The storm of public opinion in the capital city finally ended with Regent Xiao Yuan falling ill from extreme anger, spitting blood.
This war without gunfire brought about earth-shattering changes to the political landscape of the entire capital.
The once powerful and bustling Regent's Palace is now deserted and its gates are tightly shut. The "wise prince," who was once renowned among the people, has now become a laughingstock, a symbol of selfishness and self-interest.
In stark contrast, Emperor Xiao Che and Empress Lin Wanwan enjoyed unprecedentedly high prestige.
As time went on, more and more good news flew back to the capital from the disaster-stricken areas in southern China.
The "work-for-relief" strategy has yielded remarkable results. River embankments destroyed by the floods were repaired and reinforced at an astonishing speed thanks to the enthusiastic labor of hundreds of thousands of disaster victims.
The "disaster relief bonds" created a miracle. Inspired by the rumors of a "divine intervention" in Beijing, countless wealthy merchants and even ordinary citizens eagerly subscribed. Within just one month, the funds raised exceeded three times the amount initially raised at the "Royal Fundraising Conference"!
Ample funding and efficient execution enabled this natural disaster, which could have shaken the very foundations of the nation, to be effectively controlled within just two months!
In the Jiangnan region, the floodwaters receded, new fields were reopened, and homes were rebuilt.
Those people who were pulled back from the brink of death developed an almost religious fervor for the emperor and empress in the capital.
They spontaneously erected longevity tablets for the emperor and the "Goddess Empress" in various places. Incense burned brightly every day, and worship was endless. Countless legendary stories about the "sage ruler" and the "goddess" even flowed back to the capital from the Jiangnan region, adding fuel to the already heated public opinion.
Now, within the capital, the people's hearts are with the emperor, and no one dares to utter a single word of doubt about the correctness of the "Divine Strategy." In the imperial court, those officials who were once opportunists have all sided with the royalists. Emperor Xiao Che's prestige has reached its highest peak since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty!
A shocking crisis was transformed by Lin Wanwan into a huge victory that consolidated imperial power and won over the hearts of the people through unbelievable means!
...
It was another quiet night.
Inside the Kunning Palace, candlelight flickered, creating a warm and tranquil atmosphere.
Lin Wanwan did not rest, but sat under the lamp, holding an ancient book in her hands, reading it with great concentration.
She knew that although the current crisis seemed to have been resolved, there was still a long way to go for both the "Royal Women's Bank" and "tax reform." She needed to draw more inspiration from these ancient texts and better integrate her forward-thinking ideas with the realities of this era.
"Squeak—"
The door to the sleeping quarters was gently pushed open.
Lin Wanwan didn't look up, but she knew who had come. Apart from him, no one else dared to enter her bedchamber in the middle of the night without announcing their arrival.
However, Xiao Che was different tonight.
He did not, as usual, go straight to the desk to find an excuse to "review memorials" and stay there legitimately.
He simply stood quietly at the doorway, watching her slender figure intently reading under the lamp.
His gaze was deep and complex. Within it, there was admiration, a stirring of the heart, and even more profound emotions that he couldn't quite articulate.
Lin Wanwan felt his burning gaze and finally looked up from her book, asking him in confusion, "Your Majesty? Why don't you come in?"
Xiao Che then slowly walked in, as if waking from a dream.
He walked slowly and lightly, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the room.
He didn't say anything, he just walked behind her.
Just as Lin Wanwan was about to ask a question, she suddenly felt a pair of warm and strong arms gently wrap around her waist from behind.
Her body stiffened instantly.
A broad and firm chest gently pressed against her back. She could even feel the steady and powerful heartbeat emanating from his chest through several layers of clothing.
His chin rested gently on her shoulder. His warm breath, carrying his unique, cool ambergris scent, brushed lightly against her ear.
"Wanwan..."
A deep, resonant voice, filled with profound emotion, gently rang in her ears.
Lin Wanwan's heart skipped a beat.
She had never seen Xiao Che like this before.
Gone is the majesty of an emperor, gone is his usual arrogance and cunning. At this moment, he is like a traveler who has shed all his armor, finding the safest haven in her presence.
“In the past,” his voice carried a hint of self-mockery and a touch of sigh, “I thought the Phoenix Seal represented power.”
"I believe that as long as we take that jade seal, which symbolizes the highest power in the harem, back from the Empress Dowager and hand it over to you, we will have given you the greatest honor and support."
"In my opinion, that is everything."
His arms slowly tightened, pulling her deeper into his embrace.
"Now I understand..."
His voice became incredibly serious and solemn, as if he were recounting a profound truth concerning the world that he had just realized.
"The will of the people is the most unbreakable and unshakable thing in the world... the 'Phoenix Seal'."
“And you,” he gently buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice carrying a deep dependence and respect that even he himself was unaware of, “…gave it to me.”
boom!
When those last words reached Lin Wanwan's ears, she felt as if her heart had been instantly filled with an incredibly hot lava.
The ancient book she was holding slipped silently from her hands and fell onto the soft carpet.
She slowly leaned against his strong embrace, feeling his powerful heartbeat, one beat after another, as if striking her heart.
At that moment, she finally understood.
He understood everything she did for him.
The value she demonstrated was not only in solving one problem after another for him, but also in bringing him, this lonely emperor, the most precious and rarest thing in the world—the hearts of the people.
She subconsciously looked up at the area above his head that she was most familiar with—the area with the emoji.
Upon seeing this, her breath caught in her throat.
There, you'll find no longer any funny, cunning, or arrogant cartoon characters.
Instead, she was presented with a magnificent and breathtaking panorama unlike anything she had ever seen before!
On that scroll, there are endless beautiful mountains and rivers, a prosperous and flourishing territory! Majestic palaces, orderly fields, and ever-flowing rivers together form a perfect picture of the Liang Dynasty's land and people!
At the very center of that painting, all people bowed their heads, and all officials paid homage.
Two small, chibi-style figures stand side by side, hand in hand, receiving the highest respect and homage from the entire empire!
One of them was him, wearing a twelve-tassel crown.
One of them is her, wearing a crown with nine dragons and four phoenixes.
Below the painting, a line of large golden characters, brimming with boundless pride and tenderness, slowly radiates an eternal light—
【Our Country.jpg】
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