Qiu Lanxi also changed into her court attire. The morning court session proceeded as normal, except that Emperor Qinghe arrived a little late. She secretly glanced at him and noticed that he looked better, even with a rosy complexion. This made people wonder if he had been putting on an act all this time. But Qiu Lanxi knew very well that he was genuinely having health problems, and that he wasn't faking it, or rather, not entirely faking it.
However, the winner takes all, and there's no point in thinking about it now. Qiu Lanxi knew the outcome as soon as she saw Dongxue before leaving the house.
Emperor Qinghe acted swiftly, issuing a series of orders: some were executed, others exiled, and the Crown Prince was sent to guard the imperial mausoleum. Finally, he stood up and addressed the crowd: "I have caught a cold and am feeling unwell. I have decided to rest for a month. During this month, Shaoguang will oversee the affairs of state, assisted by the Chancellor and the General of the Cavalry. If any matters are unresolved, they should be reported to me!"
The court fell silent.
The so-called regency was the right of the crown prince. Basically, this signal already indicated who Emperor Qinghe preferred to succeed him. In fact, the ministers were not surprised that Emperor Qinghe chose to let his son regency. The crown prince had been deposed, and everyone with eyes could see Emperor Qinghe's physical condition. Even if Emperor Qinghe did not want to establish a crown prince in the short term, the court officials would try to persuade him every day.
Therefore, the matter of regent is naturally brought up. As long as he behaves properly and does not make any major mistakes during his regent period, he will be made crown prince after the regent ends.
Can……
Not to mention the princes, even the ministers felt like they were going crazy. How could it be Princess Shaoguang?!
She's a princess!
If Emperor Qinghe hadn't shown up, they could have said it was Yan Qingli acting on his own initiative. But the problem is, Emperor Qinghe showed up in person! What is he planning? Has he gone mad?!
However, Emperor Qinghe seemed unaware of the bombshell he had dropped on the court. As soon as the news was announced, he leisurely left, giving no one a chance to object.
Emperor Qinghe hadn't used such shameless tactics in a long time, since his control over the court no longer required him to disregard his reputation and act in this way, but that didn't mean he couldn't do it.
With this action, the court officials could only watch helplessly.
But everyone understood that this was only temporary. Once Emperor Qinghe returned to court a month later, they would definitely not let him get away with it so easily and would catch them off guard.
Unless, during this month, Yan Qingli manages to garner enough supporters.
However, this is difficult because the situation in the court cannot change too much during this month. Nominally, she is the regent, but the decision-making power still lies with Emperor Qinghe. However, Yan Qingli was appointed as the regent because the crown prince rebelled, which left some positions vacant and gave her room to maneuver.
Was this something Yan Qingli deliberately designed, or something Emperor Qinghe had anticipated?
Qiu Lanxi was unclear; from a different perspective, there were some things she could hardly predict. All she could be certain of was that Emperor Qinghe had given her this month to maneuver and navigate the situation.
Perhaps because the court officials were still confused, or perhaps because they couldn't judge Emperor Qinghe's determination on this matter, the court meeting was relatively peaceful.
Well... anyway, in Qiu Lanxi's opinion, it was already peaceful that no one opposed it by banging their head against a pillar and committing suicide.
Yan Qingli probably thought so too, so when the court session ended, she was not displeased by the opposition from the entire court. She held Qiu Lanxi's arm through her clothes, not caring at all about the gazes around her: "Why didn't you wait for me?"
Qiu Lanxi blinked: "Aren't you busy?"
Yan Qingli glanced at her: "It won't make a difference if it's just a little while longer."
Even though Emperor Qinghe had given the order, the court officials couldn't accept it in a short time. Besides, there were no major events happening recently, so it wouldn't hurt for Yan Qingli to deal with it later.
Moreover, she couldn't possibly handle these matters on Emperor Qinghe's territory. After Emperor Qinghe gave the order, those confidential documents would be directly transferred to the Princess's residence, so she really didn't need to leave them behind.
Qiu Lanxi responded with an "oh," and to be honest, she was a little surprised. It wasn't time to relax yet; she thought the other party would handle things first before coming to find her.
Comparing oneself to the ambitions of an ambitious person is a humiliating thing to do.
Once inside the carriage, Yan Qingli held Qiu Lanxi in her arms and tilted her head, asking, "What's wrong?"
Yan Qingli paused for a moment, then said, "It's nothing."
She didn't know what to say.
In fact, when Yan Qingli found Emperor Qinghe, he seemed very calm. Yan Qingli had already guessed how much he knew. Although people inevitably begin to decline in both body and mind when they reach a certain age, the only difference is whether it is a slow decline or a rapid fall.
But he was too calm.
So calm that Yan Qingli felt he was still gambling, gambling with his children. At this moment, she suddenly couldn't be sure if he had only recently discovered her feelings, or if he had already sensed her resentment when the teacher lamented that she wasn't a boy.
But that's not important; it's good to be a little oblivious.
He was willing to believe that his daughter had chosen love over power, so he was willing to overcome all obstacles for that love; she was also willing to believe that her father was simply moved by her words and actions, so he ultimately compromised.
Does it matter what the truth is?
unimportant.
Only a person who is not clear-headed cares about whether the other person's feelings are real or fake; she only cares about whether she has what she wants in her own hands.
Therefore, she doesn't need comfort or advice.
Yan Qingli stroked her thick, black hair. Qiu Lanxi looked up at her and smiled, keenly sensing that she was probably not in a good mood. It was as if the expected fact had really come to pass. But sometimes, the person involved actually hopes that an unexpected situation will occur to break their self-righteousness.
She thought for a moment, chuckled, and whispered in her ear, "Qingli."
The warm breath tickled her earlobe. Yan Qingli looked at the light streaming into the carriage and uttered a soft question.
"How about we celebrate?"
Yan Qingli froze for a moment. She had frightened her in the carriage, but she had never really thought about doing anything in this environment, as if she would be exposed at any moment.
Not to mention, being discovered doing such a thing as a princess is completely different from being discovered doing such a thing as the "foundation of the nation."
So she fell silent.
Qiu Lanxi is not someone who only cares about her own happiness and disregards the feelings of others. Every person with a sound personality would hate being controlled by others and pitifully begging for their condescending pity.
Therefore, she needs to test, confirm, and take control.
She clung to her neck, her eyes veiled with a misty, watery light, and softly called out, "Qingli."
Yan Qingli turned her head to look at her, her brows furrowed slightly, her tone barely discernible: "Sit properly."
Qiu Lanxi looked at her innocently: "You carried me up here."
Yan Qingli paused, then tilted her head slightly. Qiu Lanxi then pressed herself against her, kissing her without restraint. Sunlight occasionally peeked through the curtains onto Yan Qingli's face. She lowered her eyes, her fingertips curling slightly, and her jaw clenched.
But Qiu Lanxi was not content with such a superficial attempt. She circled her fingertips around the back of her neck and finally slipped them into her hair.
Her deep, dark eyes gazed at her, and finally she lowered her gaze, obediently opening her mouth, letting her act foolishly in this setting.
The sound of the axle turning was so clear. Her eyelashes were wet. She bit the sandalwood bead she had taken from Qiu Lanxi's hand and breathed softly. The sunlight fell on her smooth and supple skin, making her subconsciously curl up in the shadows where the light couldn't penetrate. Wave after wave crashed against the shore.
The slowly moving carriage stopped in front of the princess's residence, but no one got off for a long time.
"Your Highness?"
Yan Qingli ignored them. She lowered her head to smooth out the wrinkles on her clothes and walked out calmly. Her dignified court robes were straight and no one would see the mess beneath them.
Qiu Lanxi calmly jumped off the carriage. Yan Qingli caught her before withdrawing his hand and turning to instruct Dongxue, "Have them put the documents in the side hall."
"yes."
Yan Qingli nodded slightly and looked away as she walked past Qiu Lanxi. She lowered her head and forgot that the ebony bracelet she had taken off had been quietly put back in her hand. The beads, now slightly moistened, were smooth and even more serene. Qiu Lanxi put it back on her wrist and couldn't help but smile.
They were all consciously sinking into depravity.
Chapter 57
Acting as regent for the emperor is not an easy job. Although the power one gains may seem immense, in reality, one cannot fully control any of it. Yet, there are countless matters to attend to, and the slightest misstep can negate all one's efforts.
But at least the Regent can give the person in question an opportunity to learn about and understand the various government departments. It's no exaggeration to say that even if Yan Qingli doesn't become the Crown Princess after the Regent ends, based on what she's learned during this period, she'll be able to make a successful rebellion much easier in the future.
After all, there is a fundamental difference between being in a high position and having overall control.
However, this does not mean that Yan Qingli has much room to maneuver. She must report the results of her handling of political affairs to Emperor Qinghe every day, no matter how small. At most, she can exert some influence, but whether Emperor Qinghe will agree to these influences depends on him.
At first, Qiu Lanxi couldn't quite understand Yan Qingli's actions. It wasn't that she didn't understand why Yan Qingli had to report, but rather why Yan Qingli wanted to have a 'father' above her. But after thinking about it for a while, she understood.
Although Yan Qingli may have enough power to ascend the throne even without Emperor Qinghe, without Emperor Qinghe's personal guarantee, he would still fall into the category of illegitimate accession, and Da Ning would certainly not be at peace.
However, what Da Ning needs most now is to recuperate and rebuild. In an ordinary era, Yan Qingli probably wouldn't have so many concerns, but things are different now. She wants the throne, but she also doesn't want Da Ning to be thrown into chaos again. After all, this is a country that has overdrawn its national strength to win the war. Nearly fifty years of war have only ended a few years ago.
If problems arise again, Da Ning will not have another chance to turn the tide.
Qiu Lanxi felt that perhaps this was the reason why Emperor Qinghe never considered Yan Qingli from the beginning.
He is a man who prioritizes profit. If there is something to gain, he can be far more unconventional than anyone can imagine. For example, Prince Fu, the royal family's scapegoat. Qiu Lanxi has also studied his life and estimated that he took the blame for Emperor Qinghe a lot when he was young. Otherwise, even if he was disabled, he should not have been able to receive the second most favored emperor after Yan Qingli.
If Emperor Qinghe still had any genuine feelings for Yan Qingli, then the way he looked at his sons was like he was picking out products displayed in a shop window, weighing which one looked good on the surface and could last the longest.
A few days before the end of the one-month period, Emperor Qinghe summoned Qiu Lanxi to the palace.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"Um."
If Emperor Qinghe didn't tell her to get up, Qiu Lanxi would just kneel. She was already quite used to it, since Emperor Qinghe had told her to get out more than once or twice.
It's not that she lacks the ability to please others, but strangely, she just likes to repeatedly tread the line of others. Ultimately, she can't resist, but at the same time, she dislikes the other person.
"I am actually quite satisfied with you," Emperor Qinghe said in a flat tone. "In the Great Ning court, you are the only one who dares to speak the truth."
Emperor Qinghe was not as tolerant as ordinary people thought. He was just very clear that if a person only hears praise, it is easy for them to lose sight of themselves. Unfortunately, their position was more fragile than Emperor Qinghe imagined. Perhaps in their eyes, if an emperor can tolerate them so much, how can they not repay him with their lives?
The more loyal they are, the more they worship; the more they worship, the more they deify.
Therefore, it is no longer possible to rationally analyze right and wrong.
They would certainly deify him, because they had witnessed firsthand how Emperor Qinghe had pulled a precarious dynasty to victory.
Therefore, the existence of Qiulanxi perfectly filled that gap.
Although he was getting old and increasingly intolerant of disobedience, Emperor Qinghe suppressed his anger several times, partly because his son was rebellious, and partly because she was eloquent and audacious.
Such a person, if used well, doesn't need sharpening; she's like a fine knife. There's no need to worry about her becoming dull, because she'll only get sharper.
But being too sharp isn't a good thing either.
He seemed lost in memories: "Of all my children, everyone thinks that Shaoguang is the most outstanding, and I think so too."
“When they were young, I was busy fighting the enemy and neglected them. When I came to my senses, I found that they were too mediocre.”
What Emperor Qinghe considered mediocre was actually considered top-notch by ordinary standards. However, the officials of this generation were naturally more capable than those of other periods due to the trials of war, and it would be difficult for an ordinary successor to control them.
"This may be the first and last time I speak my mind to you. Shaoguang has the heart of a king. Everyone thinks that I refused the marriage alliance because of her, but in fact, it was because of her saying, 'Only if Da Ning does not give up an inch of land will the enemy respect you and the people serve you,' that I strongly opposed the marriage alliance. Otherwise, Teng Kingdom would have thought that Da Ning was afraid of it."
"After that, Da Ning and Teng Guo fought for more than ten years, and the annoying flies were indeed gone."
Although it was a war between two powerful nations, some other forces in the surrounding area would not have wanted to miss out on a share of the spoils. However, Emperor Qinghe's actions prevented them from trying to take advantage of the situation.
Because they thought Emperor Qinghe was a mad dog, a mad dog that would bite anyone it could get its hands on, and that it had turned its subordinates into mad dogs as well, they dared not take the risk.
Otherwise, Da Ning would not have been able to wholeheartedly deal with Teng State.
Qiu Lanxi was unaware of this inside story, because even Yan Qingli himself believed that it was a choice made by Emperor Qinghe on impulse. In the end, the most fundamental reason behind this choice was still for profit.
However, Yan Qingli failed to connect the two, probably because when she said that, she wasn't referring to her own marriage alliance, but rather to the situation where a city in Da Ning had been captured, and a group of people were discussing whether to take it back or give up temporarily.