Chapter 199

Chapter 199

After the spring break, the biggest shock to the court was the emperor’s dismissal of Cui Xuan from his position as chancellor and his exile from the capital to serve as the Qiantang Governor.

Every eye in the court was locked on Cui Xuan.

Cui Xuan had risen to fame at a young age. Since stepping into the court at eighteen, he had always held a lofty position, never once falling from grace. In the past, he could openly defy the late Emperor Su Yan, and even after Su Yu ascended the throne, he continued to rise steadily, becoming the youngest chancellor in Great Qi.

No one expected Cui Xuan’s fall to come so fast—let alone be booted from the capital by Su Yu to a place as remote as Qiantang, far from the heartland.

For a moment, the gazes directed at him were mixed with complex emotions, though most carried a sense of schadenfreude at the downfall of the once-untouchable Master Cui.

Cui Xuan wasn’t oblivious to the malice in those stares. He simply straightened his back and executed a perfect bow of thanks to Su Yu.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Yu mentioned the token granted by the late emperor, which allowed prestigious family heads unrestricted entry to the palace. Since Cui Xuan was leaving for Qiantang, the token would be of no use to him and should be returned to her.

Without a word, Cui Xuan personally handed the token back to Su Yu.

Those around them were taken aback that the esteemed Master Cui would yield so easily to the emperor. A quiet sense that the Cui family was fading began to spread, and the glances directed at Cui Xuan grew increasingly dismissive.

Beside Cui Xuan, Xie Yiguan’s eyes narrowed slightly. On the first day of the new year, the emperor had even taken him to dine at the Cui residence—not exactly how you treat someone you’re discarding. Moreover, knowing Cui Xuan as he did, Xie Yiguan knew that for all his arrogance, Cui Xuan would never have formed a deep connection with the Qiantang Governor, much less take bribes from him.

Most importantly, though Xie Yiguan disliked Cui Xuan personally, he never doubted Cui Xuan’s loyalty to the emperor.

After a long pause, Xie Yiguan concluded that this was likely a strategic move by the emperor—purposely shipping Cui Xuan off to Qiantang.

He turned slightly and said to Cui Xuan, "Congratulations."

The officials gaped. If anyone could land such a barbed jab to Cui Xuan’s face, it was Xie Yiguan. Clearly, the two were far from friends.

Cui Xuan gave a reserved nod. As he left the palace, he walked alone, his frosty glare kept even would-be mockers at bay, only whispering behind his back.

The officials turned their attention to the smiling Xie Yiguan, eager to join him in disparaging Cui Xuan. But Xie Yiguan was slick—he’d already pivoted the conversation before they could start. By the time he gracefully took his leave, they realized they’d talked in circles without saying anything.

Left with no other option, the officials shifted their focus to Yao Feiming. After all, among the three, Yao Feiming had the longest tenure as premier.

They turned to him with smiles and said, "Premier Xie is truly formidable. With just two words, he got under Governor Cui’s skin—ah, no, Governor Cui’s skin was always that shade."

Yao Feiming offered a fair assessment: "That wasn’t anger. He never cracked a smile even when you kissed up to him."

The officials: "..."

Before they could say more, Yao Feiming, despite his advanced age, bolted off faster than they could follow.

Meanwhile, Li Jianxing, head of the Li family, made a special visit to the Cui residence before Cui Xuan’s departure to console him: "Qiantang is a decent place. I imagine Her Majesty merely intends for you to gain experience there temporarily."

Cui Xuan did not deny it.

As Li Jianxing left the Cui residence, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. In just a few years, the five great families had fallen to such a state.

After some hesitation, he paid a visit to the Wang family. He said to Wang Rui, "Cui Xingjian has done nothing to wrong your family. Why must you act this way?"

Wang Rui, convinced that his impeachment had brought Cui Xuan down from the chancellorship, was brimming with self-satisfaction. He retorted coldly, "You come to admonish me now? When Cui Xingjian targeted my son, where were you then, hiding like a turtle?"

Hiding? You’re the one who’s been shelled up for years! Besides, Wang Rui ought to consider what his son had actually done! Furious, Li Jianxing turned and left.

As Wang Rui plotted further revenge against Cui Xuan, Wang Ruo paid him another visit.

Expecting her advice, he was taken aback when she said, "Father, quit while you’re ahead."

Wang Rui's face immediately turned cold. "You're just a married-off daughter now, yet your elder brother's grudge remains unavenged."

Wang Ruo replied calmly, "Jiangnan is the Emperor's treasury. Not to mention last year's cloth production in Jiangnan equaled the sum of the previous five years, filling the coffers to overflowing—just consider how the current Zhenhai Army's Commander Xiao has long been close friends with Master Cui. By placing Master Cui in the position of Qiantang Governor, the Emperor's motives surely run deeper than they appear on the surface. Master Cui is someone the Emperor values."

She paused briefly before countering, "Father, remember you have other sons besides your eldest. Your eighth son is still in Lingnan—do you not wish for his return?"

Wang Rui froze. With his eldest son dead, Wang Mo had become his weakness. No matter how much resentment he harbored, he dared not gamble with Wang Mo’s future.

Seeing his silence, Wang Ruo continued leisurely, "Since His Majesty has reclaimed the Cui family’s palace token (a special pass for entering the imperial palace), the Wang family shouldn’t keep theirs either."

Thus, the Wang family backed down and even voluntarily surrendered their palace token, to Su Yu's surprise.

Xie Yiguan remarked, "Must've been Madam Shangguan's doing."

"Madam Shangguan, the Minister’s wife?" Su Yu recalled Wang Ruo’s existence and figured it was her handiwork behind Wang Rui’s earlier proposal advocating women’s participation in the imperial examinations. "Is Madam Shangguan in delicate health?"

She remembered both Shang Guanyi and Xie Yiguan mentioning Wang Ruo’s delicate health.

"Yes," Xie Yiguan confirmed.

As expected, Su Yu’s expression turned regretful. He smiled and said, "Husband and wife work as one. If Your Majesty employs Minister Shangguan more often, Madam Shangguan will inevitably step in to assist whenever he encounters difficulties."

This way, not only could Wang Ruo be put to use, but two people’s labor could be secured for one salary.

Su Yu couldn’t help but give Xie Yiguan a thumbs-up—when it came to cunning, Xie Yiguan was no less than she.

With both the Cui and Wang families surrendering their tokens, the Li family naturally couldn’t hold onto theirs either. Li Jianxing needed no persuasion and promptly handed his over.

On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, Cui Xuan set off for Qiantang. He departed at dawn without informing anyone, making all possible haste to reach Jiangnan.

He had visited Jiangnan in his youth, when it was a place of demure courtesans on pleasure boats, filled with sweet, lingering tunes that dared not be too bold—unlike the current bustling scene, with textile workshops everywhere and chattering weavers filling the streets.

Cui Xuan frowned. While the prosperity of textile workshops was a good thing, their uncontrolled spread might not be.

A new broom sweeps clean. Cui Xuan implemented zoning regulations, dictating where workshops could operate—especially dyeing workshops, which were forbidden near residential areas to prevent water pollution.

Cui Xuan’s methods were firm and uncompromising.

Jiangnan’s wealthy merchants tried bribing him with gold, silver, and even beauties—all were refused.

Left with no choice, the merchants complied. Yet the rumor that had spread in the capital now resurfaced in Qiantang:

They claimed that Qiantang Governor Cui Xuan, well into his twenties without a wife or concubine and rejecting all beauties, must surely have a penchant for male companions.

Thus, someone discreetly sent him a young male attendant. Cui Xuan’s face darkened. He imprisoned the offender for three days and made a show of demanding their family come to bail them out, effectively putting a stop to this nonsense.

The first ripples were just the beginning.

Once Cui Xuan had regulated Qiantang’s workshops, he traveled to Taiyuan to discuss coal transportation with the new Taiyuan Prefect. They agreed to go halves on the cost of expanding the official road for coal transport between Taiyuan and Qiantang.

However, Taiyuan’s coal production couldn’t meet demand, so Cui Xuan sought out additional coal workshops.

Upon hearing the sums involved in these transactions, the new Taiyuan Prefect—a certain Liu, promoted by Su Yu from the Ministry of Revenue—felt like he'd missed out on a fortune.

Being financially savvy, he wondered: If coal-fired machines could increase fabric output, why couldn’t they also increase coal output?

After all, the steam reeling machine had been developed by Du Changxuan, the Surveillance Commissioner of the Hedong regional command, who was based right in Taiyuan.

The Taiyuan Prefect leveraged the region's geographical advantages to summon Du Changxuan, and after some discussion, the two successfully repurposed the steam engine for coal mining.

With the significant increase in coal production, more civilians became aware of steam engines. Due to the court's top-down emphasis on this technology, even more individuals began to innovate and expand its applications.

After staying in Qiantang for about half a year, Cui Xuan saw the launch of the first steamship on the waterways of Qiantang. The journey from Qiantang to the capital now took only five days, matching the speed of the fastest overland couriers.

Thus, Cui Xuan wrote a lengthy memorial (some ten thousand words), which he handed over to Su Yu through the Security Bureau—

This was not his first memorial, but his previous ones had always been concise. Though he had much to say, he ultimately pared down to just the essential official matters, concealing his personal sentiments.

This lengthy memorial, however, contained no trace of personal emotion. He began by detailing the long-standing issues in Qiantang, covering everything from local bureaucrats to merchant guilds. He then summarized his actions over the past six months, highlighting what could serve as a model for other regional governments, what needed improvement, and his five-year plan for the future.

Cui Xuan spent several days drafting this memorial before turning his gaze to a dressing case beside him.

With the increase in coal production, more coal was used in metallurgy, which in turn improved gold-forging techniques. Craftsmen could now produce finer gold powder, inspiring him to design this red-lacquered dressing case with gold-inlaid lotus petal motifs. Apart from the intricate engravings of peonies, lotuses, chrysanthemums, and plum blossoms—representing the four seasons—along its twelve ridges, he secretly engraved a pair of golden mandarin ducks at the bottom.

This dressing case was naturally intended as a gift for Su Yu. However, the presence of the mandarin ducks made Cui Xuan hesitate. If he gave it to her, would she think him too forward?

Feeling that presenting just the dressing case might seem too abrupt, he went to a jewelry shop and bought two jade hairpins, a pair of jade bracelets, and a set of jade pendants. After purchasing them, he worried it might appear overly deliberate, so he casually added some common gold and silver baubles he normally disdained to make the gift seem less conspicuous.

When Cui Xuan handed the memorial and the weighty dressing case to Head of the Security Bureau Cheng Jinyuan, the latter fell silent.

As per protocol, Cheng Jinyuan had to thoroughly inspect anything intended for the emperor to ensure no harmful substances were hidden within. But upon seeing the case filled with gold and jade, his mouth twisted, and he asked with a hint of envy, "Can a prefect's half-year salary afford all this?"

Cui Xuan paused before countering, "How much is a prefect's half-year salary?"

Cheng Jinyuan: "?" He wasn’t a prefect—how would he know?

Reading his expression, Cui Xuan deduced he had no idea. Since the Security Bureau represented the emperor, he explained, "A Minister of the third rank earns only eight thousand coins a month, and a local prefect’s salary is even lower. So, I leave financial matters to my steward, who only shows me the monthly ledger. The Cui family has some wealth—buying these items isn’t an issue."

Cheng Jinyuan, who lived solely on his monthly salary, grew even more envious after hearing this.

When Su Yu received the dressing case, she too fell silent. Cui Xuan had clearly spent a fortune, but beyond the obvious luxury of the gold and jade, she couldn't decipher any hidden meaning behind it. What exactly was his intention?

Unable to figure it out immediately, she set the case aside and turned to the memorial first.

After reading it, Su Yu couldn’t help but marvel—this was why he was one of the male leads. In her world, this memorial would be a comprehensive report, combining self-assessment, regional progress reports, practical experience, and a five-year plan. Every word was substantive, devoid of empty rhetoric, and the lessons Cui Xuan summarized could be applied to other cities and prefectures.

She had originally planned to keep Cui Xuan in Qiantang for only half a year to stabilize the situation, but he had taken his role as a local official so seriously that he transformed Qiantang into the leading district in Jiangnan. Now, she was reluctant to recall him to the capital—she’d rather send him to other districts to replicate his success.

Su Yu sighed regretfully, "Why did the author limit it to just four male leads?"

If only she could have a dozen such capable male leads.

The system comforted her, "Host, don’t worry. The affection points of all four male leads are almost maxed out. We’ll complete the mission soon—no need to add more male leads to increase the success rate."

Su Yu chuckled. If the system had a physical form, she'd have given its head an affectionate pat at that moment.

Cui Xuan and Yu Chiyi had solidified their positions in Jiangnan and Hebei, respectively. Meanwhile, over the past six months, the tales Su Yu had circulated became widely spread among the people of Great Qi.

As the stories spread, the common folk began embellishing Su Yu’s identity. Some claimed the emperor was the reincarnation of Vimalakirti Devi, hence the ability to shift between male and female forms—choosing to be a man when desired and reverting to the heavenly maiden when wished.

Others felt that the identity of a mere heavenly maiden was unworthy of their exalted emperor. They believed the emperor must have an even grander origin—perhaps the Buddha who enlightened the heavenly maiden. He had descended personally to enlighten more people, which was why he was purifying the monasteries. In mortal terms, this was akin to "rooting out corruption."

It sounded perfectly logical.

Su Yu felt the preparations were nearly complete. Coincidentally, during this period, the Tiele nomads from the northern deserts frequently harassed Shuozhou. She took the opportunity to transfer Wei Jiong from Tongzhou to Shuozhou, leaving no armed faction in the Central Plains that could threaten her.

She also made the Revenue Bureau fully autonomous, establishing the Imperial Treasury Office outside the Six Ministries and Nine Courts. This new institution would oversee all of Great Qi’s banks and state-owned lands, with Liu Wushi promoted as its director.

None of the ministers objected, for after all, the emperor had previously created the position of Revenue Bureau Minister for Liu Wushi. Now, establishing an Office of the Treasury for him was hardly surprising.

They glanced at Liu Wushi's face, convinced he was a seductive fox spirit who had the emperor under his spell, and grew deeply concerned that the emperor might have same-sex inclinations, risking the imperial lineage. They petitioned again, pressing the emperor to wed without delay.

On a summer evening, the radiant sunset blazed across the sky. Su Yu summoned Yao Feiming, Xie Yiguan, Gao Lan, Yuan Ling, Liu Wushi, and Cheng Heyuan—those she heavily relied upon—to the imperial study, while ordering the Security Bureau to stand guard outside.

She said, "I intend to dress as a woman and hold another enthronement ceremony, changing the era name to Tianding."

Su Yu's tone was casual, as if she were merely mentioning having hotpot for lunch.

Yao Feiming's first reaction was, "The enthronement ceremony is too costly. Would holding another one be wasteful?"

Liu Wushi, however, stared at Su Yu in disbelief before cautiously asking, "Y-Your Majesty? Why wear women's clothing?"

Su Yu smiled at him and replied matter-of-factly, "I am a woman. Isn't it normal to wear women's clothing?"

"Even if Your Majesty is a woman, there's no need to..." Yao Feiming's eyes widened abruptly—the emperor—was a *woman*?!