Si Fengwu’s face darkened instantly upon hearing the intimate moniker “great darling.”
“It’s Nian Zhiyao, he’s waiting for your silver to fix the roads for him! In my opinion, as long as he can get people and money to continue repairing the official roads, it doesn’t matter if it’s you or some completely unknown infant emperor, he’d happily put anyone on the throne.”
Lu Qingwan chuckled, “How can you say that about him? Minister Nian has his principles as an official. Otherwise, why would he still be a physician after so many years in Xiliang?” Lu Qingwan had had many dealings with Nian Zhiyao, the Minister of Works, who understood worldly affairs without being worldly himself, and she quite admired him for his work in establishing the national road network and building canals.
“But speaking of which, I’m genuinely surprised he’s sticking his neck out for me like this. What about the other ministers? What’s their attitude towards my ascension?” Lu Qingwan was mentally prepared that becoming emperor would not be a smooth process. This era inherently looked down on women; otherwise, Xie Shiyu wouldn’t have been nearly beaten to death by her kin as a monster for uttering a few words about the equality of all beings and granting freedom to the maids. Her reliance was the foundation she had meticulously built for herself over the years, and more importantly, the tangible contributions she had made to Tianfeng during these years. While these might not silence all the ministers, they would at least allow her to sit on the throne peacefully.
As expected, Si Fengwu’s answer was not beyond her expectations. “What else could the ministers’ attitudes be? They’re definitely unhappy, but they also know who gave them their official hats. They wouldn’t dare to openly oppose, they were just waiting for old ministers like Chen Jianzhang and Yuan Qingshan to object. In the end, Elder Chi managed to placate Chen Jianzhang. As for Yuan Qingshan, that old pedant, although he dislikes women in power, you are the benefactor of the Yuan clan’s rise, and he is a grateful man. He could only grudgingly accept. Just wait and see, within three to five days, memorial after memorial requesting you to attend court and handle state affairs will fill the imperial desk. By then, no matter how unwilling they are, your throne will be secured.” Si Fengwu had always been confident about Lu Qingwan’s ascension.
Lu Qingwan sat on a small stool, leaning her head against his back and grumbling, “This way, you’ll be spared the trouble, but I’ll be worked to death, right? Back then, when I first arrived, how carefree I was! I just needed to deal with Feng Qingheng, that scum, then fake my death and go to Buye Continent to be a shopkeeper. Roaming the martial world with Wu Ying, that scene alone was enough to make me laugh myself awake even in my sleep. How did I end up becoming an empress?” Lu Qingwan used her head like a battering ram, utterly perplexed.
Si Fengwu chuckled slyly, “How can carefree wandering of the martial world be complete without me? Just consider the court your own martial world. The invisible clashes of swords and shadows will be plentiful enough for you to play with!” Lu Qingwan huffed unhappily, knowing full well she was on this ship of brigands and it would be difficult to disembark. She decided to seize the opportunity to gain some benefits for herself. “I’ve been thinking, since we first met, you’ve held many titles. But I liked you best when you were Regent. Why don’t you continue to be the Regent of Tianfeng? I’ll be the Empress, you’ll be the Regent, two sages governing the land – it’ll be a beautiful story for the history books!” She offered Si Fengwu her brightest smile, like a naive, innocent young girl. However, her eyes darted about restlessly, betraying her subtle intentions completely.
“In my opinion, you’re afraid you won’t be able to get up for morning court, aren’t you?” Si Fengwu scooped up the small woman squatting behind him and brought her to the front, like picking up a basin. He unceremoniously cupped Lu Qingwan’s cheeks with both hands, a supremely wicked smile on his face. “Think becoming an empress is that simple? Just occupy the throne, attend the enthronement ceremony, and then dump all the state affairs on me while you go off and have fun? A beautiful dream, but have you woken up yet?”
Her little plan exposed, Lu Qingwan scrambled up, baring her teeth, “How dare you say that? You knew everything, and you still tricked me into becoming this empress! Give me back my martial world dreams!” What was meant as a joke had, unknowingly, become serious. Lu Qingwan used Si Fengwu as a tree to climb, her hands and feet not grasping securely as she scrambled upwards, scaring Si Fengwu so much he didn’t dare to move. When the door was pushed open, Lu Qingwan was hanging entirely on Si Fengwu, head down, feet up. In this peculiar posture, she met the eyes of the newcomers. After a moment, Lu Qingwan sprang up as if nothing had happened, saying casually, “Cheng Nanliu is quite fast! The order was issued yesterday, and you’ve all been found today, and you even found one extra for me…”
Her tone shifted, and she said ominously, “Duan Yue, from this moment on, you are the Commander of the Weiyang Palace Guards. Now, drag Tang Xiao out and give him a beating!” As the Commander of the Shence Camp and concurrently the Commander of the Weiyang Palace Guards, Tang Xiao should have reported the arrival of someone at the Imperial Study. But seeing that the visitor was an acquaintance of Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan, he directly led them in. Who would have expected to witness their Princess Consort’s regressive behavior? This was clearly asking for trouble! Duan Yue’s normally stony face even showed a suppressed smile. He, along with the Shence Camp soldiers beside him, stifled their laughter as they dragged out the terrified, stammering Tang Xiao, who seemed to have lost his ability to speak.
The few people Tang Xiao had brought in, however, were more composed. Watching Tang Xiao being dragged away, although their eyes held a surge of amusement, they managed to suppress their laughter with their strong self-control and did not actually laugh. They stood there, neatly paying their respects to Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan. “Greetings, Your Highness, Princess Consort!” The group knelt on the ground, their shoulders trembling slightly, but their voices remained unchanged. Since they dared not show it in front of her, Lu Qingwan pretended nothing had happened and said nonchalantly, “I am familiar with all of them, and I am quite familiar with their skills. As for Madam Yue Zhao, it is quite surprising that Cheng Nanliu would have you come to see me at this time.”
Chi Yaoyao, Lu Qianhuang, and Wen Ruge all looked curiously at Madam Yue Zhao, who was dressed as a shaman from the Wu tribe, standing beside them. Lu Qingwan did not ask them to rise, and Madam Yue Zhao did not dare to look up without permission, maintaining her bowing posture. She replied respectfully, “Replying to the Princess Consort, after the recent epidemic, for the protection of the Wu tribe’s people, I explained in detail to them the benefits the imperial court brought to the Wu people, asking them to obey the court’s management and not cause trouble for the court. The Magistrate of the capital, Lord Zhou, learned of this news from somewhere and often hired me to explain the court’s policies to the people near Xindu who did not understand them and were afraid to deal with court officials. As a chieftain, I pacified the people. Over time, the people near Xindu have given me some respect. There are fewer disturbances, and when there are issues, they know to approach the court. Hearing that the court needed female officials, Master Cheng specifically ordered me to come and see the Princess Consort.”