Succession
At that moment, a dull pain suddenly shot through her mind, and the original owner's memories flooded in. Shen Yao... or should now be called Shen Yao, after absorbing all of the original owner's memories, realized that she was still in the Sheng Dynasty, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
But she quickly became nervous again—what if her memories were out of sync with the times, and the Sheng Dynasty became history, leaving her a forgotten existence… But before she could finish her thought, a series of chaotic footsteps approaching from afar dispelled all her doubts.
Shen Yao leaned back against the white snake, her long hair lazily draped over her shoulders, her expression and posture exactly the same as the original owner.
A number of people entered the dark passage one after another. The leader was an old man wearing the official robes of the Sheng Dynasty. However, the style of the robes was something Shen Yao had never seen before. But from her memory, she knew that the man was the Grand Preceptor of the Sheng Dynasty.
Behind the Imperial Preceptor followed several people carrying medicine chests, some young and some old. After they dispersed, a young man in a light blue robe emerged last. Shen Yao was not surprised to see him, but his gaze still disgusted her.
Upon seeing Shen Yao awaken, his eyes lit up. He quickly walked past everyone to Shen Yao and knelt on one knee: "Your subject Pei Heng greets Your Majesty the Empress. Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!"
Shen Yao: "?"
A thousand questions raced through Shen Yao's mind, but she kept a cold face, her gaze sweeping over each of the newcomers' faces before finally leaning lazily against Pei Heng without saying a word.
A figure appeared in her mind, dressed in simple clothes, with a gentle and kind expression, bearing an eight-tenths resemblance to Pei Heng in front of her.
She couldn't help but call out his name: "...Pei Yuan?"
Pei Heng smiled and said, "Pei Yuan is my father, and I am Pei Heng, the son of the Marquis of Zhennan."
Shen Yao nodded and asked, "So much time has passed, and Pei Yuan has already married and had children."
Pei Heng cupped his hands and said, "My father never married. I am not the biological son of the Marquis of Zhennan, but an adopted child of my father when he was young."
"I see." Shen Yao nodded gently, Pei Heng's words stirring a ripple in her heart. She knew that this feeling did not belong to her, but to the original owner of this body.
She stared blankly at Pei Heng, wondering what he had misunderstood. He stepped forward and took her hand, his eyes filled with flattery and... ambition.
"My father sent me to respectfully escort Your Majesty back to the palace."
...
Imperial Observatory.
The Sheng Dynasty had more than one Grand Preceptor, but the entire Imperial Observatory was under Lan Yunyi's control. Pei Yuan knew this, so he sent the Grand Grand Preceptor to Ganshan.
The others, who were waiting at the Imperial Observatory, heard that the Grand Princess Zhenguo had awakened and that Lan Yunyi was about to visit the Imperial Observatory. They all hid in their rooms and tried to shift the blame onto each other.
So when Lan Yunyi arrived, she burst open the wooden door of one of the rooms in the Imperial Observatory and captured them all.
The man stood with his back to the morning light, a heavy sword in his hand, dressed in black robes, like a god of death. The younger, faster ones had already hidden behind the bookshelves, leaving only an older man with slower legs. He was about to run away when he tripped over the hem of his clothes and fell to the ground.
Lan Yunyi recognized him, and suddenly pointed her sword at his neck.
The old man let out a wail, so frightened that he almost collapsed on the spot.
Lan Yunyi's voice poured down like a bucket of cold water: "Three days ago at noon, the Imperial Observatory summoned me and told me that the Princess had been resurrected, and that we could be reunited as husband and wife in three days..."
The old man's teeth chattered as he said, "...Your Highness, today is indeed..."
"Which princess is it?!" Lan Yunyi gritted her teeth, pressing her sword against the old man's face again, the cold blade touching his skin. "If you have one, you have one; if you don't, just say you don't. Who gave you the audacity to try and fool me!"
Over the years, he sought divine intervention everywhere, even bringing Chengxin back from Xiliang City. He confined her to the Dajue Temple in the capital, praying day and night for Shen Yao, all in an effort to recreate the ancient method of rebirth. Whenever there was even the slightest news of a method of reincarnation, he would immediately send people to bring it back.
However, for seven years, he has only ever failed.
Besides his failure, he also left the Imperial Observatory with a handle against him. Everyone in the Imperial Observatory knew that Shen Yao was his Achilles' heel that he couldn't get rid of, and if any unscrupulous person wanted to take advantage of this, Lan Yunyi wasn't confident that she could guarantee she wouldn't be manipulated.
"King Zhao! The astrologer's chart is as it is. We are merely interpreting the will of Heaven according to the chart. What King Zhao thinks is just what King Zhao thinks!" the old man suddenly shouted.
Lan Yunyi: "You're asking for it!"
The old man, fearless and with his neck stiff and face flushed, shouted, "Princess Yao and her unborn child have all been poisoned to death by the Jin people! I personally handled the coffin closing and burial! On the contrary... because King Zhao insisted on not sealing the coffin, Princess Yao's body must have been eaten by insects, leaving her, a dignified princess, with no complete corpse!"
As the old man roared and cried, Lan Yunyu's hand gripping the sword began to tremble violently. He glared at the man before him with bloodshot eyes, his gaze filled with fury: "Shut up...shut up!"
He suddenly raised his sword and swung it down, and the old man cried out and fell to the ground.
A few strands of white hair, which had been lifted into the air, slowly fell to the ground, avoiding the wind from the sword.
The old man trembled with his eyes closed, and it took him a long time to realize that he seemed to be alright. He cautiously opened his eyes and saw Lan Yunyi's sword lying beside him, with a few strands of withered white hair at his feet.
The old man subconsciously touched his head, which was bald like a freshly peeled egg—Lan Yunyi, that ruthless and cruel prince, had actually taken away his last hair!
Then, Lan Yunyi suddenly raised her sword and pointed the tip at his nose.
His cold voice rang out from above: "If you keep spouting nonsense, next time it won't be your hair that falls out."
...
Shen Yao spent some time consuming the original owner's memories and assessing the situation based on Pei Heng's words.
Simply put, she and Marquis Pei Yuan of Zhennan were childhood sweethearts. Pei Yuan was destined to become a prince consort, but Shen Yao suddenly passed away, causing Pei Yuan to live a life of widowhood for her.
Seven years ago, Lan Yunyi defeated the Jin Kingdom. The emperor was forced to grant Lan Yunyi a title of nobility, but Lan Yunyi's health was no longer suitable for going to the battlefield, so the emperor summoned her back to the capital.
Shen Yao felt that Emperor Sheng might have ulterior motives in summoning Lan Yunyi back to the capital, but in any case, Lan Yunyi had saved the emperor's life during an autumn hunt, which pleased the emperor greatly. As a result, Lan Yunyi became a favored minister and was soon granted the title of a prince of a different surname. However, there were also rumors that Lan Yunyi had only fooled Consort Lan, and that Emperor Sheng left behind such an absurd edict simply because he saw through the treacherous scheme of Prince Zhao and his favorite concubine, and wanted to disgust Prince Zhao before his death.
At this point, Pei Heng relayed what he had just heard from others to Shen Yao: "This morning, the Prince of Zhao spoke disrespectfully to His Majesty; he truly deserves to die!"
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, maintaining her aloof persona, and conveyed her meaning with her eyes.
Pei Heng couldn't very well say the words "old hag" out loud, so he knelt down and said, "Your subject dares not speak presumptuously."
Shen Yao smiled and didn't take it to heart.
In short, regardless of the initial motives or reasons, the result is that the "old witch" mentioned in the will has indeed been resurrected.
Everyone was looking forward to the new emperor's ascension to the throne, hoping to break the stalemate and division between the two factions...
Shen Yao didn't want to ascend the throne, but things never stopped because of her desire or lack thereof; on the contrary, her avoidance made things even more uncontrollable.
While Pei Heng was speaking in a friendly manner, the imperial physicians surrounded Shen Yao, examining him with their eyes, ears, nose, and palpation. The white-haired official at the head of the group asked Shen Yao about his childhood, and then took out an astrolabe. His actions seemed to be verifying Shen Yao's identity.
After what seemed like an eternity of commotion, Shen Yao was helped down from the platform and immediately returned to the palace without a moment's delay. Perhaps because it was daytime and the capital was bustling with people, the journey was relatively peaceful.
Shen Yao's heart was in turmoil.
The life of wealth and leisure that she longed for was ultimately unattainable.
After entering the main hall, the Ministry of Rites immediately issued a general amnesty. At the same time, the date for the enthronement ceremony was set.
Officials from all walks of life came to see Shen Yao, looking at the empress who claimed to be ill and was leaning lazily in her armchair with a hint of suspicion.
Shen Yao finally met Pei Yuan, who had always been vivid in her memory.
Pei Yuan arrived later than everyone else, and Shen Yao thought she wouldn't see him today, but he suddenly appeared in front of her.
His appearance was indeed a pleasant surprise for Shen Yao, making up for her regret of not having met Pei Heng Zhenren.
“Pei Qing,” Shen Yao straightened up, then said to the eunuch beside him, “Give the Marquis of Zhennan a seat.”
Pei Yuan cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Pei Yuan's visit was for state affairs, not personal matters. He discussed the snow disaster in the capital, the fall of the Jin Dynasty, and even the achievements of the Prince of Zhao with Shen Yao, but he avoided talking about himself. This gesture pleased Shen Yao, who said, "I was able to inherit the throne thanks to the Marquis of Zhennan. If the Marquis of Zhennan desires anything, he may boldly ask me."
Pei Yuan raised his eyelids and glanced at her, his expression somewhat stunned.
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, only to hear Pei Yuan retort, "...Does His Majesty think that what I'm doing for him is just for ulterior motives?"
Hearing this, Shen Yao was quite displeased: "That's not what I meant at all?"
He's so clueless. He just wanted to make him happy, but his attempt at flattery backfired!
Pei Yuan stood up, looking as if he had been humiliated but had no choice but to endure it: "I am getting old and may no longer be suitable for the court. I only wish to live a carefree life and spend the rest of my days in seclusion."
Shen Yao sighed helplessly: "If you want to retire, just say so. Do you think I can force you to stay?"
Pei Yuan: "I, Pei, do not wish to retire! I, Pei..."
Shen Yao: "?"
A man's heart is truly unfathomable.
Shen Yao's favorability towards Pei Yuan instantly dropped by a hundred points.
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