Jiang Yunshu was utterly shocked!
She couldn’t fathom how such a monumental task—naming the emperor and selecting his reign title—could possibly fall to her.
She grilled Lichun for ages, wondering if he had misdelivered the message. But Lichun swore up and down that he hadn’t made a mistake, nearly pointing to the heavens as his witness.
The whole thing was so absurd that Jiang Yunshu kept racking her brain for an explanation. Could it be that Xie Lin, the big boss, was too lazy to bother and had dumped the job on her, his lowly assistant?
But that didn’t make sense either. She wasn’t even Xie Lin’s secretary—at most, she was something like a personal aide.
Xie Lin held daily meetings with his ministers and had an entire secretariat at his disposal!
Why delegate such an important matter to her, a mere life assistant, instead of his professional staff?
Strange, strange, truly strange.
Yet, since Xie Lin had assigned her the task, Jiang Yunshu didn’t dare refuse.
She washed her hands, lit incense, and carefully unrolled two memorials on the long desk, scrutinizing them multiple times.
Jiang Yunshu had no idea how to choose a reign title or the emperor’s name, so she went purely by personal preference.
"Jing'an"—of all the options, this was her favorite. It evoked peace, stability, and prosperity for the nation.
As for the emperor’s name, Jiang Yunshu read through the Ministry of Rites’ suggestions several times but remained clueless. The proposed names all sounded similar, filled with auspicious meanings, and some even contained characters she didn’t recognize.
Without a dictionary and too embarrassed to ask for help, she quietly eliminated the names with obscure characters.
That evening, when Xie Lin returned, Jiang Yunshu reported her choices just like that.
"I don’t understand these matters, but privately, I think 'Jing'an' sounds nice for the reign title—"
Before she could even finish, Xie Lin cut in, "Then that’s the one."
Jiang Yunshu: "……" Was it really that casual?
Seeing Xie Lin’s nonchalance, Jiang Yunshu grew even more cautious. "As for the emperor’s name, I truly don’t know how to choose. I know nothing about the emperor…"
Xie Lin raised his voice. "Lichun, have the wet nurse bring the little emperor here."
The wet nurse arrived swiftly, cradling the infant emperor. Xie Lin nodded at Jiang Yunshu. "There. Take a look."
Jiang Yunshu: "……"
The baby’s face didn’t exactly come with a name tag—was she supposed to divine the perfect name just by staring at him?
Still, Jiang Yunshu leaned in for a closer inspection.
She’d heard of crown princes in swaddling clothes, but an emperor this young? Unprecedented!
Curious, she studied the little emperor’s features, only to be sorely disappointed. Aside from the dragon embroidery on his blanket—reserved for the imperial family—the child looked utterly ordinary.
Tiny, scrawny, wrinkled skin, slightly jaundiced… not particularly cute, nor even healthy.
Well, seeing him in person didn’t spark any naming inspiration.
As Jiang Yunshu kept staring, Xie Lin misinterpreted her hesitation. "If you want to hold him, go ahead."
The wet nurse respectfully handed the baby to Jiang Yunshu, even coaching her on how to cradle him properly.
Jiang Yunshu: "……" Was it too late to say she didn’t want to?
Oh well. Maybe it was fate for transmigrated women like her to hold emperors—just not in the way romance novels depicted.
Following the wet nurse’s instructions, Jiang Yunshu gingerly took the little emperor into her arms.
He felt warm… damp… and—wait, was that smell—?
"Ah!" Jiang Yunshu shrieked, horrified. "The emperor peed on me!"
The wet nurse panicked, lunging to retrieve the baby, terrified Jiang Yunshu might fling him aside in her distress.
But Jiang Yunshu hadn’t completely lost her senses. She carefully handed the emperor back.
"Forgive me, Lord Nine Thousand-Year-Old. I must go bathe and change immediately…"
Xie Lin: "Not in the bathing pool."
Jiang Yunshu: "…Obviously."
She’d have to use that pool again someday—no need for Xie Lin’s command; the thought alone repulsed her.
As she rushed off, Xie Lin added, "Scrub three times."
"And throw out all three tubs afterward."
Jiang Yunshu nodded. "Understood."
The wet nurse watched the exchange, stunned, then realized something horrifying.
The little emperor peed in his bathwater every single time…
Should she mention this to the Lord Nine Thousand-Year-Old and Lady Jiang?
But then again, Xie Lin was a eunuch, and Jiang Yunshu had never borne children—neither would know this was normal.
If Lady Jiang was discarding three tubs after one incident, what about the emperor’s bath basin?
As the wet nurse agonized in silence, Lichun barked, "Why are you still standing there? Take the emperor away and clean him up!"
She swallowed her words and hurried off without another sound.
Better to keep quiet. As long as the baby and basin were scrubbed spotless afterward, they’d never find out.
Jiang Yunshu meticulously bathed three times, disposing of the tubs and every stitch of clothing she’d worn.
When she returned to the bedchamber, Xie Lin still eyed her with distaste.
"Now that you’ve properly met the emperor, have you decided on a name?"
Jiang Yunshu recalled the frail, yellowish infant whose cries had been so weak…
"How about something that signifies health and peace?"
Xie Lin declared, "Then 'Taian' it is."
Jiang Yunshu: "……" Wasn’t that a bit… slapdash?
She tactfully pointed out, "I believe there’s a eunuch in Weiyang Palace named An Tai."
An Tai, Taian—they sounded like names for eunuch brothers!
Xie Lin nodded. "You’re right. That won’t do."
Jiang Yunshu sighed in relief—until Xie Lin continued, "Have that eunuch renamed. Call him Kang Ning instead."
Jiang Yunshu: "……"
So now the eunuch was Kang Ning, and the emperor Taian… still sounding like siblings!
Noticing her pained expression, Xie Lin reassured her, "It’s fine. Hardly anyone calls the emperor by his personal name anyway."
Jiang Yunshu: Whatever you say, my lord.
And so, with startling casualness, the emperor’s name was settled: Ji Taian of the Great Qi Dynasty.
At bedtime, Xie Lin hesitated, eyeing Jiang Yunshu as if considering banishing her from the bed.
Fresh from three scrubbings, Jiang Yunshu bristled at his look. Smiling sweetly, she said, "In a few days, my lord, you’ll be holding the little emperor for much longer during the enthronement ceremony."
The ceremony was scheduled for New Year’s Day.
With the emperor being so young, someone would have to carry him throughout—and that someone was Xie Lin.
Jiang Yunshu secretly hoped the baby would pee on Xie Lin—once, twice, maybe even four times!
That’d teach him to fuss over cleanliness!
Then we’ll see if he still dares to judge me and kick me out of bed…
Xie Lin caught her gleeful gaze and instantly saw through her mischief.
The coronation ceremony was originally supposed to involve Xie Lin carrying the young emperor, but after the events of the day, Xie Lin had a change of heart.
He absolutely could not bear what had happened to Jiang Yunshu today happening to himself!
Xie Lin smiled faintly, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth. "Your Grace worries too much."
"Your Grace need not concern yourself with this humble subject."
Jiang Yunshu looked at Xie Lin in confusion, unable to fathom how he could possibly avoid the situation—after all, the young emperor was so small that no one could control him.
On the first day of the new year, the coronation ceremony took place.
Jiang Yunshu’s doubts were finally answered.
The coronation had nothing to do with her. Xie Lin had left before dawn, while she slept peacefully in her chambers in Weiyang Palace, waking naturally and combining breakfast and lunch into one meal.
As she enjoyed her first meal of the new year, Zhezhi leaned in close, whispering the latest gossip directly into Jiang Yunshu’s ear to ensure no one else could hear.
"The young emperor is actually asleep in the side hall of Weiyang Palace, with several wet nurses watching over him..."
"The swaddling clothes the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord carried to the coronation ceremony—they were just stuffed with two pieces of clothing..."
Jiang Yunshu gasped in shock.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
To prevent a repeat of the "disaster" from that day, Xie Lin had resorted to such a drastic measure?
The young emperor hadn’t even been brought to the coronation...
Did that mean the assembled officials had knelt in reverence to Xie Lin alone?!
