Chapter 38

Because of that one sentence, the danmaku began a wildly off-topic discussion—

【Ride the Wind: But is there milk now? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ping’an drink milk.】

【Summer Quatrain: I don’t know, ah. Is there?】

【Deadline: Agricultural societies rarely drink cow’s milk; cows are mainly for plowing.】

【Pass the Flower to the Beat of the Drum: She’s the emperor! What’s the problem with wanting a drink of milk? Just raise a few dairy cows in the palace. From what I’ve seen, the palace even has peacocks and sika deer.】

【ElectromagneticField: …There probably really aren’t any dairy cows. Modern dairy cows are products of crossbreeding and selective breeding. At best, there’d be yellow cattle now, and the milk wouldn’t taste good at this time.】

【RaidenEi: Shouldn’t yellow cow milk be roughly the same?】

【Eastern Corner: It’s very different. And only yellow cows that have just given birth to a calf would have milk.】

【NotASub: What? Cows don’t just produce milk all the time?】

【T-REX: …Cows are mammals.】

Seeing the danmaku start discussing this seriously, Fu Ping’an couldn’t help but let out a laugh. She let out a long breath, also realizing that she had probably pushed herself too hard.

When she had previously read historical records of other worlds, she had seen in similar societies cases of young emperors dying young from overwork. She still had residual toxins in her body; draining her health like this was indeed not appropriate.

Moreover, she had actually reaped considerable rewards over this past month.

After a month of discussion, Tian Ping had successfully obtained the post of Colonel of Chariots and Cavalry, while Chen Yan had been promoted one rank to become a General of the Palace Gentlemen.

As for Gao Yan, it was also uncovered that he had indeed forcibly occupied commoner farmland and wantonly taken human lives—but in fact, after Fu Ping’an had reviewed numerous documents, she discovered this kind of thing was more common than she had imagined.

When the current dynasty was first established, it ended an era of chaos. The population was decimated, and farmland lay barren. So land was granted out by military rank and noble title, with the remaining land distributed to the common people by local authorities. Theoretically, every citizen had land.

But the amount of land was ultimately limited. Local implementation usually prioritized officials first, then powerful local gentry, leaving limited land for the common people. Fortunately, there was plenty of wasteland back then, and the people diligently reclaimed it. Gradually, the nation took on a burgeoning spirit, and the newly opened land naturally belonged to the people who cleared it.

But farming inevitably depended on the weather. Especially with frequent disasters lately, and wars in both the north and south, taxes were levied very high. Farming families’ harvests couldn’t even cover the taxes. Many were forced to sell their land and become tenant farmers for wealthy, powerful households.

However, due to the immense disparity in power and influence, whether such “purchases” were actually fair was debatable. Fu Ping’an believed that if Gao Yan had not fallen from power, this would undoubtedly have been considered a “fair purchase.” But because Gao Yan fell, it became “forcible seizure.”

The same went for the charge of taking human lives. The person involved was actually a household slave of the Gao family, raised in the household from childhood. Great aristocratic clans did not consider slaves to be people. For instance, the Dowager Empress had killed dozens of slaves over just the past few years—who could say anything about that?

And these details were not clearly stated in the memorials.

Fortunately, Fu Ping’an had the danmaku to help. She often placed a document on the desk, had the danmaku summarize it first, and only read it personally if it proved worthwhile. Then the danmaku helped her analyze the subtext between the lines. It often took her a long time to finally grasp the implications.

So initially, she read very laboriously. Gradually, she became a bit more proficient and gained some understanding of this “nation” she nominally ruled.

First, a household registration census—essentially a population count crucial for taxation—had been conducted before the new year. The total result for all registered people was about twenty-five million.

The danmaku believed that given current technological limitations, and the practice of local powerful families hiding populations to evade taxes, the real number should be higher—but probably not exceeding forty or fifty million at most.

Fu Ping’an initially had no concept of this number. So she casually asked, “In your world… roughly how many people are in one country?”

Someone answered—【H Titi: With a similar territory size, about one billion.】

Fu Ping’an was stunned.

She stammered a bit. “A bi… a billion… how many tens of millions is that?”

【Ten No Troubles: Ten?】

Fu Ping’an felt an inexplicable sense of defeat. “I see. So the difference is vast.”

【Mu Mu Bai: Well, in my world, there are ten billion people total. Can that even compare? There’s at least five thousand years of development separating us.】

【Wanwan Wants to See the Moon: I estimate that in my world, humanity has probably only tens of millions left.】

【Lone Star Wanderer: …So it really is a post-apocalyptic world?】

【Wanwan Wants to See the Moon: Why would I lie to you?】

But soon, someone spotted a blind spot—

【Shang Lin: Wait, isn’t this an ancient ABO world? Shouldn’t it be compared to other ABO worlds?】

【Chang’an Flower: That makes sense @Baby Ping’an is So Cute】

【Ride the Wind to Return: I estimate an ABO world would have a smaller population. They have that hard constraint where only Alphas and Omegas can reproduce.】

Baby Ping’an is So Cute replied the next day.

She explained that she had gone to the hospital yesterday because she was sick, then replied—【Baby Ping’an is So Cute: I checked. It’s fifteen billion.】

When she spoke, Fu Ping’an was eating. Upon hearing this, the words burst out: “How can it be so many?”

Qin He, who was arranging the dishes, jumped in fright and asked hesitantly, “Shall I remove some dishes for Your Majesty?”

She thought Fu Ping’an was saying there was too much food.

Fu Ping’an waved her hand. “You may all withdraw first.”

Once the Palace Servants had left, Fu Ping’an also roughly understood the structure of that world. It turned out that in their ancient times, when productivity was undeveloped, the population was also very small. But in the modern era, Gene Medicine had improved everyone’s genes, giving Changyong a certain degree of fertility as well, just not as strong as Tianqian and Dikun.

Fu Ping’an was greatly shocked upon hearing this and asked, “Can this gene medicine be bought in the Mall?”

【Baby Ping’an is So Cute: Yes, but I checked; it’s very expensive.】

Hearing this, Fu Ping’an went to look and was immediately deterred by the five hundred thousand price tag. But she remained intensely tempted and added this to her shopping list for the time being.

In summary, population was a major problem.

Second, the Prince Regent Fu Lingxian’s policy to reclaim the right of coinage was not being implemented smoothly. She wanted to replace old currency with newly officially issued New Currency. But privately minted old coins were rampant among the populace. Before long, no one in the market was using the new coins. The Prince Regent couldn’t bear (or perhaps was unable) to impose harsh laws and severe penalties on the people. Thus, the decree was dead in name only, and the market remained extremely chaotic.

This matter sparked a great deal of discussion. But many of the suggestions in the memorials reached a level Fu Ping’an found utterly absurd. One memorial argued that the root of all evil—roaming commercial capital, excessively wealthy merchants, and impoverished farmers—was currency itself, and suggested abolishing currency entirely to return to barter.

Fu Ping’an specifically noted this person’s name: Dai Min of the Agricultural Office. She mentally filed away the need to transfer him to a different department later, feeling he was truly unsuited to the Agricultural Office.

Lastly, the so-called pacification of Nanyue was largely empty. The various tribes of Nanyue were incredibly dispersed, with no unified governing body. Defeating one simply led to another rising. Like wild grass, they sprouted again with the spring breeze. Generally, they needed to be “pacified” again every few years. The manpower and resources expended were immeasurable. Many officials submitted memorials advocating for abandoning Nanyue. But even more believed that abandoning Nanyue would represent a loss of national prestige. The two sides argued endlessly with no resolution.

Beyond these, there were also issues of land annexation, the power of local clans, the handling of disaster victims, and so on and so forth. Upon first encountering all this, Fu Ping’an felt her thoughts were a tangled mess of threads, intricate and knotted, with no idea where to begin untangling. She even thought of the Dowager Empress. She discovered now that the Dowager Empress hadn’t had it easy either. It turned out she had not only been enjoying the power, but also working diligently.

On these matters, the danmaku had actually offered some suggestions. But for now, they were still difficult to form into a cohesive system. Moreover, specific situations required specific analysis.

In short, she had indeed been too busy for too long.

Only now, coming back to her senses, did she realize her back ached. She stretched her lazy limbs, her bones making a series of cracking sounds.

This also gave her a slight scare. If her bones could crack, didn’t that prove there was a problem with them? If there was a problem with her bones, wouldn’t that mean she wouldn’t grow taller?

Fu Ping’an decided to treat this seriously.

She summoned the Head of Food Service and instructed him to serve a cup of milk every morning from now on. Upon hearing this, the Head of Food Service looked troubled, saying there were no calving cows in the palace at the moment, so finding cow’s milk would be difficult. Fu Ping’an was initially somewhat disappointed, but then the other party said, “If Your Majesty desires milk, we can find a wet nurse.”

At the time, Fu Ping’an was stunned speechless. The danmaku was also thrown into complete chaos. These modern people had absolutely never considered that direction.

【Sleepless Days: Hmm, logically speaking, human milk is indeed more nutritious.】

【Chang’an Flower: No, please! I can’t bear to picture this!】

The Head of Food Service, seeing Fu Ping’an remain silent, thought she was considering it and quickly added: “This subject has a younger sister who has just given birth. She could serve in this role.”

Fu Ping’an hastily said: “No need. I… I don’t absolutely have to drink milk.”

However, a few days later, she found a compromise of sorts. The food service had caught a nanny goat that had just given birth and asked if goat’s milk would do.

The danmaku said yes, so Fu Ping’an agreed.

The next morning, goat’s milk was served. It had been boiled and was still steaming. Cai Ling, the Palace Servant responsible for tasting for poison, tried it first and couldn’t help but frown.

Fu Ping’an also took a sip and nearly spat it out from the gamey taste.

She managed another difficult sip. Cai Ling, by her side, ventured, “Your Majesty, perhaps add a bit of honey?”

Fu Ping’an quickly nodded.

【Xi Nuo: Doesn’t it taste good?】

Fu Ping’an couldn’t quite describe it.

In short, if she was told to drink this daily, she was truly unwilling. So after pondering, she decided to adopt another suggestion.

Do more outdoor activities.

Ever since being summoned into the imperial palace by the Dowager Empress four years ago, she had almost never left the palace again. She had clearly lived in Weijing for four years, yet she had absolutely no idea what Weijing was actually like.

She truly wanted to go out and see.

Her first instinct, naturally, was to discuss this with the danmaku.

The danmaku’s response was enthusiastic, even more excited than she was. Most were saying “Go out, go out!”, but a minority held opposing views.

【Tangled Past 101731: Won’t the ministers have objections? I remember in ancient times, ministers had strong opinions about the emperor leaving the palace.】

【Jia Ying: Probably also for the emperor’s safety.】

Fu Ping’an then summoned Chen Yan. After all, if she were to leave the palace, she didn’t want to cause a huge commotion. In her view, all she needed was one person with relatively high martial skill to protect her.

Chen Yan seemed like a good choice.

As for why not Tian Ping… perhaps it was because he was surnamed Tian.

Right now, Fu Ping’an still harbored deep apprehension towards the families of consorts and relatives.

But the number of people she could use was truly too few.

Chen Yan arrived. Fu Ping’an asked directly: “I wish to leave the palace incognito. What do you think?”

Chen Yan blinked and immediately said: “This subject will risk her life to protect Your Majesty.”

Fu Ping’an could tell—Chen Yan didn’t understand the implications of this.

She thought it over and suddenly recalled Wang Ji, the person who had replaced He Fang in organizing her documents.

Over the past month, Fu Ping’an had also conducted a background check on Wang Ji. She was indeed from a distant branch of the Wang Clan of Yue Province. Not just that, she was born of a concubine. But because she had been renowned as a prodigy from a young age, with a retentive memory, she had gained the opportunity to enter the court.

Sometimes Fu Ping’an would ask Wang Ji if she remembered a particular memorial on a certain topic. The other party could usually find it for her. Thus, Fu Ping’an had formed the impression of her as someone “well-read.”

She summoned Wang Ji and asked: “If I were to leave the palace incognito, how would the ministers react? Are there any precedents in past documents?”

Wang Ji slightly raised her head. Her face was haggard. Over the past month, while Her Majesty had forgotten to eat and sleep, she too had racked her brains, not leaving the palace for the entire month. If she didn’t truly need and like this profession so much, it would have been hard to say she could persevere.

She shot a somewhat timid glance at Fu Ping’an. Without even asking if she actually intended to leave the palace incognito, she said directly: “The ministers will certainly remonstrate and advise Your Majesty against leaving the palace. It has been like this since Emperor Gaozu’s time. If the Prime Minister finds out about this matter, he will surely… surely…”

“Scold me?”

“…This subject wouldn’t put it that way.”

【Chang’an Flower: Maybe just don’t go out? After all, if something were to happen, wouldn’t that be terrible?】

Fu Ping’an inexplicably disliked this sentiment. She spoke: “If I remain forever within these high walls, how can I possibly know how the common people truly live? Furthermore, if I were to be assassinated the moment I step out, just what kind of place is the royal capital under my rule? A den of monsters?”

Wang Ji fell silent.

Fu Ping’an then turned to face Chen Yan, staring into her eyes: “Can I leave the palace?”

Chen Yan was first taken aback. Then, seemingly sensing Fu Ping’an’s seriousness and resolve, she gradually shed her joking demeanor. Her gaze firmed. “This subject will certainly protect Your Majesty.”

…

At this moment, in the study of the Prince Regent’s Mansion, Fu Lingxian was also holding a discussion with her retainers.

For Fu Lingxian, this year’s fifteenth day of the first lunar month had been a turning point.

Soon after the night’s events, she had received the news. But it had come far too late.

If she thought back, had there really been no suspicious intelligence before this? It was just that she had completely failed to imagine Her Majesty would move so quickly.

So quickly!

Her retainers argued endlessly, and her own heart was also a tangled mess.

Now, outsiders often believed her to be a crafty, seasoned schemer. Yet she often wondered why there was such a misunderstanding. In her youth, what she loved most was spurring her horse into a gallop, because she loved the feeling of only needing to run, without needing to think.

But now, past thirty, she had to constantly calculate and scheme.

Looking back, she still felt she had been pushed into her current position.

In the winter of the year Emperor Wen passed away, this childhood friend had summoned her back from the border forts. His face was ashen, but his lips were a startling red. Even Fu Lingxian could see it was a sign of terminal lucidity. The Emperor Wen, barely having gathered a sliver of strength, clutched her hand tightly and said, “I beg you, Lingxian, you must return.”

“The Empress’s influence has swelled to this extent. It is this We’s fault. We only thought her young and merely willful, never imagining her lust for power was already beyond control. Mao’er is young and can only be her puppet. You must remain in this court and stand against her.”

As he spoke, Emperor Wen coughed up a mouthful of blood. The piercing red shattered Fu Lingxian’s heart like a knife twisting. She had no choice but to agree.

That single nod had led her step by step to where she stood today.

If her existence had always been to limit the Dowager Empress’s power, then now that the Dowager Empress had fallen from power, was it also time for her to withdraw?

Though she hadn’t stated it explicitly, some hint of this thought must have leaked into her words. Her close friend and advisor, Yan Yu, immediately said in a stern tone: “You cannot withdraw, Lingxian. In this world, no person who has ever reached your position has met a good end after losing power. The former dynasty’s Chancellors Li and Chen were both torn apart by chariots and died. Did they not also try to retire after their achievements?”

Fu Lingxian remained silent.

Her other advisor, Wang Hui, spoke hesitantly: “Her Majesty is, after all, young and frail. Can she truly turn the tables in a single day? Could the Tian Clan not be behind this, stirring up trouble?”

Yan Yu sneered coldly: “Naturally, the Tian Clan is behind eighty percent of this. So even more reason not to withdraw.”

Fu Lingxian still didn’t speak. But she believed Yan Yu and Wang Hui thought this way because they had never met Her Majesty, or had met her too rarely. Lately, she increasingly felt that beneath Her Majesty’s deceptively charming exterior, a young tiger seemed to be coiled, ready to spring.

She finally spoke: “And what if Her Majesty truly accomplished this herself?”

Yan Yu was stunned, staring straight at Fu Lingxian. Seeing she didn’t seem to be joking, his face darkened. “Then it’s… even more ominous…”

“Lingxian, is what you want a country under the absolute dictate of a single emperor? Sage rulers are few, mediocre rulers many. But if mediocre, we can still educate and guide her. If she has such methods, yet is no sage ruler… that would be a disaster for all under heaven!”