There is a god in the sky

Chapter 388 Ascending the Throne

In mid-August, a season that should have been filled with clear skies and crisp autumn air, a sudden downpour struck the south.

At this time, the late emperor had just been buried in his mausoleum.

The Imperial Observatory said that the late emperor died an unnatural death and his soul was unstable, causing great changes in the celestial phenomena. Only a close blood relative could appease him.

So the second prince and several other princes were sent to the imperial mausoleum to guard the tomb of the late emperor.

It was obvious to everyone that King Zheng was wary of his nephews.

However, the eldest princess set an example by personally leading them to guard the tomb, which silenced many people's complaints.

On August 20th, a fire broke out in the palace and burned down half of the Yangxin Hall.

Someone discovered the edict of succession left by the late emperor while fighting the fire.

It turned out that the late emperor had long suspected that the Tong family harbored rebellious intentions, and also knew that the crown prince was weak and greedy and unsuitable to inherit the throne. Therefore, he left an edict to pass the throne to the Prince of Zheng after the prince's death.

King Zheng was in his prime and did his best to arrange the funeral for the late emperor.

The former King Zheng looked like someone who indulged in pleasure, but now, wearing the dragon robe, he resembles the late emperor in his middle age.

"Long live my emperor."

There are many vacancies in the positions of ministers in the court, and the positions are sparsely filled.

The enthronement ceremony of King Zheng was kept simple, as he had no intention of holding a grand ceremony since the late emperor had just passed away, hence the somewhat modest manner.

However, keeping things simple has its advantages, namely, it's faster.

From the discovery of the imperial edict to his donning of the dragon robe and sitting on the dragon throne, only three short days had passed.

What can you do in three days? You can't even finish making a dragon robe, let alone announce it to the world and summon officials from other regions and regional governors to come to the capital to pay homage.

But King Zheng was also afraid.

Because he can only control Bianjing City at present, if the garrison troops in other places oppose his ascension to the throne, he may face a long war.

King Zheng did not have many troops, perhaps even fewer than those controlled by the Tong family.

If the Tong family had planned their actions carefully and hadn't so hastily forced the emperor to abdicate, they might not have lost.

Now the crimes of the Tong family have been exposed to the world, especially the crimes of Headmaster Tong, which have been written in a separate section, each and every one of them horrifying.

Upon ascending the throne, King Zheng changed the country's name to Tianbao and summoned scholars from all over the country to the capital for the imperial examinations. Three months later, through the palace examination, three hundred scholars were selected to serve as officials in the court.

"Knock knock knock..." A series of urgent knocks sounded in the quiet courtyard.

Shen Lan came out to open the door and saw Xiao Ji standing outside.

Xiao Ji saw her and grabbed her, running away, "Quick, my mother is about to give birth."

Shen Lan calculated that it was about time. She no longer lived in the Xiao residence, but she would go over every three days to take Madam Xiao's pulse.

However, she didn't know much about childbirth and was less experienced than the midwife, so she could only offer some advice from a doctor's perspective.

It's impossible to say that it wasn't dangerous for Madam Xiao to give birth at such a young age.

"Wait a minute." She grabbed Xiao Ji.

"I haven't taken my suitcase yet."

Xiao Ji ran inside to get her the box, and then saw Shen Lan leading the horse out.

After Shen Lan moved in, she brought her horse back with her.

"I'll ride a horse; it'll be faster."

After handing the box to her, Xiao Ji immediately jumped onto the horse as soon as she mounted it, sitting behind Shen Lan.

Shen Lan turned to look at him, her face full of surprise.

Xiao Ji couldn't have run here, could he? Didn't he ride a horse?

“You’re not good at riding horses, and there are too many people in the city, so let me take you.”

It also makes sense.

Shen Lan then handed him the reins.

The two men and one horse galloped through the city, fast but not reckless.

Xiao Ji deliberately chose to take routes with fewer people, and his journey was smooth and unobstructed.

When they arrived at the Xiao family's house, it was already in complete chaos.

Many women from the Xiao family also came to help, chattering away, but there was no one in charge.

Mr. Xiao, however, knew nothing about childbirth and simply paced back and forth at the door, rubbing his hands together.

"Giving birth is a life-or-death situation for a woman, and with my sister-in-law's age, it probably won't go smoothly."

"Yes, Auntie is really something. Why doesn't she hurry up and find a wife for my eldest cousin? There should be someone in charge of the family. Look at the mess this house is in."

"Speaking of which, is my nephew about to be promoted? I heard he also contributed to the new emperor's ascension to the throne."

"So young, could he end up marrying a princess?"

“In a family like Xiao Ji’s, it’s not unreasonable for the eldest son to marry a princess.”

A group of women were having a lively discussion about everyday family matters.

Inside the room, Madam Xiao's cries of pain continued.

The room was also crowded with people. One person asked the midwife to check how dilated they were, while another asked a maid to prepare things for the baby.

Everyone was giving orders, making the servants in the house run around in circles.

When Shen Lan came in carrying the box, her face immediately fell, and she questioned Liu Mama: "Didn't we tell you many times that outsiders are not allowed in the delivery room?"

"What outsider? We're all from the Xiao family, how can you call us outsiders? Don't you know how to speak properly, young lady?"

Shen Lan did not recognize any members of the Xiao family, nor did she know who the woman speaking was.

But she knew that Xiao Zhengyang was still in charge of the Xiao family, and this was the main family's residence, where other clansmen were not allowed to act recklessly.

"Move the lady to another spare delivery room. Apart from the four main maids, two nannies, two midwives, and myself, no one else is allowed to enter or leave!"

Xiao Ji stood at the door and said, "I will follow Miss Shen's instructions."

Xiao Ji said to his relatives inside the house, "Ladies, please go back. It's not convenient to entertain guests at home today."

Before the guests could object, he had his servants send the relatives away.

Xiao Zhengyang also considered the feelings of some relatives, after all, he was the clan leader and had to be thorough in his actions.

Xiao Ji was a child prodigy in his clan from a young age. He was a man of his word, and although his personality seemed gentle, he was actually resolute and difficult to get along with.

After they moved to a different delivery room, the noise subsided, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They were servants, and they couldn't refuse their masters' orders, especially since they all claimed they were helping out for the mistress's sake.

Shen Lan changed into pure white clothes before entering the delivery room.

Xiao Ji moved a chair over and asked his father to sit down. "Father, please be patient and wait."

Xiao Zhengyang wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, "I'm getting old, I can't handle things anymore, I'm very flustered."

"Father, don't panic. Miss Shen is a very skilled doctor. She has even helped women with difficult childbirths before."

Xiao Zhengyang calmed down and looked at his son, saying, "The family still needs someone to help out. Your mother's health may take a long time to recover after this, so we can't be expected to manage things in the backyard, can we?"

Xiao Ji didn't avoid the topic, but only asked, "But can our son marry whomever he wants?"

"This is your wife from back then, you chose her yourself."

Xiao Ji picked up his teacup and said calmly, "My son thinks Miss Shen is very good."

Xiao Zhengyang wasn't surprised at all, and chuckled, "You really think your mother and I can't see through your thoughts? We just thought you would take her as a concubine."

“She won’t be a concubine.” Xiao Ji knew Shen Lan all too well.

She might not even accept the position of the principal wife, let alone the position of concubine.

"Yes, Miss Shen should not be judged solely on her family background. I do not object to that. You can talk to her yourself after your mother finishes her postpartum confinement."

Xiao Zhengyang looked up at the sky. The sky was still so blue, but there was always a gloomy atmosphere hanging over his head.

"With the political situation still unstable, the future of my Xiao family is also uncertain. If she is unwilling, then so be it, so as not to implicate others."

Xiao Ji nodded; she wanted Shen Lan to leave the capital for a while.

Having avenged her great grudge, she was now free to go wherever she pleased, with the world at her fingertips.