RWNEFE -Chapter 574 A Daughter Can Become the Founder of the Imperial Bloodline!

Wouldn’t that mean she had merely made wedding clothes for others to wear?

“Princess, if Zhou Ruyuan really uses the issue of bloodline as an argument, what should we do?”

Zhou Xinrou had her own considerations, but at this moment she also had no clear solution.

“Send word to the palace. Tell Shen Lanxi to come see me!”

“Yes!”

This matter shouldn’t be her headache. If anyone should worry about it, it ought to be the court.

Shen Lanxi was replying to Che Mingyuan’s letter when the Imperial Guards arrived with a message.

Another letter from the Shen family.

Recently, every time a family letter arrived, nothing good followed.

Sure enough, it was from her mother again.

“You all continue the discussion. I have something to attend to. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

…

“Mother!”

“May I ask if Mother called me here because of Zhou Yanxing’s matter?”

Zhou Xinrou had expected that she had already received the urgent report.

“Yes. You really did predict it.” Compared with their last meeting, which had been tense and confrontational, Zhou Xinrou was not only calm this time but even smiling.

An old servant carefully poured tea for the two of them, then withdrew to guard the door.

“It’s not only Zhou Yanxing. There are many men in the world unwilling to accept that a woman sits in a high position.”

“Those men will surely gather together under this pretext, plotting and attacking you.”

Previously, Zhou Xinrou hadn’t agreed with her reasoning, but now she understood.

“Winning a country is easy; keeping it is far harder,” Shen Lanxi sighed. Those words made Zhou Xinrou fall into deep thought.

“The people Zhou Ruyuan has gathered will certainly use the fact that I am a woman and not of imperial blood to stir up trouble. Even if Mother hadn’t summoned me, I would have come to see you.”

Zhou Xinrou’s gaze hardened.

“Mother, if this matter becomes serious, then I will have no choice but to reveal my true origins to the world.”

The moment she said this, Zhou Xinrou sharply refused.

“No!”

Shen Lanxi frowned, puzzled. “I am of the late Crown Prince’s blood. The blood flowing in me is also royal blood. At that time, Zhou Ruyuan would have no reason to attack me on the issue of bloodline.”

Zhou Xinrou naturally had her own considerations, but she could not tell Shen Lanxi.

“This matter concerns the reputation of both me and the Shen family. The Shen family once saved our mother and daughter—we cannot repay kindness with ingratitude.”

After thinking for a moment, Shen Lanxi seemed to accept the reasoning.

“Mother is right. I did not consider it carefully enough.”

Hearing this, Zhou Xinrou secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Even if you were to say now that you are of the late Crown Prince’s blood, no one would believe it. The common people would think you made it up to counter Zhou Ruyuan. If you truly said such a thing, people might lose trust in you, thinking that for the throne you would stop at nothing—even refusing to acknowledge your ancestors.”

Zhou Xinrou spoke as if she were thinking entirely for Shen Lanxi’s sake.

Shen Lanxi also appeared to listen and understand.

“Mother’s concerns are valid. I almost made a mistake.”

Zhou Xinrou said, “You have the successor of Guiguzi at your side. He is resourceful and surely can think of a way to break the situation.”

Shen Lanxi nodded.

“The State Preceptor has indeed already come up with a response.”

Zhou Xinrou’s eyes flickered with curiosity. “What method?”

Shen Lanxi replied seriously, “The State Preceptor originally planned to depart for Dongchuan, but because of this matter he stayed behind to support me.”

“So what if Zhou Ruyuan has imperial blood? I have the successor of Guiguzi. Throughout history, the successor of Guiguzi only chooses a wise ruler. Since he has come to my side, it proves that I am the ruler destined by Heaven. Compared with the will of the people and the recognition of Heaven, what is a mere bit of bloodline?”

“Are kings and nobles born to their rank? Wasn’t the founder of Great Zhou also someone who seized the realm from others? Before he took the throne, wasn’t he also not of imperial blood?”

“Even if I had no imperial blood, from this generation onward, I myself would be the founder of the imperial bloodline. The imperial bloodline would be rewritten starting with me.”

After hearing this, Zhou Xinrou felt as if waves were crashing in her heart. She was shaken as never before.

“Mother, do you think my words are reasonable?”

Zhou Xinrou secretly dug her nails into her palm, forcing a smile as she praised, “These words of yours are unprecedentedly domineering—and reasonable.”

Shen Lanxi left the Shen residence smiling.

When Shen Yuanhao returned to the capital, Zhang Chuchu’s funeral arrangements were put on the schedule.

On the day of burial, although Shen Lanxi did not personally attend, she had already granted special favor in advance.

Zhang Chuchu was buried with the honors of a Princess Consort of a Prince.

An imperial decree was specially issued to announce it. Although time was short and only the construction of a tomb had been arranged for now, it foreshadowed Shen Lanxi’s next plan.

She intended to enfeoff her brothers as princes.

Among the common people, many gave their own interpretations.

“That’s right. When titles were granted earlier, the Shen brothers weren’t enfeoffed because they were young, their merits insufficient, and they couldn’t command respect.”

“Now it’s clear that His Majesty wasn’t neglecting them—she was thinking long-term. Let them achieve merit first, then grant titles so everyone will accept it!”

This explanation spread through the capital like the wind.

The Shen family naturally heard it as well.

Their rise to power had been recent, so royal mausoleums and such could not keep pace with events.

Since she already had the burial rites of a Princess Consort, what need was there to worry about a princely tomb? At worst, they could move her remains later once the imperial mausoleum was completed.

Many members of the Shen family were greatly encouraged. The earlier idea of handling the burial perfunctorily was immediately overturned.

Even though it was not a happy event, it had to be done grandly.

As the in-laws, the Zhang family also felt honored.

Although their daughter had died, she was now firmly established as a Princess Consort.

They were the maternal family of a Princess Consort, and moreover, she had left behind a son—

A son who had been adopted by the Emperor herself, and acknowledged by her.

“Petty families will always be petty families. The person is already dead—what use is the title of Princess Consort?” Shen Yuantang said, undisguised contempt on her face.

Among the younger women present, only Shen Yuantang dared to speak so bluntly.

After she left, the others began whispering.

“Do you think in the future we might also be granted titles—County Lady, Commandery Princess, or even Princess?”

“We’re not born of the same mother as His Majesty, but becoming a Commandery Princess should still be possible.”

“At the very least, the men in the family will be princes. Yuanhao is from the third branch, yet even his wife was buried with the rites of a Princess Consort. The men of the other branches will surely at least be princes.”

“If the other branches all become princes, then those of the main branch will certainly be ranked even higher.”

While the young women were discussing, the daughters-in-law also gathered to talk.

“Zhang Chuchu was simply unlucky. If she had lived a few more years, her status would have been completely different.”

“Eldest Sister-in-law, you’ll at least be a princess consort. Elder Brother is valued by His Majesty and holds great influence in the literary world of the capital—you two will surely be the first to be enfeoffed.”

Hu Jinyu was pleased inwardly, though she still scolded them on the surface.

“This is a funeral. It’s not appropriate to say such things.”

Hearing this, the daughters-in-law restrained themselves.

Though they kept a straight face, their thoughts had already soared far away.

His Majesty had issued a verbal order forbidding the men of the Shen family from taking concubines, and their husbands had obediently complied.

But what about in the long run?

Before other women could enter the household, it would be best to have more children to secure their positions.