The following day, news that the Crown Prince had attempted to usurp the throne, that His Majesty had died of grief, and that the throne had been passed to the Princess of Heyang spread throughout the streets and alleys, as well as many surrounding cities.
For a time, many pedantic scholars were angrily cursing Shang Shaoyan as "a hen crowing at dawn," "unworthy of her position," and "a traitorous minister." Shang Shaoyan didn't care about them. After all, it's better to guide than to suppress. Let them be smug for a while before settling things down. However, she kept a record of all those who opposed her in her little notebook.
Shang Yunlan was heading towards Shengjing, while Li Langxuan and Yan Xuening were on their way back to the capital. Shang Shaoyan then began to clean up the court and reform the people's livelihood. She set the day of her coronation as the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which she felt was auspicious.
Killing treacherous officials and beheading villains; reducing taxes and exempting from corvée labor—Shang Shaoyan had made all the preparations well in advance, and each of them was proceeding smoothly.
In short, regardless of how many people opposed or supported her, Shang Shaoyan still moved into the Southern Chen Imperial Palace smoothly, and those who wanted to harm her were all decisively killed by Shang Shaoyan.
On August 20th, Bai Lu brought Li Xuan and Chen Shu to Shengjing and personally escorted them back to the residence that Shang Shaoyan had arranged in advance. Then she went to the palace without stopping.
All the way, Bailu kept thinking worriedly, "Is the county princess... no, His Majesty tired and thin, not eating well, not sleeping well, is he under a lot of pressure, is he missing the Seventh Prince..."
However, after seeing Shang Shaoyan, who was eating and drinking well, had gained a little weight, and was being fed by Bai Feng, Bai Xue, and Bai Shuang, she realized that she had been too naive.
Shang Shaoyan smiled when he saw Bai Lu: "Long time no see, how's it going in Shu Prefecture?"
Bai Feng, Bai Xue, and Bai Shuang knew this was a political matter and dared not listen any longer, so they quickly took their leave.
Bai Lu frowned, looking at the three people's backs with some worry.
Seeing this, Shang Shaoyan naturally understood her concerns and said, "Bai Lu, are you worried that they will feel aggrieved?"
Bai Lu sighed and said, "Nothing can be hidden from His Majesty."
Shang Shaoyan glanced at her and couldn't help but smile: "You don't need to worry too much—I asked them what they wanted to do in the future, and guess what they said?"
Bai Lu shook her head: "I do not know."
Shang Shaoyan sighed and said, "Bai Feng has always been decisive. She said she still wanted to be my personal maid, so I promoted her to Shanggong. Bai Xue is delicate and said she wanted to find a suitable husband, so I promoted her to Shangyi. She won't be wronged if she marries into a high-ranking family in the future. Bai Shuang is gentle and wants to study embroidery, so I made her Shangyi. They are all fifth-rank officials."
She paused, then looked at Bai Lu with a smile in her eyes: "You are in the front court, and they are in the harem. They are all my right-hand women. Besides, everyone has their own ambitions, and what they pursue and what is suitable for them are different. I discovered before that you are extremely intelligent and have a free and easy personality. You are most suitable for the front court, which is why I chose you to come with me to Shu Prefecture."
Bai Lu then realized what had happened and laughed, "I had misunderstood."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Bai Lu finally got to the point: "...Everything is fine in Shu Prefecture. The people are much wealthier, and the water conservancy has been reinforced as you suggested. Everything is going well now."
After listening, Shang Shaoyan nodded slightly and said, "Very good... Yu Bailu, I intend to appoint you as Imperial Censor, what do you think?"
Currently, the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers system is in effect, but Shang Shaoyan intends to change it to the imperial examination system to select talent. He named Bailu one of the Three Dukes, both to appease his old subordinates and to make things easier.
Bai Lu was taken aback for a moment, but did not refuse. She immediately knelt down to express her gratitude: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"
Shang Shaoyan smiled with satisfaction, personally helped Bai Lu up, and then asked, "How are things between you and Xu Xian?"
Bai Lu chuckled: "That's good. Once I've established myself in Shengjing, I'll prepare to marry him."
Shang Shaoyan nodded, then casually said, "If you feel bored, I can find you a few handsome young men to help you pass the time."
Bai Lu's eyes lit up, but she quickly suppressed her excitement and said with regret, "Before coming to the capital this time, I promised Bu Xian that I would not be blinded by the beautiful scenery of Shengjing... Thank you, Your Majesty, I will wait for Bu Xian."
She paused, then let out a long sigh: "Ah—"
Shang Shaoyan was amused, exchanged a few more words with Bai Lu, and then told her to go back.
She sat in the chair, thought for a while, and finally decided to go to Chaolu Palace.
...
After that palace coup, Su Qianqian went into seclusion.
Upon hearing that Shang Shaoyan had arrived, her eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly went out to pay her respects: "Your Majesty, I greet you."
Although he has not yet ascended the throne, the palace has already tacitly accepted the title "Your Majesty" for Shang Shaoyan.
Shang Shaoyan, dressed in a bright red peony dress, sat at the head of the table. He glanced down at Su Qianqian, who was dressed in crimson purple, and after a long while, he said with an ambiguous meaning, "The late emperor has only been gone for a few days, and you are already wearing bright red and purple?"
Su Qianqian did not look up, but said, "The late emperor and I have no relation whatsoever, and I am not willing to observe mourning for him."
Shang Shaoyan curled his lips and said, "You certainly have guts."
Su Qianqian didn't say anything.
In the silence, Shang Shaoyan suddenly spoke up: "My elder brother will be returning to the capital soon, in just a few days."
Su Qianqian gripped her sleeve tightly, barely managing to suppress her loss of composure. When she spoke again, her voice trembled slightly: "Family reunion is a good thing, Your Majesty, I congratulate you."
Shang Shaoyan looked at her intently for a moment and smiled, "You don't need to pretend. I know you love him."
Su Qianqian completely lost her composure. She suddenly looked up at Shang Shaoyan's face—which bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Shang Yunlan's—and her eyes suddenly stung with tears.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Shang Shaoyan wasn't annoyed. He just continued slowly, "But what I want to say is that you don't like him, but you like yourself—you like your own beautiful affectation when you were a girl, and you like the courage you once had."
Su Qianqian couldn't help but shed tears, and said with a bitter smile, "Your Majesty is wise."
Shang Shaoyan suddenly changed the subject: "Do you know what the benefits are of a woman becoming empress?"
Su Qianqian shook her head blankly.
Shang Shaoyan smiled: "Women are more sensitive than men and are better able to balance the affairs of the court and the harem. If there are imperial heirs in the future, they will all come from the Empress's womb. The Empress will not favor one or more of them because of who the father is. She can more fairly judge who is the more qualified crown prince."
She paused, then lowered her eyes to Su Qianqian and said, "Everyone craves power, and I, being a common man, am no exception. But Su Qianqian—you were once a merchant's daughter, at the bottom of the social hierarchy; you have gained power, and were once second only to the emperor… Now, tell me, what kind of life do you want?"
Su Qianqian was stunned.
Shang Shaoyan looked at her and smiled knowingly to herself—she wanted to see if Su Qianqian would bring out Lu Zhi's imperial edict.
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