At the beginning, I gave up my military power with a cup of wine, and I ascended the throne

Chapter 484 The Dying Empress

At the foot of the mountain, Su Tan and his son were overjoyed when they heard the news, especially Su's father, who was dancing with joy.

"Green smoke is coming out of the Su family's ancestral grave."

"We have a top scholar in Xiliang's imperial examination."

Some people sounded envious.

"The Su family is going to be very successful."

Many of the aristocratic families and nobles who were watching had faces as black as charcoal as they looked at their good-for-nothing sons.

The official title they fought so hard to obtain was only the starting point for Su Linglong, the top scholar.

"When you go back, either you practice martial arts well or you study hard for me."

"If you dare to idle away again, I will beat you to death."

"understood."

The young man, who was scolded so hard that he was spitting blood, looked aggrieved, but he didn't dare to refute, otherwise he would be beaten up in the street today, which would be a complete disgrace.

"Don't laugh, kid."

A military commander once taught his son: "From tomorrow on, you are not allowed to leave the house."

"Liu Boyuan, the runner-up in the palace examination, entered Tongwenguan and served as a fifth-rank official."

"Zheng Qulu, the top-ranked candidate in the palace examination, is selected as a fifth-rank candidate for the Liaodong Navy."

Anyone who had talent was on the list, and for a while the entire Shuiyun Mountain was bustling with activity.

However, in Xiliang City, a Lantern Festival for the Top Scholar was held to celebrate the successful conclusion of the imperial examination.

The talents selected by the imperial examination are far more than the top three in the imperial examination, as well as the thirty medical workers who took the palace examination.

There were still many candidates who failed the exam, and Xiao Han ordered the people in the Military and Political Department to carefully check their essays. If they were talented, they could be hired, but their official positions would be lower. As the saying goes, true gold is not afraid of fire.

As long as they are given the opportunity, if they have the ability, they will naturally shine.

The successful holding of the imperial examination greatly promoted the progress of the Education Department in promoting the three studies, and schools were springing up in Xiliang.

After completing the palace examination for martial arts, there was no major work to do for the time being, so Xiao Han began to work on the power restructuring of the Xiliang high-level officials.

The power of the Xiliang government was directly taken away, and a cabinet was established under the Xiliang Palace, and eight departments were established under the cabinet.

The Department of Criminal Justice, the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Police, the Department of Law, the Department of Ordnance, the Department of Craftsmen, and the Department of Military Affairs.

The Military Department is directly under the command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Xiliang Palace, and the Cabinet is in charge of the Eight Departments.

Naturally, as a result of the restructuring, some officials were promoted, some were demoted, some had their power increased, and some lost power.

Xiao Han didn't care about so many things. After deciding on the candidate, he sent out official documents one by one.

The Nine Departments are in power, the Cabinet coordinates the overall situation, and the Military Department does not get involved in ordinary affairs.

After the restructuring was completed in about two months, Xiliang's work efficiency improved a lot.

It's autumn.

It means that this year is coming to an end.

Heavy snow fell from the sky, bringing with it a cold wind, submerging the Shuiyun Mountain and the side hall.

Xiao Han looked at the memorial sent from the north.

“This year’s harvest in the five states is better than we expected.”

Miaoyu said: "It should be at least 10% higher."

"That's good."

He nodded: "I heard that the Northern Wei empress is dying."

"should be."

She said, "The Secret Service has reported that the Empress has been lying in bed for several days, refusing to drink or eat."

"Still got some backbone."

He sighed: "Even if I die, I will die in the Northern Wei Imperial City."

"But once she dies, there will be no Northern Wei in this world anymore."

Sixteen whole months.

The Western Liang army besieged the Northern Wei imperial city for almost two years. During that time, not even a grain of rice or a fly flew in, let alone reinforcements.

The current Northern Wei Imperial City has long since turned into hell.

The blood was pouring down heavier and heavier.

The snow in the north is much heavier than in Xiliang.

The towering city stood on the earth, with gaps and dense arrow holes on the top of the city.

On the city wall, a few Northern Wei soldiers leaned against the wall, the flames of burning wood were drowned by the wind and snow. The armor on their bodies seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, almost making them unable to stand up.

They turned their heads with difficulty. Their sunken eye sockets looked extremely abrupt. Their dry lips opened and closed, moving, and they couldn't even speak clearly.

There was billowing smoke and flames everywhere.

"boom"

A huge fireball fell from the sky, landed on the top of the city, exploded instantly, and flames swept all around.

Those were kerosene cans thrown in by catapults.

No one stood up.

They just leaned against the city wall, watching the fireballs fall. Maybe they didn't care, or maybe they didn't even have the strength to dodge.

There was no Xiliang army attacking the city. Every day, they just threw kerosene or rockets into the city.

The center of the imperial city.

The originally magnificent hall had disappeared; its beams had long since been dismantled and burned.

Only a lonely palace was left standing in the snow and wind, with the walls leaking wind.

Inside the palace.

The two skinny female officials looked at the swollen empress lying on the bed, with pale and dry hair, a wrinkled face, and her eyes almost unable to open.

"Your Majesty, please have some porridge."

The female official choked up and handed the spoon to the empress's mouth, but the Northern Wei empress turned her head away.

"Oh no! Your Majesty is dying." the female official shouted.

"Go and invite Marshal Helian."

Another female official trotted out, and soon Helian Bobo arrived at the palace.

He looked haggard, his face was thin, and his figure was no longer as strong as before. He seemed to be in his fifties or sixties and had no energy at all.

He pushed the female official away, placed his fingers on the empress's wrist, and forcibly passed a stream of his internal energy into her.

"Helian."

"No need to waste your inner energy on me anymore."

The empress opened her eyes, the turbidity in her eyes dissipated, and a little clarity emerged, "I can't hold on any longer."

"His Majesty."

Helian Bobo's eyes were red: "I will use my inner strength to extend your life."

The strong true energy entered the empress's body, injecting new vitality into her old body, and the empress's complexion looked visibly better.

However, Helian Bobo knew that the empress's body was already exhausted at this time. Her internal energy had nowhere to be stored and dissipated from all the acupoints in the blink of an eye.

There is nothing that can be done to save the situation.

There is no cure.

There was a sense of sadness in Helian Bobo's heart.

"No need to continue wasting energy."

The empress shook her head: "Help me up."

The empress carefully lifted his body up, and his originally plump figure disappeared, replaced by a body like a dead tree.

Her skin was pale, her hair was drooping, and her robe was empty. Her life was like a candle in the wind, which could be extinguished at any time.

The Northern Wei empress turned her head and looked outside the hall.

Looking at the deserted hall, overgrown with weeds.

once.

This was the most prosperous place in the Northern Wei Dynasty, with luxurious palaces spreading out and pavilions and towers standing tall.

But everything was destroyed in the smoke of war and turned into ashes.