After Wen Yanran’s prestige value exceeded 70, she was essentially able to get the court ministers to act according to her wishes. However, there were still imperial censors who submitted remonstrances on ordinary days. But after the imperial birthday celebration, such memorials noticeably decreased in number.
Wen Yanran, who had set her sights on being a ruler indifferent to governance, found it hard to determine for a moment whether this was actually a good thing…
[System:
Side quest [Eternal Joy] has ended. The player has successfully survived. Wish you a pleasant gaming experience.]
After the birthday celebration, the system displayed another notification that was essentially useless to Wen Yanran. In Monarch’s Guide, the Emperor’s birthday was set as a side quest with significant presence because spending too little or too much on related activities, or displaying inappropriate content, could easily cause the player’s prestige value to decrease.
As for Wen Yanran, she had long grown accustomed to her prestige data inexplicably increasing. With stability across the four borders, the frequency of her opening the personal information interface had also been continuously decreasing.
The festive atmosphere that had permeated Jianping had yet to dissipate as envoys from various regions, having received their rewards and commendations, successively embarked on their return journeys. This was the second year of the Zhaoming era, and the Sovereign had reached the age of fifteen. Following several victorious battles, the imperial treasuries were abundantly stocked, allowing envoys from all sides to receive generously substantial rewards. Some border tribal representatives, in particular, found themselves both awed and grateful towards this young emperor.
Just as the delegations from various regions were beginning their homeward journeys, court ministers gathered intelligence revealing that the Emperor had specifically retained the envoy from General of Huairen for a private audience, presumably to discuss matters concerning the southern territories.
Upon learning of this, Yuan Yanshi seized the opportunity to make his presence felt.
He had once contemplated using his position as regent to dominate court affairs. Now, projecting his own ambitions onto others, he perceived that Xiao Xichi’s authority in the southern regions was growing increasingly formidable by the day. Having recently carried out an installation and deposition of local rulers in Luonan, Xiao Xichi had already become a force not to be underestimated.
Commanding the natural support of the Qingyi tribe while controlling the formidable Chongchang forces, and now backed by substantial grain reserves from Luonan, Xiao Xichi was positioning herself to become completely autonomous once her power base matured over the coming years. With fully developed strength, she would be entirely capable of openly establishing himself as a separatist ruler.
Should matters truly reach such a stage, given the Emperor’s temperament, tolerance would be utterly impossible. Regardless of the cost, conflict with the southern territories would become inevitable.
With no possibility remaining to marginalize the Emperor’s authority, Yuan Yanshi now diligently attended to his duties from his official position, unwilling to witness the border regions descending once again into chaos. Thus, before the envoy of General of Huairen could be summoned to the palace, he requested an audience with the Sovereign.
Wen Yanran had always held great respect for this minister, identified in the commentary section as a loyal subject of Great Zhou. Upon learning of his request, she specially dispatched Zhang Luo to respectfully escort him into Western Yong Palace.
After completing his ceremonial bows to the Emperor, Yuan Yanshi did not immediately broach official matters but instead offered congratulations. “Luonan has long harbored rebellious intentions. Your Majesty’s dispatch of General Xiao to restore order and bring the southern vassal states back into allegiance is truly cause for celebration.”
Wen Yanran smiled gently. “Achieving such merit relies entirely on the dedication of border troops and officers; I merely reap the benefits without effort.”
She understood immediately that Yuan Yanshi’s revival of previously offered congratulations was clearly intended as a prelude to introduce other matters.
With Luonan’s submission, the remaining issues to address were, first, the rewarding of those who had rendered meritorious service, and second, how to handle affairs in the southern coastal regions.
Yuan Yanshi continued, “Your Majesty might consider appointing court officials to travel there, conveying imperial grace to educate the people and reducing the need for military control. Luonan has undergone great upheaval; if Your Majesty could extend favor to its new ruler, inspiring gratitude, the border regions would naturally remain free from conflict.”
In saying this, he was subtly suggesting that the Emperor should impose restraints upon Xiao Xichi.
By choosing to support the new ruler of Luonan, creating a situation of confrontation between them and the Qingyi tribe, Xiao Xichi’s movements could be effectively hampered – to the court, not only vassal states posed a threat, but overly powerful border generals were equally dangerous, often with the latter’s destructive potential far exceeding the former’s.
Wen Yanran listened attentively throughout, finally nodding slightly with sincere tone. “Rest assured, Grand Tutor. I have already formulated my plans.”
She had always valued Yuan Yanshi’s counsel. Since he recommended extending favor to Luonan, she naturally needed to demonstrate her formidable side accordingly.
As soon as Grand Tutor Yuan departed, Wen Yanran urgently summoned Xiao Xichi’s envoy.
Though the envoy from the southern regions wore clothing of the Central Plains style, his deep-set eyes and prominent features clearly marked him as a member of the Qingyi tribe.
Outside the hall, bamboo rustled delicately, and the wind whispered past window lattices, accentuating the extraordinary tranquility within the palace chamber.
Upon arrival, the envoy noticed only eunuchs present, with no court officials in sight -clearly indicating a private audience. A slight tension gripped him.
The Sovereign, however, appeared entirely amiable, first inquiring about Xiao Xichi’s personal circumstances, then proceeding directly without circumlocution. “The Luonan faction harbors wild ambitions. Though defeated for now, their submission is merely temporary, never sincere reverence toward Great Zhou. Return and tell your general: from now on, better to err on the side of severity; under no circumstances should they be treated leniently.”
The envoy paused momentarily in surprise, then immediately knelt, pressing his forehead to the ground with resolute tone. “Yes, Your Majesty..”
After the audience with the Emperor, the Qingyi tribe envoy immediately set out on his return journey southward, accompanied by freshly issued imperial edicts.
The Sovereign decreed Xiao Xichi’s promotion to Grand General of the South, and established the Annan Protectorate, placing it under her concurrent jurisdiction.
After having the secretariat draft the edict, Wen Yanran had it sent directly to the Central Secretariat for sealing, then dispatched by swift horse to the southern regions. This action sparked considerable controversy at court – no few officials shared Yuan Yanshi’s concerns. For the sake of border stability, they wished to petition the Emperor to rescind the order, only to encounter obstruction due to the Emperor’s excessively firm stance. Precisely because of this, many officials came to realize: Xiao Xichi’s departure from Jianping was like a fish returning to the sea. If she truly wished to partition and absorb Luonan, she could accomplish this without any central support whatsoever. Any emperor with sound judgment would, at this moment, take action to restrain such a border general. Yet Wen Yanran, far from impeding the Chongchang Border Camp, instead leveraged her imperial authority to provide them with additional support.
Many ministers had long since inwardly acknowledged their inferior judgment compared to the Emperor’s – since ascending the throne, the Sovereign had successively undertaken numerous actions, many containing elements beyond comprehension at the time. Though none could understand them initially, retrospective reflection revealed the depth of the Emperor’s foresight. The current arrangement placing Xiao Xichi in charge of the Annan Protectorate likely had underlying reasons that would only become clear with time.
During the month from September 15th to mid-October, the long-dormant game interface finally refreshed with two pieces of engineering-related information:
[System:
Side quest [Construction of the Grand Canal · Phase One] begins. Wish you a pleasant gaming experience.]
[System:
[Current content withheld from display], overall construction progress for [Construction of the Grand Canal · Phase One] increased by 2%.]
Connecting this with subsequent context, Wen Yanran deduced that the withheld content explained the reason for the speed increase. Drawing upon her limited historical knowledge, she pondered – typically, only when overseers were exceptionally severe would conscripted laborers be compelled to work with particular diligence. This suggested that while harsh treatment of laborers could advance construction progress, it would also bring negative effects such as reduced prestige and high attrition rates among able-bodied workers. For players aspiring to be enlightened rulers, this would naturally be undesirable. But for Wen Yanran, it represented finally returning to the proper path of a ruler indifferent to governance. As long as she properly completed the canal construction, the previous issue of increased grain production should gradually be mitigated.
If the system would lift its content blocking mechanism regarding content about enlightened rulers, Wen Yanran would understand that the reasons for accelerated construction progress included not only strict supervision by management, but also adequate grain supplies and the cautious pragmatism of Water Management Bureau officials selected through examinations…
The autumn air was crisp and clear, with frost tingeing the blue mountains as the forests within Jingyuan gradually took on hues of gold and crimson.
Wen Yanran had previously promised to bring Ren Feihong to see Jingyuan. Now that the birthday celebrations had concluded, it was only natural to fulfill that pledge.
The late emperor had also been fond of alchemy, constructing an Elixir Palace within Jingyuan at tremendous cost, sparking heated debate throughout the court and beyond. Yet regardless of how vigorously his ministers remonstrated, Emperor Li never abandoned his dream of immortality. It wasn’t until the final years of the Changxing era, when illness left him too weak to rise, that this place was finally abandoned.
When Wen Yanran first ascended the throne, she hadn’t paid much attention to the imperial palaces and gardens across the realm. It was only when she had the Imperial Household Department sort through the remaining alchemical materials in the storehouses that she learned something of the situation.
Having decided to make alchemy her future recreational pursuit, Wen Yanran ordered the renovation and expansion of the Elixir Palace complex, facilitating her ability to conduct experiments there.
Wen Yanran’s expansion requirements didn’t place excessive strain on the Imperial Household’s finances. Unlike many nobles’ preferences, the Sovereign had no great demands regarding the aesthetic quality of living environments – when constructing new buildings, all elaborate decorations could be dispensed with entirely.
During the Elixir Palace expansion, the Imperial Household officials did feel somewhat embarrassed – being known to work for the late emperor easily earned one the label of sycophant, yet working for the current emperor made one susceptible to questions about their aesthetic sensibilities.
“Minister Ren, remain at Sangzhe Palace for one day. Tomorrow you shall accompany me to the Nie Palace.”
The Elixir Palace was where experiments were conducted; the Nie Palace was where Wen Yanran produced coke. Due to certain pollution involved in the coke-making process, although limited by the era’s conditions the minimal smoke and wastewater generated could be naturally absorbed by the environment, Wen Yanran had nonetheless prudently selected Nie Palace’s location at the windward side of the Lower Jingyuan, maintaining distance from both main residential areas and water sources.
The next morning.
Before setting out, Wen Yanran changed into a set of horseback riding attire suitable for movement – the distance between Nie Palace and Elixir Palace was not great; on horseback, one could make the round trip within an hour.
Her equestrian skills had improved markedly since her early days after transmigrating. She mounted effortlessly, stepping into the stirrup and swinging herself onto the horse’s back – the power of habit was formidable; after merely two years, Wen Yanran could already draw and shoot arrows while her mount trotted.
The sovereign and her ministers galloped along the roadway, with imperial guards protecting both flanks and the rear. As they approached their destination, a guard rode forward from the formation, presenting the authorization warrant. Only after the guards at Nie Palace had verified it were the gates opened for their entry.
Calculated by later standards, Jingyuan covered approximately three thousand square kilometers – vast territory with sparse population, highly suitable for private activities.
Wen Yanran was quite satisfied with the location of her coke production facility. Since it wasn’t situated within any town or city, even if she developed technological points that didn’t align with the era, they couldn’t spread. This way, she could simultaneously achieve the dual objectives of “cultivating public opinion about an alchemy-obsessed ruler indifferent to governance” and “satisfying her personal interests.”
Ren Feihong tilted her head back, gazing at the “Nie Palace” that bore absolutely no resemblance to a palace whatsoever, experiencing a complex mixture of shock and bewilderment.
After discovering that the people of Great Zhou had already begun utilizing quicklime, Wen Yanran abandoned all restraint and had limestone excavated – this mineral was also recorded in official archives, though not as a collectible, but rather as a raw material for alchemy.
Wen Yanran had the Imperial Household Department mix limestone, clay, coal slag, and raw iron ore to produce a primitive form of cement, which was used as wall coating. Consequently, Nie Palace appeared quite neat in its exterior, though excessively rigid in its horizontal and vertical lines – appearing somewhat lacking in gracefulness to native Great Zhou sensibilities.
As a transmigrator, Wen Yanran felt she was likely the only person in this era who could appreciate such strong factory aesthetics.
Wen Yanran smiled. “I had quartz transported here some time ago. Minister Ren, come along and see what they’ve managed to produce.”
Ren Feihong clasped her hands in acknowledgment, feeling somewhat more grounded – having long navigated both official and popular circles, she naturally knew that quartz, also called stone sulfur, was, like cinnabar, alum, and mica, a common material used in alchemy, with the finest-grade quartz mostly coming as tribute from states such as Qiuche.
