Yan Wan is reborn as a legitimate wife: Curing Ruyi's Douyi syndrome

Chapter 128 Policy Turbulence

Fucha Chuying was the most anxious. Seeing that Hanxiangjian had no intention of leaving, Fucha Chuying said, "Your Majesty, Yonghuang committed such a serious crime out of a moment of confusion. I beg you to plead for Yonghuang and ask the Emperor to release him!"

Su Lujun continued, "Your Majesty, Yongrong was young and ignorant, so he was deceived by the rebels. Considering that Yongzhang and Yongqiong are still peaceful, I beg the Emperor to show mercy and release him!"

Fucha Langya said helplessly, "This matter cannot be decided by me. The Emperor has also sent Yanwan here today. If you want to plead for mercy, please speak to her. She will report to the Emperor."

Only then did Fu Cha Chu Ying and Su Lujun notice Wei Yanwan beside Fu Cha Langya.

Wei Yanwan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "This servant pays respects to Concubine Zhe and Concubine Chungui."

How could Fucha Chu Ying/Su Lujun dare to show any displeasure? She nodded quickly and said, "Miss Yanwan, please stand up."

Wei Yanwan stood up and said, "The eldest and sixth princes assisted outsiders in rebellion. The emperor has shown mercy by not executing them immediately. Today at noon is the day for the execution of Prince Kang and the other rebels. The ladies would not want the princes to end up like this, would they?"

Fu Cha Chu Ying and Su Lujun were shocked. They didn't expect Jing Qin to be so cruel. It was only the second day after he ascended the throne!

Wei Yanwan continued, "Grand Concubine Chun, besides the Sixth Prince, you also have three children: the Third Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Sixth Princess. You wouldn't want them to be implicated by the Sixth Prince, right?"

Su Lujun felt a little bitter. Among the first five princes, only Yongzhang was a Beile, but he was skipped when the title was conferred. Yongqiong was still young and did not receive a conferment. Only Jingyan was conferred the title of Princess Gulun because of her merits.

Su Lujun said bitterly: "Miss Yanwan, but Yongrong..."

Wei Yanwan said, "Your Majesty, your Majesty is saying that the Sixth Prince disobeyed the Emperor's orders, listened to the treacherous counselors, and personally led his troops to his sister's residence to capture his brother-in-law. This is a display of unfilial piety and is unforgivable. Imprisonment is already a leniency."

Su Lujun was speechless. She knew that Yongrong was a traitor, but Yongrong was her own son after all. How could she bear to see him end up like this?

When Fu Cha Chu Ying saw that Su Lujun stopped talking, she knew that Su Lujun had been defeated. Su Lujun lost Yongrong, but she still had Yongzhang and Yongqiong. However, she only had Yonghuang as her son. If she didn't help Yonghuang, who else could she rely on?

Fu Cha Chu Ying said excitedly, "Miss Yan Wan, I only ask that the Emperor release Yong Huang. He is so weak and confined in the palace. How can he survive? If the Emperor wishes to punish me, I am willing to sacrifice my life for yours!"

Fu Cha Chu Ying was so excited that she started coughing. Fu Cha Lang Ya showed some dissatisfaction when Fu Cha Chu Ying's half-pleading and half-threatening words came out.

Wei Yanwan disagreed, clapped her hands, and said calmly, "Come in."

The first wife came in holding the eldest princess, and the concubine came in holding the eldest prince, followed closely by two imperial doctors.

Wei Yanwan: "Imperial Physician, please go and treat Concubine Zhe."

The two imperial physicians nodded and stepped forward to examine Fu Cha Chu Ying. Fu Cha Chu Ying struggled and said, "Miss Yan Wan, what are you doing?"

Wei Yanwan: "The new emperor ascending the throne is a great joy. If you try to bring bad luck to the emperor on such a happy day, the emperor will not forgive you easily. You'd better let the imperial physician treat you honestly. If something really happens to you, the eldest prince is so filial, don't you know..."

When he ordered the killing of Prince Kang and the others, he didn't think that the wedding day was too unlucky. But when it was her turn to threaten death, she also thought it was unlucky. So what was she? The unlucky person?

Fu Cha Chu Ying hadn't expected Jing Qin to actually threaten her with the eldest prince. Her face flushed with anger as she coughed, "Ahem...forcing my stepmother to death...cruelly harming my siblings...Isn't the Emperor afraid of the public outcry?"

Wei Yanwan smiled and said, "Concubine mother? Concubine Zhe is probably overthinking it. The emperor has so many concubines, so what if one or two die of illness? Who dares to criticize the emperor? The eldest prince plotted treason, so he deserves the fate of being called "Saisihei."

Fu Cha Chu Ying was stunned. After a long while, she could only utter one sentence: "You...you..."

Wei Yanwan: "If Concubine Zhe is obedient, you can still preserve the eldest prince's bloodline. If Concubine Zhe still wants to make trouble, I promise that your death will be the death of the eldest prince."

Fu Cha Chu Ying was honest and only asked: "Which of the eldest concubines...?"

Wei Yanwan: "Your Majesty, please show some mercy. From now on, the first and second wives will bring the princesses and princes with them and follow you."

In fact, it was the eldest concubine who had made a meritorious report, so she did not have to suffer along with the eldest prince. However, Fu Cha Chu Ying was unaware of this and nodded vigorously, saying, "I will take good care of myself and recover from my illness. I thank the emperor for his mercy."

Han Xiang, after hearing Wei Yanwan's words, no longer dared to threaten suicide. She quickly stepped forward and asked, "Aunt Yanwan, how will the emperor deal with the Han tribe members of the Qifu Temple?"

Wei Yanwan: "The national treasury is empty and cannot support so many people. The emperor has already issued an order for the Han tribe to pack up and return to the Han tribe. They will set off in the next few days."

Han Xiangjian said excitedly: "I thank the emperor for his mercy!"

Wei Yanwan was silent. She had made up an excuse, and Han Xiangjian actually believed it? The treasury was now full of silver. Fortunately, the emperor had suffered a stroke early and hadn't squandered too much. The emperor simply thought it was a waste of money to support someone who lived off him.

Fucha Langya: "Okay, let's all go back to the palace."

Several people took their leave.

……

Morning Court, Qianqing Palace

The ministers were arguing over the question of where women should stand. Jingqin sat at the top and listened to the debate between Jingqin and Huanian. Seeing that the matter was almost settled,

Jingqin said, "Alright, then we'll stand according to official rank, regardless of gender."

The Imperial Censor jumped out and said, "No, Your Majesty, men and women should be separated. How can a woman stand with a man?"

Jingqin: "In that case, when you come to see me in the Yangxin Palace after court is dismissed, where should you stand?"

The Imperial Censor had nothing to say.

Jingqin smiled and said, "Then I summon you to inspect the rice fields together. Will you come or not?"

The Imperial Censor remained silent.

Jingqin: "Why don't you say anything? Since there is such a strict separation between men and women, why don't I just stop having men as ministers and have women serve in court?"

The Imperial Censor confessed his guilt and said, "I know my crime."

Seeing that these old-fashioned people had stopped talking, Jingqin continued, "I will ascend the throne and grant amnesty to the entire nation. I will reduce taxes for three years and hold a special imperial examination. Jingqin and Huanian will be the chief examiners, and Zhang San, Li Si, Wang Wu... and others will assist in organizing the examination."

Everyone: "Yes."

After a moment of silence, Yin Jishan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, now that you have ascended the throne, there is only one empress in your harem. Should you hold a selection to expand your harem?"

The ministers had no idea that Yin Jishan, in order to curry the emperor's favor, would lose his dignity and actually instigate the emperor to hold a beauty contest. The emperor was a woman, so how could the men put their dignity aside if she chose the beauty contest?

Zhangjia Agui stepped forward and said sternly, "Yes, Your Majesty, it's time for you to select a concubine. The Seventh Prince hasn't chosen a wife yet, and the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Princes are almost coming of age."

The ministers looked at Agui in disbelief. Why are you, a military general, joining in the fun?

After hearing this, Jingqin actually thought about it seriously for a while, then nodded and said, "If that's the case, then let's select them. However, since it's a joint selection for both men and women, it's difficult for the Imperial Household Department to organize it without precedent. So let's schedule it for the beginning of next spring so that we can prepare for it."

Although they were reluctant about the male selection, they were powerless and the ministers acquiesced in Jingqin's decision.

Jingqin continued, "Since this is my first selection, and there are no precedents in other provinces and prefectures, this time, those who are willing can participate, and those who are not willing can drop out. The same applies to the selected women. There is no mandatory requirement for men and women of appropriate age to enter the palace for the selection."

Seeing that Jingqin had made up her mind, the ministers could only nod and agree, "Your Majesty is wise."

……

State capitals

Officers and soldiers posted notices at the city gate.

Notice 1

"The Emperor Gongxuan, in compliance with the Retired Emperor's imperial edict, has issued it to the entire nation. The edict states: 'I, having inherited the great foundation and pacified Han and Xia... shall now pass the throne to the eldest daughter...' Last winter, on the eve of the first month of the year, I issued this edict, clearly designating the succession, designating the Bingxu year as the first year of Taiping, and commanding all officials to respectfully discuss the ceremony for the return of power... I respectfully proclaim this imperial edict and announce it to the entire nation, so that all may know."

Notice 2

"On this occasion of national celebration, I am delighted and have issued this decree to open a special examination to recruit talented individuals to participate in this grand event. The provincial examination will be held in June, the metropolitan examination in October, and the palace examination in December. All those who have passed the county, prefecture, and academy examinations, as well as students of the Imperial Academy, students of the Imperial Academy, students of the Imperial Academy, and students of the Imperial Tribute Academy, are eligible to participate in this special examination."

Notice three

"The Emperor proclaims, 'Peace will last long, the Imperial foundation will be ever prosperous, benevolence and prudence will prevail, and the Emperor's grace will be deep and lasting.' The energy of heaven and earth is valued for its yin and yang. The sun and moon rise in the morning, resting east of the crape myrtle. The Emperor of the Great Qing proclaims to all the people, selecting men and women of good families to fill the imperial harem.

All girls aged fourteen and over, and all boys aged sixteen and over, from the Eight Banners families may participate in this selection. Those selected will remain in the palace to serve the emperor or be bestowed upon members of the imperial family. Those who do not participate in the selection will marry on their own terms. This is my decree."

Under the notice, everyone whispered, "What does this mean?"

Next to the notice stood an official who was responsible for interpreting the notice.

The official explained, "This notice states that the Emperor has passed the throne to the eldest princess. Now that the new Emperor has ascended the throne, he has issued a general amnesty and exempted the nation from taxes for three years."

Passerby A: "Three years of tax exemption? Is that true?!"

The officer said: "Of course, the imperial decree has been issued. The emperor's words are golden, so how can it be false?"

Everyone cheered. As for the fact that the new emperor was a woman, ordinary people didn't care.

Passerby B: "What about the remaining two notices?"

The official said: "This notice says that the new emperor has ascended the throne and will open a special examination. Those who want to pass the examination can go to the provincial government to take the provincial examination in April and go to the capital to take the imperial examination in September.

This notice is about the selection of concubines. All men and women of marriageable age within the Eight Banners can go to the capital for the selection. Those who do not wish to go can marry on their own.”

Passersby finally reacted and whispered:

"Male and female? Why are men also participating in the selection?"

"Didn't you listen carefully to what the official said? The current emperor ascended the throne as a princess!"

"What? The princess ascends the throne? This is a joke! Doesn't that mean the emperor's bloodline is cut off?"

"You shouldn't worry about the higher-ups. The imperial edict says the throne will be passed to the eldest princess. People who have the throne to inherit don't worry about it, yet you're still worrying about the bloodline for your noble lady."

"Humph, ordinary people like us shouldn't worry about it. Even if the sky falls, the big guys in the capital will hold it up. As long as I can live a good life, I won't say a word even if Mouse ascends the throne."

"Shh—are you going to die?"

Everyone looked up at the officer in fear, but the officer had changed his usual arrogant attitude and smiled at everyone he met. Seeing that the officer did not refute them, everyone became bolder and bolder.

The officers had smiles on their faces but they were almost cursing in their hearts. The magistrate had just returned from the provincial capital yesterday and had summoned them and assigned them to tasks.

The day before yesterday, the imperial envoy sent by the new emperor arrived at the provincial capital. He did not want to arrest anyone or take any money, but only made a strange request: to require each county to post a notice and send officials to explain the content of the notice to the people.

These officials were used to being domineering in the county, but now they could only act as storytellers at the city gate. What's more, the county magistrate said that the imperial envoys would inspect the counties to see if the orders were implemented.

No matter how impatient he was with this group of fools, he had to pretend to be friendly and smile like a flower.

The imperial envoy hiding in the crowd nodded with satisfaction and turned to go to the next county.

County Office

The magistrate stood with his hands behind his back, listening to the officials' complaints: "Sir, I've laughed myself to death today, and my voice is hoarse. When will the emperor's demands end?"

The magistrate said: "Who knows? Don't cause me any trouble. As long as the imperial envoy is here, we have to work all the time. You go today, and you can take a day off tomorrow. We can take turns working."