Chapter 54 Part 2

Shu Heng pursed her lips, her cheeks flushing despite herself. Some things had happened many, many times, but she still couldn’t learn to accept them calmly.

“Little Shu Daren, what do you think of my previous proposal?” Li Jianwei asked, kissing from her lips to her chin again and again.

Shu Heng’s breathing grew disordered, a surge of heat within her creating the illusion that one more time would be fine.

“Your Majesty, things are good like this. This subject is very satisfied with our current relationship—it’s already more than enough,” Shu Heng panted, weakly grasping Li Jianwei’s hand to stop her.

Li Jianwei reined herself in appropriately. “Really? I’ve told you many times, there’s no need to worry so much. Whether a monarch is wise or foolish doesn’t depend on her partner, but on how her subjects live.”

Only muddle-headed tyrants blame their partners, claiming they lost their realm to some demon consort or demon empress.

“Besides, the court historians aren’t all men now. Next year, fresh blood will join, and I’ll select some good seedlings to compile the histories.”

Shu Heng buried her face in her sovereign’s embrace. “This subject knows, but it’s already very, very good like this. This subject doesn’t want to change.”

Being empress sounded prestigious, but was the Chief Minister any less?

In the histories, chief ministers received far more ink than empresses—sometimes even certain officials appeared more than empresses.

In the previous dynasty, an official needed only one shining achievement to be remembered forever, while a rear palace consort, even if she became empress and served diligently her whole life without fault, might not even have her name recorded.

Shu Heng knew this disparity stemmed from gender.

Just like in the histories of the previous dynasty, they meticulously recorded every imperial son’s name but barely mentioned princesses—maybe just a title at most.

The situation might change someday, but Shu Heng didn’t want to take the risk. She didn’t want her achievements glossed over; she wanted more presence, more ink in the histories.

Shu Heng hadn’t told her sovereign about her little scheme and had no intention of doing so. One reason she refused to become empress was that being intimately close to the sovereign as Chief Minister would leave more traces in history.

Even in later generations, whenever people mentioned the sovereign, they would think of how she doted on her Chief Minister, how most court policies were deliberated and implemented together.

As for other reasons, clearly prohibiting rear palace interference in politics was crucial.

Shu Heng was certain the heir’s gender would be female. If the heir married male concubines, that ancestral precept against rear palace meddling would be especially vital to suppress men with unchecked ambitions, keeping them in line without overstepping.

Li Jianwei truly didn’t see through Shu Heng’s little scheme. She only thought Shu Heng was still upholding her image as a sage ruler, not wanting to give future critics any ammunition.

Fine, fine. It was Little Shu Daren’s heartfelt intention anyway, so she would accept it graciously.

“Little Shu Daren, really not possible?” Li Jianwei asked.

“Your Majesty, early court tomorrow,” Shu Heng said, closing her eyes first.

Li Jianwei sighed with slight regret, then held the fragrant, soft Shu Heng and drifted off to sleep.

–

In the sixth year of Taiping, the Spring Examinations concluded once more, selecting a total of 265 scholars: 103 women and 162 men. The only male candidate in the first rank was the Bangyan.

As the new Jinshi were sent out to posts, county magistrates whose three-year terms had ended were also promoted upward. Some became assistant magistrates in prefectural yamen, while others went to remote commanderies as magistrates.

Shu Heng remained Chief Minister, but Qi Changping had advanced from clerk in the Ministry of Personnel to vice minister there, responsible for evaluating and rating local officials.

In the eighth month of the same year, Wang Ying led the navy straight to the Wokou lair. Though they failed to take it in one fell swoop, they smoothly killed over ten thousand Wokou soldiers and seized plenty of spoils, launching occasional guerrilla raids thereafter.

In the tenth year of Taiping, Wang Ying successfully conquered the Wokou nation, forcing it to submit and pay annual tribute in silver, while ceding half its territory.

Wang Ying was enfeoffed as Sea Pacifying Grand General and returned to the capital to take the post of Minister of War. The former Minister of War was appointed governor-general of Shaanxi Province, initially granted the honors of Grand Duke.

In the thirteenth year of Taiping, Li Jianwei, having passed her thirty-eighth birthday, selected ten children from the imperial clan and brought them into the Imperial Palace for rearing.

In the fifteenth year of Taiping, six of the original ten children were sent back, leaving four children under ten. Each became a disciple of Shu Heng.

That same year, Shu Heng was additionally enfeoffed as Crown Prince Grand Tutor and granted the title of Left Pillar of State, while still overseeing the Ministry of Personnel. Looking around, many officials in the Six Ministries had to address her as “Teacher.”

In the eighteenth year of Taiping, the forty-two-year-old Li Jianwei announced a southern inspection tour, handing the court to Li Wan, who had been enfeoffed as Commandery Princess. She spent a full year traveling mountains and rivers with her trusted beloved minister, Shu Heng.

In the twenty-sixth year of Taiping, the fifty-year-old Li Jianwei saw off the seventy-six-year-old Dowager Empress and observed three months of mourning for her. During those three months, she skipped morning court, leaving state affairs entirely to Shu Heng and Li Wan.

In the thirtieth year of Taiping, the most outstanding among the adopted children stood out. Li Jianwei formally established her as Crown Princess, sending the other three out to official posts.

In the forty-fifth year of Taiping, Li Jianwei chose to pass the throne to the Crown Princess and began true retirement life with the graying Shu Heng.

The New Emperor had no intention of honoring her birth parents. She had entered the palace at five to study, following either her Mother Empress or her teacher Shu Heng, and felt far closer to them than to her birth parents.

The New Emperor favored men but did not indulge excessively. Her Imperial Husband was a mild-mannered scion of good looks and family. She had five Male Concubines besides.

At her ascension, the New Emperor already had two daughters and one son. After taking the throne, she bore no more children, though new faces—male and female—occasionally joined the rear palace.

To show respect for her Mother Empress, the New Emperor never changed the reign era name until the sixtieth year of Taiping, when her Mother Empress and teacher passed away one after the other.

Following her Mother Empress’s last wishes, the New Emperor buried the two together in the same coffin.

After abdicating, Li Jianwei’s life remained exceedingly comfortable, as evidenced by her living to eighty-five.

Though two years older than Li Jianwei, Shu Heng began rigorous exercise after turning forty, hoping to accompany her Majesty longer.

The result was gratifying: after her Majesty passed, Shu Heng neatly arranged her attire, then held her hand and fell into eternal sleep at her side.

This lifetime’s bond between sovereign and minister had perhaps come to an end, but she had promised: next life, and the life after, she would still follow her Majesty.

–

Li Jianwei’s consciousness sank into chaos, unfamiliar scenes gradually sharpening and stirring many memories.

At the same time, familiar voices flooded her ears. Unlike before, Li Jianwei recognized one as coming from Shu Heng.

From the one she had sworn loyalty to.

Hiss, something felt off. Shouldn’t Little Shu Daren be the one swearing loyalty to her? Why was she half-kneeling and swearing loyalty to Shu Heng?

“Your Highness, the Marshal’s consciousness is stabilizing and under repair, but memories show partial confusion.”

“Then it needs some lighter worlds?”

“Yes, but too light will slow the Marshal’s consciousness repair.”

“Then connect to this world. She’ll like it.”

The brief exchange ended quickly. This time, Li Jianwei had time to analyze, but with so little revealed, she couldn’t glean much.

–

【Ding—Survivor information connected. Connection successful! Welcome to the Endless Sea Domain!】

【Name: Li Jianwei】

【Status: Health (69/100), Hunger (33/100), Thirst (55/100)】

【Survival Days: 1】

【Main Quest: Before the newbie protection period ends, expand the wooden raft and build a survival base! Strive to survive in the Endless Sea Domain!】

When the familiar interface appeared before her eyes again, a flash of bewilderment crossed Li Jianwei’s face.

Survival Days: 1? Had she returned to the first day of the survival game? Back to before anything had happened?

Li Jianwei flipped up in a carp leap, rising from the wooden raft barely four square meters in size, and surveyed her surroundings.

Good. Endless sea stretched in all directions. She wore the familiar newbie outfit, plastic hook in hand—the starter tool.

Unlike her first time, Li Jianwei skipped futile efforts and began hooking floating debris on the sea surface with the plastic hook.

No system reminder, but Li Jianwei knew the newbie protection period lasted only twenty-four hours. Fail to expand the four-square-meter raft beneath her feet before it ended, and day two would bring face-to-face shark encounters.

Moreover, Li Jianwei knew this was no mere holographic game but a true survival trial. Die in-game, and the real body died too.

From intel gathered later, escaping the Endless Sea Domain required surviving a hundred days in the game.

Li Jianwei pinched her brow, shoving useless thoughts aside to focus on casting the plastic hook for sea-surface debris.

Strictly speaking, the sea-surface debris weren’t garbage but basic resources.

During newbie protection, sea resources doubled: anything hooked entered the inventory in double quantity.

Li Jianwei’s aim was spot-on, one hook one hit. Soon she collected Wooden Plank x32, Plastic x18, Palm Leaf x14.

Wooden Planks and plastic expanded the raft; palm leaves processed into rope for later crafting.

Besides these three basics, wooden barrels refreshed randomly on the sea. Opening them yielded a chance at the above or other items.

【Ding—Congratulations, Survivor! Successfully collected 100 basic resources, unlocking achievement Hundred Hooks Hundred Hits. Equip to boost hit rate.】

Hm? An achievement like this? Why hadn’t she heard of it last life?

Li Jianwei equipped it to her info panel while pondering. Noticing the plastic hook broken, she deftly opened the crafting menu and synthesized a new one with wooden plank and plastic.

Aside from in-game death equaling true death, operations matched ordinary holographic games. Character status was pure data; replenish food and thirst, and one could run like a perpetual motion machine without fatigue.

Li Jianwei recalled her past self’s desperation: upon learning sleep wasn’t needed, she’d pushed four days and nights nonstop.

But after discovering nighttime activity drew indescribable monsters, she wisely chose sleep to pass the nights.

【Warning! Survivor’s hunger nearing critical! Eat immediately!】

【Warning! Survivor’s hunger nearing critical! Eat immediately!】

The system warned twice—a newbie perk. Post-protection, no reminders until health hit zero for a final ding—

Many survivors ignored it and died early.