Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 574 Emperor? I wouldn't even be a dog! (11,000 words)

The morning sun was brighter than at dawn, its brilliance making the sky above seem much more spacious. In a daze, the chill brought by the north wind was not as intense as before.

It's already winter, and the number of people in Xinhou County is much less than usual, but it's definitely not deserted.

On the streets, you can occasionally see groups of people carrying loads of vegetables harvested in the fall, covered with a layer of thatch. There are also some hunters carrying grouse, snow hares and other such animals on their shoulders as they head towards the restaurants. After the snow falls, these things can probably fetch a good price.

Children never know what cold is. Even when their fingers are red, they still grab handfuls of snow from the ground, roll them into balls, and have a snowball fight. Every time a snowball hits a friend's neck, it brings a triumphant laugh.

The sounds of joy and cheers injected some vitality into the quiet winter day.

Some children were squatting in the corner, gathering the snow together, seemingly preparing to build a snowman. But looking at the shape of the snowman... I don't know if it's just my imagination, but the more I look at it, the more it looks like a Jingguan (a mound of stones).

Song Yan's forehead was covered in a black line: Does this mean that someone has a successor?

However, after yesterday's fierce fighting and forced march, this scene did bring Song Yan a bit of peace... He never disliked such noise and tranquility.

"Your Majesty..."

A timid voice came from behind me.

A hoarse voice means that even without much effort, the voice sounds cracked.

When Song Yan turned around, he saw that Nakhtoya was wearing one of his cotton-padded coats, with a white robe over it. Because the cotton-padded coat was relatively thin, and Nakhtoya was tall, over 1.7 meters, it didn't look bulky at all; it looked like she was wearing a thin down jacket.

Song Yan's clothes were quite long, and the sleeves of his robe covered half of Nakhtoya's hands, with only a few fingers showing. Her cheeks were still flushed, and she no longer had her usual heroic bearing. Now, Nakhtoya looked timid and soft, which was rather endearing.

She seemed worried about being blamed, and there was a hint of unease in her eyes.

Song Yan smiled and reached out to brush away a few stray hairs from Nakhtoya's forehead: "You must have been exhausted yesterday. Why didn't you get more rest? I'm sorry, I lost control a bit last night."

The gentle voice made Nakhtoya's heart flutter slightly; this gentleness was the most striking contrast to the madness of the previous night.

Conquer yourself with powerful and domineering tyranny, and then let yourself succumb with delicate and tender gentleness!
What a cunning man.

The fear in her heart dissipated somewhat. Her nose felt cool, and Nakhtoya sniffed and smiled, "It's good that Your Highness doesn't blame me."

Song Yan chuckled: "I don't know what you're thinking, but I can assure you of one thing: I don't mean to look down on you... You are a woman from the grasslands, and you have your own charm."

"However, on the one hand, I have indeed been very busy with many things lately, and there may be some things I haven't been able to notice, which may make you feel that I'm being too harsh; on the other hand, I also want to find a good day to get married..."

Nakhtoya's lips curled into a smile. Regardless of whether Song Yan's words were sincere or simply meant to comfort her, she was already satisfied.

She really is a girl who is easily satisfied.

"However..." Song Yan suddenly changed the subject, his expression clearly showing curiosity: "Where did you get that thing from yesterday?"

Air-dried tiger penis.

This isn't something you can just buy anytime.

Even the largest pharmacies in Xinhou County may not have the goods in stock.

“It was given to me by my father,” Nakhtoya said softly.

Song Yan was speechless. What kind of respectable father-in-law would give his son-in-law a tiger penis? Only those barbarians would do such a thing.

“Father Khan said that it’s really wrong of me that I haven’t been able to get into the Prince’s bed after being taken by you for so long. He wants me to give you a son as soon as possible…” Nakhtoya’s head was spinning, and she said everything that she should and shouldn’t have said.

However, Song Yan understood Batu's thoughts. The preference for sons over daughters and the belief that only sons could carry on the bloodline was not only a tradition in the Central Plains Han region, but also among many other ethnic groups.

Batu was ultimately just a surrendered general.

In addition, the Jurchens had committed the crime of invading Pingyang, which put him in a very awkward position.

But if Nakhtoya could give birth to a child for him, the situation would be completely different. Nakhtoya's position in the inner quarters of the royal palace would be more secure, and Batu would no longer have to be subservient. He and his eight thousand iron cavalry would even become the child's support. If it were a son, Batu might even have to fight for the position of the Prince of Yan's heir.

Even though he was a barbarian from the Jurchen tribe, Batu was still a tribal leader, and his views on many things were far more complex and greedy than those of Nahetoya.

However, there was no need to tell Nakhtoya about such things. It was good enough that Nakhtoya could maintain her current naivety. Song Yan just smiled and changed the subject, saying, "My father-in-law is quite interesting. The Blackwater Tribe is facing a rebellion by Yilie Yilie and is surrounded by Wanyan Guangzhi's army. Under such circumstances, I didn't see him bring any gold or silver jewelry. Instead, he brought one of those things..."

"Interesting" is already a euphemism; perhaps "weird" would be more appropriate.

Nakhtoya stuck out her tongue and muttered softly, "Not just one, but twenty-eight!"

"Huh?" Song Yan raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

“My father told me that there were originally more than a hundred, but the situation was dangerous and there was no time to take them all. He hurriedly packed them into a bag, gave me one, and there were still twenty-seven left.” Nakhtoya was also somewhat speechless: “It seems that my father has killed all the big tigers in the vicinity of the Blackwater Tribe.”

Gudong.

Song Yan silently swallowed.

More than a hundred?
Wanyan Guangzhi, you deserve to die.

Half of the four thousand black-armored soldiers were stationed in Xinhou County. Around noon, Song Yan led two thousand black-armored soldiers and eight thousand Jurchen cavalrymen in a grand procession toward Pingyang City.

On the way, Song Yan seemed to envy Batu's warhorse, so he asked to ride it a few times. However, when he returned it to Batu, a leather bag hanging on the side had disappeared.

Perhaps his warhorse had accidentally fallen off while galloping. Batu was terrified and spurred his horse to search for it, but he couldn't find it in the vast snow-covered plains. As night fell, Batu had no choice but to give up. On the way back to Pingyang City, Batu remained frowning and dejected, probably very sad.

Even though Song Yan offered to pay 1,000 taels of silver as compensation, Batu's expression did not improve in the slightest.

Is that a matter of money?

That would be his happiness for the rest of his life.

……

Dongling City.

royal palace.

Hall of Supreme Harmony.

A coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood sat in the middle of the main hall, with white candles flickering orange flames. Occasionally, a breeze would blow from outside the hall, causing the flames to sway.

This is... Emperor Ninghe's coffin.

An emperor who shouldered the heavy responsibility of the country in extremely bad circumstances; an emperor who, under almost impossible circumstances, struggled with powerful clans and the civil service for twenty years, gradually turning the tide; an emperor who was a puppet for almost the first eighteen years, only to suddenly show his sharp fangs in the last two years... In the end, the curtain fell.

What will be the evaluation of Emperor Ninghe?

tyrant?

puppet?
A life of mediocrity and inaction?

Or was he the first emperor in history to be assassinated in the street?
I wonder if any of the people of Ningguo will remember even a single good thing about him?

Well, well, Emperor Ninghe probably won't care anymore. He's already gone, and he doesn't know what his posthumous reputation will be like.

The concubines were sobbing sadly.

The Empress knelt blankly to the side, her face vacant. Although she had been personally ordered by Emperor Ninghe to be banished to the Cold Palace several months ago, they were still husband and wife who had been together for twenty years. With Emperor Ninghe gone, the most important part of her heart had been hollowed out, and she felt as if all her energy had been suddenly drained. Even her once black hair had grown streaks of silver.

Unlike the other concubines who wept uncontrollably, the Empress knelt quietly, motionless, with only two lines of clear tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

The princes and princesses were also crying so hard they almost fainted. Emperor Ninghe was actually very good to his children. Even Luo Jingyu, born to Yang Miaoyun, was never mistreated by him. Emperor Ninghe probably understood that it would be foolish for the Yang family to mistreat their own son.

All the officials in the court were dressed in white mourning clothes.

The wailing was even more heart-wrenching than that of the princes and concubines. Some stamped their feet and beat their chests, banging their heads on the ground; others cried out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This old minister wishes he could go with you!" and then tears streamed down their faces, their chests soon soaked with sobs; still others cried until they were hoarse, as if they had lost their parents, and fainted from exhaustion... As for how many of the officials' cries were genuine, that remains unknown.

For those powerful figures in the court, Emperor Ninghe was a puppet who could not be noticed by the officials for the first eighteen years, and few people really took him seriously; the last two years were a great battle for the court, and everyone was afraid that if they were not careful, they would be targeted by Emperor Ninghe, and then their entire family would be executed and their nine generations of relatives would be exterminated.

Most of them didn't leave a good impression, so naturally there wasn't much real sadness.

Fang De didn't cry out loud, but he was probably really heartbroken.

After all, Emperor Ninghe was not only the emperor, but also his student.

The old man was already quite old, and now he was hunched over, a small, insignificant figure. As the most senior and highest-ranking official in the court, after the Minister of Rites had just been executed and his entire family wiped out, he was the only one left to preside over the emperor's funeral. However, the old man seemed to lack energy and spirit, his face often blank and his eyes vacant. Only when someone carefully touched him did Fang De seem to snap out of his daze, and then he let out a deep sigh.

Their gaze would return to the coffin, their eyes filled with regret and a touch of admiration.

After all, he was a cunning old fox who had been navigating the court for decades. At first, he was indeed too shocked to react, but after a day and a night, he was able to figure out what was going on.

As some officials wept, their gazes would occasionally sweep over the three men in front of the coffin: Luo Jingyu, Luo Tianshu, and Luo Tianquan. These were Emperor Ninghe's only three adult princes. It was said that there was another one named Luo Tianyang, but that man was a bit simple-minded and was left beside the Prince of Yan.

Normally, when an emperor dies, if there is a crown prince or a will, the late emperor will designate a minister to read it aloud before the coffin, and the new emperor will receive the homage of all officials before the coffin. This time is usually on the day the late emperor dies, or within three days thereafter.

After all, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and a prolonged period without a new emperor could very likely lead to turmoil throughout the land.

Of course, at this time, the new emperor was merely acting emperor and had not yet completed the formal enthronement ceremony. To a certain extent, he could not fully exercise the rights of an emperor. Only after the late emperor was buried, sacrifices were offered to Heaven and Earth at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the imperial seal was received in the Golden Hall, and the reign title was changed, could he be considered to have truly ascended the throne.

However, here's the problem: Emperor Ninghe never established a crown prince during his lifetime; because he was assassinated in the street by Yang Hexin, he didn't have time to leave any will. Previously, there was only one adult prince in the palace, Luo Jingyu, and everyone thought that once Emperor Ninghe passed away, Luo Jingyu would be the next emperor; but now, Luo Tianshu and Luo Tianquan have both been recognized by Emperor Ninghe, making things much more complicated, especially since Luo Tianshu is the empress's only son and Emperor Ninghe's eldest son. According to the rule of primogeniture, Luo Tianshu is more qualified to ascend the throne than Luo Jingyu.

However, Luo Jingyu held the title of the eldest prince for a long time, and over the years a group of civil and military officials naturally gathered around him.

Yang Hexin, who assassinated Emperor Ninghe, was from Luo Jingyu's maternal clan.

This alone means that Luo Jingyu is destined to be ineligible for the throne and will never have a chance to rise again in this lifetime.

But are those who have already invested heavily in Luo Jingyu really willing to give up this merit of supporting the emperor? Rather, the more difficult the situation, the more valuable the merit of supporting the emperor becomes.
The wailing was mixed with scheming.

Interests are exchanged silently.

As night fell, the officials left the palace, and many gathered in small groups. They went to some secluded places and whispered among themselves.

The area in front of Emperor Ninghe's coffin was no longer as lively as before. Last night, the princes and princesses kept vigil, and today it was the turn of the concubines in the harem.

Luo Tianchu and Luo Tianquan also went down to rest, both brothers looking somewhat haggard.

"Eat something!"

A familiar voice came from behind her; it was Luo Tianxuan… Ninghe Emperor was, after all, her father. She couldn’t just watch him die, but she couldn’t change his mind. She had also witnessed firsthand how pitiful he looked when he was in pain.

Finally chose to give up.

For an emperor, rather than dying in despair, tormented by illness, wailing in pain, and looking emaciated and wretched, a father would rather choose a more valiant way to die.

This was my father's last act of dignity and pride.

Holding a tray with two bowls of vegetarian noodles, her stomach was growling, but she had no appetite. The atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive. Luo Tianxuan put down the tray, her gaze sweeping over her two younger brothers before finally settling on Luo Tianshu: "Do you want to be emperor?"

The question seemed a bit abrupt, but Luo Tianshu and Luo Tianquan weren't surprised at all; clearly, this wasn't the first time Luo Tianxuan had asked such a question.

Luo Tianchu looked bitter and remained silent for a moment.

Luo Tianxuan's gaze fell on Tianquan: "And you?"

She asked the question very calmly.

"If any of you want to be emperor, just say so. I will give your brother-in-law a letter. With his support, the throne will not fall into the hands of anyone else," Luo Tianxuan said calmly.

Although it is said to be treasonous, it is not an exaggeration at all.

Given Song Yan's current status, position, and most importantly, the army he commands, the question of who the Emperor of Ningguo truly is can be answered with a single word.

Luo Tianxuan left Pingyang alone without informing her husband… She was worried that Song Yan would come with her. Although Dongling seemed peaceful now, it was like gunpowder her husband had created, ready to explode at any moment. She didn't want her husband to be involved in such danger, yet… she still asked.

The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly oppressive.

Dragon Throne.

The supreme ruler.

If they were princes who grew up normally in the deep palace, they would naturally have some thoughts about that position, right?
This oppressive silence didn't last long, perhaps only a few seconds, before Luo Tianquan shook his head, a slightly mocking smile even playing on his lips:
Rather, after witnessing the fates of Emperor Ninghe, Emperor Yuanjing, and Emperor Longtai, Luo Tianquan truly admired the courage of someone who still wanted to become emperor.

emperor?

I wouldn't even be a dog.

(End of this chapter)