Chapter 803: Calming the Chaos
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The previous emperor valued agriculture very much. In the second year of his ascension to the throne, he issued an edict to the entire country. “Farmers are the most fated people in the world. When the fields are opened, I will personally lead the farming. The officials and everyone below will follow.”
The emperor personally farmed in the field, and there were many commoners watching.
King Li of Zhou’s mother, Concubine Hui, was the woman that the previous emperor had brought back to the palace from the commoners during the farming ceremony.
After Concubine Hui entered the palace, she opened a few acres of land in her own palace. She farmed in spring, brewed in summer, harvested in autumn, and hid in winter. She lived like an ordinary farm girl.
The previous emperor’s heart ached for Concubine Hui.
Concubine Hui said bluntly, “Your Majesty, you’re the emperor, but you still plow and personally farm to persuade the commoners. You said that farmers are the most fated people in the world. However, I’m just a farmer’s daughter to begin with, and I don’t even know many words. I don’t know anything about the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and poetry. I only know how to manage the crops and plant some vegetables and fruits to respect Your Majesty’s importance in agriculture and show Your Majesty’s benevolence.”
However, the previous emperor liked this very much and doted on Concubine Hui very much. “You farm in spring, brew in summer, harvest in autumn, and hide in winter. All four of them have not been lost. There are endless grains. My beloved concubine, you have contributed.”
Most of the men in the Yin family had the problem of being sentimental. As the Empress of the Central Palace, she naturally knew how to weigh the pros and cons.
The emperor did not dote on the daughter of a powerful minister, but an insignificant farm girl. The Empress was happy to see that she could not threaten her status.
Therefore, she had a good relationship with Concubine Hui and had also blocked many open and secret attacks for her.
Concubine Hui had raised a son for the previous emperor. The previous emperor liked him very much and included the character “Li” in his name.
Others felt that this word was unclear, but the Empress and the previous emperor were husband and wife. How could she not know that the emperor only had high hopes for this son?
The word “Li” could mean “encouragement.”
It could also mean to sharpen armor.
It could also have the meaning of desolation, violence, and evil.
The deeper the love, the deeper the plan. The previous emperor had high hopes for his son, but he was worried that he would cause trouble for his son and hid his deep love.
Yin Lixing did not let the previous emperor down. He was very talented.
The Empress summoned Concubine Hui. “Xing’er is five years old. The teacher from the Zhan Residence who enlightened him said that Xing’er is talented and smart. He advised the emperor to invite a great teacher and teach him carefully. Recently, the emperor has been lingering about this matter.”
Concubine Hui was not stupid. A five-year-old prince had many great teachers in the court who could raise him. The only thing that could make the emperor hesitate was something deeper.
Concubine Hui immediately knelt on the ground with a thud. “I’m a farmer’s daughter. After entering the palace, I received the Empress’s blessing to accompany the emperor and successfully give birth to a prince to help the imperial family. Although I don’t know much, I know that a drop of water should be returned with a spring. I naturally remember the Empress’s kindness to me. I don’t dare to ask for anything else.”
When the Empress was young, she had a miscarriage secretly caused by a concubine in the palace and injured her body. She had not been pregnant for many years.
She had a good relationship with Concubine Hui, and Yin Lixing was also close to her. She had originally understood the emperor’s thoughts and wanted to take Yin Lixing under her name.
With the emperor’s favor, the status of the legitimate son, and the Empress’s support, the position of the crown prince would definitely be his.
In the future, when Yin Lixing inherited the throne, he would respect her as the Empress Dowager and Concubine Hui as the Imperial Concubine.
However, Concubine Hui was unwilling, so the Empress gave up.
However, after this incident, it was impossible for her to let Yin Lixing sit in that position.
Later on, the emperor gave up on choosing another master for Yin Lixing.
After Concubine Hui passed away due to illness, the previous emperor was extremely sad and gradually became desolate in the court. As there was no one to control him, Yin Lixing gradually became ridiculous.
The Empress took the opportunity to take over.
She had chosen the current emperor, who was the Fourth Prince, and stood against everyone’s opinion. After the previous emperor passed away, she had supported him to ascend the throne and become the Empress Dowager as she wished.
As a result, it attracted a lot of criticism.
The court officials privately felt that the current emperor’s throne came from an illegitimate source.
It was indeed improper.
The previous emperor’s favorite candidate for the throne had never been the current emperor.
Before the previous emperor passed away, he only thought about Yin Lixing.
However, the previous emperor valued literature over martial arts and suppressed the generals and the imperial family, causing the imperial family and military officials to have a deep grudge against the previous emperor. She had long reached an agreement with the imperial family that after the Fourth Prince ascended the throne, he would recover the title of the imperial family.
With the support of the imperial family, the previous emperor also knew that even if he left behind a will, Yin Lixing would not be able to successfully ascend the throne without the support of his mother.
It was only after the Empress had promised the previous emperor to protect Yin Lixing’s life that the emperor relented and made the Fourth Prince the crown prince.
In the blink of an eye, the previous emperor had also passed away many years ago. Every time it was late at night, she couldn’t help but think about this.
The emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty all had the habit of killing. Nine out of ten emperors were warlike. Meanwhile, the last one was a foreign species who was not warlike. This was the previous emperor.
They fought all year round, so the treasury was not rich. Ever since the previous emperor ascended the throne, he had suppressed the generals and the imperial family, and focused on agriculture to stabilize the foundation. He recuperated and started a prosperous situation.
Could she really threaten such a scholarly and benevolent emperor?
The previous emperor would not believe her so easily. Perhaps he had a backup plan before he died?
However, all of this was just her guess. However, looking at the situation in the court in the past two years, she actually felt that it was finally here.
The Empress Dowager twirled her prayer beads and sighed softly. “You’re not like a ruler, a servant, a husband, a father, or a son. This isn’t something that can be done in a day. It’s gradually coming to an end! To turn the chaotic world upside down is the path of a king.”
With that, she gently closed her eyes.
Auntie Shen tiptoed forward. Her fingers trembled as she gently checked the Empress Dowager’s breathing. She suddenly heaved a sigh of relief.
… .
The capital had long closed the city gate and did not allow refugees to enter. However, a large number of refugees still surged into the capital and gathered outside the city. They were tortured by hunger and cold and allowed despair to swallow them bit by bit.
“Give it to me, give me the child…” Suddenly, a man’s angry roar sounded outside the city.
“No, you can’t. This is our child. You can’t, you can’t…” The woman in ragged clothes hugged the child tightly. The girl in her arms was as thin as a stick, and there was an almost numb confusion on her dirty face.
The people around them looked at them blankly, while some stared at the little girl, their eyes clearly filled with greed.
“Give me the child…” The man roared crazily and pulled the child over.
The woman wailed, but she held the child’s hand tightly and refused to let go no matter what. “Don’t be like this. You promised me, no… You, wait a little longer. The city gate will definitely open tomorrow. At that time, the government will release food. I beg you, wait a little longer. Our family of 11 escaped, but there are only three left…”
“The city gate won’t open anymore!” The man roared and looked at the woman numbly. “Those officials in the capital closed the city gate themselves and are living well at home. They can’t care about the lives of us refugees at all. They just want us to die…”
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