On the third day after the ruler of Qin passed away, the imperial capital of Qin held an ascension ceremony.

This ascension ceremony was simple, but what mattered most was its symbolic weight.

From that day onward, Qin Siyao was the rightful, legitimate ruler of Qin.

And on the very day Qin Siyao formally held the ascension ceremony—

Centered on the imperial capital of Qin, auspicious omens of every kind appeared within a radius of ten thousand li.

This was not something officials fabricated to flatter her. These were things that truly happened.

After Qin Siyao ascended the throne, even winter was no longer as bitterly cold as before, and the weather showed signs of warming.

One could foresee that this year’s spring would arrive faster than usual.

After formally ascending the throne, the first thing Qin Siyao did was, in her capacity as the ruler of Qin, hold a funeral for her imperial father.

In accordance with her imperial father’s wishes, the funeral was kept simple in every respect.

Compared to before—when Qin Siyao wept at funerals and forced herself to hold back tears—

This time, as she presided over her imperial father’s funeral, her state of mind appeared far steadier.

Even though she had only just sat in that position, every movement she made carried the bearing of a sovereign.

It was as if, all at once, the little girl who had once been muddled and merely imitated adults was no longer pretending—she had truly grown up.

All the eunuchs in the palace were dispersed.

Only the maids remained inside the palace.

Huasheng was still Qin Siyao’s personal attendant.

But compared to before, when Huasheng had been carefree and at ease every day, from this day forward, Huasheng would need to manage all affairs within the palace, and would no longer be as relaxed as she once was.

After the funeral ended, Qin Siyao also threw herself fully into state affairs.

Qin Siyao was now the ruler of Qin, so naturally she lived in the imperial palace every day.

Even though Xiao Mo was Qin Siyao’s future husband, and even though his power now reached the sky—if he lived in Qin Siyao’s sleeping quarters every day, no one would dare gossip.

But Xiao Mo still did not do so.

Xiao Mo continued to live at the Frost King’s residence.

In fact, Xiao Mo only went to the Imperial Study when he attended court, or when there was business to discuss.

After all, Qin Siyao’s identity was now far too special, and no matter what, he was ultimately nothing more than a subject.

In Xiao Mo’s eyes, if he kept running into the imperial palace at this time, it would look rather like “harboring improper intentions.”

Was the realm Qin’s, or was it Xiao’s?

Even if Xiao Mo did not think that way, what would Xiao family supporters think?

Among the ministers and generals close to the Xiao residence, quite a few hoped Xiao Mo would sit on that throne.

So long as Xiao Mo proclaimed himself emperor, their status would soar from that day onward.

Not to mention that matters on the borders were growing more and more tense.

The Northern Wasteland was now drilling troops on a grand scale, and Xiao Mo needed to return to the Northern Wasteland often to show his face.

Forget frequently entering the imperial palace—Xiao Mo rarely even returned to the Frost King’s residence.

However, in Qin Siyao’s view, even though she and Xiao Mo could not see each other every day—and even when they did meet, it was in the Imperial Study with several ministers present, and both sides still had to maintain surface politeness—

Qin Siyao knew that these days would not last long.

What mattered most now was to stabilize the court, and stabilize the wars across the realm.

After some time passed, after Qin’s situation stabilized, and after this great war ended, she could formally hold the wedding ceremony with Xiao Mo.

When that time came, Xiao Mo could move into the imperial palace openly and properly.

In the end, as long as she and Xiao Mo had an heir, raised the child, and cultivated the child into a qualified sovereign, she could pass the throne to the child.

When that time came, she could retire with Xiao Mo into the mountains and forests, and never again concern themselves with worldly affairs.

For the life they would have in the future, she could wait.

And one month after Qin Shengtian passed away, major battles erupted again at the borders.

Qi State and Zhao State heard that the ruler of Qin had died, and both wanted to strike while Qin’s hearts were unsettled.

Beyond that, within Qin itself, some people began to nurse their own schemes.

Because the ruler of Qin had died, and Qin Siyao had only just ascended the throne—and had done so as a woman—some feudal lords immediately grew restless.

Since ancient times, there had never been a woman who held the position of sovereign.

They felt a woman could not bear great responsibility.

No matter how much His Majesty doted on the Third Princess, he would never pass the throne to the Third Princess!

So they bit down on one claim: the edict must be fake. This was absolutely a forged final edict created by the Three Excellencies!

Because among the Three Excellencies, two had once been Xiao Mo’s guest retainers. Xiao Mo had been their patron, and the remaining Prime Minister Li was also close to Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo and the others were disrupting the court, trying to seize control of governance, trying to turn the realm of the Qin family into the realm of the Xiao family!

And how could people like them—descendants of the Qin imperial clan—tolerate that?

In truth, how could Xiao Mo not know what they were thinking?

No matter how grandly they dressed up their words, they were only covering their own ambition.

What they wanted could be summed up in two words: the throne.

All at once, many feudal lords with Qin royal bloodlines raised troops.

Some generals also rebelled alongside them.

After all, who did not want to wield power that shook the court, the way Xiao Mo did?

Of course, Xiao Mo believed that among these rebelling feudal lords—setting aside those truly intoxicated by power and lacking clarity—

There were likely quite a few who had ties to Qi State and Zhao State.

They might have wanted to coordinate inside and out with Qi and Zhao.

But as for their true motive, Xiao Mo already felt it no longer mattered.

Xiao Mo ordered the Northern Wasteland’s commanders to lead troops to suppress the rebellion, and he personally led the army as well.

All along, Xiao Mo and the Northern Wasteland had been confronting the other states head-on.

These feudal lords of Qin had no clear understanding of the Northern Wasteland army, nor of Xiao Mo.

Some even felt Xiao Mo’s reputation exceeded his reality.

They believed that with the Northern Pacification King gone, the Northern Wasteland was no longer the Northern Wasteland of old.

But when the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry appeared before them—when it trampled their armies flat and smashed their cities apart—

They realized just how ridiculous their earlier thoughts had been.

The Northern Wasteland was still the Northern Wasteland, and it was even stronger than before!

Any feudal lord who rebelled had their entire household executed by Xiao Mo.

As for the great clans and noble houses connected to them, not a single survivor was left.

When many feudal lords and noble houses saw the situation turning bad, they wanted to surrender.

But Xiao Mo did not give them the chance.

Xiao Mo even found it somewhat laughable.

How could rebellion possibly leave room to turn back?

After those noble houses’ surrenders were refused by Xiao Mo, they could only fight him to the death.

But their subordinates did not think the same way.

You rebels—what does that have to do with us subordinates?

Among the generals under these feudal lords, many had, to varying degrees, people they were friendly with in the Northern Wasteland.

Not to mention that Xiao Mo held the righteous banner—he was suppressing chaos by imperial decree.

And Qin’s national strength was now surging; the great war with Qi State and Zhao State was on the verge of erupting. Soldiers would rather go to the borders to kill enemies and earn merit—who would want civil strife at such a time, raising blades against brothers of the same country?

So quite a few feudal lords were killed by their own commanders before Xiao Mo even made a move.

In less than a year, Xiao Mo put down all internal turmoil.

This internal turmoil involved many parties, but it had little impact on the common people of Qin, and casualties on both sides were not high.

After all, many soldiers, upon seeing Xiao Mo, no longer had any desire to keep fighting.

Qin Siyao also seized this opportunity to push reform measures through the court.

Aside from Xiao Mo, the military authority of feudal lords across the realm was sharply restricted.

The finances of the feudal states also had to be controlled by the imperial capital.

High-ranking officials also had to be appointed by the court; they were not permitted to establish their own posts privately.

In addition, the various noble ranks of Qin’s great clans could only be inherited for two generations.

Tax exemptions on land for nobles and court officials were all abolished, and taxes were levied on them the same as on ordinary commoners.

As for the selection and appointment of new officials, Qin Siyao adopted recommendation-and-selection: local officials, or persons designated by the center, would examine and recommend talent for office.

The number of recommended candidates each year was limited, and the recommended candidates, in the end, still had to be personally assessed by the ruler of Qin.

Beyond that, Qin held three progressive examinations every year.

The content of the examinations focused on Confucian, Legalist, Daoist, Mohist, military, and agricultural learning.

Scholars who passed all three examinations would enter the imperial palace to attend an audience, and the ruler of Qin would grant them office rank, or appoint them at a later date.

Qin Siyao’s actions harmed the interests of many great clans—after all, there were only so many positions. If others occupied them, what would happen to their lineages?

So ministers submitted remonstrances one after another.

In their eyes, women were naturally weak, to say nothing of Qin ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Siyao, who had been pampered since childhood.

They believed that if they opposed her strongly, Qin Siyao would certainly retract her decree.

But Qin Siyao did not listen to the opinions of these court officials and great clans at all.

Qin Siyao persisted regardless, and she even demoted—up to and including dismissing—some of the loudest “leading birds.”

Within the court, Prime Minister Li Ge, Baili Xi, and Jian Shu supported Qin Siyao’s decision.

Outside the court, Xiao Mo’s Northern Wasteland army was stationed as a deterrent, and the Northern Wasteland’s arrangements among Qin’s military reached into every corner—let alone that Xiao Mo had recently slaughtered quite a few feudal nobles.

In the end, those great clans could only grit their teeth and accept it.

At the very least, they could console themselves: each year, the officials appointed through recommendation-and-selection and the imperial examinations were not many—still not enough to shake their foundations.

Soon, another year passed.

The first batch of officials who entered court through recommendation-and-selection and the imperial examinations were already being entrusted and promoted by Qin Siyao.

This stirred an uproar among the people.

Even though the officials who entered court through the new path were only seventy in total, and most started from the bottom—

At least, it let the people see another path of advancement besides killing enemies on the battlefield!

And in the two full years since Qin Siyao took office, she toiled diligently over governance, handled matters personally, valued labor and agriculture, valued education and moral instruction, and the people could feel their lives improving day by day.

This undoubtedly built no small amount of prestige for Qin Siyao.

Voices among the people that once worried “Can the Third Princess govern?” grew fewer and fewer.

Some even began to say, “Within, the Empress; without, the Frost King.”

And just as Qin grew more and more stable, Xiao Mo also felt his preparations were nearly complete.

It was time for him to go to the borders and end this Warring States era that had lasted thousands of years!

Before leaving, Xiao Mo made every arrangement.

But the one thing he could not set down was his mother.

Starting the year before last,

Xiao Mo noticed that his mother’s health was growing worse and worse, and she often fell ill.

Physician-cultivators had examined her many times, but because his mother was too old, and her body too weak, they could mostly only use mortal prescriptions.

To lessen his mother’s burden and keep her from straining her mind, Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao persuaded her many times—only then did Zhou Ruoxi finally let go of Xiao family affairs.

At this time, the matriarch of the Xiao family was still Zhou Ruoxi in name, but Xiao Mo had a paternal aunt named Xiao Xiaoyue take charge of all affairs.

Only major matters still required Zhou Ruoxi to make a decision.

On the fourth day of the second month, as the year’s spring began.

As usual, at the first light of dawn, Qin Siyao rose from her sleeping quarters.

After washing and dressing, Qin Siyao stepped out of her sleeping quarters, and saw a man standing before her.

Looking at the man in front of her, Qin Siyao’s eyes trembled slightly, and her small hand could not help but clutch her sleeve.

Since she ascended the throne, he had never once come to the inner palace.

Now that he had come to find her, how could Qin Siyao not understand what her beloved meant?

“Are you leaving?” Qin Siyao asked.

After a long while, Qin Siyao finally spoke slowly.

“Yes. It is time to go.”

Xiao Mo nodded.

“The pressure at the borders is too great now, and Qin has already made full preparations. That war, which has continued to this day, is time to bring it to an end. This subject has come today to bid farewell to Your Majesty.”

Hearing Xiao Mo’s words, Qin Siyao’s lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but then slowly closed again.

“I... I will see you off,” Qin Siyao said at last.

“Good.” Xiao Mo smiled faintly and did not refuse.

The two walked side by side along the palace paths, heading toward the outside of the palace.

Qin Siyao deliberately walked very, very slowly.

Xiao Mo was not in a hurry either, and simply matched her pace.

“After this subject leaves the capital today, the defenses of the four city gates of the imperial capital may be entrusted by Your Majesty to Black Big Ox, Xu Yongsheng, Xiao Gui, and Xiao Dahai. The four of them will be absolutely loyal to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty may set your mind at ease.”

As Xiao Mo walked, he spoke of his final arrangements.

“In addition, this subject has left Lian Li in the imperial capital. After Black Big Ox is transferred away from the Imperial Guard, Lian Li can lead the Imperial Guard. If Your Majesty has any matter, you may discuss it with her.

“Prime Minister Li Ge, Baili Xi, and Jian Shu are all pillars of state. In their hearts, there is only Qin, and they received favor from the late emperor. They will certainly do everything they can to assist Your Majesty.

“The Northern Wasteland has an intelligence institution called the Wasteland Tower.

“The Wasteland Tower’s tower master, Qiu Wen, has already arrived in the city.

“The Wasteland Tower’s operatives will assist Your Majesty in overseeing the hundred officials. Qiu Wen will report certain ministers’ movements to Your Majesty every day.

“During the great war, Your Majesty should make stabilizing the court the priority in all things. As for the conflict between new officials and those old nobles, Your Majesty may mediate a little, and it is not suitable to intensify it.”

“I know,” Qin Siyao said, nodding.

“As for Mother, I will go persuade her again, and have Mother move into the palace so I can care for her closely. If Mother still refuses, then I will visit her often, and the imperial physicians will all remain at the residence. Husband may set your mind at ease.”

“With Your Majesty here, this subject is at ease,” Xiao Mo said with a smile.

“However...”

Xiao Mo stopped and looked at the beloved in front of him.

“If this subject does not return, then Your Majesty need not worry. The Northern Wasteland’s affairs have already been arranged by this subject. When the time comes—”

Xiao Mo had only spoken halfway when Qin Siyao lifted a finger and gently pressed it against Xiao Mo’s lips.

Qin Siyao raised her face and looked quietly at the man before her.

“There is no ‘if.’”

“There is no need for ‘when the time comes.’”

“Husband only needs to remember...”

“I...”

“Will always wait for husband to return.”