Just after dawn, Ji Yuan, who lay on a straw mat covered by a filthy, stinking cotton quilt, was awakened by the “clang” of an opening door.
The sound came from the iron door at the end of the corridor, followed by footsteps.
Soon, more than a dozen Night Watchmen appeared in the view of Ji Yuan and the other Yun Province officials.
“Get up, time to get some sun.”
A Bronze Gong bearer took out a key and unlocked the chains on the barred door.
Ji Yuan was roughly yanked up by a taciturn Bronze Gong bearer and brutally shoved out of the cell.
This was his third day in the Night Watchmen’s dungeon. The dry straw mat and tattered quilt had saved his life, preventing him from freezing to death in the bitter cold prison.
But how could he, raised in luxury since childhood, have ever endured such suffering?
In just two days, his hands and feet were covered in chilblains, his face had turned blue, his lips lacked color, and his hair was disheveled.
During these two days, he constantly regretted accepting the position of peace negotiator.
Ji Yuan was well-educated and eloquent—these were genuine talents, but he was after all a pampered young noble lacking social experience and street wisdom.
Having talent didn’t necessarily mean having resilience.
The experiences of the past two days and his anxiety about the future had pushed him to the edge of emotional collapse.
His only hope lay in his value—Xu Qi’an probably wouldn’t kill him but would use him as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Yun Province.
It was this hope that supported him in gritting his teeth and persevering.
Some sunlight would be good; if I stay in prison any longer, I’ll freeze to death… Ji Yuan stumbled down the dark corridor, with over twenty Yun Province officials following behind him.
Emerging from the prison door, the air was crisp but refreshing, and the sun hung moderately in the sky, bringing a hint of warmth.
Ji Yuan stopped, raising his head to enjoy the feeling of sunlight on his face.
The Bronze Gong bearer behind him kicked him in the buttocks, knocking him to the ground.
Ji Yuan struggled to get up, casting an angry yet helpless glare at that Bronze Gong bearer.
“What are you looking at? Want me to gouge out your eyes?”
The Bronze Gong bearer rested his hand on his sword hilt, his stern face expressionless, and said:
“Weren’t you very arrogant? Demanding the Minister of Rites, the current Prime Minister, and princes to welcome you outside the city before you enter?
“Weren’t you scolding the officials in the Imperial Court, making all the civil and military officials hang their heads?
“Weren’t you using small tricks to make the capital’s citizens doubt Xu Ning Yan’s reputation?
“Keep being arrogant now.”
Ji Yuan clenched his fists, gritting his teeth in forbearance.
When Yun Province’s iron cavalry conquered the capital in the future, he would personally destroy the Night Watchmen’s office, and all these Night Watchmen who had connections with Xu Qi’an would be subjected to death by a thousand cuts.
At this moment, a middle-aged Silver Gong bearer walked over, his stern gaze sweeping across everyone.
The Bronze Gong bearers hurriedly adjusted their clothes, straightened the position of the bronze gongs on their chests, and after ensuring everything was symmetrical, respectfully said:
“Chief.”
The middle-aged Silver Gong bearer nodded slightly, withdrawing his satisfied gaze without looking at Ji Yuan with his disheveled hair and dirty, wrinkled prison clothes.
“Let’s go, don’t waste time.”
Go? Where? Ji Yuan’s heart trembled, wanting to ask but feeling certain he wouldn’t get an answer and would instead receive a beating.
The taciturn Bronze Gong bearer escorting Ji Yuan walked outward, casually saying:
“Chief, Ning Yan invited us for drinks tonight.”
The middle-aged Silver Gong bearer was silent for a moment:
“Brothel or Imperial Entertainment Bureau?”
“The brothel. He said he won’t go to the Imperial Entertainment Bureau anymore,” the Bronze Gong bearer replied.
The middle-aged Silver Gong bearer felt somewhat gratified:
“A promise worth its weight in gold—he’s always been true to his word.”
Li Yuchun knew that after Fu Xiang’s death, Xu Qi’an had promised never to visit the Imperial Entertainment Bureau again.
Zhu Guangxiao remained silent for a moment before adding:
“He said he could invite all the top courtesans from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau to the brothel.”
…Li Yuchun didn’t want to talk anymore.
They passed through the back of the office, along the corridor, through several office halls and courtyards, finally arriving at the main entrance.
At the entrance, several prison carts were waiting.
Zhu Guangxiao looked at Ji Yuan and said flatly:
“Time to get some sun.”
Ji Yuan’s face stiffened as he stood frozen in place.
…
At dawn, the notice boards at various government offices and city gates in the capital had new announcements posted.
These notice boards were an important channel for the capital’s citizens to receive official information.
Common people usually didn’t pay special attention to notice boards unless major events were happening.
Currently, in the capital, the biggest event is the peace negotiations.
“What does the announcement say?”
As soon as the announcement was posted, surrounding citizens gathered around, either discussing or questioning the clerks who posted it.
An hour before posting announcements, clerks would be responsible for “singing the proclamation,” announcing the content to the citizens.
After all, among the common people, those who could read and write were still a minority.
These official government announcements had a high reading threshold—even literate people without proper education couldn’t understand the content.
It would end up being a case of “recognizing every character but not understanding what they mean when put together.”
“It must be about the peace negotiations. The court lost the battle, Qing Province fell, and I heard they might have to cede territory for peace.”
“Just a rebel province, yet so arrogant. Since the new emperor ascended, life has gotten worse for the common people, with corrupt officials running rampant.”
“Shush, keep your voice down, don’t speak carelessly.”
“What’s there to fear? There are no soldiers around, besides, everyone’s complaining.”
As they talked, the topic shifted from “peace negotiations” to the fall of the Qing Province.
“Could Silver Gong Xu not even defend Qing Province? He’s the warrior who single-handedly destroyed the Shamanic Religion’s army of 200,000 at Yuyang Pass.”
“I’ve heard that question countless times. Who knows? Come to think of it, Silver Gong Xu hasn’t been seen in the capital for a long time.”
“I heard that even the Supervisor died in Qing Province, and Silver Gong Xu was no match for Yun Province’s rebel forces.”
“Sigh, no wonder Silver Gong Xu has been so low-profile—can’t help it if he can’t beat them.”
After venting their emotions for so many days, although most citizens were still resentful, they had passed their most heated moment. Regarding the court’s decision to negotiate peace with Yun Province, they still cursed privately but felt helpless.
The opposition wasn’t as intense anymore.
Especially after the fall of Qing Province and the arrival of the Yun Province delegation, as a series of rumors fermented and spread, the capital’s citizens gradually understood the sequence of events and learned about the death of the Supervisor, Great Song’s guardian deity, in Qing Province.
Although in their eyes, the Supervisor’s prestige was far less than Silver Gong Xu’s.
To the common people, the Supervisor was just a title, a concept.
At this moment, the clerk standing by the announcement board called out loudly:
“The ancient rulers of the world prioritized protecting people’s lives, unwilling to harm those they nurtured… Since Our ascension to the throne, governance has been ineffective, leading to the Yun Province rebels rising, nine provinces boiling, the situation perilous, people suffering, lives destroyed, failing the ancestors…
“Imperial Princess Huai Qing, possessing great virtue, far surpasses Us… Therefore, Imperial Princess Huai Qing shall ascend to the throne in succession, with Xu Qi’an assisting, supporting the state, suppressing the rebellion, and restoring Great Song’s bright future—is this not admirable? By Imperial Decree.”
The announcement contained over four hundred characters. After the clerk finished reading, the surrounding citizens were dumbfounded, standing like statues.
“What, what does it mean?”
“Seems like… the emperor is abdicating to the Imperial Princess?” The speaker suddenly widened his eyes:
“The Imperial Princess is going to be emperor?”
The crowd instantly erupted, buzzing with discussion.
The announcement’s content caused strong shock, impact, and confusion among the citizens.
They no longer worried about bringing disaster and discussed it heatedly.
“How can a woman be emperor? Isn’t this nonsense? Will she do embroidery with the officials?”
“Does the princess even know how to read? Why would His Majesty abdicate to a princess? A woman being emperor—aren’t they afraid of being laughed at by the world?”
Their first reaction was rejection, anger, inability to accept, feeling it was the most absurd thing in the world.
Then someone said:
“Have you heard stories in the teahouses? Seems there was a woman emperor before, called… what was it?”
“The Da Yang Empress?”
“Yes, yes, you’ve heard of it too.”
The clamor subsided slightly; evidently, many people had heard similar content in recent days at restaurants, teahouses, brothels, and other entertainment venues.
Then someone else said:
“The announcement says when the Imperial Princess ascends the throne, Silver Gong Xu will assist her.”
Oh, Silver Gong Xu will assist.
The opposing voices diminished somewhat, but people still muttered:
“Why would Silver Gong Xu assist a woman to be emperor? Isn’t this nonsense? Our Great Song has no such precedent in six hundred years.”
“Yeah, really don’t understand what the officials and Silver Gong Xu are thinking, negotiating peace with Yun Province while supporting the princess to be emperor.”
“Silver Gong Xu is confused.”
The citizens who had viewed Xu Qi’an as a hero and protector were already disappointed about the fall of Qing Province and viewed the peace negotiations as shameful. Although no one openly criticized Xu Qi’an, they were certainly disappointed.
When the announcement was posted, the disappointed emotions immediately fermented, turning into dissatisfaction.
Suddenly, a commotion attracted the attention of the citizens around the notice board.
Looking toward the sound, they saw a line of prison carts slowly approaching, followed by a large crowd of citizens throwing stones and spitting at the prisoners inside.
Some people even carried chamber pots, throwing excrement at the prisoners in the carts.
Among the leaders, a Night Watchman sat high on horseback, beating a bronze gong and shouting:
“By order of Silver Gong Xu, parading the Yun Province rebels through the streets!”
Along both sides of the street, emotions ran high. Citizens who came to watch the excitement either joined in throwing stones, pointed and cursed loudly, or clapped and sang, feeling great satisfaction.
Ji Yuan, covered in blood, felt dead inside.
The accompanying Yun Province officials trembled, crying bitter tears.
…
Dusk.
In the Imperial Study, Huai Qing sat behind a large desk covered with yellow silk. In the hall were Liu Hong and Qian Qingshu, the two faction leaders, along with the Minister of Rites.
The Minister of Rites bowed and said:
“Your Highness, the preparations for the coronation are complete.”
Huai Qing, wearing a plain palace dress, nodded slightly.
After the Minister of Rites returned to his position, Liu Hong stepped forward and bowed:
“Today the entire city is in turmoil. Though there is still resistance among the people, it’s not severe, and Silver Gong Xu’s reputation has improved. Most of the capital’s citizens still support him.”
Liu Hong finished speaking and couldn’t help smiling:
“With Silver Gong Xu’s current prestige, having him escort Your Highness is most fitting. No one at court has more public support than him.”
The noble class found it easier to accept a princess ascending to the throne than the common people did. As long as their interests were satisfied and with military pressure, quite a few would submit.
Most importantly, in the ruling class’s eyes, although Huai Qing was a woman, she was still of pure royal bloodline.
A woman becoming emperor was an exception, but the next ruler would still be from the Great Song royal family.
This greatly reduced the ruling class’s resistance.
But common people didn’t care about these things. To pacify them and gain their acceptance, Huai Qing’s prestige wasn’t enough, nor was that of the officials—only Xu Qi’an could achieve this.
Qian Qingshu agreed:
“Whether Your Highness can unite public sentiment depends on tomorrow.”
Huai Qing kept her head down, reviewing the memorial in her hand, and responded with an “mm” without looking up:
“It’s getting late, ministers may withdraw.”
The three men bowed and left the Imperial Study.
The memorial in Huai Qing’s hand was from the cabinet, containing various matters for after the coronation. Among numerous trivial matters, one was extremely important: summoning the provincial governors and military commanders back to the capital to report on their duties.
This was a negotiation and alliance-building exercise, to work on the thinking of the provincial powers.
…
The next day.
On this day, the atmosphere in the capital was extremely strange. From nobles to commoners, everyone knew this was a day destined to be recorded in history.
Imperial Princess Huai Qing would ascend to the throne today, setting an unprecedented example in Great Song’s six hundred years.
Common people had no chance to witness an emperor’s coronation, but that didn’t stop them from paying attention and discussing it.
Different social classes had different views. The Imperial College students and Confucian scholars were deeply distressed about Huai Qing’s coronation—even the parade of Yun Province delegates couldn’t win their favor.
At most, they just stopped criticizing Xu Qi’an.
Among the common people, opinions were most diverse—some couldn’t accept it, some were indifferent, and some chose to trust Silver Gong Xu.
At the Xu residence, Aunty represented the noble ladies’ perspective:
“My lord, isn’t Ning Yan just causing trouble? How can a woman be emperor? I don’t even dare go out, afraid of being recognized as Silver Gong Xu’s aunt—what if someone throws rotten eggs at me?”
Aunty was as beautiful as ever, time seemingly being especially kind to her.
Although sitting with her daughter made her lose that girlish charm, she didn’t look old—her face was fresh and white, without any wrinkles.
Second Uncle Xu kept his head down eating, not expressing an opinion.
“Big Brother knows what he’s doing.”
Compared to her mother, Xu Lingyue quite admired her big brother’s grand gesture.
Seeing her topic fall flat, Aunty sighed:
“Qing Province has fallen, and there’s been no news from Er Lang. Ling Yin is training with the Gu tribe, who knows when she’ll return—what if she’s bullied by the barbarians in the Southern Borderlands?
“That heartless bastard Ning Yan, back in the capital but doesn’t even come home to visit.”
As she spoke, Aunty’s gaze suddenly froze, staring straight outside the hall.