Chapter 864: Extra Story: I Have Come to Be Dasheng's Empress

When my father became the Grand Secretary, the Emperor was already old and frail. Many people said father was cunning and ruthless, and that he had seized control of the government and sidelined the emperor.

In the spring of my eighth year, the Emperor passed away. It was said that father, along with my little uncle, General Min, colluded to keep the death a secret.

The Emperor had not established a Crown Prince before his death. Among his sons, only Prince Ning remained, so logically, he should inherit the throne.

Prince Ning’s Dragon Robe was already embroidered, but father produced a will and supported Zhao Yi, the Grandson, to ascend to the throne.

Prince Ning led his men into the palace, accusing father of being a traitor who seized the country.

It was my first experience with Shengjing under martial law, and the sharp clanging of weapons filled my dreams.

In the end, Prince Ning was executed.

A year later, with the new emperor’s regime stabilized, the court ministers started worrying about the new emperor’s marriage.

Various noble families wanted to send their carefully raised daughters into the palace to become Empress.

All these proposals were rejected by the new emperor.

Many believed that this was due to father’s interference, speculating that father intended to send me to the palace to become Empress.

It frightened me so much that I almost ran away from home.

“When you were born, father said he would never force you to do anything you didn’t want to do, let alone push you into the palace,”

Father, the Grand Secretary, said this to me as grandmother pulled me down from the wall.

I breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the runaway bundle.

Soon, the choice for Empress was decided.

The Emperor did not choose any noble-born woman, instead personally visiting the Gu Family to propose to my eldest cousin, Man Er.

This result caused an uproar.

Ministers who disagreed with father politically opposed the new emperor’s choice of my cousin as Empress, arguing that a dignified Dasheng emperor shouldn’t choose a businesswoman from the countryside as Empress.

Even though Sister Man Er’s uncle, my father, is the Grand Secretary, our family’s foundation was too humble. It’s not an exaggeration to call us nouveau riche from the countryside. They also criticized Sister Man Er for following grandmother in commerce and establishing a women’s school, questioning how such a woman could be a role model for the world.

However, the Emperor remained unmoved, insisting on marrying Sister Man Er as Empress.

I thought the Emperor had reached some sort of agreement with my Grand Secretary father, forcing him to marry my eldest cousin as Empress.

But mother said I was overthinking it, that father would never push any girl from the Gu Family into the palace as Empress or consort, and that bringing Sister Man Er into the palace was entirely the Emperor’s idea, one that father couldn’t stop.

“Who can stop an emperor’s determination to marry the girl he loves as Empress?” mother concluded.

I thought grandmother wouldn’t agree to Sister Man Er entering the palace as Empress since grandmother often said the Imperial Palace was a refined cage and that the world outside was broader.

To my surprise, grandmother agreed to let Sister Man Er enter the palace.

I asked grandmother why, and she replied that entering the palace was Sister Man Er’s own choice, and since Sister Man Er made that choice, she would support her fully.

I didn’t believe it. A woman like Sister Man Er who had seen the solitary smoke of the desert, the misty rain of Jiangnan, and the waves of the ocean, how could she willingly enter the palace?

I felt sad at the thought of sixteen-year-old Sister Man Er being confined in a refined birdcage for the rest of her life.

I ran to find Sister Man Er, who was soon to become Dasheng’s Empress, and was reading a book.

“Sister Man Er, don’t enter the palace to be Empress. Is the Emperor forcing you?”

“Entering the palace isn’t free at all; you’d be like a canary with clipped wings trapped in a refined birdcage.”

I threw myself onto Sister Man Er, and tears welled up as I thought about her future.

Sister Man Er put down her book, stroked my head, and gently said, “Ah Tong, no one is forcing me. I want to enter the palace.”

I was stunned and raised my misty eyes to ask, “Why?”

Sister Man Er smiled brightly and said, “You aren’t a fish, how can you know the joy of the fish? Ah Tong thinks the Imperial Palace is an unfree place, but for me, it’s a place to realize my potential.”

“I want to stand at the pinnacle of power.”

Sister Man Er’s eyes carried a sharpness; this was the first time she exposed her ambition so nakedly in front of me.

So straightforward.

Seeing my blank stare, Sister Man Er asked, “What does Ah Tong want to do in the future?”

I thought for a moment and said, “If possible, I want to be the Grand Secretary as father is, but Dasheng has never had a female Grand Secretary.”

Forget about being Grand Secretary, even attending school is criticized as breaking tradition.

Sister Man Er said, “Since Dasheng was founded, grandmother has been Dasheng’s first female tycoon. Grandmother came out of a small village and spread the Tong Family’s Store across Dasheng. In time, you can also accomplish what you wish.”

“Ah Tong said the Imperial Palace isn’t free? Someone standing at the pinnacle of power can dismantle the birdcage and regain their freedom. Besides, I have to pave the way for Ah Tong to become Grand Secretary.”

I hugged Sister Man Er tightly.

In May, when the pomegranate flowers bloomed, Sister Man Er bid farewell to grandmother and the Gu Family members and set on the path to the palace as Empress.

I don’t wish Sister Man Er and her childhood friend Emperor eternal harmony; I wish Sister Man Er stands at the pinnacle of power, and one day Dasheng will be ruled according to her words.

That’s the sincerest blessing.

…

During the imperial wedding, Shengjing was filled with a festive atmosphere.

The entire city’s populace crowded the roads, eager to catch a glimpse of this common-born Empress.

Sister Man Er was no stranger to many Shengjing inhabitants, having inspected stores like Taohua Dessert and Jufu Supermarket, received customers, and resolved disputes.

She had opened a women’s school, assisted the homeless, and vigorously combated merchants who attempted to profit during flood seasons.

The citizens firmly believed that this common-born Empress who understood their hardships would bring prosperity to all, along with hope that the young emperor, having just ascended the throne, would lead Dasheng into an era of flourishing, for he demonstrated insight and loyalty by withstanding pressure to marry his childhood sweetheart, the common-born Empress.

Sister Man Er, adorned with a phoenix crown and robe, listened to the cheers from the city’s populace, reminiscing about the previous life as Empress Dowager, when she personally left the city to welcome her son who campaigned to defeat Mo Bei and returned triumphantly, escorted by her accomplished cousin, General Nie.

In her previous life, Sister Man Er held sole control as Empress Dowager for thirty years. As her life came to a close, pondering on how history would record her, she closed her eyes and returned to this life at twelve years old.

In this life, many things were completely different from the previous one, like grandmother becoming an entirely different person, like uncle becoming the Champion Scholar, and living in great harmony with aunt, and both parents still alive.

What’s unchanged is, she still saved the emperor when he was young.

Reaching the palace gates, Sister Man Er lifted a corner of her red veil and gazed at the towering palace walls.

Her eyes burned with a desire for power.

She was destined to come here.

Moreover, in this life, she had the support of grandmother-led Gu Family’s unwavering strength, making her journey smoother than in the previous life.

The young Emperor Zhao Yi, like a commoner groom, rode a horse personally to greet the Empress at the palace gates.

One might think that thirty years of wielding power would harden her heart, yet seeing the young emperor in a joyous red outfit still brought tears to her eyes.

In the previous life, Zhao Yi defied court opposition to make her Empress and her infant son Crown Prince. Side by side, they consolidated power to govern the nation.

Zhao Yi, exhausted by efforts, passed away at thirty-six, entrusting the throne to her son, the empire, and the power to her.

She did not betray Zhao Yi’s trust and care.

“Sister Man Er, you’re coming to be my Empress.”

“Yes, I’m coming to be Dasheng’s Empress.”

Two hands clasped tightly together.