Chapter 358
The earth shook.
The commotion was comparable to the scenes of massive explosions Jiang Wan had witnessed in her previous life.
In a sense, the course of history had not changed much.
The major events still occurred as they should.
On this day, the grand court convened.
The new Emperor and Empress faced the officials together.
Jiang Changtian donned the dragon robe without any discomfort.
Perhaps he hadn\'t thought about this day when he rebelled.
He hadn\'t thought about it when he entered the capital.
But after becoming the Yellow Gate Attendant and entering the palace to see the Emperor, he realized that the Emperor was just an ordinary human with common weaknesses—fear of death, desire for comfort, fondness for flattery, aversion to criticism, stubbornness, arrogance, and paranoia. He was just a well-born ordinary person.
However, the dragon robe and the imperial crown could change a person, for the power was too heavy.
If you couldn\'t bear it, you would be borne by it.
Just like an ordinary person wearing an extraordinarily expensive gown, every move and meal would be influenced by the clothing, fearing it might get dirty or torn, always concerned about the attire, while the person themselves would fade into the background, becoming an accessory to the clothes.
The Second Son of the Jiang family had no ambition. He just wanted to protect his family\'s safety.
Perhaps due to being persecuted since childhood, he always felt someone was out to harm him, constantly believing he wasn\'t strong enough, that there were too many villains. Finally, one day, he stood at a high position.
Jiang Changtian looked at the bustling, crowded crowd below and thought of a phrase: There are always treacherous ministers trying to harm me!
But it was alright; Xiamie was sitting beside him.
Qin Luoxia wore the phoenix robe, her head still a bit dizzy.
She remembered the village women chatting in Kan\'er Village, speculating about the Empress in the capital—whether her chamber pot was made of gold, if her hoe was surely gold, if her steamed buns were made with a pound of flour and two pounds of sugar, lavishly made, with meals fed to her by attendants, not needing to lift a finger, just opening her mouth...
Now she knew the chamber pot wasn\'t made of gold, but it could probably fetch a gold price if sold, being a royal item. There was no hoe; she searched the entire house and found none, whether it was gold or not remained unknown. The cooks in the palace all had ranks, all considered officials. When she was healthy, she still had to eat on her own; it was more fragrant that way. If she waited for others to feed her, she might as well be beyond help.
She was extremely nervous wearing the phoenix robe.
Luckily, she could now carry enough weapons, no one dared to search her.
The palace was terrifying, full of calamities.
Being new, she had to be cautious.
Qin Luoxia felt she was constantly adapting.
From the small thatched house in Kan\'er Village to the courtyard in Jingzhou, then to the large courtyard in the capital, and now to the grand courtyard of the palace.
She was always adapting to new lives.
She took a deep breath, telling herself, it\'s alright, it\'s alright, it\'s alright, just treat it like going hunting in the mountains, and consider those officials below as prey; that way, she wouldn\'t be afraid.
Thinking this way, she indeed felt much more relaxed; otherwise, her chest felt tight, her heartbeat rapid.
Luckily, her husband was holding her hand the whole way.
His palm was a bit damp, indicating he was also nervous.
Thinking of her husband\'s nervousness and fear, Qin Luoxia forced herself not to be nervous or afraid.
Her husband was delicate, pushed into this position, never wanting to be the Emperor. Many people had recommended him, and now many were gossiping behind his back, saying there were still royal family members, it shouldn\'t have fallen to him.
Qin Luoxia thought, it was true, like the son of a landlord fighting for inheritance and dying, the nephew coming to inherit the estate seemed unjust, but special circumstances called for special measures. If the nephew hadn\'t come, the estate would have been seized by outsiders, making the Chu family even worse off. Her husband was soft-hearted; at least he would treat the Chu family well.
And the winner takes all, the loser is a bandit.
If everything were done by the rules, there wouldn\'t have been such fierce struggles.
In the end, it was because there were no rules.
So their own family must have rules.
Qin Luoxia sat upright beside her husband.
The officials were also in complex moods.
This scene of the Emperor and Empress sitting together seemed to have not appeared for a long time.
The new Emperor was exceptionally handsome, even more dazzling in the dragon robe.
The new Empress exuded a powerful aura, not at all like a peasant woman, looking like a true noble.
It was unclear whether it was the clothes that made them so, or if they were inherently like this.
The palace coup caused by the Seventh Prince had come to an end, no one expecting the final victor to be the Second Son of the Jiang family.
The Jingzhou Sima.
And before ascending the throne, he had declared that the adopted child Zi Congheng was the son of the former Crown Prince.
Everyone was speechless.
Thinking about how the old Emperor had failed, the Crown Prince being the same person as the biggest rebel, Zi Lu, how desperate it must have been for the Crown Prince to rebel against his own country.
Some officials were unwilling to give up, whether for upholding the legitimate succession or seeking the favor of the new ruler, repeatedly advising.
And the former Crown Prince\'s son, Zi Congheng (Chu Yuan), clearly refused the throne, stating that if forced, he could abdicate on the day of his coronation.
The officials wanted to ask if he was being coerced, if so, he could blink.
Perhaps future history books would write it this way.
"The Usurpation of Jiang Er," "The Storms of Chu Kingdom," "The Coup of Chu Kingdom," "The Chronicles of Chu Kingdom"...
No matter.
Flipping through the history books, turning to the day of coronation.
The Emperor and Empress on the throne.
The officials gathered.
Long live, long live, long live.
Eunuch Yan stood to the side, Eunuch Duan on the other.
Eunuch Duan\'s expression was serious with joy, thinking, who else could be as fortunate as him? Others were one emperor, one set of ministers, but he had changed emperors and still held his position, directly becoming a favorite of the new Emperor.
Of course, he couldn\'t compare to Eunuch Yan, but he had never been able to before, so he wasn\'t envious.
New year, new atmosphere.
The new Emperor turned to look at the Empress.
Qin Luoxia saw her husband looking over and instinctively returned a smile.
The officials saw that the Empress seemed to have a good temper.
The new Emperor kindly asked, "Lord Wu thinks I should expand the harem, does anyone else agree?"
Seeing the new Emperor\'s encouraging expression, the officials thought, what man doesn\'t love beauty? The Empress, though looking good, seemed a bit strong. With many beauties, each with their charm, it was best to have more.
So, one by one, officials stepped forward.
Even royal family members joined in the fun.
Goodness, almost a third of the officials.
Most were older, with good daughters at home.
Qin Luoxia felt the phoenix robe getting hot, as if tiny ants were crawling on her.
On her first day at court, she worried about not understanding what the officials said due to her lack of education, feeling very nervous, but never expected these gentlemen to be no different from the village women, not discussing serious matters, but meddling in her husband\'s taking concubines.
After all the fighting and killing, with so many sons dead, wasn\'t that enough of a lesson?
Qin Luoxia\'s aura surged, staring at those officials.
Those below didn\'t know why, but they suddenly felt their official hats were heavy.
Suddenly, they saw the Empress snap off a chair\'s arm.
The golden dragon coiled around the golden phoenix.
The officials heard a crisp crack, then saw the chair arm in the Empress\'s hand.
The Empress tried to put it back, saying, "It\'s been too long without anyone sitting, it\'s rotted."
But it wouldn\'t go back.
Another crack, and the arm broke.
Aliali: 6748677cc4f3f33ac4783886Then the Empress crushed the solid wood arm between her hands, pieces of wood falling, even some sawdust floating into the eyes of officials in the front.
"Hehe, I said it was rotted, it\'s all turned to dust."
The officials who had stepped forward not only felt their heads heavy but also their backs slowly wet.
The legend of the Seventh Prince\'s son\'s death was quite strange, killed by a plate, but with a misaligned skull, seemingly impossible, like someone had deliberately smashed his head.
And Immortal Liu, with a hole in her neck, died.
Her death was also peculiar.
At this moment, the new Emperor looked touched, even wiping his eyes with a cloth, saying, "I\'ve lacked care and love since I was young. I never expected so many loyal ministers to care about my personal matters. I am deeply moved, but my life was saved by the Empress, and I have long promised that unless I die, I will not take another wife."
Everyone looked at the new Emperor wiping his eyes, feeling sympathy, wondering if he didn\'t want to or didn\'t dare.
The new emperor continued, "I am truly touched. I have decided to bestow upon each of you a beloved concubine. There are many palace maids in the palace, and rest assured, I am their patron. These fine palace women are a blessing to you, so you must provide ample betrothal gifts. My empress is virtuous and kind, so she will handle the arrangements with you. Everyone will receive one, so there\'s no need to rush. You will all be satisfied. I have always believed in repaying kindness, so rest assured, everyone who steps forward will be rewarded."
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