Chapter 341 The End
The black iron edict felt cold to the touch, yet weighed over a thousand pounds.
Meng Shilan gripped it tightly in her palm, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
This is not merely a pardon, but a weighty entrustment from two emperors spanning two generations.
As she walked out of the Qianqing Palace, the summer sun made her squint slightly.
Outside the palace walls, the bustling traffic and everyday life continued as before.
It was as if the secret conversation in the hall that had just decided the future of the dynasty was just a repressed dream.
But she knew that from this moment on, everything would be different.
The day Zhou Congxian and He Xun led their troops out on the expedition was a clear autumn day with a high sky and light clouds.
Meng Shilan did not see him off at the city gate.
She stood at the highest point of the mansion, gazing into the distance at the torrent of black-armored cavalry that surged toward the border.
She didn't shed tears, but silently repeated it to herself over and over again.
"Waiting for you to come back."
"We, and the children, are waiting for you to come back."
War broke out everywhere, and the flames of war spread across the land.
The capital city and Yuzhou are separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.
Battle reports came in like snowflakes from the front lines.
Sometimes it's good news, the whole page filled with excitement and exhilaration.
Sometimes, however, the news is of stalemate and tragedy, with every word imbued with the scent of blood and fire.
Spring passes and autumn comes, cold comes and summer comes.
Fu'er has grown taller again, and Little Fatty Xi can now go to the Imperial Academy to study with his older sister.
This poor kid, I don't know who he takes after, writes crookedly, sleeps all the time at school, but is most energetic when eating.
Meng Shilan took good care of the two children and managed the huge Zhenguo Duke's Mansion and the newly opened Changshan Prince's Mansion in an orderly manner.
In this way, she built Zhou Congxian's most secure rear.
This war, which swept across the northern border of the Great Sheng Dynasty, lasted for a full year and six months.
The final battle took place at Chicken Claw Mountain.
That battle was so fierce that the sky darkened.
It is said that Xiao Shu resisted stubbornly and personally led his personal troops in a charge, but was killed by an arrow that fell from the sky and pinned to the commander's banner.
With their commander-in-chief dead, the rebel army was routed.
Zhou Congxian and He Xun seized the opportunity to pursue and wiped out Yanzhou in one fell swoop.
The other princes, who were hesitant and indecisive, saw that the situation was hopeless and submitted petitions to surrender, offering up their military power.
The rebellions of the vassal kings that had occurred since the founding emperor Taizu's enfeoffment were finally brought to a complete end.
The Great Sheng Dynasty ushered in a truly unified era.
When the urgent news of victory, delivered by a messenger covered in blood and dust, roared into the capital, the entire city was in an uproar.
The news of victory eventually reached the emperor's bedside.
The emperor, his life force exhausted, had been unable to attend court for a long time.
He was so emaciated that he was just skin and bones, lying on the dragon bed, breathing weakly.
But when he heard the shout of "Great Victory," his eyes suddenly lit up.
With trembling hands, the chief eunuch unfolded the blood-stained report and read it aloud, word by word.
"...The ringleader, Xiao Shu, was executed at the foot of Chicken Claw Mountain. Yan Prefecture has been pacified, and all the vassal states have surrendered..."
The emperor listened quietly, his cloudy eyes gradually welling up with tears.
He slowly, very slowly raised his hand, as if trying to grasp something.
"good……"
His voice was as soft as a sigh.
"I...have not let you down..."
He did not waste this second chance at life.
It has not let down the vast land and its people.
A tear slid down from the corner of his withered eye and disappeared into his frosty white temples.
The emperor, with a satisfied smile on his face, closed his eyes forever on the dragon bed.
In the eleventh year of the Yuande era of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the emperor died.
He worked diligently and tirelessly, purging the court with swift and decisive measures and suppressing the vassal kings with an iron-fisted army.
The historian wrote down his name as "the restorer of the dynasty".
In a mere eleven years of burning passion, he forcibly extended the reign of the precarious Dasheng Dynasty by a century.
A country cannot be without a ruler for even a day.
Three days later, His Majesty had no son, and the twelve-year-old Seventh Prince Xiao Lin ascended the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, changing the era name to Yong'an.
Empress Zhang was honored as Empress Dowager and ruled from behind the curtain.
The new emperor's birth mother, Empress Dowager Su, was honored as the Grand Empress Dowager.
However, Empress Dowager Su, who had once dominated the court and the palace for her entire life, had become mentally confused by the time she reached the supreme position.
She would often hold the hands of the palace servants and chatter on about old stories.
Sometimes he would call out the late emperor's childhood name, and sometimes he would point outside the palace and say that he saw the concubines who had passed away many years ago.
The following winter, after a heavy snowfall, the Empress Dowager, who had been confused for over a year, passed away peacefully in her sleep.
The young emperor ascended the throne, and all the officials paid homage.
Upon his triumphant return, Zhou Congxian was exceptionally granted the title of "King of Changshan" for his meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion and stabilizing the country, with a fief of ten thousand households and a hereditary title.
Wei Xun, on the other hand, entered the Northwest Camp with his outstanding military achievements, starting as a captain and eventually becoming a general who truly held military power.
Meng Xingjiang volunteered to enter the Imperial Academy and became its Chancellor.
"Brother, why are you doing this to yourself?"
Meng Shilan looked at her elder brother, who was dressed in a simple scholar's robe, with great confusion.
Given his achievements and talents, it was only a matter of time before he entered the cabinet, became prime minister, and was granted a title.
Meng Xingjiang simply smiled gently, his gaze clear and firm.
"Instead of fighting with others in the court, we should educate more sensible scholars for the future of Dasheng."
"Shi Lan, look."
He pointed out the window to the children running and playing in the sunlight.
"This is the foundation of the Great Prosperity."
Meng Shilan looked at her brother and suddenly understood.
These people are all protecting this hard-won home and country in their own ways.
Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye.
The seventh year of Yong'an.
The little emperor who once thought even the dragon robe was too big for him has now grown into a handsome nineteen-year-old young man.
He was diligent in his duties, loved the people, and humbly accepted advice. With the assistance of veteran officials such as Zhou Congxian and Meng Xingjiang, he governed Dasheng with peace and prosperity.
The only thing the court officials were worried about was His Majesty's position as Empress, which remained unresolved.
Memorials requesting the selection of imperial concubines piled up on the desk in the imperial study.
The young emperor, annoyed by the constant pressure, waved his hand and directly drafted an imperial edict.
"My mind is made up. I will make Zhou Jiafu, the daughter of the Prince of Changshan, my empress."
The entire court was in uproar.
Yet it felt like a matter of course.
The Prince of Changshan was a man of unparalleled merit, and the princess was intelligent from a young age. She frequently visited the palace and grew up alongside His Majesty, becoming his childhood sweetheart.
This marriage is simply a match made in heaven.
The imperial edict appointing her as empress was delivered to the Prince of Changshan's residence by the most distinguished eunuch in the palace, accompanied by a grand procession.
The eunuch delivering the imperial edict held it in his hand and cleared his throat.
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."
However, before he could finish speaking...
A series of crisp, rapid hoofbeats suddenly rang out from afar!
Everyone turned around in astonishment.
A fiery red figure shot out from the side gate of the Prince's mansion like an arrow!
The rider, dressed in smart riding attire, with his long hair tied up high, looked dashing and heroic.
Fu'er is no longer the soft, sweet little girl who followed behind her mother.
The sixteen-year-old girl had blossomed into a graceful young woman, possessing both the elegance of Meng Shilan and the heroic spirit of Zhou Congxian.
"Princess! Princess! The imperial edict! The imperial edict hasn't been finished being read yet!"
The eunuch delivering the imperial edict was sweating profusely, his hands trembling as he held the edict.
Fu'er seemed not to hear, and a clear, bell-like voice drifted on the wind.
"Father! Mother! I heard that the grapes in the Western Regions are ripe, so I'm going to pick the freshest ones for you!"
"I will decide my own marriage!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she squeezed the horse's flanks with her legs, and the magnificent chestnut horse neighed loudly, transforming into a red lightning bolt and disappearing into the distance.
Zhou Congxian stared at his daughter's departing figure, stunned for a moment, then a helpless yet doting smile appeared on his lips.
He turned his head and looked at Meng Shilan beside him.
Meng Shilan was also looking at him, her eyes sparkling with a smile.
This couple fought their way through life, risking their lives, all so that their children could live so freely and do as they pleased.
As for that imperial edict...
Let that infatuated little emperor have his own headaches.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched Fu'er's departing figure into a long silhouette, a silhouette rushing towards freedom.
The world is vast, allowing her to roam freely.
[End of article]
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