Reincarnation Girl Becomes Immortal

A huge plaque with a golden dragon border hangs at the top, bearing the four neatly written characters "向明而治" (meaning "to govern with enlightenment").

Beneath the plaque were densely written royal precepts, which Xi Heng found extremely tedious after reading them once.

On the other wall was a map, which not only depicted the Great Zhao, but also showed other large and small countries in the surrounding area.

In the picture, the vast northern state of Yanmeng appears as a heavy object pressing down on the head of the Great Zhao.

Below the map was a long desk, with multiple layers of various files arranged on both sides of the desk, and books with gray covers neatly arranged on the right-hand bookshelf.

The titles of the books in the upper half of the book list often contain the character "仙" (immortal), while those in the lower half often contain the character "国" (country).

On the table, multiple layers of memorials were piled up like bricks, making one's head spin just looking at them.

However, the old imperial advisor did not ask Xi Heng to handle the memorials. Instead, he walked to the bookshelf and took out four golden imperial edicts from the bottom shelf. He then walked towards Xi Heng with great seriousness.

"What is this?" Xi Heng approached.

"This is an imperial edict left by the late emperor, which intends to abolish the old dynasty and establish a new one, eliminate treacherous officials and wicked men, and appoint capable people!"

The Imperial Preceptor placed the imperial edicts on the desk and unfolded them one by one.

Xi Heng saw that the words on it were aggressive, and the iron hook-like strokes faintly revealed murderous intent and anger.

"...How did the imperial edict to eliminate the treacherous minister end up with the words 'Prime Minister' on it?"

"Those who must be killed are these three former prime ministers!" The Grand Preceptor's tone was filled with anger.

"These three men have painted a rosy picture of peace and prosperity, embezzled public funds and abused the law, preyed on the people, flattered their superiors and deceived the inferiors, framed loyal officials, and ruthlessly exploited the people, imposing exorbitant taxes and levies, which has led to widespread resentment and the uprising in Tianliang in the south. They must be executed by slow slicing."

"Three of them, all prime ministers?"

“Cai Yuanzeng served as prime minister for nearly twenty years, Li Shimei was appointed prime minister five years ago and is still prime minister, and Wang Xiangfu has served as prime minister for three years,” the old eunuch beside him explained in a low voice.

"You want them to die?"

"For the sake of the common people, these three treacherous officials must be executed!" the Imperial Advisor said. "The late Emperor had already drafted these three imperial edicts a month ago, intending to carry them out gradually. Unfortunately, the late Emperor passed away prematurely and did not have the opportunity to pass them down. Now, however, the opportunity has arrived!"

"At this moment?"

"Right now!"

"..." Xi Heng felt as if he had been running headlong into a dead end ever since he arrived at the palace.

This ill-intentioned imperial advisor wanted her to settle scores with the prime minister, who was at the very top of the power structure. Even if she succeeded, she would inevitably face unimaginable retaliation in the future.

"You don't just want them to die, you want me to die too," Xi Heng retorted.

"This servant will do everything in his power to protect His Majesty!" said the other eunuch.

"Protect me? What's your level of martial arts?"

"This servant was once a master of the Transformation Realm, but due to a breakdown in his cultivation, he fell from his previous level. Now he is at the peak of the Dark Realm," the old eunuch said.

“I feel like my internal strength isn’t quite there yet…” Xi Heng shook his head, then changed the subject and said, “To be honest, I don’t even know your name.”

"Your Majesty may call this servant Xiao Gaozi."

"Then let's call him Old Gao." Xi Heng waved his hand casually, then turned back to look at the three imperial edicts that had been unfolded on the table, his thoughts racing.

"Hmm..." She lowered her head and pondered for a long time, then glanced at the two old men beside her: "With just eunuchs, priests, and me, an emperor in name only, do you think we can succeed in doing something this big?"

The Imperial Advisor nodded: "Ma Yi, the commander of the three thousand Imperial Guards of the Imperial City Guard, knows about this matter and has given his consent. The Imperial City Guard is His Majesty's personal army and is loyal to His Majesty."

"Are you sure they won't turn against us at the last minute?" Xi Heng asked.

“Commander Ma Yi and I have been friends since we entered the palace. He received the late emperor’s favor and swore to be loyal to the royal family.”

"He is loyal to the royal family, but if other princes and princesses get involved in this matter, to whom will he be loyal?"

The old lady listened and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Most of the other princes have disappeared. There are only two princes in the palace now, one is three years old and the other is five years old."

"Huh?" Xi Heng vaguely understood why he was able to complete the coronation ceremony smoothly, and asked, "What about the princess? I remember there was one named Chu Xiao, who was about the same age as me."

"Only two princesses remained in the palace, but Princess Chuxiao spent her days playing with flowers, birds, calligraphy, and painting, and never seriously studied politics, while the other one... was still an infant in the arms of the Fourth Imperial Concubine."

"..."

In her opinion, this Zhao family is beyond saving.

Destroy it, quickly.

Xi Heng pressed his temples, looked at the three imperial edicts on the table again and again, and finally said indifferently, "I'll do it."

The old imperial advisor beamed with delight: "Your Majesty is wise!"

……

Having promised the imperial decree and dealt with the various memorials piled on his desk, Xi Heng was busy until nightfall before finally returning to his residence as emperor—the Fuqing Palace.

Many imperial guards dressed in red robes and armor stood watch at night, surrounding the Fuqing Palace in layers. They seemed to know that the new emperor's situation was not safe.

Xi Heng found the newly renovated imperial bedroom, but had no interest in admiring its magnificence and splendor. He had a palace maid serve him dinner.

Crispy pastries, deer antler soup, lobster and sea cucumber, steamed donkey meat, crispy baked buns, cherry meat... more than a dozen plates were served one after another, but Xi Heng barely touched each dish with his chopsticks. Even as an emperor, he felt it was too wasteful.

After eating and drinking his fill, Xi Heng waved for the beautiful palace maids who had been playing music to leave, and hung his sacrificial robe on a wooden rack to the side, finally feeling a little more relaxed.

The new royal bedroom is located high up in the Fuqing Hall, which itself is situated in the center of the palace.

Looking out from here, one can see the imposing walls of the imperial city, and the palaces, government offices and temples inside are arranged in a well-organized manner. There are new halls with green tiles and red beams that are unique and elegant, as well as old halls with glazed tiles that reflect the shimmering light under the moonlight.

Further out to the south, in the far distance, one can see a group of long, narrow pavilion-like buildings illuminated by lights.

Xi Heng recognized the distant light as the Qin Xie Lane where he used to live.

She became the emperor in just two short days after leaving the Flower Pavilion.

When he came, Xi Heng had considered this development, but at the time he thought it was too fantastical.

Now that I'm the emperor, it feels like I'm in a dream.

"But it won't last long." She looked at the window letting in the cold night air, then went back to bed, took off her dress, and went to sleep.

Silent all night.

At dawn tomorrow, a palace maid will wake her up.

"Why do I still have to get up early even though I'm the emperor?" Xi Heng complained softly, rubbing his eyes as he lay in bed.

"So even emperors aren't free at all..."

"I'm increasingly tempted to be a tyrannical ruler who indulges in wine and women and neglects state affairs; at least a tyrannical ruler doesn't have to get up early."

The girl sighed softly, and hearing the maids outside urging her gently, she finally slowly lifted the covers.

"May Your Majesty allow me to enter? To help Your Majesty dress and put on your crown," a soft voice said from outside.

Since Xi Heng couldn't wear imperial robes, he had no choice but to invite the other party inside.

The palace maid who was in charge of the ceremony was extremely beautiful. Every glance and smile of hers was vivid and beautiful. The phrase "captivating beauty" could probably be used to describe such a beauty.

Xi Heng had learned a lot of rituals and etiquette from the other party yesterday, and now he only looked at her with the same eyes he would a teacher.

"How should I wear it?" Xi Heng grabbed the loose dragon robe and looked it over from left to right.

"Your Majesty, please do not move..." The master of ceremonies took the dragon robe and carefully dressed Xi Heng, adjusting the collar and waist.

First, straighten the inner garment and the wide skirt below, then straighten the outer dragon robe, add the crown, and then tidy up the appearance.

It took two quarters of an hour before Xi Heng, surrounded by palace maids, left Fuqing Palace and boarded the dragon and phoenix palanquin carried by the palace guards to go to Taixiao Palace for the morning court.

Upon arriving at the palace, Xi Heng sat on the dragon throne. A moment later, a eunuch announced the start of court in a high-pitched, theatrical voice, while civil and military officials who had been waiting in the cold wind filed in.

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

"All of you, rise." Xi Heng waved his hand: "If you have something to say, speak now; otherwise, the court is adjourned."

The officials below stood with their heads bowed. One of them, a high-ranking official in a bright red court robe, stepped to the side, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"speak."

"Last night, I received a letter from the northern border, saying that the Yanmeng Kingdom has gathered a large army and is heading south. I'm afraid that the new king of Yanmeng has learned about the war in our Great Zhao and wants to take the opportunity to go south and get a share of the spoils."

"If that's really the case, what should we do?" Xi Heng looked around at the officials.

And the high-ranking official in red robes said again:

"I believe that the late emperor's order yesterday to send 30,000 Ever Victorious Army troops south should be revoked. The Ever Victorious Army should not go south, but should instead go north—Yan Meng's army is exhausted from the previous struggle for the throne and has not yet had time to reorganize. We can take this opportunity to break through."

"But if we order them to retreat to the north, what will happen to Jinshi City, which has already been occupied by the Tianliang bandits?" Xi Heng asked casually.

She didn't really care about these political matters, since it seemed she was about to be reloaded and there was no need to concern herself with them anymore.

"The Tianliang bandits are nothing but a rabble. Since Fang Tiande seized Jinshi City, he's only cared about indulging in pleasure. In just a few months, corruption has already become rampant within the Tianliang army. Fang Tiande is losing the hearts of his troops, and perhaps soon they will collapse and fall into disarray, splitting into several smaller factions. Our Great Zhao can then easily win over one faction and attack the other," said the high-ranking official in red robes.

“Jinshi City can be put aside for now, but Yan Meng in the north is a formidable enemy. Yan Meng and our Great Zhao have been enemies for a hundred years, with each side having its victories and defeats. It’s hard to say who is stronger or weaker. Now that the other side is about to launch an attack from the south, we must take advantage of the fact that they have not yet recovered after the great battle and strike first to defeat them!”

Xi Heng thought it made some sense and nodded, asking, "What do you all think?"

"I believe!" another high-ranking official in blue robes exclaimed loudly.

"This Han Tianxing must be in cahoots with the Tianliang bandits. His unspoken intention today is to buy them time to recuperate so they can continue their northward attack on the city! Your Majesty must not believe him! The Liang bandits have already breached Jinshi. If we do not pay attention, they will capture Xiuzhou and Gui'an, two important cities, tomorrow! To the north is Suzhou, and further north are Changzhou and Jiangning. After that, it will be Taihe and our capital!"

"This is slander!" the official in red robes glared, then raised his jade tablet and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Your Majesty, you are wise. I was speaking frankly and offering my advice, but this man surnamed Cao dares to claim that I am on par with Tianliang. In my opinion, it is not that I have an affair with Tianliang, but that he has become involved with the Yan Meng Kingdom in the north because of his several diplomatic missions to foreign countries!"

"You're spouting nonsense!" the official in blue robes shouted, and at the same time, many scholars in blue robes beside him began to speak up for him.

On the other side, the many subordinates surrounding the official in red robes also shouted at the official in blue robes. In just a few seconds, this meeting of the highest power and political center of the Great Zhao Dynasty turned into a common scene of ordinary people cursing each other in a vegetable market.

"What is all this...?" Xi Heng felt that the future of the Great Zhao was bleak.

…………

Chapter 42, The Punishment of the Embroidered Axe

Chaos raged in the imperial court, with officials shouting at each other. The officials, clearly divided into two factions, were locked in a fierce struggle, accusing the opposing officials of treason.

Clearly, the conflict between these two factions has escalated to a certain extent. They have stopped engaging in covert power struggles and have brought matters into the open, even showing signs of preparing for a physical confrontation rather than just verbal sparring.

Xi Heng sat on the dragon throne, rubbing her forehead, unsure whether the chaotic scene before her was the ministers testing her governing abilities or a genuine factional struggle and infighting.

Looking down at the Zhao court below, which was as chaotic as a marketplace, she only wanted to purge this group of people and replace them with a group of more normal ministers...

"That's all..."

Xi Heng glanced at the old eunuch standing to the side, who nodded knowingly.

A moment later, the hissing sound of fireworks exploding suddenly rang out from the outside.

Then a sharp whooshing sound rose from outside the court and landed in the air with a loud bang.

bang——

Immediately, a group of imperial guards dressed in red armor, with official swords at their waists, surged into the hall amidst the clanging of their orderly footsteps and the trembling of their armor.

Amid the commotion, one of the ministers rebuked the approaching military man:

"You audacious brute! The Taixiao Palace is a place where ministers and the Emperor discuss state affairs. How dare you barbarians carry weapons and enter and leave at will!"

The next moment, the imperial guards surrounded the group of officials, drew their swords, and shouted angrily at them.

It must be said that the military men, in terms of both prestige and imposing presence, were far superior to the civil officials of the court.

After a moment of shouting, the previously agitated civil officials, upon seeing the weapons and hearing their roars, trembled in their hearts and gradually ceased their disturbances.

There was a brief silence within the court, and Xi Heng finally had a chance to speak:

"The imperial court is a place for discussing state affairs. All ministers should be reserved and meticulous, and should think carefully before speaking. Only by speaking solemnly and clearly can one be considered dignified and majestic. Today, I see that you are all pillars of the court, yet you are cursing at each other like old men in the vegetable market outside the city. This is truly a disgrace to the Great Zhao."

“If this happens again, the person who started it will each receive twenty strokes of the cane,” Xi Heng said, offering a punishment that was neither too lenient nor too severe.

The civil officials below finally listened and said that His Majesty's reprimand was correct.

However, one of the civil officials in purple robes who had just reprimanded the warriors stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Great Zhao has always had a rule that only generals and military leaders are allowed to enter the court. How can these lowly warriors step into the Son of Heaven's domain? Moreover, they are carrying knives into the palace. I am worried that this will damage Your Majesty's dignity. I request that Your Majesty expel these warriors from the court! The leader should be beheaded immediately!"

"Your humble servant and Imperial Censor Wang offer this advice!" After the man finished speaking, several civil officials followed him forward.

While handling government affairs yesterday, Xi Heng learned from the old eunuch's explanation that ordinary martial artists in the Great Zhao who do not hold official positions or have a prestigious status and have not reached the level of Dark Force have a lower status.

Even generals who fought on the front lines did not have as much influence in the court as these civil officials.

Furthermore, since the founding of the Great Zhao Dynasty, the founding emperor had established a rule that civil officials and those who spoke out against wrongdoing should not be killed.

Therefore, these court officials below felt emboldened.

“Imperial Censor Wang? What’s your full name?” Xi Heng narrowed his eyes.