Chapter 1874: The Princess Royal Regent
Chapter 1874: Chapter 1874: The Princess Royal Regent
Then, Xue Yan sent a messenger to the imperial capital with an edict for the princess royal to oversee the state, acting on behalf of the Emperor in handling national affairs and court politics.
In the very distant past, it was usually the Crown Prince who took on the responsibility of overseeing the state, and if one hadn’t been appointed to the position, it was just a matter of time before they would be elevated to become the Crown Prince and inherit the throne. Hence, assigning someone to oversee the state was in effect, a signal to the officials of who the designated Crown Prince was. However, Da Ling had long since ceased to be what it used to be. It was common knowledge that their Emperor did not prioritize lineage when it came to succession, focusing instead on capability and character, and that he could abdicate at any moment. Presently, having the princess royal oversee the state clearly demonstrated her ability, which everyone had witnessed and recognized as outstanding, but one couldn’t assert with certainty that the princess royal would eventually ascend to the throne. Thus, there was no such signal to be interpreted, and the officials of Da Ling went about their business as usual, unaffected psychologically. There was simply a new boss, namely, the princess royal.
Since Xue Yang would have to act on behalf of the Emperor in managing state and court affairs, it was necessary for her to go to the imperial capital.
Xue Yi and Xue Tian were loath to part with their elder sister. However, they were both thirteen now and had grown up. They were busy with their studies and martial arts practice, a far cry from their time spent playing in their younger days. Therefore, despite their reluctance, they didn’t cling to their elder sister and tried not to prevent her from leaving.
“You must behave yourselves,” Xue Yang coaxed her younger siblings, “I’m going to see if overseeing the state is any fun. If it is, I’ll let you try it out later.”
Jiang Yue and Xue Yan: “…”
Xue Tian was quite receptive to this idea: “Okay, okay.”
Xue Yi, whose mind worked much faster, rolled his eyes upon hearing this: “No, I don’t want to try overseeing the state. Elder sister, you just want to go to Dongxiao and leave Da Ling. Hmmph.”
“Ah, how did our Little Yi get so smart?” Xue Yang teased exaggeratedly, laughing uncontrollably.
Xue Tian chimed in, “Then I don’t want to try overseeing the state either. I don’t want elder sister to go to Dongxiao. I want her to stay in Da Ling forever. Qu Xiao is so mean. Why does elder sister have to marry and go there instead of him coming here?”
“Haha,” chuckled Xue Yang heartily, “He hasn’t even come out of the woodwork yet, and you want him to marry into our family? Wouldn’t that make the whole of Dongxiao his dowry? Alright alright, I’ll consider it. It’s not out of the question.” She pretended to mull it over.
Xue Yi and Xue Tian were elated: “Hmm hmm, elder sister, please consider it.”
Xue Yang laughed even more.
Jiang Yue and Xue Yan… didn’t want to say a word.
Before setting off for the imperial capital, Xue Yang thought it over and decided to teleport to the Dongxiao palace to inform Qu Xiao.
Although Qu Xiao was the Emperor of Dongxiao, he seldom had any leisure activities, dedicating his time either to state affairs or… more state affairs.
After attending court and approving memorials, speaking about state affairs with some officials in the imperial study, his day passed by just like that, and when darkness fell, he prepared for bed after washing up.
Seeing Xue Yang suddenly appearing was no longer a surprise to Qu Xiao; he simply closed his eyes again, maintaining an unruffled composure that could not be surpassed.
Since he was about to sleep and had dismissed the attendants, he was all alone in his bedroom when Xue Yang arrived, and naturally, he was the only one to witness her appearance.
“Asleep yet?” Xue Yang approached with a cheerful grin, leaned on the bedside, and cradled her face with her hands, admiring the sleeping visage of her beloved. He really was quite handsome.
Qu Xiao didn’t even bother to open his eyes, “Didn’t you just see me close my eyes?” There was no way he could have fallen asleep that quickly.
“So, was it a busy day for you today?”
“The same as usual.”
“Your life’s too regimented.”