RWNEFE -Chapter 537 Zhou Ruyuan Waited in Vain

Che Mingyuan accompanied Shen Lanxi in seeing Wang Bao off from the palace.

Unlike the forty imperial envoys before—those bald eunuchs sent on missions—when Wang Bao departed, Shen Lanxi granted him an imperial carriage and half the ceremonial honors of a prince.

“Your Majesty seems reluctant to part with him?” Che Mingyuan said, looking at Wang Bao in the distance, still leaning out and waving. He raised a hand and waved back.

Shen Lanxi replied, “He was the emperor’s close attendant. With him there to hold authority, when officials from Dongchuan arrive in Shu and Qianzhou, no one will dare bully them.”

There was another reason as well: Wang Bao had two masters in his heart. She could understand that—but she could not keep him.

The next day at court, the person standing to Shen Lanxi’s right had been replaced by a stranger, and he was not dressed as a eunuch.

Sharp-eyed officials recognized him. On the day of the enthronement ceremony, he had been the leader of the delegation that brought gifts from Ghost Valley.

The ministers gained a deeper understanding of just how loyal Ghost Valley was to Shen Lanxi.

Meanwhile, Zhou Ruyuan still refused to give up on his plan. He was convinced that a woman on the throne would inevitably stir public resentment, and once uprisings broke out across the land, he could seize the moment to raise his royal banner.

Unfortunately, he waited and waited—even until Shen Lanxi had fully ascended the throne—yet his expectations were not fulfilled.

“I refuse to believe Shen Lanxi can make all the people submit,” he said. “If it were a man, perhaps—but a woman? Impossible.”

Jiang Wuya replied, “If Your Highness is not in a hurry, you may wait a little longer.”

Zhou Ruyuan agreed that the time had not yet come. So he waited another month. Still, there was no turmoil coming from the capital, and he grew anxious.

“No. I must personally go among the people and investigate.”

Jiang Wuya accompanied him.

…

They came to a patch of farmland.

“Old sir,” Zhou Ruyuan asked, puzzled, “the current emperor is a woman. Why are you still farming so cheerfully?”

The old farmer, bent over the soil, looked up. His dark, wrinkled face was full of contented smiles.

“If we don’t farm, what else would we do? Whoever is emperor, we common folk still need to eat.”

Zhou Ruyuan felt exasperated. “With a woman as emperor, aren’t you afraid of heavenly punishment or chaos in the realm?”

The old farmer shook his head and waved his hand. “I don’t understand those things. I only know that last year our family reclaimed ten more mu of wasteland. Those ten mu don’t have to pay taxes, and the taxes on our old fields were reduced by thirty percent. The government repaired the canals, and we plant drought-resistant grain now. Since last year, our family hasn’t gone hungry, and no one in the village has starved to death.”

Having rested enough, the farmer lifted his hoe and went back to weeding under the blazing sun.

Zhou Ruyuan fell silent and moved on to another place.

“A woman as emperor? Fine by me,” said a shopkeeper. “Since last year, a lot of the messy taxes on our shop have been reduced, and no one dares come cause trouble. Whoever the emperor is doesn’t matter—as long as we can earn a steady living.”

They went somewhere else.

“The new emperor who just took the throne treats the common people well. In previous years at this time, the streets would be full of begging children. Have you seen any this year?”

…

Zhou Ruyuan stubbornly questioned people all day, but the answers were much the same.

Whoever was emperor was of little concern to ordinary people. What they cared about was whether there would be war, natural disasters, or anything that threatened their food and livelihood.

Jiang Wuya commented, “These commoners really have no sense of principle.”

After returning, Zhou Ruyuan locked himself in his room for a day. When he finally came out, he sent someone to deliver a message to Zhou Qiwou.

He was willing to meet Wang Xiangyi to consider a marriage.

When Zhou Qiwou received the news, she immediately summoned her daughter.

“That short-lived wretch surnamed Liu delayed your prospects. This time we must seize the opportunity. Once you marry Zhou Ruyuan and he ascends the throne, you will be empress, and I will be the most honored princess in the realm.”

Thinking of Zhou Ruyuan’s appearance, Wang Xiangyi felt her heart flutter and couldn’t stop the smile on her lips.

News from Jinmen soon reached Shen Lanxi.

“Your Majesty intended for Zhou Ruyuan to go to Jinmen, didn’t you?” Che Mingyuan was already certain in his heart.

He had long witnessed her strategic foresight—planning a hundred steps ahead with every move. How could she leave such a great threat as Zhou Ruyuan unattended?

“You understand me well, Strategist Che,” Shen Lanxi said with a smile.

Che Mingyuan was not curious about other matters; what intrigued him was that someone close to Zhou Ruyuan, capable of influencing his decisions, must be working for them.

Seeing Che Mingyuan frowning in thought, Shen Lanxi decided not to conceal it.

“Jiang Wuya.”

Che Mingyuan was startled. “Who?”

Shen Lanxi smiled. “The so-called heir of the Thatched Cottage—Jiang Wuya.”

Che Mingyuan knew of the Thatched Cottage and had heard of Jiang Wuya, but he had never connected the title with that person.

“Jiang Wuya is the successor of the Thatched Cottage?” That fool who stands beside Zhou Ruyuan?

Shen Lanxi glanced at Che Mingyuan’s indignant expression and said, “A fake.”

Where would she find a real successor of the Thatched Cottage?

“A fake? … That makes sense then.”

“If Jiang Wuya were truly the successor of the Thatched Cottage, then I’d be the successor of Ghost Valley,” Che Mingyuan joked.

Shen Lanxi blinked. “Strategist Che truly has sharp insight.”

There was rivalry between rulers and princes; naturally, there was rivalry among strategists and advisers as well.

Because of his origins in the southwest, Che Mingyuan had always disliked Zhou Ruyuan. If Zhou Ruyuan had truly gained the aid of a genuine Thatched Cottage successor, it would have seemed as if Heaven itself were blind.

“So Jiang Wuya is one of ours?” Che Mingyuan asked, remembering the main point.

Shen Lanxi smiled and nodded, saying nothing more.

More than a month had passed since the great conferrals. Those who had reunited with their families had done so, and now it was time to depart for their posts.

All of them were people Shen Lanxi had promoted and valued; when they left, she personally saw them off.

Soon it was the turn of the Shen family’s young men.

“This time you will all go your separate ways. Next time, I fear there will be few chances for all of you to gather together again,” Shen Lanxi said with a sigh.

Most of the Shen family’s sons had chosen the path of military officers. Besides fighting wars, they also had to guard the frontiers.

Even if they returned to the capital, it would be impossible to summon them all back at once.

They all understood this, which made them cherish their reunion even more.

“Eldest brother, take care. Send word by carrier pigeon when you arrive.”

“Third brother, take care. Let’s keep in touch by letters.”

“Yuanpeng, Yuanhao—learn well from your superiors!”

They had already taken leave of the Shen family at home; this farewell was between ruler and subjects, as Shen Lanxi saw them off in her capacity as emperor.

Shen Yuanjing said, “Your Majesty, conditions at the frontier are harsh. The children have reached the age to begin their studies. I wish to send them to the capital.”

Shen Lanxi nodded. “Very well. Make arrangements after you return. I will have the Shen family’s children enrolled in the Imperial Academy.”

Hearing her agree, the other young men of the Shen family immediately expressed their thanks.

“Many thanks for Your Majesty’s great grace!”

When the time came, they all bowed in farewell. Shen Lanxi stood where she was, watching them leave.

Dust rolled in the distance, gradually settling, until even their shadows disappeared. Only then did Shen Lanxi turn and leave.

“Your Majesty,” someone reported, “news has come from the residence of the Deposed Prince. The concubine-born son raised by Bai Qingling… has died.”