Interstellar boss, she doesn't talk about martial arts

Chapter 1790 Prestige (Two-part long chapter combined)

Online trending topics, discussions, videos, and short essays suddenly flooded the internet, overshadowing any social event or celebrity news.

At that moment, everyone was moved by Xia Chujian's words.

How wonderful it would be if the Zerg problem could be solved once and for all!
That evil thing has already destroyed three countries in their Beichen star system!
If it weren't for Lieutenant General Xia...

Everyone couldn't help but shiver.

If it weren't for General Xia repeatedly blocking the Zerg attacks, their Northern Chen Empire would be no different from the previous Southern Cross Principality, Eastern Tianyuan Divine Kingdom, and Western Manelli Federation; it would have already become a "breeding ground" for the Zerg.

Once everyone understands this point, making a choice becomes very easy.

Soon, Senator Joan of the Lower House of the Senate and Senator Quan Yuxun, the chief advisor of the Senate, jointly initiated a vote.

#Using the full strength of the nation, they directly invaded the Southern Cross star system#.

Support or oppose?

After 24 hours of voting, the number of people in favor reached tens of billions.

The ratio is infinitely close to 100%.

The reason it didn't reach 100% is because there's always a small group of people who like to play the "I'm the only one who's sober when everyone else is drunk" game.

I always thought most people were fools, and that they were the smartest and had the longest-term vision.

They're still using the same old rhetoric over and over again.

What do you mean by "War means death, would you be willing to go to the battlefield?"

The idea that "it's better to negotiate with the Zerg than to fight them in a decisive battle" is misleading.

The claim that "the Zerg are also intelligent Zerg, and the reason they can't reach an agreement is because the price offered isn't high enough"...

They're practically ready to openly declare "Let the Zerg eat," believing that once the Zerg have eaten their fill, they'll eventually stop.

In that case, wouldn't those who weren't eaten be the ones who defeated the enemy without a fight?!

They made the word "surrender" so clear and unambiguous, they practically used it in a very creative way.

Fortunately, their proportion in the total population is now negligible.

They didn't even dare to use their main accounts to vote online and discuss these things; they only dared to use secondary accounts.

Because they also know that if they use their main account and those who know their true identities find out, it won't be as simple as just being socially reprehensible offline.

Being isolated or cut off from family ties would be the least of their worries.

There might be radicals who will come and take their lives themselves!

These people are just minor ailments, not worth mentioning.

The absolute number and relative proportion of those who voted in favor of the movement have formed a massive public opinion, so massive that even Empress Tantai Zijun could not ignore it.

……

Empress Tantai Zijun sat in her bat-type fighter jet office, with a data stream on a holographic screen in front of her.

She watched silently for a while, then asked the person next to her, "Has the situation on Guiyuan Star been confirmed?"

"Have you really won?"

"Have all the invading Zerg been wiped out?"

The ladies-in-waiting in the imperial study around her all happily replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"The battle situation has been confirmed, and the battle merits are being calculated."

"The invading Zerg from Guiyuan Star have indeed been wiped out!"

"Your Majesty, did you know? The 'Heavenly Justice Bird' that once appeared over the Southern Cross has also appeared in Mulan City on Guiyuan Star!"

"Everyone says that Lieutenant General Xia is lucky! He's a true man of destiny!"

"Those who act justly gain much support, while those who act unjustly find little support. That's why the righteous bird that descended from the sky appeared to help her!"

Empress Tantai Zijun frowned: "..."

"What? A bird of justice descended from the sky?"

The waitress quickly played that famous video.

When she saw the video, Empress Tantai Zijun narrowed her eyes slightly.

Because she had indeed watched that video; back then, she hadn't become Empress yet...

After silently watching the video, Empress Tantai Zijun waved her hand and said, "Go down."

The maids exchanged glances, then mustered their courage and asked, "Your Majesty, should we send troops? General Xia is truly the best choice to command them!"

Empress Tantai Zijun remained silent, turned away with her hands behind her back, and ignored them.

Soon, she ordered the Bat fighters to perform a space jump.

Fifteen minutes later, the large bat-type fighter jet landed in the star field above the capital of Beichen Star.

Empress Tantai Zijun returned to the palace in her large flying machine.

He had just finished washing up in his bedchamber and hadn't even had a chance to ask for something to eat when a female official came in to announce, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has arrived and wishes to see you."

Empress Tantai Zijun was a little impatient, but she couldn't embarrass the Empress Dowager in front of everyone.

She took a deep breath and said, "Take her to the restaurant. I want to have some porridge to warm my stomach."

She hasn't eaten properly for several days, only consuming high-grade nutrient solutions to stave off hunger.

The ladies-in-waiting curtsied, some of them escorted her to the dining room, while another led the Empress Dowager in.

Empress Tantai Zijun sat at the long table in the restaurant, with a white jade bowl in front of her filled with bird's nest porridge.

She picked up a silver spoon and slowly stirred the porridge in the bowl without looking up, simply asking, "...Where is he? Why hasn't he been brought in yet?"

At this moment, Empress Dowager Li Feng'en, accompanied by her chief lady-in-waiting Ji Huangzhen, had just entered the dining room.

Sensing the languid yet unyielding aura of Empress Tantai Zijun, Empress Dowager Li Feng'en paused, seemingly a little unaccustomed to it.

After a while, she raised her face and smiled, "Your Majesty, have you just returned? Have you not eaten yet?"

Empress Tantai Zijun then raised her head, seemingly about to stand up but not quite, and smiled, saying, "Empress Dowager, Aunt Ji, you've arrived. Please sit down."

She pointed to the chair next to the dining table.

Empress Dowager Li Feng'en sat down without any hesitation.

Ji Huangzhen did not sit, but stood behind Empress Dowager Li Fengen.

Empress Tantai Zijun then scooped up a mouthful of bird's nest porridge, put it in her mouth, chewed it carefully, and then swallowed it.

After swallowing, she wiped her mouth with a tissue and asked, "Is there something you need for the Empress Dowager today?"

Empress Dowager Li Feng'en said, "Can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?"

Empress Tantai Zijun rubbed her temples: "...Empress Dowager, I just returned from the front lines and haven't had a proper sleep for several days. I'm really exhausted."

Empress Dowager Li Feng'en smiled and said, "Can the area around Shaofu Star be considered the front line right now?"

"The Zerg have already attacked Guiyuan Star, so Shaofu Star has become the safest place."

"Seriously, in less than thirty years, the world has changed drastically, and we're completely different people."

Empress Tantai Zijun lowered her eyes, concealing a hint of impatience that flashed within them.

She took another bite of bird's nest porridge before saying, "Empress Dowager, please speak freely. I am very busy and tired..."

Empress Dowager Li Feng'en said, "I just heard your servants say that Xia Chujian is a man of destiny?"

Empress Tantai Zijun's face darkened: "Empress Dowager, this is a matter of state, you don't need to worry about it." This was the first time she had clearly told the Empress Dowager not to extend her influence so far.

Empress Dowager Li Feng'en, however, seemed to have been greatly insulted. She suddenly stood up and sneered, "Very well!"

"Things are different now. You don't need me to back you up anymore, so you dare to give me attitude, don't you?!"

Upon seeing this, Lady Ji Huangzhen quickly gave a signal, instructing all the servants, ladies-in-waiting, and imperial chefs in the dining room to leave the area.

Those people also hurriedly ran away, afraid of getting even a little bit on themselves.

After everyone had left, Ji Huangzhen used the remote control to tightly close the restaurant door.

Her actions earned her nods of satisfaction from both Empress Tantai Zijun and Empress Dowager Li Fengen.

Ji Huangzhen sighed and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager did it for your own good. You are usually the most filial person, and you must be too tired today to have been so disrespectful to the Empress Dowager."

Then he said to Empress Dowager Li Feng'en, "Empress Dowager, you usually dote on His Majesty the most, so why did you make His Majesty lose face today because of an outsider?"

Empress Dowager Li Feng'en glanced quickly at Empress Tantai Zijun and saw that she seemed to agree with Ji Huangzhen's words, which made her even more unhappy.

She said calmly, "It seems the emperor has forgotten how you came to this position."

Empress Tantai Zijun raised an eyebrow, looking like she was about to lash out.

Ji Huangzhen quickly gave her a meaningful look and tried to dissuade her, saying, "Your Majesty, when the Empress Dowager was still the Empress, she knew that after you were born, the late Emperor would use you as a sacrifice..."

"So on the day of delivery, with a 'switcheroo,' I used Quan Jiuyi's child to replace you."

"Then, in order to prevent the late emperor from suspecting anything, I raised you outside the palace from a young age, and took care of you personally."

“At that time, the Empress Dowager would leave the palace every few days to visit you.”

"We kept you in the countryside just so that you could survive."

"Logically speaking, someone like you should not be able to ascend the throne."

"But after the late emperor's death, the Empress Dowager, in order for you to ascend the throne, still used the power of the Li family to form alliances and promise various benefits, claiming that you were kidnapped when you were a child and have now been found, thus clearing the obstacles for your ascension to the throne."

"Without the Empress Dowager, His Majesty's throne is indeed unstable."

Empress Tantai Zijun remained silent as she reflected on her experiences over the years.

She was seven or eight years old when she first learned that she was not an ordinary person, but a real princess!

And she was the emperor's first wife, a princess born to the reigning empress!

In order to be worthy of this identity, she began to study diligently from that time onwards.

Besides her studies, she also learned a great deal about governance from the various renowned teachers that Ji Huangzhen and Li Fengen had specially hired for her.

later……

A complex emotion flashed in Empress Tantai Zijun's eyes.

Later, too many things happened.

She still wonders how those cult kidnappers managed to abduct her from the Qiu family's heavily guarded mansion a few years ago.
This matter remains unsolved to this day.

It's the kind of unsolved case where even if she killed everyone in the Qiu family, she still wouldn't find the answer.

The reason is simple: Qiu had neither the motive nor the means to do this.

If that case isn't resolved, her current situation might not actually be better than when she was working in the civilian sector.

Quan Jiuyi must have known of her existence back then.

However, Quan Jiuyi never dreamed that Empress Li Fengen, whom she looked down upon, would be so ruthless.

She secretly switched the two children.

Meanwhile, Quan Jiuyi not only didn't know that the children had been switched, but also raised Ying Chenyu's child as his own daughter for twenty years!
Empress Tantai Zijun softened upon thinking of this, and even her tone became gentler.

She said calmly, "Of course I know these things."

"That's why I gave the Empress Dowager the greatest freedom!"

"You see, not only in this inner palace, but also in the outer palace, you can go wherever you want."

"I have never restricted your freedom."

Empress Dowager Li Feng'en nodded: "Your Majesty's point is certainly good, but given the current situation, I must offer Your Majesty a word of advice."

"Now, I've heard that even the palace ladies and servants are more inclined to side with Xia Chujian and not with His Majesty. This matter is rather difficult to handle..."

Empress Tantai Zijun understood immediately upon hearing this.

At this moment, her prestige in the entire Northern Chen Empire seems to be lower than that of Xia Chujian...

Empress Tantai Zijun tightened her grip on the spoon.

She lowered her eyes for a long while, then said coldly, "I will consider this matter carefully."

"No matter what, this empire belongs to the Tantai clan, and it belongs to me."

"I will not allow external forces to influence my judgment."

Empress Dowager Li Feng'en nodded: "It's good that Your Majesty has considered it."

“If His Majesty needs help, the Ries will stand by his side.”

Upon hearing this, Empress Tantai Zijun couldn't help but say, "But Grand Duke Li was standing with those people before..."

Grand Duke Li was the father of Empress Dowager Li Feng'en and the maternal grandfather of Empress Tantai Zijun.

Hearing her speak of her father in this way, Empress Dowager Li Feng'en said unhappily, "That is the trend of the times. Your maternal grandfather was just following the crowd. Your Majesty should not take it to heart."

Empress Tantai Zijun still maintained her "doing things her own way" attitude.

As an emperor, she could not tolerate any challenge to her authority.

If this empire exists by challenging her authority, it would be better if it didn't exist at all!

……

Empress Dowager Li Feng'en and the lady-in-waiting Ji Huangzhen returned to their palace, still somewhat uneasy.

She said, "Aji, do you think His Majesty will listen to everyone and directly send troops to the Southern Cross?"

Ji Huangzhen shook his head: "It's difficult... Your Majesty is clearly stuck in a rut."

She also knew that the Empress's personality was something she had developed from a young age.

It's really unlikely that she'll be able to change on her own.

That night, neither Empress Dowager Li Feng'en nor Chief Lady-in-Waiting Ji Huangzhen could sleep well.

Empress Tantai Zijun, on the other hand, did not sleep all night.

However, the next day, when she returned to the Imperial Study, the first thing she did was issue an order to broadcast the event live throughout the entire empire.

Soon, the entire empire received a notification that Empress Tantai Zijun would be giving a very important live speech.

It is said to be a matter of life and death for the entire empire.

Early in the morning, the residents of Beichen Star gathered in front of the giant virtual display screen, waiting for Her Majesty the Empress's live broadcast.

The remaining stars, Guiyuan, Kanli, Zangge, and the Fourth Interstellar Fleet above Shaofu were all waiting for Empress Tantai Zijun's live broadcast, either during the day or at night.

……

Xia Chujian is currently at the highest military command post in the southern district of Mulan City, with Huo Yushen, preparing to watch the Empress's live broadcast.

　There will be a new update at 12:05 AM!
　　(End of this chapter)