Chapter 201

Chapter 201

News from the southern regions lagged behind that of the capital.

Only after Cui Xuan had selected the embroiderers for the ceremonial robes did the imperial decree officially reach Jiangnan.

Xiao Luo was the first to seek out Cui Xuan: "The Emperor... is actually a woman?"

Cui Xuan spared a moment to glance up at him and asked coolly, "Is this really why you came to see me?"

Xiao Luo was taken aback. Wasn’t this important?

"I recall you are literate," Cui Xuan said.

The decree was clearly written in black on yellow paper. Even if one couldn’t read, the Surveillance Commissioner by the Military Governor’s side could read it aloud to Xiao Luo.

Xiao Luo was stunned again. Indeed, since a decree had been issued, it couldn’t be false. It was just that he had once served as Su Yu’s personal guard—how had he failed to notice she was disguised as a man? He couldn't help but feel regret.

Only after finishing his annotations on the case files did Cui Xuan look up at Xiao Luo again, frowning slightly. "Does Chang-yun have anything else to ask?"

Xiao Luo blinked his shapely almond eyes and ventured, "Does Cui Xuan have any thoughts on the matter?"

The Cui family had been kind to the Xiao family, so Xiao Luo naturally felt close to Cui Xuan. But he had also been directly promoted by the Emperor and had witnessed how she revived the ailing Great Qi. He would not harbor thoughts of rebellion just because the Emperor was a woman, and he hoped Cui Xuan could accept this fact as well.

Cui Xuan gave him a brief glance, stood up, and placed the reviewed case files on the shelf.

Xiao Luo also rose to help, but before he could finish, Cui Xuan corrected him, "That goes elsewhere. This volume belongs on the third row of that shelf, after the fourth volume."

Xiao Luo, long accustomed to Cui Xuan’s temperament, obediently moved the file to the specified spot. Cui Xuan then said, "The Cui and Xiao families have been allies for generations. We are of the same generation and serve the same court. In private, you may address me by my courtesy name. Officially, you should call me Prefect Cui."

Xiao Luo froze. He... and Cui Xuan were of the same generation?

He whirled around. Standing before the shelf, Cui Xuan was as elegant as jade orchids. If not for his distant manner, he would be an exceptionally handsome man. But ever since Xiao Luo had known him, Cui Xuan had carried himself with the gravity of an elder, having taken on the role of Master Cui at a young age. This had unconsciously instilled in Xiao Luo a sense of reverence. Only now did he recall that Cui Xuan was actually two years younger than his own elder brother.

Xiao Luo let his gaze wander slightly and met Cui Xuan’s phoenix eyes.

He quickly averted his eyes, thinking with a sigh—it was truly difficult to regard Cui Xuan as a peer!

After shelving the files, Cui Xuan turned back to Xiao Luo and said calmly, "I knew of this matter before arriving in Qiantang. Her Majesty sent me to Jiangnan precisely to stabilize the situation here when the time came. She trusts us both, and I hope Military Governor Xiao will not betray that trust."

Xiao Luo rubbed his nose awkwardly and hurriedly replied, "Of course. I will guard Jiangnan well for Her Majesty."

He had assumed Cui Xuan came to Qiantang because he had offended the Emperor. It turned out Su Yu had deliberately sent him to Jiangnan. Since Cui Xuan had long known the Emperor was a woman, Xiao Luo wondered if he had ever seen her in women’s attire.

Xiao Luo imagined Su Yu in a ruqun, his face flushing slightly. He nearly blurted out the question to Cui Xuan but abandoned the idea when their eyes met again. Asking Cui Xuan was pointless—he might as well see the Emperor himself.

"If Chang-yun has nothing else..." Cui Xuan was about to dismiss him when his expression suddenly changed. He sidestepped, and an arrow shot through the space where he had just stood.

Xiao Luo drew his blade and charged outside. The assassin had been hiding in a tree, unable to retreat in time.

Seeing Xiao Luo rushing toward him, the assassin panicked. As the prefectural guards closed in, he pulled out a grappling hook to scale the wall. But another arrow shot from the rooftop, striking his wrist with brutal precision, crippling one hand.

As the assassin fell from the tree, he saw the cold-faced Cui Xuan holding a bow, firing a second arrow without hesitation—this one piercing his other hand.

Who had told him Cui Xuan was weak and easy to kill? He’d been tricked!

After his capture, the assassin showed unusual resolve, refusing to name his employer.

Cui Xuan didn’t dwell on who had hired the killer. Instead, he uncovered the entire assassin organization, wiping it out completely. From their hideout, he seized ledgers and swiftly arrested everyone recorded in them.

The assassin was a little disoriented as he watched his entire operation and usual clients all locked up together.

The ones who hired the assassin to kill Cui Xuan were the clansmen of the former Qiantang Governor.

After the former Qiantang Governor committed suicide, his family took a nosedive. This time, when they learned that Su Yu would retake the throne as empress in a month, they believed the opportunity to revive their family had come. They secretly contacted the Military Governor of Huaixi, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

The Military Governor of Huaixi instructed them to cause chaos in Qiantang to divert the emperor’s attention, giving him time to prepare for rebellion.

However, though the former Qiantang Governor’s clansmen still had some influence and assets in Qiantang, they could no longer mobilize the local military forces, so they resorted to hiring assassins.

Once Cui Xuan captured them, they pinned all the blame on the Military Governor of Huaixi.

The Military Governor of Huaixi also caught wind of the situation and ranted and raged in his mansion, regretting why he had ever collaborated with such incompetents. Originally, he had planned to raise troops on the day of Su Yu’s re-coronation ceremony, using the excuse of "a woman meddling in state affairs" to justify his rebellion. Now, before he could fully prepare, Cui Xuan had already exposed his plans. Left with no choice, he ordered his Deputy General to kill the Surveillance Commissioner of Huaixi and hastily launched his forces southward to attack Qiantang.

He had assumed that Xiao Luo, the Military Governor of Zhenhai, would be an easy target, given Xiao Luo’s perpetually clueless demeanor. But when they actually clashed, he realized how wrong he was—Xiao Luo merely had a harmless face, but in battle, he cut through enemies like a hot knife through butter.

Just as the Military Governor of Huaixi considered retreating, scouts reported that Yu Chiyi, who should have been in Weizhou, had taken a shortcut and seized his hometown, Caizhou. Now, he was stuck—no way forward, no way back, and facing a pincer attack from Yu Chiyi in the north and Xiao Luo in the south.

He hastily summoned his Deputy General overnight to discuss a way out. However, instead of his Deputy General, he saw the Surveillance Commissioner of Huaixi leading soldiers into his quarters. His eyes widened in shock: "How is this possible?!"

Su Yu’s surveillance commissioner system proved crucial at this critical moment. The Surveillance Commissioner had spent every day with the soldiers, teaching them loyalty to the emperor and love for the country. The Deputy General had disobeyed the Military Governor’s order to kill the Surveillance Commissioner and instead secretly released him. The Surveillance Commissioner then swayed many in the army to defect.

The Military Governor of Huaixi never imagined that, in the end, he would be the one trussed up like a holiday roast and hauled off to the capital by the Surveillance Commissioner of Huaixi.

From the start of his rebellion to his imprisonment in the Dali Temple prison, the whole mess was over in just two weeks. The delay was mainly due to court officials arguing for days over whether the Military Governor of Huaixi should be imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison or the Censorate prison.

Other Provincial Military Governors who had considered rebellion fell silent after witnessing the fate of the Military Governor of Huaixi.

Many of these military governors had children in the capital. Though they had their doubts about the empress, none dared to act as recklessly as the Military Governor of Huaixi. Now, seeing his downfall, they became even more cautious.

With the military officials subdued, the civil officials also clammed up after the Security Bureau arrested a group of dissenters.

Su Yu didn’t care what they truly thought—she was pleased with how things stood.

Seven days before the coronation ceremony, Liu Wushi arrived in Qiantang to pick up the empress’s coronation robes.

Cui Xuan knew that, given the critical circumstances, Su Yu would not recall him to the capital. Still, missing her coronation as empress left him with a pang of regret. In addition to the ceremonial robes, he sent eighteen large chests to the docks, entrusting Liu Wushi to deliver them.

He said, "These six chests contain everyday attire, these six hold matching jewelry and boots, and these six contain silk fabrics. If Her Majesty dislikes the everyday garments, she can have new ones made."

Liu Wushi: "..." Cui Xuan was trying to steal his job!

Earlier, he had also written to his two sisters, asking them to prepare a year’s worth of everyday attire for Su Yu, along with matching accessories and boots. Dammit! Why didn’t he think to send extra fabric?

He quickly had Liu Wuyan fix the oversight!

In the end, Liu Wushi returned from Jiangnan with the ceremonial robes and thirty-six chests of everyday attire, accessories, and silk fabrics.

Su Yu: "..." She could wear a new outfit every day for a year!

Xie Yiguan: "..." He felt a sudden, inexplicable dread.

Su Yu continued wearing men’s attire for the past month, as the previously made robes still fit perfectly—no sense wasting them.

Finally, on the day of the coronation ceremony...

Before daybreak, Pei Baozhen arrived carrying the lavish coronation robes to wake Su Yu.

By the time Xie Yiguan arrived, Su Yu had already donned the ceremonial robes, and Pei Baozhen was doing her hair.

The ever-composed Grand Councilor Xie suddenly froze in place. He had envisioned Su Yu in women's attire many times before, yet when he truly beheld her dressed as a woman, he was still stunned—

It was the image he had imagined, yet far surpassing it.

Xie Yiguan suddenly recalled that he, too, had once stood in Pei Baozhen’s position, tying up Su Yu’s hair. It was just a pity that back then, Su Yu did not paint her brows. Now that Su Yu had resumed her identity as a woman, he could no longer stand in that place.

He paused, then secretly thought—there might still be a way.

Xie Yiguan was so lost in thought that he only snapped back to reality when Su Yu stood before him, meeting her eyes hidden behind the bead strings of her imperial crown.

This face, long engraved in his heart, could be conjured without a second thought. Yet this moment of gazing stirred a restless unease within him, as if the ripples he had suppressed were now spreading uncontrollably, eventually surging into towering waves.

"Your Majesty, your sword." Xie Yiguan swiftly lowered his gaze, offering the imperial sword to his empress with both hands in reverence.

Without hesitation, Su Yu secured the sword at her waist.

Her voice was soft but resolute as she said, "Let us proceed."

When Su Yu left her chambers, the sun still lingered behind the clouds.

Step by step, she made her way toward the Hanyuan Palace, and with each stride, the sun rose higher. The morning light, initially faint and scattered, gradually swelled in brilliance, illuminating all of Great Qi.

The ministers knelt in the Hanyuan Palace, awaiting Su Yu.

Though some harbored opposition in their hearts, after a month of constant self-convincing, they had come to believe that the emperor truly possessed divine power. How else could a princess have been recorded as a prince? The late emperor Su Yan had slaughtered without restraint, yet it all seemed to serve Su Yu’s rise—as if ordained by fate itself.

When Su Yu commanded them to rise, they saw sunlight streaming through the lattice windows, casting its glow upon the empress. The ceremonial robes, embroidered with golden threads, refracted the light, as if she were bathed in a divine glow.

For a moment, they were stunned, once again convinced that the empress was under heaven’s protection—a goddess descended to earth. This time, their cries of "Long live Her Majesty!" were even more fervent.

Standing atop the high platform, Su Yu looked down upon them, her voice steady and composed: "I, the Great Qi emperor, am ordained by heaven."

The ministers lifted their heads and clearly saw the empress’s hand resting on her sword. Involuntarily, they recalled the scene of Su Yu executing Liu Sanen during her first enthronement ceremony. They fell silent. Over time, they had often been misled by Su Yu’s appearance.

In truth, the emperor had always been ruthless in judgment and action.

Since Su Yu was ascending the throne once more, some ministers proposed whether a universal pardon should be declared.

Su Yu refused without hesitation: "My mercy does not extend to criminals, especially rebels like the Military Governor of Huaixi."

The ministers: "..."

They suspected the emperor was implying something indirectly, but could only exclaim, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"However, you have reminded Me of something," Su Yu nodded. "Since I am to extend favor to the realm, let Cui Xingjian be recalled to the Ministry of Personnel, and Wang Daoxian of Lingnan be transferred to Renhe County in Qiantang as county magistrate."

The ministers were momentarily dazed before realizing—Cui Xuan’s dispatch to Qiantang had nothing to do with Wang Rui’s impeachment. It had all been the emperor’s deliberate arrangement!

Wang Rui, in particular, secretly rejoiced—fortunately, he had heeded Wang Ruo’s advice back then!

After the enthronement ceremony concluded, Su Yu exited the Hanyuan Palace. Xie Yiguan purposely followed, just as he had on the way there, remaining a step behind her all along.

Only when Su Yu slowed her pace did he ask, "Will Your Majesty recall Governor Cui immediately?"

Su Yu paused, glancing at the confident Xie Yiguan. She had to admit, Xie Yiguan understood her well. She let out a soft sigh. "Let him stay another month before summoning him back. First, let him train the new governor."

The truth was, Cui Xuan was far too valuable—she was reluctant to call him back so soon.

Xie Yiguan gave a soft chuckle.

Su Yu heard the system prompt: "Xie Yiguan's favorability +1+1+1+1... Huh? Wow! Xie Yiguan's favorability has reached 100. Congratulations, Host, you've successfully captured the male lead's heart!"

Su Yu paused, then looked at Xie Yiguan again. Perhaps it was the gentle autumn sunlight, but his gaze seemed especially tender. He asked softly, "Five years flew by in a blink. Does Your Majesty... still remember what you said to me five years ago?"

Her Majesty’s words—he still remembered them to this day, but he didn’t know how much truth there had been in her words back then, or whether she even recalled them now.

Su Yu blinked and smiled. "I’ve said many things. Which one are you referring to, Yiguan?"

"Your Majesty—"

Before Xie Yiguan could answer, Liu Wushi rushed over in his heavy court robe. Even slightly disheveled, his striking looks were still captivating.

The system blurted out in shock: "Liu Wushi's favorability is also at 100! You’ve won him over too! Host, which male lead are you going to choose?"

Su Yu chuckled, ignoring the system’s question, and instead asked, "What about Cui Xuan and Yu Chiyi? What are their favorability levels?"

"99... No, wait! They’re at 100 too!" The system exclaimed in shock. "Host, what now?! All four male leads are maxed out! Who do you choose?"

Honestly, it had guided three hosts before, and the first two had failed. Faced with this situation now, it was freaking out a little.