Chapter 1995
Not a Noble Consort 16
Liu Qingyu walked in from outside with an air of nonchalance.
How could such a commotion in the palace not alert her?
She just couldn't be bothered to care.
But after discovering that these people were Liu Tong and Liu Qingya's subordinates, Liu Qingyu could no longer remain inactive.
She wanted to know what her older sister and younger brother were going to do.
Seeing that Liu Qingya had locked up Dongfang Zeng and the other two, Liu Qingyu finally understood Liu Qingya's purpose.
Liu Qingyu expressed her support for this.
My sister's talent and martial arts skills are superior to Dongfang Zeng's, so why can't she be the emperor?
At Renshou Palace, the Empress Dowager went nearly mad after hearing about Liu Qingya from Dongfang Zeng.
"She's a woman, yet she wants to be emperor. Does she deserve it?" the Empress Dowager said to the palace servants. "Go and summon Liu Qingya. I'm going to scold her awake."
Duanmu Rou spoke softly, "Why is she unworthy to be the emperor? Liu Qingya's martial arts are stronger than your son's, and her talent is said to be exceptional as well. Why can't she be the emperor?"
The Empress Dowager angrily retorted, "She is a woman."
Duanmu Rou: "Wu Zetian was a woman, but she still became emperor. You are a woman yourself, so why do you look down on women? Just because you can't do something doesn't mean others can't."
Dongfang Zeng questioned, "Rou'er, why are you taking Liu Qingya's side?"
Duanmu Rou sighed, "Because I admire her! She showed me that there is another path for a woman to take."
The following day, the court officials went to court.
The commotion in the palace last night was quite significant, and they knew something must have happened. They all came to court in trepidation, fearing that they might never return.
They entered the main hall and were stunned when they saw the person sitting on the dragon throne. They all turned to look at Liu Huai.
Liu Huai was also stunned.
"Qingya, why are you sitting on the dragon throne?"
Liu Qingya laughed: "Because I am the emperor now!"
Liu Huai: "You? You..."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Liu Qingyu and Princess Huaining standing beside Liu Qingya.
Liu Huai: "Princess Huaining, you actually helped Qingya seize the throne from your Dongfang family?"
Princess Huaining laughed: "The country wasn't mine to begin with, so what if it's taken away? It's better to be a powerful prime minister than a princess without freedom."
Liu Huai took a step back: This girl is trying to steal his position!
Liu Qingyu chuckled: "Father, you're already the retired emperor, do you still care about the position of prime minister?"
Liu Huai: "..."
Liu Qingya became emperor very smoothly, with few people opposing him.
Over the years, Liu Tong and Liu Qingya have brought many people into the court. Although most of them are mid- to low-level officials, they have controlled half of the court.
And half of the high-ranking officials are from Liu Huai's faction.
How could Liu Huai not support his daughter?
As for those staunch royalists, Liu Qingya simply chopped off their heads.
She swiftly and decisively suppressed the entire court.
Liu Huai was both shocked and proud; he had no idea that his daughter had become so outstanding.
But this was just a surprise.
He saw his second daughter send the emperor's loyal imperial guard commander flying with a single palm strike.
This commander was extremely skilled in martial arts, and it was said that he was famous in the martial arts world. However, he couldn't even withstand a single palm strike from his second daughter.
His seemingly delicate second daughter is actually a martial arts master?!
And then there was his simple-minded youngest son, who appeared before him dressed in full armor, looking imposing and no less impressive than a veteran general who had fought on the battlefield.
Liu Heng walked to the center of the main hall, knelt down and reported to Liu Qingya: "Your Majesty, the entire capital region camp has surrendered."
Liu Qingya laughed loudly: "Good! My dear ministers, do you have any further objections?"
How could any of the ministers dare to object?! They all knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The voice was loud and clear, reaching the inner court.
Upon hearing this voice, the Empress Dowager and Dongfang Zeng's faces turned ashen.
The Empress Dowager murmured, "If my son had made Qingya Empress back then, would none of this have happened today?"
When these words reached Dongfang Zeng's ears, he couldn't help but fantasize based on the Empress Dowager's words, and then he was filled with regret.
His gaze toward Duanmu Rou was tinged with resentment.
Duanmu Rou sneered: Men! They always blame their failures on women.
Duanmu Rou said to the eunuch in charge of them, "I want to see the emperor."
Liu Qingya agreed to meet Duanmu Rou because Liu Qiu had once told her that Duanmu Rou was no ordinary woman and possessed knowledge that others did not. If she could win Duanmu Rou over to her side, she would surely be able to help Liu Qingya achieve great things.
So Liu Qingya said directly, "I know you are very capable. As long as you are willing to help me, I will make you an official and put you in the imperial court!"
Duanmu Rou immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty."
And so, three more female officials joined the court.
Of course, Liu Huai still served as his prime minister, even though he was now the nominal emperor emeritus.
But Liu Huai felt he was still young and didn't want to retire yet; he also wanted to help his daughter suppress the court officials.
Of course, he wouldn't bow to the emperor when he attended court; he had his own exclusive throne.
Princess Huaining and Duanmu Rou both coveted his position as prime minister.
Only his obedient daughter, Liu Qingyu, didn't covet his position.
In order to accumulate merit, Duanmu Rou presented the cowpox prevention method.
Liu Qingya had people put it into practice, and sure enough, cowpox could prevent smallpox.
Liu Qingya's influence spread throughout the country, and the people were extremely grateful to her and Duanmu Rou, setting up longevity tablets for them in their homes.
Duanmu Rou was thus granted the title of Earl.
Liu Qingya thought to herself that her younger brother was right; Duanmu Rou knew a lot and was quite useful.
Duanmu Rou's face was radiant, and her overall demeanor was completely different from before.
She's no longer driven by romance; her focus has been replaced by a career-oriented mindset.
Duanmu Rou persevered and summoned a group of craftsmen to experiment with lime and glass.
She had only read about the general production process and main ingredients of glass and lime when she read novels. She didn't know what else needed to be added or what temperature of flame to use for firing.
But these two things must be produced.
One is a powerful tool for making money, and the other is extremely important for national infrastructure.
Fortunately, ancient craftsmen were very reliable, and their wisdom was no less than that of modern people.
Following the general method provided by Duanmu Rou, they conducted various experiments over a period of six months and finally managed to fire the two items.
Duanmu Rou took the finished product to see Liu Qingya.
It has to be said that Liu Qingya was truly shocked.
She had already been impressed by Duanmu Rou's abilities, but she never expected such a huge surprise.
Glass goes without saying, but lime is something that benefits the country and its people.
The floods in Jiangnan are no longer a concern, and the road from the capital to the border can be built...
This time, Liu Qingya bestowed the title of Duke upon Duanmu Rou.
Duanmu Rou took a deep breath. Compared to the Empress, she liked this Duke more; he made her feel more at ease. (End of Chapter)