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

Chapter 333 Sleepless Night
Feng'er sat on the main seat in Baohua Hall, frowned slightly, and rubbed her temple in pain.

The Baohua Hall has been renovated in accordance with the meeting style of Jinzhou Prefecture. There are only tables, chairs and benches, and everyone sits down during the meeting.

According to statistics, two-thirds of the people have already reported in, but the remaining one-third, including Han Xiang and others headed by civil servants, did not attend.

Most of the people who came had reluctant looks on their faces, especially when they saw the transformed Baohua Palace. Feng'er clearly saw the ridicule and contempt on their faces.

Perhaps these people think that the people of Jinzhou Prefecture are still unable to get rid of their unruly habits.

Xu Zhenying hadn't arrived yet, so Feng'er couldn't make any arrangements in advance. She just patiently admonished them and told them not to cause any trouble.

But Feng'er knew that this group of people would definitely not submit to her.

Perhaps only if Your Highness comes here can they be calmed down.

Your Highness, when will you arrive in Bianjing City?

"Is Minister Xu hungry? Do you want me to ask the kitchen to prepare something to eat?" The speaker was Wang Qiu Shuang. Feng'er had already ordered her to stay and be her secretary.

Although Wang Qiu Shuang didn't know what a secretary meant, she could see that the high-ranking Minister Xu was planning to use her. She was naturally happy and worked even harder.

As for those rumors, she doesn't care.

It took her a day to figure it out.

Since she had surrendered to Jinzhou Prefecture long ago, she is a member of Jinzhou Prefecture. None of the women in Jinzhou Prefecture are simple.

If she was afraid of rumors and didn't dare to come out to work, then how could she be a female official and become a figure like Miss Feng'er?
Look at Miss Feng'er. She and another Mr. Xu were hugging and kissing in public. So many eyes saw it, but even so, it did not affect Feng'er's handling of government affairs at all.

She seemed to be completely unaffected by the incident. The entire day was filled with inspections, meetings, and materials. She probably even forgot that she had had intimate contact with a man in broad daylight.

After this incident, Wang Qiu Shuang finally understood that good in terms of appearance is not good enough, only good in terms of substance is truly good.

When Feng'er heard Wang Qiu Shuang's question, she looked up and saw a pair of timid and uneasy eyes. In a trance, she seemed to see herself on the first day as Xu Zhenying's secretary.

She smiled, "I'm not hungry yet, I won't eat. Qiu Shuang, remember, a secretary is supposed to take care of the boss's eating, drinking, defecating and urinating, but more importantly, he is supposed to help him complete all the work. You just came here, and you may not understand many things yet, so you must watch and learn more, understand?"

Wang Qiushuang's expression eased a little, "I'll make a note of it."

Feng'er was thinking this when she saw Xu Huiming, General Bai, and several officials who were actively moving closer to Jinzhou Prefecture outside. Xu Huiming walked in front and led his men inside, then found a place to sit down.

General Bai looked around. He was really not used to the bureaucratic etiquette of just nodding slightly as a greeting. People in Jinzhou Prefecture almost had no etiquette. General Bai initially thought that Xu Huiming and Feng'er were acquaintances, so there were no so many rules when speaking and doing things.

However, there were already more than a hundred secret guards from Jinzhou Prefecture in the Bianjing city. Throughout the day, General Bai naturally had to deal with them. He found that no matter who they were or what the relationship was, even when superiors and subordinates met, they would only nod slightly or clasp their fists before saying hello.

As for kneeling and worshipping, it is even less common.

General Bai and these civil officials also figured out what was going on. The people from Jinzhou Prefecture seemed to be more casual.

Therefore, after they entered the room and saw Xu Huiming sitting down, they could only suppress their discomfort and just nodded slightly to Feng'er, then found a seat to sit down.

Feng Er looked a little tired. After a big battle in the morning, her arms and entire back felt tearing and sore. She could hardly lift her elbows. At this moment, she could only support herself on the table. "Now that everyone is here, let's talk about what happened in the court just now."

Another characteristic of Jinzhou Prefecture’s officialdom is that it is very direct.

Most of them do not like small talk and rarely ask about the lives of their colleagues. They almost always talk about government affairs.

General Bai asked first: "Minister Xu, may I ask when His Highness will be able to arrive in Bianjing City?"

"One day at the fastest and two days at the slowest."

When the people in the room heard this, they immediately became nervous.

The young man in green official uniform said, "It's a bit late."

Feng Er rubbed her temple and said, "It is true that time is tight and the task is heavy. I see that only two-thirds of the people came to the court today, and at least half of these two-thirds are obviously unwilling to come. They are probably afraid that they will be punished later if they don't come. People's hearts are not united..."

General Bai stared at Feng'er as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Feng'er said, "General Bai, if you have anything to say, just say it. We in Jinzhou Prefecture have never convicted people for their speech."

The civil servants stared at General Bai awkwardly, as if they had reached a consensus. General Bai was also a straightforward person, so he stood up and bowed, saying, "Minister Xu, please don't blame me. I think those people may have some opinions about Minister Xu personally."

"You have a problem with me personally?" Feng Er raised her eyebrows, and now she was actually interested. "Oh, what did you say about me?"

General Bai was halfway through his words when he felt a little embarrassed. He coughed and said, "You are young, but that's not the main point. The main point is that you... This Baohua Hall was where the late emperor held meetings. Although it has been renovated and the tables, chairs and benches have been replaced, the place where you are sitting... was once where His Majesty's dragon throne was placed! If His Majesty knew about this, I'm afraid he would be furious!"

Feng'er was stunned and subconsciously looked down at her seat. She suddenly realized something and couldn't help laughing.

Several officials looked at each other.

Instead, Xu Huiming laughed loudly, then stood up and walked to Feng'er's main seat. The two understood each other, Feng'er stood up and gave up her seat, and then Xu Huiming sat down.

Everyone stared at the two of them in a daze.

This……

General Bai's eyes widened. Didn't he just remind the two of them that although the dragon throne had been removed and there was only a long table and a chair, that place was the main seat after all. From now on, this would be the office of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, so it was also a disguised dragon throne.

Seeing them in a daze, Xu Huiming smiled and said, "We in Jinzhou Prefecture don't care about this. Whoever reports will sit on it. According to you, all of us have sat on the dragon throne in Jinzhou Prefecture."

"this--"

It was the other guys' turn to be shocked.

Those civil servants even wiped their sweat.

Feng Er smiled and said, "Any other opinions?"

"Nothing else." General Bai was shocked, "But Prime Minister Han and his men didn't come."

"Does he want to surrender or is he waiting for a good price?"

The civil servant in green uniform immediately said: "According to your humble servant——"

"There is no derogatory term in Jinzhou Prefecture. Just say me directly. Don't say humble official, lowly official, humble minister, villain, etc."

The man immediately followed suit: "According to my guess, Han Xiang is a smart man, and he and the other ministers usually stick together. If you say they are loyal to the Great Zhou Dynasty, they do have some loyalty, but the Great Zhou Dynasty has been declining in recent years, so they naturally have plans in mind."

"You mean he's waiting for a good price?"

"To be precise, the reason why he did not appear in the court was that he hoped that His Highness would personally visit him and invite him to come out of retirement."

Feng'er heard this and smiled at Xu Huiming.

Two people tacitly agreed.

This trick of playing it safe might have worked for the previous dynasty, but it didn't work for Jinzhou Prefecture.

There were few scholars in the previous dynasty, and scholars like Han Xiang were even more precious.

However, there are a lot of people in Jinzhou Prefecture who can read and write.

Moreover, they do not need the orthodoxy of the previous dynasty. Han Xiang's attempt to sell himself at a higher price this time is likely to be in vain.

Feng Er nodded, "I see. I understand."

Another middle-aged man who was slightly older and wearing a red official uniform, who seemed to be Mr. Xia, carefully probed Feng'er's face and said, "Minister Xu, the matter in Bianjing City has been settled. There are still so many concubines living in the harem. How does Your Highness plan to deal with them?"

"I don't know about this. I have to wait for His Highness to decide."

Several people were secretly arguing with each other. Feng Er smiled and said, "You want to ask how to deal with the former queen and the prince, right?"

After that, Feng Er frowned and complained again: "I'm really not used to your Bian Jing City's style of doing things. You speak half-heartedly and half-revealed. If there is any problem, can't we just communicate directly?"

Several people blushed.

They really are not used to the direct and rough style of Jinzhou Prefecture.

General Bai said, "Minister Xu, although the late emperor did not have great talents, he was an extremely kind person, and Empress Yuanchun was also a gentle and kind person. In order to prevent the retired emperor from ascending the throne, the civil officials reluctantly pushed the late emperor to be the emperor. I think the late emperor actually had no ambitions, and it was fate and destiny that made him lose his life for the throne he least wanted. When the late emperor was alive, he was very protective of us ministers. Therefore, we want to plead for the Empress and ask Your Highness to give these orphans and widows a way out." Feng'er frowned slightly. Everyone thought she was dissatisfied, and some even felt secretly annoyed. It was only the first day she surrendered to Jinzhou Prefecture, and she couldn't wait to plead for her old master. It seemed like she was asking for trouble no matter how she looked at it.

As expected, Feng Er shook her head and said, "I can't make the decision on this matter. I can only see what Your Highness thinks."

Everyone feels like mourning their heir.

But Feng Er added: "But I can also give you a reassurance. Your Highness never kills innocent people and will never do anything to destroy bridges. Please rest assured."

Everyone's expressions eased a little.

Feng Er said, "Everyone is tired after a day's work, please go back first. When the time of His Highness's arrival is confirmed, I will summon all officials to the West City Gate to welcome His Highness. General Bai, please pay more attention to the security work. By the way, General Bai, do you know that General Bai Ci'en will also come back with His Highness this time?"

General Bai was startled, then delighted, "Will it not delay the war in the north?"

"No. The North will soon be undergoing military reforms. Your Highness may have other plans for General Bai."

Other arrangements?

Has Bai Ci'en caught His Highness's eye?

General Bai was quite proud.

Another civil servant cupped his hands and said, "Minister Xu, there is one more thing. The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Lian Dehai, came to me privately and said that he hoped to meet with Minister Xu in person."

"Lian Dehai?" Feng Er frowned and subconsciously looked at Xu Huiming. Xu Huiming immediately said, "Mr. Lian is my second aunt's father. Speaking of which, he is also related to our family."

Feng'er came back to her senses at once!
No wonder she always felt that this name was somewhat familiar. It turned out that this person was the "grandfather who was a high-ranking official in Bianjing City" that Xu Lezhi often proudly mentioned back then.

Feng'er smiled, this was really a trick of fate.

Seeing Feng Er was in a dilemma, Xu Huiming said, "It is indeed difficult to refuse an invitation from an elder."

Feng Er said, "Logically speaking, you are from the Third House and cannot represent the Second House. In what capacity do you come to visit? Moreover, you don't know what the Second House thinks. Will they agree to your visit in the capacity of the Second House? Legally speaking, your every move now represents not only the Third House, but also His Highness. Now is a sensitive time, I advise you not to agree just because you can't save face. After all, we don't know what kind of personality this Lord Lian has——"

Without waiting for Xu Huiming's reply, Feng'er said to the official, "Tell Lord Lian first that the Lian family will be back in Beijing soon, and I will pass on the news when the time comes."

Xu Huiming was speechless, and Feng'er turned around and said, "Well, we've been tired for a whole day. If you have nothing to do, go home and rest first."

Several officials immediately bowed and left, but Xu Huiming did not leave.

After everyone left, Feng'er rubbed her temples uncomfortably.

I'm so tired that I can't even lift my hands.

Feng'er vaguely felt that there were other figures under the light, and seemed to guess who would be so unscrupulous. She hummed twice in discomfort, then opened her eyes and saw Xu Huiming as expected.

He took off his battle robe and changed into a green casual suit. He tied his hair up and put on a jade crown, revealing his angular face.

At this moment he was standing in front of the table, looking down from above and casting a shadow.

"Although I have handed over the city defense to General Bai, we still need our own people in key positions. Now, the only people we can really trust are the one hundred or so people we brought from Jinzhou Prefecture. The others are just surrendering on the surface, but I'm afraid they are still plotting in their hearts."

Feng Er sighed again, and continued to speak to herself, not caring whether Xu Huiming heard her or not: "Although the Great Zhou Dynasty is gone, and there are probably no loyal supporters of the Zhou Dynasty in Bianjing, we should be prepared for the worst. His Highness will be arriving in Bianjing soon, and we must stand guard for the last time and hand over Bianjing City to His Highness smoothly."

"It's really ridiculous that Han Xiang and his gang want to wait for a good price. Our Jinzhou Prefecture is full of scholars, and the clerks below are trying their best to climb up, fearing that they will miss the opportunity. But he is so lucky that he has vacated a position for himself first."

"The north is now stable, but I don't know how the war in the west is going. Last time, Your Highness said that the road to Shu is difficult. Most of the cities over there are easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if the Zhou Dynasty is destroyed, the King of Zhoushan can still lead his people to the mountains and forests and live a leisurely life as a local emperor. This is also a hidden danger."

"There are so many things to do. We haven't even sorted out the affairs of Bianjing City yet, and I'm already exhausted. I don't know how Your Highness has managed to survive all these years."

Feng'er talked to herself for a long time, but there was no response from the man, so she raised her eyes and squinted at the man under the light.

She then realized that Xu Huiming had been staring at her.

He opened his mouth and said, "Feng'er, let's get married."

There was silence in the air for several seconds.

Feng Er blinked, then frowned slightly. She was neither panicked nor happy as Xu Huiming imagined. Her face was calm, and she only asked, "Why?"

"I behaved rudely in public during the day..." Xu Huiming's ears turned red, but she tried to remain calm. "Anyway, I will take responsibility."

Feng Er frowned even more deeply this time, "So you want to marry me to save my reputation?"

Xu Huiming seemed to realize that he had said something wrong, and hesitated to speak. After thinking for a long time, he didn't know how to save the situation.

"If that's the case, there's no need to worry. I was born a slave and have now become a minister. I don't care about rumors anymore. Besides, there are so many things going on right now, and the rumors will soon disappear."

Xu Huiming's jawline was tense, and there was a hint of panic in her eyes. "But... you and I are just... after all. You don't care, but if your future husband's family cares, how are you going to deal with it?"

Feng Er stared into his eyes, then smiled softly, "How can we talk about personal matters when our great cause is not yet accomplished?"

Xu Huiming retorted, "The great cause has not been accomplished? The Great Zhou Dynasty has been completely destroyed, and we have taken control of Bianjing City. Doesn't this count as the great cause being accomplished? Feng'er, we have fulfilled our original dream, and you should also think about yourself."

Feng Er actually thought about it seriously, then met his anxious eyes and said seriously: "Master Xu, to be honest, I have no plans to get married in this life."

Xu Huiming was stunned on the spot, the color drained from his face, "Why do you have such an idea?"

"If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world. My dear, I have already married the cause I want to fight for—"

Xu Huiming's chest was heaving, and he was speechless. He thought Feng'er was just joking at first, but she looked very serious. "Getting married is troublesome. For you men, getting married is a wonderful thing that brings in children, adds icing on the cake, and has many benefits. On the one hand, you can help the world, and on the other hand, you can have a beautiful woman in your arms. Life is so happy. But for me, what can I get from marriage?"

Xu Huiming was stunned, his brows furrowed.

"I am already in a high position. My husband will not be of any help to me in terms of power. Everything I have in this position is due to the grace of His Highness and my own hard work. In terms of life, I have servants and housekeepers to take care of me. With my salary, I will not lack food or clothing, and I will even live a happy life. But once I get married, I must marry into another family. Serving my mother-in-law, taking care of the backyard, and dealing with people are all indispensable, not to mention having children after marriage. This childbirth will delay me for at least half a year, not to mention the delay in government affairs, and there are also risks of difficult labor, death, and postpartum weakness. Master Xu, you have also managed such a large asset. Can you calculate this account? How is my input and output?"

Xu Huiming was speechless!

"If I get married, it would be like taking on another load of things to do, and in my eyes, these things are all worthless. Now my career has left me with too much to do, and I really don't want to spend any more energy on other things."

Xu Huiming looked embarrassed and tried to make amends, "It doesn't necessarily mean there is no solution. As you said, you have already reached the position of minister. Which family would dare to ask you to deal with all the trivial matters in the backyard? Moreover, the trend of splitting families is popular in Jinzhou Prefecture now, and women don't need to visit their parents every morning and evening like before. As for interpersonal relationships, there are also arrangements for them by the housekeeper. You just need to do your job as minister well."

Feng Er shook her head firmly, "It's not necessary. I don't want to create more trouble for myself."

She raised her eyes, her gaze slightly cold, "Especially with you."

Xu Huiming felt a dull pain in his heart and looked at Feng'er in disbelief, "Especially with me...what do you mean?"

Feng Er smiled softly, "Master Xu, you have always been smart, how could you not see through it? Now that Her Highness has ascended to the supreme throne and completed her mission, she is destined to become the greatest emperor of all time. And you are a member of the Xu family, so you can be considered a royal relative. I have no intention... nor do I intend... to get involved in the Xu family."

"If I marry you, maybe I will just be someone's wife in the future. But Master Xu, I am a person who climbed out of the mire, and I want much more than that." Feng'er's eyes brightened, "Young people should have lofty ambitions, and compete for the glory of the vast sky."

Xu Huiming stood there in a daze for a long time. The night wind blew in, and he heard the rustling of leaves outside.

His heart seemed to be empty in an instant.

It turns out that there is more than one Xu Zhenying in this world.

Sometimes he really envied Xu Zhenying. Behind her, there was always a group of like-minded partners who were willing to go through fire and water for her.

After an unknown amount of time, he smiled faintly, "I am neither happy nor worried, and my life is free. It is rare that you have such lofty ambitions. It is my narrow-mindedness. I will just treat what happened tonight as a joke."

Feng Er nodded, "Of course, I also hope that Master Xu can find a good wife, live in harmony with his wife, and have many children and grandchildren."

Xu Huiming turned and left. The moment he opened the door, the night wind outside seemed to be even stronger.

The wind blew into the house, the lights flickered, and the oil lamp in front of Feng'er's desk went out.

Just like the light in her eyes extinguished.

Well, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Some people and some things are destined to be incompatible.

And tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.