freenovelworld Chapter 411: The Inevitable Trend
Chapter 411: The Inevitable Trend
"Your Majesty, the royal court now occupies most of the Central Plains. In order to increase cohesion, I suggest that you ascend the throne and become emperor."
Zhuge Liang's advice came abruptly.
Chen Futu was speechless; he had never even considered ascending the throne now.
Historically, Zhuge Liang and his ministers once petitioned Liu Bei to ascend the throne as the King of Hanzhong. Zhuge Liang was quite adept at this kind of thing.
After a moment's thought, Chen Futu temporarily rejected Zhuge Liang's suggestion.
When Zhuge Liang left, he seemed to want to say something but then stopped.
Zhang Liang thought to himself, "I'm afraid Kongming won't give up so easily. Your Majesty should be prepared."
"You mean, Zhuge Liang will force me to ascend the throne again?"
"It's hard to say, but if that's the case, it's an inevitable trend."
Zhang Liang also felt that the title of vassal king was no longer worthy of the territory currently possessed by the royal court. He suggested that the royal court be established as an empire so that it could rival the Southern Qian. As for the First Emperor, it was impossible to achieve at this stage. If Your Majesty did not like the title of Son of Heaven, you could first be crowned with the title of Holy Emperor.
Zhuge Liang fell ill after leaving the palace.
Upon hearing the news, Chen Futu couldn't help but sneer, "That old Zhu, trying to pull this trick on me."
As expected, within half a day, all of Wang Ting's trusted civil and military officials gathered at Zhuge Liang's residence, except for Zhang Liang, who used the excuse of going on an inspection tour to avoid going.
Lying on his bed, Zhuge Liang said weakly, "Gentlemen, I am too ill to pay my respects. Please forgive me."
Guan Yu and the others said, "Prime Minister, you should rest well. But why did you suddenly fall ill? Is something on your mind?"
"Yes, Old Zhu, the King has just seized half of the country and is in need of us to make great strides. You can't just abandon your post."
Dian Wei also spoke in a muffled voice.
Liu Bowen, sitting to the side, said sarcastically, "Kongming, are you physically ill, or are you suffering from a mental illness?"
Zhuge Liang coughed twice without answering, but Di Renjie understood. Just like in history, the old man Zhuge Liang used illness as an excuse to gather everyone to discuss the establishment of a state.
Unfortunately, the king is too proud and looks down on the throne, and is unwilling to establish a kingdom for the time being. What can be done?
Gradually, everyone began to understand, and all eyes turned to Qin Liangyu.
Qin Liangyu asked in surprise, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Liu Bowen said with a smile, "We wish to put Your Majesty on the throne and call you the Great Sage Emperor. What do you think, General Qin?"
"I have no opinion."
Qin Liangyu understood Chen Futu's thoughts. The royal court occupied half of the country, and it was time to establish a nation. Even if the king disliked the title of emperor, he could not be allowed to act recklessly.
As for the title of First Emperor, it must wait. It cannot be achieved at this stage. After defeating the Southern Qian, one cannot continue to rule the country with the royal court.
Upon hearing Qin Liangyu's words, Zhuge Liang suddenly removed the towel from his forehead, sat up, and said solemnly, "I beg General Qin to join us in assisting His Majesty in ascending the throne and becoming emperor."
"I'm afraid Your Majesty might not be willing to listen."
Qin Liangyu was helpless; Chen Futu was as stubborn as a mule, and no one could change his mind once he made up his mind.
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "It's not difficult. We just need to make preparations in advance and then spread the news among the people. With the support of the people, we have no worries about Your Majesty not ascending to the throne."
"Prime Minister, please take action. We will cooperate."
Guan Yu and the others had no objections. The official system of the royal court was established according to the political system of a country. Only when the king ascended the throne and became emperor could everyone's authority be real and just, so as not to give rise to gossip. Furthermore, the promulgation of national policies such as the imperial examination also required the name of the state. Only in this way would scholars have confidence in the court.
After everyone had expressed their opinions, Zhuge Liang presented a detailed plan.
This private meeting lasted a full hour before it ended.
Qin Liangyu had just returned to the palace when she bumped into Chen Futu. Feeling a little guilty, she tried to slip away quietly, but Chen Futu stopped her with a dark face, "Sister, can't you see me, a grown woman?"
Qin Liangyu stopped and pretended nothing had happened. "Does the King need me for something?"
"What were you doing out in this heat?"
"Uh, I went to the military camp for a visit, and then I thought I'd come back and keep Xiuning company."
Qin Liangyu's eyes darted around.
She was a renowned heroine who would never lie, and Chen Futu had a large number of Imperial Guards as his spies; how could he not know what his confidants were doing behind his back?
Chen Futu stepped forward and grasped Qin Liangyu's hand tightly, saying strangely, "Sister, have you noticed that you're rather cute when you lie?"
"Your Majesty, don't talk nonsense, I'm not lying..."
Qin Liangyu blushed, and her eyes became increasingly evasive.
Chen Futu laughed heartily, stopped teasing her, and took her hand as they went to the side hall.
Despite the sweltering heat, the side hall was surprisingly cool; upon closer inspection, it was entirely made of ice.
Qin Liangyu asked in surprise, "Where did you get so much ice?"
"Making ice in the summer is not difficult. I plan to change the working hours of the people to avoid the heat, and provide them with some herbal tea and chilled mung bean soup to cool them down. You will be in charge of this matter."
Chen Futu solemnly handed over the method of making ice to Qin Liangyu and then left.
Qin Liangyu was completely baffled by the prescription, not knowing what the king was up to.
Chen Yuling happened to come to get ice and came over with a grin, saying, "Sister-in-law, did my brother say when he's going to ascend the throne? I'm still dreaming of becoming the empire's eldest princess."
"Your Highness, if you have some free time, why don't you make ice with me?"
"Great! This is a great way to make money. In this sweltering heat, we should make a killing off those merchants!"
Chen Yuling took the ice and had it delivered to the harem, then pulled Qin Liangyu to the workshop.
When Zhang Liang returned at dusk, upon hearing of this matter, he immediately sought out Qin Liangyu and asked, "General, do you know the King's thoughts?"
Qin Liangyu said naively, "Isn't it just to prevent people from suffering from heatstroke and to improve their lives?"
"No, Your Majesty chose General Qin alone to handle this matter, because you want the general to quickly gain prestige among the people, so as to match the status of the Queen Mother."
"Ah this..."
Qin Liangyu was stunned; she hadn't thought that far ahead.
In the sweltering summer heat, the people work hard. If the royal court provides free iced refreshments to cool them down, they can certainly gain a lot of fame. The king is giving her an extra boost. Her reputation is more based on her military achievements, and her prestige among the people in the capital region is still very weak.
Chen Yuling suddenly realized and exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Wow, brother, you've thought of everything so thoroughly! In this way, those scholars and students will also say that sister-in-law is considerate of the people's plight and has the benevolence of the First Lady."
Qin Liangyu bit her lip and remained silent, her heart slightly in turmoil.
Ding!
[Qin Liangyu's resolve has wavered. Please persevere, host. If you get married, the system will send you a wedding gift.]
Chen Futu couldn't help but chuckle as he listened to the notification in his mind.
Qin Liangyu's greatest wish was to wipe out the Tartars before getting married. It's a good thing that her belief has wavered now. After marriage, it's not like she'll be prevented from going to war.
In the following days, Qin Liangyu personally oversaw the summer relief efforts, with Zhang Liang assisting her, and quickly gained immense popularity among the people.
Now everyone knows that the King of the Northern Frontier has a kind queen, who is also a female war goddess.
"General Qin is a good man!"
"Yes, General Qin loves the people so much, we have hope."
"General Qin has become empress; the world is fortunate indeed."
Scholars and intellectuals discussed the matter, while young ladies in their boudoirs were more concerned about when the king would hold a public selection of candidates.