son, don't mess around

Anping City.

When the emperor in the capital passed away, according to the established rites, the whole country should mourn. Therefore, every household in Anping City hung white cloths at their doors to mourn the emperor's death.

However, there was not much of a somber atmosphere in Anping City.

Even the vast majority of the people of Anping City were pleasantly surprised.

Just two days prior, Her Highness the Eldest Princess held a coronation ceremony in Anping City, officially succeeding to the throne as the Empress of the Great Ning Dynasty, becoming the first female emperor in the Great Ning Dynasty's history, and indeed, in all of history.

The people of Anping were undoubtedly excited. For the vast majority of them, they didn't really care who the emperor was. The emperor's life or death was of little concern to them.

But the eldest princess is different!
In the months since the eldest princess arrived at the front lines, she has been reorganizing military equipment and issuing orders strictly prohibiting troops from harassing civilians within the city. Even after the outbreak of war, she personally supervised and escorted civilians away from the front lines.

For the vast majority of ordinary people, the Eldest Princess was the true embodiment of love and care for them. Although she was somewhat cold-hearted, her actions undoubtedly earned the people's recognition and respect.

Therefore, the people of Anping City had no particular feeling about the death of the emperor who was so far away in the capital. On the contrary, many people cheered when they learned that the eldest princess had succeeded to the throne.

Can't a woman be an empress?

For ordinary people, it doesn't matter what kind of woman is in charge; as long as she is good to them, even a dog would be fine as emperor.

The eldest princess is undoubtedly a good prince in the eyes of all the people. More importantly, it is currently a time of war, and the rebel army of Prince Xu in the north is eyeing Anping City with great hostility.

Anping City has been ravaged by war and is now in dire need of food, with supplies for the front lines in dire straits. More importantly, in the depths of winter, food is scarce and the front lines are facing a critical shortage of supplies.

Now that the eldest princess has ascended the throne as emperor, she is personally leading the expedition to quell the rebellion of Prince Xu. Therefore, as long as the eldest princess issues an imperial edict, the food shortage in Anping City will be resolved quickly.

If it weren't for the national mourning period during which celebrations are prohibited, I'm afraid every household would have set off firecrackers to celebrate.

……

A cold wind howled, ravaging the city ravaged by war.

The atmosphere of the coronation ceremony two days prior still lingered inside the prefect's mansion. The soldiers inside and outside the mansion all wore excited smiles.

The entire mansion was filled with a joyful and harmonious atmosphere.

Behind the mansion, in the courtyard.

A figure in a cool white robe stood silently under the eaves, gazing at the scene in the courtyard.

"Sister Paper Kite, I think she did it on purpose."

Beside Zhiyuan, Jasmine followed closely, glancing around and muttering, "This servant can tell that she's not friendly to you, Zhiyuan... She's deliberately ignoring you, Zhiyuan. It's too much."

Jasmine looked indignant, as if she felt sorry for the kite.

Under the eaves, the kite stood calmly: "So what?"

Jasmine asked, puzzled, "Sister Paper Kite, aren't you angry?"

Why get angry?

"she……"

Jasmine opened her mouth as if to say something, but when she saw Paper Kite's calm and unassuming expression, she couldn't utter a single word.

I feel a bit discouraged.

Even Sister Paper Kite doesn't care, so what's the point of her worrying?

Paper Kite Sister has such a good temper. In the past year, Jasmine has been by Paper Kite Sister's side and has never seen her angry.

As for that woman… Jasmine sighed again, thinking of something.

Now that woman has become the emperor, and it was even Sister Paper Kite who personally delivered the edict of succession, pushing her to that position.

Now that woman has become the supreme ruler, so what can we do even if we're worried?
Thinking of this, Jasmine couldn't help but say, "I just feel sorry for you, Sister Paper Kite... Our Prince Lin's Mansion has such a deep grudge against the imperial court, why did you have to..."

Jasmine kept talking, but then she shut up.

There are many things that she, as a servant, cannot fathom. She came here with Sister Zhiyuan on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince to protect Sister Zhiyuan's safety.

But it seems that her martial arts skills are far from sufficient to protect Sister Paper Kite.

Zhiyuan remained calm as she looked up into the distance. The sky was overcast, as if shrouded in the smoke of war, weighing heavily on everyone's heart.

During her journey north, she encountered countless refugees and witnessed the complexities of human nature.

The outbreak of war caused people to be displaced, and the people suffered greatly. There were people starving and freezing to death everywhere, and cries of agony filled the air.

Living in the capital, no one could imagine that the situation in the north had reached this point.

This winter, many, many people will die!

"The war must end!"

Paper Kite muttered to itself.

As if sensing something, she suddenly looked up and gazed at the end of the corridor.

The next second, a cold and aloof figure appeared in their line of sight.

It was Li Piaomiao.

She remained unchanged from two days ago, her aloof and stunning beauty now tinged with a touch of heroic spirit, and she was still dressed in her simple everyday clothes.

The coronation ceremony was rushed, and there was simply no time to prepare for many things. As this was the front line, there weren't many rules, so everything was kept simple.

The current eldest princess... to be precise, is already the empress of the Great Ning Dynasty.

She walked slowly closer.

Jasmine, who had been chirping about Li Piaomiao, instinctively shrank her neck and hid behind Sister Paper Kite.

For some reason, this princess had a very imposing aura, and Jasmine didn't dare to look her in the eye at all, as if this woman would kill her at any moment.

She didn't do anything, but her powerful aura was enough to frighten people.

"You go down first."

Noticing the change in Jasmine, Zhiyuan spoke softly.

Jasmine immediately felt relieved and whispered, "Thank you, Sister Paper Kite."

Immediately afterward, she hurriedly left the yard. Once outside, she took a deep breath and patted her full chest.

"That's...that's terrifying!"

Jasmine felt a lingering fear when she thought of the princess's cold demeanor and expression.

How can there be such a cold person in the world?
……

In the backyard, only Zhiyuan and Li Piaomiao remained.

Li Piaomiao slowly approached and came to Zhiyuan's side. The two women looked at each other silently, neither of them speaking, as if they had a tacit understanding, and many things were self-evident.

Li Piaomiao shifted her gaze to the courtyard, and after a long while asked, "When are we going back?"

Paper Kite also withdrew her gaze and said calmly, "Tomorrow!"

"Please take a letter back for me."

Li Piaomiao's tone remained calm: "Give it to him."

Zhiyuan glanced back at her. She didn't ask who "he" was, nor did she ask why she was helping her bring it.

Yes, but with an extremely calm expression.

"Ah."

Li Piaomiao paused, her tone still cold: "The situation in the court needs to be stabilized by Prime Minister Zhao and the Imperial Uncle, but the wars in the world should also be quelled as soon as possible."

"I hope that the Prince Lin's residence will not break its promise."

Paper Kite remained expressionless: "The Prince Lin's Mansion would never betray its promises." "That's good."

"..."

Silence fell between them again, neither of them speaking first, maintaining an eerie stillness.

Both of them were aloof and reserved, not good with words, and as people of opposing identities, their every word and action seemed extremely awkward.

Li Piaomiao turned her head, her gaze falling on the paper kite again: "Don't you have anything to say?"

Paper Kite met her gaze without saying a word.

"You've traveled all this way just to deliver the imperial edict, is that all?"

Li Piaomiao seemed to have already guessed what was going on: "Is there anything you want to ask?"

Zhiyuan remained silent, her gaze slowly moving down from Li Piaomiao's face to her flat stomach.

it is more than words.

Li Piaomiao noticed Zhiyuan's gaze, and a fleeting hint of unease crossed her usually cool expression.

Then it disappeared.

She's not pregnant.

Her voice remained cold and aloof.

But it seemed to carry a different kind of emotion.

Upon hearing this, a glint seemed to flash in Zhiyuan's eyes, as if... she inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

But then she said coldly, "You broke your promise."

His questioning was tinged with a complex expression.

"Since I have already agreed, I will not go back on my word!"

Li Piaomiao said, "Now that I am his person, I will naturally not change my mind in the future. The imperial court and the Prince Lin's mansion will be able to coexist peacefully in the future."

Whether it was the phrase "already his" that stung Zhiyuan, her expression changed slightly as she stared at Li Piaomiao, her heart filled with inexplicable emotions.

Zhiyuan took a deep breath, gradually calming herself down. When she looked at Li Piaomiao again, her eyes had turned very cold.

There was no emotion whatsoever.

"Remember what you said today!"

"The feud between the imperial court and the Prince Lin's mansion is now entangled in your single decision... You still owe him a child, and you also owe the Prince Lin's mansion an explanation!"

"I hope you won't disappoint the Prince!"

After saying that, Zhiyuan turned and left, seemingly unwilling to stay any longer.

However, she had only taken two steps when Li Piaomiao's cold voice came from behind her: "If I get pregnant with his child, won't you regret it?"

Zhiyuan suddenly stopped in her tracks, but she didn't turn around.

But her aloof figure seemed to sway slightly before she continued walking away and disappeared.

Li Piaomiao stood there, gazing in the direction the kite had gone, lost in thought. Her gaze drifted into the distance, and a subtle tenderness seemed to surface within her.

After a long while, she looked away and turned to leave.

Just as they left the backyard, a general appeared in the front yard of the prefect's mansion in a hurry.

"Your Highness...Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

A general quickly appeared in Li Piaomiao's line of sight, respectfully cupping his hands, his tone flustered.

Li Piaomiao stood with her hands behind her back, her expression calm: "What is it?"

"Xu, the Xu Prince's Mansion..."

The general took a deep breath and said anxiously in a deep voice, "News has come from the Xu Prince's residence... The Third Prince, Li Yuan, has declared himself emperor with the support of the Lin Prince's residence!"

The general recounted all the intelligence that had come from within Xuzhou.

Li Yuan has declared himself emperor!
Not long after the news of Li Piaomiao's ascension to the throne reached Xuzhou, this news came from the Xu Prince's Mansion.

With the support of the rebel army led by Prince Lin, Li Yuan forged an imperial edict, drafted a decree of succession, and supported Li Yuan's ascension to the throne.

Immediately, the Xu Prince's Mansion quickly released a message, denying the legitimacy of the eldest princess's succession by arguing that there was no precedent for a woman to become emperor.

At the same time, they spread rumors among the people that the eldest princess controlled the imperial army, thereby forcing the emperor to his death, falsely issuing imperial edicts, and usurping the throne of the Great Ning Dynasty.

Li Yuan, on the other hand, claimed to be the legitimate successor to the throne as the emperor's younger brother, asserting the legitimacy of his succession by claiming that the throne should be passed down from brother to brother.

At the same time, the Xu Prince's Mansion issued a proclamation, calling on the loyal troops throughout the territory of the Da Ning Dynasty to resist the "conspiracy" of the eldest princess to become emperor. Li Yuan, as the legitimate bloodline of the Da Ning Dynasty royal family, was to go south to drive out Li Piaomiao, who had "usurped" the Da Ning Dynasty's throne, and restore the Li family's legitimacy.

In this way, Xu Wang's rebel army was transformed into a regular imperial army.

When the news reached Anping City, many people began to panic... The worst thing had finally happened.

When the emperor died, Li Yuan seized the opportunity to declare himself emperor. His status was indeed more legitimate than that of the eldest princess.

At least for the ordinary people who were unaware of the situation, that was the case.

In this way, he could indeed deceive everyone and fool many people. However, if the situation escalates, it would be extremely detrimental to the court and the princess.

Especially those various forces within the dynasty who were waiting and watching, are now likely to become increasingly restless as Li Yuan declares himself emperor.

The worst outcome, of course, would be that they side with Li Yuan and turn against the Princess's court. But even the best outcome would be that these people, holding troops, would stand by and use them to blackmail the court... No matter the outcome, it would be extremely detrimental to the court.

This is also the thing that the imperial court and the imperial army at the front line find most unacceptable.

……

The news of Li Yuan's ascension to the throne quickly reached the capital, causing an uproar throughout the court and the public.

Things were alright in the imperial court; with Prime Minister Zhao and Elder Li in charge, no major disturbances occurred.

But the public is already in an uproar!
The news that the late emperor had passed the throne to the eldest princess had already caused a great deal of discussion and reaction in the capital, with traditionalists and reformers each holding their own opinions and arguing fiercely.

Now, with Li Yuan also declaring himself emperor and claiming legitimacy of the Daming Dynasty, the matter has reached its climax.

Those traditionalists jumped out to support the Third Prince.

They claimed that the Third Prince was the true royal bloodline and that, in terms of succession, he should be the one to ascend the throne.

Since ancient times, only princes have succeeded to the throne; there has never been a story of a princess succeeding to the throne.

Absolutely ridiculous!
Li Yuan's ascension to the throne provided these traditionalists with an excuse to vent their frustrations, and for a time, undercurrents surged in the capital, with countless people still stubbornly supporting Li Yuan.

The reformers naturally did not recognize Li Yuan's identity, since the late emperor's edict of succession clearly stated that the throne was to be passed to the eldest princess.

As for Li Yuan?

It's just a roadside stall!
He was demoted to a commoner a year ago and has long lost his royal status. Now, he has been resurrected and, in alliance with the rebel army of Prince Xu, harbors wolfish ambitions, intending to seize the legitimacy of the Great Ning Dynasty—a pipe dream.

Neither side was willing to back down, and they argued fiercely.

This situation intensified as news of Li Yuan's ascension to the throne spread throughout the territory of the Daming Dynasty.

It must be said that Li Yuan's move to fish in troubled waters was indeed precise. He successfully used his identity to stir up the situation.

This not only weakened the legitimacy of Li Piaomiao's succession, but also gave the Xu Prince's rebel army an opportunity to weaken the court's influence.

If this matter is not handled properly, it will undoubtedly be a huge blow to the eldest princess, who has just ascended the throne and whose foundation is still unstable.

Just as all this was causing a great uproar, a piece of news from Linzhou spread quietly, once again causing an uproar throughout the land.

...The Prince of Lin raised an army of 100,000 and marched north to quell the rebellion!
...(End of chapter)