Chapter 1268: 23 Things About the Fake Emperor and the Powerful Officials
The earliest rumor came from the north.
Originally, it was just nonsense that the second prince of the Northern Kingdom mocked the emperor of the Jing Dynasty for being a eunuch, but as it spread, it became more and more outrageous.
Later, it became a popular storybook in the teahouses of the imperial capital. It talked about things in the previous dynasty, but every word and sentence reflected Shi Li.
The core of the storybook is to change the old story of "the raccoon cat replaces the prince" into "the princess replaces the prince".
Even the matter of opening a girls' school was included in the story, saying that Your Majesty is a girl, so women are taken into consideration in everything.
Perhaps passers-by who are drinking tea and listening to music in the teahouse would never think that the more absurd the story is, the more likely it is to be the truth.
When Shi Li heard this, she used all her strength to calm herself down and just sneered.
"A bunch of nonsense."
After a few days, even Xie Qingyun, who devoted herself to running the girls' school, heard about this and couldn't help but come to the palace to see her.
After dismissing everyone, Xie Qingyun frowned and asked worriedly: "What is your majesty going to do?"
"I will remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing situations. No one will dare to question me with a book of words."
Shi Li was holding a wolf hair brush in her hand and was writing a reply to Yuan Chizhi.
When he arrived in the north, the first battle report had already been sent back, indicating that the first battle was a victory.
Xie Qingyun pursed her lips and suggested softly, "Why don't you write a letter to Yuan Chizhi and ask him what he thinks?"
"If I lose my composure, it will be easy for someone with ulterior motives to find fault with me. Besides, the war in the north is tense, how can I let him worry about such a thing?"
Shi Li rejected Xie Qingyun directly and did not even consider telling Yuan Chizhi about this matter. If she could not even handle this matter, it would be a waste of Xie Lao and Yuan Chizhi's years of teaching.
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Xie Qingyun said no more.
After thinking for a moment, he changed the subject and said, "Fortunately, Huang Suqing is doing well in the south. The first dam he built just prevented a sudden rainstorm. The local people are very grateful to your majesty for his kindness."
Nothing could be more telling than the facts.
Everything was going well for Huang Suqing, so Shi Li could breathe a sigh of relief, both for the people and for himself.
What happened with the storyteller and the book was not entirely without disadvantages for Shi Li. At least it served as a reminder for her to be more careful with her words and actions from now on.
When someone in the court suggested to his majesty that he should get married as soon as possible, Shi Li was not panicked at all. Instead, he felt that it was time for him to get married.
"Of course I want to get married. Can I be so careless about this?"
Shi Li took his time and did not avoid the matter as he did with the memorials to the emperor. Instead, he gave a direct reply.
After she finished speaking, she deliberately glanced at the ministers in the court who had daughters and smiled meaningfully.
"I need to think about this carefully again."
The ministers she had seen, after hearing these words, could not help but feel a little excited no matter how calm and composed they were. If her daughter really had the chance to become the ruler of the harem, then she would be the future father-in-law of the emperor...
"Well, I received a victory report from the south yesterday. Yuan Aiqing won the first battle and caught the northern kingdom off guard. My dear ministers, please tell me how I should reward the three armies when Yuan Aiqing returns to the court."
Many people have forgotten that Yuan Chizhi had been in the court for many years and was actually a military general. They had never expected that he would be able to overcome all obstacles upon returning to the north and bring back good news so quickly.
But his position in the court is now unmatched, so what reward can he give?
Some of the officials who loved to fantasize, listening to Shi Li's words, had already started to imagine for her. They wondered if His Majesty was worried that Yuan Chi's achievements would surpass his own, and that he would take away his military power when he returned.
In the court, everyone has eight hundred thoughts on their mind.
The imperial capital and the northern battlefield are thousands of miles apart, and many pieces of news arrive with a delay of several days.
It was several days later when Yuan Chizhi heard about Shi Li's remarks in the court.
Just after winning the second battle, a secret letter from a confidant was handed to him.
Taking off his armor with one hand, Yuan Chizhi opened the secret letter and read ten lines at a glance.
When seeing Shi Li talking about rewarding the three armies, a smile broke out on Yuan Chizhi's stern face.
After reading the entire secret letter, he walked out of the tent and raised his head to look at the exceptionally vast and blue sky in the north.
The familiar military camp and the familiar marching and fighting, but this time it seemed to him that time was particularly long.
By the time he returns, all the peach blossoms in the imperial capital will probably be in bloom.