After all, Yan Qingli was quite young at that time, and the marriage proposal came suddenly, leaving her probably bewildered.
“Over the years, Shaoguang has done a good job, except for one thing,” Emperor Qinghe finally revealed his true intentions, “An emperor cannot have a throat that can be controlled by others. A thief is a thief, a thief is a thief of the heart. If even the heart can be stolen, how can one be a good emperor?”
"Only by sacrificing you can Shaoguang become a true emperor."
Qiu Lanxi listened half-heartedly, only looking up at him after he finished speaking: "How can you give it up?"
“I will not kill you,” Emperor Qinghe said. “As long as you resign and go into seclusion, as long as you remain in this court, Shaoguang will never have a moment of peace.”
"Besides, you must be suffering too, right? Serving an enemy country, you have to suppress Teng, and you're even despised by the people of Teng whom you protect. If that's the case, why not go back?"
"Then Your Majesty will be disappointed. I was having a wonderful time in the court of Da Ning," Qiu Lanxi said with a smile.
In fact, since Qiu Lanxi became famous, the people who criticized her the most were not from Ningguo, but from Tengguo. In their eyes, it was a huge crime that she did not commit suicide to die for her country when she was taken away by the enemy. Not to mention that after she entered the court as an official, she not only did not seek benefits for Tengguo, but also oppressed and suppressed it.
That's for sure. Teng State won't be able to rise to prominence for at least three generations, otherwise Ning State would have wasted its time conquering Teng State and would have caused trouble.
In Emperor Qinghe's eyes, Qiu Lanxi made these decisions unwillingly, and she often showed her annoyance towards the people in the court. However, he was wrong about one thing: Qiu Lanxi's pain and annoyance were not because she hated the people of this era, but because she hated the system imposed on everyone by this era and was annoyed that the vast majority of people took all of this for granted.
Qiu Lanxi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I think you don't need to worry so much. Prince Shaoguang has his own considerations. I don't care what people think of me. Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not be crushed by rumors."
Emperor Qinghe: "..." He said with suppressed anger, "Can't you think about Shaoguang?"
"If she ascends the throne with this stain on her reputation, what will the world say about her?!"
Qiu Lanxi said indifferently, "What does that have to do with me?"
"Your Highness is Your Highness, and I am I. Why should I give up everything I have worked so hard for because of her?"
Seeing that Emperor Qinghe's gaze was already sharpening with hostility, Qiu Lanxi remained unmoved: "Your Majesty need not worry that I will disrupt the court. I have no interest in the restoration of Teng Kingdom. I merely wish to walk my own path in my limited life, and then, like a candle, offer a little more light and warmth, to show all the women in the world who do not deserve to be human that everyone is an independent individual. Anyone can influence you and change you, but only you can control your own life."
Emperor Qinghe looked at her as if she were a madwoman.
Qiu Lanxi naturally understood that doing such things and saying such things in this era was no different from being crazy. She hadn't even learned to crawl yet, but she was trying to run. The sooner someone woke up, the sooner fewer people would suffer.
Even in her time, there was no shortage of people brainwashed by male chauvinism; the sooner they had been, the fewer tragedies there would have been.
Although more people may die in the process, and although she may only be lighting a match that will soon burn out.
Emperor Qinghe: "Even if everyone turns against you because of this?"
"Though there be thousands of people against me, I will go; even if I die nine times, I will not regret it!"
Qiu Lanxi understood very well that only she could do this kind of thing, because even if Yan Qingli came to power, she could not become an extreme feminist. After all, this was a patriarchal society. If she were too obviously biased, all the men in the world would be in an uproar. In this era, men were still in charge, and there were no women in the household.
Therefore, she could only take sides, but she couldn't ignore the thoughts of those men in officialdom.
This may explain why the women around Yan Qingli are somewhat 'different' from this era. However, if it weren't for Qiu Lanxi's arrival, Yan Qingli's idea would undoubtedly have failed, because compared to Yan Qingli, the vast majority of them still chose to bow to reality.
Because they can be influenced by Yan Qingli, but similarly, everything around them is constantly correcting the influence brought about by Yan Qingli.
Emperor Qinghe gave her a deep look: "You may leave."
"Your subject takes his leave."
Qiu Lanxi bowed and withdrew.
After a long silence, Emperor Qinghe said, "You heard what she said, didn't you?"
Yan Qingli lowered her eyes slightly: "Your subject thinks she is very right." She lifted her robe and knelt down, "I beg Your Majesty to grant my request."
Emperor Qinghe gazed at her for a long time before slowly saying, "You need an heir."
Yan Qingli: "It's not like my brothers can't have children."
"Are you willing to do that?"
Unless absolutely necessary, no one would willingly give away everything they have worked so hard for to outsiders.
Yan Qingli calmly said, "I damaged my foundation back then and cannot conceive."
Emperor Qinghe: "Is that really so?"
"really."
"roll!"
Yan Qingli prostrated himself deeply on the ground: "Your subject takes his leave."
Whether it's true or not, when she says it, it has to be true. But if it is true, how come none of the many imperial physicians noticed anything amiss back then?
But Yan Qingli didn't care, and neither did Emperor Qinghe.
They all just need an attitude.
Emperor Qinghe did not care whether Qiu Lanxi would disrupt the court. In the end, a subject is still a subject. If the ruler is determined to target him, the price may be severe, but it is not impossible to eliminate him.
His concern, as he himself said, was that an emperor should not have weaknesses.
And they showed him through their actions that his worries were unnecessary. In Emperor Qinghe's view, Qiu Lanxi's words were less her own opinion and more Yan Qingli's political proposition. Every person in a high position has their own political propositions that they will practice, all for the sake of leaving a name in history. However, even if it is their own political proposition, they do not necessarily have to stand in the spotlight.
Because they also cannot discern how fiercely the interest groups opposed this political proposition will be. If they are not the ones being pushed forward, and they see that things cannot be changed, they might as well push the person in front of them out to their death and end it all.
Emperor Qinghe did not initially not want to do so; it was simply because he had no one else to rely on.
Whether Qiu Lanxi was loyal or not was secondary; for the vast majority of officials, loyalty to their own families far outweighed loyalty to the imperial family.
Emperor Qinghe tapped the table lightly for a long time before saying, "Someone, summon Prince Fu."
...
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
"This may be the first and last time I tell you what's on my mind..."
...
Qiu Lanxi was unaware that Emperor Qinghe had spoken with almost all of his adult princes, but she guessed that Emperor Qinghe would try to keep the transition of power as smooth as possible, because Da Ning needed to recuperate and rebuild, and he would not allow significant internal troubles to arise again after the external threats had just subsided.
As for why Emperor Qinghe sought her out, if she could resolve the matter without bloodshed, he certainly wouldn't mind. Even if he didn't, it wouldn't be a big deal. Qiu Lanxi believed that her words were enough to deceive him.
As for what Yan Qingli will do, that's up to the other party.
When she arrived and found Yan Qingli missing, she sensed something was amiss, but she didn't care.
Yan Qingli has been busy with her career these days and often doesn't return until late at night, so Qiu Lanxi didn't intend to wait for her. Whether Yan Qingli knew or not, she didn't intend to tell her about what happened today.
It wasn't until late at night that Qiu Lanxi felt a dent in her side. She reached out and hugged the other person, rubbing against them in her sleep.
Yan Qingli lowered his head and kissed her.
Qiu Lanxi was disturbed and unable to sleep: "Your Highness?"
"It's okay, go to sleep."
She ultimately didn't ask whether her words, "Though there be thousands of people, I will go," included herself.
But at least she herself... would never regret it, even if it meant dying.
Chapter 58
The month-long period passed in the blink of an eye, and Emperor Qinghe reappeared in the court.
Qiu Lanxi had reason to believe that he had really been recuperating for the past month. It is difficult for a person's mind to remain clear for a lifetime. Whether they are willing to admit it or not, most people experience a decline in various bodily functions after the age of fifty, including their mental state.
In ancient times, when the average lifespan was not long, this time would have been even shorter. If Emperor Qinghe had not practiced martial arts, his health might have collapsed during the war.
Nevertheless, Qiu Lanxi could see that he was losing energy.
For a rational person, he would inevitably start thinking of countermeasures. He would not let others ruin Da Ning, much less want to destroy the foundation he had worked so hard to build in the first half of his life.
During this month, Qiu Lanxi conducted several character profiles of him and came to a surprising conclusion: Emperor Qinghe was not yet senile. Did he really not know that his high-pressure tactics would only have a counterproductive effect on the Crown Prince?
Therefore, he came to a bold conclusion: Emperor Qinghe was cooperating with Yan Qingli's actions.
Was it because of feelings? Qiu Lanxi thought not. If given a choice, Emperor Qinghe would definitely prefer to find a male successor. There was no reason; that was what he was taught from childhood. He was simply more rational.
Human pursuits are nothing more than a few things. Modern people are more interested in wealth, but for Emperor Qinghe, the pursuit was clearly to leave a mark on history. He not only wanted to leave a mark on history, but also wanted to surpass all emperors and become the number one.
Emperor Qinghe would certainly be willing to devote himself wholeheartedly to this goal.
In the first half of his life, he meticulously planned and executed every step to stabilize the precarious state of Daming. He succeeded, but after achieving his goal, he felt empty. So he began to think about what else he could do.
So he began to push for reforms, but every emperor who wanted to exact revenge would push for reforms, and that wasn't enough.
The mind of an emperor is not easily swayed by ordinary people. Qiu Lanxi believes that it was not Yan Qingli who moved him, nor her words that influenced him, but rather that he himself realized there was profit to be made in this.
A proper calculation will reveal the truth. Yan Qingli has already demonstrated her abilities, and she is indeed superior to the current generation. Therefore, Emperor Qinghe's decision to support her as emperor is not a cause for concern that she will cause chaos in Da Ning in the future. On the contrary, in order to prove that she is no less capable than men and that she has not made Emperor Qinghe make the wrong choice, she will definitely be diligent and hardworking after taking the throne.
In this situation, how will later generations evaluate Emperor Qinghe?
He turned the tide and led the once-despised Great Ning to victory. He recruited many wise ministers and wisely passed the throne to a more outstanding female heir. When future generations look back on history, they will remember that there was once such a wise, powerful, tolerant and open-minded emperor in the world. This is a glory that even Yan Qingli, who became the first female emperor in history, could not suppress.
Because she was the successor personally appointed by Emperor Qinghe.
The heat map beneath our feet is proud of him; he not only protected this land but also expanded the territory of Ningguo.
Even centuries later, people will still sing his praises.
Everyone will remember that there was an emperor who would rather die than make peace through marriage, and a wise ruler who recruited talents without being bound by convention.
What about Yan Qingli? Did she already see what Emperor Qinghe wanted most?
Qiu Lanxi didn't think too much about it. Now that things had settled down, she only had one thought: her cultivation was not deep enough. Compared to herself, this 'fox spirit,' most people in the court actually looked more like foxes than she did.
As Qiu Lanxi expected, the first thing Emperor Qinghe announced after his return was to appoint Yan Qingli as Crown Princess.
However, to everyone's surprise, the princes seemed to have accepted reality and none of them stood up to object. This left the ministers bewildered. If the main contenders for the throne were not standing up, then who were they standing up for?
The princes remained silent, their eyes fixed on their noses and their minds. Ever since Emperor Qinghe had his "heart-to-heart talk" with them, they had come to realize the reality that Emperor Qinghe was not a benevolent ruler. No one understood Emperor Qinghe's control over the court better than his sons. The great victory of Ning Kingdom had pushed his prestige to its peak. If he really wanted to put someone on the throne, no minister in the court could stop him.
Emperor Qinghe's favor towards Shaoguang since childhood was obvious to all. When the Crown Prince ascended the throne, they were still confident that they could bring him down because they knew that Emperor Qinghe would not care about the life or death of the Crown Prince, but only about the other party's ability. At first, Shaoguang's "fall from favor" did indeed temporarily deceive them, and they were hesitant to take action against the Crown Prince. However, when the truth came out, they immediately became more frantic and ruthless in their actions.
However, Shaoguang was different. They had reason to believe that if they showed even the slightest hostility towards Shaoguang, whom their father had personally promoted, their father would not hesitate to eliminate them before Shaoguang could even arrive.
Why am I so sure? There are precedents. When Ningguo and Tengguo were locked in a fierce battle, Emperor Qinghe rarely entered the harem. His first son, born after his ascension to the throne, was naturally deeply favored. Therefore, he did not pay much attention to Princess Shaoguang.
Then, Emperor Qinghe said that he was too violent and personally sent him to a Buddhist temple. He was given no official title or status, and many newly appointed officials probably did not even know that there was such a prince in Da Ning.
Of course, the most important thing is that although Shaoguang is going to become the emperor, her successor will be chosen from among their children!
This alone was enough to suppress their resentment. After all, Emperor Qinghe had personally told them this: if they agreed, everything would remain the same; if they disagreed, the other party would definitely suppress them until they had no power to resist.
The court officials dared to argue with Emperor Qinghe because they knew he was magnanimous. However, the Emperor Qinghe they knew was not like that at all. He had said that he only needed obedient offspring who satisfied him. Perhaps he had long forgotten what he said while drunk, but every young prince remembered his words and even his eyes clearly.