Quick Wear: Random Cheats

Chapter 222 The Princess Who Was Killed as a Wife in a Peace Marriage (The End)
Inside the Zichen Hall.

"The capital has fallen, why don't you die for your country?"

That's right. After the capital was captured, Ding Shui rushed over specifically to ask Emperor Xianghe this question.

"You have allied yourself with barbarians and turned against your homeland. You will be remembered with infamy for ten thousand years in history. I want to see how you will face your father and ancestors a hundred years from now. You will be remembered with infamy for ten thousand years!"

"Being manipulated and reduced to a puppet is still uncertain. Do you really think this so-called Black General is a loyal general to you? Just you wait and see. Before long, you will be forced to abdicate. History is full of examples of this. Even if I die today, I will be waiting for you down there!"

Emperor Xianghe's first reaction was a slight sense of shame, but in an instant, he deliberately avoided talking about the so-called martyrdom and instead began to vehemently criticize Ding Shui.

And they also took the opportunity to sow discord.

On the surface, he appears fearless and quite righteous, but he is actually gambling that the other party did not let him die in the chaos of the fall of the capital, and that they would not easily take his life afterward.

After all, emperors must die in a certain way.

If someone is truly abused or harmed, their reputation will be damaged.

Meanwhile, Xiao Hei was somewhat speechless. Fortunately, its relationship with Ding Shui was ultimately special; bound by the contract, neither could harbor malice towards the other. In a normal relationship between ruler and subject, such provocation might have indeed caused Ding Shui to become wary and damage their relationship.

Out of dissatisfaction, Xiao Hei quickly thought of something and said:

"Your Majesty, you will definitely be ruling from the Tianhong Empire in the future. In that case, the royal court of the Xirong Empire will be somewhat remote. It would be best to appoint a king to oversee it. However, your Xirong descendants are not directly related to you by blood, so there is not enough bond between you."

It would be better to send someone over for a marriage alliance.

Only by strengthening our connections can we feel at ease!

"In my opinion, this deposed emperor, the one who has been captured, is quite suitable, after all, he is your brother. You were able to marry into the Western Rong as his sister back then, and now he can naturally do the same as your brother. Then you can see who is willing to accept him."

They will appoint whichever one is the King of the Western Rong...

The Empress Dowager also had a deep bond with him, so we could send her along as well and have him take care of her.

Xiao Hei was well aware that the original owner of this body hated Emperor Xianghe and the Empress Dowager, and also knew that Ding Shui had the idea of ​​sending Emperor Xianghe to a marriage alliance, but had not yet figured out how to do it, since most of the surrounding small countries were ruled by men.

She couldn't possibly arrange for him to be married off just for the sake of it.

Let's support another empress.

That would be too easy for him.

At this moment, Emperor Xianghe was terrified. He felt like the sky was falling, and that they weren't joking. Therefore, he didn't immediately object, and it took him a while to finally understand what Xiao Hei was trying to do.
Then he began to roar and howl loudly.

Questioning and insults!!!

They said things like, "How dare you act like this? It is a great defiance against Heaven. The emperor must never be humiliated," and so on.

Little did he know that the more he broke down, the happier Ding Shui felt.

Indeed, killing someone by destroying their spirit is the best strategy!
"But what if the descendants of the former Khan wish to become kings?"

"What does it matter? It's just a marriage alliance. Whether there's a marital relationship or not, whether it's a union of yin and yang, doesn't matter."
In the ancient Warring States period, they would have been nothing more than hostages.

Moreover, he's not even as good as a proton.

"Then go and spread the word, see who is willing, and the first one to agree shall be made the King of the Western Rong!"

Ding Shui agreed, so he temporarily blocked Emperor Xianghe's voice and gave the order. Xiao Hei immediately obeyed the order and appeared at the Western Rong royal court in the next second, accurately conveying Ding Shui's meaning to all the former Khans and their children.

Compared to Ding Shui returning to the royal court, the fastest way is to fly there using the Yang God technique, which still takes an hour or two. Xiao Hei's speed is much faster, taking less than a second, because it can arrive instantly through faith, as long as there are believers there.

Wangting was Ding Shui's stronghold.

How could it not have its followers?

Therefore, its speed is naturally very fast.

Less than an incense stick's time later, Ding Shui received a report from Xiao Hei: "Helena agreed first!"

"My nominal third granddaughter?"

Ding Shui was quite surprised by this, because she hadn't actually promoted anything about gender equality or encouraged them to compete for the throne. So theoretically, those who most wanted to be the Great Khan should have agreed first.

Xiao Hei understood Ding Shui's surprise and explained:

“When your sons and grandsons first received the news, they were discussing whether it was an insult to them. Then Helena immediately stood up and said she was willing, but hoped that we could give her some help.”

"She also said that she was willing to let the deposed emperor be her male Khatun and enjoy the same treatment as the princesses of the Nawi Khan's marriage alliance, which was the same Khan who tortured the three princesses to death."

Helena is a very perceptive child...

What do you think? How about we go for her?

Hearing this, Ding Shui nodded slightly: "I can't go back on my word. Since we said whoever is willing first will be the King of Xirong, then let's choose her. By the way, what was the reaction of the others when they saw Hailina step forward?"

"They were all vying to say they were willing, and some even said they were willing to accept the Empress Dowager of the Tianhong Empire along with her."

At this point, Xiao Hei was quite helpless.

They were obviously just slow to react, but not stupid.

"Alas, although the original owner also wanted to take revenge on the Empress Dowager, such humiliation was ultimately not appropriate, so let's just forget about it and appoint Hailina as the Queen of Xirong."

All the others who were granted the title of king were demoted to the rank of county king.

Furthermore, I will have her submit a memorial to me, since I am her nominal grandmother and she was appointed by me. From now on, the Western Rong Kingdom will be my vassal state. Based on this achievement of expanding our territory, great scholars will naturally come to debate the classics for me.

"Send a clone over to help her later."

Ding Shui's exchange with Xiao Hei was actually a mental exchange, so to outsiders, it seemed that Xiao Hei had not left and that the matter was still unresolved.

Little did they know that it was not only decided, but also that it had already been decided.

Everything has been finalized and planned.

Therefore, Ding Shui was too lazy to listen to Emperor Xianghe's nonsense any longer, and directly signaled Xiao Hei to drag him away, and then proceed with the operation they had just discussed.

Having settled this most important matter, Ding Shui took advantage of his time in the capital to quickly arrange his ascension to the throne. Everything was done according to precedent, so overall it proceeded quite smoothly. Ding Shui did not deliberately conceal his identity or actions, such as by using terms like "Jingnan" to beautify them; he directly stated that he had seized the throne through rebellion.

However, this is a matter of internal strife within the royal family, and should not be over-interpreted.

After ascending the throne, he issued four imperial edicts in succession.

The first decree was to depose Emperor Xianghe and the Empress Dowager.

The second decree was to bestow upon the deposed emperor the title of Prince of Xianghe, to arrange a marriage alliance with the Western Rong tribe, to marry Hailina, and to appoint Hailina as the Queen of the Western Rong, making her a vassal state of Tianhong. He was ordered to submit a letter of state to complete the submission process.

The third imperial edict was to bestow the title of Empress Dowager upon Lady Su.

The fourth statement was to declare that he had successfully ascended the throne and restored order, and that no one should cause trouble in any region.

The moment the four imperial edicts were issued, the world was in uproar.

Of these four decrees, only the last one is acceptable and understandable. However, very few people can understand the remaining three decrees, which feel like a bolt from the blue.

Public opinion throughout the capital was...

It's hard to describe it with just the word "explosive".

Many great Confucian scholars have stated that they need a more serious term than "what kind of system has been established" and "the collapse of rites and music" to describe it.

"Has Princess Anguo really ascended the throne and become empress?"

"Is that Black General an idiot? Has he lost his mind? How could he let Princess Anguo ascend the throne? Is he planning to wait a few years before forcing her to abdicate?"

"Not necessarily. What if he wants Princess Anguo to have a son for him, and the son can succeed to the throne?"

"Isn't that the same thing? It just sounds better when people say it."

"No way, it's questionable whether Princess Anguo can even have children. She's married several times, and there's never been a sign of pregnancy. If she can't have children, wouldn't that be a disaster?"

"What does this imperial edict mean?"

"Didn't Consort Su die a long time ago? Could she not be dead? Why does the imperial edict sound like it's a formal conferment of title, not a posthumous one? So what exactly happened to Consort Su back then?"

"Resurrection from the dead?"

"He's probably not dead. The deposed emperor is talking nonsense."

"I'm really confused right now. The imperial edict is going to appoint a woman I've never even heard of in the Western Rong Empire, named Hailina, as the Queen of the Western Rong. Will the Western Rong Empire agree to this? Everyone has been saying that Princess Anguo is a puppet emperor, but does a puppet emperor have so much power? I'm a bit confused."

"Not content with her own hen crowing at dawn, she actually wants the Western Rong Empire to continue doing the same thing!"

"Please, aren't you guys focusing on the important points? She actually wants to bestow the title of Prince upon the deposed emperor and send him to marry a foreign ruler. This is absolutely outrageous, utterly absurd..."

"The collapse of morality and social order is utterly absurd!!"

We must stop this!

"How can we allow the ruler of a country to go on a marriage alliance? Even if that person is no longer the ruler of a country, he is still a prince, a royal prince. How can he go on a marriage alliance with barbarians?"

"It seems that Princess Anguo is quite dissatisfied with the decision to marry her off to a foreign land, and this is probably a deliberate act of revenge."

"As members of the royal family, shouldn't they sacrifice themselves for their country?"

"So many princesses were sent to marry foreign rulers in the past, and none of them had any objections. Only this one has objections, and she is so vicious as to seek revenge against her homeland. It's simply outrageous."

He really is a damned jinx...

"Maybe it's some kind of demon descended to earth!!"

"You wouldn't dare speak such nonsense. Aren't you afraid of being overheard? Speaking ill of the emperor is a capital offense!"

"Didn't she say she wouldn't punish people for their speech?"

"That's what they say, but in the end, you can't fight city hall. You'd better shut up, or go home and talk to yourselves. Don't talk to me here. I still have business to do."

"Shopkeeper, you're such a coward!"

"It is easier to stop a river than to stop the people from speaking. Haven't you heard the saying? Does she think she can silence all of us? Besides, it's questionable whether she can even hold onto this throne. I believe that before long, the whole country will rebel. How can we allow her to run rampant!"

At this moment, several more people came in, saying dejectedly:

"I'm afraid it will be difficult. Princess Anguo has issued two more imperial edicts. One edict abolishes all the exorbitant taxes levied on individuals, including the poll tax. As long as she is in power, these taxes cannot be collected again. Ordinary farmers only need to pay land tax."

The second imperial edict was to abolish corvée labor.

The government offices needed manpower, which had to be hired at a price that was not lower than the market price. This also included military service, and no more military service was allowed thereafter.

Ordinary citizens may voluntarily enlist in the army.

Upon hearing this news, the group of people who were initially quite angry were all speechless. No matter how biased their stance was, it was hard to say whether these two measures were good policies.

Much later, they could only criticize from other angles.

"This is utter nonsense! In the past, the court often couldn't make ends meet even with so many taxes collected. Now that so many taxes have been abolished, the court still has to spend money to hire people to do the work. How can it possibly survive? This is utter nonsense!"

"Yes, such womanly compassion is tantamount to treating the world as a plaything; this cannot last long!"

"Digging their own grave! Digging their own grave!!"

"I'm afraid the ignorant masses will cheer and rejoice..."

"No matter how good the policy is, someone has to be able to implement it. If no taxes are collected, people still have to be hired to do the work, and money still has to be spent. Who can live like that?"

I don't believe that local officials will listen to her.

"Ha... I'm not living like this anymore!!!"

"It's nothing but the wishful thinking of a foolish woman, a castle in the air. If she can succeed, then the Great Harmony can also succeed. She can accomplish what even the ancient sages and saints couldn't. It's ridiculous and utterly laughable!"

"Let's call it a day, it's pointless."

"Hahahaha, those who have already pledged allegiance to this new emperor, upon seeing these two imperial edicts, will probably be completely stunned. Indeed, women are not capable of scheming!"

Many people were right. With the issuance of Ding Shui's two new imperial edicts, many who had already pledged allegiance to her began to regret their decision. Some resigned and left, while others submitted memorials to dissuade her.

Ding Shui had Xiao Hei do a little research and selected some truly good ones. He then gathered them together, offered them some promises, and demonstrated his abilities to them.

As for the rest, it doesn't matter.

After all, even if none of them obeyed, Ding Shui could directly govern the entire country with Xiao Hei. If officials were disobedient, Xiao Hei could be appointed; if lower-ranking officials were disobedient, Xiao Hei could replace them. If the mindset of one generation couldn't be changed, then this generation wouldn't be needed. Xiao Hei could temporarily fill in while the next generation was cultivated—this was a huge advantage.

Therefore, they are concerned about a series of issues.

It's not a problem at all for Xiao Hei.

Others might be greedy for money or profit, for the sake of their families, but Xiao Hei wouldn't. The more just it is, the more faith it will gain. If those local officials are obedient, fine; if they aren't, well, even purging them all wouldn't be difficult, and there's no need to worry about any trouble that might arise.
Xiao Hei! Trustworthy!!