I Am Truly Not a Treacherous Minister Your Majesty

Chapter 87: A Pause

Looking at Xia Yun’s lifeless body, Xia Yuxiao collapsed to the ground.

Qin Ji released his grip, and Xia Yun’s body hung there, swaying slightly.

What he did was actually very simple, just helping Xia Yun die quickly. As for whether he was afraid…

To be honest, when he first came to this world, he was somewhat fearful of killing and hurting people. But whether it was due to the latent memories and physiological characteristics of this body, or because he had gotten used to it, he was no longer excessively afraid.

“Your Majesty, let’s go,” Qin Ji said softly. “You’d better not look up.”

The sight of a hanged person was best avoided by Xia Yuxiao, although seeing it wouldn’t really matter.

After all, with his help, Xia Yun did not completely hang himself to death. It was more like he was subjected to a “hanging” by him. However, that struggle still made his appearance look a bit frightening.

Xia Yuxiao did not answer him. Instead, she opened her eyes, raised her head, and stared at her brother’s deathly appearance.

She trembled slightly.

Then, those clear eyes closed, and when they opened again, they were already calm.

“Let’s go.”

She said softly.

“Your Majesty, you need to shout, otherwise it won’t seem real,” Qin Ji said.

Xia Yuxiao glanced at him, then nodded.

She took a deep breath and then shouted in a frantic tone:

“What happened!? What’s going on!? Where is everyone? Call the imperial physician quickly!”

The guards outside the door heard Xia Yuxiao’s cry and rushed in immediately. Just before they entered, Qin Ji had carefully adjusted the door to create the impression that he and the emperor had heard the silence inside for a long time and pushed the door open directly.

When the guards saw Xia Yun’s hanging corpse, they were instantly terrified and rushed over to take him down.

“Didn’t I tell you to watch him closely? What were you doing!?”

Qin Ji, fully committed to the act, directly scolded them.

The two guards were full of grievances but did not dare to speak, only repeatedly begging for mercy.

“Why aren’t you calling the imperial physician yet!”

After Xia Yuxiao’s order, the guards finally reacted, and one of them hurriedly stumbled out.

The imperial physician arrived quickly, but it was to no avail. The elderly physician could only helplessly announce Xia Yun’s death.

Facing the physician’s helpless expression, Xia Yuxiao opened her mouth, ready to say that Xia Yun should be prepared for burial, but the words stuck in her throat.

Her arm trembled continuously behind her back.

Qin Ji noticed this and quickly grabbed her arm, holding it tightly, stopping her trembling completely.

“After all, he is a member of the royal family. Since the execution could not be carried out in the end, let’s handle the funeral according to the royal family’s rites.”

After everything was settled, under Qin Ji’s management, the two guards were also required to keep their mouths shut—he was not worried that asking them to keep the secret would arouse suspicion because such matters were internal to the royal family, and it was normal to ask for confidentiality.

For the first time in many years, this small courtyard welcomed so many people. The imperial physician, guards, officials from the Zongzheng Office, and other relevant personnel were all involved. Professionals were responsible for beautifying Xia Yun’s face. Fortunately, Xia Yun had not struggled for long before Qin Ji ended it quickly, so although his expression was somewhat painful, it had not reached the level of many hanged people with their tongues sticking out and faces distorted.

The death of Prince Rongsheng Xia Yun caused a sensation in the court and among the people.

The news everyone heard was that Xia Yun had committed suicide out of guilt. However, whether it was guilt-induced suicide or they truly knew that the emperor had personally decided to let him commit suicide, many officials now kept their mouths shut.

After all, no one wanted to become the next Prince Rongsheng.

After this, Xia Yuxiao also issued an edict.

Those involved in the rebellion, except for a few officials who directly participated in the rebellion, would not be pursued. As for those officials who directly participated in the rebellion, Xia Yuxiao sentenced them to death, exile, and other punishments, thereby stabilizing the court.

Regarding the changes in the factions of the ministers, Qin Ji provided quite a bit of information. After all, now that the Fifth Prince has fallen, his followers will certainly have many choices to join another faction. As for who those followers are, that remains unknown.

As for the matter of Prince Chunshan, Xia Yuxiao dealt with it later.

Prince Chunshan was punished to compensate the citizens of the city for their losses and, under Xia Yuxiao’s orders, was placed under house arrest for three months.

This was already giving him a lot of face. Xia Yuxiao knew exactly what this guy originally intended to do; he came with the intention of rebellion. However, she really didn’t want to kill two relatives in a row.

Whether for herself or for the entire Great Xia, this was not a good thing. Moreover, although Prince Chunshan had invested a lot of troops this time, he was ultimately an assistant rather than the main culprit, so he was only given some symbolic punishment.

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After all, seeing that the situation was not good, he also gave a step down in time, so she had a reason to spare his life.

However, this time, Xia Yuxiao no longer trusted Prince Chunshan.

She simply ordered Prince Chunshan to move to Tai’an City as soon as possible and built a considerable mansion for him there. In essence, it was to bring Prince Chunshan to her side to keep an eye on him.

Such an unstable political enemy is safest to keep close by. Mainly in Tai’an City, Xia Yuxiao has her own troops, so even if something happens, it can be dealt with in time. Otherwise, it would be worrisome to leave him outside.

After finishing all these tasks, Xia Yuxiao was already physically and mentally exhausted.

She lay quietly on her bed.

At this time, Qin Ji had also returned to his Duke An’s mansion.

The Zongzheng Mansion was actually not bad, and it was more convenient for work, but Qin Ji still preferred his own home.

And returning to her own home, Qin Siyue was naturally very happy. Although living in the palace looked magnificent, compared to the outside, it was still here that made her more comfortable.

“Young master has worked hard during this period.”

Ling Yan put away Qin Ji’s clothes and also remembered to bring the paint Qin Siyue wanted.

“It’s okay, there are too many trivial matters in the court.” Qin Ji said with a bitter smile, “I hope I can have a chance to relax in the future.”

At this point, Qin Ji looked outside.

Next, he would probably be busy with the matters of the returning talents. According to the news from the Dian Ke Mansion, those talents were already on their way back to the country. Now, counting the time, they should arrive in the next few days.

At that time, he would have to meet these people.

So annoying~

Volume Two

Chapter One: Audience

Wei Xing stood under the city gate of Tai’an City, full of emotion.

He hadn’t returned for three years. Now seeing this familiar city gate again, he couldn’t help but feel joy in his heart.

Behind him followed a group of young and strong lads. They were all exchange talents who went to the Western Empire with Wei Xing. Now they came to Tai’an City together, ready to report to the Grand Marshal and the Emperor.

“Wei Ge, who should we see first after we arrive?”

After entering Tai’an City, everyone eagerly inquired.

This time, they had learned a lot and brought back many things. They were eager to show off, and naturally, they wanted to display their achievements upon returning.

“Of course, we should first see the Emperor. We were not in the country when the new Emperor ascended the throne, and we haven’t seen her yet. Naturally, we should pay our respects.”

“Hey? But to be honest, I always feel that we should just see the Grand Marshal. The new Emperor probably doesn’t understand military affairs very well. I think I can get along with her.”

The young officer said.

He made a good point. When they went abroad, the former Emperor was still in power.

Although the former Emperor in his later years no longer had the bravery of his youth on the battlefield, he could understand whatever they said about military affairs.

After the new Emperor ascended the throne, it was said that she handled domestic affairs well, but military matters were mostly left to Qin Ji and other generals.

To be honest, as an Emperor, if she had even barely passable military command abilities, she wouldn’t have handed over the matters to the Grand Marshal.

Willing to entrust the army to the Grand Marshal either means that the Grand Marshal and the Emperor have a very high level of trust, or she knows that she is not good at warfare…

Talking about military matters with an Emperor who is not good at warfare is pointless. The young officers were mostly a bit proud, and they knew their own flaws. They didn’t want to end up arguing with the Emperor…

So, they preferred to see the familiar Grand Marshal first. At least the Grand Marshal was an expert in military affairs, and they wouldn’t end up fighting. And even if they did… it was uncertain who would win.

“Don’t joke around,” Wei Xing quickly stopped his colleague’s thoughts, “We should see the Emperor first. It’s not good to see the Grand Marshal right after returning without seeing the Emperor. It might bring bad consequences for the Grand Marshal.”

“Alright, but let me make it clear, Old Wei, you handle the conversation with the Emperor. I’m not good at talking. I don’t want to end up getting executed because I angered the Emperor. After all, women tend to think a lot.”

“Old Tang, with that mouth of yours, you’ll get yourself killed one day.” Wei Xing laughed and scolded, “Alright, just don’t say anything inappropriate. Although the Emperor is a woman, she managed to rise to power among many princes and grandsons. She must have her own abilities. We are just reporting to the Emperor this time. As for what we learned, we can directly tell the Grand Marshal.”

………………………

In Da Xia, foreign exchanges were common.

Although the former Emperor’s foreign conquests led to tense relations with neighboring countries, affecting economic and cultural exchanges, these exchanges were only affected, not severed.

When Xia Yuxiao began to govern, she gradually lifted restrictions on foreign exchanges. Now, the people of Da Xia were almost all aware of the countries that had close relations with Da Xia.

However, most of these exchanges were at the level of trade caravans and high-level interactions. Ordinary people mostly learned about these countries through various goods, government notices, and the occasional foreign officials visiting Da Xia.

Therefore, when the former Emperor initiated a talent exchange, the people of Da Xia eagerly anticipated that the officials and generals who went abroad to study would bring back something new and fresh.

And indeed, they brought back many new things. However, many of these things could not be shown to the public immediately.

At this time, in the Hall of Friends in the Da Xia Palace, Wei Xing was paying his respects to Xia Yuxiao.

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“Minister Wei Xing, after three years of study, I have returned. Thanks to the former Emperor’s grace and the current Emperor’s concern, I have returned to the country and come to pay my respects.”

Seeing Wei Xing respectfully salute, Xia Yuxiao waved her hand, “Rise, all of you. You have been abroad for many years and must have missed home. Today, I have prepared a banquet to welcome you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“What have you learned there? Feel free to tell me.”

“Your Majesty, I studied various techniques related to spiritual energy in the Western Empire. I also took the opportunity to learn the language of the Western Empire and brought back some of their books. Overall, although our army has some understanding of the Western Empire, it is still not enough.”

“In addition, we also learned some military thoughts and techniques from the Western Empire, which might be of some help to Da Xia.”

Satellite said so.

He did not elaborate on what he had learned or what skills he had acquired, but he directly expressed his views on the Vixi Empire to Xia Yuxiao.

“Well, you all did a great job,” Xia Yuxiao nodded, “Although the Vixi Empire is comparable in strength to us, and it seems that our camps are opposed, in reality, we can completely become allies with them. After returning, I want to see your reports, especially the political and economic reports of the Vixi Empire. Maybe there are many things in the Vixi Empire that are worth learning for our Daxia.”

“Your Majesty is wise.”

Satellite said.

This was the first time he had seen this young emperor, but Satellite did not dare to underestimate him.

From the moment he entered until now, this young emperor seemed to know everything about him very thoroughly. Despite being very kind in his gestures, one could still feel a sense of distance, the kind of distance called the relationship between a ruler and his subjects.

The most interesting thing was that this emperor seemed to have a good sense of self-awareness. He only briefly mentioned military issues and then moved on to ask about the political and economic systems of other countries.

This was beyond his expectations.

“May I ask, Your Majesty, what about Duke An now…”

“Duke An is waiting for you in his mansion. Today, I originally hoped to welcome you with him, but both Duke An and I have our own matters to attend to.”

Xia Yuxiao said so.

“I see.”

“Since you have already met me, you might as well go see Duke An as soon as possible. I have already informed him of your return. After all, it was he who personally recommended you to go to Vixi to study in front of the late emperor.”

“Yes.”