Chapter 149

Xie Yunjian, Qin Yang, and Xiao Qingwu turned to look at Xiao Nanfeng.

“It seems you really want to enter the harem,” Xiao Qingwu raised an eyebrow with a hint of teasing in his tone. “If that’s the case, why not hand over your military command to Her Majesty today and serve by her side from now on—”

Xiao Nanfeng frowned, “Why should I hand over the command?”

Xiao Qingwu said calmly, “Because the harem must not interfere in politics.”

Xiao Nanfeng was taken aback and silently glanced at Yan Donghuang. He suddenly wanted to ask if Feng Yaoguang became the Emperor’s consort in the future, would he also have to hand over his military power?

But Feng Yaoguang hadn’t become the consort yet, and even if he did in the future, that would be a matter between him and the Emperor, and no one else had the right to interfere.

“The situation in the palace has temporarily stabilized, but the military exercises must not slacken,” Yan Donghuang returned to the main topic. “When Feng Yaoguang finishes the battle with Nanling, I plan to have the seven camps of the Qingluan Army compete. In the future, we will set recruitment standards and training plans based on the strengths of each camp.”

Upon hearing this, the five generals straightened up. Xiao Qingwu, being meticulous, instantly understood Yan Donghuang’s intention. “Your Majesty intends to make the seven camps of the Qingluan Army independent?”

Yan Donghuang said calmly, “That’s roughly the idea.”

“Your Majesty is wise,” Xiao Qingwu nodded slowly. “The country cannot be without a ruler, and the army cannot be without a commander. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, the Qingluan Army has been without a leader. Although the seven camps of the Qingluan Army are all outstanding, even if Your Majesty were to choose a new chief, the soldiers of the seven camps might not all be convinced.”

“That is not the only reason,” Yan Donghuang stood up and walked to the window, her posture tall and straight. “Yong Dynasty’s enemies are not only Beiliang but also Nanling and Xizhou. Whether they have ambitions or not, we must prepare in advance to ensure that we are not constrained by any one country in the future.”

The four of them nodded thoughtfully. With Yan Donghuang ascending the throne, it was natural for her to rely on her trusted generals. The Qingluan Army had worked together as one unit, but in the future, it needed to defend different regions. Therefore, the division of the Qingluan Army was inevitable. After the division, they would train according to their respective strengths, recruit soldiers, and rebuild the army. This was a somewhat lengthy process that couldn’t be rushed.

By the end of February, the exams and grading for selecting companions had concluded. Qi Fangfei and the Minister of Rites entered the palace to present the graded papers to Yan Donghuang, reporting their opinions in detail. The two had slightly different grading standards, but it was clear whether the candidates had genuine talent and knowledge.

Yan Donghuang reviewed the papers, noting that those with many annotations were indeed well written, with excellent poetry and insightful essays. Some, however, were clearly unqualified, with poor handwriting and mediocre content.

After careful selection, Yan Donghuang chose four papers, marked them with a vermilion brush, and stamped them with the imperial seal. Once the papers were unsealed, the authors would be revealed. Qi Fangfei initially selected eight candidates with relatively lower standards, while the Minister of Rites, who was the top scholar of the nation when he entered officialdom, was stricter and only circled two names.

After reviewing the papers, Yan Donghuang chose four candidates, acknowledging Qi Fangfei’s slightly relaxed standards while respecting the Minister of Rites’ academic requirements. Both had no objections and left with the sealed papers. The four companions were quickly decided.

Yan Donghuang appointed them as attendants in the imperial study, allowing them to serve by her side, attend court sessions, and convey her edicts. With this, Yan Donghuang officially had six female officials. Qi Fangfei was the chief among them. Yuan Ziying was flourishing in her role in front of the Emperor.

In early March, Mu Yunfan and Qi Jinhao, who had gone to provide disaster relief, sent back a memorial via fast courier. It was reported that local officials and unscrupulous merchants in Jizhou were colluding to inflate grain prices during the disaster, ignoring the people’s plight. The memorial included a list of the officials and merchants involved, as well as those in the court who were protecting them. Yan Donghuang ordered an investigation, sending Qin Yang with three thousand elite soldiers to Jizhou to arrest and punish all merchants and officials who had taken advantage of the situation. If necessary, corrupt officials were to be executed to boost morale. Any merchants willing to open their warehouses to aid the disaster victims would be dealt with more leniently, with the focus on prioritizing the people’s livelihood.

On the sixth day of March, after the morning court session, Yan Donghuang visited Prince An’s residence. Prince An, now demoted to a commoner, was still recuperating there and would be exiled once his injuries healed. However, Yan Donghuang suddenly changed her mind. At this moment, she finally understood the weight of the saying, “A ruler’s words are not to be taken lightly.”

“No wonder it’s said that the Emperor should keep his word because changing decrees frequently would damage the imperial authority.” Yan Donghuang stepped over the threshold and looked at Yan Ling, who was kneeling on the ground. “I previously decreed that you would be exiled once your injuries healed, but now I’ve changed my mind.”

With the weight of “a ruler’s words are not to be taken lightly” hanging over them, past emperors were always cautious and deliberate in their decisions rather than acting on whims and changing their minds whenever they regretted it.

Kneeling on the ground, Yan Ling looked like he had lost all hope. “How can Your Majesty change your mind if you have already decreed it?”

“I shouldn’t have exiled you; I should have killed you directly.” Yan Donghuang’s gaze fell on his head, her voice as cold as snow. “On the long road of exile, will someone risk their life to rescue you, then find a place to hide, bide their time, and wait for the right moment to strike?”

Yan Ling’s expression tightened slightly, and then he sneered, “Are you afraid, Your Majesty?”

Yan Donghuang gave a faint smile, too lazy to respond to this childish provocation. She wasn’t afraid of traversing hundreds of battles; would she be afraid of a mere commoner like him?

She just didn’t want to waste any more manpower and didn’t want Yan Ling to have the opportunity to stir up trouble again.

Yan Donghuang walked to the chair and sat down. “I have ordered the execution of Noble Lady Wei’s faction in the palace.”

Yan Ling’s face turned pale, and he suddenly looked up at her, his expression shocked and incredulous. “You… what did you say?”

“You are shocked and find it hard to accept this matter.” Yan Donghuang raised her eyebrows slightly, a mocking smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Yan Ling, if I hadn’t told you today, you would probably never know that you were once half a step away from the throne.”

Yan Ling stiffened, and then a look of confusion crossed his eyes.

Half a step away?

Yan Donghuang’s gaze was indifferent, cold without a trace of warmth.

Indeed, it was half a step away. In her previous life, if he hadn’t been overly cautious and timid, she could have passed the throne to him before her death. That was the result of his years of scheming.

Unfortunately, it seems that even fate was helping her. For the sake of the Qingluan Army, she gave the throne to Feng Yaoguang.

Yan Ling’s meticulous plans and years of scheming ultimately came to nothing. This is what he deserves.

Chapter 150

After Yan Donghuang left, Yan Ling returned to his bed in a daze, looking lifeless. His injuries were still severe, and he appeared weak and pale.

If Yan Donghuang had come before, he still had a glimmer of hope in his heart, but after Yan Donghuang’s arrival, that tiny bit of hope was finally shattered. He lay on the bed like a lifeless piece of wood, not moving at all, with no one around to serve him tea.

After he was demoted to a commoner, all the servants in the prince’s mansion had left, and those sent from the palace had been recalled.

According to the rules, a prince demoted to a commoner was no longer entitled to the privileges of a prince. His mansion was no longer his, and everything in it would be confiscated. He couldn’t afford the monthly wages of the servants, so naturally, he couldn’t afford their services. Only his former personal servant would come to apply medicine for him and bring his meals to his room.

The hall was as quiet as a dead city. Yan Ling closed his eyes, feeling weak and powerless.

In a half-dreaming, half-waking state, he had a dream. He dreamed that Yan Donghuang was poisoned and, in a fit of rage, staged a coup. That night, the imperial city was illuminated by flames. The Qingluan Army, holding torches, surrounded the four palace gates like an ironclad fortress, not allowing even a mosquito to escape. All the civil and military officials gathered outside the Taihe Hall.

The Emperor, Yan Ming, looked desperate and horrified, constantly trying to explain, but Yan Donghuang showed no desire to listen to his explanations. She had been poisoned, with bloodstains at the corners of her mouth. Yet, under the watchful eyes of everyone, she still coldly and ruthlessly ordered the execution of Sheng Jing’an—the mastermind who had personally served her the poisoned wine on their wedding night—executed in a painfully tragic manner outside the main hall, in front of all the officials.

Yan Ming was stripped of his throne and had one of his arms chopped off.

Yan Donghuang forcefully ascended the throne. Under the bloody and ruthless suppression, almost no one among the civil and military officials dared to stand up against her.

Yan Ling was imprisoned in the Grand Princess’s Mansion, occasionally hearing news from outside, and he couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope. Everything was developing in the direction he had anticipated.

Yan Donghuang indeed staged a coup. She won quickly and decisively, but she would soon die.

Yan Ling struggled to suppress the pounding in his heart. He could hardly hide his excitement.

Yan Ming would definitely be killed.

Yan Donghuang would also definitely die.

Before dying, she would pass the throne to him. The bond between them had always been excellent. Before the coup, she had locked him in the Grand Princess’s Mansion to prevent him from getting involved. He knew this, so he did not resist, wanting to sit on that throne cleanly, without a drop of blood on his hands.

Yan Donghuang ascended the throne smoothly.

Yan Ling patiently waited, waiting for Yan Donghuang to release him, waiting for her to pass the throne to him before she died from exhaustion and poisoning. Or even if she didn’t have time to explain, the civil and military officials would naturally push him, the last son of the late emperor, onto the throne.

On the day Yan Donghuang officially ascended the throne, Yan Ling was finally released and appeared in the main hall. He stood among the officials, pale, with a pained and solemn expression, watching her life slowly fade away.

So this is what it feels like to have the throne within reach. Excitement to the extreme, he could finally calm down.

But…

What did he hear?

She wanted to pass the throne to Feng Yaoguang, saying she wanted to consider the Qingluan Army.

How ridiculous.

Feng Yaoguang’s surname was Feng, not Yan. Why should she hand over the territory conquered by their ancestors to an outsider?

The civil and military officials protested, and Yan Ling wanted to protest, too. But he looked up at the generals of the Qingluan Army surrounding Yan Donghuang. Feng Yaoguang was so sad, desperate, and hurt, and the expressions of the other generals were all mournful…

Yet even so, it did not affect their formidable combat power in the slightest. Yan Donghuang’s dying instructions, warnings, and unshakeable Qingluan Army would make these soldiers support Feng Yaoguang to the throne at all costs. This was the most ironic regime change in the history of the Yong Dynasty. It was not due to foreign invasion, the emperor losing power, or treacherous ministers, but the Grand Princess staged a coup and handed the throne she seized to an outsider.

At that moment, Yan Ling felt overwhelming despair and unwillingness. He even wanted to fight to the death, but he didn’t have the courage. He had no power or influence in the court, no troops or generals in his hands.

The ministers requested that the throne be passed to him merely because he was the last remaining member of the royal family. When Yan Donghuang wanted to pass the throne to someone else, Yan Ling found that he didn’t even have the leverage to protest.

Years of scheming ended in failure. He had worked hard for others.

Yan Ling lay on the bed in a daze, sometimes doubting that the heavens had not heard his prayers. So they fulfilled his wish for a peaceful life and let a more capable person sit on the throne. Sometimes, he felt that even the heavens could not tolerate his schemes. The more he wanted to sit in that position, the more the heavens would not let him succeed.

After so many years of delay and scheming, in the end, he gained nothing.

Yan Ling laughed and cried, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood. His lungs burned with pain. He was so unwilling, he was not reconciled.

If there was a next life, he would definitely be well-prepared in advance, never to repeat the mistakes of this life.

…

Prince An died.

He died quietly in his mansion. Because he was demoted to a commoner, the funeral could not be grand. As soon as this news came out, the other princes were shocked and angry. They were shocked by Yan Donghuang’s ruthlessness and angered by her eagerness to eliminate dissent.

Among them, Yan Zhang was the most anxious and fearful. Because Yan Ling had intended to befriend him, even hinting that he could arrange for Prince Wuyang’s son to marry the emperor, the emperor feared Prince Wuyang’s military power and would not directly refuse this request; otherwise, it would push Prince Wuyang’s influence away.

Before Yan Donghuang ascended the throne, she could be fearless with the Qingluan Army in hand, but after ascending the throne, she needed to subdue various forces and could not let Prince Wuyang’s heart waver.

If she agreed to marry Prince Wuyang’s son, then besides his military power, Prince Wuyang would also have the status of the emperor’s elder, a royal relative, and no one would dare to question him.

No matter what, with Prince Wuyang around, it was a restraint on Yan Donghuang. At least she wouldn’t dare to kill Yan Zhang. But Yan Ling, who hinted these words to him, couldn’t even protect herself.

Yan Zhang was flustered. He felt that Yan Donghuang didn’t play by the rules at all, and no matter how much outsiders speculated about her, it couldn’t compare to her own capriciousness. Like a woman’s heart, as deep as the sea, it was always unfathomable. And when this woman with a heart as deep as the sea became the emperor, her heart as a female emperor was naturally even more inscrutable.

Who knew what she could do?