CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 396: IMPERIAL CONCUBINE

As expected by Mr. Zhang, the proposal to open up sea transport caused a huge uproar, with some courtiers even beginning to attack Ye Qiu, claiming that a woman is indeed a woman and should not preside over state affairs.

Because of this, Ye Qiu got very angry, even demoting several of the most vehement courtiers. In the end, it was Ji Fei who stepped forward, dragging his weak and declining body to issue an imperial decree to attack the pirates and restore sea transport.

However, what made Ye Qiu happy was that her father, Ye Xiuting, not only repelled the Liao People after returning to the border but even conquered five cities, pushing into their Imperial City.

Once upon a time, the Liao People plundered countless treasures from Daxin; now all these treasures have been returned. If Ji Fei were still in power, the Qiao Family would certainly not have offered them up without reservation, but who is in power now if not the Ye Family’s daughter! The treasures recovered from the Liao People were just what was needed to urgently support the campaign against the pirates.

At the Northern Border and the East Sea, the dual campaigns went on for three years. A minority of the Liao People retreated to the bitter cold lands in the far north, some others submitted to Daxin, and the rest became bandits, the targets of all soldiers and civilians at the border.

From one year ago, sea transport in the East Sea was restored. Although some ships were damaged, the benefits brought by sea transport were immensely rich. The most common silk from Jiangnan could be traded for large amounts of gold and silver overseas, making those courtiers and aristocratic families who once opposed sea transport green with envy.

But Ye Qiu wouldn’t possibly give away such a lucrative method for free. The court remained the biggest business in sea transport, but she also sold a portion of sea transport licenses to those aristocratic families and merchants, albeit with regulations on the size of their ships and astonishingly high taxes.

Even so, a sea transport license was still sold for an exorbitant price.

And what sea transport brought was not just wealth, but also many new crops that Daxin Dynasty didn’t have before, among which Ye Qiu discovered peanuts, sweet potatoes, corn, and other things. After promoting these crops extensively, the farmers also gained more income, and the entire nation took on a thriving posture.

By this time, everyone admired Ye Qiu’s decision-making. Apart from occasionally making public appearances, Emperor Ji Fei no longer had any other use, with some people in the population knowing only the Imperial Concubine but not the Emperor.

In the spring of the Tenth Year of Yongyuan, Emperor Xinming, Ji Fei, knowing his days were numbered and with his Princes being too young, decreed to pass the throne to the Imperial Concubine, and to everyone’s surprise, not a single courtier opposed it.

Although Ye Qiu was a woman, her decisions led the Daxin Dynasty to prosperity and stability without exception. The courtiers universally offered their respects and requested the Imperial Concubine to ascend the throne. Ye Qiu could not refuse and thus ascended as the Emperor, becoming the first female Empress in history.

On the day of Ye Qiu’s accession to the throne, the sky was filled with rosy clouds, and there was even a Golden Dragon circling above the Imperial City for a long time, only flying away after the coronation ceremony was complete.

Upon seeing this, both courtiers and civilians were shocked beyond measure. This was not some man-made illusion; everyone had witnessed it with their own eyes. From then on, the news of Ye Qiu being the true Dragon Emperor spread throughout the continent, with not a single person contesting it.

"Qiuqiu, how did I do with my transformation!" Little Golden Crow, who had been out gallivanting for a while and just returned, sought Ye Qiu’s approval and acted cutely. After all, this is an ordinary world; where would a Golden Dragon come from? It was all its doing.

Even though Ye Qiu was annoyed that it had caused such a commotion without informing her, she was still very relieved. Now, no one could question her legitimacy anymore.

"You did very well!" Ye Qiu patted Little Golden Crow’s head.

After ascending the throne, Ye Qiu changed the state’s name to Chen and named the era Xian Chang, thus beginning another Chapter in the legend of the Empress.

Half a year later, Ji Fei passed away due to illness. Ye Qiu decreed a grand funeral and nationwide mourning for a year. The Eldest Prince was conferred the title of Prince Rui, the Second Prince became Prince An, and the little princess born to Princess Consort Hui was named Princess Anping, her rank even higher than her two elder brothers. The mother of Prince Rui, Prince An, and Princess Anping was also granted permission to leave the palace to pay her respects.

Empress Dowager Wang was given the title of Grand Empress Dowager, but she seemed to have no intention of returning to the Imperial City, staying at the summer resort with Princess Yuhua.

The childless concubines could either stay in the harem to live out their days or leave the palace to remarry. Regardless of their choice to stay or leave, Ye Qiu provided them with a generous reward.

After dealing with these minor affairs, accompanied by Xiao Guizi and Qing E, Ye Qiu visited a secluded Cold Palace. If there were bystanders, they would be shocked to discover that this heavily guarded Cold Palace housed the late Emperor Ji Fei and Yue Zhaoyi Qiao Qingyue, who was supposed to have been executed long ago.

Without the medicine provided by Ye Qiu, Ji Fei’s health was still poor, but his consciousness was gradually returning. Lying on a simple bed with Qiao Qingyue taking care of him, both showed a mix of shock and anger upon Ye Qiu’s arrival.

"You wretched woman, I’m not dead yet, release me immediately," demanded Ji Fei in agitation, causing Qiao Qingyue to accidentally spill the medicine soup all over the bed.

Qiao Qingyue helped Ji Fei to sit up, her gaze malevolent as she looked at Ye Qiu. She had become much thinner, her skin rough and her once fair face now sallow and filled with venom.

"Evil Concubine, you dare to imprison the Emperor," she hissed.

Xiao Guizi sternly rebuked: "How audacious! Kneel at once before the new Emperor."

Ji Fei and Qiao Qingyue were so consumed with hatred upon seeing Ye Qiu that they had failed to notice her attire. Now they saw that she was actually dressed in the dragon robe!

How could she dare? How did she accomplish this?

"I am the true Emperor, you lowlife. My Ministers will never acknowledge you as the Empress," exclaimed Ji Fei in his fervor, trying to leave his bed, dragging his feeble body.

"Didn’t you see the Golden Dragon above the Imperial Palace that day? Didn’t you hear the sound of the cannons and the kneeling of the courtiers? My ascension to the throne was the will of the people!" said Ye Qiu with a light laugh, kindly explaining to the infatuated couple.

How could Ji Fei and Qiao Qingyue have not seen or heard? They simply refused to acknowledge it all.

"I don’t believe it; I am the true Son of Heaven!" Ji Fei’s expression was wild with madness. Unable to stand on his feet, he crawled toward the door, like a dog devoid of any dignity.

Ye Qiu looked on with cold beauty. What was this to her? In her past life, this loving couple had schemed against the entire Ye Family until they were annihilated. She hadn’t let them die, had kindly left them to spend the rest of their lives together in this Cold Palace. They should be grateful.

"Don’t bother, you won’t escape. Even if you did, no one would help you. You are truly in love, aren’t you? I promise you, as long as you can love each other as before for three years, without quarreling more than three times, I will let you go. But if you do argue, only one of you can leave. It is up to you to decide who that will be," Ye Qiu said mockingly with a smile, then left.

She would not stint on their clothing or food, but they would have to do everything themselves. Now that Ji Fei was incapacitated, to go from Emperor to prisoner overnight must be hard to take. And with Qiao Qingyue having to cook and wash clothes while caring for Ji Fei, could she really endure?

There’s a saying, "No filial children can be found before the sickbed," much less the current Ji Fei and Qiao Qingyue.