Painting Doctor Jinhua

Yuan Lingyi left the palace.

The moment she stepped onto the carriage, she lifted her veil and once again looked at the palace city that filled her with hatred and pain. Suddenly, she smiled with great relief and whispered, "I hope you can really do it! Don't die so young!"

"Let's go!" She said happily to the old woman beside her.

"My dear, what makes you so happy? I have never seen you so relieved and happy before."

A smile appeared on Feng Lingyi's lips, and she thought of the last words Xiao Jinyu said to her.

"It doesn't matter who becomes the emperor. What matters is whether this person can see the people of the world through this position, so that they can have enough food and warm clothes, no longer suffer from the oppression of the powerful and the suffering of war and displacement. He can make the world orderly and fair, and the law is no longer a tool to oppress the weak. Life can be equally respected and the innocent are no longer implicated. In this way, there will be fewer orphans like you who live with hatred in this world!"

"This is indeed a perfect world, but is this... possible?"

She just giggled as if she was listening to a joke.

But Xiao Jinyu said: "Although it is very far away, if you dare not even think about it, then it is absolutely impossible!

I will do my best to make even the slightest difference!

I will devote my entire life to seeking a peaceful, happy and tranquil life for the people of the world!"

After hearing this, she couldn't laugh anymore!

Therefore, pushing Lanling King to the throne was not her ultimate goal, but just a means to allow the people of the world to live a good life!

"Life is short. Instead of wasting yourself in purgatory, why not give yourself a new lease of life?"

You are truly a woman with a big heart of love. Let me see if you can really achieve what you said about bringing peace to the world!

"Heaven and earth are a furnace, creation is work; Yin and Yang are charcoal, and all things are copper..."

"Let's go! Auntie, let's go back to Luoyang! I should live for myself for once!"

The old woman was both relieved and worried: thinking about how her wife sacrificed her healthy body for revenge, and how she might never get pregnant again in this life, and how the retired Emperor Gao Zhan was getting thinner and thinner, and indulging in lust all day long, wasn't that her fault?

But fortunately, she finally figured it out now!

I finally figured out how to live for myself!

An inconspicuous green-topped double-axle horse-drawn carriage slowly drove out of the city gate of Yecheng.

After watching Feng Lingyi leave, Xiao Jinyu came to an abandoned palace in Yebei City, which is the current residence of Empress Dowager Hu.

Thinking of the original owner's memories in the previous life, this woman was shameless and vicious. In order to consolidate her son's throne, she worked with He Shikai, Lu Lingxuan, Mu Ti Bo, Zu Ting and other treacherous ministers to do many things to harm the royal family and good generals. For example, she tricked Zhao Jun Wang Gao Rui into Hualin Garden and ordered Liu Taozhi to strangle him to death. She also tricked the left prime minister Hulugu into Liangfeng Hall and killed him. Finally, she spread rumors that Chang Gong would threaten her son's rule, and thus instigated Gao Wei to give Chang Gong poisoned wine to kill him.

After the State of Qi lost its three pillars, Duan Shao, Hulugu and Gao Changgong, it was soon invaded by the State of Zhou and quickly went to its doom.

After the fall of Qi, Empress Dowager Hu and her daughter-in-law Mu Xieli were abducted to Chang'an by Zhou Lord Yuwen Hu, and from then on they fell into the world of brothels, but they were still happy with their lives and were willing to be prostitutes.

Now that Gao Wei has gone mad and Empress Dowager Hu will be imprisoned here for life, she has finally changed Chang Gong's ending in this life and has also poured her heart and life mission into it.

"What are you doing here? You evildoer, since you came to Qi, everything here has changed. Everything has become abnormal. If it weren't for you, Gao Changgong would have died long ago. But now, not only is he alive, he can even seize the throne from my son. So you are the one driving all this, right?"

Hu's face was full of unwillingness, ferocity and madness.

Xiao Jinyu just said calmly: "Hu, in this world, no one can really get something for nothing, not even the emperor or the empress dowager! When you enjoy the wealth, fame and fortune brought to you by the supreme position, you should also think about what you have paid for it?

Take from the people and use it for the people. Otherwise, sooner or later, God will make you pay back in a painful price for all that you have exploited from the people!

Born in adversity, die in comfort! If Chang Gong hadn't come to take over the mess left by your son, you and your son would have ended up in a worse situation than now!"

"No one will come to see you anymore, so you should repent here!"

While Hu was shocked and stunned, Xiao Jinyu left the North Palace and ordered people to close the gate of the abandoned palace.

……

Three months later, it was almost the hot summer, and the armies of Hulugu and Gao Changgong finally returned victorious. This time in the battle with Zhou, the Qi army made a straight advance, defeated Yuwen Jie's army, and reached Yiyang. They also confronted the armies of the famous Northern Zhou generals, Duke of Qi Yuwen Xian and Duke of Shen Tuoba Xian, who were defending Yiyang for more than a hundred days, and finally defeated Yuwen Xian.

At the same time, the confidants sent by Yuwen Hu also suffered heavy losses when they raided Shuo, Heng and Yan states. Not only was the army defeated, but a large number of people were also lost, including tens of thousands of Hu and Han people who came to submit to the Great Qi.

All the Zhou people who came to Shuo, Heng and Yan states applauded the governors of these three states, especially when they heard that the people's livelihood and prosperity in these three states were all due to the joint governance of Prince Lanling and his wife. Both the people of Qi and the people of Zhou praised the virtues and good deeds of Prince Lanling and his wife, and were deeply moved. People came to seek refuge in an endless stream.

The people who are now co-governing here are Lanling Princess' uncle, Xiao Xian, the head of the Lanling Xiao family, who is unrivaled in talent in Southern Chen and comparable to "Xie Zhen", and Xie Yuxuan, a girl from Chenjun Xie family.

These two men not only maintained the stability and prosperity of Shuo, Heng and Yan states, but also built thirteen towns and garrisons including Pinglong, Weibi and Tongrong. The imperial court sent officials to assist them in governance, and many poor scholars who came from the Southern Dynasties to seek refuge here were also given important positions.

It is also said that after returning from that battle, the reputations of Lanling King Gao Changgong and Hulugu Guang rose again, and the Zhou army dared not invade again. However, Yuwen Hu's reputation in the Zhou Kingdom plummeted again, and he no longer dared to mention the matter of being conferred the title of king.

With the support of his ministers and people, Gao Changgong finally accepted the abdication. Duan Shao personally presented him with the imperial seal and he ascended the throne in Jinyang, changing the country's name to Wuping.

On the same day, Gao Changgong presented Xiao Jinyu with the golden book and phoenix seal, officially canonizing her as queen.

But he said something in the Taiji Hall that shocked all the officials:

"From now on, the Empress and I are of the same body and status. We will listen to court affairs together and rule the world together!"

This statement naturally aroused opposition from some court officials, but Zhao Yanshen remained silent. It was Li Mi who spoke up:

"The Queen once saved the country of Qi with her role as Right Prime Minister. Not only did she appease the people who had risen up in rebellion and resolved the internal troubles, but she also ordered the nobles to raise food and deliver food and fodder to the soldiers on the border when the treasury was empty. This helped Your Majesty and the Left Prime Minister resolve the external threat. This battle caused the Zhou army to lose several good generals. I'm afraid that Zhou will not invade again within five years.

The Queen has made outstanding contributions. Since you all acknowledge the talent of Right Prime Minister Xie, why don't you allow her to discuss government affairs with Your Majesty?"

A minister continued: "It's not impossible, but the queen recommends people regardless of their relatives, so I'm afraid..."

It turned out that the minister was worried about the power of the foreign relatives, because the queen not only appointed Xie Yuxuan, a girl from the Xie family of Chen County, as the governor of Shuo, Heng and Yan states, but also appointed her uncle Xiao Xian as the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, specifically to select talents for the country.

If this continues, will the power of the Queen gradually surpass that of the Gao family and the royal family? By then, another Queen Mother Feng will inevitably appear.

Some ministers even prayed silently in their hearts, hoping that the emperor (Gao Changgong) would live longer.

"Although the Queen has always promoted people of talent regardless of their relationship with her, who can manage the border areas as prosperously and steadily as Xiao Xian and Xie Yuxuan? Not only did they repel the Zhou army for our Great Qi, they also settled the people and attracted countless talented people to serve our Great Qi!"

This one sentence left the ministers speechless. Indeed, because of Xiao Xian's arrival and even the reputation of the Queen "Xie Zhen", countless scholars came to join him.

Your Majesty is clear about rewards and punishments. He punishes corrupt officials severely without favoritism, and rewards and promotes those who are honest and upright. Because of the victory, the whole country is jubilant, and Qi seems to be gradually entering a prosperous state.

"I have made up my mind, no need to discuss further!"

After ascending the throne, Gao Changgong was no longer as gentle and respectful as before. Instead, he gradually acquired the majesty of an emperor and acted more decisively.

The ministers did not dare to discuss further, and the coronation ceremony ended here.

After returning to the bedroom, Gao Changgong shed his majesty in the Taiji Hall and resumed his former gentleness, pampering, and even a bit of playfulness and mischief. He repeatedly begged to hear the sound of the baby in Xiao Jinyu's belly, and wanted to feed her personally. He stayed by Xiao Jinyu's side every day, wishing to never leave her side.

"Chang Gong, Uncle Xian wrote to me and said that he is going to marry A Xuan and wants us to be witnesses. I want to summon them back and have them hold their wedding in Jinyang. It will be a grand wedding for them. What do you think?"

"That's great! We'll do it too, with them!" At this point, he said very seriously, "Ayu, I still owe you a wedding!"

When he brought her from Southern Chen to Qi, he had always wanted to hold a wedding. However, various things happened one after another and people had no time to take care of it. Xiao Jinyu also disagreed, fearing that it would attract too much attention and attract the attention of the Emperor of Qi, which would bring disaster.

But now it's good. Now he has enough ability to protect her from getting hurt again, and he doesn't have to worry about others coveting her.

Seeing his serious look, Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, "Do you want me to get married with you in my wedding dress while pregnant?"

"It's not impossible, A-Yu. We haven't even had a wedding ceremony or drank the wedding wine. We were married based on a word from the Southern Dynasty Emperor. But I always feel that this is incomplete. I want to give A-Yu a complete wedding!"

"Don't worry, I won't be too extravagant, nor will I let you get tired. I just want to complete this last worship!"

Xiao Jinyu pondered for a long time, not knowing what she was thinking. As Gao Changgong waited anxiously, she finally sighed, raised her head and said, "Okay then!"

Gao Changgong was so happy that he almost picked her up again. But then he changed his mind and hugged her gently, carefully considering the child.

The next day, Gao Changgong issued an edict to transfer Xiao Xian and Xie Yuxuan back to Jinyang and granted them a marriage. A month later, the two returned to Jinyang with Princess Liyang, Xiao Ruoling and others.

After several carriages rumbled into Jinyang, even Princess Liyang felt as if she was in another world: not long ago she was trembling with fear that Chang Gong and A Yu would never come back, but when she saw them again, they had become the most honorable emperor and empress of Qi, and were loved by all the people!

It really feels unreal.

When they met, they were already in tears of joy and looked at each other without saying a word. Endless joy was contained in silence, as if it was one with the heaven and the earth!

The new emperor gave Xiao Xian and Xie Yuxuan a new mansion. After they rested in Jinyang for two or three days, Xiao Jinyu immediately held a wedding for them.

As soon as their wedding was over, Gao Changgong immediately issued an edict to hold a state wedding. For a while, both Yecheng and Jinyang were in a sensation, and the news even spread to Chang'an of Zhou and Jiankang of Southern Chen.

At that time, a major event was happening in the Zhou Kingdom. Yuwen Hu returned to Chang'an from Tongzhou. Yuwen Hu led Yuwen Hu to Hanren Hall to meet the empress dowager on the pretext of persuading the empress dowager to quit drinking, and asked Yuwen Hu to persuade her to drink with "Jiu Gao". But when he was reading "Jiu Gao", Yuwen Yong suddenly knocked him to the ground with a jade scepter. Then, Yuwen Zhi, who was hiding in the room, rushed out and killed Yuwen Hu without hesitation.

Afterwards, Yuwen Yong ordered the arrest and execution of all Yuwen Hu's sons and their accomplices. From then on, Yuwen Hu, the powerful minister of Zhou who killed three emperors in a row, came to an end. Yuwen Yong changed from his previous timid and incompetent attitude to a wise and powerful emperor who respected the wise and humbled others.

After Yuwen Yong took power, he immediately implemented a series of reform policies, among which the most sensational one was the "anti-Buddhism". Yuwen Yong ordered the ban of Buddhism and Taoism, forced monks to return to secular life, burned Buddhist and Taoist scriptures, and carried out a large-scale anti-Buddhism campaign.

Because there were too many Buddhist monks, the Zhou Dynasty fell into turmoil for a time.

However, the ambitious Yuwen Hu discovered that the Qi State, which had been suffering from the people's misery and was gradually declining due to the tyrants, had become politically clear and prosperous again. The carriage that had been heading towards the cliff was pulled back by someone.

Unlike the Zhou monarchs who worked hard to govern the country, the new monarch of Chen, Chen Shubao, did something as absurd as Gao Wei: Chen Shubao got a beauty named Zhang Lihua, and drank with her all night long. Even when he was discussing state affairs with ministers, he would put Concubine Zhang on his lap. As a king, he only listened to Zhang Lihua. From then on, both the harem family members and princes and ministers all fawned on Concubine Zhang. It was even rumored in the Southern Dynasty that the small court in Jiangdong only knew Zhang Lihua but not Chen Shubao.

Also, because Chen Shubao still liked to show off his literary talent and did not like to listen to advice, the ministers inside and outside the country only spoke nice things to cover up his mistakes in order to please him. The villains around him, such as Jiang Zong and Kong Fan, even said to him: "The generals outside, who all rise from the army, are no match for a common man..." They used this to discredit the generals for their short-sightedness. From then on, if a general made the slightest mistake, their military power would be taken away, and the clerks gained the upper hand. Over time, the scholars and common people became alienated, the generals gradually disappeared, and the border defense became lax.

Even Xiao Moha could not tolerate such a monarch, so he came to Qi and surrendered to Xiao Xian.

At that time, the State of Qi launched a new policy to select talents through the imperial examination system, so all the poor scholars in the world rushed to Qi.

As the saying goes, "In prosperous times, there are no hidden ones, and all heroes come to pay homage!" This is probably what a prosperous time looks like!

Even Feng Lingyi couldn't help but sigh when she saw the scholars rushing to take the imperial examination: "It turns out that she can really do it! Although it is only the initial results, it is known that in the near future, the world will be unified and peaceful!"

Xiao Jinyu and Gao Changgong were also filled with joy, but that night, Xiao Jinyu had a dream. She dreamed that her soul was floating somewhere, and her ears were filled with the sound of blessings. She saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure of a man, lying on a coffin and crying.

She didn't know what force attracted her, but she walked towards the coffin involuntarily. Finally, she saw the man's face clearly. It was Chen Xu.

Chen Xu is now white-haired and haggard, and he keeps muttering: "Buddha said: God is immortal, but I have found people who are similar to you one after another, but I still haven't waited for your afterlife!

I regret believing in this so-called immortal God..."

When Xiao Jinyu walked to the coffin, she found that there was nothing in the coffin, empty!

"So, was this just a dream?"

Chen Xu muttered to himself, as if he thought there was really a person lying in the coffin. He heard a blessing singing again:

"All conditioned phenomena are like bubbles in a dream, like dew or lightning, and should be viewed as such..."

Ignoring Chen Xu, Xiao Jinyu walked towards the direction of the sunlight outside. Then she saw the woman leaning against a tombstone and drinking sadly. The woman raised her head, and a brilliant smile gradually spread across her beautiful face.

"Thank you, thank you for fulfilling all my wishes!"

After saying this, her body seemed to become transparent and gradually disappear, or perhaps it became one with the world!

Xiao Jinyu suddenly woke up from her dream and subconsciously looked at the people around her and everything around her.

Gao Changgong saw a rare panic in her expression, and hurriedly held her hand tightly, and asked worriedly: "Ayu, did you have a nightmare? Don't be afraid, I'm here!"

She stroked Gao Changgong's cheek. His skin was warm and smooth, and the touch was real. She couldn't help but smile with relief.

"Fortunately, this is not a dream, you are still here!"

The sound of a baby babbling came from the side. Xiao Jinyu got up from the bed, picked up the child from the wet nurse's arms, and looked at the bubbles coming out of the baby's fair and tender mouth, and smiled even more happily.

“Our children are here too!”