After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 746 The oil is exhausted and the lamp is dry

Some things always happen unexpectedly.

Everyone knew that His Majesty the Emperor's days were numbered, but the moment the death knell tolled still felt very sudden.

"Your Highness, please accept my condolences. We still have much to do."

"How is the Empress Dowager doing?"

"The Empress, along with a group of concubines, knelt before the coffin. The princes were also present, each of them weeping bitterly."

"Yes, though heartbroken, how many people truly grieve for the emperor?"

"Sir, will I, too, become like my father, seemingly possessing everything, but in reality, utterly alone?"

“Your Highness, the late emperor is the late emperor, and you are you. No one is the same as anyone else.”

Jiang Xiaoqi wasn't very good at comforting people, but she felt that the Crown Prince's current state was a bit off; was he going to get stuck on something again?

At this time, the most important thing is not to stabilize the situation in the court and prevent those with ulterior motives from taking advantage of the situation, right?

The Fifth Prince has never given up his ambition to seize power. No matter how sad the Crown Prince is at this moment, he should prioritize his actions.

"Sir, I don't want so many women and children in the future, especially sons."

"This...this is His Highness's prerogative. Although the adults may try to persuade him, and various families have their own interests and want to send their daughters to the palace, a powerful emperor can keep the court in check."

"Freedom? It seems I've never had it since birth. Will I ever have something I wasn't born with?"

Jiang Xiaoqi felt somewhat dazed, as if she had returned to the future. "Things that didn't exist when I was born will most likely not exist in the future."

That phrase sounds so familiar; it's been said to death. I never expected to hear something similar from the very Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Can't you answer that either, sir?"

"No, Your Highness, what one is not born with, one may obtain through effort, or one may not obtain even after effort. These are all possibilities and cannot be generalized."

Like our Jiang family, we were just a moderately wealthy family with a few hundred acres of land as our initial capital. Later, some of our members went to school, and some became officials. When they rose to high positions, they gave back to the family, and the Jiang family established a clan school.

With the establishment of clan schools, more and more children were able to study, resulting in an increasing number of scholars who passed the county-level imperial examinations, the provincial-level imperial examinations, and even the metropolitan-level imperial examinations.

Through generations of hard work, a landlord family has transformed into a family of farmers and scholars, and may even become the scholarly family that everyone talks about in the future.

Originally, no one in the Jiang family had ever studied or become an official. This was something that had never happened before. Now, my great-uncle holds the rank of third grade, and I am also a humble fourth grader. My father, grandfather, several cousins, uncles, and even my brothers-in-law, regardless of rank, are all serving the court diligently.

Therefore, as long as you are willing to do it, anything is possible to change.

"Anything is possible?!"

"Your words have enlightened me, sir. Thank you for clearing up my doubts!"

"It's not really about providing answers, it's just an analogy, an example from our own experience."

"I really shouldn't be thinking nonsense right now. My father has just passed away, and there are indeed many things to do."

Inside the mourning hall, besides the smell of incense and candles, there was also a faint pungent smell, which Jiang Xiaoqi immediately understood.

Haha, the most ruthless are those in the imperial family. They've really stopped acting altogether. Maybe their acting skills aren't good enough, so they're just making up for it with onions?

"His Royal Highness!"

The eunuch in charge of the mourning hall handed the lit incense and candles to the crown prince and respectfully withdrew.

Those kneeling inside and outside the mourning hall all had their heads bowed and were sobbing, their voices rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern.

After offering incense to the late emperor, the crown prince turned around and glanced behind him.

His gaze lingered between the fourth and fifth princes for a moment before he turned and knelt down again.

"Father, rest assured and be happy. Your son will live up to your trust and lead my brothers to protect the Great Zhou Dynasty."

The Zhenhai fleet will soon be returning to port, and I will come again to report the good news to Father Emperor then.

Your subject hereby swears that he will do everything in his power to ensure that all the people of the Great Zhou are well-fed and clothed and free from the suffering of war.

No sooner had the Crown Prince finished speaking than the Fifth Prince suddenly raised his head: "Brother, now that Father has just passed away, you seem to show little grief, but rather seem eager to ascend the throne."

Can years of father-son affection really be no match for a dragon throne?

"Brother, when Father was alive, he favored you the most, and this is how you repay him?"

Upon hearing this, the mourning hall fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone looked up at them, shocked by the Fifth Prince's directness and bravery. Although everyone was thinking the same thing, only the Fifth Prince dared to say it out loud.

We are all princes, but there can only be one emperor, and only one person can sit on the dragon throne. If it can be you, why can't it be me?

We are all descendants of Huang Zilong, so who doesn't lack something or have something more than anyone else?

What's missing is simply a legitimate reason for it.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince remained calm and slowly rose to his feet, saying, "Fifth Brother, as the Crown Prince, I should naturally shoulder this responsibility. Since Father Emperor chose me as the heir apparent, he must believe in my abilities."

Are you questioning Father's decision?! Or have you long harbored rebellious intentions?!

This was a direct question, but the Fifth Prince remained calm and composed, though his eyes revealed his resentment towards the Crown Prince.

Before the Fifth Prince could reply, the Fourth Prince interjected:

"My two elder brothers should not quarrel in front of our father's spirit. At present, we should prioritize the funeral and the stability of the court."

The Fifth Prince sneered, "And who do you think you are? These days, anyone can come out and lecture you!"

“We all have the same blood as our father, so what is my fifth brother? Of course I am too.”

Before the Fifth Prince could retort, the Empress Dowager arrived in person with the Empress and her entourage.

"I have no idea whether this place is a mourning hall or a bustling marketplace, how can it be so lively?!"

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager/Empress! May you live a thousand years!"

The princes, grandsons, and ministers all kowtowed in unison.

"Hmph~ What do you mean by 'long live' or 'ten thousand years'? It sounds nice, but your 'ten thousand years' is lying in a cold coffin right now, and my old bones will be soon too."

Well, at least the family is reunited down here, isn't it?

The late emperor was only forty-six years old this year. Although this age was not young in ancient times, it was not considered long-lived for an emperor.

Of course, this was not considered a short lifespan for ordinary people, after all, the average lifespan of people in the Great Zhou Dynasty at that time was only in their twenties.

It's not that most people die in their twenties, but rather that it's influenced by many factors.

This includes factors such as war and the high infant mortality rate.

When averaged out, even if there are centenarians, the average life expectancy is still less than thirty years.

That's considered good; in some dynasties, the average lifespan of ordinary people was only a dozen years or so, truly a short life.

This may be one of the reasons why people in ancient times married and had children so early. If they didn't start a family early, they might die before they had a chance to leave any descendants.

People in ancient times, even in their teens, had already accomplished many important things in life.

Some were granted titles and high positions, some settled down and started families, and some... met their demise early.