She changed Europe

Page 42

"A ruler establishes himself in the world through his integrity. Since Fang Xiaoru has said he will exterminate ten generations of your family, then I will certainly exterminate ten generations of your family." The woman's tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Exterminate ten clans?" Gisela heard this classic phrase. In China's more than two thousand years of feudal history, if her memory served her correctly, the only person who had ever done such a thing was Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di). The person on the platform referred to herself as "朕" (Zhen, the imperial "I"), so the answer was obvious: she was Zhu Di.

"The Yongle Emperor was a woman?" Although Gisela was already used to the wonders of this world, she was still taken aback. If Bismarck and others were women, she, as a former citizen of the Celestial Empire, would not feel anything, but it was quite interesting that the famous figures in her own history textbooks were also girls.

No, that's not right! The time I was in before was 1870, while the Yongle Emperor ascended the throne in 1402, which is 468 years later!

At that moment, the dark-haired woman turned around and happened to see Gisela walking up the steps.

That exquisitely beautiful face, like that of a celestial being, those radiant golden eyes, that skin so delicate it seemed like it could be broken with a touch—Gisella had seen many beauties before, but this was the first time she had ever met someone who so perfectly matched her Eastern aesthetic.

The woman's brows furrowed slightly, radiating killing intent and determination. However, upon seeing Gisela, her expression softened considerably, replaced by a smile as gentle as that of a kind older sister next door. She then sheathed her Emperor's Sword.

"Asu, you're here." The black-haired woman hurried down the stairs, took Gisela's hand, and pulled her onto the platform. Perhaps due to the large movement, Gisela noticed that her hair was now silver...

Who is Asuna? Gisela had no idea that there was ever a person named Asuna in history. (Su Beiming had never told Gisela his name.)

"This is the fleet of our Great Ming! My ambition will not be limited to this small world! At the end of this sea, all wealth and all people will be mine, and no one can take them away or rob them!" At this moment, the woman completely ignored Fang Xiaoru, who was being dragged away by the soldiers, and looked at the ships docked in the harbor with a look of pride and satisfaction.

“**.” The woman uttered a name that Gisela knew all too well.

“I have decided to let him take my place and conquer the ocean. He saved my life, and I believe in his loyalty and courage.” As she finished speaking, the black-haired woman suddenly covered her right eye. Gisela, standing nearby, noticed the woman's unusual behavior and tried to help her.

"Asu, don't worry, I've just had an old injury flare up again." The black-haired woman frowned slightly, a pale smile appearing on her beautiful face. As an emperor who had spent her life on the battlefield and who could write the words "The emperor guards the country's gates, and the monarch dies for the state," she naturally didn't want others to see her in such a weak and ugly state.

But fate sometimes likes to play such tricks. No sooner had the woman finished speaking than the Empress coughed up a mouthful of blood, which she quickly wiped from the corner of her mouth with her right hand. Although the Empress had said she didn't care about Fang Xiaoru's words, it wasn't impossible that she was angry because of them; after all, the Empress was no saint.

"Rest assured, the Grand Ceremony is not yet fully compiled, and I will not die before my Great Ming Dynasty conquers the ocean." The Empress straightened up again. Although her face was somewhat pale, her aura remained. To most people, the woman was still the supreme monarch of the Great Ming Empire. Not only Gisela, who was now inside Su Beiming's body, but even Su Beiming himself at the time believed the Empress's words.

Demon wielders possess lifespans that are beyond the reach of mortals and vitality that mortals envy...

This was how it should have been, but five years later, in 1409, the seventh year after the Yongle Emperor ascended the throne, the Empress suffered a relapse of an old injury during her expedition to the northern deserts, fell from her horse and fainted, and later contracted an epidemic...

The next moment, Gisela's gaze quickly shifted to the Forbidden City. Because Emperor Yongle had personally ordered a news blackout, at this time, in the vast Forbidden City, the only people who knew that His Majesty was critically ill, besides her guards and eunuchs, were Su Beiming in the room.

"Asu, I have no sons. If anything happens to me, please choose one of the princes of the Zhu family to succeed me. Treat him as our child and promise to protect the descendants of the Zhu family forever." The empress, with her hair disheveled, had lost some of her usual heroic spirit. She, who usually appeared in military uniform, was also wearing her usual civilian clothes, which was rare for her.

With trembling hands, she hugged Su Beiming and burst into tears in her arms.

"I promise you, Lingyun..." Su Beiming gently embraced the Empress's waist, resting her head on his chest, feeling the warmth of his lover, and closed his eyes, forcing back his tears. (In the book, Emperor Yongle's name is Zhu You, courtesy name Lingyun)

"I am not reconciled, I am not reconciled at all. I have not done anything yet. The future of the Ming Dynasty, the future of all people, the Yongle Encyclopedia, the Ming Dynasty's ocean fleet, the Oirat, Jianzhou, Korea... these problems have not been solved yet." The Empress poured out her worries in a selfless manner. Although her body was extremely weak, her heart was still filled with the concerns of all people.

Two months later, the Empress passed away. Following her wishes, Su Beiming kept her death a secret for three years. He also established a cabinet in her name, abolishing the position of prime minister, and allowed the cabinet to manage the daily operations of the state institutions, thus minimizing the impact of the Empress's absence from court. During this time, Su Beiming also adopted a member of the Zhu family in her name, naming him Zhu Gaochi, and groomed him as the heir to the throne.

No one dared to question Su Beiming's decision, because her relationship with Emperor Yongle was a taboo that no one could mention. Moreover, she was originally the princess who protected the Ming Dynasty, a transcendent being who stood at the head of all the Ming Dynasty's demon wielders.

And so the Ming Dynasty continued to operate on its original trajectory, only taking a completely different direction because of Su Beiming's existence.

"What exactly is going on here?" Gisela stared blankly at the receding scene, her vision plunging back into darkness and chaos. At that moment, more fragments of memories flooded into her mind, and she understood everything.

"It's quite dangerous for you to be spying on my memories like this." Just as Gisela was lost in thought, a silver-haired, fox-eared woman appeared before her. This silver-haired fox-woman was like a larger version of Gisela, looking at her. Perhaps she had been too engrossed in searching for her memories, and hadn't noticed that the owner of the voice in her head had such a voluptuous figure...

"You are Su Beiming! Those were all your memories??" If Gisela (Lin Wei) still couldn't realize this by now, then even she herself would have to doubt her own intelligence.

"You disobedient girl, there are some things you don't need to know!" In an instant, the silver-haired woman rushed in front of Gisela, grabbed Gisela by the neck, and lifted her up with one hand.

“Looks like I was right! Since you claim to be you, why can’t you know your own past?” Gisela wasn’t afraid to confront Su Beiming, perhaps because she had something to rely on, which is why she was unusually calm at this moment.

"Do you know what would happen to you if I strangled you like this in your mind's eye?" Su Beiming narrowed his eyes, looking at Gisela with great interest.

"What will happen?" asked Yuzaki.

"You will die, but not in the physical sense, this time it will be the death of your soul!" Su Beiming's lips curled into a mocking smile.

PS1: In the story of Su Beiming and the Yongle Emperor, was Gisela also involved? (laughs)

Chapter 153 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 14 Su Beiming's Secret (Seeking Votes)

“You’re welcome to try. I’ve already died more than once, and besides, you can’t bear to do it?” Gisela said this quite frankly. He didn’t need to hide these things from the woman in front of him, since they were already in a semi-open state.

"What is there for me to be reluctant to part with?" As if in response to Su Beiming's words, she increased the pressure on Gisela's neck.

"My fox ears and power are yours, right? Are you sure you can keep these powers after I die?" Gisela frowned, her eyes full of confidence. She was betting that Su Beiming needed to rely on himself to exert his power; otherwise, given her domineering personality, she would have replaced him long ago instead of going through all this trouble every time.

Upon hearing this, Su Beiming pursed his lips, released his hand, and Gisela fell straight to the ground.

"Cough cough! This hurts a lot too..."

“You’re still young, it’s good to learn a few lessons.” Su Beiming patted non-existent dust off his hands and looked at Gisela with displeasure.

"Besides those memories, what else came to mind?"

"You lied to me. I am you, but not entirely, because you never intended to live. I was just an accident..." For the first time, Su Beiming's composure was tinged with panic by Gisela's words, but she quickly suppressed her unease with her strong mental fortitude and then looked at Gisela again.

"I didn't expect you to take the opportunity to abandon your own body and possess the soul and power of Duke Selena of York?"

"That defeated opponent?" Su Beiming's tone was somewhat disdainful, clearly indicating that she didn't want to say more.

“Yes! It’s your defeated opponent. You’re possessing her body to come to Europe. Let me think about what you want to use her for.” Gisela rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

"The East is a magical land, and your existence is the best proof of that. Your Yongle Emperor has been dead for nearly 500 years, but you are still alive and well. You were still alive when the war between England and France and the Ming Dynasty broke out. I would not be surprised at all if someone like you held some magical things in his hands."

"You were choosing a vessel, a vessel that could resurrect the Yongle Emperor. You twisted Selena's will and controlled her to get close to my mother, Elizabeth. The two of you fell in love in Munich. You injected your power into my mother's body, subtly influencing her. Her later marriage to Joseph was also part of your plan."

"My sister was too weak to be a vessel, so you turned your attention to Elizabeth's second child. Of course, the healthy Gisela Louise Marie became your focus. You intended to do something to her before she turned 12, but coincidentally, the Queen Mother and Sissi were at odds, and you wanted to take advantage of the situation to resolve the problem. So you did not tell anyone about the Queen Mother's actions, because you only wanted Gisela's body."

To be on the safe side, you should first separate your soul from your power; leave the soul with Selena and the power with Gisela.

But then an accident happened. For unknown reasons, I successfully entered Gisela's body. The soul from the East and the body from the West joined together, giving birth to a new soul.

"After you noticed my unusual behavior, you used the magic-sensing stone that you had already tampered with to abandon Selena and transfer to me, then observed my condition." As for Selena, her mission was still accomplished; you left her with nothing but feelings and memories.

Unfortunately, your soul encountered an accident when it met me, ultimately becoming a part of me. Your original power was thus activated, and from then on, we were one. I can now be both Gisela and Su Beiming, all depending on my will, not yours!

Upon hearing this, a somewhat troubled expression appeared on Su Beiming's beautiful face. She hadn't expected that this so-called "other self" was a little too clever.

"The initiative to launch the Yongle Emperor's resurrection plan is now in my hands, so Miss Su, you don't want to..." Gisela had a playful smile on her lips. After all, she had a complete view of Su Beiming's memories, and she could finally say such villainous words. It was surprisingly interesting!

"Now that you know all this, what do you want?" Su Beiming narrowed her eyes. Although her tone was unfriendly, Gisela didn't see her take any action, which meant that what she had said earlier was indeed correct.

To be honest, although Gisela saw a lot of memory fragments, most of them were not coherent, and she could only rely on her own guesses to fill in the details. However, everything was just as she had expected.

“I don’t want anything. Since we are now one, like two personalities of one person, I hope you will advance and retreat with me in the future. As a reward, I will help you find a way to resurrect Emperor Yongle. How about it?” Gisela stood up and looked directly at the woman in front of her. She had long, silver hair, purple eyes, and a majestic yet alluring demeanor, as well as fox ears just like her own.

On a side note, she had reason to believe that if anyone were to place either Elizabeth or Su Beiming alongside herself, they would immediately recognize the striking resemblance between the "mother and daughter," given that Gisela not only possessed Habsburg blood but also inherited magical powers from Su Beiming.

In short, they are accomplices and partners, not rivals who scheme against each other.

Looking at Gisela's suggestion, Su Beiming felt a pang of guilt. After all, she had once considered using Gisela as a means to resurrect the Yongle Emperor, but now her thoughts had changed.

Perhaps centuries of loneliness have made this former princess of the Ming Dynasty no longer as strong as she once was. Betrayal has caused her to lose everything. Now, how much she longs for a true friend to confide in, especially one with whom she knows each other inside and out.

"Alright! I promise you. I've already taken care of the enemies for you. You can leave now." Su Beiming turned her back and waved her finger in the air. A gust of wind blew from her direction, lifting Gisela high into the air and throwing her towards the only glowing area in the space.

"No! We can actually talk about other things." Gisela, no longer arrogant, shouted at Su Beiming. But the silver-haired, fox-eared woman, who was getting further and further away from her, never turned around. Only after Gisela disappeared from this space did Su Beiming kneel down on the ground.

"Lingyun, don't worry, we will meet again one day." At this moment, a hopeful tear rolled down Su Beiming's beautiful face. Her soft lips were bitten until they bled, and bright red blood flowed down her lips and onto her open-necked chest. She was clearly an Eastern fox spirit who was accompanied by beauty, yet she was more devoted than ordinary human women. Perhaps this was her greatest special quality.

Inside the palace of Prague Castle, Rita, Rudolf, Miss Nika, and numerous servants were quietly waiting in front of a large bed for a blonde girl to awaken.

PS1: Please, another me! Actually, we'll gradually become one person in the future 0v0!

Chapter 154 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 15 The Crown Prince's Little Hobbies

"Nika, how long has your older sister been asleep?" a long-haired blonde "little girl" asked the black-haired older sister beside her.

"Your Highness... this is the third day..." Nika looked at Rudolph, dressed adorably, and didn't know how to face him. While Prince Rudolph wasn't exactly a tomboy, he usually dressed like a proper boy. Today, his dress and flowing blonde wig gave Nika a very strange feeling.

Damn it! Can anyone tell me why our Crown Prince is dressed in women's clothing?! This might not be a problem in the heavily guarded palace, but if ordinary citizens or nosy journalists saw him, it would be a scandal! A huge scandal! After all, for the conservative Habsburg family, having a cross-dresser as their future heir would be a huge blow to the prestige of the empire and the family.

“Your Highness, your clothes…” Nika usually doted on Rudolf because of her duty, and would satisfy his somewhat willful requests when it was not important. But today she really couldn’t stand it anymore. Although she had to admit that Rudolf looked cute and lovable in women’s clothes, and it would be perfectly fine to treat him like a girl, she just couldn’t stand it!

"Your Highness, you can't do this!" Nika bit her lip, looking extremely distressed.

"Alright, Nika, today I just want to try on the clothes that girls wear. After all, I want to understand what you girls think." Rudolph had already come up with a reason. He couldn't very well say that it was because his sister liked girls and he wanted to please her, that would be too embarrassing.

"Sigh!" Nika sighed helplessly, somewhat regretting that she hadn't told His Highness to do this sooner.

Rita didn't even glance at the master and servant. She simply knelt on the carpet, stretched out her hands, and tightly grasped Gisela's hands, feeling the warmth emanating from Gisela. Her expression was solemn, filled with self-reproach as she looked at Gisela's closed eyes, as if the bandages and wounds on her body and hands didn't exist.

After an unknown amount of time, Rita, looking somewhat haggard, closed her eyes and continued to softly recite the Bible to pray for her princess. Lacking medical knowledge, this was all she could do for Gisela.

It seems that sincerity moves mountains, or perhaps the Lord received Rita's sincerity. At this moment, Gisela was just expelled from her sea of ​​consciousness by Su Beiming, so she slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling.

Who am I? Where am I? Although Gisela wanted to ask these questions, she clearly didn't have the time or inclination, as she had many things to do.

"Who's holding my hand?" Gisela turned her head to the side with a puzzled look and saw Rita praying with her eyes closed. Her maid had bandages wrapped around her head, but her demeanor was still as elegant and composed as ever.

Gisela sighed with a touch of heartache, then her gaze slowly moved down to Rita's soft lips, finally settling on them. She hadn't expected to kiss them so easily; the sensation was even rather pleasant…

Thinking about all this, Gisela was unaware that her face was already flushed. Although Gisela's first kiss had long been taken by those wicked women from Prussia, it was an unavoidable result for Gisela, not something she wanted, so it didn't count. Therefore, this time, the kiss she gave to Rita was her first time!

Yes, it's the first time! Gisela emphasized in her mind!

Seemingly sensing the shaking in her hand, Rita opened her eyes and happened to see Gisela observing her. A long-lost smile appeared on her face, and she raised her arms to pull Gisela into her embrace. Feeling the fragrant breeze and softness on her face, Gisela sensed not only Rita's abundant human kindness but also her feelings for her…

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I failed to protect you and instead made you protect everyone else." Rita's voice trembled slightly. Although the maid usually appeared extremely calm in the face of anything and rarely revealed her emotions, Gisela was the only exception for her right now.

"Rita, thank you!" Gisela didn't say much, but simply raised her hand and placed it on Rita's gray hair, gently stroking it. In her opinion, this was a better response than a thousand words.

"Your Majesty, you're awake!" Rudolf noticed Gisela's awakening, looked in her direction, and then eagerly approached her, showering her with concern.

After all, Gisela holds leverage over him, and if he doesn't try to win her over, he doesn't know what the end will be like.

"You are..." Gisela tilted her head, her face practically screaming "Who are you?" at the blonde "loli" who suddenly appeared in front of her.

"No! You called me 'Royal Sister'?" Calling someone 'Royal Sister' means that they are her younger sister, and if her memory serves her correctly, Gisela's younger sister is Mary Valerie Mathilde Emily, the third daughter of Queen Elizabeth.

Although she did not spend much time at Schönbrunn Palace and Hofburg Palace, she still knew her siblings of the same generation. Among them, one strange thing had always lingered in her mind: Grand Duchess Mary, who should have been born in 1868, was not born. Even in 1870, Gisela's mother, Elizabeth, showed no signs of pregnancy.

Princess Sophie hadn't died young either, so Gisela had always considered her a result of the butterfly effect caused by her time travel. But seeing this "little girl" today, her doubts resurfaced. Had her memory failed her? Was her sister Mary born before 1868? Had she simply overlooked it?

"Your name is Mary Valerie Mathilde Emily?" Gisela asked Rudolph earnestly. Miss Nika, standing nearby, was initially surprised by Princess Gisela's question, then nodded with relief, even a touch of emotion. It seemed Princess Gisela was worried that Prince Rudolph's cross-dressing would damage the Empire's reputation, so she had hastily come up with a name for him. Indeed, Gisela wasn't as terrifying as the rumors suggested.

"Yes, Sister Gisela!" Rudolf, that little devil, readily admitted it for some unknown reason. He then tried to get closer to his sister, but Rita seemed to sense his ill intentions and decisively stepped between them. After all, both men and women were people to be wary of, since their prince was too tempting.

PS1: Bro, you smell so good 0v0

Chapter 155 Irises Withering in the Alps: First Press Conference of Capter 16 (Vote Requested)

“Your Highness! There is no sister named Mary.” Unfortunately, Rudolf’s plan was completely thwarted by Rita’s sense of responsibility. These words also awakened Gisela on the bed. When she looked at the blonde loli again, she saw some familiar shadows in her and suddenly realized that the corners of her mouth were slightly raised.

“Rita, who said I don’t have a sister? Isn’t Mary my sister right now? I love my sister the most.” Gisela’s words were firm and unquestionable.

“Your Highness… I see…” Rita smiled and looked at the young man in front of her, suddenly realizing what was going on. “Your Highness Rudolf, you don’t want outsiders to know that you’re dressed as a woman, do you?”

"Miss Rita, you..."

"Your Highness means that since you like women's clothing, you must dress as a woman whenever you go out with her, otherwise..." Rita narrowed her eyes, and Rudolf felt a chill run down her spine. She finally understood that her sister's maid was just as terrifying as her sister. She had completely shot herself in the foot.

For the first time in his life, our esteemed Prince Rudolf also felt that Prague was too far from heaven and too close to death.

One day later, inside the old palace—

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this special press conference. As you can see, I, Gisela Louise Marie, Princess of the Empire and daughter of Joseph, the current Emperor of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, have something to share with you, our friends from the media." Gisela stood behind a podium, looking down at the group of reporters seated below.

Yes, Gisela was angry. Having personally experienced the assassination attempt, she was utterly disappointed with these fanatical nationalists. If she had only heard of these lunatics before, this time she was facing them directly.

After much deliberation, Gisela decided to use public opinion as a platform, which led to the first press conference in European history.

Interestingly, in an attempt to gain sympathy from reporters and the public, Gisela had Rita prepare bandages for her, which she then wrapped around her head and used to cover her right eye.

"You might be wondering why I've brought you all to the Vladislav Hall." The Vladislav Hall is the largest room in the old royal palace of Prague Castle, and can be considered the most central area of ​​the palace. Of course, the old royal palace, which is now half-abandoned, has long lost its political status and has become an ordinary palace.

"It's actually very simple. Your reports are not detailed at all. I understand the Empire's news censorship system, and I also understand that a small group of you believe everything you hear, and in pursuit of novelty, you write reports that are far removed from the facts. To these self-proclaimed fast runners, I only have two words to say: 'Nonsense!'" Gisela slammed her hand on her table, deliberately making an angry face.

"News is not something you can call news by sitting in a hotel or inn, taking out a pen and writing on paper all day. It is certainly not something you can just hear about and then make a fuss about!" The news media of this era were still in their infancy and exploratory stage, and their systems and mechanisms would not mature until the early 20th century.

"While I was recuperating in the hospital these past few days, I inadvertently opened a newspaper. Do you know how it reported this matter?" Gisela wasn't actually in the hospital bed. Using Rudolf's name, she secretly mobilized the entire police and military system in Prague to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the city's security. It's worth mentioning that Rudolf has been truly obedient to her these past few days; the future emperor is incredibly loyal to her.

“I won’t name this newspaper, but I’ll just say what their opinion is: blood spilled in the streets, royal assassination! Perhaps for political infighting? Look at this garbage!” Gisela placed the black-and-white newspaper on the table. Gisela wasn’t angry about the opinion itself, but rather severely dissatisfied with their attitude of writing something without any investigation.

Why do people say that newspapers within the Empire are hopeless? Nobody believes it? They clearly have their own problems, but the Imperial government still has to take the blame for suppressing and controlling them, even though it is true that the control is a bit too strict 23333.

“Alright, let’s not talk about that anymore. The reason I’ve called you all here today is to give you a complete account of this matter as someone directly involved, so you can tell the public the ‘truth’.” Gisela waved her hand, signaling Rita to bring the manuscript to her.

"Now, does anyone have any questions they're interested in or curious about? Feel free to ask anytime. Of course, to avoid confusion, please raise your hand when you ask a question," Gisela explained the rules. Although she was very familiar with this segment, it was the first time for the reporters in the audience.

This was the first time young Peter, a reporter for the Prague Daily, had participated in such a novel event. In the past, they had generally used two models when reporting on political news.

The first type is public announcement news. This type generally directly copies government decrees and official letters issued by the Imperial Government, or uses the original manuscripts with appropriate embellishments to make the report more accessible. The advantage of this type is that it aligns with the political requirements of the Imperial Government and does not involve the risk of irregular censorship during publication. However, its overly formal and ordinary nature does not attract newspaper readers as effectively.

The second type is "creative," which, in order to grab attention, selects strange angles to analyze events and arrives at a conclusion that contradicts the truth. Although it carries certain political risks, the rewards are often unprecedented, as the public loves to watch it, since there is a market for it.

"Let us ask questions freely?" Peter was a little uneasy when he heard this. Everyone knew that since the time of Prime Minister Metternich, the empire's control over the news was second only to the Russian Empire and Prussia. The former had virtually no news media, and the latter could not develop one.

That being said, as journalists, their professional instincts compel them to seek out and uncover truths often overlooked by the general public. With this in mind, Pete raised his right hand, just as Xun Ge'er said: "The first person to eat a crab is always a hero." Gisela looked at the young man with a pleased expression; if it were her, she probably wouldn't have chosen to be the first to raise her hand either.