The Great Yin Dynasty, 28th Year of Emperor Hui’s Reign, April 26th.
The weather was clear, with gentle breezes blowing pleasantly.
Today was Queen Wang’s birthday. As the queen advocated frugality and disliked extravagance, Emperor Hui had ordered the relevant officials to set up a modest banquet in the Imperial Garden, attended by inner palace consorts, princes, princesses, and several royal relatives.
Princess Shunyang Zhu Xuanyi accompanied Queen Wang at her side. The sickly pallor from a month ago had completely vanished from her face. With exquisite makeup and radiant vitality, she was engaged in casual conversation with Queen Wang.
Crown Princess Gu sat alone nearby with lowered eyes and restrained demeanor, seemingly lost in thought.
Princess Shunyang was now twenty-three years old, married to Yue Guantang, son of Marquis Wu’an, and had given birth to a son who died before reaching two years of age. This matter was deeply connected to Crown Prince Zhu Xuanyu.
The once deeply affectionate siblings had now grown increasingly distant, even developing hatred between them. At this moment, Crown Princess Gu found it truly difficult to approach and converse with Princess Shunyang as she had in the past.
After court adjourned, Emperor Hui arrived in the garden with Crown Prince Zhu Xuanyu to offer birthday congratulations to Queen Wang.
“Yiyi looks much better today!”
Emperor Hui regarded Princess Shunyang as the apple of his eye, favoring her over any prince, including the crown prince. While Princess Shunyang grieved the loss of her child, how could Emperor Hui not ache with sorrow for his beloved daughter’s pain?
Princess Shunyang bowed and said, “I apologize for making Father Emperor worry about me. My health has now fully recovered, please rest assured.”
After speaking, Princess Shunyang greeted the crown prince briefly before intimately inviting Emperor Hui to take the seat of honor.
After three rounds of drinks, Emperor Hui’s eyes grew somewhat distant. His gaze fell upon the crown prince holding his cup with a faint smile, seemingly deeply affected by recent imperial suppression in court, along with officials’ alienation and even impeachment.
The root cause of all this lay in the intense struggle between the crown prince and Prince Chen.
Since his serious illness at the beginning of the year, Emperor Hui had felt his health significantly declining, and as for the crown prince—
“Ding dong—”
The banquet music had long ceased when this ringing sound came from above. Emperor Hui instinctively looked up and saw a giant iridescent light screen appearing in mid-air!
Clatter—
Someone’s wine cup fell to the ground, followed by similar sounds one after another.
Screams rose and fell continuously, and within moments numerous palace staff and even some princes and princesses were scurrying about in panic.
“Protect His Majesty!”
Princess Shunyang was the first to react, shouting urgently. Simultaneously, her guard Lin Zhitong, who had accompanied the princess into the palace, positioned himself protectively before the princess and Queen Wang.
As for the Emperor?
He had his own protectors, and the crown prince had already moved to the emperor’s side.
Emperor Hui stared at the brilliantly shining, dazzling light screen. What could this magnificently strange object appearing above the heavily guarded imperial garden signify? Was it the carefully plotted scheme of conspirators with ulterior motives?
No, he didn’t believe any conspirators possessed such capability—neither the crown prince nor Prince Chen.
“Father Emperor, could this be a heaven-sent auspicious omen?”
Brilliant and dazzling, suspended in mid-air—what could this be if not a heavenly miracle?
The commotion was quickly suppressed.
Indeed, this must be an auspicious miracle!
The current Emperor had always been benevolent, generous, and cherished the people’s welfare—surely Heaven was displaying this dazzling spectacle to show appreciation and encouragement.
Otherwise, why would the light screen descend precisely where the Emperor was present?
Soon, palace staff urgently reported that similar light screens had appeared in other locations within the palace.
Princess Shunyang contemplated quietly. If this was happening within the palace, likely Luojing, and possibly the entire Great Yin territory, were witnessing similar phenomena.
If this was indeed a heavenly auspicious sign, nothing could be better—throughout all Yin lands, the common people would recognize the current Emperor’s benevolent virtue and love for his subjects.
If not for…
Regardless, the Great Yin Dynasty was bound to be swept into a whirlwind of turmoil.
Melodious and pleasant music drifted through the air as flowing lights coalesced into a rectangular frame. Within this frame, the clouds on the luminous screen dispersed, and vivid portraits of figures swiftly appeared and vanished like an unrolling scroll.
The Crown Prince possessed exceptional eyesight and had harbored a fondness for calligraphy and painting since childhood. Although the artistic style of the portraits on the Sky Screen differed from both ancient and contemporary techniques, they were remarkably lifelike and vivid.
Moreover—
He noticed that the figures rapidly displayed on the Sky Screen were all dressed in the official robes of the civil and military officials of the Great Yin Dynasty.
Among them, there seemed to be women!
How could women hold official positions?
[“Greetings, esteemed viewers—I am Qing Ju. Long time no see, I’ve missed you all dearly. In response to the overwhelming requests from our audience, starting today, Qing Ju will guide you through the magnificent era of Emperor Zhaowen of the Great Yin Dynasty—an age of clear governance and harmonious society, one that countless people yearn to witness, even wishing they could traverse time to catch a glimpse of its splendor.”]
Following these words, the four large characters “Annals of Emperor Zhaowen” appeared on the luminous screen.
The crowd was astounded—the screen could speak?
Emperor Zhaowen of the Great Yin Dynasty? But there was no Emperor Zhaowen in the current Great Yin Dynasty…
Could this be referring to the present emperor?
Emperor Hui also pondered this possibility, his heart trembling with excitement. Emperor Zhaowen, Emperor Zhaowen!
“Zhao” signifies sagely wisdom reaching far and wide, while “Wen” denotes the ability to govern the world with order and virtue.
Throughout history, most emperors’ posthumous titles consisted of a single character, though a few had two or more.
Previous monarchs of the Yin Dynasty had all received single-character posthumous titles. For a ruler to be honored with the two exceptionally auspicious characters “Zhao” and “Wen” by their successors and the entire court indicated an illustrious reign and deep admiration from the people!
Magnificent, with clear governance and harmonious society!
Reflecting on his over twenty years as emperor, Emperor Hui believed he had been diligent, devoted to his people, and maintained harmonious relations with his ministers, often praised as a “benevolent ruler.”
Flushed with excitement, he thought, Who else could Emperor Zhaowen be but me?
The Crown Prince stepped forward to congratulate him, saying, “Your son congratulates Your Majesty! May Your Majesty reign for millennia!”
Emperor Hui smiled and replied, “Let us all be seated. The heavens have bestowed this revelation as a blessing to the Great Yin. Everyone must listen with reverence!”
[“When mentioning Emperor Zhaowen, what comes to your mind? Is it his unprecedented, groundbreaking ascension to the throne? The ambition of expanding territories and subduing foreign tribes? The peace and prosperity of small towns with ten thousand households and granaries overflowing with grain? Or perhaps Emperor Zhaowen’s numerous CPs that fans obsess over, never tiring of, and passionately debate online for days on end?”]
Well, the words were all positive, and the phrases were all commendable, but why were they just a tad incomprehensible?
Unprecedented, groundbreaking ascension?
Hadn’t the current emperor ascended the throne in the conventional manner of a son succeeding his father? How could that be considered unprecedented or groundbreaking?
Could it be that his achievements were so monumental that the Sky Screen deemed his ascension uniquely significant compared to other emperors?
Expanding territories and subduing foreign tribes?
But… since his ascension, the current emperor had scarcely won any foreign wars and had instead paid tribute—ah, pardon, “gifted coins”—to barbarian states.
Could this peace achieved through “gifting coins” be considered “subduing foreign tribes”?
And what of “expanding territories”? Was it because he captured a small island at the beginning of his reign?
Small towns with ten thousand households and granaries overflowing with grain?
During the current emperor’s rule, the people’s livelihoods had indeed improved. But “small towns with ten thousand households”? And “granaries overflowing with grain”?
Sheng Mian, the Minister of Revenue, thought to himself, “That’s an exaggeration, an exaggeration! Even the capital, Luojing, doesn’t have granaries overflowing with grain!”
And what about those “numerous CPs”… What does “CP” mean?
No one understood Emperor Hui better than himself—he was well aware of his own achievements.
Could it be that these were accomplishments from his later years?
His health was deteriorating day by day. To achieve the feats mentioned by the Sky Screen, he would need to live much longer!
It seemed the elixirs refined by the Taoists were quite effective after all.
At this moment, the Crown Prince also sensed something amiss.
Could it be that Emperor Zhaowen was not his father, but himself?
Princess Shunyang sat beside Queen Wang, observing the expressions of everyone around her.
Was Emperor Zhaowen truly her father?
Her father was benevolent, but… though it was improper for a daughter to critique her father, he was benevolent yet indecisive. Upon reflection, none of the ambitious endeavors he had envisioned since assuming the throne had ever come to fruition!
Was it the Crown Prince, her elder brother? He revered their father’s benevolence and sought to govern with kindness, yet beneath his gentle exterior lay timidity and suspicion—hardly the makings of a visionary ruler who could expand territories.
[However, the first episode of the Annals of Emperor Zhaowen would begin with the woman behind him.]
The woman behind him?
A Sage Ruler deserved a virtuous queen, so this “woman behind him” must refer to Queen Wang!
The consorts watched Queen Wang with envy—how fortunate she was to be remembered by the Sky Screen.
Queen Wang remained calm and composed. Who said the “woman behind him” had to be her?
Could it not be Empress Shen, the emperor’s first wife who played a crucial role in his ascension, even sacrificing herself by taking an arrow for him and dying as a result?
Could it not be Empress Yue, who gave birth to the current Crown Prince Zhu Xuanyu and whose brother commanded the armies, though she had already passed away from illness?
Queen Wang was not alone in this line of thought. The Crown Princess clung to a sliver of hope—could that “woman behind her” be her?
If the Sage Ruler was indeed Zhu Xuanyu, the woman behind him would most likely be her!
Amidst the collective anticipation, the Sky Screen shifted, revealing a woman in empress dowager attire smiling as she appeared—
[She was the wife of Emperor Hui and mother of Emperor Zhaowen—Empress Dowager Xiaoci, Wang Qingran!]
The mystery was solved.
The hostess of today’s banquet, seated regally above, was Queen Wang, whose full name was Wang Qingran.
This was awkward.
So, Emperor Zhaowen was not the current emperor; Emperor Hui was the current ruler, and Zhaowen was the son of Emperor Hui and Queen Wang.
As everyone knew, Queen Wang had no biological children. She had not even formally adopted one, having only raised Princess Shunyang, the daughter of Emperor Hui and his first wife, Empress Shen.
In name, all princes and princesses were Queen Wang’s children.
The Crown Princess was overjoyed. Though the woman behind the throne was not her, if the current emperor was not Emperor Hui, then the Crown Prince must have ascended as Emperor Zhaowen!
She would be the future empress!
The Crown Prince felt a surge of excitement—if his father was Emperor Hui, then would Emperor Zhaowen be him?
He had always adhered to Confucian virtues of benevolence and prided himself on loving the people. That Emperor Zhaowen who expanded territories and brought prosperity to the nation—surely it was him, it must be him!
He always knew his father loved him in the end!
Even the incident where he caused the death of Princess Shunyang’s son was handled with more noise than action by the emperor. In his father’s heart, he recognized him as the heir—he was the most important!
Crown Prince Zhu Xuanyu was nearly moved to tears of excitement, though years of cultivated restraint kept his emotions largely concealed.
Meanwhile, Prince Chen, forced into “recuperation due to illness,” gripped his wine cup, his gaze dark and heavy. Emperor Zhaowen—hah! If the Crown Prince was considered Queen Wang’s child, then was he, Prince Chen, not one as well?
Hearing the words from the Sky Screen, Emperor Hui felt his heart plummet from a great height.
Emperor Hui, Emperor Hui.
“Benevolent and kind to the people is called Hui; loving the people and generous in giving is called Hui.”
Well… it’s not too bad.
His gaze drifted toward Zhu Xuanyu. Could it be that the Crown Prince truly possessed the qualities to become a wise and virtuous ruler?
In his opinion, the Crown Prince would make a decent ruler for maintaining stability.
Could it be that his judgment was flawed?
As he withdrew his gaze, it unintentionally swept past Princess Shunyang—Ah, Yiyi! His precious daughter is still the best: kind and filial, intelligent and decisive. Truly worthy of being the child of Yaoyin and himself!
Back then, Yiyi had merely traveled south for leisure, yet along the way, she observed the people’s livelihoods, rooted out countless corrupt officials, and solved numerous cases for him.
The local populace even wished for her to stay and serve as an official.
If only Yiyi were a man—he would undoubtedly appoint her as Crown Prince, gather talented ministers for her, and entrust the Great Yin’s empire to her.
But alas, Yiyi is a daughter.
Zhu Xuanyi was astonished. Wha—what? Emperor Zhao Wen is my elder brother?
My elder brother caused the death of my child, yet he ultimately became a praised and celebrated emperor.
Then what about me? What about my grievances?
And what about my ideals and aspirations?
I am no less capable than my elder brother!