Save my man, why does he always turn out to be the savior?

Chapter 178 Palace Intrigue World: A Harem Pierced Through Like a Sickle VS An Awakened Emperor with

But when Mr. Fu opened the gift box, he was stunned by the gift that he hadn't thought much of before!

"This, this is... a hundred-year-old ginseng? Ginseng of such high quality is very rare. Son, where did you get it? How much did it cost?"

Mr. Fu picked up the box containing the ginseng, examined it carefully, and was reluctant to put it down.

"Don't worry about where it came from, Dad. Just make sure you like it."

"I love it! This could be a lifesaver! I need to figure out how to preserve it."

“Dad,” Fu Cinian reminded him when he saw his father holding onto the ginseng, “there’s another one, but I think you’ll like the other one more.”

Upon hearing Fu Cinian's words, Fu's father put down the ginseng and picked up another item, which felt quite heavy.

Father Fu opened the box, inside were two wine jars, each weighing three catties. Was this wine?

Mr. Fu looked at Fu Cinian suspiciously, but Fu Cinian still had that inscrutable expression.

He reached out and took out a jar of wine, opened it directly, and immediately smelled a refreshing and intoxicating aroma.

Mr. Fu's eyes lit up. He poured out the tea from the teacup, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

This wine is truly smooth on the palate, with a long finish and a rich fruity aroma.

After taking a sip, Mr. Fu felt refreshed and his mind became clearer. This wine is extraordinary!

Father Fu couldn't bear to drink it, so he quickly took the two wine jars and hid them in the storage room.

Seeing how much Mr. Fu cherished the gift he gave him, Mrs. Fu couldn't help but feel excited about her own gift.

She used to value sapphire jewelry more, but now she feels that cosmetics from unknown brands might be more important.

During dinner that evening, the atmosphere among the group was harmonious. Su Jinyue was curious about what Fu Cinian had said to his parents, as they showed no displeasure whatsoever.

After dinner, before leaving, Madam Fu gave Su Jinyue a white jade bracelet, saying it was a gift for their first meeting.

But Su Jinyue could tell that this jade bracelet was quite valuable and must have come from an unusual background.

She glanced at Fu Cinian, and only after seeing Fu Cinian nod did Su Jinyue feel relieved enough to accept it.

On the way back, Su Jinyue held up her hand and looked repeatedly at the jade bracelet on her wrist.

Fu Cinian was driving when he glanced up and saw Su Jinyue looking delighted. He couldn't help but chuckle, "You like it that much?"

Su Jinyue also looked at Fu Cinian and answered without any attempt to hide her feelings: "Yes, I like it. This is your parents' approval of me."

Fu Cinian smiled and shook his head, but in his heart he was thinking that he had never given her anything like this before.

They didn't have a normal dating process. Fu Cinian believed that if he wanted something, he had to grab it first, but now he felt a little regretful.

They haven't known each other long enough, but that's okay, they have plenty of time to make up for it all.

……

The second year of Mingde reign of the Dayong Dynasty

The Great Yong Dynasty has been established for a century, and the current emperor, Xiao Jing'an, has only been on the throne for two years.

Originally, when the late emperor passed away, the succeeding emperor would observe 27 days of mourning instead of months, which would have been sufficient.

But Emperor Mingde of the Dayong Dynasty insisted on observing a proper 27-month mourning period.

To show respect to the late emperor, the new emperor Xiao Jing'an began counting the first year of the Mingde era as the second year after his ascension to the throne. Therefore, by the second year of the Mingde era, the 27-month mourning period had finally ended.

Starting in the second half of this year, the court officials of the Dayong Dynasty began to stir with restlessness, all because the emperor's harem was empty.

In the later years of the late emperor's life, the struggle for the throne among the princes became fierce. The princes first defeated the crown prince, and then, without the late emperor making a statement, the princes became enraged.

Factional strife, framing, and various other tactics were employed, eventually even leading to princes plotting rebellion.

In the end, the late emperor proved superior and suppressed the mastermind behind the rebellion.

But the rebellious prince knew he had failed and had no way out, so he committed suicide, mainly to leave a way out for his wife's family and descendants.

The princes who had participated in the struggle for the throne were either dead or imprisoned. After dealing with these major events, the late emperor's health also collapsed.

However, after his death, the throne still needed to be inherited.

Therefore, the late emperor chose an older prince from among his remaining sons, issued an edict of succession, and then closed his eyes in peace.

Xiao Jing'an was the ninth son of the late emperor. His mother died early, and he was always an insignificant figure among the princes. Even when it came to the struggle for the throne, no one came to him.

But sometimes fools are lucky, and in the end, his older brothers all died, and the throne became his.

When Xiao Jing'an ascended the throne, he was already 22 years old, but he was neither married nor had any concubines in his household.

When the court officials supported Xiao Jing'an's ascension to the throne, they were dumbfounded. They did not expect the new emperor's harem to be so clean, with not even a close relative.

Fortunately, before his death, the late emperor had considered this and arranged for the granddaughter of the Grand Secretary to be his empress.

The selection of this person was also the result of the late emperor's foresight. With the Grand Secretary in charge, the previous dynasty could not be thrown into chaos.

This also gives Xiao Jing'an time to grow.

Finally, under the Empress Dowager's supervision, Xiao Jing'an ascended the throne and also married the Empress.

However, due to the mourning period, the new emperor and empress have not yet consummated their marriage.

However, Xiao Jing'an is about to end his mourning period, and it's not enough to have only one empress in the harem.

Then, amidst the fervent anticipation of the court officials, Xiao Jing'an finally agreed to the selection of candidates.

After three months of intense talent selection, the final selected ladies-in-waiting were officially appointed and entered the palace one after another.

Now, all the beauties in the palace are waiting for Xiao Jing'an to come and favor them after he finishes mourning.

But something happened just as the new emperor Xiao Jing'an was offering sacrifices to heaven on the winter solstice.

On the winter solstice, Xiao Jing'an was offering sacrifices to Heaven in the suburbs of the capital when, as noon approached, the sky suddenly darkened. It turned out that it was a rare solar eclipse, a phenomenon that occurs only once every hundred years!

To make matters worse, Xiao Jing'an fainted during the sacrificial ceremony!

Although Xiao Jing'an was only unconscious for a short time, the solar eclipse left him and his court officials feeling uneasy, even though he had completed the sacrificial ceremony.

On the night of the sacrificial ceremony, Xiao Jingan quietly reviewed memorials in the imperial study.

The imperial study was brightly lit, but the eunuchs and maids were very careful and kept quiet when they went in and out.

The chief eunuch Li Derang had already put a tight rein on his subordinates. Normally, they might have a chance to live if they made a mistake, but if anyone made a mistake today, they shouldn't blame him for being ruthless!

Li Derang was diligently guarding outside the Imperial Study when he suddenly saw three or four people walking towards the Imperial Study.

Li Derang quickly ordered his eunuchs to check who the visitors were, so as not to disturb the emperor's presence.

When the group got closer, Li Derang could see that they were from the Empress's palace, and the leader was the Empress's head maid.

"May I ask what brings you here, young lady? Does Her Majesty the Empress have any instructions?"