The Fallen Nation System, Turning the Tide - Chapter 2: Ascension to the Throne

Chapter 2: Ascension to the Throne

“By the decree of heaven, the Sixth Princess shall ascend the throne.”

“What’s going on? How is Xu Long still alive?” Xu Ying’s eyes widened as countless thoughts raced through her mind, wondering if Xu Lang’s poisoning attempt had failed.

The system beeped twice before responding: “Detection confirms Xu Long has been poisoned, but the effects haven’t manifested yet. Please wait patiently.”

Xu Ying finally witnessed the power of a child of destiny – poisoned yet still lively and showing no abnormalities.

While Xu Ying was marveling at this, Xu Long powerfully shot an arrow through Prince Qi’s chest. Caught completely off guard, the prince gasped in pain as the blade pierced his flesh, his body stiffening abruptly. The system suddenly announced: “Lightning approaching. Host, please be advised. Countdown – three, two, one.”

As the electronic voice faded, Xu Ying suddenly felt a powerful electric current surge through her entire body. Her ears exploded with a bang, followed by deafening rumbles that shook the earth.

Xu Lang, who had followed Xu Long, forced her way through dense branches, creating an opening to crawl through. She scrambled up from the ground, not even having time to dust off her hands when a blinding white light flashed before her eyes.

Looking into the distance, she saw purple lightning striking vertically – connecting the dark sky above to a person below. The earth-shattering thunder that followed felt like a blow to her heart, causing unbearable pain.

“Little Six” Xu Lang’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

The lightning illuminated everyone’s faces. Prince Qi slowly turned his head to see Xu Long standing before the scene of Xu Ying being struck by lightning, all traces of his usual gentleness and humility gone. Prince Qi stared wide-eyed, whether in shock or resentment unclear.

Then Xu Long drew his sword. As the blade left its sheath, crimson liquid immediately sprayed out, splattering across Xu Long’s face and leaving a long bloodstain. Xu Long’s face twitched slightly.

The terrifying lightning flash passed, leaving Xu Ying completely unharmed, her face showing no sign of pain.

Shock, relief, and confusion surged through Xu Lang’s heart. Seeing Xu Long stab Prince Qi, she quickly seized the opportunity and declared loudly: “Heaven’s chosen one. May the gods bestow blessings and punish the virtue-less.”

No sooner had she spoken than Xu Long staggered, vomiting blood. He took half a step back to steady himself, veins bulging on his forehead like gnarled tree roots, pulsing with each breath.

Those around him noticed his abnormal condition. At someone’s shout, Xu Long could no longer hold on, collapsing to his knees, his clean, slender fingers digging into the dark soil.

“How is this possible…” Xu Long’s eyes widened in disbelief. He looked up at Xu Lang, then followed her gaze to Xu Ying, suddenly understanding their scheme. Rage overwhelmed him, and he vomited another mouthful of blood, exclaiming furiously: “A hen heralding the morning! How dare you!”

Xu Ying couldn’t help but laugh coldly at this. “Fifth Brother, you’re mistaken. Wasn’t it the Imperial Astronomer who calculated my birth characters and declared me the heaven-ordained woman, the savior? I’m merely following heaven’s will!”

When they wanted to sacrifice her, they had been so righteous, praising her as if she were divine, calling her a natural spiritual vessel destined to protect all beings and willingly face death. As if bestowing a few nice titles and compliments made it some supreme honor that could be taken for granted.

Xu Long stared with wide eyes as he breathed his last, dead with unresolved resentment, appearing utterly unwilling to accept his fate.

Xu Ying was eager to die and return to the modern era, having no patience to argue with those hypocrites preaching benevolence and righteousness. She stepped forward, steadied her breath, and declared sharply, “Those who follow me shall be pardoned for past offenses; those who defy me shall face divine punishment. Gentlemen, you are welcome to test this!”

The Prince of Qi had gone mad, poisoning all the princes in the palace before surrounding the altar to assassinate the emperor and crown prince. What should have been the ultimate showdown between the Prince of Qi and Xu Long ended with both dead.

With Xu Long’s last breath, no surviving princes remained.

Though shocked by the sudden upheaval, the officials present remained unaware that the Prince of Qi had slaughtered all the princes. They would rather support an infant in swaddling clothes than acknowledge Xu Ying.

Even after witnessing Xu Ying struck by lightning yet emerging unscathed, and seeing Xu Long inexplicably vomit blood and die the moment Xu Lang spoke, they remained unwilling. The white-bearded old chancellor Liu Xu immediately waved his sleeve in disdain: “Preposterous! How can a woman be emperor? With the crown prince, Prince of Qi, and Fifth Prince deceased, the Seventh Prince should inherit the throne. If the princess truly cares for the people, she should commit suicide to move heaven and bring rain to save the world!”

Xu Lang, aware of the palace situation, reminded him: “Chancellor Liu, are you aware the Prince of Qi poisoned all the princes? Every single prince is now dead.”

Liu Xu staggered back two steps, yet remained firm: “Even so, we must select virtue from the imperial clan. There has never been any principle allowing a woman to become emperor and overturn the natural order.”

Furious, Xu Lang considered picking up the bloody sword from Xu Long’s hand to make an example, but reconsideredkilling one wouldn’t achieve much. Instead, she spread her arms wide, looked skyward and proclaimed: “Heaven above, if you permit the Sixth Imperial Princess Ying to become empress, send down timely rain. If any subject kills her, let drought persist for three years.”

She left room for interpretation, deliberately vague about the timing of rainfall. Even if rain came years later, they could still claim heaven had endorsed Xu Ying’s reign.

Of course, this wasn’t Xu Lang’s primary goal. The harsh reality before themthree years of drought, countless thunderclaps without rain, and only one lightning strike so farleft the ink-black sky as calm as ever, showing no signs of impending rain. Xu Lang’s declaration served more to prevent the chancellor from killing anyone on the spot, with gambling on the future being secondary.

Having navigated officialdom for years, Xu Lang’s methods remained somewhat naive. Liu Xu saw through her intentions immediately and sneered.

But Xu Ying grew franticbecause rain was truly coming today!

Struggling to maintain composure, she devised a countermeasure. Descending the altar, she paused by Xu Long’s corpse, bent down to pick up his blood-soaked sword, and slowly approached Liu Xu. The old chancellor clutched his chest and retreated half a step in alarm.

Xu Ying smiled faintly, offering the blade: “Since the Left Chancellor refuses to believe, kill me then. Whether rain comes or drought followswe’ll know once you try.”

Kill her, quickly! If not now, it would be too late!

Xu Ying stared intently at Liu Xu with sparkling eyes, her lips curving uncontrollably. At this moment, she yearned for death more than anyone.

Yet faced with the proffered sword, Liu Xu broke into cold sweat, without the slightest intention to accept it, silently cursing Xu Ying for being unreasonable.

Who knew if the sacrificial rites had any effect? This ceremony was originally meant to placate public sentiment. If he killed Xu Ying and still no rain came, wouldn’t the blame fall on him?

Xu Ying needed to die, but only by her own handnever by another’s. Even if she must be killed, it couldn’t happen in public view.

As Liu Xu remained motionless, Xu Ying grew increasingly anxious. Then suddenly, a drop of icy cold water splashed against her forehead. Every face in the crowd instantly changed.

Swoosh

The raindrops grew denser and heavier, plummeting down to soak the soil. The ground darkened in color, spreading from a small patch to a vast expanse.

Exclamations rose and fell across the mountains: “Rain, it’s raining, it truly is raining!”

Xu Lang wiped the rainwater from his face, suppressing the excitement that filled his heart, and raised his arm in a triumphant shout: “Heaven’s mandate points to the Sixth Princess ascending the throne. Long live the Empress!”

The fact that she remained unharmed after being struck by lightning had already shaken the convictions of some, and this increasingly heavy rain completely shattered their illusions.

There were others with their own hidden agendas who thought that even if Xu Ying became emperor, she was just a womanwhat would she know about governing the state? She wouldn’t be able to stir up any trouble. In the end, they would still be the ones in control, presenting a perfect opportunity to seize power.

Officials planning to sideline Xu Ying and become powerful ministers promptly bowed and declared their allegiance: “Long live the Empress”

With someone leading the way, others followed. Only a few elderly ministers who couldn’t accept it fumed with indignation, eventually and reluctantly acquiescing to Xu Ying’s ascension.

However, they refused to kneel, citing their advanced age and merely offering a slight bow with clasped hands. Their backs remained stiff, as if bending was too difficult for them.

Since the elder ministers turned a blind eye and tacitly allowed it, the others knelt without any reservations, shouting “Long live the Empress!” with clear, resonant voices. The old ministers frowned and closed their eyes, preferring not to see.

Had they surrendered so easily?

Xu Ying was dumbfounded, watching as one after another knelt, until the ground was covered with a dark, sprawling crowd.

In the span of a single sacrificial ceremony, the emperor and all the princes had died, and a female emperor had returned. It was undoubtedly a shock to the entire nation. Xu Ying herself felt dazed, still unaccustomed to the fact that she had already “ascended the throne before the coffin.”

“What should I do now?” Xu Ying stared blankly at the piles of memorials covering her desk.

“Host, please rest assured. The system has already simulated and calculated for you. The results show that the current society does not accept a female emperor, much less a competent one. There are many who wish to kill you.”

“A competent female emperor?” Xu Ying’s eyes lit up, and she suddenly straightened her back.

She might not be capable of true competence, but she could certainly put on a show and make some waves. If only the system had a physical formshe would have hugged and kissed it three hundred times over.

Communication between the host and the system was achieved through brainwaves. The system detected Xu Ying’s thoughts, and its cold electronic voice suddenly became slightly unstable: “According to regulations, interactions between the host and the system must not be overly intimate. Violators will face a three-hundred-year prison sentence. Please mind the boundaries and do not cross the line.”

Xu Ying broke out in a cold sweat, inwardly grumbling about the strict rules. Three hundred years? She wouldn’t even live that longit was practically a life sentence.

“By the way, is your internet connected?” Xu Ying remembered the database the system had mentioned earlier. She hadn’t endured that lightning strike for nothing.

“Connection established. Does the host wish to open the database?”

“Open it.” She was curious about what was inside.

“Opening the database for you…”

Xu Ying waited expectantly for a long time. Just as her patience was about to run out, the system finally spoke: “Loading failed. This may be due to poor network connectivity or a server timeout.”

“…Is it even usable?” Xu Ying voiced her doubt.

“System maintenance does frequently receive feedback regarding the use of the database, but rest assured, host, the database is functional. It is recommended that you try a few more times.”

Xu Ying’s face scrunched up in displeasure. Having no urgent need for the database, she simply ignored it and redirected her focus to planning her own reasonable assassination.

After a while, Xu Ying still couldn’t resist telling the system, “Since we frequently receive rectification suggestions, perhaps you should take the time to fix it when possible.”

“Your suggestion has been received. System analysis indicates this operation may cause global collapse. Repair is not recommended.”

Xu Ying sighed in exasperation, closed the system interface, and decided not to engage with it further.

Disconnecting from the system and returning to reality, Xu Ying faced a critical problem

The memorials presented to her were all trivial matters: complaints about hot weather, reports of popular ice beverage shops, one vendor sneaking into a competitor’s ice cellar at night to steal ice, street vendors fighting over customers, or scholars cheating classmates by selling fake antique paintings only to discover they were genuine and demanding repayment.

Although the ministers superficially acknowledged her as emperor, they hadn’t granted her full imperial authority. They treated her like a mascot, with many officials secretly contacting various royal clansmen, preparing to force her abdication once they selected a suitable replacement.

Furthermore, dealing with Prince Qi’s former followers after her ascension posed another challenge. Most emperors would either eliminate them completely to prevent future troubles or win them over with important positions to gain a reputation for harmonious ruler-subject relations.

But Xu Ying’s ultimate goal was to be assassinated and have the kingdom fall. After careful consideration, she wielded her brush and issued her first decree: despite Prince Qi’s rebellion, all his followers were pardoned regardless of their involvement. None would be dismissed or demotedas if nothing had happened.

“Come on, come and kill me!” Xu Ying smiled with satisfaction.

Since this decree didn’t threaten the chancellors’ intereststhey could easily dispose of the rebels for minor offensesthey allowed its implementation while secretly mocking Xu Ying’s ignorance about nurturing future threats. A woman who seized the throne from their rightful lordsubmission was out of the question; not killing her was already generous.

When Xu Lang learned of the decree, she immediately sought out Xu Ying. “Your Majesty, you cannot spare Prince Qi’s followers,” she urged.

Having already enfeoffed Xu Lang as Grand Princess with free palace access, Xu Ying wasn’t surprised by her visit. She beckoned maids to brew tea and eunuchs to bring pastries from the imperial kitchen.

When they were alone, Xu Ying pressed Xu Lang’s shoulders to make her sit, calmly stating, “Fourth Sister, don’t worry. People seek higher positions like water flows downhillonly interests move hearts. Those people aren’t the problem.”

Here, Xu Ying’s voice suddenly deepened, turning cold and stern: “The most pressing matter now is the ministers’ defiance, our lack of capable personnel, and unenforced decrees. We haven’t consolidated our foundation and remain precariousthis is what urgently needs resolution.”