Chapter 494 - 407: I... I’ll See You Off...
Chapter 494: Chapter 407: I... I’ll See You Off...
Three days after the Sovereign of Qin passed away, an enthronement ceremony was held in the Imperial City.
The ceremony was simple, but its primary purpose was symbolic.
From that day forward, Qin Siyao was the rightful Sovereign of the Qin Kingdom.
On the very day of Qin Siyao’s official enthronement, all sorts of auspicious signs appeared for thousands of miles around the Imperial City.
These were not omens fabricated by sycophantic officials to curry favor, but real events.
After Qin Siyao’s ascension, the winter even lost some of its chill, and the weather began to show signs of warming.
It was expected that spring would arrive earlier than usual this year.
After her official enthronement, the first thing Qin Siyao did, as the new Sovereign of Qin, was to hold a funeral for her father.
In accordance with her father’s wishes, Qin Siyao kept the funeral simple.
In stark contrast to her previous tears and struggles to stay composed, Qin Siyao’s state of mind was far more stable as she presided over her father’s funeral.
Even though she had just taken the throne, her every move already carried the air of a true Emperor.
It was as if the once-naive young girl was no longer merely imitating her elders, but had suddenly, truly grown up.
All the eunuchs in the Imperial Palace were dismissed.
Only Maids remained within the palace.
Hua Sheng remained Qin Siyao’s personal Attendant.
But unlike her previous carefree days, Hua Sheng would now be responsible for managing all palace affairs. Her life would no longer be so easy.
After the funeral, Qin Siyao threw herself wholeheartedly into matters of state.
As the Sovereign of the Qin Kingdom, Qin Siyao now naturally resided in the Imperial Palace.
As Qin Siyao’s future husband and a man of immense power, Xiao Mo could have stayed in her bedchambers every day without issue. Not a single person would have dared to utter a word of gossip.
But Xiao Mo did not do so.
Xiao Mo continued to reside in Prince Shuang’s Mansion.
In fact, Xiao Mo would only go to the Imperial Study to attend court or to discuss official business.
After all, Qin Siyao’s position was now unique. ’And I, no matter my influence, am ultimately just one of her subjects.’
In Xiao Mo’s view, constantly visiting the Imperial Palace now would make him look suspiciously like he was "plotting something."
’Then does this realm belong to the Qin Family, or the Xiao Family?’
Even if Xiao Mo himself had no such intentions, what would the supporters of the Xiao Family think?
Many of the ministers and generals close to the Xiao Mansion were hoping Xiao Mo would take that seat for himself.
If Xiao Mo were to declare himself Emperor, their own status would skyrocket.
To say nothing of the escalating tensions on the border.
The Northern Wilderness was currently conducting large-scale military drills, requiring Xiao Mo to return there periodically to make an appearance.
Forget about visiting the Imperial Palace; Xiao Mo rarely even had time to return to his own Prince Shuang’s Mansion.
However, in Qin Siyao’s view, even though she and Xiao Mo couldn’t meet every day—and when they did, it was always with several other ministers in the Imperial Study where they had to maintain a facade of formal courtesy—she knew these days wouldn’t last forever.
’For now, the most important things are to stabilize the Imperial Court and manage the wars across the realm.’
’Once some time passes, the situation in the Qin Kingdom stabilizes, and this great war ends, then I can officially hold our wedding ceremony with Xiao Mo.’
’At that time, Xiao Mo can move into the Imperial Palace with proper justification.’
’Finally, once Xiao Mo and I have an heir, raise him to be a competent Monarch, I can abdicate the throne to our child.’
’At that point, Xiao Mo and I can retreat into a secluded life and never again concern ourselves with worldly affairs.’
’For the sake of that future, I can wait.’
Then, just one month after Qin Shengtian’s passing, a major war erupted on the border once more.
The Qi and Zhao Kingdoms, hearing of the Sovereign of Qin’s death, both sought to strike while the people’s hearts were unsettled.
In addition, some within the Qin Kingdom also began to harbor their own ambitions.
With the Sovereign of Qin dead and Qin Siyao having just ascended the throne—and as a woman, no less—the minds of some Dukes immediately grew restless.
Since ancient times, no woman had ever held the position of Monarch.
They believed a woman was incapable of bearing such a heavy burden.
’No matter how much His Majesty doted on the Third Princess, he would never have passed the throne to her!’
Therefore, they insisted that His Majesty’s Imperial Decree had to be a forgery—a final edict fabricated by the Three Ministers of the Imperial Court!
This was because two of the Three Ministers had once been Xiao Mo’s Guest Ministers, to whom he had shown great favor in recognizing their talents. The remaining one, Prime Minister Li, was also on good terms with Xiao Mo.
’Xiao Mo and his cronies are disrupting the court, trying to seize control of the government and turn the Qin Family’s realm into the Xiao Family’s!’
’As descendants of the Qin Royal Family, how can we tolerate such a thing!’
In reality, how could Xiao Mo not see through their schemes?
’No matter how righteous they sound, it’s all just a cover for their own ambition.’
’What they want can be summed up in two words: the throne!’
In an instant, numerous Dukes with the blood of the Qin Royal Family rose up in arms.
A number of generals also joined the rebellion.
After all, who wouldn’t want to wield the kind of power over the court that Xiao Mo commanded?
Of course, Xiao Mo suspected that among the rebellious Dukes, aside from those who were genuinely intoxicated by power and not thinking clearly, there were likely many who had connections to the Qi and Zhao Kingdoms.
They were probably planning to coordinate an attack from within while Qi and Zhao struck from the outside.
However, when it came to their true motives, Xiao Mo no longer cared.