The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Taiping Era, Part 3 (Conclusion)

◎In the next life, your subject will still follow Your Majesty!◎

The deterring power of uprooting a century-old aristocratic family was far greater than simply confiscating the property of a common powerful clan. Their rapid collapse, in particular, made anyone with similar ambitions afraid to follow in their footsteps. They had considered every angle, but they failed to account for the possibility that the common people would betray them and turn their weapons against their masters.

The noble families viewed the common people as lowly servants, but Li Jianwei treated them as citizens to be cherished. As individuals with independent minds, how could the people not know how to choose? The emperor of the new Li Dynasty was not the incompetent ruler of the previous one. By following the new emperor, they could eat their fill and receive land. Was it not better to live a life of peace and stability?

In the fifth month of the fourth year of the Taiping era, under the leadership of Wang Ying, forces in Jiaxing, Ningbo, and Taizhou prefectures began a campaign to annihilate the倭寇 (Japanese pirates). They wiped out six thousand enemies on land and then pursued the rest by boat, eliminating more than three thousand more on the islands. This decisive victory crushed the elite pirate forces along the coast. Achieving such a feat with fewer than five thousand casualties was a remarkable accomplishment. Li Jianwei immediately promoted Wang Ying by one rank and placed her in charge of the naval fleet being trained in Fujian.

A simple counterattack on their own shores was not enough to deal with these pirates. They had to be attacked in their homeland, their roots ripped out, so they would learn what they could and could not do. Fighting far from the mainland would inevitably increase military expenditures. Fortunately, the Minister of Revenue was brilliant and chose to include sea merchants among the imperial merchants, which brought in a substantial income for the court. This not only perfectly covered the costs of building the navy but also provided an additional one million taels for the construction of inland waterways.

After routinely rejecting the suggestion for an imperial selection every three months, Li Jianwei returned to the Hall of Heavenly Purity to handle her memorials.

“Your Majesty, Princess Yong’an requests an audience,” a female official reported.

“Let her in,” Li Jianwei said casually, her eyes still on the memorial. After several years of working together, only the most important memorials were sent to her. Each one required her careful and thorough reading. The less important ones were handled by the Inner Cabinet under Shu Heng’s guidance. For example, memorials from local officials offering greetings were all handled by Shu Heng.

“Greetings, Imperial Sister,” Li Wan bowed, wearing the official robe of the Deputy Commander of the Censorial Guard.

“Ready to leave the capital for a local inspection again?” Li Jianwei put down her memorial and gave the female official a look. Within moments, the official brought a chair and placed it below the imperial desk.

Li Wan sat down unceremoniously. “Imperial Sister, Mother wanted me to meet some potential consorts today, but I didn’t like any of them.”

Li Jianwei nodded, waiting for her sister to continue.

“Imperial Sister, can I not marry, just like you?” Li Wan said directly. “I don’t want my life to be tied to anyone. I think being on my own is quite good.”

Li Jianwei instinctively frowned. “Is it because you didn’t like any of them, or is there another reason?”

“I met a friend in Jiangnan who has an incredible talent for business. I thought she was qualified to be an imperial merchant, and we agreed to meet in the capital.” Li Wan explained, “She did make it to the second round of the re-examination, but her family had already chosen a husband for her, and in the end, it was her husband who came to the capital, not her.”

“You are a princess, my sister. A consort would merely be your subordinate. I would not give him too much power,” Li Jianwei said. “Of course, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to marry. You could always keep a few favorite male companions instead.”

Li Wan pursed her lips. “Could I also keep some favorite female companions?”

“As long as they are not taken by force, you can keep whomever you like,” Li Jianwei replied, showing her open-mindedness. She didn’t believe that marriage was a necessity, nor that a relationship could only exist between a man and a woman.

“Do you like women?” Li Jianwei asked in return.

Li Wan shook her head. “I don’t have any specific person I like, but I feel more comfortable with women around me. My master, for example, is great.”

“Imperial Sister, you have no idea. I can’t leave the house without running into sons of aristocratic families. It’s bad enough on the street, but even when they’re trying to flatter me, they can’t hide their contempt.” Li Wan couldn’t help but vent. “I didn’t even tell Mother, but more than half the men she chose for me I’ve already run into, and some even tried to pull a ‘hero saving the beauty’ stunt.”

“Oh?” Li Jianwei caught the key phrase and raised an eyebrow. “They dared to have someone plot against you?”

Li Wan answered truthfully, “Not exactly that. They just rescued some girls being bullied in front of me, probably to try and earn my favor.” If Li Wan had never left the capital, she might have been a very typical noblewoman and easily fallen for those tricks. But after her life-or-death escape to the Northern Frontier, her perspective had slowly changed. Not to mention, she had learned so much from Minister Shu later on and was no longer swayed by men’s petty ploys.

After hearing this, Li Jianwei finally understood. “You find it difficult to refuse Mother, so you want me to speak on your behalf.”

Li Wan smiled charmingly. “Imperial Sister, you know me best. If I say it, Mother will just think I’m young and foolish, but if you say it, it will be different.”

A hint of helplessness flashed in Li Jianwei’s eyes. Her mother didn’t think her sister was foolish. It was just that their relationship was much more intimate. Li Jianwei didn’t deny that her mother was good to her, but she also knew that the time they had spent together was simply too short, while Li Wan had grown up by her mother’s side. After her father and brother died, her mother came to the Northern Frontier, but the relationship between mother and daughter never became particularly close, at least in the same way it was between her mother and Li Wan. After she ascended the throne, she still didn’t have much time to spend with her mother. Even when they ate together, her mother maintained a certain distance, making Li Jianwei feel more like an emperor than a daughter eating with her mother.

Putting aside these less-than-useful thoughts, Li Jianwei agreed to her sister’s small request and relayed it to her mother the next day. The Empress Dowager was surprised at first, then looked hesitant. “Wouldn’t that be improper? After all, Wanwan is a princess.”

“Precisely because she is a princess, I want her to do as she pleases. If she wants to marry, she will marry. If she doesn’t want to, she will keep some beauties at her princess residence,” Li Jianwei said calmly.

The Empress Dowager was silent, the conflicted look on her face becoming more pronounced. After a long moment, she spoke, revealing her true concern. “If you and Wanwan have no children, the successor will have to be chosen from the imperial clan. They all have their own parents, and after they ascend the throne, they will inevitably want to posthumously grant titles to their birth parents.”

“Mother, I will not choose such a person,” Li Jianwei said, sighing in relief. If this was her mother’s concern, it was easy to handle. Li Jianwei continued, “Mother, once I have decided on a candidate, I will bring them into the palace to be raised from a young age. I will not keep anyone who has been corrupted.” “Mother, don’t worry. Even if they want to grant titles to their parents, they cannot change the fact that the ‘Li’ of the Li Dynasty is my, Li Jianwei’s, ‘Li’.”

Li Jianwei was quite magnanimous. She was the founding monarch, and that was a fact that could not be changed. As long as her achievements were outstanding and brilliant, no matter who the successor was, they would have to respectfully burn incense and pay homage to her.

“You are right. I won’t pressure Wanwan anymore.” The Empress Dowager said with a light sigh, a faint sense of melancholy in her heart. My youngest daughter is also at the age where she will leave me. Both of my daughters no longer need the help of their mother.

Li Jianwei sensed her mother’s mood was not right and spoke up. “Mother, you can have the female relatives of the imperial clan bring their children into the palace from time to time. You can observe their character in advance, which will make it easier for me to choose a successor later.”

The Empress Dowager immediately cast aside her worries and began to plan for her eldest daughter. “Won’t that be too early? You’re not even thirty yet. Even if you start training them from the age of three, you won’t be fifty when they come of age. You will still be in your prime.”

“It’s fine. If there are good seedlings, they can also enter the court and help me govern. It doesn’t mean they are being chosen as a successor,” Li Jianwei said, looking at her mother with a hopeful expression. “Mother, I have many new policies I want to implement, and I need trustworthy people to help me. I don’t trust those recommended by others. I want you to help me.”

“Using our own people is always better than using outsiders,” the Empress Dowager murmured, her thoughts diverted by Li Jianwei. Her attention was now completely focused on choosing future pillars of the nation for her daughter.

…

That night, Li Jianwei and Shu Heng spent a long time together in the bath. By the time they finished, Shu Heng was completely exhausted and could only be carried back to bed by the still energetic Li Jianwei.

“Little Minister Shu, you always say you’re going to exercise properly, but you never make any progress,” Li Jianwei said, playing with Shu Heng’s fingers. Long years of writing had made the pads of Shu Heng’s fingers a bit rough. They were not as smooth as the backs of her hands or as soft as her palms. However, her fingers were long and incredibly nimble. In Li Jianwei’s eyes, they were only slightly inferior to her own, and they were very fun to play with or to hold in her mouth.

“Your Majesty, your subject is trying very hard…” Shu Heng’s voice was hoarse. “If Your Majesty would finish a little earlier at night, your subject would have more time to exercise during the day.”

“Wouldn’t that be putting the cart before the horse!” Li Jianwei immediately retorted, cupping Shu Heng’s face and kissing her. “It’s fine. Little Minister Shu is already wonderful. I will not punish you for failing to serve me well.”

Shu Heng bit her lip, her cheeks flushing. Although some things had happened many times, she still seemed unable to accept them with complete composure.

“Little Minister Shu, have you considered my earlier proposal?” Li Jianwei asked, kissing her from the corner of her lips to her chin, again and again.

Shu Heng’s breathing became uneven. A rising heat in her body made her feel like she could go through with it again.

“Your Majesty, things are perfect as they are. Your subject is very satisfied with my current relationship with Your Majesty; it is more than enough,” Shu Heng panted. She weakly held Li Jianwei’s hand, trying to stop her movements.

Li Jianwei appropriately pulled back. “Are you sure? I have told you many times that there is no need to worry so much. Whether a monarch is incompetent or not is not determined by their partner, but by the lives of the people they rule.” “Only those incompetent and corrupt rulers would blame their problems on their partners, believing that their kingdom was lost because of an evil consort or a wicked empress.” “Besides, not all historians are men now. Next year, new bl00d will join, and I will choose a few good ones to compile the historical records.”

Shu Heng buried her head in her Majesty’s chest. “Your subject knows, but it’s already perfect like this. Your subject does not want to change.”

The title of Empress sounds very majestic, but is a Grand Secretary inferior to an Empress? When it comes to historical records, a Grand Secretary is mentioned far more often than an Empress. In fact, some officials are even mentioned more frequently than an Empress. In the previous dynasty, an official could be immortalized in history by simply achieving one great feat, while a harem concubine, even if she became an empress and worked diligently her entire life without making a single mistake, might not even be able to have her name recorded in the history books.

Shu Heng knew that this difference was because of gender. For example, in the historical records of the former dynasty, the names of every prince would be recorded in detail when compiling history, but the names of the princesses would not be recorded, at best they would be given a title. This situation might change, but Shu Heng didn’t want to take the risk. She didn’t want her own achievements to be glossed over; she wanted to have a greater presence and leave more of a mark in history.

Shu Heng did not tell her Majesty about her private calculations, nor did she plan to. One of the reasons she didn’t want to become Empress was that she believed her role as Grand Secretary and her close relationship with her Majesty would leave a more significant mark on history. She wanted future generations, whenever they mentioned the emperor, to also think of how the emperor doted on her Grand Secretary, and how most of the court’s policies were implemented after they had discussed them together.

As for the other reason, it was also very important to clearly establish the rule that the harem must not interfere in politics. Shu Heng was certain that the Crown Prince would be female. If the Crown Prince were to marry a male consort, this ancestral rule would become extremely important. It could suppress those ambitious men and force them to abide by the rules and not overstep their boundaries.

Li Jianwei truly did not see through Shu Heng’s little plan. She only thought that Shu Heng was still defending her image as a wise ruler and did not want to leave any flaws for later generations to criticize. Oh well, it’s Little Minister Shu’s good intentions. I’ll just accept it.

“Little Minister Shu, are you really sure?” Li Jianwei asked.

“Your Majesty, there is an early court session tomorrow,” Shu Heng said, closing her eyes first.

Li Jianwei sighed with a hint of regret and then hugged the fragrant, soft Shu Heng, falling asleep beside her.

…

In the sixth year of the Taiping era, the imperial examinations concluded once again. A total of 265 scholars were selected, 103 women and 162 men, with the second-place scholar of the first class being the only male among the top three. As the new jinshi were sent out to serve as officials, the former county magistrates, who had completed their three-year terms, were also promoted. Some became prefectural judges, while others went on to serve as prefects in scattered provinces.

Shu Heng remained the Grand Secretary, but Qi Changping had been promoted from a secretary of the Ministry of Personnel to a director, responsible for evaluating and ranking local officials. In the eighth month of the same year, Wang Ying led the navy and attacked the Japanese pirates’ stronghold directly. Although she didn’t take it in one fell swoop, she successfully killed over ten thousand pirate soldiers and seized numerous spoils of war, adopting a strategy of guerrilla warfare to wear them down.

In the tenth year of the Taiping era, Wang Ying successfully conquered the country of the Japanese pirates, making them not only submit to the emperor but also pay an annual tribute of silver and cede half of their territory. Wang Ying was enfeoffed as the Great General of Suppressing the Sea and returned to the capital to take over as the Minister of War. The former Minister of War was appointed the Governor-General of Shaanxi and was granted the title of Ronglu Grandee.

In the thirteenth year of the Taiping era, after celebrating her thirty-eighth birthday, Li Jianwei selected ten children from the imperial clan and brought them into the palace to be educated.

In the fifteenth year of the Taiping era, six of the ten children were sent back, and the remaining four, all under ten years old, became Shu Heng’s disciples. In the same year, Shu Heng was enfeoffed as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, granted the title of Pillar of the State, and continued to command the Ministry of Personnel. Looking around, many officials in the six ministries had to respectfully address her as “Teacher.”

In the eighteenth year of the Taiping era, a 42-year-old Li Jianwei announced a tour to the south. She left the court in the hands of Li Wan, who had been enfeoffed as a Prince of the First Rank, and spent an entire year traveling with her trusted and beloved minister, Shu Heng.

In the twenty-sixth year of the Taiping era, a 50-year-old Li Jianwei mourned the passing of the 76-year-old Empress Dowager. She observed three months of filial piety and did not hold a morning court. All state affairs were handed over to Shu Heng and Li Wan.

In the thirtieth year of the Taiping era, Li Jianwei chose the most outstanding of her adopted children and officially established her as the Crown Prince. The other three were sent out to serve as officials.

In the forty-fifth year of the Taiping era, Li Jianwei chose to pass the throne to the Crown Prince and began her true retirement with Shu Heng, whose temples had turned white. The new emperor had no intention of posthumously granting titles to her birth parents. She had entered the palace to study at the age of five and had been raised either by her Imperial Mother or her teacher, Shu Heng. Her feelings for them were far deeper than for her birth parents. The new emperor had a liking for men but was not obsessed. Her imperial husband was a kind and gentle man from an aristocratic family, and she also had five other male consorts. When the new emperor ascended the throne, she already had two daughters and one son. She did not give birth after her ascension, but her harem would occasionally welcome new occupants, both male and female.

To show her respect for her Imperial Mother, the new emperor never changed the reign title until the sixtieth year of the Taiping era, when her Imperial Mother and her teacher passed away one after another. Following her Imperial Mother’s last wish, the new emperor had the two of them buried together, to sleep in the same coffin.

After abdicating, Li Jianwei’s life remained very comfortable, which was evident from the fact that she lived to the age of eighty-five. Although Shu Heng was two years older than Li Jianwei, she began to exercise diligently after she turned forty, hoping to accompany her Majesty for a longer time. The result was very gratifying; after her Majesty passed away, Shu Heng was still able to properly prepare her clothes and then, holding her Majesty’s hand, fell into a deep sleep by her side.

The relationship of monarch and minister in this life may have ended, but she had promised that in the next life, and the one after that, she would still follow her Majesty.

…

Li Jianwei’s consciousness was falling into a state of chaos. Unfamiliar scenes gradually became clear, bringing back many memories. At the same time, a familiar conversation entered her ears. Unlike before, Li Jianwei recognized one of the voices as Shu Heng’s. It belonged to someone she had sworn allegiance to.

Hmm, something feels off. Shouldn’t Little Minister Shu be loyal to me? Why am I kneeling and swearing allegiance to Shu Heng?

“Your