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

Chapter 334 Unification of the world

The city of Bianjing had just experienced a peaceful transfer of power. Although there were not many casualties, the situation had changed after all, and the atmosphere of panic still persisted.

The court officials who went to express their loyalty to Feng'er today could not sleep.

Those who did not show their loyalty were secretly afraid and unable to sleep. They were hesitating whether to make amends tomorrow and quickly accepted the fate.

The people also felt this uneasiness and were unable to sleep.

Among them, the atmosphere in Zheng Mansion, which lived in the alley on the east side, was even more tense at the moment.

Almost all the members of the Zheng family were present, and at the moment they were all sitting there anxiously, especially the third son of the Zheng family, who looked embarrassed and fidgeted.

If you look closely, it is hard not to see that the young woman has a look of fear on her face. She keeps twisting the handkerchief with her fingers and glares at her husband from time to time.

The whole room was dead silent, and only the young woman could not wait to speak, "Father-in-law, have you really found out everything? Is that Prince Zhao the girl that the Zheng family broke off the engagement with? One is Xu Zhenying, and the other is Xu Qingying. Except for their age and surname, everything else is very different——"

Lord Zheng looked as if he had lost his parents. Although he didn't want to admit it, he had to nod his head, "Yes, it's her. The Prince Zhao was exiled from Bianjing City. His surname is Xu and his age is consistent. I also asked someone to find out more about it and confirmed that she is Xu Qingying, who was engaged to my son at the time!"

The young woman looked desperate. She couldn't help but hold on to the handrail tightly. She was at a loss for words. "I... I... I actually stole your highness's fiancé. What should I do?"

Lord Zheng was obviously even more panicked. Now that the disaster was approaching, he was afraid and regretful. "I don't think it would be that bad... Back then... We didn't cancel the engagement. We just wanted her to marry as a concubine... She herself disagreed..."

"Dad!" The third son of Zheng was so anxious that his head was covered with sweat. "Why do you have to deceive yourself? You and I both know what happened at that time. We were planning to cancel the engagement. We insulted Her Highness so much back then. She must be holding a grudge in her heart. Who knows, the first thing she would do when she enters the city is to deal with us! It's over, it's over, our Zheng family is finished!"

Madam Zheng was so anxious that she stretched out her hand to pinch Mr. Zheng: "It's all your fault. You insisted that the Xu family was in decline and that we shouldn't have anything to do with them. You rushed to cancel the engagement in a hurry! If it weren't for you, our son might have been the emperor's husband now!"

"What's the connection, woman? Stop talking nonsense!"

The couple almost got into a fight.

Zheng Da's daughter-in-law was relatively calm. "Mother-in-law, father-in-law, please stop arguing. It's useless to say more now. I remember that I gave His Highness a lot of silver, right?"

Mr. Zheng's eyes lit up, "Ah, yes, yes, yes."

"Who is the person who handled this matter?"

Master Zheng slapped his thigh and said, "Quick, go and call Manager Niu over to me!"

Soon, as everyone in the room waited in fear, the chubby Niu ran over panting. As soon as he came in, he noticed the dead silence in the room and knew something was wrong. Just as he was thinking about it, Master Zheng spoke first: "Niu Zhi, tell me what you said and did to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao when the Xu family left Bianjing seven years ago. Don't leave out any details."

Niu, the head of the household, scratched his head and looked at everyone with a puzzled look on his face. "What is His Royal Highness Prince Zhao? I have never met His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. How can I possibly meet such a person?"

"Ouch!" Madam Zheng slapped her thigh, "His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is Xu Qingying!"

"What?"

Niu Zhangshi shuddered with shock, then fell to the ground in fear, "Xu Qingying is His Royal Highness Prince Zhao?"

God——

Seeing the expression on Master Niu's face, Master Zheng's heart tightened even more. "Tell me quickly, what good things did you do before His Royal Highness Prince Zhao left? We asked you to see off the Xu family. You didn't say anything too radical or outrageous to offend His Royal Highness, did you?"

Shopkeeper Niu was immediately startled and almost jumped up to deny it, "No! No! Absolutely not—"

He wiped the sweat off his face again, and recalled the scene seven years ago. He hesitated and said, "At that time, I was ordered by the master and the mistress to see the Xu family off, and I also brought a cart of supplies. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao gave me the letter of withdrawal of engagement. There was no unpleasantness in the process."

Mrs. Zheng San was so anxious that she wanted to just yell.

You've forced someone to write a letter of withdrawal of engagement, yet you're still hoping that they won't bear a grudge against you. It's simply ridiculous.

I really hope that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao will not implicate her family because of the Zheng family’s stupid behavior!

Otherwise she would have died unjustly.

Madam Zheng pressed the issue: "Niu Zhi, please tell me clearly, did you say anything inappropriate or disrespectful to His Highness?!"

"No, no!" Niu was so anxious that his forehead was covered with sweat. He waved his hands quickly, "Madam, I have the heart but not the courage! You don't know that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was only thirteen years old at that time, but he already had the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix. Even though he was in prison, his demeanor was extraordinary. Although I did have some contempt for him at the beginning, I later found that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was not easy to mess with. With the idea of ​​canceling the engagement, I tried my best to meet the material needs of His Royal Highness. Do you remember that I came back to complain to you that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was very powerful and people dared not underestimate him."

Madam Zheng frowned slightly, as if searching for that distant memory, "It seems to be the case."

Mr. Zheng exhaled several times, and his mood was a little calmer now. "That should be fine. I heard that Her Royal Highness Prince Zhao is not the kind of person who kills innocent people. We didn't provoke her, so she won't make things difficult for our small Zheng family. It wasn't just our Zheng family that broke off the engagement with the Xu family. I remember that her cousin was also broken off. Husband and wife are birds of a feather, but they fly away when disaster strikes. Under that situation, could she force us to marry her? I think His Royal Highness can understand it. What's more, we are worrying about nothing here. His Royal Highness may have forgotten us a long time ago-"

Everyone still looked worried.

However, Old Madam Zheng secretly glared at Lord Zheng several times.

She was angry, and this time she suddenly remembered the Taoist's comments to her son, saying that the third son of Zheng should get married early to ensure a lifetime of wealth and glory.

By this calculation, shouldn't all his wealth and glory belong to Xu Qingying?

Madam Zheng San thought for a moment and said, "Let's keep a low profile these days and don't let Her Highness remember us. Just as my father-in-law said, Her Highness is so busy that she may have forgotten us. Let's not get close to her and just stay away from her."

"That makes sense."

At this point, there is no other way.

The Zheng family sighed and were shrouded in a cloud of worry.

Soon the next day, the clerk outside was heard walking back and forth in the alley announcing that the ban had been lifted and people could walk freely.

There were loud gongs and drums and a great deal of noise as countless people, with their families, walked towards the west gate.

The common people took down the bolts and looked at the crowd outside. Those who were not well-informed pulled people aside to ask, "What's going on? Why are there so many people?"

"Brother, you don't know yet, do you? They say His Royal Highness Prince Zhao has arrived! Now all the civil and military officials have set out to the West City Gate to welcome him! We are here to watch the fun."

"Ah, what's the fun here? It's safer to go back home and hide."

"Dude, this is the first female emperor in our history. Don't you see that the girls in the city are going crazy?"

This person seemed to have just noticed that there were many women in Bianjing City today!

Normally these women were detained at home, especially during palace coups, when women were powerless and in the most danger, so their family members naturally kept a close eye on them.

"What's going on? Could it be that all the women and girls in Bianjing City have gone out?"

"Brother, do you know that Jinzhou Prefecture has published a picture album of the Twelve Female Generals? Before His Royal Highness Prince Zhao entered the city, the picture album of the Twelve Female Generals was sold out some time ago! Everyone knows that the people of Jinzhou Prefecture are open-minded and the girls there are even more sturdy, so Bianjing City has followed suit and no longer restricts the girls. Some families with quick minds have already bought Jinzhou Prefecture's teaching materials for their girls!"

"It's said that women in Jinzhou Prefecture can also become officials. It seems to be true?!"

"That's right. Didn't you notice that there was a woman working as a clerk a few days ago? Just wait and see, things are changing now, and women are going to have to ride on men's coattails to show off their power—"

The people rushed towards the West Gate like a tide, and the civil and military officials were woken up early in the morning. They were first reprimanded by Minister Xu in the court, and then they set out for the West Gate together.

In such a short period of time, the entrance of the West City Gate has been completely transformed.

The city wall was covered with the flags of Jinzhou Prefecture, which were blood red with a few bright yellow stars in the middle, and were very eye-catching from a distance. At this moment, a piece of red was stretched across the city wall, giving off a festive feeling.

The entrance was cleaned early and even a red carpet was laid out, and the surrounding roads were also under martial law.

Civil and military officials wore full court robes and stood on both sides of the city wall.

Now Xu Zhenying has not entered the city yet, and Minister Xu is nowhere to be seen either, so they can only whisper to each other.

"Alas, I heard that the Queen Mother was captured and is now in prison. But the body of the Emperor is nowhere to be found."

"I wonder how His Highness will deal with the former Queen and the Crown Prince?"

"Eternal Empress, we will all be inferior to women in the future. I heard that the prince has never read the Four Books and Five Classics in depth, let alone the knowledge of literature and science. Look at the textbooks sent from Jinzhou Prefecture. They almost completely abandon Confucianism and Taoism, and instead combine the achievements of Legalism, Taoism, and Mohism, emphasizing only practicality. I don't know what the world will become."

"The Zhou Dynasty has been on the verge of collapse for decades. Now the world is changing. You still have the heart to worry about these things. It is better to think about whether there is a place for you and me to stay when Your Highness enters the city."

One person was dissatisfied and asked, "Why? Is Her Highness going to dismiss all of us? How will the government run? How will she take over the city of Bianjing? How can the world not be in chaos?"

The other person sneered, "At this point, there are still people who can't see the situation clearly. Lord Liao, you only like to eat, drink and visit brothels on weekdays, and you rarely know the situation in Jinzhou Prefecture. I remind you for the sake of our colleagues. The last monthly report of Jinzhou Prefecture has mentioned that the overall literacy rate there has reached 50%. In other words, five out of ten people can read. In your position now, you can do the job as long as you can read. His Highness has no shortage of talented people. I advise you not to learn from Han Xiang and his gang to pretend to be good and wait for a good price, so as not to lose everything."

"You!" The clerk in the green robe turned pale with anger. "I want to see how she can manage such a big country if she doesn't respect Confucianism and sets up her own orthodoxy!" Someone else immediately distanced themselves from this person. "Lord Liao, have you forgotten that before coming to Bianjing, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao already owned two-thirds of the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Not only was it operating efficiently, but it even turned losses into profits, with a full treasury and strong troops. Our Bianjing City is only three states. If it weren't for the advantage of occupying an important place for the emperor, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao might not have taken a liking to it."

The man replied sarcastically, "Lord Li, His Highness has not yet entered the city, so you should keep your loyalty."

However, someone who had been absent-minded the whole time suddenly said, "Why haven't I seen Minister Xu? Alas, it seems that General Bai is not here either—"

At this moment, outside the South City Gate, a Qingwei carriage surrounded by hundreds of people came slowly.

In the carriage, Qian Zhenniang couldn't help fanning her hands and complaining, "Oh my God, how did Bianjing become like this?"

Zhou Houfang lifted the green curtain and asked with a smile, "What happened to Bianjing City?"

"Quickly put down the green curtain. The dust is flying everywhere. The carriage is full of dust." Qian Zhenniang seemed very disgusted. "In my memory, this Bianjing City is the most prosperous place in the world. How did it become like this now?"

Qu Min smiled and said, "Minister Qian, you are probably used to living in Jinzhou Prefecture. There are cement roads there, and there is no dust at all when you run. It is not like the rough roads in Bianjing City. If you ride a horse, it will definitely be dusty."

Qian Zhenniang sighed, "I was just wondering how much money it would cost to build this. We spent so much effort to come to Bianjing City, but we didn't expect that we were here to help alleviate poverty—"

During the whole process, Xu Zhenying in the carriage did not participate. She sat in the corner as usual, with her chin on one hand, a pencil in her hand, looking at the passing scenery outside.

Zhou Houfang noticed with his sharp eyes that there was a tree diagram drawn on the paper, and some departments were written on it.

She felt a little nervous.

They had already captured the city of Bianjing, and Xu Zhenying was about to ascend to the supreme throne, but there did not seem to be much joy on Xu Zhenying's face.

Compared to the enthusiasm and excitement of others when they received the military report sent by Feng'er, Xu Zhenying seemed a little too indifferent and calm.

Xu Zhenying seems to be detached from this world, not happy with things or sad with himself.

Qian Zhenniang naturally leaned over to take a look, "Your Highness is improving the administrative structure?"

Xu Zhenying stretched his body and said, "Hmm," Now that we have taken over Bianjing City, we will soon be unified, which means that our people will increase exponentially. We must quickly establish and improve the responsibilities and functions of each department."

Zhou Houfang said, "Your Highness, Bianjing City is just three prefectures. Can't we continue to use the same system as before in Jinzhou Prefecture?"

"It probably won't work. Although there are only three prefectures in Bianjing City, we have expanded too fast. The four seas have just been unified, and the north and the south only belong to me in name, but in terms of real governance, our experience is still stuck in the Jinzhou Prefecture. In the final analysis, we did not have a transition period. We went directly from the six prefectures of Jinzhou Prefecture to the whole country. The population under management has increased dozens of times. The details still need to be finalized slowly."

The excited atmosphere in the carriage disappeared in an instant.

However, Elder Lin, who was sitting next to the coachman, smiled proudly when he heard this: "Your Highness is only nineteen years old this year. There will be plenty of time to slowly sort out this foundation in the future. Now that our hegemony has just been established, it is a great joyous event. Just let these little guys be proud for a while."

Xu Zhenying seemed to have just noticed the drooping faces of the people in the carriage. She gave a bitter smile and quickly collected the things on the table. "It's my fault. Elder Lin is right. We have initially achieved the unification of the world. This is a gratifying achievement. Let's not talk about these headaches today and concentrate on enjoying the flowers and applause now."

After Xu Zhenying's words, there was an immediate cheer from the crowd.

Liu Dazhuang, Zhao Qiaonian and others who were riding horses with the team were also very excited. Zhao Qiaonian even rode over to ask, "Your Highness, how about we have a celebration banquet tonight? Can we drink?"

Liu Dazhuang immediately said: "At this critical moment, we still have to be vigilant. We can eat, but we should not drink. After all, Zhou Mian still has remnants of power that have not been eliminated, and the civil and military officials have not all returned to their loyalty. The road ahead is long and difficult."

Xu Zhenying, however, relaxed: "Limit the amount, just a few drinks. People in key positions are still prohibited from drinking."

There was an even louder cheer from the crowd.

"That's right. On the wedding night, when you get your name on the list of successful candidates, you should enjoy the good times in life to the fullest!" Old Lin shouted, and everyone echoed him. This team finally had the joy and excitement of a victorious army.

Elder Lin turned his head and said, "Your Highness, we entered from the South Gate and deliberately bypassed the civil and military officials to greet us. Isn't this a bit too willful?"

Xu Zhenying smiled, "I asked Ming Xiaoshuang to go on my behalf. He's been so depressed these past few days, let him get some attention."

"Hey, someone is coming!" Someone in the team shouted, and everyone looked out and found that a team of nearly a hundred people were riding horses and galloping towards them.

Qian Zhenniang shouted with joy: "Feng'er! Feng'er——"

"Sister Zhenniang!"

Qian Zhenniang couldn't wait to jump off the carriage. The two ran towards each other and then hugged each other tightly.

Xu Zhenying also waved at Xu Huiming and said with a smile: "Brother, long time no see!"

Xu Huiming was also very excited. He looked at the fully grown girl in front of him, and felt mixed emotions. He almost blurted out the word "sister", but in the end he held back and said respectfully, "Your Highness."

From then on, there was only the empress, and no younger sister.

Members of the royal family should observe etiquette even more strictly.

What's more, he is a man, and his identity is likely to arouse suspicion.

Xu Zhenying looked Xu Huiming up and down for a long time before saying, "Brother has become thinner and darker. You and Feng'er have worked hard all these years."

"It's all my duty. Are my father and mother okay? When will they enter the capital?"

"All good, all good. Mei Xiao is about to graduate from the intermediate class and is preparing for the civil servant assessment, but she is not yet at the age threshold, so I am asking her to read more books, whether it is the textbooks of Jinzhou Prefecture or the books of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I am also planning to let her travel and study to broaden her horizons. Dad and mom are both in Jinzhou Prefecture. Now they have retired early and spend their days playing with cats and dogs, but they have always missed you. I have asked someone to send them a letter, and they will soon set out from Jinzhou Prefecture. According to the route, they will arrive in about a month."

Feng Er and Zhen Niang had not seen each other for several years, so naturally they had a lot to talk about. However, because there were other people present, the two of them only said a few simple words. Feng Er couldn't wait to walk in front of Xu Zhenying. When she saw Xu Zhenying, her eyes reddened, "Your Highness——"

Xu Zhenying touched her head through the green curtain and said, "Good girl, I'm sorry for wronging you."

Feng Er shook her head, "Feng Er is not wronged."

"I was terrified when I saw your military report. You were so brave that you dared to launch a coup alone in the palace. Thanks to you, a bloody war was avoided. Feng'er, not only me, but every soldier in Jinzhou Prefecture thanks you. You and your brother should be credited with the greatest merit in this Northern Expedition!"

Feng'er blushed slightly. Minister Xu, who had been domineering in Bianjing City for several days, was as shy as a girl when he saw Xu Zhenying.

"It's what I should do. I didn't have any other thoughts at the time. I just thought that we had come this far and only needed to make the final move. I would never back down. Even if I died in Bianjing City, I would find a way to get His Highness into the city."

"Don't take risks like this next time. You are obviously more valuable than a few cities."

At this moment, Xu Zhenying seemed to see the dozen people standing behind Feng'er. The leader, General Bai, had already noticed Xu Zhenying. There was no doubt that the person in the green-curtain carriage must be His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.

General Bai has seen countless people, so naturally he has a pair of sharp eyes and can tell at a glance who the leader of this team is.

Although he knew that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was young, he still couldn't hide his shock when he saw that childish face.

too young.

She was a very young woman, with a healthy complexion, not too white. One could tell at a glance that she must have been out and about all year round. She had two shallow dimples on her lips, and although she was always smiling, she gave off an inexplicable sense of majesty, making people afraid to approach her.

Especially those eyes, which were majestic without being angry, dark as the sea, and rich and restrained.

Is this the big shot in Jinzhou Prefecture?

It's really not easy.

Seeing Xu Zhenying looking over, General Bai and the officials behind him all bowed and said, "Greetings to His Majesty Prince Zhao."

Xu Huiming said, "Your Highness, these are the people who helped us during the palace coup that day. They were the first group of people to move closer to Jinzhou Prefecture. This is General Bai."

Xu Zhenying couldn't help but look at General Bai again.

Xu Zhenying did not get off the carriage during the whole process, so she gave people a feeling of being superior, but she was unexpectedly friendly, "General Bai Lao and General Bai Xiao went through the west gate, and you two missed it."

General Bai smiled proudly and said, "What's so good about my kid? I came here specially to pick up Your Highness."

"Have all the civil and military officials arrived?"

General Bai paused and could only tell the truth: "Prime Minister Han and several officials from the Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of War did not show up."

Xu Zhenying nodded, but didn't say much. He just said to the dozen adults, "Thank you for your hard work. I really don't want to listen to your hypocritical praises of me, nor do I want to embarrass you by racking your brains to flatter me, so I chose to quietly enter the city from the south gate. I didn't expect that you would trouble yourself to come to pick me up."

If they had known that the official atmosphere in Jinzhou Prefecture was direct and rude, now these people finally knew where the source was.

This prince... speaks too directly...

To an embarrassing degree.