sjar Chapter 549 Do You Know (16)
Chapter 549 Do You Know (16)
"This is the first time I've seen something chopped into a charcoal shell. This thing must have done so many heinous things." In the silence, the gloating voice of Wangyou stood out all the more.
Upon closer inspection, it appears that almost everyone who appeared was struck by lightning, suggesting they all carried some degree of karmic burden.
"Is there anything else?" Wangyou asked excitedly, rubbing her little hands together with a grin.
Sheng Hong: He was superfluous to step forward.
Sheng Hong silently withdrew his foot and sat back down.
Seeing is believing, and that's exactly what the Emperor is talking about right now. Whether it's the high monk who died before or what Sheng Hong said, it's all like castles in the air. Only by seeing it in person can it feel real.
Even the most foolish ministers present knew that this Princess Protector of the Nation was suspicious. Those who were tempted but hadn't yet acted on it felt a sense of relief, and that's why no one dared to utter a word.
However, the banquet could not be held. The emperor immediately sent people to investigate the sordid affairs of these ministers' families, and ordered the corpses to be carried out first, and the injured to be treated by the imperial physicians.
"Ugh, why can't you just be a decent person? Why do you have to be so reckless? Now I'm still starving," Wangyou muttered boredly.
"Princess Protector is hungry. I will have someone prepare a special meal for you." Upon hearing this, the Emperor quickly dispatched someone to do so.
As an emperor, he was constantly hampered by his ministers, but he was too embarrassed to say anything. Yet today, he was struck by lightning. This is practically his lucky star. With Wangyou in charge, those officials will soon realize their place, and the power in their hands will be taken back.
Of course, now the court officials finally understood why the Emperor had given such a generous reward; this was the person they couldn't afford to offend.
To avoid alerting the enemy, all those who came to the banquet were temporarily kept in the palace. Wangyou was not afraid at all and enjoyed the meal with her mother, her father, her eldest daughter-in-law, and several sisters.
When he woke up the next day, everything that needed to be investigated had been investigated, and several traitors who had colluded with the enemy and sold out their country had been found. The first one to be dealt with was the one who had been chopped into charcoal. Of course, Wangyou had no interest in knowing who it was.
You wouldn't know unless you investigated, and what you found was shocking. Although the Song Dynasty may look glamorous now, it is rotten inside. If things don't change, the empire is likely to collapse. Wangyou had already seen this, and now the Emperor has also seen it.
"Wangyou, I want to hold a military examination and give more important positions to military generals."
"It should have been done long ago. Otherwise, our great Song Dynasty would not have to pay tribute to those Western Xia and Khitan countries every year. It's too humiliating."
"Very well, I will issue an imperial decree to hold a military examination. Could you help me select the candidates?" the Emperor asked somewhat humbly.
"No need, I don't like these things, they're all too troublesome. I believe you can definitely choose a suitable general, and besides, it's not like we don't have any usable generals. The ones we had before were quite good. Don't let anyone stay idle at home every day," Wangyou said encouragingly. She really wanted to lie down right now.
"I will. The military examination will still be held as scheduled."
After the matter was investigated and clarified, the officials, who had spent a night in fear, were finally able to leave the palace. However, their future depended on how much the emperor had uncovered.
The Yang family members, who were unemployed at home, suddenly received an imperial edict ordering them to return to their original positions and work hard to train troops. General Yang Ye immediately expressed his willingness to serve the emperor to the death, and the rest of the Yang family did the same.
The Song Dynasty's army underwent a long-awaited reform, and the disorganized and ineffective army was rigorously trained.
As for the Sheng family, they went back to their usual routines, while Wangyou continued to spend her days at Mr. Zhuang's school.
The classroom is no longer lively; everyone is incredibly well-behaved. Qi Heng tried to gamble with Minglan several times, but she always managed to dodge his attempts. After a while, Qi Heng started to get bored, feeling both disappointed and somewhat resentful.
Every time Qi Heng looked at Minglan in class, his gaze was full of resentment. However, Minglan never gave Qi Heng any hope, leaving him not knowing what he was angry about.
At a gathering, Sheng Changbai learned of Qi Heng's feelings for Minglan and volunteered to try and match them up. However, Minglan firmly refused. He then told Wangyou about it, and Wangyou was speechless after hearing it.
Fortunately, Sheng Changbai didn't make any further moves, thus avoiding a scolding.
The Sheng family's daughters are now all poised and elegant. Even the most timid Mo Lan has changed her ways and become a proper young lady from a prominent family, perhaps even a candidate for matriarch.
Therefore, the invitations came like snowflakes. The eldest daughter-in-law would occasionally take a few girls out to meet people, just to relax. However, Wangyou basically didn't go. She was good at everything, except for being lacking in interpersonal skills.
The Princess Wangyou's mansion was completed long ago, but she hasn't moved there yet. She just has people clean it regularly and will wait until she's older.
Amidst the peaceful atmosphere, Hua Lan arrived, and the son-in-law she had never met before also came to visit.
Wangyou was dragged along by Rulan to join in the fun. When Wangyou arrived at Shouan Hall, she saw Hualan hugging the old lady and crying, while the eldest daughter-in-law was wiping away tears on the side.
After finally calming down, Hua Lan's expression changed when she saw Wang You and Ru Lan approaching, but she still respectfully bowed to Yuan Wenkai.
"Big sister, brother-in-law, you're too polite. Please get up." Wangyou pulled Rulan along and accepted Hualan's bow before looking at this brother-in-law who only existed in legends.
He looks decent enough, but just from the fact that he never came before but came today, you can tell he's not a good person; he's a snob.
However, every pot has its lid. Hua Lan isn't a good person either. Although she looks generous, her selfish nature is similar to Yuan Wenkai's, so they're quite a match.
Besides, given the circumstances back then, she still reluctantly married him, so even bitter fruit is still fruit, and who knows, she might actually enjoy it.
Wangyou left after a short while, and the people in the room, no longer feeling restrained, quickly started chatting.
Seeing that she couldn't get a word in edgewise, Rulan simply came out to keep Wangyou company.
"Seventh sister, do you think eldest sister regrets it?"
"Of course she regrets it, but she can't bring herself to divorce him. She chose this path, and she has to finish it, even if she has to crawl on her knees," Wangyou said coldly, looking at the moonlight.
"Seventh sister, do you dislike your eldest sister?" Rulan was truly straightforward, asking this question bluntly.
"It's not a matter of liking or disliking her; I haven't spent much time with her anyway," Wangyou said with a smile.
"Oh." Rulan didn't ask any more questions. After all, she didn't like her that much. Her eldest sister always came to visit with something in mind. When her mother was wronged, her eldest sister would only side with her father and complain about her mother. She just didn't know what this time it was about.
The next day, they found out what had happened. It turned out that Hua Lan had been married for many years but had no children other than her daughter. Not only had her husband taken a concubine, but her mother-in-law was also putting a lot of pressure on her, which made Hua Lan anxious.