In the overly resplendent Golden Luan Hall of the Ning Kingdom.
Court officials clad in voluminous court robes held their jade tablets, standing rigidly in place without daring to move. They waited left and right, occasionally craning their necks discreetly, until finally the emperor emerged, ushered in by the chief eunuch.
Several top-ranking officials, standing out like cranes among chickens, secretly let out a sigh of relief. Lowering their eyes, they watched the black boots embroidered with golden dragons approach, their hands gripping the jade tablets growing sweaty once more.
Recently, over the matter of establishing an empress, they had stirred up quite a commotion. Today, the emperor had kept them waiting for a full two hours…
Xiao Yun flicked aside the hem of his dragon robe and settled onto the dragon throne. “My esteemed ministers, you’ve all arrived quite punctually today.”
The assembled officials dared not utter a word.
Indeed, they were all present. Even the elderly and frail veterans, whom the emperor had graciously exempted from court attendance, had come. Those of lower ranks, who couldn’t squeeze into the Golden Luan Hall, lined up outside like a welcoming party. To an outsider, it might have looked like an enthronement ceremony.
Xiao Yun chuckled inexplicably. “As the saying goes, ‘the law does not punish the multitude.’ Seeing all of you gathered so completely, I thought you were bolstering your courage to pressure me into something.”
Many officials trembled, instinctively shifting their feet outward.
Xiao Yun casually glanced at the chief eunuch.
The chief eunuch announced, “Those with matters to report, step forward; if none, court is dismissed!”
The atmosphere grew tense for a moment, and the hall fell into a brief, dead silence.
The elderly veterans exchanged furtive glances. Risking the punishment of a beating, they knelt with a thud and gritted their teeth to speak in unison, “We implore Your Majesty to establish the central palace!”
The officials in the hall promptly followed suit, kneeling and declaring, “We implore Your Majesty to establish the central palace and ensure the continuation of the imperial lineage!”
The officials outside the hall knelt in succession, their voices echoing, “For the sake of the nation and its future, we implore Your Majesty to establish the central palace and ensure the continuation of the imperial lineage!”
The voices rose wave after wave, reverberating through the hall.
For the first time, the court—usually divided by factions and embroiled in endless disputes—stood united and harmonious on a single issue, even the emperor’s trusted confidants and favored ministers siding with them.
For a long while, there was no sound from above. The dragon throne was rather high, and they dared not look up, unable to discern the emperor’s expression. They only knew that His Majesty never acted predictably. If truly angered, he was capable of anything, and their petty schemes were insignificant in comparison, posing no real threat to him.
After all, the most unruly rogue in the Great Ning Kingdom sat upon that throne. To oppose him was undoubtedly to court disaster.
Yet, they had no other recourse but to act this way.
No one could truly restrain His Majesty.
Xiao Yun picked up a teacup, took a careless sip, and waited for the echoes to fade before smiling. “How long have you been rehearsing this? Must have been quite exhausting.”
The officials trembled.
Xiao Yun waited a few seconds, then frowned. “Is there anyone who can answer?”
The top-ranking officials kneeling at the front exchanged glances among themselves. Finally, a toothless old man with graying hair and a stooped frame reluctantly raised his head and replied, “Your Majesty, not… not long.”
Seeking to press on while momentum was high, he raised his voice and declared, “We implore Your Majesty—”
“You truly are capable, aren’t you? Such a grand spectacle. My Ning Kingdom has no shortage of talent.”
The old man’s words caught in his throat.
“I spared you old-timers some dignity out of consideration for your age and frailty, but instead, you’ve turned your efforts against me,” Xiao Yun scoffed. “Then again, I’m young. I’m not afraid of a little trouble.”
Though it was early spring, with winter’s chill still lingering, fine beads of sweat formed on the officials’ foreheads.
His Majesty’s thoughts and moods had always been inscrutable to them.
Even so, no one rose. It seemed as though they were prepared to kneel to their deaths unless the emperor settled his own life’s great matter today.
They had been urging His Majesty to establish an empress and produce an heir for a full four years. Starting with just one or two officials submitting memorials hinting at the matter, it had now reached a point where courtiers were united as one, regardless of affiliation. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and this situation had been brewing for a long time.
“Then let’s make things clear,” Xiao Yun said.
In the past, with his temper, anyone daring to cause such a fuss would have been spanked first before any discussion. However, nearly all the capable ministers of Great Ning who could handle affairs were kneeling here. If he punished them all at once, he would have no one to replace them, and the work they left undone would fall on his shoulders.
If they then collectively feigned illness and submitted resignations, playing a game of evasion with him, it would be even more troublesome.
The top-ranking officials in the front row breathed a sigh of relief. As long as His Majesty was willing to discuss the matter, they would immediately back down while they still could.
After all, no one truly wanted to lose their official positions. If they didn’t serve as officials, Great Ning had plenty of others who would.
Before they could even feel relieved, they saw His Majesty lean forward, pointing at them with an imposing, commanding presence, and say irritably, “Look at all of you! What are you leaving these misfits for me?! And you’ve been leaving them for years—are you planning to keep them until they rot?”
The courtiers were stunned by this sudden scolding.
“Starting from three years ago until now, the number of memorials has increased tenfold, a hundredfold, even a thousandfold, but the list of candidates for empress is still the same few. Minister Zhou,” Xiao Yun glanced at him.
The toothless old man hurriedly responded.
“Your granddaughter is over twenty now, isn’t she? You’ve been keeping her for me since her teens until her twenties. Did I ask you to keep her for me? Aren’t you worried? I’m asking you.”
The old man surnamed Zhou wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Your Majesty, if Your Majesty hasn’t… this humble official doesn’t… doesn’t—”
Xiao Yun laughed. “Exactly, you’re not worried, but I’m worried for you. At your age, you still haven’t held a great-grandchild. Isn’t your granddaughter worried either? At her age, unmarried and kept in a living widowhood for me.”
“Laughing, still laughing,” Xiao Yun pointed with a roguish expression at one of the kneeling officials. “You, go out and laugh for half an hour before coming back in.”
That courtier trembled as he stood up and scurried out with his tail between his legs. The other officials immediately stifled their laughter.
The courtiers whose daughters, granddaughters, nieces, or sisters were on the list felt deeply ashamed.
Xiao Yun said, “Do you think this is Southern Zhuo, where the entire court is filled with civil officials, with slender arms and legs and fair complexions? How many of our Great Ning officials come from military backgrounds? Don’t you have any self-awareness about your own looks? It’s important to know oneself. Just because someone flatters you by calling you imposing and majestic doesn’t mean you actually think you’re as handsome as Pan An.”
The courtiers bowed their heads in shame. So His Majesty was dissatisfied with the appearance of the women on the list.
One minister boldly retorted, “Your Majesty, when choosing a wife, virtue is paramount. How can appearance alone—”
“Exactly, a wife is chosen for virtue, and concubines for beauty. But that’s for ordinary families. Am I not worthy of someone who excels in both virtue and beauty?”
The courtiers were once again stunned.
The man on the dragon throne was the most brilliant and martial emperor Great Ning had seen in centuries, a peerless military genius who made countless generals feel ashamed and inadequate. In his twenties, his achievements had already far surpassed those of his ancestors, destined to be the most significant figure in Great Ning’s history—truly unprecedented and unlikely to be matched.
His Majesty was not only capable but also… exceptionally handsome.
There was a popular saying among the people—”Jiang Huaiyi in the south, Xiao Yun in the north,” with no particular order, referring to the two men universally acknowledged as the most handsome in the world. One was Jiang Huaiyi, the emperor of Southern Zhuo, and the other was their own emperor of Northern Ning.
The man seated above was tall and well-built, with broad shoulders and a straight waist. A golden crown held his hair in place, and his sword-like eyebrows swept sharply toward his temples.
His features were dashing and handsome, far from the ferocious demon described in rumors. Instead, he had the kind of looks that made young ladies blush and their hearts race. The unassailable imperial dignity between his brows was mixed with a hint of roguish teasing, making people feel both uneasy and wildly excited, often unsure whether to advance or retreat, their composure utterly shattered.
The courtiers felt ashamed and were momentarily speechless: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. It is our ignorance…”
“Am I insane, to idly keep someone I don’t like around to manage me, and spend my own treasury’s money on them?” Xiao Yun paused, glancing meaningfully at the officials kneeling in the front row with a profound smile. “Or perhaps you all wish for me to change empresses every few months?”
The courtiers trembled once more.
The few first-rank officials, being seasoned veterans, though shocked and panicked, did not show it on their faces. However, reminded by His Majesty, they recalled his past “misdeeds.”
Given His Majesty’s temperament, there were naturally many opportunists in the court. His Majesty was not stingy with his favor, and indeed, many had enjoyed his affection, but…
The most favored courtier had lasted less than three months before being cast aside by His Majesty, later exiled to a remote and impoverished region to serve as a humble local official…
If His Majesty discarded empresses as casually as he did his favored ministers, what would become of the court?
Whose daughters, granddaughters, or nieces were not treasured pearls? Who could endure such treatment?
Silence fell below. Xiao Yun, abandoning his earlier thunderous demeanor, spoke kindly: “I am not an unreasonable person. I know you all mean well for me.”
The courtiers were taken aback, their hearts warming.
“I am not deliberately making things difficult for you. I have made my stance clear. It’s not that I cannot take an empress.”
The courtiers all focused intently.
“Either find someone I like, and I will naturally appoint her, or…”
The courtiers pricked up their ears.
“Or Jiang Huaiyi can take an empress,” Xiao Yun tugged at the hem of his dragon robe, clearly impatient to end the court session. “He is older than I am. If his courtiers aren’t in a hurry, why are you?”
The courtiers choked, instantly resenting Jiang Huaiyi to the core.
This was not the first time His Majesty had used Jiang Huaiyi as a shield. Jiang Huaiyi, for some inexplicable reason, stubbornly refused to take an empress, leaving them with insufficient grounds to pressure their own emperor.
Xiao Yun smiled ambiguously: “When he takes an empress, I might consider competing with him to see who has a child first.”
Even the thick-skinned old ministers blushed at this.