After being wrongly married, I stabbed my husband to death and became famous throughout the world.

Chapter 302 Ascension to the Throne

The chief steward beside Emperor Yanxing spoke in a flustered manner.

Emperor Yanxing's ears were ringing.

He hadn't been emperor for long, so how come they came knocking on his door? The capital's military camp had a considerable number of men, so why couldn't they stop them?

Someone must be outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant!

Emperor Yanxing's idea was not wrong. After he ascended the throne, there were rebel armies everywhere, which made him unpopular. Moreover, he changed his orders frequently and was sensitive and furious about colluding with the enemy, which made the officials in the capital uneasy and resentful.

Who would be willing to risk their life to protect his throne?

Not long after, Emperor Yanxing heard that people were coming to kill him, and immediately tried to escape through a secret passage.

However, before Li Shu's men arrived, he had only taken a few steps when he was captured by palace guards and beheaded to claim credit.

Not long after Emperor Yanxing died, everything calmed down.

The next morning, officials from various prefectures dared not show their faces, unsure whether they should attend court.

They were still somewhat hesitant, but as soon as they pushed open the door, they found the King of Dushan's men standing there, inviting them to the palace for a chat. Their imposing manner made them feel uneasy.

Li Shu sat on the throne in the main hall.

The generals on the left and right had been waiting for a long time. Emperor Yanxing's head was right there, bloody and gruesome.

All officials entered the court.

They stood frozen, unsure whether they should kneel or not.

Sheng Liangong stepped forward, holding a box in his hands: "Your subject Sheng Liangong congratulates Your Majesty on your ascension to the throne! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

"..." The others were stunned for a moment.

But they quickly realized what was happening.

Emperor Yanxing is dead. If we don't kneel now, when will we?

Immediately, they all bowed down and submitted.

Li Shu didn't let them get up either: "No rush. Before that, let's settle the old scores first. After all... it's time to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. We don't want to leave all sorts of messy accounts to be unresolved in the future."

She's still a traitor now, and traitors kill people, isn't that what's right?

If one becomes emperor and then indiscriminately kills people, he will become a tyrant. Therefore, those who deserve to die should be killed as soon as possible to reduce the difficulty of the task later.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

"This is the evidence I have collected over the years. Please take a look, Your Majesty." Sheng Liangong suddenly felt relieved.

Everyone was shocked when they heard his words, as if they had never known him before.

What kind of person was Sheng Lianggong in the past?

Just like his name suggests, he was gentle, kind, and amiable. With his talent and virtue, he gained the favor of the Empress Dowager and Emperor Yanxing, who made him a role model for those from poor families.

Although his official rank was not low, Emperor Yanxing did not give him much real power.

He never harbored resentment, was honest and straightforward, and never offended anyone.

This is the very person who now stands up, holding that large brocade box, taking out a thick stack of incriminating evidence, and bragging to King Dushan.

Nobody knows who's on his list of crimes...

Li Shu slowly turned the pages.

The evidence against Emperor Yanxing was collected by Sheng Liangong himself, but the evidence against these ministers was collected by Li Shu. Besides Sheng Liangong, Li Shu also had some spies in the capital. Therefore, she had a slight understanding of which ministers had followed Emperor Yanxing in making a mess of things and which were incompetent fools.

Li Shu selected several of the most heinous criminals and executed them on the spot.

Subsequently, they sent men to capture several officials.

The order to confiscate their property was also issued.

Within a few days, a large number of people died, and Emperor Yanxing's crimes were made public.

Half a month later, Le Soc ascended the throne.

The country's name was changed to Yan, and the reign title was Yuan Chu.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In Li Shu's view, being an emperor is not an easy job, especially since you have to clean up a bunch of messes.

After ascending the throne, the war did not end. Guo Yanwu served as the commander-in-chief, with Chen Ying, Duan Changdong, Rong Zhengyu and others as the main generals, and continued to send troops to quell the rebellion in the south.

The following year, both the Prince of Tong'an and the Prince of Zhennan were captured, and only then did the fighting subside somewhat.

Reward according to merit.

First and foremost were his two masters.

Old Yu deserves a posthumous title. He shamelessly begged to become my disciple back then, and now I'm giving him a world-renowned status as a reward.

Although Xiang Yishan was a fake master, he had always been treated well thanks to his reputation.

We must not forget our deceased uncles and friends.

……

Very busy.

Li Shu appointed Guo Yanwu as the commander-in-chief of the Jingzhong Camp, while Liu Tiexiong and Jin Youshan remained responsible for protecting her. At the same time, Chen Ying was appointed as the Prince of Zhennan, and Duan Changdong as the General of Zhengnan. The two of them went to the southwest to guard the border.

On the Yunjing Pass side, General Ji is in charge.

Li Shu hesitated for several days regarding Rong Zhengyu.

This person is quite capable in battle, but lacks willpower. It has to be said that, given his position, it's hard not to doubt whether he can change his bad habits. Moreover, he's quite prone to abandoning his brothers.

Li Shu admitted that she remembered both merits and grudges.

In her eyes, Rong Zhengyu's achievements outweighed his repeated missed opportunities and failures due to his disregard for warnings.

One by one, the others made their own arrangements. Li Shu even brought Fang Shiwei from Jiangzhou to the capital and into the Ministry of Justice.

Among the girls who were with Chen Ying, Li Shu did his best to place the capable ones in suitable positions, disregarding the gossip of the people in the capital, so that the court could flourish with diverse talents.

However, Rong Zhengyu has remained unpunished.

Half a month later, Rong Zhengyu took the initiative to pay him a visit.

When this matter was brought up, Li Shu asked him directly: "Your Rong family has done nothing wrong, and your father is a capable man. Although your family's influence is not as great as before, it still has a certain reputation and status. I want to ask you, in the future, if I or my next generation were to use your Rong family as hostage, what would you do?"

Rong Zhengyu gave a bitter smile.

He knew it; they were settling old scores with him.

He was never without a choice.

Li Shu had warned him long ago that hesitation would lead to trouble. He knew Pang Xiong was not a good person, but he bowed to him and let things develop without daring to fight back. When he finally wanted to fight, he had already lost his chance.

“I am no longer a member of the Rong family, and I have already agreed with my parents that from now on, the honor or disgrace of the Rong family has nothing to do with me,” he said.

Li Shu smiled.

Honor or disgrace is irrelevant, but when it comes to life and death, he cannot remain indifferent.

Even after he faked his death, his parents continued to plan for him. He could never forget or fail to repay this kindness.

“You should stay in the capital.” Li Shu looked at him. “Rong Zhengyu, you are a noble young master in the capital. You are good at military strategy, but you are not good at being a lone wolf away from your family. If you join the main camp in the capital, you can still do what you want and be filial to your parents. If there is a war in the future, we will send you to the border to provide support.”

Rong Zhengyu looked up in shock, but then lowered his head in despair.

In fact, he knew that she was right.

Despite having discussed it with his parents, he couldn't let go of his worries.

"Your subject obeys." Rong Zhengyu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat more relaxed.

When he was sent back to the capital to serve as a member of the Imperial Guard, the border was in turmoil, and he was worried about it, so he felt guilty and resentful.

Everything is different now. Some of his former comrades are now just as capable as him, and the young generals promoted by His Majesty are all brave and have a bright future. Even if he goes to the border, he will no longer be the glorious Rong Zhengyu of the past.

Li Shu found him rather unaccustomed to his honest demeanor.

And that ugly beard, he doesn't even know how to shave it, it's so ugly it's an eyesore.

……