Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 678 - 333: The Feat of the Dragon_1

Chapter 678: Chapter 333: The Feat of the Dragon_1

On March 15th, the grand coronation ceremony of the new Emperor Qianwu took place. Emperor Qianwu also posthumously honored the previous Empress Dowager as the Grand Empress Dowager, the late Consort Minde of the former emperor as the Empress Dowager, the deceased Lady Sun, Prince Ning’s wife, as Empress Yuan, and his eldest legitimate son Zhu Sujin as the Crown Prince.

At the same time, Fu Minglan was named as the Crown Princess Consort, Huang Lingling as the Consort of the Crown Prince, and Huo Shuqin as one of the Excellent Beauties of the Crown Prince, all to be married simultaneously in March of the following year. Unlike commoner families, the royal family prioritizes succession over mourning; thus, one year of mourning suffices.

Upon hearing this news, Qian Yixiu was stunned for a long time. Fu Minglan and Huang Lingling were best friends, and now their relationship would be that of a senior and junior wife. How could they get along? She wondered if they could indeed share a sisterly bond like the legendary E Huang and Nv Ying.

Nevertheless, both Fu Minglan and Huang Lingling had pleasant dispositions: one gentle and virtuous, the other charming and lively, and both were beautiful. Although Huang Lingling grew up in the Eldest Taifeng Princess Mansion, she was not the princess’s own blood, but the great-granddaughter of Old Prince Consort Huang’s brother, thus she was only named the Consort of the Crown Prince. On the other hand, Fu Minglan was the grand-niece of the Grand Empress Dowager and the legitimate eldest daughter of the Fu family, and so she became the Crown Princess Consort.

Qian Yixiu had not met Huo Shuqin, nor did she know much about her, only that she was the legitimate sister of Huo Liren and also said to be beautiful.

She hoped that Zhu Sujin would spread his favor evenly, keeping all the pretty young women in his court content, to avoid discord in the inner palace.

Occasionally, Qian Yixiu would wonder what she would do if she were to be granted one of these three women’s titles. Breaking her head over it, she could only think of one option: to hide in the Clam Shell House in a remote place, living low-key to avoid bringing trouble to her family, she would even have to stage a vanishing act in the Palace.

The thought of leading a group of women in serving one man was something she was unwilling to do. She had an escape plan, and she dared not put up with such nonsense.

If she had no other option, then Zhu Sujin would have no choice but to dote on her, and only her. Of course, with her disposition, Emperor Qianwu would certainly not let her off easily. But to have her man, Jinwa—who she had raised since childhood—to share his favor with many women before doting on her was something she did not want. In the end, she would either be dealt with, or compelled to make an unbearable compromise...

Thinking about all this, she truly, truly felt grateful to Zhu Sujin. He understood her well and, knowing her personality, he chose to let go.

However, when she thought of Emperor Qianwu’s intentions to arrange a marriage for her, she felt a bit anxious. She believed that, given her upbringing of Zhu Sujin and her risk in retrieving the Dragon Ball, Emperor Qianwu should not impose an undesirable marriage on her.

Now that things had come to this, she still felt Uncle Liang was the best choice. Although her mother was not easy to deal with, Uncle Liang was a good man, well-known to her family, and he had promised to only marry her, ensuring a pleasant family environment. This was much better than being tied to an unknown and unfamiliar man.

Then, there was a major reshuffling at court. The most eye-catching development was the Emperor’s agreement to accept Zhang Fengzheng’s resignation from his position as the primary assistant and his retirement to return to his hometown. Di Shu, the former secondary assistant, was appointed as the primary assistant, leading the Imperial Court. The Empress Dowager Fu’s nephew from her maternal family, the former servant of the Ministry of Revenue Fu Qinghong, and Fu Minglan’s grandfather, entered the cabinet as a Grand Scholar.

Key positions such as the Commander-in-chief of the Headquarters of the Five Armies, the Ministry of War, and Captain of the Imperial Guards were all replaced.

Many families who had contributed significantly to the Emperor’s ascension were promoted and ennobled.

The Qian family was no exception, with Qian Manjiang being conferred the rank of Third-Rank General of the Imperial Army, as a close servant charged with protecting the Emperor. Ascending to the rank of a Third-Rank Official, he was considered a high-ranking official. Moreover, Emperor Qianwu privately informed Qian Manjiang that Qian Sangui would be promoted from Lord Xiangen to Marquis Xiangen upon his return.

The Liang Family could say they had both joy and sorrow: the joyous news was that Liang Jinzhao was on the right side, and he was named a Second-Ranking Official, the youngest in Daqian.

However, Duke Weiguo, Liang Yiqian, Liang Jinzhao’s father, had hesitated when picking sides, and it was only because of "severe illness" that he finally surrendered military power, which made the Emperor very distrustful of him. But out of consideration for Old Duke Liang and Liang Jinzhao, the Emperor did not remove him from office.

Yet Old Duke Liang advised his son, "Your position is to protect the Emperor’s safety by his side. Now that he does not trust you anymore, you should take the initiative to resign from your position."

So father and son went to tender their resignations, but Emperor Qianwu was reluctant to let them go, saying, "Deputy Commander Liang is capable, I appreciate him."

Liang Yiqian was moved to tears, expressing his gratitude for the Emperor’s magnanimity, but he insisted that his health truly precluded him from continuing the heavy responsibilities of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army.