“I thought you were joking…” Qin Yu said quietly.
“Do I look like the kind of person who jokes?” Luo Shangyu asked.
“You’re always teasing me…” Qin Yu muttered.
“Maybe.” Luo Shangyu shrugged. “But this time, I’m serious.”
Chen Yufei let go of Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu, turned around, and sat on Qin Yu’s bed. She watched them talk with obvious interest.
Qin Yu stared blankly at Luo Shangyu. To be fair, even though she’d become a girl and her way of thinking had fundamentally changed, her feelings about men remained the same.
Even as a female now, she absolutely could not hug or cuddle with a man!
After all, in moments like this, her past life as a man always stirred a faint disgust deep inside her.
“Soft, fragrant girls are much better…” Qin Yu had long thought that way.
But now, having just escaped the Kingdom of Yiyong’s military camp, Qin Yi’s threats had come one after another, and only recently had she gotten a chance to relax and think about her sexuality.
Liking girls?
Qin Yu wasn’t completely sure, but if it was Luo Shangyu… that didn’t seem so bad?
“Hey, what are you thinking? Aren’t you going to respond?” Luo Shangyu saw that Qin Yu seemed spaced out, so she reached into her white hair and gently shook her head.
“This… it’s a little sudden…” Qin Yu lowered her eyes, unable to meet Luo Shangyu’s gaze.
“Hehe~” Luo Shangyu chuckled lightly, then turned to look at Chen Yufei.
“What happened today must not leave this room!”
“Yes!” Chen Yufei nodded vigorously.
“In the future, after Qin Yu ascends the throne and stabilizes the political situation, I’ll need you to work hard and lend your strength!” Luo Shangyu said earnestly, patting Chen Yufei on the back, leaving Qin Yu alone to ponder the meaning of her words.
…
After the military exercise, Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu returned to their previous routine—attending court on time every day and handling state affairs.
Han Youcheng went on an expedition to the Kingdom of Yiyong and returned in triumph. During this campaign, he encountered almost no resistance; the enemy was so intimidated by his troops that they surrendered obediently.
He executed the current King of Yiyong and installed a new king who was friendly to the Chengji Empire, hoping to stabilize this vassal state.
After Han Youcheng’s victorious return, Qin Yu officially appointed him as Zhongshu Ling (Head of the Imperial Secretariat) and also made him a member of the Grand Secretariat.
With that, the Chengji Empire’s court was completely stabilized. The influence of Qin Yi’s faction had gradually faded, and his power was now limited to the military camp in one corner of the palace.
On Qin Yu’s orders, Zhong Changgong began to gradually purge the palace Forbidden Army of any soldiers still loyal to Qin Yi, rooting out the last of his forces.
…
Time flew by, and Qin Ling’s illness slowly improved. He could now get out of bed and walk on his own.
However, seeing that Qin Yu could handle state affairs in an orderly manner and having grown fond of his own idle retirement life, he no longer considered retaking control of the empire’s governance.
The autumn harvest arrived, and the whole country celebrated a bumper crop.
At the same time, after more than a month of reforms, Qin Yu’s policies began to show results. The corrupt practices from Qin Ling’s era were greatly reformed, bringing clarity to the government.
…
After the autumn harvest, the weather began to grow colder day by day.
As November arrived, the bitter wind from the cold plains swept straight in from the northwest into the Chengji Empire, cutting southeast past the martial passes and all the way to the capital region.
What worried Qin Yu was that since the temperature dropped, Qin Ling’s illness seemed to have worsened again.
But then again, that was to be expected. Qin Ling had spent his whole days indulging in wine, women, and extravagance; it would be strange if his health were good.
…
“Time to go back to sleep.” Qin Yu stood up from the dragon throne, stretched, and yawned.
The sky was already very dark. In the empty main hall of Weiyang Hall, only the guards in the dim candlelight and the attendants standing beside the two women remained.
A draft blew through the hall, making the candle flames flicker.
“Let’s go.” Luo Shangyu stood up. “We’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
She followed Qin Yu as they left Weiyang Hall, boarded a small sedan chair, left the palace, and headed toward the East Palace.
Even though Qin Yu was overseeing the state and acting in the emperor’s stead, Qin Ling still lived in the rear palace, so Qin Yu had to stay in her own East Palace.
When the two returned to the East Palace, dinner was already prepared. The hot food soothed their weary hearts.
Just as Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu had taken a few bites, a eunuch rushed in with an urgent report: Qin Ling’s condition was critical.
“What happened?” Qin Yu shot to her feet, a bit flustered.
Yesterday, Qin Ling had seemed perfectly fine. How was it like this today?
“Quick, prepare a carriage—we need to enter the palace!” Luo Shangyu snapped to attention and shouted at the maid.
At the same time, she quickly wrote a letter, ordering Zhong Changgong to bring three thousand Yulin Army soldiers into the palace immediately.
“Your Highness, the carriage is ready!” the maid shouted to Luo Shangyu.
“Let’s go!” Luo Shangyu took Qin Yu’s hand and hurried to the carriage.
Qin Yu sat in the carriage in silence.
This wasn’t because she was drowning in grief for Qin Ling.
To be honest, Qin Ling had never really taken care of Qin Yu. Ever since her mother died in childbirth, she had mostly been raised by the palace maids and Yin An. Qin Ling’s only role was to occasionally glance at her.
Thus, the father-child (father-daughter) relationship between Qin Yu and Qin Ling was maintained more by legal principle than by familial affection.
In truth, Qin Yu felt that Yin An was more like her father—he had taken care of her since childhood and watched her grow up.
“What… should I do now?” What Qin Yu worried about more was that after Qin Ling’s death, could she control this vast empire that had once been powerful but was now declining day by day?
“It’s okay. I’m here.” Luo Shangyu gently pulled Qin Yu into her arms and smoothed the hair that had been mussed in the rush.
“Tell me… can I really be a good emperor?”
During this time, everything had been improving, but Qin Yu had also noticed that many court officials showed outward respect but were not truly obedient to her rule.
She was very worried that after she ascended the throne, she wouldn’t be able to keep these people in line.
“You can. I know you can.” Luo Shangyu gripped Qin Yu’s slightly trembling hand. “I believe in you.”
The carriage the maids had prepared for Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu was specially modified, with extremely strong defenses. As a result, the carriage was very large and could not enter the palace through the small East Palace gate.
Therefore, the carriage had to enter through the north gate of Changle Palace and go straight into the rear palace.
The palace gates were opened for Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu, and everything inside was eerily silent.
Guards were on their normal duty, and eunuchs were cleaning the halls—nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
The carriage drove straight through the Imperial Garden’s royal road and stopped at the entrance of the rear palace. Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu immediately threw open the door and jumped out.
Outside the rear palace, Qin Yi’s personal soldiers had already blocked the hall’s entrance, preventing outsiders from entering freely.
“Halt!” the soldiers blocked Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu at the door.
Luo Shangyu opened her mouth, about to say something in retort, but Qin Yu spoke first.
“I am the Crown Prince. Who dares stop me!”
With that, she drew her sword, and in one swift motion, chopped off the head of the unfortunate soldier. Then she took Luo Shangyu’s hand and strode into the palace.
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