The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Long Live the Emperor!

The future monarch and her subject were candidly honest with each other in the bathtub in every sense of the word. By the time they emerged one after the other, Li Jianwei’s eyes had already regained their clarity.

However, Li Jianwei did not treat the offer of sleeping together as a joke. She pulled the dressed Shu Heng toward her room, giving her no chance to refuse.

The bed Li Jianwei slept in was relatively spacious, but there was only one quilt. If Shu Heng didn’t want to catch a cold during the New Year, she had to cuddle tightly in Li Jianwei’s arms.

“Little Minister Shu, I hope you don’t mind sharing a bed with me?” Li Jianwei asked slowly after holding Shu Heng securely in her arms.

“It is my honor,” Shu Heng said, her face flushed, but not a hint of shyness in her voice.

In Shu Heng’s opinion, this was a sign of her General’s appreciation for her. The General must have considered that she was alone, so she made a point of keeping her company during this special time.

“That’s good. From now on, Little Minister Shu, you can be with me. It’s cold, and having one more person will make the bed warmer,” Li Jianwei said, pushing her luck.

Li Jianwei couldn’t tell if her affection for Shu Heng was the love of a ruler for a talented subject, or a more complicated feeling. But not being able to tell didn’t mean Li Jianwei couldn’t act on it. Whether it was the former or the latter, keeping Shu Heng close was the right thing to do. If she later confirmed that she didn’t have such feelings for Shu Heng, it wouldn’t be too late to let her go.

Shu Heng didn’t know that she was already being thought about by Li Jianwei in every way. She just felt that her General was so, so good to her and had no defenses against her at all.

In my next, next life, I will also follow the General to the death!

…

It snowed one after another, giving many people who depended on the weather a sense of anticipation for a prosperous year. Of course, they were even more looking forward to the arrival of a wise and mighty ruler who would free them from endless taxes and allow them to live in peace and stability.

After spring began, the ice and snow melted, and everything came back to life. Li Jianwei recalled Miao Yun and General Han to Taiyuan. During the time of the Awakening of Insects, she set off from Taiyuan with her elite troops. After a brief rest in Huaiqing, she pointed her sword at the capital.

The Emperor had some backbone. He did not abandon the city and flee at this time, nor did he force the people to take up arms to defend the capital. Instead, he, uncharacteristically, put on armor and personally went to the city wall with his two sons to boost morale.

This action was somewhat effective. The originally low-spirited army instantly perked up and even had the guts to clash with the cavalry. However, a moment of passion couldn’t change much. Those who were willing to charge out were the Emperor’s loyalists, the three large battalions of the capital who had been well-fed. The soldiers who were drawn from the surrounding areas and didn’t know if their families had enough to eat still had little fighting spirit.

So what if the Emperor is here in person? He can’t make their families have more grain, and he can’t resurrect their friends and relatives who starved to death because of heavy taxes. They are unwilling to pledge allegiance to such a ruler. If they weren’t trapped in the capital with nowhere to go, these soldiers would have scattered long ago and wouldn’t even have picked up their weapons.

Li Jianwei still led the way, charging at the front with her personal guards. She forcefully tore through the enemy’s formation, splitting it into two, then surrounding and annihilating them.

The capital had a nominal army of two hundred thousand. After subtracting the logistics, the temporarily-drawn, and the soldiers with no fighting spirit, the ones with actual combat power were only fifty thousand.

Li Jianwei did not underestimate the final battle. All twenty thousand of her cavalry were deployed, and another one hundred thousand elite soldiers were responsible for the pincer movement. All the siege equipment was brought over, ready to take the capital in one fell swoop.

Li Jianwei was wearing black armor. The deep color made the red of the bl00d less noticeable. It was impossible to tell how much bl00d had been splattered on the armor. The long spear in her hand was wielded with great force. Every swing would take at least one life. In half an hour of fighting, at least a few hundred people had died by her hand.

Li Jianwei had little expression on her face. The dried bl00d was sticking to her face. Unlike killing the Xiongnu, Li Jianwei felt no pleasure from killing the enemy. She only wanted to be faster, even faster, to take the capital as soon as possible, enter the imperial palace, kill the Emperor, and end this battle.

The people in the capital kept their doors and windows shut. They felt that the shouting had not stopped all day. The chaotic footsteps and the sound of horse hooves kept ringing, making their hearts clench over and over again.

“General Li, please enter the city quickly. Let the foolish ruler step down and let us have a hot meal.”

“My son, will I ever see my son again? Please don’t fight anymore…”

“The soldiers under General Li are well-disciplined. We will be fine as long as we stay at home.”

“Will General Li give us grain? The family hasn’t had a fire for three days. The last of the seeds are almost all eaten!”

The people hid in their houses, anxiously waiting for the outcome, from daybreak to nightfall.

…

Late at night, more than half of the capital was already under Li Jianwei’s control. Only the imperial palace had not been breached.

The imperial guards in the palace were making their last stand. The ministers who knew their deaths were certain still did not give up on persuading the Emperor to leave the capital via a small path. There were still three thousand imperial guards. If they risked their lives, they could still escort some people to a successful breakout.

“Your Majesty, as long as you are alive, the Great Jin is still here! It won’t be difficult to rise again in the future!”

“Your Majesty, the defense of the east city gate is the weakest. It’s not too late to leave now! As long as Your Majesty is still here, you will surely retake the capital in the future!”

“Your subject has already contacted the stationed troops in Xuzhou and Runing to receive you outside. As long as Your Majesty can successfully break out, we can retreat to those two places and wait for a comeback later!”

The ministers said one after another, all trying to persuade the Emperor to leave with the King of Zhou and the King of Rui while they still had a chance. As long as they were alive, there was hope.

The King of Zhou was very tempted. He still believed that there were supporters of the Great Jin everywhere, but they just couldn’t make it in time due to various accidents. As long as they could leave the capital and then promise those people high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, there would always be aristocratic families willing to follow them and retake the capital!

“Report! Your Majesty, the rebels have broken through the Gate of Heavenly Purity! The imperial guards are retreating to the Meridian Gate! If the Meridian Gate holds, the fastest they can break through is in an hour! Please, Your Majesty, move to a different location!”

The battle report from the imperial guards made the Emperor completely give up. The anxious ministers at this time couldn’t care about anything else and all wanted to force the Emperor to leave.

“Men, take down all these trusted ministers of mine!” The Emperor ordered, a look of determination in his eyes. “Pour lamp oil around us! We will die with the country! We will defend the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the death!”

“Father, your son is willing to die with you!” The nine-year-old King of Rui was the first to express his stance.

The King of Zhou was unwilling in his heart, but when he saw the drawn swords of the imperial guards, he could only kneel and pledge his loyalty. The ministers did not want to die, but they couldn’t stand against the imperial guards who didn’t listen to them. They could only try their best to act composed, hoping to leave their last names in the history books.

Just as the Emperor was about to light the palace on fire, a sudden thunderclap rang out in the dark sky. In just a few breaths, large drops of rain started falling in unison. This made the Emperor completely collapse. “I am the Son of Heaven! Why is Heaven sending rain at this time! Is it not allowing me to burn the palace! Why is Heaven so heartless!”

The Emperor originally wanted to set the Hall of Supreme Harmony on fire. This way, although he couldn’t stop Li Jianwei from becoming empress, he could still pin her as a traitor and make her feel disgusted for a long time. But at this moment, it was raining. With such heavy rain, even if he poured lamp oil on the fire, it might not burn.

“Father, this is Heaven’s will! Heaven wants Father to preserve his body and retreat to Runing!” Seeing a chance to live, the King of Zhou shouted excitedly.

But what greeted him was not the Emperor’s change of heart, but a cold, shining blade. The Emperor drew the sword of an imperial guard and chopped off his own son’s head. The Emperor was not foolish in the beginning. He was as clear-headed as he was now. He knew that the King of Zhou was unwilling to die for the country, so he helped him out.

“Your Majesty, the rebels have reached the outside of the hall…” The pale-faced commander of the imperial guards said. There was a large hole in his chest armor, and with every breath he took, bl00d gushed out.

The Emperor threw down the sword and pushed open the half-closed door. The heavy rain extinguished all the torches, leaving only the moonlight illuminating the outer hall. It was strange. Why was the moon still so bright when the rain was so heavy?

Could it be that Li Jianwei really has the protection of Heaven and is destined to become the empress?

“I am here! Don’t harm the other innocent people in the imperial palace,” the Emperor stepped out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and looked up at Li Jianwei on her horse. The rain fell on Li Jianwei’s armor, washing away the old and new bloodstains. Against the backdrop of the lightning, her figure appeared incomparably tall in the Emperor’s eyes.

“Innocent? Who is innocent? Is it my father and brother who were wrongly killed? Is it the people who were crushed by heavy taxes? Or is it the soldiers who had to die because of a word from you, the foolish ruler?”

Li Jianwei sneered, “I will find out for myself whether they are innocent in the future. Since you did not abandon the city and flee, I will give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. You can name the people you want to die with you.”

“I will leave these people a whole body so that they can be buried in peace. As for the others who are alive, it will depend on whether they are clean or not.”

Li Jianwei gave the choice to the Emperor. She didn’t mind using this last bit of mercy to let this former Emperor take away his future troubles.

The Emperor seemed to have guessed Li Jianwei’s intention. He looked up at the sky. The lightning and the bright moonlight shone on his face at the same time.

“Ha, haha—” The Emperor laughed loudly. He then took the long saber from the hand of the imperial guard commander and looked at the ministers huddled in the hall.

If the party struggles in the court had not been so severe, if I hadn’t turned a deaf ear, would everything have been different?

In that brief moment, the Emperor thought of many things. With one swing after another, the Emperor began to pant, but he still insisted on beheading the twelve senior officials in the hall. Finally, the Emperor’s gaze fell on his youngest son. The King of Rui, without a word, picked up the long saber that had been thrown on the ground and cleanly slit his own throat.

“Li Jianwei, I hope you don’t make the same mistakes I did,” the Emperor left his last words, then slit his own throat, ending his life and also declaring the downfall of the Great Jin.

Li Jianwei’s face was expressionless. She just let the rain wash over her armor. “Surround all the exits of the imperial palace. No one is allowed to leave.”

“Yes!” Miao Yun, who was by her side, took the order and immediately led the cavalry to block all the exits of the palace.

Li Jianwei: “Han Shuo, lead the troops to guard all the city gates of the capital. Starting tomorrow, the city will be closed for ten days. Unless I have a written order, no one is allowed to leave. The capital will only allow people to enter, not to exit.”

“Yes!” General Han’s response was equally crisp and clear.

The capital was surrounded, and the imperial palace was also surrounded. Now it was time for a purge.

Li Jianwei did not forget Song Kuai’s family. Even though they had been under house arrest by the former Emperor’s order, she still sent two hundred cavalry to guard them and handed them over to Shu Heng in the end.

As for the officials of the capital who had their doors shut, Li Jianwei did not move against them immediately. Instead, she had Shu Heng write an edict for her and sent people to the homes of officials from the fourth rank and above to summon them to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for a meeting at dawn.

No one could sleep at a time like this. When the soldiers knocked on their doors, these former high-ranking officials were so scared they almost lost their nerve. When they received the edict, they almost couldn’t stand straight.

“We… we just need to attend court on time?” one of the officials asked tremblingly.

Am I really going to attend the morning court, or am I going to my death?

The guards responsible for reading the edict did not explain. They only emphasized that they must be on time, otherwise it would be considered armed resistance and their entire family would be executed. The high-ranking officials couldn’t sleep anymore, but they had no other choice. Their family businesses were all here. They couldn’t run away, so they could only put on their official robes and rush to the imperial palace with a heavy heart.

When some of the officials arrived at the palace gates in their court robes, they found that a few of their colleagues were very quick-witted. Some of them were not wearing official robes, but instead were wearing the plain clothes of a commoner.

What did this mean? This was just a tacit way of pledging allegiance to the new Emperor, expressing that their future official positions would all be decided by her!

How cunning! Is it still too late for me to take off my official robe and put on plain clothes now!

The high-ranking officials had barely slept for a day and a night. Li Jianwei had also not slept for that long. By the time the palace gates were reopened, her personal guards had already searched the palace from inside out three times. All the people who were breathing were found. Fortunately, there were no pregnant consorts in the palace. They just needed to accurately find the male members and chop off their heads.

The mansions of the King of Zhou, the King of Wei, and the King of Cheng were also searched at the same time. As long as they were boys, regardless of whether they had imperial bl00d, they were all executed to prevent any incidents of “the Crown Prince being swapped for a civet cat.” The way the former imperial family was handled was the same. As long as they were male, their heads were chopped off. If the female relatives resisted, they were also executed on the spot. Only those who were completely obedient were spared.

Li Jianwei had originally wanted to kill everyone to save a lot of trouble. But in the end, she was persuaded by Shu Heng to keep some of the female relatives as auspicious symbols to help establish the image of a benevolent ruler.

Unlike the previous morning courts, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was not only filled with the former court officials kneeling on the ground, who dared not look up, and Li Jianwei’s trusted aides standing in front of them, but also with more than a hundred personal guards in full armor holding sabers. As long as Li Jianwei gave the order, she could kill all the ministers kneeling on the ground.

“I came to purify the court. It’s a pity that when I stepped into the imperial palace, I saw that His Majesty had been forced to his death by treacherous officials. I only had time to execute those treacherous officials to avenge His Majesty.”

“Fortunately, when His Majesty was being manipulated by the treacherous officials, he specifically sent his trusted aide to deliver a decree to me, stating that if anything were to happen to him, I would be entrusted to manage the court, and if necessary, to take his place.”

Li Jianwei had already changed into clean armor and was now sitting openly on the throne. As Li Jianwei’s words fell, an imperial edict was also taken out by Shu Heng. It clearly stated that the Emperor had made this decision more than a year ago. This made the ministers in their hearts wonder. Didn’t they know whether the Emperor was being coerced? But the imperial edict was real. The date with the imperial seal on it showed no signs of being tampered with.

The quickest to react was the only surviving Grand Academician of the Wen Yuan Pavilion. He immediately said loudly, “The treacherous officials harmed the country, causing the people to be displaced and rebellions to break out frequently in the south. At this critical moment, the General turned the tide, revived the country, and cared for the people… A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. I beg the General to ascend the throne and become the Emperor!”

After a lengthy speech, the Grand Academician repeated, “I beg the General to ascend the throne and bear the heavy responsibility of the country!”

The other ministers also reacted and began to repeat these words.

Li Jianwei didn’t say anything. She just looked at Shu Heng, who was closest to her. “Little Minister Shu, what do you think I should do?”

“General, these are petitions sent by the people on their own, hoping that the General will follow the will of Heaven, comply with the will of the people, create a new dynasty, and bring about an era of peace!” Shu Heng took out a scroll of paper and unrolled it. It was densely filled with names and fingerprints. Some people were illiterate, so they used their fingerprints instead.

“We hope the General will follow the will of Heaven, comply with the will of the people, create a new dynasty, and bring about an era of peace!” The people who had followed Li Jianwei all the way to the capital also knelt and shouted. The slogan was much louder than the former officials.

“Since it is the hope of the people, then I will create a new dynasty here. The name of the dynasty will be ‘Li,’ my Li Jianwei’s ‘Li,’ and also the ‘Li’ of the people!” Li Jianwei paused and looked at the ministers kneeling on the ground pledging their loyalty to her. After her gaze lingered on Shu Heng for a moment, Li Jianwei’s voice rang out again, “The name of the era will be ‘Taiping’.”

“Your subjects greet Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live, long live, and long, long live!”

Thus, the Li Dynasty was established, with the era name “Taiping.”

Afterward, everyone fell into an extremely busy state. The name of the dynasty had been changed, so the official attire naturally had to change as well. They couldn’t continue using the system of the former dynasty. However, considering that the war in the south had not yet been quelled and the famine in some prefectures had not been alleviated, Li Jianwei only made minor changes to the patterns and official uniforms, adding ears of wheat representing the people.

The most important thing was the major change in the imperial palace. Twenty thousand personal guards replaced the imperial guards, and the soldiers under Miao Yun and Han Shuo replaced the large battalions. As for the eunuchs and palace maids, only a few experienced female officials were kept, and the rest were sent out of the palace. The consorts of the former dynasty were also packed up and sent out. Especially those who had not given birth to children, Li Jianwei tacitly allowed them to leave with their gold and silver. The consorts with children who were still alive were not allowed to leave the capital and could only move around in a designated imperial estate, just like the other surviving female relatives, they were under surveillance.

The enthronement ceremony could be postponed for a while, but the rewarding of merits could not be delayed. According to the merits they had accumulated along the way, Li Jianwei generously bestowed titles of Marquis, Earl, and so on. Shu Heng was one of them. She was not only enfeoffed as an Earl and given the title of Grand Master of the Imperial Household, but also served as the Minister of Personnel and the Grand Academician of the Inner Cabinet.

Li Jianwei, the founding monarch, gave almost all the honors and powerful official positions she could to Shu Heng, not hiding her favoritism at all.

General Han’s family was in the Northern Frontier, so at his request, after being enfeoffed as an Earl, he prepared to return to the Northern Frontier to defend against the Xiongnu. After the establishment of the new dynasty, everything was waiting to be rebuilt, and it was possible that the Xiongnu would take this opportunity to make a comeback.

General Zhang remained in the capital as the Minister of War, in charge of military administration, such as the selection and assessment of military and local officials, to help the new Emperor control the local armies.

Miao Yun naturally became the commander of the imperial guards, also serving as the commander of the capital’s large battalions, responsible for the safety of the imperial palace and the capital. Since these generals were Li Jianwei’s trusted aides, she was not worried at all when she delegated military power.

The heads of the other six ministries, five courts, the Grand Court of Appeals, and the Censorate were all personally appointed by Li Jianwei. At the same time, an assessment system was implemented, with a small exam every year and a major exam every three years. The officials who remained from the former dynasty would be directly dismissed if they failed the exam. The newly appointed officials would be demoted by one rank if they failed the exam and would be dismissed if they failed three times in a row.

The琐事 of the imperial palace, after posthumously honoring her father and brother, Li Jianwei handed over to her mother. Anyway, her mother was able to manage the General’s mansion back then, and she would be able to manage the internal affairs of the imperial palace now!

By the time the enthronement ceremony was over, it was almost midsummer. After the ceremony, Li Jianwei announced a general amnesty and also exempted all taxes for one year, allowing the people to take a breather. The former army that was loyal to the old court also, like some officials in Jiangnan, successively pledged allegiance to the new Emperor. They were currently being split and reorganized with the rebel armies that had previously surrendered, waiting for a new commander to arrive and lead them to quell the rebellion again.

That’s right, the officials in Jiangnan knelt, but the rebel armies that occupied individual prefectures did not surrender. They spontaneously united and also created a new court, occupying four prefectures, five states, and seven counties, and hunkering down in the Zhejiang and Fujian areas relying on the natural barriers of the mountains.

In addition, the ‘unexpectedly’ escaped King of Wei and King of Cheng seemed to be lurking somewhere in Jiangnan, intending to restore the former dynasty. However, Li Jianwei had no intention of personally fighting such a low-difficulty battle. She just assigned the two generals she had brought from the Northern Frontier to handle it. The main general was the deputy commander of the Brocade Camp, who was trained by Miao Yun herself. She was courageous and resourceful, and her loyalty was comparable to Miao Yun’s. The deputy general was a relatively young general who was selected from the personal guards.

Li Jianwei did not have high demands for the two. She only required them to quell the rebellion in half a year, with as little impact on the people as possible. The supply of provisions was provided by the gentry of Jiangxi. When necessary, Li Jianwei also allowed them to confiscate the property of some aristocratic families suspected of colluding with the enemy.

…

“Your Majesty, according to custom, there should be an additional imperial examination next year to select talented people for the country,” Shu Heng stood below and reported seriously. The purple official robe made her skin look exceptionally fair. Her fair cheeks still had a slight blush, which was a sign of good health. It was not for nothing that she almost forced Shu Heng to eat with her every day!

The more Li Jianwei looked, the more satisfied she was. She nodded in agreement to all of Shu Heng’s suggestions.

Shu Heng asked seriously, “Your Majesty, should we issue an edict to reiterate the rules of the imperial examination, so that women can also participate in the examination and become officials?”

According to the rules, a minister could not casually look up at the Emperor, so as not to offend the imperial dignity. Although Shu Heng knew that it was fine for her to do so, as the Grand Academician of the Inner Cabinet, who was second only to one person, she was much stricter with herself than before.

“You can just write an edict and send it down. It will be the same as when we selected officials in Taiyuan,” Li Jianwei said. She was not distracted by her appreciation for her trusted subject.

Shu Heng still had her head lowered. “Your Majesty, according to custom, the additional imperial examination only includes the provincial and metropolitan exams, not the preliminary one. Even if it is held, a woman who becomes a xiucai has to wait until the next year to participate in the provincial exam. Even a woman of outstanding talent will not be able to catch up with the additional imperial examination.”

“That is a problem. You can draft a chapter. As long as a woman can get a guarantee from an official of the seventh rank or above, she can participate in the provincial exam. If she can get a guarantee from two officials of the fifth rank or above, she can directly participate in the metropolitan exam in the capital.”

“This is only a one-time exception. For the regular exams, they will have to start from the xiucai exam,” Li Jianwei added. “By the way, Minister Shu, you can discuss with the Minister of Rites to open the government schools to women as well. The Imperial Academy should also recruit some women to serve as professors and scholars.”

Shu Heng: “Your Majesty, should we set aside some fixed positions for women?”

“Hmm?” Li Jianwei raised an eyebrow. “Is Minister Shu suggesting that we set a number for the number of women who can become officials each time?”

Shu Heng: “Yes. The number of people selected in an imperial examination is usually around three hundred. Your subject thinks we can set a minimum of fifty women and also a minimum of fifty men.”

“That’s fine. Do as you see fit, my dear Minister,” Li Jianwei was very generous.

After discussing the arrangements for the imperial examination, Shu Heng’s face showed hesitation. A look of struggle flashed in her eyes, but she still asked, “In addition, Your Majesty is already twenty-five years old. Should you consider enriching the imperial harem and continuing the bloodline?”

“Hmm? Me?” Li Jianwei was stunned.

Shu Heng lowered her head and remained silent. Out of duty, she had to give this advice, but after saying it, she couldn’t help but feel a bit upset.

Such a great General. Is she going to be taken by a pig? None of those sons of aristocratic families seem worthy of my Emperor!

“Continuing the imperial bloodline is indeed quite important, my dear Minister. Please draft another imperial edict for me,” Li Jianwei said.

Shu Heng bowed in response. Her heart felt even heavier. She even felt breathless.

“For those within three generations of my family, if they give birth to a healthy child, regardless of gender, they will be rewarded with three hundred taels of silver,” Li Jianwei said. “Each person can only receive this reward five times. We can’t let them turn giving birth into a business to earn my money.”