Chapter 227: Chapter 226: Winning Hearts"I, your humble servant, thank the Empress on behalf of the people of Da He."
Imperial Doctor Liu knelt on the ground, deeply impressed by Sang Yan’s righteousness.
Having such a Queen Mother is a blessing for Da He.
Liang Xin’s eyes also couldn’t help but feel hot. He picked up his robe, knelt on the ground, and, together with Imperial Doctor Liu, reverently saw the Empress off as she left.
Sang Yan walked out of the pharmacy with the government soldiers.
Outside, the sunlight was at its peak.
She looked up at the sunlight, feeling quite uncertain inside: when people’s lives are threatened, they will do all sorts of absurd things. Those rioting people are very dangerous, and she was afraid, but she had to go!
"Lady, this way, please—"
The government soldier quickly brought people over.
A group of people escorted Sang Yan out of the State Mansion, heading toward the dock.
Dock
Raggedly dressed people crowded and clamored together:
"High fever for three days without subsiding, why bother with these medicines? I’m not drinking!"
"Neither am I! *cough cough* The Emperor himself left Quanzhou, leaving us here to wait for death, such incompetence, heaven cannot tolerate!"
"Right! Heaven cannot tolerate!"
"If you want to kill us, then kill us all!"
...
They were situated a hundred meters away from the dock.
Soldiers had set up wooden barriers to separate the dock from the marketplace.
The soldiers, armed with long spears and wearing white cloths, were gradually forced to retreat by the sickly crowd.
While they had to prevent them from crossing the boundary, they also had to avoid being infected themselves. In this difficult situation, the originally solid defense was gradually broken.
Quite a few of the fishermen, who still had some strength, climbed over the barriers, shouting, "Charge! Storm the State Mansion and grab the herbs! We will break down the city gate! We want to survive!"
This shout was met with an immediate response:
"Break in!"
"The Emperor is unkind, ignoring the life and death of us commoners, we have to fight for our own survival!"
"Brothers and sisters, charge!"
...
Their riotous voices shook the heavens!
At that moment, Gao Wenliang arrived with over a hundred soldiers.
Seeing this scene, he was furious: "Reinforce the defense! Anyone who tries to break out shall be executed on the spot!"
He genuinely harbored the intent to kill these troublemakers!
A bunch of brainless fools!
Completely believing in others’ instigations!
If they really broke into the State Mansion and endangered the Emperor, he would never be able to atone for his crimes, even with a thousand deaths!
The scene quieted for only a moment.
Seeing Gao Wenliang, the people grew even more agitated:
"Unkind official!"
"Right! Unkind official! Kill Gao Wenliang first! Kill this official!"
"Kill them!"
...
Even though they were afflicted with a strange disease, the sheer number of fishermen on the dock was large, and since the soldiers were afraid of harming the innocent, for a moment, the two sides were equally matched.
"How dare you! Scoundrels!"
Gao Wenliang was so frustrated that his face turned red with anger, feeling the helplessness of a scholar meeting soldiers, unable to reason effectively.
Just then, a soldier hurried over and whispered a few words in his ear.
His eyes immediately widened: "Empre—"
Realizing the dire situation, he quickly lowered his voice: "The Empress is here?"
Heaven, at such a time, what was the Empress doing here?
Did she think the scene was not chaotic enough?
Gao Wenliang thought of the Emperor’s attitude toward the Empress and suddenly felt darkness before his eyes: she was the person whom the Emperor cherished most dearly! If something happened to her here, even dying ten thousand times would not be enough to appease the Emperor’s wrath.
"No!"
Mr. Gao urgently ordered, "Quick! Hurry! Stop them—"
"Mr. Gao, it’s too late."
A clear and solemn female voice rang out.
Mr. Gao tensed, turning to look—
Sang Yan, who disdained the Empress’s cumbersome palace attire, preferred simplicity in the State Mansion whenever possible.
But now, she was clad in a golden silk phoenix robe with cloud patterns, her hair adorned with twelve phoenix-tail hairpins that shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight, and even with a veil covering her face, she was the epitome of majestic beauty.
Mr. Gao’s words of protest died on his lips.
He was overawed by Sang Yan’s authority.
Normally, Sang Yan had an approachable demeanor, almost making him forget that she was the mother of the nation for Da He!
Apart from Mr. Gao,
the people also noticed Sang Yan, and their expressions changed upon seeing her attire.
Though angry, they still retained a deep-seated reverence for imperial power.
Especially with the woman in front of them, wearing remarkably noticeable phoenix patterns.
Soon, whispers began to spread:
"Is that the Empress?"
"No way! The Emperor and the Empress left Quanzhou long ago!" S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Exactly! Even if the Empress were here, why would she come to this place? Those royals don’t care about the lives of us commoners!"
...
The crowd began to grow restless again.
The people perched on the barriers were on the verge of running back toward the market.
"I am Sang Yan, Empress of Da He."
Amid the noisy chatter, Sang Yan’s clear and solemn voice was almost drowned out, but her presence was not to be ignored.
And so, the clamor was indeed silenced by Sang Yan’s statement.
"You are all subjects of Da He, and Da He would not abandon anyone lightly."
Sang Yan looked at the faces in front of her, longing for a lifeline, and said in a deep voice, "Now, a villain, for his personal greed, has put Quanzhou in jeopardy. With the people suffering, the Emperor and I are deeply worried. I have come today to tell you that the Emperor and I have never left Quanzhou, nor have we given up on everyone. Imperial Doctor Liu and Imperial Doctor Liang are already searching for a cure for the illness. Please give us time, and give yourselves time as well."
The crowd grew silent for a moment at her words.
Soon, whispers started up again:
"Is that really the Empress?"
"It’s the Empress, right? I saw her when the He Family was executed, from below the city wall."
"The Empress didn’t leave!"
"Does this mean the Emperor hasn’t abandoned us after all?"
...
In an instant, the rioting populace felt a burning shame.
"Who started the rumor?"
"Isn’t the Empress right here in Quanzhou?"
"I heard the Emperor is a devoted man, who personally went to Puluo to save the Empress; if the Empress is here, the Emperor must be, too!"
"So who said the Emperor had given up on us and fled the city?"
"I don’t know, ah!"
...
They looked at each other, back and forth, eventually realizing they didn’t know who spread the news of the Emperor’s departure.
They came to the understanding that they had all been made pawns by someone!
Those still clinging to the barriers now looked ashamed and silently climbed down.
Those who had been clamoring to storm the State Mansion were now red-faced and silent.
The scene quieted down once more.
The situation had taken a turn for the better.
Sang Yan, feeling a sense of relief, thought quickly. She remembered a classic line from the science fiction masterpiece "Three Body" she had read in her past life and, organizing her language, said, "In the blink of an eye, I have been in Quanzhou for almost a month. This month, the Quanzhou I have seen is open, inclusive, prosperous, wealthy, peaceful—a beautiful and livable city. I’ve also heard the heroic patriotic stories from over thirty years ago, when the three great families fought together to defend the city. This is a city of civilization. This is a city where everyone is patriotic, brave, and trustworthy. Now, this city faces a crisis, a test—"
Sang Yan, pausing here, swept her gaze across the faces of the people, emphasizing her words by adding, "This test is whether we will bring civilization to Quanzhou, rather than Quanzhou to civilization. We are a part of Quanzhou, and we must take pride in being from Quanzhou! As long as Quanzhou stands, we must spontaneously respect it, cherish it, and protect it!"
She sought to inspire a sense of civic pride and a sense of mission in them as a means for them to exercise self-control and comply with the orders from above.
To conquer the opposition, it was always best to win over their hearts.