Chapter 11

The system began to feel a sense of crisis, constantly giving me live updates on how Chu Ye had given a beautiful dress to this princess today…

…and rewarded that prince with a prized Ferghana horse tomorrow.

[System: “Host, what do we do? The tyrant has never been like this in any other timeline. Are you falling out of favor?”]

I had no time to deal with its baseless worries.

I was looking at the latest memorial. The Yellow River had flooded again.

Chu Ye had been busy with this for days, summoning ministers for late-night meetings.

I was discussing feasible flood control methods with Xie Yun.

I took a moment to reply to the system. [“He is their father. It’s normal for him to love them. As for falling out of favor? Do you see any other prince or princess being allowed into Chu Ye’s study?”]

[“If you insist on judging favor based on these superficial displays, I can’t help you. System, you’re really strange. You keep judging whether I’m favored from the perspective of a doted-upon daughter.”]

[“But no one ever judges if a son is favored or not. Regardless of whether he is ‘favored,’ he is the default heir to everything his parents own.”]

[“So, are all the so-called ‘daughter-doting’ fathers your system finds the type to give affection to their daughters but their inheritance to their sons?”]

The system went silent. It searched all its data.

[“But… isn’t doing all that what makes someone a ‘daughter-doter’?”]

I posed a soul-searching question: [“Then why is there no term like ‘son-doter’?”]

The system was stunned. I continued, [“Because everyone is a ‘son-doter’ by default. Chu Ye is currently raising me as his successor. You should be happy.”]

The system instinctively retorted: [“But how can a woman be an emperor? You will face countless obstacles. It is precisely because those powerful men love their daughters that they let them live happily as princesses.”]

I chuckled softly and didn’t answer.

The affairs of the court were numerous and complicated. I was very busy.

After adapting modern flood control principles to the ancient context, I took the final proposal to Chu Ye.

As Chu Ye read my proposal, his brow finally relaxed. He assigned Xie Yun to lead the project.

If this was handled well, it would be a great achievement, and Xie Yun would be promoted several ranks.

Both he and I needed this to build our reputations. We needed the public opinion, the great merit praised by the common people.

Although it wasn’t announced publicly, internally, Xie Yun was already being treated as a “Grand Tutor.”

The unspoken implication was that my actual status was already… aimed at the Eastern Palace.

Xie Yun was an emperor’s man, a trusted subordinate of both me and Chu Ye.

The Chancellor, who was also loyal to the emperor, was in contrast deeply entangled with the great clans, a power base I couldn’t control.

Xie Yun’s background was clean, and his abilities were outstanding. He could only rise by clinging to the tree of imperial power, which made him my ideal confidant.

For now, he first needed to climb high enough.

After the ministers read my proposal, they all showed expressions of disbelief.

They finally had a stark, initial understanding of my “governing ability.”

And they finally realized…

…the position I might reach in the future was not limited to that of a princess.

Everyone’s minds began to churn with new thoughts.

Chu Ye, finally able to rest, let out a sigh of relief. I gave him a rare, obedient shoulder massage.

At the same time, I asked the system’s question.

“Mama, why would you train me to handle state affairs?”

Chu Ye closed his eyes to rest. His voice was calm, with an air of self-evidence.

“A parent’s love for their child is in planning for their distant future. My treasure, you must take this position. I dote on you so much. If I were to die, how would the new emperor treat you?”

“Marrying you off to any family would be useless. Who knows if they truly love you or if it’s because of me. Once I am gone, even the most noble status won’t protect you.”

“Only when you become the emperor, when no one can harm you, can I be at peace.”

“Mama…”

I threw myself into his arms and held him, silent for a long time.

Chu Ye laughed and caught me. “My child is brilliant. You were always the only choice for the throne.”

The system was stunned.

[“So when an emperor has only one heir, there is no suspicion, no paranoia-instead, he paves the way for her.”]

Chu Ye was indeed paving the way for me.

He allowed Li Yao to go to the battlefield with her father. When she achieved military merit, he rewarded her regardless of her gender.

She was the princess’s companion, and also my “confidant” in the military.

And there was the Chancellor’s son, Cheng Hao. We had all grown up together. He was appointed as the commander of the Imperial City Guard.

The Chancellor had chosen his side early on. The crafty old fox expressed his full support for my succession, but the price…

…was that he wanted his younger son, Cheng Hao, whose official career was likely doomed and who was solely focused on martial arts, to be my Empress Consort.

Oh, so he was after the empress’s position.