Chapter 135: End of Main Text

Chapter 135: End of Main Text

Sunlight streamed into the room, and Shi Yuanxi, still drowsy, half-opened her eyes to meet a pair of cold, clear eyes.

She wondered how long he had already been awake.

Shi Yuanxi paused slightly, her voice still hoarse, and asked, "What are you staring at?"

Xu Jinghe's gaze slid over her smooth shoulder.

Last night, they couldn't go through with it. Shi Yuanxi suddenly remembered that these were not safe days, and they hadn't prepared for such a situation. She tried to push him away, but he kept pursuing her kisses until he finally calmed down.

At dawn, Xu Jinghe had already woken up. The once cold and indifferent bed was now filled with her scent, and his chest was restless with emotion.

Who would have thought that the first thing she did upon waking was to hook her arm around his neck and laugh, "Do you like this?"

Xu Jinghe: ...

He didn't need to think to know what she meant by "like."

But he wasn't entirely innocent either—he cherished every inch of her.

She clung to him, laughing, ignoring his growing tension, her actions bold and unrestrained.

Xu Jinghe held her back and whispered, "Stop fooling around."

His typically cold demeanor was now flushed with uncontrollable emotion, making his usually aloof and distant face appear particularly vivid.

Seeing his tousled hair and striking looks, Shi Yuanxi playfully hugged him tighter, then said seriously, "Rest well, senior brother."

"I need to handle some urgent business at the palace, so I must go now," she said, reaching out along his neck, found her inner garment by the bed, got up, and put it on.

Xu Jinghe's gaze was intense and brooding. He knew her tricks—last night was no different. Despite his efforts to hold back, she teased him endlessly, only to push him away at the last moment.

He gazed at her slim figure, rose, and enveloped her in his arms.

...Shi Yuanxi was held up at the Xu residence for an hour before she could leave.

Before departing, she noticed Xu Jinghe's servant rushing off.

A famous physician, a guest of the Xu family, resided in Jiangnan. Xu Jinghe dispatched someone to summon him, requesting he board He Yuhua's merchant ship to the capital to concoct a remedy.

The Liang dynasty's technology still couldn't produce safe and reliable contraceptives. Not wanting children, Xu Jinghe sought a physician to adjust his body and avoid pregnancy.

Shi Yuanxi gave him a quick look, freshened up, donned a dress, and headed to the palace.

Zhou Ying was in the imperial garden, observing the palace attendants as they transplanted plum trees. Upon hearing Shi Yuanxi had arrived at the palace at this time, she raised an eyebrow in surprise.

When Shi Yuanxi approached, Zhou Ying glanced at her and smiled, "It's a day off today. I didn't think you'd have time to visit the palace."

Zhou Ying was well aware of Shi Yuanxi and Xu Jinghe's relationship. Shi Yuanxi had been on a months-long official trip to Jiangxi.

Now that she was back, she should have been taking it easy and resting.

Shi Yuanxi just smiled, "There are important matters to report."

Greenhouse cultivation was Xu Min'an's accomplishment, and she entrusted Xu Jinghe to report it himself.

What she wanted to inform Zhou Ying about today was something else entirely.

Shi Yuanxi's trip to Jiangxi this time was not just for seizing the Xie family's assets. She looked at Zhou Ying with a deep and profound gaze: "After the Xie family's downfall, the aristocratic families have temporarily laid low. On the surface, they are busy distancing themselves from the Xie family, but in reality, they are trying to retreat to the provinces."

Many in the capital have already started scheming how to become the next Xu family.

However, the Xu family primarily relies on protégés, while the various aristocratic families in the capital are bound by blood ties. If they are allowed to leave, over time, who knows how many local aristocratic families like the Jiang family in Jiangxi, who act with impunity, will emerge.

Such local aristocratic families, though not a direct threat to the capital, will severely affect the common people in various regions.

This is detrimental to the rulers on the throne and also a hindrance to reforms.

"The Liang dynasty has been established for over a hundred years, spawning countless aristocratic families. While corrupt officials can be removed, time-honored traditions are truly difficult to change," Zhou Ying said gravely.

Shi Yuanxi nodded slightly. There are still many in the court who cling to the old ways, and some things can only be done gradually.

She looked up at Zhou Ying, speaking slowly but firmly: "If we want to break entrenched corruption, it is not without a way."

Shi Yuanxi's eyes brightened as she said: "The reins of power lie in the hands of the Empress Dowager, and beneath the fertile soil of the Liang dynasty, many talented and extraordinary individuals are bound to emerge."

"I believe that to break the monopoly of the aristocratic families, the first step is to tear down the barriers to promotion."

After saying this, Shi Yuanxi handed over a petition from her sleeve to Zhou Ying.

Zhou Ying took it, carefully reviewed it, and her eyes flickered.

"This is an instructress I found in Jiangxi. Unlike the female teachers in the Imperial Academy, she is not skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, or needlework, but excels in the Four Books and Five Classics and the theories of governance."

Shi Yuanxi paused, then continued slowly: "In the Liang dynasty, there are many women like me. The only difference between them and me is that they have not had my extraordinary journey."

Her words were truly sincere.

Before she transmigrated to the modern world, although she was considered clever and quick-witted, she still could not live according to her true desires.

In the capital, she was considered a minor figure, but looking at the entire Liang dynasty, her background and everything she had access to were already at the top.

For ordinary women, what truly creates the obstacle is not even their status, but education.

Education isolates them from the affairs of the state, trapping them in domesticity.

And for the common people at the bottom, the situation is even worse.

Shi Yuanxi did not delve deeper into these matters but stated firmly: "I believe that as long as the court can bend the rules and promote and employ non-aristocratic individuals, as well as women who have been trapped in domesticity and common people who cannot rise through normal means."

"The monopoly of the aristocratic families will crumble naturally."

But achieving these things is not something that can be quickly achieved in a day or two.

The winter wind was cold, but Shi Yuanxi, sitting in the pavilion, felt no cold. Her gaze was fiery, and her voice was clear: "All great undertakings must start from the tiniest steps."

"Establishing schools for women, opening free private schools funded by the court for both men and women among the common people, and simultaneously advancing the reform of the imperial examination system, allowing more talented individuals to break through societal prejudices and enter the court."

"Only in this way can our Liang dynasty endure and prosper for generations to come!"

After these words were spoken, not only Zhou Ying in front of her but also Wan Hong and Shi Yuyan standing in the pavilion could not help but look up at her.

Shi Yuanxi also knew that what she had said was a shocking and unconventional statement.

But she also believed that since the person before her had once broken through prejudices to ally with her, now in a high position, she would surely see the court's malpractices and understand the suffering of the people.

Zhou Ying is not like the former Empress Dowager Wei or Consort Jiang Taifei. She can see the common people.

The pavilion was quiet for a long time, with only the fragrance of plum blossoms wafting in from outside.

Shi Yuanxi lowered her gaze slightly as the person before her stepped closer.

Zhou Ying met her gaze, her eyes filled with a luminous glow, and said softly, "From the moment I first saw you, I knew you would bring me a profoundly transformative future."

Her face bore a faint smile, but her gaze was especially resolute: "It was true then, and it remains so now."

Zhou Ying's eyes blazed with intensity: "To achieve what we desire, it may demand immense effort, perhaps... even more than before."

By reaching this point, Shi Yuanxi had already accomplished what even Xie Yuwei could not achieve.

Power and wealth were at her fingertips.

Yet, she still aimed to fight for the world's equilibrium.

"Despite this, do you not regret it?"

Hearing this, Shi Yuanxi stood up and turned to survey her surroundings.

Before her lay the snow-covered splendor of the imperial garden, and beyond, the towering red walls of the imperial city stretching into the distance.

Zhou Ying also gazed out, but what came to her mind was the view from the peak of Qingyun Temple, where they had once stood, gazing at the vast rivers, seas, mountains, and sunlit landscapes of the Liang dynasty.

The person beside her turned and declared firmly, "A peaceful and prosperous world, where the seas are calm and the rivers clear, is my life's aspiration."

"I am willing to contribute my humble efforts to build a flourishing and prosperous Liang dynasty."

"In my lifetime, I will never retreat."

Zhou Ying looked at her and said, "Good."

"Since you will not retreat, I, as the Empress Dowager, promise you in the name of the emperor—no matter the difficulties, you shall shine as brightly as the sun and moon."

This remains steadfast both now and in the future.

(End of main text)

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