Ch9: First Female Emperor

In a far away place.

In the middle of the room sat a beautiful figure.

In each of her jade-like hands, was a spirit stone.

And on both sides of her were piles of dust from used spirit stones.

Crack!

The two spirit stones in her hands cracked and turned into ashes and fell through her fingers, becoming part of the spirit dust.

A short moment later, her eyelids fluttered open to reveal a pair of mesmerising, ruby-red eyes.

However, the aura contained in them gave off a dangerous vibe.

Her face resembled sculpted jade, accentuated by her petite nose and lips, and long straight dazzling black hair.

Her eyes emanted an eerie coldness before she blinked and it vanished.

Yet her clenched hands gave her determination and frustration away.

Just as she got up and exited the room, the maids greeter her, in a flustered manner.

"Y-your Highness!"

Their heads lowered as they dared not see eye-to-eye with their master.

Being astute, she instantly vanished.

Her form jumped and treaded disregarding etiquettes ingrained in her bones.

Her eyes a furrowed mess as concern laced her face.

'Mother!'

She pleaded for her mother to be fine.

As her steps halted in front of a luxurious residence, she noticed not the array of maids and eunuchs going in and out in a hurried manner.

Nor the Imperial Guards stationed outside.

Her eyes only loomed over the man adorned in golden-red robes.

His features matched hers but much more mature and with a masculine stubble.

Unlike others flustered appearance and clumsy bowing of "Long Live Your Majesty!"

His eyes bore at the young girl opposite him with an increasing intensity.

"So, you've achieved a breakthrough," he said, but not hint of a smile appeared on his face.

"Go back. Reflect on yourself. Stabilize."

His tone commanding, irrespective of who he talked to as he calmly walked out of the luxurious residence.

"Father!"

For the first time in years, the girl gritted her teeth while calling her father, the Emperor.

Due to the repeated teaching, she was used to calling him "Your Majesty" or "My Imperial Father".

It took a lot of courage for her to call him "Father".

However, the Emperor didn't seem displeased.

A small upturn of his lips revealed his glee, but no one was sharp enough to notice it.

"How's mother?"

For the first time, the man's expression darkened.

Undercurrents surging as his energy started going chaotic, showing his agitated mood.

Yet he reined it in within a second.

"She'll be fine," he muttered briefly before vanishing.

Stunned, the Princess could only trust her father and go see her mother.

Or so she tried to.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered for none other him to enter or leave the Empress's Quarters."

The words left the stalwart man's lips as he awaited an outburst from the Princess, but it surprisingly didn't happen.

She only seemed conflicted for a second before returning to her isolated room to cultivate.

Meanwhile, the Emperor was back to seeing the memorials and looking over the state affairs.

Unlike most Emperors known for having three wives and four concubines with countless beauties vying for favor in the backyard.

He only took one woman as the Empress and no more.

Of course, it was only possible because of his strength, or he might have caved in under the pressure of those age-old influential families.

However, she was still poisoned to death today.

Thankfully, he had kept his most skilled Imperial Physician at the ready for his family.

Otherwise... the consequences would be unimaginable.

Due to ancestral rules, he would have to take in another Empress at the least if his wife dies.

She couldn't die before him.

At least not until the throne was passed down.

Moreover, why would a Emperor give up on a harem of beatuies?

Simply because he loved the woman and couldn't bear to give his heart, body, mind to any other.

"But what about the successor?"

The worry loomed over his head.

The Empress's health had deteriorated sincegiving birth to the Princess.

Another scheme he only got to know about later.

But it was unpreventable.

Despite being the Emperor, he couldn't control everything.

It went against ancestral teachings and propriety.

"On one hand is Grandaunt's bloodline, one one hand is the Empress Dowager's Family..."

He had one too many concerns as many suggested adopting princes from these two clans.

But he was also a feudal Emperor, deeply emboldened with bloodline.

This he had conducted various studies in medicine and consulted various Doctors and Physicians.

Some argued that the child bore bloodline of both mother and father, so why was it that son carried a bloodline while a daughter didn't?

In his subconscious mind, he just wanted affirmation for his only child to ascend the throne.

So what if it went against propriety?

Weren't the overt and covert poisoning of the Empress a blatant threat to his sovereign?

Then, he will let them see what it meant to touch the Emperor's bottom line.

He hadn't yet taken revenge on harming his dear Princess when she was young or his Empress during childbirth yet they were so eager to harm his Empress to death.

"Heed my decree," he declared with intense reality regality and solemnity.

"From this day forth, the Princess Yerha, Xin Shulou, shall be declared as the Crown Princess and the next Emperor of the Xin Dynasty!"

Even the eunuchs hearing the decree trembled under his immense power, let alone the ones writing it.

Their hands trembled as they heard the wordview collapsible decree but continued to write it.

Only after inspecting it did he allow for it to be circulated.

Meanwhile, unaware of the Emperor's plan to pass the throne to her, Xin Shulou quietly corculated her spiritual energy despite her mind being a mess.

She had no way to know what fate had in store for her or how the world would view her after today.

As the decree announced the First Female Emperor in history, it was sure to rause countless monarches across the land and declare the Xin Dynasty an outcast.

Yet various women would also see it as a chance to get their just rewards.

That's why many Emperors and Monarchs across the world immediately banned the spread of this news as it could shake the very foundation of their rule.

Despite cultivators being more broad-minded, some things remained unchanged like their disdain for females.

After all, they would be useless during 10 months of pregnancy or so they believed.

Anyways, all of this had nothing to do with Qi Shou on the surface, but a lot do.

This event would build the foundation of females gaining the strength and courage to speak up for themselves and Mingzhu would be one major person leading the charge.

Thus, Qi Shou eagerly awaited the news.

It would allow him to once again gain confidence in his deduction of this being the novel world.

"Opportunities wouldn't come to me if I stay home, but I must, for the sake of my wife and daughter."

Even though he said that, he had no plans to go roam the dangerous world.

His reputation itself was negative due to being 'wife-loving' and with explosive news of First Female Emperor, who knew if some nutjob attacked him?

He couldn't just stop and begin reasoning with psychopaths and conservative idiots, could he?

Thus, he stayed at home until Mingzhu's first birthday and her name ceremony arrived.