432: Deposed Empress Rongyang

At the same time, in the Tianqi Royal Capital, within the Imperial Study of the palace.

Expensive Dragons Saliva Incense burned within the hall, its wisps of smoke curling up, yet they could not dispel even a hint of the stagnant gloom.

Li Xuan sat behind the imperial desk, playing with a sound-transmitting Jade Slip in his hand. The strength of his fingertips loosened and tightened intermittently, threatening to crack the translucent white Jade Slip.

His eyes were as dark and sinister as a cold pool, but his face showed a nearly sickly pallor, with heavy dark circles under his eyes; it was clear he had not slept for many days.

Since the day Jiang Yan's carriage left the royal capital, he had been unable to sleep at night, as if he could hear the faint whispers inside and outside the palace walls at every moment and see the ridicule potentially hidden deep in the eyes of his officials.

The Empress traveling far "to pray for the country" was originally a loophole-ridden excuse.

For an Empress who was the mother of the nation to forgo the palace's Buddhist hall and instead travel to the bitter cold of the Northern Frontier to pray—anyone who heard it could sense something unusual.

As time passed, rumors would only grow like wild weeds, dragging his dignity as an Emperor, along with the teetering Tianqi court, into the mire.

Mysterious Clarity Master sat on a nearby red sandalwood chair, wearing a crane-patterned robe with wide sleeves. His hair and beard were entirely white, and his transcendent face remained calm and ripple-less, as if he were merely stating an ordinary matter that had nothing to do with him.

He stroked his fly-whisk with his fingertips, his voice as light as water:

“Lord of the Country, since The Jiang Clan has already left the palace and has been gone for a long time without returning, and the name of 'praying' cannot be maintained for long. A country cannot be without an empress for a day, and the inner palace also needs someone to preside over it. To settle the hearts of the court and the Commoners and to silence the public, a decision must be made early.”

“A decision?”

Li Xuan suddenly looked up, his voice laced with ice shards. His fingertips abruptly exerted force, and the Jade Slip let out a strained crisp sound, nearly shattering on the spot:

“Is the State Preceptor asking me... to abolish Yaner's status as the master of the inner palace?”

“It is not deposing the Empress, but following the will of heaven and the people.”

Mysterious Clarity Master's tone remained unchanged, his gaze faintly sweeping over the precarious Jade Slip:

“The Jiang Clan's Phoenix carriage traveled north; she has braved the elements to pray for the country, and her contributions are great and known to all. However, her Phoenix body may need long-term recuperation in the spiritual mountains and blessed lands of the Northern Frontier, making it difficult for her to bear the heavy responsibilities of the inner palace. To avoid neglecting the state and to preserve The Jiang Clan's reputation, why not... retire after this success and live in honorable retirement in the Northern Frontier? The Lord of the Country can then choose another virtuous and graceful lady to be the mother of the nation. In this way, it both fulfills the neighborly friendship with the Northern Frontier and stabilizes the court and the hearts of the people in Tianqi, while also silencing the historians of future generations—after all, between a former Empress who retired honorably due to her merits and an Empress deposed for 'loss of virtue,' which is better or worse is clear at a glance in history.”

He spoke grandiosely, every word and sentence seemingly for the sake of the Tianqi mountains and rivers and for Jiang Yan's reputation, but in reality, he was firmly placing a high hat of “retiring after success from praying for the country” on Jiang Yan's head, completely cutting off any possibility of her returning to the royal capital.

He even more subtly hinted to Li Xuan to take this opportunity to draw a clear line with Jiang Yan, reshaping his image as a monarch who was “forced but righteous,” while using the position of the New Empress to soothe the hearts of people that might be wavering due to the Empress's long absence.

Li Xuan fell silent, his chest heaving violently, and the veins on his temples throbbing faintly.

How could he not understand Mysterious Clarity Master's meaning?

This was no following of heaven's will; it was clearly forcing him to personally leave Jiang Yan in the Northern Frontier and then use an imperial edict to sever all her connections with the Tianqi Imperial Family completely.

From then on, Jiang Yan would merely be a symbol enshrined in the Northern Frontier, a hollow title of “honorable retirement,” with no further substantial connection to him, Li Xuan, or this magnificent imperial palace.

And what he had to do was play the part of the monarch who “felt reluctant but acted for the sake of the state,” pretending that all of this was out of public interest, and then quickly appoint a New Empress to completely cover up those rumors that were highly likely to appear.

Humiliation, like a venomous snake, gnawed fiercely at his internal organs, the pain making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

But Mysterious Clarity Master's words were like a dose of sobering poison, forcing him to see the reality before him—things had already reached this point, and there was no turning back.

Rather than letting the rumors ferment and cause turmoil in the court, it was better to cut the Gordian knot and firmly grasp the initiative.

At least, on the surface, he preserved the tattered dignity of the Tianqi Imperial Family and gave the Northern Frontier and Situ Jun a clear “account,” a way out that everyone could accept.

Li Xuan stared intently at Mysterious Clarity Master, his eyes churning with resentment and anger, his voice hoarse as if rubbed by sandpaper:

“Did the State Preceptor never intend to let Yaner return to the royal capital from the very beginning?”

Only then did Mysterious Clarity Master look up, meeting Li Xuan's bloodshot eyes, his tone still flat and ripple-less:

“When the Lord of the Country sent The Jiang Clan north back then, did you not know that her reputation might be difficult to preserve? I have presided over Tianqi for more than sixty years, through three dynasties; my loyalty to Tianqi is witnessed by heaven and earth. The Lord of the Country may question my proposal, but my original intention to protect Tianqi has never changed.”

This sentence was like the final straw, crushing the last bit of struggle remaining in Li Xuan's heart.

After a long time, as if drained of all his strength, he slumped back against the cold back of the Dragon chair, his eyes tightly shut. When he opened them again, the struggle and pain in his eyes had vanished, leaving only a cold resolve.

His voice was incredibly dry, each word spoken slowly as if it had exhausted his life's energy:

“In the State Preceptor's opinion, who... should be chosen as the New Empress?”

“The daughter of the Minister of Personnel Xia Guanglin, Xia Wei.”

Mysterious Clarity Master was well-prepared and answered without hesitation:

“This woman is dignified, virtuous, gentle, and submissive, with a long-standing reputation for virtue. Furthermore, Minister Xia's clan has been loyal for generations, devoted to the Lord of the Country, and holds considerable prestige in the court. Xia Wei has been in the palace for several years and is well-versed in inner palace rules; she is capable of bearing the heavy responsibility of the central palace.”

He had long been observing Xia Wei in secret. Her appearance was not inferior to Jiang Yan's, but her temperament was more submissive, and the power of the Xia family behind her would be enough to help Li Xuan stabilize the court.

More importantly, the Xia family had always shown great respect toward him, the State Preceptor.

Li Xuan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the struggle and pain had completely faded, leaving only a cold resolve.

He took a deep breath and called out, “Someone, come!”

Outside the hall, the Head Eunuch Li Fu hurried in with a bowed body. He kept his head low, not daring to look at the Emperor's expression behind the imperial desk, and merely bowed respectfully to Li Xuan and Mysterious Clarity Master.

Li Xuan's gaze fell on Li Fu, as cold as the ice outside the hall:

“Draft an edict.”

Li Fu's heart trembled, and he quickly replied, “This servant obeys.”

“First,”

Li Xuan's voice had no temperature, every word sounding as if squeezed out from between his teeth:

“First,”

Li Xuan's voice had no temperature, every word sounding as if squeezed out from between his teeth:

“The Empress, Jiang Yan, traveled far to the Northern Frontier to pray for the country and has made great contributions. However, her Phoenix body is unwell and requires a long stay in the spiritual mountains and blessed lands of the Northern Frontier for recuperation; my heart is deeply pained. Considering her outstanding achievements, she is specially granted honorable retirement in the Northern Frontier, enjoying double the stipend of a Prince. However, the central palace cannot remain vacant for long, and the inner palace cannot be without a master... From this day forward, her title of Empress is removed, she is to move out of the Jiaofang Palace, her golden scrolls and precious seals are to be collected, and she is demoted to... a Commoner.”

The moment the word “Commoner” left his mouth, a sudden sharp pain hit Li Xuan's chest, as if something had been violently torn apart. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms, to forcibly suppress the surging blood.

“Second,”

He took a deep breath and continued:

“Appoint the daughter of the Minister of Personnel Xia Guanglin, Xia Wei, as the Successor Empress, and choose an auspicious day to hold the investiture ceremony. To show solemnity and to demonstrate Tianqi's emphasis on the Northern Frontier... specially invite the City Lord of the Northern Frontier, Situ Jun, to the royal capital to observe the ceremony and celebrate together.”

A trace of indiscernible light flashed in Mysterious Clarity Master's eyes, and he immediately spoke with a hint of praise in his voice:

“The Lord of the Country is wise. In this way, past matters can be settled, and a new situation can be opened. When City Lord Situ receives the edict, he will naturally understand the Lord of the Country's intentions of ‘fulfillment’ and ‘emphasis’.”

...