Inside the Zhenghe Hall, the seating arrangements have been made according to each person’s rank, official position and title.
As the eldest princess, Liu Fang should have gone to the inner palace to pay respects to the empress and other concubines. However, she was also a Marquis who earned her status and achievements through her own abilities.
Therefore, she was free to pay her respects to the Empress if she chose, but if she didn’t go, no one would criticize her for it.
——After all, her status belonged to a female general, a court minister, and had nothing to do with the harem, even though she had the title of the eldest princess.
——In reality, this title was actually given because Emperor Yanqing was unwilling to grant Liu Fang a more substantial title. But since he couldn’t deny her a title altogether, he gave her a prestigious-sounding one that held no practical significance.
In fact, everyone believed that the title of Marquis was the one truly fitting her achievements and was the genuine recognition of her contributions.
However, Emperor Yanqing was afraid that if he only conferred the title of marquis on Liu Fang, the people would criticize him for being unfair.
In history, those two heroes who fought with their lives were both eventually granted the title of Duke, and the title was inherited by their descendants, and has been passed down to this day.
Liu Fang’s achievements were many times more impressive than theirs, but she was only granted the title of Marquis and couldn’t be passed to the future generations.
Such an award would definitely make people all over the world scoff.
Therefore, Emperor Yanqing had no other choice but to come up with the title of “Princess Rongning” and generously bestowed a considerable amount of gold, silver and treasures on Liu Fang. In this way, the honor she received was more in line with her achievements.
——The common people did not understand that the title of the eldest princess was only pleasing to the ear but an ineffectual honor.
They would only think: Wow! She is indeed a young heroine. Not only has she become a royal princess, but her rank is even higher than a prince, and at the same time she holds the title of marquis. This is indeed an immense favor from the Emperor and an extraordinary honor!
In this way, Emperor Yanqing did not have to worry about Liu Fang becoming arrogant due to her achievements, and he could maintain his good reputation as the ruler of a country.
However, he had never expected that Liu Fang would bring a significant stone tablet to the capital, which stirred up a surge of reverence among the common people.
Not only did this make all his plans go awry, but it inadvertently increased Liu Fang’s prestige and influence because of the title of Princess!
The extreme reverence from the common people made it impossible for him to take any action against Liu Fang, for fear of tarnishing his own reputation and disheartening the soldiers guarding the border.
——He was the emperor, but he also needed the support of the people to securely govern his nation.
If the soldiers’ morale were to falter, the consequences would be unimaginable—after all, the current leader was still alive, and has many sons. All of whom have grown up and have their own ambitions.
If the emperor lost the support of the people and the loyalty of the soldiers, his throne would be in jeopardy and could be overthrown by those beneath at any time.
Emperor Yanqing did not like, even loathed, others challenging his imperial power, but this was based on the premise that he could remain securely in power as emperor.
If public opinion turned against him and there were too many opposing voices, even if he held the title of emperor, he would eventually be toppled. He would end up with a legacy of incompetence during his life and disdain after his death.
There were many rulers like this in history. Emperor Yanqing was not an extremely willful emperor, nor was he a tyrant who completely disregards his reputation.
On the contrary, he has always cherished his reputation and aspired to be a revered ruler through the ages, remembered with praise rather than being scorned for eternity.
In summary, Liu Fang used a stone tablet not only to expose Emperor Yanqing’s secret plan but also to force him into issuing an official decree.
In fact, this was equivalent to pressing his head down, forcing him to admit his mistakes to the soldiers and civilians in Western border and to the people of the world.
That’s why he was so angry, and Murong Zhuo was so happy, and also secretly muttered that Liu Fang has quite a lot of nerve!
And now, the seating arrangement at the banquet was similarly arranged.
The position of the eldest princess Liu Fang was arranged directly opposite the crown prince, at the head of all officials!
It was evident that her current influence has surpassed her official status and all the titles and honors bestowed upon her by Emperor Yanqing.
——Even if she did not have the title of eldest princess or the rank of Marquis.
She —Liu Fang—starting today, was not someone who can be easily underestimated by anyone!
On the contrary, after today’s conferment, everyone understood that this Liu family young lady was no easy opponent.
Everyone developed a sense of wariness toward Liu Fang.
And this was exactly what Liu Fang wanted. She aimed to make people wary of her, so that she could accomplish what she wanted and achieve her goal.
There’s plenty of time; we could take it slow and enjoy ourselves.
…………
Liu Fang calmly took her seat at her designated place, paying no attention to the gazes of those in the hall. Bi Yan also knelt calmly beside her, serving her respectfully and calmly.
Liu Fang was somewhat interested in her demeanor. She took the tea she offered and said with a smile, “You don’t look like an ordinary person. How did you end up serving me?”
After all, Liu Fang was just the daughter of a general. Even if she was given the title of the eldest princess, she was still seen as an upstart.
Those palace servants with connections and status would be unwilling to serve someone like her the so-called “princess”.
Those so-called nobles and the long-established aristocratic families also looked down on her.
She understood in her heart.
But she also knew that her achievements and her strength made these people, even if they looked down on her, still wary of her and compelled to bow before her.
That’s enough.
As for whether others disliked her?
Ha, she didn’t care at all.
Because she also didn’t like the aristocrats of the Dayan Kingdom either. A bunch of fools who were mesmerized by wealth and glory!
She has experienced two mission worlds, both in ancient times.
In the Jin Dynasty of the first mission world, the upper nobility was indeed extravagant and indulgent, but they were still aware of the importance of the common people.
Especially, the highest-level rulers, including the emperor, were always fundamentally oriented towards the welfare of the people.
The second mission world was like a wild horse running wild. But among the nobles, there were still many people who wanted to change the world for the better without seeking fame or wealth.
——Of course, if it hadn’t been for Liu Fang’s unexpected intervention, that world would ultimately have met its end as well.
——If all the good people were gone, and only a bunch of lunatics were left. Weren’t the common people the ones who suffer?
But at least the emperor of that world was responsible for the people during his reign.
Just look at the changes in Qingshan Village where the Chen family lived. Over the decades, it was clear that their emperor wasn’t one to do nothing but seek power and gain.
And what about this mission world?
Starting from Emperor Yanqing, it’s been a group of lunatics.
They were only concerned with the fight for the throne and the struggle in the court, and they didn’t care about the lives and deaths of the common people!
Liu Fang had a thorough understanding of all the major and minor events that had occurred in the Dayan Kingdom over the years, especially all the national policies after Emperor Yanqing ascended the throne. She simply wanted to lash out at these idiots with their heads full of power struggles and petty nonsense.
——The common people were having a hard time trying to survive, and yet you all were still having a great time fighting amongst yourselves?
You really must be hoping for the complete destruction of the entire Dayan Kingdom.
How did Liu Fang know this?
Ladies and gentlemen, don’t forget that she has an intelligent history library and an intelligent map in her mind.
Everything about the history, characters, and events—big and small—in this world of the task was stored in her mind. She never used it before, but now, of course, she has to pull it out and use it.
Since she was going to the capital and had to deal with these people, she naturally needed to understand her opponents’ situations. Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy.
[Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy” is a strategic principle that originates from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. It means that in order to be successful in any conflict or competition, you need to have a deep understanding of both yourself (your strengths, weaknesses, and resources) and your opponent (their strengths, weaknesses, and strategies). This principle emphasizes that comprehensive knowledge on both sides will lead to better planning and increased chances of success]
But after looking into it, she found that there were hardly any normal officials left in the entire Dayan Kingdom.
It should be said that there were very few normal people among the top aristocratic officials. All of them only care about their own wealth, power and status. Engaging in fierce, chaotic battles, to the point where the sky is dark and the earth is dim, with no light from the sun or moon.
[昏天暗地，日月无光的地步 (hun tian an di, ri yue wu guang di dì bu) It metaphorically describes a situation of complete chaos and turmoil, where everything seems bleak and devoid of hope]
Did the common people live well? How many have died?
Hah, they would not care.
All they cared about was whether they could defeat the opponent they dislike this time and what benefits they could get from it.
This was simply a rhythm for self-destruction.
Instead, they were dragging the entire Dayan Kingdom and all its people down with them.
Such a court and such governance have caused Liucheng to suffer difficulties for many years. It has also contributed to the current situation where the Dayan Kingdom was externally strong but internally weak.
——If the barbarians really break through the defense of the western border this time, the Dayan Kingdom would be destroyed, the people would be displaced, and the world would be in chaos. There would be no other possible outcome.
——Do you think it was just Liucheng that’s like this? Actually, it was not. All the military forces of Dayan Kingdom and all the border guards were also having a very difficult time.
Even the common people, when struck by natural disasters, had to wait until they were nearly wiped out before these officials thought of providing relief and comfort.
Until the last step, they were still arguing and fighting endlessly in the court, with no end in sight!
Otherwise, why was there no response from the main city when the Western Border was in danger?
It was precisely because of long-term cutbacks that the number of soldiers stationed there was less than a hundred thousand, and they had no combat power at all.
——The commander general stationed there was a reckless man who had offended the nobles in the capital. Because of him, the main city has been deprived of any military funds or supplies for decades.
With such corrupt governance and such an absurd emperor, how could Liu Fang not be disappointed and enraged!
——They forcibly turned these border defense soldiers into starving refugees with no food to eat. They were busy trying to make a living every day. How could they have time to train? How could they have time to improve their combat effectiveness?
Wasn’t this literally forcing them to die?
Therefore, Liu Fang decided that this time, she would take down all these bickering fools!
She wanted to change this country!
She wanted the people of this country to be able to live peacefully, live well, and to enjoy comfort and prosperity!
As for her identity, it didn’t matter!
Achievements and glory were just fleeting illusions.
As long as she could achieve her goal, she was willing to sacrifice anything and use everything, including her own life and herself.
Nouveau riche was just a nouveau riche. She would show these people that this so-called nouveau riche, the daughter of a lowly border general, could overturn the whole world!
…………
Bi Yan was very beautiful, although not as stunning as Liu Fang.
Moreover, her previous demeanor clearly suggested that she was not an ordinary palace maid.
To be honest, someone like her could live quite comfortably and freely in the palace. No one would dare to underestimate or mistreat her.
But she happened to be by Liu Fang’s side, which surprised Liu Fang a bit. That’s why she asked her.
Bi Yan replied respectfully: “Replying to Your Highness, the Sixth Prince once expressed to Her Majesty the Empress his desire to take me as a concubine. I was terrified and did not dare to rely on myself, so I requested Her Majesty to allow me to serve Your Highness.”
