Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 508 A Clear Judgment! A Judgment of Zhaojun! (The Finale)

The Empress's eyes were filled with tears.

She watched with her own eyes as the emperor transformed from a heroic and extraordinary man into what he is now, and her heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

They're all princes, they're all princes!
She couldn't help but turn around and question the crown prince beside her:

"Your Highness, the Emperor has shown you the utmost favor; the throne will be yours sooner or later."

"Why are you imprisoning the Emperor? He is your father!"

"If it weren't for Miss Lin entering the palace and finding me to arrange all of this, our Dasheng empire would have been destroyed tonight!"

A knowing smile appeared on the prince's lips.

It really was Lin Zhiqing.

Lin Zhiqing does know far too much.

If we had dealt with Lin Zhiqing when she was in Fengyi Palace, would none of this have happened?

The truth, hidden for many years, has been revealed, causing a great stir.

Did the Crown Prince imprison the Emperor?
What does it mean?
Amidst the puzzled looks of the crowd, Lin Zhiqing sighed softly and spoke in a low voice:
"no."

Lu Huai was taken aback and looked at Lin Zhiqing.

Lin Zhiqing's eyes were firm: "The Emperor is not the Crown Prince's father!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Lin Zhiqing with extreme surprise.

Lin Qingshan stepped forward: "Qing girl, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"No, I'm not talking nonsense." Lin Zhiqing shook his head, pointing at the Crown Prince whose face remained calm as still water, his voice trembling slightly:

"He is not the crown prince, he is a man of the Great Liang!"

Lin Zhiqing had always been puzzled as to why the envoys from Daliang always spoke with such arrogance and confidence when facing people from Dasheng.

So the Crown Prince of Dasheng has long since passed away.

The current crown prince is nothing but an imposter.

The roots of Dasheng have been severed by others, yet they remain oblivious to it.

The chaos and disorder that has plagued the area in recent years is inextricably linked to the Crown Prince's manipulation.

He vigorously promoted the marriage alliance, which was beneficial to Daliang but not to Dasheng, clearly acting in Daliang's favor.

His purpose was clearly to disrupt the order of the Great Sheng Dynasty!
Lin Zhiqing's words turned into sharp blades, piercing everyone's hearts.

How could such an outrageous guess possibly come true?

But no one dared to stand up and question her, because everyone saw the emperor, who was slowly waking up in bed, nod slowly.

He meant that Lin Zhiqing was right!
The prince before them was not the prince of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

The Emperor, holding on to his last breath, slowly spoke:
"My son lost his life in that winter hunt twenty years ago."

His Highness the Crown Prince is named Xie Xian.

Upon hearing this, memories from the past flooded back into the minds of the veteran officials.

Twenty years ago, during the winter hunt, the Crown Prince did indeed face a calamity.

As the Emperor recounted each word, the thoughts of the old ministers in the hall all returned to that winter day.

Years ago, during a hunting trip, the six-year-old crown prince went missing due to the negligence of the eunuchs.

However, the incident was resolved without serious injury, and the prince, who had suffered a facial injury, was quickly found.

If the story ended here, it would indeed be a good ending.

But the reality is far more brutal than people imagined.

The eunuch who caused the real crown prince to go missing was from the Liang Dynasty. He did this deliberately to create an opportunity for the Liang Dynasty.

By cleverly switching the real prince with a fake prince, who bore an eight-tenths resemblance to the real prince, the real prince was eliminated and replaced in the Dasheng Imperial Palace.

The fake prince's facial injury was actually a deliberate fabrication to conceal the slight difference in appearance between him and the real prince.

After the fake prince entered the palace, he recuperated for about half a year before reappearing in the public eye.

As time went by, the resemblance of eight parts became ten parts.

No one at the time realized it was unexpected; who could have imagined such a perfect trap?

Upon learning the truth, everyone was both shocked and furious.

The emperor was the one who suffered the most; he clearly remembered the despair he felt when he discovered the truth.

The "Crown Prince" suddenly laughed. He looked at the man he had called "Father Emperor" for over twenty years, and felt a pang of pain in his heart.

He shouldn't have been so soft-hearted.

Having left their motherland, they endured humiliation and hardship, waiting only to soar to new heights.

But he was also a living, breathing human being.

From childhood to the present, the love he has received from his father has been genuine.

Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and filial.

He could not betray the Great Liang, so he could only try his best to meet the demands of the Great Liang envoy.

But he also could not betray the father he loved.

Thinking of all this, he took a deep breath, slowly bit the poison pill in his teeth, and closed his eyes.

Ever since he discovered Lin Zhiqing's presence in the Imperial Garden, he knew this day would come sooner or later, so he had prepared poison long ago.

He used a poison brought from Daliang, which he had never used before.

Now, he should be able to return to his homeland...

"Stop him!" Sensing something was wrong, Lin Zhiqing spoke to Lu Huai beside her.

But it's still a step too late.

The "Crown Prince" closed his eyes, as if he were asleep.

A very low sob rang out.

Lin Zhiqing turned her head and saw Consort Shu outside the door.

Consort Shu's tears were for the "Crown Prince".

The person Consort Rong bumped into that day was most likely the Crown Prince and Consort Shu. However, this matter is not so important now.

Lu Huai frowned, took a few steps forward, and checked the "Crown Prince's" breathing.

Then he shook his head.

The person has left.

Silent and unnoticed, just as he had come.

The emperor, who was standing to the side, struggled to get up and took a look, his emotions quite complicated.

He seemed to have returned to his former glory, and the "Crown Prince" had become a naive young man.

Back then, they were a loving father and a filial son; no one could have imagined things would turn out this way.

As he watched, a sense of sorrow rose in the emperor's heart.

He couldn't hold on any longer, and a mouthful of blood gushed out.

"emperor!"

Lu Nanyue closed her eyes. She could easily tell that the Emperor was already exhausted and that what he had just done was merely a final burst of energy before his death.

With his last breath, the Emperor pointed at Lin Qingshan.

These are his old ministers who have followed him since his humble beginnings.

Lin Qingshan's eyes reddened, and he knelt down, looking at the Emperor.

The Emperor pointed to the table in the Shengchen Palace.

The Empress understood and found a jade seal.

The Emperor touched the imperial seal and slowly placed it in Lin Qingshan's hand, then patted Lin Qingshan's hand.

Then, he pointed to Lin Zhiqing, and then to the youngest prince outside the door who knew nothing.

The meaning is self-evident.

This is how one should entrust their children to others on their deathbed.

Tears welled up in the Empress's eyes as she led the six-year-old prince inside and handed him to Lin Zhiqing.

Lin Zhiqing was somewhat surprised. She turned her head and saw Lu Huai nodding at her.

The Empress nodded at her as well.

If it weren't for Lin Zhiqing, things would likely have turned out very differently today.

Lin Zhiqing pursed her lips, took the little prince's hand and stepped forward, as if she had taken on a heavy burden.

Upon seeing this, the emperor gave a faint smile and then fell silent.

In an instant, the empress burst into tears, and all the officials bowed their heads.

The Emperor has passed away!

……

The chaos of the Great Sheng Dynasty lasted for a long time before things returned to calm.

The emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne.

The new emperor's first imperial edict was about Lin Zhiqing.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: You, Lin Zhiqing, with your heart set on the nation and your courage to speak frankly about the corrupt practices of the government, have gathered women of righteousness to uphold the spirit of Shengjing with your white mourning clothes."

“In the past, when the marriage alliance was proposed, you used pen and paper as weapons to reveal the tears of daughters hidden in the wind and sand of the northern desert.”

"Now that I have ascended the throne, I consider that you possess wisdom for governing the world, keen insight into matters, and outstanding virtue, and therefore bestow upon you the title of Lady Jianzhao."

"He is granted a gold seal and a purple ribbon, and is permitted to enter the inner court to participate in the administration of state affairs, assist me in rectifying the laws and regulations, and protect the people."

An attendant stepped forward with the imperial edict and seal. The two characters "Jian Zhao" on the gilded pages reflected the candlelight in the hall. Lin Zhiqing took it from him.

She took on another responsibility, a brand new one.

Lin Zhiqing was the first female official since the founding of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

The new emperor held him in high esteem and called him his teacher.

The position of Zhaojun became a mirror reflecting the true nature of the court in the Great Sheng Dynasty.

Lin Zhiqing was good at making use of talent. After gaining power, he immediately and drastically reformed the bureaucracy of Dasheng, especially targeting women.

She was well aware of the inseparable relationship between social productivity and women's rights.

To enable women to play a greater role, it is necessary to develop productivity.

Only when productivity is developed can women's rights be truly liberated.

Therefore, she founded the Dasheng Academy of Sciences and guided some scholars to successfully invent spinning machines and weaving machines.

This led to the discovery of the power of steam, which in turn guided this group of scientists to vigorously study the mysteries of physics and chemistry.

Productivity has undergone tremendous changes.

Soon after, Lin Zhiqing began to promote the imperial examination system and opened public schools, so that everyone in Dasheng would have the opportunity to study.

By leveraging the wisdom of countless people, Dasheng underwent even greater changes.

Subsequently, it was natural to abolish many regulations that restricted women, allowing them to attend private schools for education.

He then appointed women as officials and, many years later, established the Great Sheng Dynasty Representative Council, dispersing the emperor's power into the council.

The Grand Sheng court's representative assembly was responsible for submitting proposals, which were then passed by the emperor, and the court was responsible for implementation.

In this process, Jian Zhaojun was also involved, but she had only one right... a veto right!

Lin Zhiqing was aware of the harm of power, so he added many restrictions to each step.

In particular, the section on "Jian Zhaojun" sets forth stringent conditions such as public disclosure of family assets and the right to veto without rank or grade.

With a series of changes, Dasheng... has changed!
Lin Zhiqing's actions also left a significant mark on the court of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

Another spring has arrived. Lin Zhiqing and Lu Huai stand atop Xuanwu Gate to see off Lin Yangyang, who is leading troops to the border.

As Lin Yangyang's figure receded into the distance, Lu Huai gently placed his hand over Lin Zhiqing's:
"Ah Qing, it's getting windy, let's go back."

Lin Zhiqing grasped Lu Huai's hand in return and chuckled softly, "Time flies, Lu Huai, it's the new dynasty now."

"Indeed, it's the new dynasty."

The sounds of spring awaken all things in the fields, and autumn has arrived in peace and tranquility on earth.