Chapter 200

Chapter 200

An awkward silence settled over the imperial study.

In the end, it was Xie Yiguan who spoke first. "Is Your Majesty planning to reveal yourself in women’s clothing?"

Su Yu’s eyes crinkled with amusement as she looked at him. Xie Yiguan’s mind went blank for a second—despite the emperor’s reputation for being cold, she had a pair of flirtatious peach-blossom eyes. Whenever she smiled and gazed at someone, it made your heart skip a beat.

Lowering his gaze, he continued, "The palace records regarding imperial heirs have always been precise. Yet, an anomaly occurred with Your Majesty—this must be due to divine power present since birth. Premier Yao’s word carries weight in court, so such an important revelation should be announced to the world by him. It would be far more appropriate."

Su Yu nodded in agreement. "Zhi Wei is right."

Yao Feiming’s brain was still buffering, his mind repeating one phrase over and over: *The emperor is a woman? The emperor is a woman? The emperor is a woman!*

It wasn’t until Su Yu called out to him directly—"Premier Yao, what do you think? Premier Yao?"—that he snapped back to reality. His face flushed, then paled as he stared at Su Yu, almost wanting to yell at the sky—how had his majestic, dignified emperor suddenly turned into a woman?

He scrutinized her face from left to right. If she were a woman… it actually made perfect sense. It was simply that he had been blind all this time, facing the emperor daily yet never realizing she was a woman!

Now what? Push her to keep pretending to be a man?

Yao Feiming shook his head violently. The emperor had now laid everything bare and even proposed a re-coronation—wasn’t this a clear declaration that she no longer wished to masquerade as a man but intended to rule openly as a female sovereign?

A woman emperor? This… this went against heaven’s will!

Yao Feiming’s heart raced faster than when Emperor Xuanzong had waved a sword at his neck, leaving him utterly at a loss. He looked around in bewilderment—Xie Yiguan wore a faint smile, as if he had known all along; the two female generals, Gao Lan and Yuan Ling, had eyes alight with excitement, making it difficult for Yao Feiming to discern whether they had known beforehand or simply accepted the revelation with joy; Liu Wushi’s face was a blank slate, calm as ever.

Guess he was the only one freaking out.

No way he’d let these youngsters see him sweat.

When Su Yu’s smile made his face twist even harder, his expression grew even more complicated. It was Su Yu who had turned the tide and saved the nation, and now Great Qi could not do without her. Fine, a woman. At least now I don’t have to bug her about marriage.

Finding some small comfort in this thought, Yao Feiming mumbled a half-hearted reply when Su Yu called his name again.

"Then it’s settled," Su Yu dropped the hammer. "Tomorrow, Premier Yao will announce this matter to the court."

Yao Feiming’s brain short-circuited. Aside from the emperor being a woman, had he missed something else just now?

Cautiously, he asked, "Announce… what exactly?"

Xie Yiguan smiled. "Naturally, the revelation that Her Majesty is a divine maiden descended to the mortal realm."

Yao Feiming: "Hold up—I zoned out for two seconds, and now it’s my job?!"

He looked around—yep, he was stuck on Su Yu’s ride with no way off.

Su Yu then discussed with the others how to tighten security in the capital after her true identity was revealed, as well as the preparations needed for her re-coronation a month later.

"We’ll need new ceremonial robes, no question," Xie Yiguan remarked.

Gao Lan blurted, practically vibrating, "Should we tweak the design to highlight Her Majesty’s status as a female emperor?"

She’d just found out Su Yu was a woman, but having always found her strikingly handsome from their first meeting, she rolled with it. In fact, she felt a surge of exhilaration—when she had time, she would return to Weizhou and tell her mother, *Mom, check it out—women can be emperors now!*

Yuan Ling smiled. "I’ve heard that in Jiangnan, they can now produce extremely fine gold thread for embroidery. Let’s have the Jiangnan embroiderers make Your Majesty’s robes."

Regardless of whether her Majesty was a man or a woman, she deserved the finest things in the world.

"Then send word to Xing Jian and have him prepare the ceremonial robes." Reclaiming the throne as a female emperor was a grand affair, and Su Yu now had the wealth to spare no expense.

Yao Feiming thought silently: "..." So even Cui Xingjian knew—was he the only one kept in the dark?

By nightfall, the group had finally settled all matters.

Yet from start to finish, Liu Wushi remained silent, not uttering a word. It wasn’t until Su Yu dismissed them that he robotically followed the others out of the imperial study, moving like a puppet, jerkily.

After a few steps, Liu Wushi suddenly stopped and turned sharply to look back at the still-open doors of the study.

Su Yu stood there, the glow of the palace lanterns casting a soft radiance around her—just like when he had awakened from unconsciousness in Shuozhou and seen her, or when he had fainted upon learning her true identity as the emperor and opened his eyes to her again.

Dreamlike yet tangible.

He lunged toward her without hesitation, only to falter at the threshold, staring at her, transfixed.

He feared that this giddy joy in his heart would, in the end, prove to be nothing more than another grand illusion.

"Buyi." Su Yu looked up to see Liu Wushi hesitating at the door. The Security Bureau guards tensed, hands on their hilts, yet he seemed oblivious, his eyes locked onto hers as if she might vanish the moment he blinked.

Su Yu waved her hand, signaling the guards to stand down. She stepped forward until she stood before him and called his name again: "Buyi."

The night breeze lifted strands of her hair as she tilted her head slightly to look up at him, those unmistakable eyes reflecting only him.

Liu Wushi could hear no sound, yet his pulse roared in his ears, drowning out all else.

He could reach out and touch her—yet he couldn’t. Even as a woman, Su Yu remained the untouchable monarch.

After a long pause, Liu Wushi finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "I’ll stand by you, whatever decision Your Majesty makes."

Su Yu smiled and nodded at him, and he turned beet-red, lowering his head as if afraid to meet her gaze. Mumbling almost too softly to hear, he added, "Your Majesty, the promise I made in Shuozhou still stands."

Su Yu let out a questioning hum, and though it was just a single sound, it wrapped around his heart like ivy. Liu Wushi felt his ears burn.

He fumbled over his words: "This subject only begs Your—Your Majesty to grant me a..."

"Minister of the Court of Imperial Treasury."

Before the word "chance" could leave his lips, Xie Yiguan reappeared, shattering the moment between him and Su Yu.

Liu Wushi turned to see Xie Yiguan standing there with a razor-thin smile.

When Su Yu glanced over, Xie Yiguan’s icy gaze vanished instantly, and he said lightly, "Minister of the Court of Imperial Treasury, it’s late. You should retire early—there’s much to handle tomorrow."

Turning beet-red, Liu Wushi said, "I’ll take my leave, Your Majesty."

Xie Yiguan waited until Liu Wushi turned away before saluting Su Yu and departing, positioning himself behind Liu Wushi to cut off any backward glances.

Yet Liu Wushi shuffled sideways, keeping his head turned, and when Xie Yiguan obstructed his view of Su Yu, he sidestepped twice.

Xie Yiguan mirrored his steps.

"You’re doing this on purpose, Grand Secretary," Liu Wushi accused gloomily.

Xie Yiguan replied deadpan, "What do you mean, Minister? I don’t understand."

Leaning against the doorframe, Su Yu burst into laughter, eyes gleaming. Both men turned to her, and she waved at them. "Go and rest early. Only when you’re well-rested will you have the strength to walk this path with me."

Chancellor Xie Yiguan and Liu Wushi bowed to her once more before leaving the palace together.

Once they stepped outside the palace gates, the two exchanged an expressionless glance before boarding their respective carriages.

"Has Chancellor Xie's carriage left yet?" Liu Wushi asked Guo Laidong as soon as he entered his carriage.

Guo Laidong replied, "Not yet."

Liu Wushi gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, "That Xie Zhiwei is unhinged! Let's go first. We'll have our chance later."

Guo Laidong acknowledged, but as soon as the carriage started moving, it swayed with his alternating laughter and sighs.

Guo Laidong: "..." He didn’t know if Xie Yiguan was unhinged, but Liu Wushi definitely was.

The Xie family's carriage remained in place for a long time. Only after Xie Yiguan was certain Liu Wushi wouldn’t turn back did he finally return to the Xie residence.

Passing through the courtyard, Xie Yiguan spotted Xie Yixin enjoying the cool air and casually exchanged a few words with her before asking, as if offhandedly, "You’ve worked under Liu Buyi for some time now. What do you think of him?"

"As handsome as the legendary Pan An [a famous ancient beauty], generous with rewards, perceptive and resourceful, adaptable in conduct," Xie Yixin praised without hesitation.

Xie Yiguan: "..."

Seeing his silence, Xie Yixin quickly clarified, fearing misunderstanding, "I have no ulterior motives toward him. I’m just happy for Her Majesty to have such a talent."

She paused, then added, "His gaze toward me is entirely respectful, but I’ve seen how he looks at Her Majesty..."

After the establishment of the Directorate of Imperial Revenue, Su Yu had visited twice. At the time, Xie Yixin stood beside Chancellor Liu Wushi and could clearly observe his expression.

Xie Yixin smiled at Xie Yiguan and said, "Chancellor Liu is handsome and generous, and Prefect Cui is also lavish with gifts. I heard he presented Her Majesty with a full bridal trousseau of gold and gems. Brother, you’d better work hard."

Xie Yiguan chuckled. "Work hard at what? It’s you who should strive—you’re only an assistant director now, aren’t you?"

Xie Yixin: "..." No need to rub it in!

The next day at court, the ministers followed the two chancellors into the Hanyuan Hall as usual.

It was the sixth month's end. Yao Feiming first reported that this year’s summer tax yield had surged compared to previous years, with commercial levies from various regions quadrupling. Nanzhao, as a vassal state of Great Qi, had also sent tribute.

As soon as Yao Feiming finished speaking, the ministers immediately praised Su Yu’s wisdom as emperor.

Yao Feiming then added, "Your Majesty's wisdom is divine, endowed by heaven’s decree. A woman's reign has brought prosperity to Great Qi."

The ministers continued to flatter Su Yu but suddenly fell silent. For a moment, the Hanyuan Hall was so quiet that the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

Seizing the opportunity, Yao Feiming continued, "Your Majesty is a heavenly goddess incarnate, ordained by heaven to save Great Qi from peril. In the past, malignant forces haunted the palace, forcing Your Majesty to conceal your true form and present yourself as a man. Now that the realm is at peace and the nation thrives, I implore Your Majesty to assume your true form and reign as empress, heralding a new prosperous era so all under heaven may receive Your Majesty’s beneficence."

Xie Yiguan echoed, "We implore Your Majesty to assume your true form and reign as empress, heralding a new prosperous era so all under heaven may receive Your Majesty’s beneficence."

The ministers fell silent again. What were Their Excellencies saying?

One minister stepped forward, trembling, and asked, "What do Their Excellencies mean?"

Su Yu smiled and said, "Premier Yao’s request is granted. One month from now, we shall hold an imperial proclamation to formally declare to the people that I am the Empress of Great Qi."

Among the crowd, Cheng Heyuan froze briefly before immediately kneeling and repeating Yao Feiming’s words.

Yuan Ling and Gao Lan also stepped forward to voice their support.

Only then did the rest of the court caught on. Someone immediately burst forth in protest, exclaiming, "How can a woman be emperor!"

However, before he could utter another word, the palace guards rushed in and dragged him out.

The others looked up at Su Yu in fear—her face as beautiful as ever, her smile as warm as always—but they knew that anyone who dared to oppose her today wouldn’t walk out of the palace alive.

This emperor hadn’t grown soft just because she had revealed herself as a woman.

Whether sincere or not, they all knelt in unison, hailing, "Long live the Empress!"

Yet, after leaving the palace, the capital was buzzing with unrest. There were many who sought to topple Su Yu from the throne.

Among them were noble houses and court officials.

Some even wanted to drag the Li and Wang families into this mess.

Li Jianxing hesitated only briefly before shutting his doors and refusing all visitors. Having witnessed Su Yu's decisiveness, he wanted no part in this. Besides, there was no one in Great Qi who could replace her.

Wang Rui, however, was tempted. One of his sons had died under the rod, another exiled to Lingnan. In the past, he hadn’t dared to hate the emperor, but now he had a reason. The only difficulty was finding a suitable replacement for Su Yu.

Someone suggested to Wang Rui that they bring Su Chengying back to challenge Su Yu.

Back then, when Li Jianzhang had wanted to recognize the mysterious Su Chengying as a prince, Wang Rui had vehemently opposed it. Now, he wavered.

Wang Ruo visited him again to persuade him: "Father, do not let the Wang family’s hundred-year legacy be destroyed by your hands."

Wang Rui played dumb: "I don’t understand what you're saying."

Anger flickered across Wang Ruo's face: "Was it not enough for you to witness how Her Majesty annihilated the Zheng and Lu families, reorganized the palace guards, seized the three regional commands of Hebei, and took back fifteen provinces under such dire circumstances? Doesn’t that terrify you?"

Wang Rui remained silent.

Wang Ruo said coldly, "Does the Security Bureau sneaking in the former Qiantang Governor to the capital at the beginning of the year not make you wary? Father, think about it—Her Majesty’s true identity as a woman was not revealed just yesterday. Why is she bold enough to reveal herself now? The palace guards and the Security Bureau are everywhere in the capital. If you insist on acting recklessly, then I must say—as a married daughter—I will cut all ties with the Wang family from now on."

"You unfilial daughter!" Wang Rui hurled his teacup at Wang Ruo’s feet.

Wang Ruo neither flinched nor dodged, replying calmly, "I have a daughter too. I only want to protect her life."

Wang Rui fell silent, but Wang Ruo’s warning had indeed struck a chord. He should not act rashly—it was better to wait and observe.

Wang Rui followed Li Jianxing’s example, closing his doors to visitors while secretly sending men to shadow those officials who opposed Su Yu’s reign as empress.

Soon, his spies returned with news: "Master, those sent to Yuanzhou to fetch General Su were killed on the spot by him. Their mastermind was just arrested by the Security Bureau."

Upon hearing their intentions, Su Chengying first asked who was behind them, then executed them on the spot. He then sent the list of names back to Su Yu via an urgent eight-hundred-li dispatch.

Wang Rui broke into a cold sweat. Fortunately, he had withdrawn early.

Su Yu was not worried about these few in the capital—her real concern was the regional commands.