her.
In the brief moment of her recollection, Chen Xing wanted to kneel again, but Qin Song immediately stopped her and told her to speak plainly.
"That night you had a high fever, and the nuns in the audience were helpless. After Sister Yunqian went down the mountain to fetch a doctor, Jiangyue and I couldn't help at all. It was my young master who took care of you all night. But later, I don't know why Lord Lu suddenly appeared in your room."
Qin Song was slightly taken aback. That day, she had lied to her and said that Lu Youchuan had taken care of her.
Upon hearing this, Yun Qian quickly chimed in. She had been curious about how her young mistress had recovered that day, and she hadn't expected it to be the young master.
The two continued talking, recounting the events of that day.
Qin Song felt her heart soften even more. At that time, she didn't consider this matter to be a great favor. But now, whether it was Lu Youchuan, Li Yu, or Tao Qingyang, what they did for her, or rather what they endured, was far more significant than taking care of her that night.
Knowing this makes it difficult for her to mentally determine who is the winner among the three.
The group chatted and laughed, drinking and talking like old friends until late at night, until a palace maid came to report, "Your Majesty, Young Master Li requests an audience and asks to bring his sister out of the palace."
Young Master Li, formerly Crown Prince Li Xu.
The boy has transformed quickly into an adult and has now changed his name to Li Ai. No one knows that he is the former Crown Prince who has already passed away.
However, the return of the former crown prince to the palace is quite a comical situation.
Qin Song and the others all looked at Yun Qian, who blushed silently.
She stood up abruptly, intending to head out of the hall: "I'll throw him out."
"No need, it's getting late, everyone should go home."
At Qin Song's command, the group seemed reluctant to leave, but they obeyed and prepared to retreat.
Just as the group stood up, Qin Song called out again, "Wait, Yun Qian, let's choose an auspicious day for you and Li Ai to get married."
Yun Qian was caught off guard, her face showing panic as she refused to take the food.
Qin Song added, "I will participate together with the three gentlemen."
Taking advantage of the newlyweds' joy, she wanted to give her three husbands a grand wedding.
Let's just consider it a promise she made to them in private.
Although Yun Qian had never told anyone about her relationship with Li Ai, she could only blush and agree when Qin Song pointed it out.
·
The nearest auspicious day was ten days from now, but Qin Song set the date three months later.
Because they secretly arranged for people to rush to make the wedding dress, even three months might not be enough time.
After Tao Yao returned, she took up some of Tao Qingyang's free time, so Qin Song finally had one less person to appease.
Because of his official business with the cabinet, Li Yu simply requested a place to stay in the palace and basically lived there every day.
Despite being burdened with official duties, Lu Youchuan would still come to her whenever he had free time. Fortunately, he was usually the busiest person and she saw him the least, but whenever he came, she would always make time to be with him.
Because of the secret preparations for the ceremony, they soon realized what she was busy doing behind their backs.
At first, they suspected each other, thinking that the other was trying to sow discord between Qin Song and them. Later, they finally realized that all three of them seemed to have been neglected.
Li Yu asked Qin Song first, "Songniang, I'm still young, am I capable of satisfying you?"
Qin Song couldn't help but convulse, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Although they are a bit older, one is a military officer and the other is skilled in martial arts; they are both in excellent physical condition. Three should be enough, right?"
Qin Song was confused, but she also felt that his reasoning made sense, and she really couldn't say any more!
"What? You have new candidates to recommend?"
Li Yu was consumed by jealousy. He picked her up and pinned her against the wall. "No, I can't accept anyone else."
After Qin Song finished coaxing him with a smile, Tao Qingyang and Lu Youchuan pressed him about the matter again, both openly and subtly.
Later, Qin Song simply hid from them for a few days.
It wasn't until the day before Yun Qian's wedding that Qin Song asked the three of them for leave and asked them to accompany him.
Qin Song deliberately arranged Yun Qian's wedding at the former Qin residence.
The house that Qin Daoji bought, the place where the original owner grew up.
When Qin Song returned to his residence, he was utterly bewildered. The past events seemed like they happened just yesterday, yet everything had already changed drastically.
She still remembered how Qin Daoji had shown her kindness and care in that house, patiently preparing various foods and gifts for her, and planning for her future by establishing a school...
He was just the original owner's father, but she still missed him terribly. He made her feel a fatherly love she had never experienced before. Although later on, he had already seen through her identity and lost his initial intimacy with her.
Complex emotions welled up in Qin Songxin's heart, but she couldn't help but be immersed in them, and they were quickly dispelled by the servants and lively atmosphere of the mansion.
Before the guests came to greet them, Uncle Zhao led the three young men to the backyard.
Qin Song went through the motions and followed Chunhe back to her own room.
That night, red silk was hung high in the front yard, gongs and drums sounded, and the atmosphere was festive and lively.
In the backyard, Qin Song put on a well-fitting and exquisite wedding dress and sat in her boudoir, as if she had returned to the beginning.
Right there, she woke up, looked at herself in the mirror, and carefully pondered how to become a qualified female lead.
She once vowed to find nine men.
Only now does she understand that a qualified female lead has nothing to do with men.
A positive outlook, a strong core, and vitality are all that make a good candidate.
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Author's Note: Thank you to everyone for your company and reading. Qin Song's story with her three husbands ends here, but their lives continue to unfold wonderfully in their world. A happy ending is a state of being; they are only happy, there is no end~
The author will continue to write about the dramatic lives of Li Rong and Zhou Chenye. If there's time, perhaps some extra chapters will be added for the other female characters, including Qin Song, Tao Yao, Gong Shuling, Yun Qian, and Chun He.
Finally, if any of you have extra Moonstones you don't need, I'd really appreciate it if you could give me some! [empty bowl][empty bowl] I'd love to design a cover for my next book, and I need Moonstones to save space for the image. [starry eyes] If you find this offensive, please ignore it, I'm very sorry. [shy]
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