Chapter 398 A Country Cannot Be without a King

Even the most trusted ministers will only be loyal to the emperor and the country in the early stage.

After a long time, fame and fortune will corrupt their original intentions. Who can really remember the sufferings of the people?

The court officials will only let the emperor see what they want him to see. Some things that they don’t want the emperor to see will never be reported.

Yan Li smiled faintly: "You, the prince, know more than the emperor."

"Because this prince is about to assist a wise monarch who is rare in a century, so I have to do my homework in advance." Mu Cang raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "I can't be a coquettish husband who can only use his beauty to serve others and seduce the emperor's heart."

Yan Li looked at him silently: "Mu Cang, if you want to be a sycophant who can serve others and seduce the emperor's heart, I'm afraid the ministers will be scared to death by you, after all, you don't even have a face to serve others."

Mu Cang touched his face: "Isn't this a face to serve others?"

"No." Yan Li shook his head, "The face to serve others is not like yours."

Mu Cang was silent

Yan Li understood what he meant: "Don't worry, I'm just a little melancholy, and I don't have any other sad emotions."

She actually understood that he said this deliberately to make her feel better, but people's seven emotions and six desires are real.

Being happy when encountering happy things and being sad when encountering sad things are all uncontrollable emotional fluctuations.

Even if he looked calm and composed, he couldn't deceive himself.

The carriage team entered the imperial city.

The Phoenix King led the Imperial Guards to clear the way, and Rong Xiao led some people to the rear.

The streets were bustling with people.

When they arrived at the palace gate, someone saluted the Phoenix King.

The Yu King and the Minister of Rites stood outside the palace gate to welcome the distinguished guests, and then the Phoenix King got off the horse. The two sides exchanged a few words, and the Imperial Guards returned to their respective positions.

King Yu stood outside the carriage, looking at Yan Li through the opened curtain: "Why don't you have more people?"

"Mu Cang and I are both capable of protecting ourselves, and Tian Shu and the others are behind us. Why bring so many people?" Yan Li shook his head, "Too many people will be eye-catching."

King Yu obviously disagreed: "Such a long way, it is inevitable to encounter some bandits-"

"I met Shen Yanshu and King Xiao in Shi'an City."

King Yu was shocked: "They went to Shi'an River? Did they go for you? I said that King Xiao hadn't seen any movement in the past few days, and it turned out that he had this bad idea."

"You don't seem to be well-informed. People have been gone for a few days, but you don't even know where they went."

King Yu choked: "It's indeed a dereliction of duty."

"They did go for me, but this time they didn't have any malicious intentions." Yan Li said calmly, "We'll talk about the details later when we have a chance."

"Well." King Yu lowered the curtain and raised his hand to signal to enter the palace.

The carriage went straight to the palace gate, passed through the long palace road, and went to the banquet hall.

The imperial guards on duty lined up on the palace road, with a post every ten steps and a sentry every five steps. Each of them stood tall and straight, still standing like pine and bamboo in the cold wind.

"The South is martial. The sons of officials in the imperial capital, the sons of fallen nobles, and the sons of military generals, as long as they have the conditions to practice martial arts, all start practicing martial arts from a young age. Even if a martial artist with good qualifications does not go to the battlefield, he can still find a good military position."

Yan Li looked through the car window and saw the heroic figures of the imperial guards, with a smile of relief on his face. "The imperial guards are elites who have gone through rounds of martial arts competitions and have been strictly selected. Although they have a higher origin than ordinary soldiers and are treated better, they are not pampered. From top to bottom, they have always adhered to high standards. This is also the reason why the South has always been strong."

"The South is the most powerful." Mu Cang rubbed her head, "Not just you, all the emperors of all dynasties are admirable."

Yan Li smiled slightly Silence, looking at him subtly: "Are you coaxing a child?"

"No." Mu Cang said gently, "I'm telling the truth."

Yan Li was silent for a moment: "Am I a little too vain?"

"Vain?" Mu Cang was puzzled, "Why do you ask?"

Yan Li said: "I can't wait to let people know the excellence and strength of the Southern Kingdom. Isn't this vain?"

"Of course not, what kind of vain is this?" Mu Cang laughed, "Being proud of your own country is a kind of self-confidence, how can it be considered vain? I want to be vain, but unfortunately Mu Kingdom didn't give me this opportunity."

Yan Li sneered: "Isn't the reputation you have made for yourself enough for you to be vain for a while?"

The two of them talked and laughed and arrived at the inner gate of the palace.

Yan Li and Mu Cang got off the carriage and went to the banquet hall with King Feng and King Yu.

"Your Majesty..." King Feng hesitated for a moment before continuing, "The princess has become famous these days, and I have heard some of it in the South."

Yan Li smiled: "I just did what I should do."

King Feng hummed: "The system of male superiority and female inferiority in Jin is unique among the nine countries in the world, and it is better than any other country."

"Male superiority and female inferiority is secondary." Yan Li said indifferently, "They treat women as cattle and horses, humiliating and trampling on them at will. Men are too tasteless to raise their status by trampling on women. How can the country be strong?"

Yan Li used to think that male superiority and female inferiority meant that men took on all the things outside, did not allow women to show their faces, and restricted women's words and deeds. Although it was unreasonable, it would at least protect their women, but men had a higher sense of superiority and status.

But the system of Jin broke her cognition and made her see the meanness of human nature.

Strictly speaking, theirs is not even called male superiority and female inferiority, but it is completely men's humiliation and oppression of women.

"When Your Highness comes back this time, please stay in the Southern Kingdom for a while longer." King Feng said, "Let the high priest think of a way to see if he can -"

"Don't worry." Yan Li's voice was calm, "Now that it has happened, I can accept it no matter what the outcome is."

Phoenix King frowned.

"Besides, I believe in destiny." A relieved smile appeared at the corner of Yan Li's lips, "Perhaps because the Southern Kingdom is already strong enough, if I continue to be the empress of the Southern Kingdom, I will have no special achievements to leave behind, but the Jin Kingdom is different. Everything he did in Jin was worthy of being recorded in history."

King Feng was silent, not expecting that she would have such thoughts.

"I believe in the ability of the First Emperor Brother." Yan Li turned to look at him. His voice was not loud, but it was enough for King Feng to hear clearly, "The First Emperor Brother can also manage the country of the South, right?"

King Feng's expression darkened: "Why do you have such an idea? You have already thought of abdicating the throne before the high priest is sure that you will not be able to come back?"

"This is not an abdication, but a death." Yan Li said, and couldn't help but laugh. "Well, from the perspective of the Southern Minister, it is indeed the death of the emperor."

King Feng frowned and looked at her dissatisfied.

"Since the emperor has passed away, it is natural to choose another emperor. After all, a country cannot be without a king." Yan Li made a decision on his own, "In the days when Xi He was away, King Feng did a good job. I think now that Xi He is here, With the imperial edict, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty will not oppose King Feng’s ascension to the throne.”

"What is the imperial edict?" King Yu heard these two words with sharp ears and was suddenly startled, "What is the imperial edict?"