The Overlord of the Red Mansion

On the first day of the second month of the tenth year of the Holy Dynasty, at six o'clock in the morning.

Jia Yuanchun, who was still in bed, was gently awakened.

"Miss!"

"Miss!"

Jia Yuanchun opened her eyes somewhat groggily and lazily changed from lying on her side to lying flat on her back.

"Hmm..." Jia Yuanchun was still a little sleepy.

A palace maid helped him sit up.

At this moment, several maids appeared in the room, who had already prepared clothes in advance.

"What's wrong?" Jia Yuanchun asked her trusted confidant.

Seeing that Jia Yuanchun had woken up, Qin Yun said softly, "His Majesty has ordered the two empresses to attend court today, but he didn't say what it was about."

Jia Yuanchun pondered what might happen recently.

I haven't offended Jia Rong or made her angry recently.

Moreover, Yingchun recently gave birth to a daughter, and several of the concubines in the palace have also become pregnant one after another.

It's normal that Jia Yuanchun is too old to conceive now. She's even older than Lady Wang was back then. If Lady Wang could have continued to have children, Jia Baoyu would definitely have had a few more younger brothers.

Jia Yuanchun's reliance was not on her status as Empress, nor on being the Crown Prince.

On the contrary, it was women like Yingchun, Tanchun, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai who had connections with the Jia family.

Whether it's Yingchun, Tanchun, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, or others becoming pregnant, it's all good news for Jia Yuanchun, as it ensures her position in the harem is more secure.

Things are different now than they were twenty years ago. If there were other younger sisters, Jia Yuanchun would definitely introduce them to the palace as well.

After spending half a minute confirming that she had not provoked Jia Rong or done anything to anger him, the empress of the harem finally felt a little relieved.

"Has anything happened to the Crown Prince lately?"

Jia Yuanchun could not be completely at ease, after all, most of her crises came from her family.

We haven't argued over the years, nor have I been beaten outside of bed, but I've been kneeled down and scolded quite a few times.

Her parents had an accident, and they scolded her.

Her younger brother got into trouble, and she was scolded.

He scolded her when her son got into trouble.

Even when her sister's son and daughter caused trouble, she was still scolded.

Although she was the empress, she had been criticized several times over the past ten years.

Qin Yun replied, "I have never heard of that. Your Majesty, please get up and put on your clothes. This is not your first time attending court. His Majesty would not blame a prime minister for the issue of offspring. We have been married for more than 20 years. How could he punish you for the Crown Prince's mistake?"

Jia Yuanchun was relieved and quickly got off the bed, taking off all her clothes with the help of the palace maids.

"I was definitely overthinking it."

Jia Yuanchun carefully recalled the past and found that he had only been scolded a few times in the past twenty years.

He failed to discipline his younger brother, which led to his brother's exile.

She failed to discipline her son properly, which resulted in him being exiled.

If Jia Rong wanted to depose the Empress, it would be a piece of cake.

The Jia family had no one in the court, and even those people from the former Ministry of Works only listened to Jia Rong.

Jia Yuanchun was isolated and helpless in the court; neither Jia Zheng nor Qin Ye could help her.

There were almost no powerful relatives or nobles in the Holy Dynasty. Even if there were some, they were mostly minor figures like Xue Ke and Jia Lian, who could be largely ignored.

Although I've gotten to know quite a few princesses and matriarchs over the years, if something really happens, these women who take pride in their loyalty and sacrifice will absolutely not help me.

Worrying was useless; Jia Yuanchun put on the dignified court robes she only wore when attending court.

After putting on the well-fitting but heavy phoenix robe, Jia Yuanchun had to walk more carefully, and the palace maids nearby also carefully helped her lift the hem of her robe as she walked.

There would be dedicated palace maids to handle the entourage when traveling. For example, the young palace maids who followed Jia Yuanchun were professionals who had been trained for nearly ten years.

From their teens to their twenties, they gradually replaced one or two members to keep the team intact.

Empress Jia Yuanchun was treated with the same rank and standards as Empress Shengren.

Empress Shengren now has both a son and a daughter, and is almost ten years younger than Jia Yuanchun. Moreover, unlike Jia Yuanchun, Empress Shengren is more familiar with the affairs of the court.

Both empresses lived in the Holy Palace and often served Jia Rong together, but their responsibilities differed.

Empress Shengren was in charge of external affairs, while Empress Shenggong was in charge of internal affairs.

The affairs of the Imperial Palace and the court outside of the Holy Palace will be managed by Empress Seonin.

Jia Rong's laziness in governance resulted in Empress Shengren having to take on more responsibilities.

Within the Holy Palace, Jia Yuanchun was in charge, including the discipline of Empress Shengren's two children.

Jia Rong was equally lazy when it came to his children's education. It could be said that Jia Yuanchun was solely responsible for setting all the rules for the children's education, as well as their food, clothing, daily necessities, and punishments.

Outside the Hundred Herbs Palace, the two empresses knelt and waited for Jia Rong.

As the empress, she was not required to kneel before the emperor, but Jia Rong was the holy emperor, the Son of Heaven.

The Empress is not a deity, but just an ordinary person, so she must bow.

The court officials and the imperial harem had no objections, nor did the two empresses and their children.

The two empresses had always gotten along fairly well.

The palace has abundant resources, so a little more or less doesn't matter.

In terms of children, Jia Yuanchun's side was clearly more valued, and the crown prince was decided long ago, leaving no chance for the others.

In particular, Jia Rong was in good health and lived significantly longer than everyone else.

The crown prince is also the eldest son of the first wife, which gives him a huge advantage.

Unless the crown prince rebels or dies unexpectedly, no one else can compete with him.

Many people in the court were actually worried about the Crown Prince rebelling, so they didn't want to get too close to him.

Soon the three of them got into a specially designed new car and left.

Jia Yuanchun got into the carriage and sat to Jia Rong's left.

The car doors closed, and several female soldiers in white uniforms followed around with guns on their backs.

As the vehicle started smoothly, the female soldiers around it also began to run.

Jia Yuanchun asked softly and gently, "Your Majesty, what is the purpose of this court session?"

Jia Rong casually said, "Just listen to what I have to say now, and I'll say it again later."

Jia Rong reached out to touch the two women's breasts, but they were dressed too warmly, and he couldn't put his hand inside, so he gave up.

Actually, I didn't really want to touch it that much.

If Jia Rong finds something troublesome, she will give up on it herself.

Fortunately, the two empresses did not resist, otherwise Jia Rong would definitely have sneaked inside.

Even if it means tearing their clothes, they still want to touch them.

The Holy Palace is very close to the Royal Palace; it only takes a few minutes by car to reach the high-class hall where court is held.

After Jia Rong entered, the officials bowed and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

The two empresses quickly entered the small, curtained room and sat down to listen to the proceedings.

Although Jia Rong has been having a lot of fun in the palace all these years, the court's strict rules on the separation of men and women have not been discarded.

Some people tried to cause trouble like Jia Rong, but they were quickly arrested and imprisoned or exiled by Jia Rong.

If rumors spread that a father has an ambiguous relationship with his daughter or daughter-in-law, then that person will be stripped of their hat and put on trial.

The son's close relationship with his mother, aunts, sisters, and cousins ​​is also considered improper and he should not be given important responsibilities.

Jia Rong's favorite thing to do was to hug his mistress and ask her about her family situation.

If Jia Rong finds out about the family's bad reputation, the women in the family will be fine, but the men will definitely suffer the consequences.

Saints are without fault. The rest of us are not saints.

Whenever the two empresses attended court, the court officials had to be extra careful.

"Flat body."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Everyone lowered their heads and carefully retreated to their seats.

Jia Rong took the initiative to say, "Is there anything important today? If not, I'll speak first."

None of the ministers spoke.

The Left Prime Minister had several murder cases and reports on them, but these were not considered important matters.

The country is so big, but there are very few things that would alarm Jia Rong.

Whether it's a disaster, a plague, or even a disturbance by a foreign tribe, such minor matters are not worth alarming the Holy Emperor.

If foreign tribes cause trouble, just kill them; the Holy Dynasty has never hesitated on such matters.

Jia Rong didn't really care about such things. Most of the time, he would just look at a report, and sometimes he wouldn't even bother to look at the report.

"Since there's nothing else, I'll speak."

Jia Rong sat up straight and said with some emotion, "I have been on the throne for more than ten years, which is more than the previous two emperors combined. You all know how I became emperor in the first place, but that's all in the past."

"I didn't actually want to be emperor. I went out to play twice in between. Now, more than ten years have passed. I feel that since I ascended the throne, my medical skills, literature, science and technology, and innovation have not improved much. On the contrary, my health has become better and better, and my offspring have increased a lot."

"It would be unwise to abruptly relinquish power now. So I will speak with you all about what lies ahead. I intend to abdicate."

The courtiers were in an uproar, and even the two empresses clenched their fists nervously, wanting to say something but daring not to speak.

The Minister of Rites quickly said, "Your Majesty! The world has just been stabilized, and the Crown Prince is still young and ignorant. Your Majesty is in the prime of your life. How can you so easily say that you will retire?"

The Left Prime Minister quickly knelt down and pleaded, "Your Majesty! Only Your Majesty is the ruler of all nations and the holy sovereign of the world. If Your Majesty abdicates, the world will surely be thrown into turmoil once again!"

"I humbly beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree! The people rely on Your Majesty's sagacity! This old minister would rather die than obey such an edict!"

The others also knelt down and begged.

The crown prince had no prestige to command the officials and was completely ignorant of the workings of the court. He relied on other places for aid, both economically and militarily.

If such a person becomes emperor, he will only bleed the people dry and bring the benefits to the capital, which will inevitably cause trouble.

Jia Rong, on the other hand, spread his people all over the world, coordinating resources and manpower in various places, minimizing the differences in talent between the North and the South and the problem of factionalism.

Calling him a sage ruler is not an exaggeration. In terms of governance and centralization of power, Jia Rong truly achieved the best in history, and even managed to balance the North-South issue that had plagued every dynasty.

The South produces officials and merchants, while the North produces soldiers, industrialists, and civilians.

Conscription should prioritize recruits from the north, where there are vast state-owned agricultural areas that can supply the entire country with the grain from three provinces, and the steel and military industry from Jizhou alone can crush workshops across the country.

In terms of population, the north has a larger population, more abundant food, and a large amount of land available for development. Moreover, the emergence of railways has solved the problem of transporting goods.

Compared to clans in the south, the north is mostly comprised of immigrant families who came through the Jia Rong policy. These people have a stronger desire to have children, as each additional child means another person to work the land.

Boys can farm, and girls can support their families.

Jia Rong doesn't force all children to attend school; enrollment is voluntary. After all, most families with money wouldn't let their sons be illiterate.

Several places in the north were all built up by Jia Rong. In particular, under Jia Rong's guidance, a large number of officials and meritorious households entered the capital. More than five million people in the capital were all Jia Rong's people.

The crown prince has no real power to secure the throne. Even if Jia Rong abdicates, others will still listen to him.

Jia Rong sighed, "I am reminded of the past. It is true that two emperors in one palace will hinder each other. It is better to have two empresses in one palace."

"The Crown Prince is indeed young, and I am not a rigid and inflexible person. Only a wise and sagacious person can govern this country and ensure long-term stability."

"I will not build a mausoleum; it would be a waste of resources and manpower."

"I have promoted the Crown Prince to Prefect of Yuezhou and to assist in the administration of the Luzon Islands. I originally intended to retire in Luzon, but unfortunately, I am naturally averse to hot places. There is a deserted island called New Zealand in southeastern Australia."

"Order the Crown Prince of Liao, the King of Tianzhu, the Governor-General of Tai Province, the Governor-General of Luzon, the Governor-General of Malacca, and the Magistrate of Australia to jointly send people there to develop the land."

"First build factories, farmland, docks, government offices, and civilian houses. After two years of technological advancement, we will build my palace."

Jia Rong neither abdicated nor relinquished the throne, but he clearly no longer wanted to be emperor.

The reason he hasn't stepped down isn't because he cares about the people, nor because he's been persuaded to, but because the houses in New Zealand haven't been built yet...

What are you going to in this desolate wilderness?

The courtiers knew they couldn't persuade Jia Rong, and they breathed a sigh of relief when they realized that Jia Rong wasn't leaving right now.

"I will obey your orders!"

Let's delay for at least a few years until the crown prince grows up.

It is a well-known fact that Jia Rong did not covet imperial power.

First, he rarely attended court or managed state affairs; second, he gave the impression that he never cared about the position of emperor.

And just as he said, after becoming emperor, he rarely made any progress in poetry, technology, medicine, or any other areas.

Compared to his performance before becoming emperor, Jia Rong focused his attention on military technology after becoming emperor, and neglected other aspects.

Everyone felt that someone as versatile as Jia Rong would be saddened and dissatisfied by such constraints.

In reality, Jia Rong had nothing left to copy, so he simply made an excuse, saying that after becoming emperor, he no longer had the same mindset as before.

Just as Jia Rong was about to leave court, the Minister of Health stepped forward.

"Your Majesty! I have an important matter to report!"

Jia Rong casually replied, "Granted."

Everyone was preoccupied with what the Emperor had arranged for after his abdication, and many people were distracted from their work and didn't care about the Minister of Health's trivial matters.

The Minister of Health held a largely sinecure position in several departments, mainly managing hospitals, but had no jurisdiction over the St. John's Hospital or the Imperial Medical Academy.

Even now, women still tend to see female doctors. If they can't find a female doctor, they have their husbands go to see the doctor, describe their symptoms, and get medicine, or they go to the church to get painkillers.

In traditional practice, male doctors still treat men, and female doctors treat women.

There was a brief period when men were allowed to treat women's illnesses and even deliver babies.

However, once there were more female doctors, they tacitly became conservative again.

At least you won't be falsely accused by a woman.

Women wouldn't dare to falsely accuse Jia Rong, because what Jia Rong did was far more serious than false accusation.

Perfection is impossible; if you're destined to die, you will die. Jia Rong was never a perfectionist.

The Minister of Health is a man, so he can't manage the women's hospital and the female medical staff who are backed by Jia Rong.

"Your Majesty, since the end of last year, there have been 21,009 registered pregnant women, about 1,000 of whom were due to give birth last month. In the past half month, about 400 babies have died. The women's college in the capital is in a state of panic. I would like to request the women's college of the Holy Palace to go and check the situation in order to calm people's hearts."

The Minister of Health did not ask Jia Rong to go, although he had thought it would be better if Jia Rong went, but if something unexpected happened and they encountered assassins, he would definitely be arrested.

Jia Rong frowned. "Where are these thousand-plus pregnant women from?"

The Minister of Health did not have this statistic and cautiously replied, "They are all wives and concubines of officials who have lived in the capital for a long time."

Jia Rong remembered that most of the women in his palace were from other places or foreigners, and that most of the women who had entered the palace to serve him before were not pregnant.

Pregnant women are definitely in the palace, and those who are not pregnant are not among these thousand people.

"Approved. Let the Crown Princess take charge of this matter. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess can handle it. Let the Crown Princess move into the former Ningguo Mansion and change the signboard to Crown Prince Mansion. The other princesses can visit her."

"The Crown Princess is appointed as the head of the Kyoto Women's Academy, responsible for supervising and managing the academy. Apart from the portion to be handed over, the academy retains all personnel and income."

"I will be in seclusion at the Holy Palace in a few days to study literature. The Crown Princess may pay her respects at the Yangxin Palace once every seven days. There is no need for her to travel back and forth. Her main task is to assist the Crown Prince with his affairs."

Jia Rong quickly shifted the blame and went into seclusion to avoid the matter.

However, others saw this as Jia Rong genuinely trying to avoid suspicion.

It not only shows that he does not covet power, but also respects women and pays attention to the separation of men and women.

"According to the order!"

The Minister of Health himself couldn't meet directly with the Crown Princess, so he had to ask his wife to assist him.

The status of women in the Holy Dynasty has been greatly elevated! (End of Chapter)