Beauties in Simulation Cross over into Reality

Qin Siyao, dressed in sackcloth and mourning attire, held Xiao Mo's spirit tablet as she walked at the very front of the funeral procession.

The citizens of the capital lined the streets to see him off.

Many women wailed at the sight of the Frost King's casket, some even crying until they fainted to the ground.

「Outside the city.」

Generals such as Xiahou Nan, Lian Li, and Li Jing, along with the Northern Wilderness's Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry and Heavy Armor infantry, stood in formation on both sides of the road, lining the path from the city gates all the way to the Xiao Family's ancestral lands.

"A send-off for the Frost King!"

Li Jing shouted.

WOOO—

As Li Jing's voice fell, the sound of a charging horn echoed through the heavens.

DONG! DONG DONG!!!

The million soldiers, their eyes red, struck their armor with their weapons, seeing the Frost King off on his final journey.

Xiao Mo's cenotaph was buried beside Zhou Ruoxi.

On Xiao Mo's tombstone, unlike the long-winded titles of most Dukes, there were only the words: "Grave of my husband, Xiao Mo. Erected in mourning by his wife, Qin Siyao."

After Xiao Mo was buried, the crowd dispersed. Only Qin Siyao remained, kneeling before the tombstone.

No one dared to disturb Qin Siyao.

And no one knew what she was thinking.

「Half a month later.」

Before her husband's tombstone, the woman slowly rose to her feet, turned, and walked back to the Imperial Palace.

The Deserted Tower Master of the Northern Wilderness came to the Imperial Palace for an audience with Qin Siyao.

The Deserted Tower Master, Qiu Wen, brought a letter and the royal seal of the King North Desolate.

This letter was personally written by Xiao Mo and stamped with his blood seal.

The letter's contents detailed Xiao Mo's various arrangements for the Northern Wilderness.

The most crucial point was his request for Your Majesty to revoke the title of Prince Zhenbei and reclaim his military authority, expressing his hope that the Northern Wilderness Army would henceforth be under the command of the Sovereign of Qin.

Looking at this last testament, Qin Siyao fell into deep thought for a long time.

"Your Majesty need not worry."

Qiu Wen assumed Qin Siyao was worried that this course of action would cause dissent within the Northern Wilderness Army and lead to civil unrest in the Qin Kingdom, so she explained.

"Right now, military affairs are being handled by Li Jing, Zhao Guang, Fang Weiming, and others. None of them harbor any thought of rebellion; they are all loyal to the Frost King.

Now that the Frost King has passed, they are also all loyal to Your Majesty.

The last thing they want to see is the world fractured once more, rendering the efforts and bloodshed of Prince Zhenbei, the Frost King, and millions of soldiers all for naught.

Therefore, they have no objection to the Frost King's wishes.

As for the current generation of the Xiao Mansion...

The only promising ones are Xiao Yang and Xiao Gui, who campaigned north and south with the Frost King.

They only wish to protect this world that the Frost King created in the end."

Qin Siyao shook her head. "I'm not worried about that. I have never been worried about that..."

"Your Majesty means...?" Qiu Wen asked, confused.

"No matter when, no matter what happened, he was always thinking of me." Qin Siyao looked up at Qiu Wen. "Miss Qiu, when my husband was with you, did he ever ask you to do anything for him privately?"

Qiu Wen thought carefully for a moment, then shook her head.

'Just as I thought...'

Qin Siyao lowered her head, gazing at the royal seal of Prince Zhenbei.

'He's always like this.'

'He was always like this...'

「Three days later.」

Qin Siyao announced the contents of Xiao Mo's last testament to the world, revoking the title of King North Desolate. The Northern Wilderness Army was placed under the administration of the Imperial Court, reporting only to the Sovereign of Qin.

Many believed Your Majesty's actions would incite discontent among the generals of the Northern Wilderness, even if it was the Frost King's final wish.

But unexpectedly, the generals of the Northern Wilderness all accepted the decree and surrendered their military authority.

Some generals, weary of the life of constant campaigning, resigned their posts to live in seclusion in the mountains as commoners.

Other generals entered the Qin Kingdom's Imperial City to serve in the Imperial Court.

All in all, the transfer of military power in the Northern Wilderness proceeded without a single incident.

Then, half a year after the fall of the Qi Kingdom, the new King of Zhao personally came to the capital to request surrender to the Qin Kingdom.

Qin Siyao accepted his surrender, bestowing upon the King of Zhao the title of Duke of Anle. He was given no official post with real power, but he would receive an annual stipend until the end of his days.

With this, the Zhao Kingdom was extinguished, and the World of Ten Thousand Laws was unified.

「The following spring.」

Qin Siyao promulgated the Qin Law.

From this day forward.

There would no longer be vassal states in the World of Ten Thousand Laws. The territories of the six great former kingdoms—Qi, Zhao, Chu, Yan, Wei, and Jin—and all other old states, large and small, were to be converted into states, which were subdivided into commanderies, and commanderies into counties.

The script of the world shall be standardized to that of Qin.

The speech of the world shall take the Qin dialect as the standard.

The axle widths of carts and carriages throughout the world shall conform to the regulations of the Qin Kingdom.

Henceforth.

The script was standardized, axle widths were unified, and the spoken language was made common.

The people of the world were no longer distinguished by their former kingdoms; all were now citizens of Qin.

Henceforth.

The titles of the great Noble Families could no longer be inherited without the Emperor's permission.

All officials would be selected primarily through imperial examinations, supplemented by a system of recommendations.

The examination system was implemented throughout the land, with the six schools of thought—Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, Militarism, Agriculturalism, and Mohism—as its orthodox foundation.

Henceforth.

Under the prosperous age of the Qin Kingdom.

The old were cared for until their end; the able-bodied were employed to their potential; the young were nurtured to grow; and the widowed, orphaned, childless, disabled, and sick were all provided for.

Peace reigned across the land.

...

「In the blink of an eye, twenty years passed.」

After the Qin Kingdom had time to recuperate and rebuild, Qin Siyao personally led an army to invade the Demon Race's World.

"We have come to demand an explanation from the Flowing Fire Country and the Stream Valley Country. If any of you dare to stand in Our way, you are welcome to try."

Qin Siyao's words spread throughout the entire Demon Race's World.

Afterward, Qin Siyao led her army and razed the two Demon Countries, the Flowing Fire Country and the Stream Valley Country.

From start to finish, the Qin army never suffered a single defeat.

From start to finish, the hundred nations of the Demon Race all stood by with folded arms. Not one dared to interfere.

The following year, Qin Siyao led her army on flying ships across the sea to the Ten Thousand Islands Country.

The Sovereign of the Ten Thousand Islands Country requested to surrender.

Qin Siyao refused the surrender. She exterminated the entire Royal Family of the Ten Thousand Islands Country, annexed its territory into the Qin Kingdom's map, and established a State Capital to place it under Qin's jurisdiction.

「Another fifteen years went by.」

Since Qin Siyao had destroyed the three countries of Stream Valley, Flowing Fire, and Ten Thousand Islands, the world had long been without war.

Hundreds of millions of people all called the Emperor of Qin a Saint Monarch.

But there was one matter that constantly worried the officials of the Imperial Court.

This was the matter of Your Majesty's marriage.

Throughout all these years, Your Majesty had always been alone in the Imperial Palace.

Ever since Xiao Mo's passing, Your Majesty had remained a widow.

But how could this be?

Even if Your Majesty was a Jade Realm Cultivator with a lifespan of a thousand years...

...the Crown Prince was the foundation of the nation. How could there not be one?

Thus, some bold ministers advised that they hoped Your Majesty would consider remarrying.

But without exception, none of this advice ever received a response from Qin Siyao.

In the end, these Advisors could only give up, hoping that Your Majesty would eventually have a change of heart.

「Another six years passed.」

On this day, Qin Siyao suddenly announced her intention to adopt a child to inherit the throne, requiring the Royal Family and Relatives to send forth their children between the ages of three and eight.

Upon hearing this news, the Royal Family and Relatives were naturally willing.

One by one, children from the collateral branches of the Qin Royal Family were sent into the Imperial Palace.

But Qin Siyao was not satisfied with any of them.

「Until one day.」

A collateral branch of the Royal Family sent another ten children.

Just as before, Qin Siyao summoned these children to the Imperial Study to meet them in person.

Upon seeing Qin Siyao, all the children were nervous and afraid, lowering their heads and not daring to look her in the eye.

Only one six-year-old girl looked up, her large, sparkling eyes blinking as she gazed at the exceptionally beautiful "Your Majesty-sister" before her.

Qin Siyao noticed the little girl. She crouched down in front of her and smiled. "What's your name?"

"Your Majesty-sister, I... my name is Qin Lan'er."

"Lan'er, that's a very nice name." Qin Siyao nodded. "Who are your parents?"

"I... my parents passed away when I was little." Qin Lan'er lowered her head. "I've always lived at my uncle's house..."

"I see." Qin Siyao stroked the little girl's head. "Are you not afraid of me?"

The little girl nodded, then shook her head.

Qin Siyao smiled. "Does that mean you're scared, or not scared?"

"Not scared," the little girl said.

"Why not?" Qin Siyao asked.

"Because Lan'er can tell that Your Majesty-sister is a good person."

"Lan'er can tell that, can you? Then what else have you noticed about me...?" Qin Siyao asked.

"Lan'er can also tell... can tell... that Your Majesty-sister seems very sad..." Qin Lan'er said in a childish voice.

Hearing Qin Lan'er's words, Qin Siyao paused for a moment, then smiled. "Why does Lan'er think so?"

"I don't know..." The little girl shook her head. "Lan'er just feels like Your Majesty-sister is very sad."

As she spoke, the little girl looked up. "Your Majesty-sister, if you're sad, you can cry it out. You'll feel much better if you cry."

"I can't cry..." Qin Siyao smiled faintly.

"Why can't you cry?" the little girl asked, tilting her head.

"Because my mother once told me that a woman's tears should only be shed for her beloved to see, to make his heart ache for her."

Qin Siyao stroked the little girl's hair.

"And so, you see..."

"...I can no longer cry."