Chapter 93: The Birth of Dazhao

Her gaze swept coldly over the crowd.

“There are only four days left until the coronation ceremony.

The capital has already stabilized.

From today onward, all of you should focus your minds and serve my Dazhao well.

Your official robes need to be changed.

Ministry of Rites, you will submit a plan for the coronation ceremony in four days as soon as possible.

I will leave this matter to you.”

“Yes, Your servant accepts the decree.”

The several ministers from the Ministry of Rites immediately bowed and accepted the order.

Fan Chuan’s gaze then fell on Shen Fangzhou.

“Prime Minister, I order you to write a proclamation.

Clearly detail the infighting among the Great Zhou royal brothers, and how the Crown Prince Zhou Xiao murdered his father to seize the throne.

I want to announce to the world that the Great Zhou has fallen.

From now on, there is only Dazhao, no Great Zhou.”

“Yes, Your servant accepts the decree.”

Shen Fangzhou quickly responded.

He breathed a small sigh of relief.

It seemed Fan Chuan still needed these court officials for now.

So, as long as they didn’t court death, their lives should be spared.

“From today onward, you will all begin your work.

I still need your assistance in handling various matters.

Court dismissed.”

Fan Chuan said.

“Yes, Your Majesty is wise.”

The officials knelt in farewell.

After kneeling a few times like this, they realized that accepting Fan Chuan as emperor wasn’t impossible.

After all, kneeling to any emperor was the same.

However, their current emperor was one who had won the throne on horseback.

If displeased, she would really behead people.

Unlike the Great Zhou emperors, who basically never killed civil officials.

So, when the ministers filed out, sweating from their foreheads, they all flocked to Shen Fangzhou.

“Minister Shen, do you think we’ll be alright?”

“Exactly.

That was terrifying.”

“Me too.

Bloodshed in the court…

Ah, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared.”

Shen Fangzhou was a bit calmer than before.

He said, “Her Majesty’s meaning is clear.

As long as you all work diligently and don’t harbor other intentions, Her Majesty will not touch us.”

“Yes, yes.

Minister Shen is right. Everything needs to be rebuilt now.

Currency, era names, and so on all need to be redetermined.

We also need to reassure the people of the capital, and all official robes need to be replaced.

These are things we need to do.

We must not disappoint Her Majesty.”

“Yes, yes.”

The ministers communicated with each other, encouraged one another, and then went off to their respective duties.

These court officials were somewhat fatuous, but they were quick-witted.

They knew that this was the founding of the Dazhao dynasty, and no one dared to displease Fan Chuan.

So, they all returned to their various government offices and began working.

The busiest among them was the Ministry of Rites.

The Minister of Rites and several other officials began preparing for the coronation ceremony immediately after court.

Shen Fangzhou, meanwhile, went to draft the proclamation to the world.

After dealing with all this, Fan Chuan had the bloodstains in Zhao Ming Hall cleaned up, and then she herself returned to the imperial study.

Shen Lingwei saw her return and quickly stood up.

“Are you done with everything?”

Fan Chuan nodded.

“Mm.

I’ve put them in the picture.

I had several disobedient ministers beheaded.

The situation is temporarily stable.

How are the accounts on your end?”

“Not optimistic.

Originally, Zhou Ji and the others had the capital surrounded for two months.

Food prices inside the capital have skyrocketed.

If we don’t intervene soon, ordinary people will starve to death.

Also, all the soldiers we brought need supplies.

We’ll probably need to send troops to buy grain from farther away.”

Lu Zijin said.

Fan Chuan nodded.

“Alright.

I’ll send people to do it immediately.”

With that, Fan Chuan summoned a trusted general and instructed him to go buy grain from nearby provinces.

That afternoon, Shen Fangzhou had already finished writing the proclamation.

He took the written document to find Fan Chuan in the imperial study.

Seeing the armored soldiers outside the study door made Shen Fangzhou feel a bit uneasy again.

Still, he gritted his teeth and asked the soldiers to announce his arrival.

Fan Chuan hadn’t expected him to come so quickly.

She said, “Let him in.”

The soldier quickly went to summon him.

Shen Fangzhou took a deep breath, straightened his official robes, and then entered the study.

He didn’t dare look around.

As soon as he entered, he knelt and bowed.

“Your servant Shen Fangzhou greets Your Majesty.”

“Rise.

Prime Minister, do you have business with me?”

Fan Chuan looked up and asked.

As she spoke, she specifically glanced at Shen Lingwei, seeing her still sitting there writing, completely ignoring Shen Fangzhou.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.

It is the proclamation you ordered this morning.

Your servant has finished drafting it.

Please, Your Majesty, take a look.”

Shen Fangzhou said, presenting the several pages with both hands.

A personal guard took the pages and brought them to Fan Chuan for her review.

Fan Chuan looked over the pages one by one.

It had to be said, these civil officials were somewhat useful.

Shen Fangzhou’s proclamation basically denigrated the Great Zhou, portraying the princes as increasingly despicable.

Conversely, the portrayal of her side was all positive.

Fan Chuan was quite satisfied with this document.

She then said, “Prime Minister, I would also trouble you to write another proclamation about my coronation in a few days and the changing of the dynasty’s name to Dazhao, to be disseminated throughout the land.”

“Yes, Your servant accepts the decree.”

Shen Fangzhou quickly bowed.

Seeing that Fan Chuan had no intention of moving against him, his heart relaxed a little.

As he withdrew, he noticed two desks placed to Fan Chuan’s left.

Two women were writing something with brushes.

One of them was Shen Lingwei.

Shen Lingwei was sitting there perfectly fine, her clothes beautiful, her posture dignified.

She clearly hadn’t suffered.

And Fan Chuan had her sitting at a desk nearby.

In a flash of insight, Shen Fangzhou considered many things.

He thought his daughter might still be favored, so he put on an act and started crying.

“Lingwei?

Have you been well these days?”

Then he knelt to Fan Chuan again.

“Your Majesty, please forgive this servant’s indiscretion in court.

It is just that I have so longed to see my daughter.”

If Fan Chuan didn’t know the relationship between Shen Lingwei and her father, she might have been fooled.

But she did know.

“Prime Minister, please rise.

This is only natural.

I do not blame you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Shen Fangzhou tearfully expressed his thanks again.

Shen Lingwei just stood up and nodded slightly at Shen Fangzhou.

“I hope Father will take care of himself.

Your Majesty’s new dynasty has just been established.

There are many matters that require Father’s assistance.

For Her Majesty’s sake, you should also take good care of yourself.”

“Yes, this servant will do his utmost.”

Shen Fangzhou pretended to wipe away tears a few more times before bowing and withdrawing.

Shen Lingwei sighed heavily.

She had no desire to play the role of ‘deep father-daughter love’ with Shen Fangzhou.

Fan Chuan, however, smiled and asked, “Why the sigh?”

“Nothing.

I was just wondering when Your Majesty will replace the Prime Minister.”

Fan Chuan smiled and shook her head.

“The political situation is not yet settled.

I still need them.

For now, I don’t plan to touch your father’s position as Prime Minister.

Once all sides are stable and the rebellions in Jiangnan are suppressed, I will hold a special imperial examination and select some young, capable officials to take over.”

Shen Lingwei nodded.

Although she disliked Shen Fangzhou, the current situation was chaotic, and this was the only way.

***

Wei Lan, meanwhile, was still carving the phoenix seal.

She even carved the phoenix’s feathers down to the last detail, showing the phoenix rising from the flames, making it look very majestic.

To match Fan Chuan’s imperial seal, Wei Lan specifically carved phoenix patterns on the bottom of this seal.

Of course, this couldn’t be finished in a day or two.

By the time she finished carving it, only one day remained before the coronation ceremony.

The Ministry of Rites was busy sending people to make arrangements.

The entire capital was once again filled with a festive atmosphere.

Seeing that the war had passed, the common people were very happy.

To them, it didn’t matter much who was emperor.

But the merchants and wealthy households in the city were all on high alert, afraid the new emperor might order them to hand over all their wealth.

Wei Lan took the carved phoenix seal to the imperial study.

The attention of Fan Chuan and the others was instantly drawn to the seal in Wei Lan’s hands.

The phoenix was coiled above auspicious clouds, looking as if it were alive.

“It’s truly beautiful.

You’ve worked hard.”

Fan Chuan took the phoenix seal and examined it, then handed it to Shen Lingwei.

Shen Lingwei also liked it very much.

“It is beautiful.”

Wei Lan smiled.

“Of course.

Tomorrow, I have another big gift for you, cousin.”

“What gift?”

Fan Chuan asked.

Wei Lan blinked at her and whispered, “That large stone with the prophecy.

Tomorrow, I’ll have it dug up and brought into the palace.”

Fan Chuan gave her a thumbs-up.

“Good.”

***

When they returned to the Eastern Palace that evening, Fan Chuan and Shen Lingwei went to rest.

The emperor’s sleeping quarters had been the site of a recent death.

Fan Chuan planned to have them renovated when she had time, and then move there later, to avoid bad luck.

So, she and Shen Lingwei were staying in the Eastern Palace.

Wei Lan and the others were housed in a spare palace near the imperial study.

These days, Fan Chuan had been wearing ordinary clothes.

The new emperor’s court robes were still being rushed, including the emperor and empress’ everyday dresses, all being rushed by the craftsmen.

Mainly because the rest of the Great Zhou’s military was so useless that Fan Chuan and her group had taken the capital with little effort.

That night, for the first time in a long while, Fan Chuan had time to soak comfortably in a bath.

Shen Lingwei was attending to her outside the wooden tub.

Fan Chuan took Shen Lingwei’s wrist and looked up at her.

“What’s wrong?”

Shen Lingwei’s earlobes flushed slightly at Fan Chuan’s gaze.

They hadn’t had marital relations this entire journey.

On the road, it was naturally inconvenient.

After taking the capital, she and Fan Chuan had been very busy.

They had no time to think about anything else.

They barely had the energy to finish their daily tasks, let alone do anything else.

Fan Chuan pulled Shen Lingwei’s wrist closer and kissed it, then looked at her.

“Why don’t you bathe with me?

It’ll save time, and we can rest a bit earlier.”

Shen Lingwei, however, pulled her hand back as if burned.

“What nonsense are you talking about?

You’re about to be the emperor.

How can you be so forward?”

Fan Chuan was amused.

“Is it forward for me to bathe with my own empress?”

“Of course it is.

Bathe by yourself.

I won’t help you.”

Shen Lingwei said, tossing the cloth in her hand into the tub and ignoring Fan Chuan.

Fan Chuan hadn’t expected to drive her wife away.

She quickly said, “I was just joking.

Lingwei?

Lingwei?

You’re really not going to take care of me?”

The corners of Shen Lingwei’s mouth lifted slightly.

She opened the door and went to bathe in the next room, leaving Fan Chuan alone.

Fan Chuan had no choice but to wash herself quickly, climb out of the tub, and obediently wait for her empress to return.

She was almost asleep in bed when Shen Lingwei returned after bathing.

The coronation ceremony started early the next morning, so they needed to rest early.

Shen Lingwei saw that Fan Chuan was still awake and the bed curtains weren’t lowered.

She asked with a smile, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“Waiting for you.”

Fan Chuan pressed her lips together.

The main problem was that she had been without intimacy for too long.

She really, really couldn’t help it.

Shen Lingwei didn’t think Fan Chuan would do anything.

After all, they had to get up before dawn tomorrow to prepare.

She took off her outer clothes, lowered the bed curtains on both sides, and supported herself on the bed with her arms, preparing to climb over Fan Chuan.

Then she was hooked by Fan Chuan’s arm around her lower back and pulled into her wife’s embrace.

Shen Lingwei struggled a couple of times but couldn’t break free.

She looked up and asked, “Don’t be silly.

We have to get up early tomorrow.”

“I’m not being silly.

Can’t I miss my own empress?”

With that, Fan Chuan pressed her hand on Shen Lingwei’s lower back and kissed her.

Shen Lingwei didn’t have Fan Chuan’s stamina.

She pushed several times but couldn’t move her.

She was held in Fan Chuan’s arms and kissed until she could barely breathe.

“No… no…”

But before she could finish, she was pinned down by Fan Chuan.

Fan Chuan kissed her as she coaxed, “Why not?

I’ve been without intimacy for over two months.

I can’t hold back anymore.”

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