bookrandom Chapter 227 Palace Intrigue World: A Harem Pierced Through Like a Sickle VS An Awakened Emperor with
Chapter 227 Palace Intrigue World: A Harem Pierced Through Like a Sickle VS An Awakened Emperor with
Three years have passed, and Xiao Jing'an has gained initial control of the Dayong Dynasty. He can finally bring up the things he wanted to do before.
Xiao Jing'an wants to dismiss the concubines in the harem!
However, as soon as this matter was brought up in the court, it caused a huge uproar among the court officials!
The court officials vehemently opposed the move, even arguing from the main court session to the Qianqing Palace after the session.
Xiao Jing'an rubbed his temples; his head was throbbing from the noise of the court officials all morning.
Xiao Jing'an coughed lightly, without attracting the attention of the arguing ministers.
Then, he bent his finger and tapped the desk, the crisp sound finally silencing the ministers.
Xiao Jing'an finally issued an ultimatum: "My mind is made up on this matter!"
I have found my true love, and now I have a son.
The other concubines in the harem had never served the emperor. Even if they were dismissed from the harem, they could marry other men and pursue their own happiness.
"I feel guilty for wasting these women's youthful years. Therefore, if these women find good matches after leaving the palace, the palace may grant them the title of Lady of the County and bestow upon them a dowry..."
Since Xiao Jing'an has already said such things, it seems that His Majesty is determined to go his own way.
In recent years, Xiao Jing'an has gradually gained power and has begun to show the domineering nature of an emperor and the absolute authority to have his word.
If a few years ago, Xiao Jing'an's methods were still immature and the court officials could still try to control him, now the court officials dare not oppose Xiao Jing'an at all.
However, the Minister of Rites still wanted to make a last-ditch effort. He stepped forward, bowed to Xiao Jing'an, and said anxiously, "But Your Majesty, dismissing the harem is unprecedented and violates the rules of propriety."
Moreover, the list of people you want to dismiss includes the Empress, who is the current mother of the nation and was married during the late emperor's period of mourning.
Now, you casually suggest disbanding the harem; how can you explain this to the people of the world…?
Xiao Jing'an glared coldly at the Minister of Rites and shouted sternly, "I only want to dismiss the harem. This is just my family matter. Why should I explain it to the world?"
The Minister of Rites would be better off focusing on his own internal duties!
After dismissing the harem, I intend to establish my son as the crown prince. Minister of Rites, you should first investigate the regulations for establishing a crown prince in the previous dynasty; this matter is more important…”
The ministers in the Qianqing Palace were initially stunned by the news that Xiao Jing'an had dismissed the harem, but now that they heard Xiao Jing'an's intention to establish a crown prince, they couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Xiao Jing'an said that most of the women in the harem had never served the emperor, and the only woman he showed favoritism towards was Su Jinyue, who had entered the palace as a low-ranking concubine and was now the Noble Consort Chen.
Moreover, Su Jinyue gave birth to Xiao Jing'an's only prince!
Now Xiao Jing'an wants to disband the harem and establish a crown prince. It seems he wants to make Consort Chen the empress!
The court officials seemed to understand Xiao Jing'an's thoughts. Over the past three years, Xiao Jing'an had worked diligently to govern the Great Yong Dynasty, which was thriving and his imperial aura was growing stronger. The ministers in the court had gradually submitted to him.
Therefore, Xiao Jing'an now wants to give the best to the person he favors.
But what is the best thing for a woman? Of course, it's the throne of empress!
Xiao Jing'an does not love the current Empress Jiang Lingyao. Jiang Lingyao has been in the palace for five years but has not won Xiao Jing'an's heart. It seems that he really doesn't like her anymore.
Xiao Jing'an was determined to do things his own way, so what could they do?
The ministers in the Qianqing Palace fell silent, all looking at Grand Secretary Jiang, who stood to the side, head bowed in deep thought.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Jing'an understood what they meant.
It seems that if we can persuade Grand Secretary Jiang, this matter can be accomplished.
"Grand Secretary Jiang, please stay. The rest of you may leave."
Upon hearing Xiao Jing'an's order, the ministers all bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Empress Jiang Lingyao is, after all, the granddaughter of Grand Secretary Jiang. If Xiao Jing'an wants to send Jiang Lingyao out of the palace peacefully, he still has to get past Grand Secretary Jiang.
Xiao Jing'an and Grand Secretary Jiang talked for most of the day, and by lunchtime, neither of them had come out.
Su Jinyue and Xiao Jing'an had arranged to have lunch together, but even though the food was served, Xiao Jing'an didn't show up.
Su Jinyue then brought her three-year-old son to Qianqing Palace to find Xiao Jing'an.
She became pregnant three years ago. Although she had removed all external systems at the time, the harem was still rife with intrigue and backstabbing.
Fortunately, Su Jinyue had the space, the space, and the machine for extrauterine fetal development brought from the interstellar world, and finally gave birth to her child without any major incidents.
Su Jinyue gave birth to a son, and Xiao Jing'an was overjoyed, naming him Zhan'er.
When Su Jinyue learned it was a boy, she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that she favored boys over girls, but rather that in ancient society, men had much more freedom than women and were not subject to as many restrictions.
Xiao Jing'an was the emperor, and he also needed a legitimate successor.
When Su Jinyue brought Zhan'er into the Qianqing Palace, they happened to run into Grand Secretary Jiang coming out.
"Greetings to Consort Chen, and greetings to the First Prince."
Grand Secretary Jiang's face was solemn, revealing neither joy nor anger, but his steps were somewhat heavy.
Su Jinyue avoided Jiang Ge Lao's formal greeting and then returned a half-bow to him.
Zhan'er has been taught by Xiao Jing'an since she was a child, and now she bows to Grand Secretary Jiang in a very proper manner.
"Greetings, Lord Jiang~" Zhan'er, a tiny, three-headed figure, greeted others with a sweet, childlike voice, her earnest manner bringing a smile to anyone who saw her.
Even the usually serious Lord Jiang couldn't help but soften his gaze when he saw such an adorable eldest prince.
Su Jinyue and Grand Secretary Jiang exchanged a few pleasantries before parting ways.
Grand Secretary Jiang took two steps out, then couldn't help but turn back to watch Consort Chen lead the eldest prince into the Qianqing Palace, where the joyful and warm laughter of the family of three could be heard.
Although it was hard to hear what was being said, the warm atmosphere was truly enviable.
Perhaps His Majesty is right. Grand Secretary Jiang sighed as he thought of his granddaughter, Jiang Lingyao, who was alone in the palace.
When Grand Secretary Jiang chose to let Jiang Lingyao enter the palace to become Empress, it cannot be said that he was without selfish motives. He was already in a position second only to the emperor in the Great Yong Dynasty, but he was still greedy and wanted the Jiang family to prosper forever.
So even though he knew that being Empress Jiang Lingyao would be difficult, he still agreed after weighing the pros and cons.
However, it seems that Emperor Xiao Jing'an is not so easily fooled!
During the two years immediately following his ascension to the throne and while still in mourning, Xiao Jing'an kept a low profile, secretly accumulating power.
Over the past three years, Xiao Jing'an has gradually shown his talent and made bold contributions through bottom-up reforms. He has also boldly promoted many promising and talented young people. These old ministers from the previous dynasty can no longer suppress Xiao Jing'an and are gradually showing signs of decline.
Perhaps they were simply getting old. The emperor was powerful, but he was still kind to these old ministers. So, while they were still clear-headed, they should abdicate and give way to more capable officials.
Don't wait until the emperor gets impatient and disregards his reputation to pull you down; that would be a true loss of face and ruin of your reputation in your later years.
Grand Secretary Jiang sighed again, his back now slightly hunched, before slowly walking out of the palace gate.