When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 64.1

The first thing Jiang Yan did after ascending the throne was to reorganize the court administration.

Following the palace coup involving the deposed Crown Prince, she now knew who could be kept and who should be discarded.

The Grand Tutor believed that her foundation was still unstable after just taking the throne, and it was unwise to make such sweeping personnel changes. Jiang Yan did not listen to him and replaced everyone who lacked talent and was just coasting along, promoting a wave of newcomers, including Kong Xiu.

Because of this, Kong Xiu specifically came to see her, urging her not to promote based on favoritism, saying that he was quite content and idle in the Grand Court of Judicial Review.

Jiang Yan smiled, finding him a little endearing.

“Do you think I only promoted you just because you are my person?”

Kong Xiu hesitated, asking, “Is that not the case?” He felt he had no outstanding talents, except that he was better than others at poetry and prose.

“No, you have the talent to govern the world. It just needs to be used in the right way.”

Jiang Yan offered a hint without explicitly stating it, leaving Kong Xiu bewildered. He pondered for half an hour but still couldn’t figure out where his talent lay.

Although Jiang Yan’s actions were met with opposition from the majority of ministers, a few people stood firmly by her side, such as the Right Chancellor and Qin Ge.

The Right Chancellor had the typical mindset of raising Jiang Yan like a child: as long as she didn’t make a major mistake, he would indulge her in everything. Whenever he admonished Jiang Yan, he would always say, “The former Emperor entrusted you to me; this old subject must protect Your Majesty no matter what.”

Qin Ge temporarily remained in the court to help Jiang Yan stabilize the political situation. He was worried that Jiang Yan, being young and a woman, would be bullied by the old, crafty ministers. However, before anyone could bully her, she had dealt with them herself.

On the day the King of Qin and Consort Rong were buried, it rained. Baili Qi held an umbrella and stood beside Jiang Yan, comforting her softly: “Yan Yan, don’t be sad. You still have me.”

Jiang Yan turned her face, gave her a smile, and held her hand. “I know.”

I know you will always be with me, so I’m not afraid, even if this is a lonely road.

Jiang Yan just couldn’t figure out if the King of Qin had ever loved Wanqirong. He clearly knew she used a disguise to approach him, yet they managed to live intimately for nearly a year. However, after his death, he left a final request to be buried with Noble Consort Mei, with Consort Rong interred far away in the Consort’s mausoleum.

She wondered if they would meet on the road to the afterlife. If they did, it would be quite a spectacle.

After the period of national mourning, Jiang Yan began to deal with the state affairs that had accumulated since the King of Qin fell ill. She woke up earlier than the rooster and went to bed later than the dog, so exhausted that she could barely keep her eyes open.

Baili Qi was heartbroken and wanted to help her, but she was afraid Jiang Yan would overthink it, so she never brought it up. It was Jiang Yan who offered first.

“Qi Qi, go and help me sort the memorials. I’m so tired doing it alone.”

“Your Majesty, that is not proper etiquette.”

Jiang Yan pouted, disappointed. “You don’t even care about me. Forget it, I can’t count on you.”

After saying that, she turned to sleep facing inward. The vast Dragon Bed had them sleeping on opposite sides, with a Marianas Trench of space between them.

Baili Qi chuckled, wrapped her arms around Jiang Yan’s waist, and pulled her into her embrace. “Your Majesty, didn’t you ask this subject to attend to you? How can I neglect my duties?”

Jiang Yan’s blood instantly surged, and she felt her whole body heat up. How could this person be so good at this? What was with all the “this subject” and “attending to you”? Hadn’t Baili Qi always been the one in her Dragon Bed?

Baili Qi knew she was shy and deliberately blew a breath near her ear, which made Jiang Yan shiver. Before she could speak, she was pinned down by someone.

“Your Majesty, I will help you sort the memorials tomorrow. Tonight, we can play a little longer.”

Jiang Yan’s words were swallowed up, leaving only fragmented whimpers.

Fine, she thought. On the bed, her opinions had never mattered. Baili Qi, this wicked woman, usually looked very obedient—if Jiang Yan said ‘east,’ she wouldn’t dare go ‘west,’ and if Jiang Yan said ‘hit the dog,’ she wouldn’t dare chase the chicken. But in bed, she was aggressive and tyrannical, refusing to stop until she had drained Jiang Yan dry.

Tonight was likely going to be another sleepless night.

“Hiss.” Baili Qi gasped, looking intently at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan feigned distress: “I accidentally bit you. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Baili Qi smiled suggestively, her voice husky and alluring: “Naughty little night-cats must be punished, you know.”

Jiang Yan let out a yelp, marking the beginning of the long night’s first act.

She did indeed wake up late the next day. Jiang Yan’s legs felt very sore, her throat was uncomfortable, and her head was spinning.

At this point, she naturally had to curse Baili Qi. After cursing her three times, Baili Qi appeared, holding a bowl of soup that didn’t smell particularly appetizing.

“This isn’t soup you made for me, is it? Why does it smell like this? I won’t drink it, you drink it!”

Baili Qi sighed helplessly, set the bowl aside, and helped her sit up against her chest.

“This isn’t soup I made for you. It’s medicine. Don’t you know you’re sick?”

Hearing it was medicine, Jiang Yan was even more unwilling to drink it, wrinkling her nose and burying herself deeper into Baili Qi’s embrace.

“I won’t drink it. You drink it!”

“Your Majesty, you have a fever. You must drink the medicine to get better,” Baili Qi’s tone brooked no refusal.

Jiang Yan pouted, feeling deeply wronged. “Then coax me.”

Baili Qi kissed her on the corner of her lips, her voice gentle. “Be a good girl, Yan Yan. Drink the medicine and sleep again, and you’ll be well. After this busy period is over, I’ll take you out of the palace to stroll around.”

Jiang Yan instantly perked up. She sat up straight in Baili Qi’s arms, looking eager. “Really?!”

“Really.” Baili Qi couldn’t refuse her, so she could only use this method to appease her.

“Come, drink the medicine first. Only if you drink the medicine will your illness get better, and only when your illness is better can we go out to play sooner.”

Jiang Yan had been suffocated by the heavy court affairs for a long time and longed to go out. Hearing Baili Qi’s words, she was overjoyed and drank the medicine without a second thought. After drinking it, she lay down obediently, pulling the quilt up to her chin, revealing only a pair of bright eyes.

“Will you sleep with me?”

Baili Qi handed the bowl to the palace maid, sat by the bed, and stroked Jiang Yan’s head. “Yes, I will. This subject will always accompany Your Majesty.”

Jiang Yan disliked hearing her refer to herself as ‘this subject.’ It was a form of flirtation in bed, but using it normally made her feel a sense of distance.

“Qi Qi, don’t refer to yourself as ‘this subject’ when you are with me, and don’t call me ‘Your Majesty.’ Just interact with me as we did before. I don’t want you to become like them, polite and cold.”

Most importantly, she didn’t want to become a lonely ruler.

That position was destined to be lonely. She could ignore others, but she couldn’t ignore Baili Qi. If even she became insincere and afraid to speak the truth, then Jiang Yan would truly have no one to share her inner feelings with.

Baili Qi’s gaze grew even gentler. She placed her hand on Jiang Yan’s face. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Jiang Yan broke into a happy smile. Her eyelids gradually grew heavy. Baili Qi patted the quilt, gently and rhythmically, like soothing a child to sleep. Jiang Yan soon fell into a deep slumber.

The States of Chen and Chu learned that the State of Qin had a new ruler, and a female one at that, which gave them some ideas. The State of Chu was fine, but the ruler of the State of Chen, once again tempted by lust, sent an envoy. On the surface, the envoy was to congratulate Jiang Yan on her accession, but in reality, he still intended to propose marriage for Qin Xu.

Jiang Yan sat high on the throne, with senior ministers lining both sides. The Chen envoy finished reading a long list of gifts and looked up at Jiang Yan with great arrogance.

Before coming, the State Preceptor had warned him not to be too polite to the new female ruler, and to show the State of Chen’s necessary strength, as her foundation was unstable and she wouldn’t dare do anything to him.

It certainly seemed that way now. From the moment he entered the hall until now, the young female ruler hadn’t said a word, just sitting there. He wondered if she was intimidated by his list of gifts or something else.

The envoy grinned, giving a perfunctory salute. “King of Qin, these are the congratulatory gifts our State of Chen offers you. Are you satisfied?”

Jiang Yan looked down at the man who was acting like a monkey below, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

What kind of envoy would ask such a question? Only this fool would have the word “stupid” written across his forehead.

“Barely acceptable. These items of yours are not exactly rare treasures. But since you have traveled thousands of miles from the State of Chen, I will reluctantly accept them. Envoy, please be seated and enjoy the music and dance of our State of Qin and drink some fine wine. The State of Chen should not have these things, after all, your State of Chen is so poor.”

When Jiang Yan finished speaking, many of the ministers chuckled. The Grand Tutor felt it was a bit too much and cleared his throat to remind Jiang Yan, then ended up smiling himself.

Although he found many of Jiang Yan’s actions willful, in this matter, he unconditionally supported his female Emperor.

How dare a small, remote, and impoverished country like the State of Chen come to the State of Qin and act wildly? Who gave them the courage?

The envoy felt embarrassed. He stopped smiling and said gravely, “King of Qin, I was ordered by my ruler to come here, based on the principle of friendship between our two countries, hoping to form an alliance with the State of Qin. Why do you insult me?”

Jiang Yan stood up from the throne and took two steps forward so the envoy could clearly see her expression.

“I merely spoke the truth, and you already can’t handle it, Envoy? The items you offered as tribute might be the best for the State of Chen, but to me, they are just ordinary trinkets, not worth mentioning. If I were to send an envoy to another country and offer these as gifts, I would only feel dishonored, and I would certainly not ask the envoy to inquire whether the foreign ruler was satisfied. Of course, one’s experience determines one’s vision. I won’t mock you for never having seen better things, Envoy. Sit down and have a drink. If you like the fine wine of the State of Qin, you can also take some back for your ruler to taste.”

The envoy’s face turned ashen with anger. He couldn’t find words to refute her, so he sullenly sat down. A beautiful palace maid poured wine for him and waited beside him.

The envoy glanced at the wine in the cup and snorted. It was just wine; who hadn’t drunk it? Qin Yan was mocking the State of Chen in every word and even implied that their ruler had never tasted good wine. She was truly hateful!

He picked up the wine glass and drained it in one gulp. His pupils slowly widened.

The wine had a sweet aftertaste and left a fragrant aroma in his mouth. It was quite delicious. He must have been thirsty from talking so much, leading to this illusion.

The envoy simply refused to believe it and asked the palace maid to pour him another cup. After finishing it, his inner conviction began to waver.

After three consecutive cups, the envoy’s sense of national honor was on shaky ground. Seeing his state, Jiang Yan merely scoffed.

The State of Chen thought she had just taken the throne and wanted to intimidate her. They were dreaming. Although her own strength was modest, with so many capable individuals and generals around her, she wouldn’t even be afraid if they suddenly attacked.

After a few rounds of drinks, the envoy finally couldn’t hold back and stated his true intention.

“King of Qin, previously, your Crown Prince Qin Ji had an agreement with our ruler: upon his accession, he would marry your Seventh Princess to our Majesty as a concubine to cement the friendship between Qin and Chen. Although you have succeeded to the throne now, King of Qin, does this agreement still stand?”

Jiang Yan’s hand, which was pouring wine, trembled slightly. She was so shocked by the man’s stupidity that she spilled the wine.

Not only was the transaction between Qin Ji and the ruler of Chen an underhanded one, but even if it had been an open agreement, it would naturally be void now that he was dead. Jiang Yan wondered what the envoy was thinking to ask such a witless question.

Jiang Yan didn’t want to talk to him, fearing she would lose IQ. This was the time for Kong Xiu to step in. He was best at attacking people with words.

He could make the other party utterly humiliated and wish for a hole to crawl into, without deploying a single soldier.

“Oh dear, Envoy, are you living in a dream? The transaction between the former Crown Prince and your ruler is their business. What does it have to do with our King? If your ruler is truly unable to swallow this, he should go and reason with the former Crown Prince himself. Our King is busy with a myriad of state affairs daily and has no time to deal with such trivialities. It seems the State of Chen truly has no capable people left, to send you to represent your country to Great Qin. Isn’t this a mark of disrespect to our King?”

“Yes, it is, naturally. The State of Chen appears to have no sincerity at all. It seems the King Who Guards the North has something to do.”

The Right Chancellor added opportunely, scaring the envoy so much that his wine cup fell to the floor. He immediately walked to the center of the hall to beg for forgiveness.

“King of Qin, please do not be angry. This foreign minister spoke carelessly after drinking. I beg you to be magnanimous and not take offense.”

“I am not so petty as to hold a grudge and will naturally not take issue with you. However, I will give you a piece of advice: first, consider if you are worthy of something before acting. Do not be so arrogant just because you have limited vision, thinking the whole world belongs to you. How can your ruler, who has one foot in the grave, still dream of marrying my Great Qin’s Princess Who Guards the State? Is he worthy?”

After Jiang Yan spoke, she slowly smoothed her clothes and said to the ministers, “My beloved ministers, please entertain the Envoy well, who has traveled a long distance. You must make him feel at home and so happy that he forgets to return.”

Kong Xiu showed a meaningful smile, walked up to the envoy with a wine cup, and said, “Envoy, even in a war between two countries, we don’t kill the envoy. Our two countries have such a good relationship. You don’t need to be so afraid. Come, drink.”

Envoy: Really? I don’t believe you.

Jiang Yan left with satisfaction. Passing through the Imperial Garden, she saw Qin Xu, who seemed to have been waiting there deliberately.

“Seventh Sister is waiting for me?”

“Yes,” Qin Xu nodded.

Jiang Yan knew what she was worried about and told her the result directly.

“Don’t worry. I won’t treat your marriage as a joke. It’s just a mere State of Chen. At worst, we’ll just absorb them.”

Of course, this would depend on Qin Ge. She didn’t have the ability herself.

Qin Xu smiled, then worriedly said, “It’s better to resolve it peacefully. If a war truly breaks out, the common people will suffer, and I will become a sinner then.”

Jiang Yan walked back with her. The two chatted about various things. Before parting, Jiang Yan suddenly remembered something and casually asked, “I heard you’ve been quite close to the Hanlin Academy scholar Zhou Ze lately. What do you think? Do you want me to play matchmaker for you?”

Qin Xu rarely blushed and playfully complained, “Your Majesty should hurry to the Hall of Diligent Governance to approve memorials. Baili has been waiting for a long time.”

Baili Qi had been staying in the palace, and everyone in the inner and outer courts knew about it. However, Jiang Yan had never given her a clear official position or title, so people usually referred to her as “Miss Baili.”

Upon entering the hall, Baili Qi was indeed diligently helping her sort the memorials, separating the urgent from the not-so-urgent into two piles, and the extremely urgent and the generally urgent into two more piles—she was meticulous and rigorous.

Baili Qi was seriously “working” and didn’t notice Jiang Yan enter. Jiang Yan suddenly embraced her from behind, pinning her against the table, and deliberately lowered her voice: “Submit to me obediently, or I will throw you into the pigsty.”

Baili Qi chuckled, her slightly husky voice sounding very sexy. She raised both hands, appearing to be at the Queen’s mercy.