Extra 1-2: King of Chu (Part 2)

Today is the first day of May. All the concubines in the palace went with the Queen to Shoukang Palace to visit Queen Mother Qiao.

Queen Mother Qiao sat there, smiling kindly. She greeted the empress and concubines, then asked the palace maids to pass out snacks and fruits.

When the late emperor was alive, Queen Mother Qiao, who was then known as Concubine Shu, was very favored and had a good relationship with him. She was deeply sad when the emperor passed away.

It’s been over six months since the late emperor died. Everyone around him, including Queen Mother Qiao, is starting to recover from their grief.

Now, as the Empress Dowager in Shoukang Palace, Queen Mother Qiao looks back on her life and feels lucky.

She had once hoped the emperor would live a long life because she knew the King of Chu had a bad temper and had upset many people. If the late emperor died and the new emperor took the throne, the King of Chu’s good days would be over.

But later, Xiao Ze turned his luck around. After forty-one years of difficulties, he became the final winner, and she became the Empress Dowager. She no longer had to worry about anyone harming her or her son.

Despite the sorrow of losing the late emperor, Queen Mother Qiao is happy now that Xiao Ze is the emperor. She has always been gentle, but now she is even more easygoing.

The concubines have spent enough time with her that they understand her personality, so they no longer feel reserved around her. They talk openly and happily, which is the kind of liveliness Queen Mother Qiao enjoys.

Recently, the hot topic among the concubines is Lord Luo Taosheng. At first, everyone liked chatting with the kind and funny Lord Luo. Later, after he helped them buy rare items from outside the palace, he became more popular in the harem.

Queen Mother Qiao also remembers Tao Sheng. She hasn’t seen her many times, but she can tell Tao Sheng is a smart and kind woman. She also knows Tao Sheng is loyal to her son and played an important role in the downfall of King Rui.

After the concubines finished talking about Tao Sheng, they started discussing the upcoming imperial exams.

Since the late emperor died, the palace is in mourning for three years, so beauty contests can’t be held. Xiao Ze doesn’t care about these things, so it doesn’t bother him that no new concubines can be chosen.

But officials still need to be chosen.

At Ji Yanming’s suggestion, Xiao Ze decided to hold a special exam to select new officials for the court. These officials will be loyal to the new dynasty, bringing fresh energy to the government. Some of them might even become marriage candidates for the princesses.

The concubines were excited to see the grand event of officials praising themselves in the Imperial Street, wondering if the emperor would allow them to go out and watch.

Concubine Ying laughed and said, “We’ve seen so many officials praised in the street, but they were all so-so. Is there anyone as handsome as Lord Ji?”

Everyone laughed. After all, who could compare to Ji Yanming, who won six top prizes in the imperial exams?

Xiang Guiren, sitting far away in the corner, said softly, “I’ve been in the capital for two or three years, but I’ve never met Master Ji.”

Xiang Guiren used to be a palace maid in Yichun Garden. When the late emperor was sick, Xiao Ze often visited the garden. Since Xiao Ze didn’t bring concubines, the late emperor gave Xiang Guiren to him as a reward.

After Xiao Ze became emperor, to thank the late emperor, he promoted Xiang Guiren to the title of noble lady.

The younger concubines felt sad hearing this.

During the Lantern Festival this year, Ji Yanming also attended a palace banquet, but unfortunately, the lower-ranked concubines couldn’t see him, which they regretted.

Su Zhaorong, sitting nearby, said slowly, “My aunt on my mother’s side is related to Grand Master Luo’s family, and I once heard about something very rare.”

Everyone turned to Su Zhaorong.

Su Zhaorong was usually quiet and preferred staying in her palace. It was unusual for everyone to focus on her, and she felt flustered. She almost regretted speaking.

But now that the Queen Mother and the Empress were paying attention, she had no choice but to continue.

“I heard that before Lord Ji took the provincial exam, Lord Shi from the Hanlin Academy gave him and other classmates a courtyard to rest in. The next day, they would go to the Imperial Academy to take the exam. But later, Lord Luo got a better house for Lord Ji, so they left Lord Shi’s courtyard.”

“Everyone knows that later on, it was said that Lord Ji’s mind became clearer after listening to Lord Luo’s music, which helped him excel in the exam. But then something happened to Lord Shi… I suddenly thought that there might be more to the story.”

“Maybe Lord Shi did something bad that night. It gives me chills just thinking about it.”

Shu Fei, who was standing nearby, added, “That’s true. My uncle mentioned this too.”

Shu Fei’s uncle was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and had been Ji Yanming’s superior. He had also participated in the trial, so it was no surprise he knew the details.

Xu Zhaoyuan urged Shu Fei, “What happened? Tell me quickly, sister.”

Shu Fei explained, “Later, Lord Shi’s side admitted that they had another plan when inviting Lord Ji to stay overnight. They wanted to stop him from taking the exam properly, as they saw him as a future threat. They even put aphrodisiac incense in the room to make him lose focus.”

So, whether or not Lady Luo’s music helped Lord Ji, it’s clear that her decision to take him away that night had an impact..

This may be God’s will.

The Queen smiled and said, “Indeed, I have heard Lord Luo talk about this before.”

At first, she thought something serious was happening. But it turned out both of them only knew parts of the story from their families, and she learned the full story from Tao Sheng.

When she was still the Princess of Chu, she and Tao Sheng were similar and often spent time together. They had a strong friendship, and it seemed she was Tao Sheng’s best friend.

One day, when she manages to send Xiao Ze away from Qingning Palace, she would be able to sit close to Tao Sheng again.

After the concubines left, Queen Mother Qiao returned to the palace to choose gifts for Tao Sheng. She wanted to thank her for supporting the King of Chu’s rise to the throne and for her role in keeping peace in the harem.

Tao Sheng’s actions had caused much talk in the capital. Queen Mother Qiao had also heard about it from the late emperor. She was originally from the Shen family, the daughter of Wenyuan Hou Shen Yu. Because of her family’s past mistakes, she had avoided returning to the Wenyuan Hou Mansion.

If she had gone back to the Marquis’ Mansion, she wouldn’t have ended up back in the Ji family and become Ji Yanming’s cousin. She also wouldn’t have helped him the night of the Autumn Examination.

What if Ji Yanming had been tricked by Shi Zongnian? He might not have passed his exams or could have just barely passed. He wouldn’t have won the six first prizes and caught the emperor’s attention. The prize would have gone to Xiao Ze, King of Chu.

Without Ji Yanming and Tao Sheng’s support, Xiao Ze may not have ascended to the throne. If he hadn’t, the harem would have been a place of fear and suffering.

All in all, Tao Sheng is far more important than they realize.

Queen Mother Qiao decided to carefully choose a gift for Tao Sheng.

After lunch that day, Xiao Ze came to Shoukang Palace to visit his mother and asked what she was doing.

“I’m choosing a gift for Lord Luo,” said Queen Mother Qiao with a smile. “When the Queen and others paid their respects today, they mentioned Lord Luo several times. Honestly, the late emperor’s harem wasn’t peaceful, and there were many arguments. Your harem seems much better now, thanks to Lord Luo. The late emperor said Lord Luo was blessed, so you should spend time with her when you can.”

Xiao Ze smiled and replied, “Of course.”

He went to the Queen’s tea parties every day. Although Tao Sheng was the soul of the gathering, Xiao Ze sat next to her because of his power, making him a key figure.

Seeing Xiao Ze in a good mood, Queen Mother Qiao smiled. The court was stable, and the harem was at peace—a rare scene of prosperity.

With Queen Mother Qiao’s approval, Xiao Ze and the concubines became more active. They often invited Tao Sheng over for tea and chats, even allowing her to stay overnight.

For several days, Xiao Ze and the harem enjoyed peace. But Ji Yanming was working hard in the government office. One evening, he complained to Xiao Ze about being overworked.

These important matters still relied on Ji Yanming’s hard work.

Xiao Ze, feeling the pressure, decided to let Tao Sheng go home early to comfort Ji Yanming.

While everything seemed calm in the palace, the struggles in the government continued outside.

The newly appointed Censor Song was very serious about his job. After investigating people on a list provided by Xiao Ze—those who had conflicts with him in the past—he charged them with many crimes.

Xiao Ze needed to find a reason to forgive them.

It was hard to suddenly see their good sides after so many years of resentment.

When Xiao Ze had nothing else to do, he asked the young general leading the property confiscation if there was any special reason to forgive any of these people.

The general pointed out that some of them had collected Tao Sheng’s zither scores.

In recent years, Tao Sheng’s zither scores became very popular. Music teachers in the Imperial College recommended them, and Tao Sheng’s zither books sold out. The zither store, which used to sell instruments, shifted to selling zither scores.

After hearing this, Xiao Ze nodded.

Though these people had done wrong in the past, their appreciation for Tao Sheng’s music showed they had good taste. They could still be saved.

Xiao Ze issued an edict, stating that although these people had committed many wrongs, they were loyal in the past and had recently improved. They were only demoted and fined, with a chance to reform and serve the court again.

Xiao Ze’s decision confused many people, as they felt there was a deeper reason behind it.

Additionally, after the new emperor took the throne, he gave great respect to the former chief steward of Xuan Zheng Hall, Eunuch Gao Zhen, promoting him to chief steward of Yichun Garden where he spent the rest of his life.

People realized that this former deputy chief steward of Xuan Zheng Hall had likely been loyal to Xiao Ze and helped him ascend to the throne.

Given the situation in the capital after the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, few people were willing to support King of Chu Xiao Ze.

Therefore, many people trusted Eunuch Gao’s ability to handle court affairs. Some even paid a lot to secretly ask what the emperor’s action meant.

Gao Zhen had a disciple serving in front of the emperor, who knew the reason. He had known Xiao Ze for years and was familiar with his temper. He subtly suggested to these people: “It might be related to Lord Luo.”

The visitor realized this and went to discuss it. It turned out that all the officials exempted this time had Lord Luo’s zither scores at home.

Everyone came to a conclusion.

As expected, Lord Luo brings luck to everyone. It’s been the same since the previous dynasty, and it still is.

Even if you can’t have Lady Luo play the zither at home, just owning one of her zither scores can bring immense good luck to the family.

This is no longer just a music score; it’s a lucky charm! It should be placed in the ancestral hall and worshiped.

After the news spread, officials and their families in Beijing began to rush to buy zither scores. The Oriental Musical Instrument Shop’s threshold was worn down, and the scores sold out quickly.

Tao Sheng was confused when she heard Zhang Xinyue’s report. The buying frenzy had clearly passed, but why were people rushing now?

She even saw Xie Huaian, once a handsome scholar, grabbing two books from the store. He was struggling to get out of the crowd with the books in his arms, his clothes slightly messy.

Tao Sheng was helpless: “Isn’t the music sheet I gave you before enough?”

There was even a special music score composed for his wedding, which no one else had.

How come even he was following the trend?

Xie Huaian carefully held the music sheet: “Now it’s said that buying your book ensures a smooth official career. I followed a few colleagues and grabbed a few copies.”

Recently, everyone was talking about which books they snatched from the music store. If he didn’t get one, he’d seem out of place and lose favor at work.

Tao Sheng was even more confused: “Is there such a thing?”

“It’s true,” Xie Huaian said. “They say the families of those pardoned by the emperor all have your book.”

Tao Sheng rubbed her forehead.

When she switched to selling zither scores, officials and their families were eager to follow the trend, especially those with children. Nearly every clan official in the capital had her zither scores at home. This time, they escaped disaster because they had the books. Those without them were the exceptions.

They were puzzled by Xiao Ze’s actions. After searching, they found the common factor.

In the end, it wasn’t metaphysics, just probability.

People kept talking about this. When Tao Sheng explained it, they were blindly superstitious and refused to listen. She eventually gave up and let them think as they wished.

Soon, those who had strongly opposed Tao Sheng’s promotion stopped speaking out. After all, they had avoided disaster thanks to her, and began writing letters in support of the emperor’s decision.

The public opinion shifted.

Even though Lady Luo was just a woman and there had been no female officials above the third rank in the Great Zhou Dynasty, her contribution was huge.

Lord Luo had genuinely helped all officials. She was a true friend!

After everyone urged Tao Sheng’s promotion to the third rank, Xiao Ze, who prided himself on being open to advice, agreed.

Xiao Ze didn’t know that these people used Tao Sheng as a talisman to protect themselves. He simply thought he had successfully established his authority and won the final victory in his conflict with the ministers.

It was the first time in his reign that construction work had to stop due to opposition. Even after ruling for many years, the impression he left was deep.

A few years later, the imperial court held an imperial examination to recruit new officials. The Great Zhou Dynasty was peaceful, prosperous, and thriving both in and outside the court.

To thank the ministers for their support over the years, Xiao Ze planned to promote another group of officials.

The most recommended candidate this time was Tao Sheng, whom he had not expected.

Xiao Ze remembered when he first tried to promote Tao Sheng but was blocked. He was ready to fight for her promotion, whether they agreed or not.

Now, seeing the ministers’ suggestions, Xiao Ze realized that the reason Tao Sheng wasn’t promoted earlier was because he wasn’t convincing enough.

In the end, he won the argument and named Tao Sheng.

Years of rule had given Xiao Ze great power, and all the officials were now submissive. They were eager to please him, and those who would have opposed his decisions in the past were now offering advice just to win his favor.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ze happily paced around the palace, humming a tune.

I really became the emperor! It wasn’t easy!