It seems I need to discuss this with Huahua. If it really is a seventy or eighty-year-old man, she might not be able to accept it!
The two stayed for a while before returning to Anfu. The new emperor's ascension to the throne would take another five days, and Village Chief Lin and the others had not yet arrived. Such an important event would eventually have to wait for them.
Yan Zhen handled the affairs of the palace, and Wen Liu and others assisted him every day after court. The Left Prime Minister, who was originally Xiao Zili's man, was killed during the chaos.
There are not many of Xiao Zili's people left in the court now. Most of them are wholeheartedly assisting Yan Zhen. Those ministers who are too old have also chosen to retire and return to their hometowns today.
Of course, they didn't really want to resign; they just wanted to rebel against the new emperor. But they underestimated the new emperor, and Yan Zhen immediately agreed.
Although the positions were vacant after those ministers left, he was not worried at all, as many capable people would take over in the following days.
These are all ambitious and intelligent people, upright and honest, not corrupted by the rules of officialdom. Compared to those ministers, they dare to speak and act.
Not all members of the Lin clan held high-ranking official positions, but rather remained in important roles, such as the Hanlin Academy, the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Rites, often taking the top positions.
On the fourth day, the Lin clan members went to the capital in a grand procession. Except for some who stayed behind to look after the village and some very young children who did not come, everyone else came.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Village Chief Lin grabbed An Shuyi's leg and exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, you're amazing! You're so big..."
But before he could finish speaking, he was lifted up and put aside.
Village Chief Lin looked at the person who had pulled him aside and said, "Young Master Xiao, what are you doing here?" Without waiting for his reply, he continued, "Sister-in-law, why didn't you tell me?"
An Shuyi ignored him, "Clan leader, you've come too. You've come all this way, your health is important."
She thought that at most, it would be Mu Tou leading his people, since the clan leader and several elders were not in good health and were not suitable for long journeys. If something happened to them, it would delay things.
The Lin clan chief waved his hand, "Don't worry, we're not too old to move. This is a big event for the Lin clan. I never thought we'd become royalty one day."
Back then, they couldn't even afford food and had to flee famine, but since these two came into their lives, they've risen through the ranks and are now even relatives of the emperor. When he found out, he slapped himself a few times because the pain forced him to believe it.
He initially only wanted these two to protect the Lin clan members, but over the past ten years, the village children have become more and more capable, all becoming high-ranking officials. But the most capable of them all is Yan Zhen.
He had previously blamed Lin Anshi for leaving Yan Zhen in the village instead of sending him to the academy, and for spending money to hire a teacher to come back and teach him. It turns out that they had already planned this back then.
It has to be said that these two are truly remarkable. They were already quite capable when they were just ladies-in-waiting and gentlemen-in-waiting. After becoming generals and leading troops into battle, they have now helped Yan Zhen become emperor, and she has become the Empress Dowager.
It's only been a little over ten years, but you can imagine how difficult it must have been for them. In the end, it's the Lin clan that owes them.
An Shuyi smiled and said, "Although you are relatives of the royal family, your lives will not change much. Now that Yan Zhen is the emperor, please ask the clan leader to teach the children below not to do bad things."
“Yan Zhen is someone we trained. He wouldn’t protect his own family. If anyone takes advantage of their status as a member of the royal family to do something bad, he won’t show them any mercy.”
With so many people here, it's better for her to make things clear beforehand; otherwise, even if Yan Zhen had to say it, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it.
Upon hearing this, the Lin clansmen knew she was warning them and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, the Lin clansmen won't do that. If they do, the next clansman will be expelled, and then they'll be killed if necessary."
They owe their existence to Lin Anshi and Li Xiashi. If all of this were to disappear because of the Lin clan, they would deserve to die.
"Sister-in-law, the clan chief is right. There is no such person in the Lin clan. Don't worry!" Village Chief Lin assured him, and the others also reassured him.
An Shuyi nodded, "As long as you do a good job, Yan Zhen will be enthroned tomorrow. We'll be waiting for you. Wen Liu and the others will be back in the evening. He'll discuss the specifics with you."
Although only the ministers were present when he ascended the throne, it would be fine to let a few members of the Lin clan go and see him.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. We'll ask Wenliu tonight. You and Sister-in-law Xia don't need to worry about it," said Village Chief Lin.
He just didn't understand why his sister-in-law hadn't told him about such a big thing. He was sure he wouldn't tell anyone else. When he came to the capital, he even went to see Doctor Liu. He never expected that his sister-in-law already knew about it.
Although I haven't known for very long, I did it before him, and I feel terrible.
"I'll have Tao arrange for you to stay first, but there are only three houses, so you'll have to squeeze in." The guards went into the palace to protect Yan Zhen in secret, leaving the adjacent house empty.
They didn't buy any other houses, so they had to squeeze in, and if there wasn't enough room, they would go to live in Wen Liu's house.
"It's not crowded. There are three houses in each building. Although there are many of us, we can all fit in one room," said Village Chief Lin.
"Alright, I'll have Tao arrange it. As for cooking, although there are servants, everyone can lend a hand." With so many people, even if Tao and the others are fast, it will still take time.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, I've arranged it!" Now my sister-in-law is the Empress Dowager, how could she arrange these things? Royal relatives, my god, it feels like a dream.
"Mother, if Yan Zhen becomes the emperor, I will be the empress dowager. Does that mean I have to go to the palace?"
An Shuyi glanced at her eldest daughter-in-law, then at the other daughters-in-law, and asked, "What? You want to enter the palace now?"
For so many years, these daughters-in-law have lived in peace. If they start causing trouble as soon as Yan Zhen becomes emperor, then shouldn't she make an example of them?
“No, Mother, I’m just a country woman. I’m afraid if I go to the palace. Can you please not let me go? I asked Wenwu, and the Empress Dowager doesn’t necessarily have to stay in the palace,” Zhao said.
Upon hearing that her son was to become emperor, she felt a mix of surprise, joy, and fear. As a woman, she was not used to being served in the palace every day.
"It's not impossible. If you don't want to stay, you can stay outside the palace. But you'd better not cause me any trouble. Even if Yan Zhen, who treats his own son, doesn't dare to do anything, I do." She didn't have much interest in dealing with these two daughters-in-law yet.
In the last few years, she has been living with the villagers and there hasn't been much trouble for her. Her temperament has also improved. However, compared to her other daughters-in-law, these two are still not up to par.
If possible, she would prefer that Zhao stay in the village instead of in the palace, and that she find Yan Zhen an empress so that the two of them could live in harmony, with one handling state affairs and the other handling palace matters. How wonderful that would be.
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