After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 317: Unified Northern Expedition
Everyone in Fengqi Palace was dressed in white. At this moment, Empress Yuan Chun's face was paler than her clothes. She almost subconsciously hugged the little prince Zhou Jin, while Princess Zhou Yu hid behind her mother trembling.

"The Emperor has ordered that the Empress be seriously ill due to worry, and that Crown Prince Zhou Jin be brought up in Huaici Palace—"

Huaici Palace was the palace where Zhou Zhong’s biological mother lived.

Sending the prince to his grandmother to be raised sounds reasonable, but Yuan Chun knows that this is just Zhou Mian's roundabout strategy!
If he wants to be the regent, he must first control Zhou Jin, who is still the crown prince!
But once entering Huaici Palace, how many days can Zhou Jin live?

The stepmother didn't like Your Majesty in the first place, and now sending Zhou Jin, who is only five years old, to him is like walking into a tiger's mouth!

Empress Yuan Chun was shocked and stood in front of Zhou Jin, like an old hen protecting her chicks. "How dare you! I am not sick! I am fine! His Majesty has just passed away, and the prince is still young and needs his mother's care. If the Empress Dowager wants to see my son, there is no need to rush at this moment!"

"Mother, I won't leave!" Zhou Jin, who was only five years old, had no idea what was going on. He only saw his mother's frightened tears and trembling body. He seemed to understand what his mother meant when she said, "Your father is gone."

His small body stood in front of his mother and sister, clenching his fists like a man, with his chin slightly raised, looking quite serious. "General Yu, I am the crown prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, so don't be rude! Take your people out quickly, you scared my mother and sister!"

General Yu curled his lips and showed a mocking sneer on his face, but still bowed slightly, "Yes, Your Highness, but this is the order of the Supreme Emperor. The Empress is seriously ill and unable to take care of the Prince, so she ordered you to go to Huaici Palace to show your filial piety. Don't resist, don't make things difficult for us servants."

"What are you doing?! Let me go! You are not allowed to bully my mother and sister!" Zhou Jin was picked up by General Yu, and his small body was immediately lifted into the air. He struggled with his limbs, but he could not break free from the shackles of this huge creature.

"Jin'er!" Empress Yuan Chun screamed in pain, but was held down by several palace maids brought by General Yu. All the palace servants in Fengqi Palace hid in the corner trembling, and no one dared to step forward.

Anyone can see that the one in power now is the emperor emeritus.

Even someone as noble as a queen is just an empty title.

"The Queen is seriously ill and has started talking nonsense. Please take good care of her!"

Several palace maids were all old and strong, and they were also elderly people who came from Huaici Palace. They immediately responded.

"The servants will take good care of the queen!"

However, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Zhou Jin had already been carried out on General Yu's shoulders.

Zhou Jin struggled so hard that she grabbed General Yu's hair. General Yu felt the pain and pinched Zhou Jin hard in secret. Zhou Jin immediately burst into tears.

General Yu threatened mercilessly: "Your Highness, you better be obedient, otherwise if you get bumped or bruised, no one will care about you!"

The door to the deep palace slowly closed, leaving only Zhou Jin's crying and shouting.

Empress Yuan Chun sat on the cold ground, holding her chest, crying bitterly. After Zhou Jin and the others had finally left, several palace maids finally let her go. The eight-year-old Princess Zhou Yu immediately threw herself into Empress Yuan Chun's arms, crying and saying, "Mother, my brother has been taken away by the bad guys - let's go save him!"

One of the old palace maids with drooping eyes said in a shrill voice: "Your Highness, it is only natural that the Empress Dowager wants to see her grandson. General Yu is working for the Empress Dowager. Could it be that Your Highness is saying that the Empress Dowager is a bad person?"

Empress Yuan Chun immediately pulled Zhou Yu over. Her face was pale and tears were streaming down her face. She hugged Zhou Yu and said to the maid, "Madam, why do you have to bully us orphans and widows? The Crown Prince has been taken away by you. Do you really have to force me to death?!"

"Oh, I remember now. The Queen Mother is concerned about your health and is afraid that you will be too sad because of missing the late emperor. She has ordered us to take good care of the Queen and the princess." The old maid smiled proudly, "Come on, take the Queen back to her room and take good care of her."

Zhou Yu watched helplessly as several old palace maids took action and dragged Empress Yuan Chun into the room. Zhou Yu cried until her eyes turned red, and kept instructing the palace servants in Fengqi Palace: "What are you doing standing there? Go and help my mother--"

But everyone kept their heads down, unmoved.

"You bunch of damn slaves, why don't you listen to the princess?!" Zhou Yu, who was nearly eight years old, didn't understand why the palace servants who used to be servile and submissive suddenly became no longer friendly and even pretended not to hear her orders.

Even now, they had clearly heard and seen everything, but they still had to watch helplessly as the palace maids treated her mother like that.

Zhou Yu stood there helplessly, letting her tears flow down. Then she seemed to remember something and hurriedly followed.

She wants to be with her mother!
"Your Highness, don't go--" Finally, the palace maid couldn't bear it anymore and pulled Zhou Yu lightly, but was quickly shaken off by Zhou Yu.

Soon, the room was locked, leaving only Empress Yuan Chun and Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu kept wiping Empress Yuan Chun's tears, and the mother and daughter cried together.

Zhou Yuda's eyes were full of tears. "Mother, what exactly does the emperor grandfather want to do? Why does he want to take my brother away from us? Is my brother going to be the emperor? When my brother becomes the emperor, everyone will have to listen to him. Soon we will be able to get out. Mother, don't cry--"

Empress Yuan Chun looked at her innocent daughter with a broken heart, "Yu'er, do you remember the gold-inlaid dressing box that your aunt gave you?"

Zhou Yu nodded blankly.

"Later, it was taken away by your eldest cousin." Empress Yuan Chun smiled helplessly, "This throne is like your dressing box. Even if it is yours, you still can't keep it. In the end, you still have to give it to someone else."

"Mother, are you saying that someone wants to take your brother's throne?" Zhou Yu understood immediately, "But your brother is the crown prince, the legitimate emperor—"

Empress Yuan Chun sneered, "Nothing in this world is legitimate. It all depends on who has a crueler heart. Your royal grandfather——"

Looking at Zhou Yu's frightened eyes, Empress Yuan Chun didn't say anything after all.

Soon, a palace maid knocked on the door gently, claiming to be there to deliver dinner.

It was a face of a stranger I had never seen before.

Empress Yuan Chun knew that her Fengqi Palace had been cleaned out by someone from Huaici Palace on the pretext that she was seriously ill, and that those who came to serve her now were probably all from Huaici Palace.

Empress Yuan Chun did not expect all this to happen so quickly.

Since Zhou Zhong's death, she had almost no time to feel pain. The situation got out of control and everything was pushed forward. Before she knew it, she had reached a dead end.

Empress Yuan Chun had no appetite at all, but Zhou Yu was still young and in the period of growth, and it was unknown how many full meals the mother and daughter could have. Empress Yuan Chun struggled to get up and took the wooden box from the palace maid.

The moment their hands touched, Empress Yuan Chun felt something extra in her palm.

Her expression changed slightly.

The person opposite also looked nervous.

It was obvious that he was a novice and had many flaws.

Empress Yuan Chun quickly took the note and said coldly, "What are you standing there for? Even if I lose power, it's not your turn to be a slave and watch the joke!"

The palace maid blushed, apologized and left quickly.

-----------------

Empress Yuan Chun never expected that Concubine Jing would be so bold.

She actually brought a few palace maids and broke into her bedroom directly.

She walked in so arrogantly, as if no one was around, leaving her alone standing there in a daze.

Her Royal Highness the Princess has been carried out.

Now only Empress Yuan Chun, Concubine Jing and her maid are left.

Empress Yuan Chun stared at Concubine Jing warily, and then angrily said, "Concubine Jing, the late emperor treated you well, and you actually surrendered to the Empress Dowager?"

It was no wonder that Empress Yuan Chun was angry. Her Fengqi Palace was now guarded so tightly that not even a fly could fly out. Zhou Mian's men were everywhere inside and outside. Not to mention delivering messages, it was even difficult to get in and out.

However, Concubine Jing was able to come and go freely, so Empress Yuan Chun naturally thought that Concubine Jing must have defected to the Empress Dowager long ago!
Jingpin coughed softly, "I asked the Queen Mother for permission to persuade you to seek peace and stop going against the Emperor, and only then did the Queen Mother grant me permission to meet you."

Empress Yuan Chun became more and more puzzled.

Unexpectedly, the maidservant beside Jingpin suddenly said, "Queen, I am the one who wants to see you."

Empress Yuan Chun was startled, and seemed to have just noticed that there was someone behind Concubine Jing.

Feng'er took a step forward, revealing her beautiful face under the light. She was not tall, and her facial features were ordinary, but her eyes were sharp and she had a fierce feeling of someone who had fought on the battlefield.

Feng Er honestly introduced herself, "Queen, I am from Jinzhou Prefecture."

The three words "Jinzhou Prefecture" made Empress Yuan Chun's face change drastically. She looked at Concubine Jing in shock, and Concubine Jing's eyes avoided slightly.

Empress Yuan Chun's chest rose and fell as she glared at Concubine Jing: "I thought you voted for the Queen Mother, but I didn't expect you to vote for Jinzhou Prefecture!"

Feng Er, however, stopped Jingpin and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, time is precious. There is no need to waste it on criticizing our members."

"What do you want to do?" Empress Yuan Chun came back to her senses. "You are very brave. Now the palace has been turned upside down. No one thought that you would hide in the palace. No wonder, you have an insider in the palace. It is not difficult for you to disappear from the world."

"Empress, as I said, time is precious, don't waste it. And in the current situation, you need us more than we need you. So, why not seek cooperation?"

Empress Yuan Chun did not expect that the people of Jinzhou Prefecture were so strong and overbearing, and they could see her predicament at a glance.

Seeing that Empress Yuan Chun seemed to have calmed down, Feng Er continued, "I heard that the Emperor took the Crown Prince away today? The Queen should also understand that no one can sit on the throne for long. Whether it's the current Crown Prince or Zhou Mian——"

Empress Yuan Chun glared at him, "Why do you say that?"

"Empress, my lord Xu Zhenying is about to conquer the east. Our people will soon reach Bianjing City. By then, Bianjing will become an isolated island—"

"But we still have General Zhao Yi. He has always been loyal to the emperor and patriotic. He will never sit idly by and watch us orphans and widows being bullied like this—"

Feng'er smiled, as if mocking Empress Yuan Chun's naivety. "First, Zhao Yi's 200,000 troops are nothing in front of our Jinzhou Prefecture. If it weren't for the Tartars in the north and our lord's kind heart not wanting to let the Tartars take advantage of the situation, she would have already reached Bianjing City. Second, how much is loyalty worth? How can you be sure that General Zhao Yi has no intention of making himself king? Third, the most crucial point, do you think Zhou Mian will give you time to breathe?" Empress Yuan Chun's face turned pale.

"I heard that the prince has been snatched away by Zhou Mian today. Children are weak and it is possible that something unexpected happened to them. Don't you think so, Queen?"

Empress Yuan Chun was immediately furious: "He dares?!"

"Why not? He killed his son, not to mention his grandson? If Zhou Jin didn't die, how could Zhou Mian take that position?" Feng'er had a cruel and calm smile on her face. There was no trace of humility in her expression, but instead she was full of vigor and vitality. "Empress, please wake up and don't have any unnecessary fantasies. I've said that no one in the Zhou family can sit firmly in that position. What you've fought so hard for is nothing more than the title of a king who lost his country--"

Empress Yuan Chun's breath was choked, and she seemed to remember Zhou Zhong's desperate and sad face long ago.

He had said such words before!

I just don't know what kind of mood His Majesty was in when he said these words.

Could it be that...the Great Zhou Dynasty can no longer be preserved?
"Or does the Queen think that you, a lonely woman from an unknown family in the palace and without military power, can defeat Zhou Mian?"

Empress Yuan Chun shook her head in despair.

Yes, what can she use to fight?

She had no military power and no prominent maternal family, and her only hope was General Zhao Yi, who was far away in the north.

But distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

Even when Zhou Zhong was alive, they couldn't defeat him. Not to mention them, an orphan and a widow -

This battle for the throne is doomed to fail.

Wang Qiu Shuang, who was listening on the side, also looked pale.

The words of this member of the Xu Society were like a sword piercing the heart, and they made people feel a chill down their spine.

Are these the girls from Jinzhou Prefecture?
Each of them is as fierce as a wolf or a tiger, and even more terrifying than an army of one hundred thousand.

Feng Er smiled and said, "Empress, since you can't keep the throne, why don't you try to keep your own children?"

Empress Yuan Chun stood up, steadied her shaky body, pursed her lower lips, and looked at the person who spoke.

When talking about her two children, Empress Yuan Chun seemed to calm down completely.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?" She smiled bitterly again, "You want to kill me?"

Feng Er saw that Empress Yuan Chun was full of hostility. She said she wanted to cooperate, but her tense body clearly revealed her distrust. So she sighed, "It seems that the Empress does not trust our Prince Zhao?"

Empress Yuan Chun sneered, "Who can sit on the supreme throne and be kind-hearted? Right now it's just because my son's status as the crown prince still has some value. In the end, it's just taking advantage of him. Why do you have to pretend to be so righteous——"

"The premise of this cooperation is mutual trust. The Queen is very wary of us and definitely cannot trust us."

Feng Er actually sat down by herself, as if this noble Fengqi Palace was her bedroom. Compared with Empress Yuan Chun's nervousness, Feng Er actually had a sense of being in control. "The Empress really doesn't need to be so wary of us. Our Highness has never done anything like crossing a river and then destroying the bridge. In the end, the Empress is just afraid that we are the same kind of people as Zhou Mian. She said she would cooperate with us, but then she would kill us, right?"

Empress Yuan Chun's face turned slightly pale. She had not expected the people of Jinzhou Prefecture to be so direct.

Feng Er smiled, "I can assure you that our prince is not that kind of person. When he was in Jinzhou Prefecture, many people wanted to assassinate our prince, but he never made things difficult for them. His Highness often said that enemies can never be killed, and the only way to eliminate them is to turn them into your friends."

Empress Yuan Chun was stunned.

Even Concubine Jing beside her was calm and collected, as if she was unwilling to let go of any opportunity.

"The Queen has lived in the inner palace for a long time, and the news is delayed. She may not be very clear about the general situation in the world, and even less likely to hear about our Highness. Even if she hears a few words, I'm afraid they are all bad things about our Highness. I guess the late emperor must have scolded our Highness behind his back a lot."

Empress Yuan Chun said in a mournful tone, "On the contrary, His Majesty thinks that your Highness is a man of extraordinary talent. He even looked forward to meeting your Highness in person."

Feng'er raised her eyebrows. She really didn't expect Zhou Zhong to have such a broad mind.

Empress Yuan Chun curled her lips and smiled, her tone somewhat mocking: "Why, you don't believe it? Although the late emperor was not smart, he had a good temper."

When Zhou Zhong was mentioned, even Jingpin, who had no marital relationship with him, had tears in her eyes.

Yes, although the late emperor did not favor these concubines very much, he had a very generous character.

When palace maids, both big and small, committed crimes, they were rarely punished.

He always said that these servants left home when they were young, came from poor families, and that their lives in the world were already very difficult.

Feng Er sighed, "He is a good man, but unfortunately he is not suitable to be an emperor. If you were born in an ordinary family, you should have lived together in harmony until old age."

Empress Yuan Chun felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife at this moment.

In the final analysis, it was this throne that ruined her husband!
No, it was Zhou Mian who harmed her husband!

If he had not forced his husband to sit on the throne, he would not have ended up like this.

"Our Highness has also said that Zhou Zhong is a very pitiful emperor. Whether he becomes emperor or not is never his decision, and he is a person who cannot decide for himself."

Empress Yuan Chun burst into tears immediately!

Even a female rebel who was thousands of miles away knew that her husband had been wronged!
"Maybe no matter how many good things I say about Your Highness today, the Queen won't believe it. But let's take a step back. If the Queen really feels that no matter what choice you make, the ending is inevitable. At least don't let it fall into Zhou Mian's hands. If it falls into our hands, I can guarantee that you will die quickly."

Feng Er narrowed her eyes and smiled, "But why don't you take a gamble? Our princess is a very good person. If you have ever met her, you will know that she is definitely not someone who would kill to silence someone."

Empress Yuan Chun looked confused. "We are the last bloodline of the Zhou family. If she doesn't kill us, she will never be able to truly end this chaotic world."

"Empress, you are too narrow-minded." Feng'er's voice was crisp. Although she was scolding, her tone was smiling, which made people feel very sincere. "You overestimate yourself. Don't worry, everyone yearns for a free and fair world. No one will miss the corrupt Zhou Dynasty, and no one will think about revolting against the Jin Dynasty and restoring the Zhou Dynasty. You might as well take a gamble and see if our Highness will cut the grass and root it out——"

Empress Yuan Chun looked at Feng'er who was so confident, and her heart was in turmoil.

Having lived in the palace for six years and being the mother of a country and protected by Zhou Zhong, she was not an ignorant woman.

At this moment, she had no choice.

There is only one road to Jinzhou Prefecture.

She raised her eyes, her gaze sharp, "Tell me, how do you want to cooperate?"

----------------

In the west, Liu Dazhuang soon received an urgent military report from Jinzhou Prefecture.

He opened it and took a quick look, then a suppressed smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

Seeing that several young generals around him were looking at him curiously, he calmly put away the military report, and then said to Zhu Kui: "Zhu Kui, from now on, you will take over as the deputy general of the western battlefield. Cooperate with General Lu to wipe out the remaining remnants of King Zhoushan's forces."

Zhu Kui was shocked and became more and more curious about what was in the military newspaper.

Liu Dazhuang looked at Xu Huijia again, his eyes flickering, "General Xu, His Highness has ordered you and me to withdraw half of our troops and rush to Xingyuan Prefecture immediately."

"Xingyuan Prefecture?" Xu Huijia's eyes jumped, and then as if she had thought of something, her eyes lit up, "We are heading north to fight? So soon?!"

The young players around immediately cheered!

Only Zhu Kui immediately realized that Xu Zhenying was in a hurry to go north, which must be because the war in the east had subsided.

Zhou Heng, I’m afraid his head and body have been separated.

Zhu Kui had mixed feelings, but he had been in Jinzhou Prefecture for several years and had long regarded himself as a soldier of Jinzhou Prefecture.

The sadness in my heart only lasted for a moment, but what was more important was the shock brought about by the Northern Expedition.

Once they launch the Northern Expedition, their process of unifying the world will be accelerated.

In other words, soon this war-torn land will find peace.

Liu Dazhuang made a gesture to silence the others. "The war is urgent, Huijia, we will select the people and leave in the afternoon. We will arrive at Xingyuan Prefecture as soon as possible so that we can make preparations early."

Xu Huijia immediately asked, "This time we are concentrating our forces to fight the Northern Expedition. Does Your Highness want to lead the army in person?"

"It's not written in the military report, but even our people in the west have been mobilized. It's conceivable that this Northern Expedition must be full-scale. I guess Your Highness will definitely go there to take charge."

"Good. I will be more confident when I fight with His Highness. His Highness has never lost a battle."

Zhu Kui said, "General Liu, General Xu, if we take away half of the troops, there will only be about 40,000 people left in the west. The King of Zhoushan still has at least 100,000 people——"

Xu Huijia laughed: "Why, General Zhu is afraid of not winning? Didn't you learn about those battles where a small force defeated a large one in military class?"

After Zhu Kui's training in Jinzhou Prefecture, he is much more stable than before. He also knows that General Xu, a relative of the emperor, is testing him, so he smiled and said, "It's not that I'm afraid of fighting, but this strategy needs to be slightly adjusted. Now we are few in number, and Shu is a tortuous place. We are unfamiliar with the place, so it is really difficult to win with a small number. So I think we should adjust our strategy now, change from offense to defense, and at the same time publicize the news of our Northern Expedition. The news in Shu is not well-connected, and the common people can't tell the truth from the false. If they knew that they were trapped, their fighting spirit would not be as strong as it is now."