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

Chapter 337 Lian Family Storm
So Xu Zhenying had no choice but to leave. Na Feng'er frowned and said, "Your Highness, I thought Madam Zhou would choose to live in anonymity with the children. I didn't expect that she would have the courage to stay in Bianjing City!"

Zhou Houfang often stayed in the inner house, so she could see through the women's thoughts. She said, "She doesn't believe that His Highness would let her go and leave a backup plan for herself. She was afraid that if she kept her identity secret, His Highness would still find her and even send someone to kill them silently. But if she stayed with His Highness, it would be different. At least she would be walking in the sun, and His Highness would be more cautious in doing things."

Xu Zhenying smiled, "That's right. After all, she still thinks I will wipe out the roots. It's no wonder she has this idea. After all, throughout history, the kings who lost their country all had a bad ending. It's normal for her to have concerns."

Feng Er immediately flattered him: "In which dynasty in history could there be such a wise ruler as your Highness? You can even keep the former emperor alive. This will definitely be a highlight in the history books in the future."

Xu Zhenying laughed and scolded: "You have been wandering outside for many years, so you have improved in this skill, and you have also improved in the skill of flattering others."

"I'm not flattering you, I'm sincere! I would like to ask which emperor in history could be as tolerant as Your Highness?"

Zhou Houfang smiled and said, "This is not tolerance, this is your highness's confidence. Now the people are all following your highness wholeheartedly and have no nostalgia for the old dynasty, so your highness is naturally not afraid of anything."

Xu Zhenying said to the people behind him: "You have contributed to this as well. When the Jinzhou army arrives, I will reward you according to your previous performance, so that it will not be in vain that you risked your lives to fight me!"

There's no better news than this!
Everyone's faces lit up with joy.

I have followed Your Highness for so many years, working day and night, tirelessly and without slacking for a moment, isn't it just to be granted a title of nobility, appointed as prime minister and change your family status after the rebellion is successful?

Although Xu Zhenying had never mentioned this matter, the people in Jinzhou Prefecture were reluctant to bring it up, so they were secretly speculating on how His Majesty would reward them when they arrived in Bian Jing. Now that they had received Xu Zhenying's confirmation, they were all so excited that their faces turned red.

Not to mention other people, even Zhou Houfang, Qian Zhenniang and others who were the most expressionless around Xu Zhenying all had happy looks on their faces.

"Secretary Zhou, you have to take Madam Zhou's affairs to heart and try to satisfy her. It's not easy for them to be orphans and widows. You have to teach them how to fish and teach them the ability to survive."

Zhou Houfang quickly agreed.

"Also, after the court session ends today, what is the attitude of the officials?"

Ming Xiaoshuang said with a smile: "Your Highness touched their cake right after he came up, so they were naturally panicked and at a loss. Of course, they will probably curse at each other in private."

Xu Zhenying also laughed: "They just scold me for being a woman who is authoritarian and a hen who crows at dawn. My ears are sore from hearing it all these years. It's right to scold people, it proves that they are hurting. Let them have nothing to do every day, and they still want to control me. I have to find something for them to do, so that they don't do bad things to me all day long."

Ming Xiaoshuang said, "That's right. I don't think anyone seems to be paying attention to Han Xiang's affairs anymore. But Your Highness, Han Xiang... is quite talented. Do you really not want to use such a person?"

Xu Zhenying shook his head. "Although they are talented, they are not very obedient and have many thoughts, so they are difficult to drive. Besides, aren't there many talented people in Jinzhou Prefecture? When my fourth sister leads a large army from Jinzhou Prefecture to arrive, there will be no place for these officials to use their talents. For now, we still need them to stay in their positions. After all, these officials have been in charge for many years and have deep roots. If we suddenly change them, it will not be good for our subsequent handover work."

After hearing what Xu Zhenying said, everyone realized that Xu Zhenying really did not intend to use these old ministers.

But it is also true that more than a dozen states under Jinzhou Prefecture were all thriving before, which shows that the Taoist tradition of the Great Zhou Dynasty was already outdated.

This would mean that there was no point in the existence of these troublesome court officials.

But for them, it is a blessing.

After all, there are only so many places in Bianjing City. Wouldn’t it be better to leave them to the people of Jinzhou Prefecture?
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And tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

When Lian Dehai returned home and took off his court robes, the maidservant beside Mrs. Lian came to report that the third and fourth young ladies had returned and were waiting in the front hall.

Lian Dehai's mind was as clear as a mirror.

Over the years, the eldest and second sons were sent to rural areas, and the fourth daughter married out. Only the third daughter and the second son's family remained in Bianjing City.

Lian Qiuzhi is the fifth child.

Both girls married into prominent families and were somewhat related to the Lian family. Right now, the Lian family members were keeping a low profile and living their lives in a low profile, wishing that Xu Zhenying would never remember them.

Therefore, he sent these two back to gather intelligence.

Lian Dehai changed out of his official uniform and, knowing that his two daughters were anxious, he hurried to the lobby. Sure enough, everyone in the room, young and old, men, women, and children, were looking at him.

Although the old lady was calm, she was a little anxious at the moment: "Master, can you see His Royal Highness Prince Zhao today?"

"I saw it." Lian Dehai nodded, and then thought of Xu Zhenying's methods in the court, and couldn't help but be a little shocked, "This girl is extraordinary. I'm afraid that even ten members of the Xu family would not be her match. No wonder... she was able to start from scratch and fight her way to Bianjing City in just a few years."

Old Madam Lian said, "The Xu family is really lucky. They watched the whole family being exiled, but they never thought that they would come back in glory."

Lian Dehai swept his fierce eyes over everyone in the room, "You didn't... show disrespect to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao before, did you?"

The women in the room all looked a little flustered, as if they were all trying to recall something.

It was the Third Miss who complained first, "Dad, that was many years ago. We only interacted with Fifth Sister, and we were just casual friends of the Third Branch of the Xu Family. I don't even remember there was such a person as Xu Qingying, so how could we offend them?"

"You have always been ambitious but incompetent. Maybe you have already offended others without even realizing it!"

The Third Miss cried out that she was wronged, so Old Lady Lian said, "What's the point of bringing up the past now? Think about how the Third Branch of the Xu family lived under the sway of the Second Branch. Even if we offended them unintentionally, it was not just one person's fault. Except for the Third Girl, did everyone else treat her with respect? Who could have known at that time that a little girl could have such a promising future, and even sit in that position..."

Even the Second Master's wife said, "Yes, father-in-law, if His Highness really wants to settle accounts with those who bullied her, then who in our Bianjing City can escape? The most urgent task is to find out the whereabouts of Fifth Sister's family--"

When it comes to Lian Qiuzhi, everyone has different expressions.

After all, when Lian Qiuzhi left, the actions of everyone in this room were not glorious.

Especially the old lady's mood was even more complicated at the moment.

On the one hand, she hoped that Lian Qiuzhi would live a good life so that she could help the whole family.

But she was afraid and jealous of her good life. After all, even the old lady couldn't guarantee that she had treated this illegitimate girl equally.

Especially on the eve of exile, she hinted to her servants to ask Lian to divorce. If Lian knew it was her idea, she would probably turn against her.

Old Madam Lian only hoped that Mrs. Lian didn't know about all this, and at least the scene of loving mother and filial son could be maintained, that would be enough.

Lian Dehai was probably the only person in the room who sincerely wished for the best for Lian Qiuzhi and the three granddaughters, so a smile finally appeared on his stern face at this moment: "I heard from people in Jinzhou Prefecture that Qiuzhi has already become a minister. Yinxi is even more promising. He has served as the magistrate of Lan County and the prefect of Qianzhou. He is currently the director of the secretariat. He can be said to be an important minister of the emperor."

Everyone was a little dazed, and then their expressions changed.

It was the wife of Mr. Lian who asked, "Father, the county magistrate and the prefect's daughter-in-law understand, but what is the position of the director of the secretarial office?" Lian Dehai stroked his beard lightly, with a smile in his eyes, as if he was honored. "The official system in Jinzhou Prefecture is different from our Bianjing City, but the position of the director of the secretarial office is roughly equivalent to Han Zongyun's."

"Prime Minister?!" The people in the room were so shocked this time that their faces changed. Especially the maid brought by the Third Miss Lian said in disbelief, "But my cousin is about the same age as me, how could she sit in such a high and powerful position?"

Lian Dehai glanced at her and said calmly, "Don't forget, how old is the current princess this year? The talented people around her are all young and promising young talents. Now that the Great Zhou has just changed, don't talk about age and gender, so as not to let the princess hear it!"

The old lady gave a few instructions: "That's right. His Highness is only nineteen years old this year, but he has already taken over the power, which shows how extraordinary he is. This fifth girl is also lucky to have climbed up to a high branch."

The old lady said this with some gnashing of teeth, "When they come back, we should take the initiative and visit each other more often. We are all family, so even if we break bones, we still have tendons. They have been away from Bianjing for a long time, and I am afraid they are not familiar with the city. I will allocate 5,000 taels from the public treasury to help them make arrangements in advance--"

"The housing prices in Bianjing are rising rapidly now. What kind of house can you buy with 5,000 taels? Why not pay a little more and make up 10,000 taels so that they can come back happily."

With a wave of his hand, Mr. Lian emptied out one third of the entire Lian family.

Even the old lady couldn't refute it, so she could only grit her teeth and pretend to agree happily.

Who made Xu Yinxi and Lian Qiuzhi so popular?

I'm afraid that others would have no chance even if they tried.

And Miss Lian San's expression was obviously not very good.

As the eldest daughter of the Lian family, she only received a subsidy of three thousand taels when she got married.

Now, dad is very generous and just waved his hand to give out ten thousand taels. Thinking of the quarrels between the sisters in the past, even the third girl felt heartbroken.

"But speaking of it, Fifth Sister has a miserable life. She is almost forty years old and still has no children. She doesn't even have a son. With all the glory now, what will she do in the future?"

"If we don't have a son, having a daughter like Yinxi is enough." Lian Dehai seemed to be completely oblivious to the women's bitter thoughts. He even thought about it seriously. "If it doesn't work, we can adopt one from the Xu family's side branch."

The old lady even smiled stiffly, "The master is right."

"Oh, by the way, raise Yue Niang's allowance as well. She lives in Baoyue Pavilion, which faces east. It's probably colder than other places in winter. Move her to the east wing, where there's plenty of sunlight and it's warmer. The fifth girl is now an official appointed by the court, so don't let her aunt live too poorly, or we'll be gossiped about."

Even the old lady had no choice but to agree.

Lian Dehai gave them a few more instructions, simply asking them to keep the matter of the second branch of the Xu family in mind.

After Lian Dehai left, Miss Lian San snorted coldly, "Fifth sister is so lucky. She was exiled to Qianzhou. She was supposed to live like this for the rest of her life, but now she has become an official! Who could have thought that in this world where morals are declining, even women can become officials! Moreover, I heard that the minister is at least a minister, which is higher than daddy's official position! No wonder daddy holds fifth sister in such high esteem!"

Old Madam Lian had a worried look on her face, especially when she thought about what she had done on the eve of her exile. She felt guilty and now she just hoped that Lian Qiuzhi knew nothing.

His heart was in turmoil, so naturally his words were a bit perfunctory, "What's the point of saying all this now! Now that Qiuzhi has returned home in glory, that bitch Yue Niang will probably wake up laughing in her dreams."

After all, Mr. Lian's wife is his sister-in-law, so she is not clear about the grievances and hatreds among the aunts of the Lian family. In addition, she remembered that when Lian Qiuzhi was around, his family treated the fifth aunt kindly, so she thought that Lian Qiuzhi would certainly appreciate their kindness.

Therefore, Second Lady Lian sat still like an old monk, determined not to get involved in their disputes.

After talking for a while, the anger of the Third Miss Lian gradually turned into fear, "Mom, do you think the Fifth Sister will still hold a grudge against us for what we did back then?"

"What have we done? Don't panic!" The old lady was already feeling guilty, and after being provoked by her daughter, she became even more flustered. "It's just some quarrels between girls in the boudoir."

"Mother, have you forgotten that you withheld Aunt Yue's share and nearly caused her to die of illness?"

Old Madam Lian frowned and glared at Miss Lian Wu fiercely.

The Second Lady of Lian immediately tried to smooth things over: "The Fifth Sister is no longer the same as she was before. She is now a person of high power and authority, so she won't hold on to the past. Even if you take a step back, you are still a legitimate mother, so you won't be put down. Instead of worrying and panicking here, you might as well go back early and train the girls. I heard that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao likes to employ women. The youngest clerk in Jinzhou Prefecture can take the exam if he is over thirteen years old, regardless of whether he is married or not. This is a great opportunity for us!"

The others all looked at Madam Lian Er in shock.

No one expected that Second Madam Lian would actually want to go out and work.

Madam Lian blushed slightly. "Actually, this is what my husband meant. She said that since the empress is in power now, we should also make changes in time to show our support. There are many talented women in Bianjing City. If our Lian family can be the first one, His Highness will naturally look at us differently."

When the old lady heard that it was her son's idea, her expression naturally eased a little. She secretly hated that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had corrupted the morals of the city of Bianjing and even forced the women to show their faces in public to do things.

But in the end I didn't dare say it out loud.

Madam Lian Er naturally knew that her mother-in-law was unhappy, so she said, "Even if we don't go out to work, the younger generation like Yuzhu and Yuanying are just fourteen or fifteen years old. If they can become female officials and have a position, it will be easier to find a marriage in the future."

Madam Lian's expression eased a little, "That's true."

When the third girl heard this, she also came to her senses. She had a son, but she also had a little daughter who was about to get married. She was just fourteen years old and had not yet been engaged.

"Second sister-in-law is right. Since we have the opportunity now, we must fight for it. With an official title, I'm afraid I can marry into a marquisate."

Lian Dehai did not say much about official affairs, so they did not know that at least half of the officials in Bianliang City would be persuaded to resign.

Otherwise, they probably wouldn't pin their hopes on marriage.

Madam Lian Er has always been a thoughtful person. She lowered her voice and said, "If you really have an idea, you have to act quickly. Some time ago, the textbooks in Jinzhou Prefecture were sold out. Now a textbook has been sold for ten taels of silver. At this price, the supply is still insufficient to meet the demand, not to mention teachers who know pinyin and mathematics! We have to snatch them!"

Several people were startled and began to panic, "Is it so popular?"

"The female officials in Jinzhou Prefecture all have real power, just like the men! The daughters of officials have let their daughters get in touch with the monthly report of Jinzhou Prefecture early on, and some even secretly help their daughters get familiar with government affairs. They must be training their daughters to become officials."

The third girl was extremely anxious, especially when she thought about how Xu Yinxi already held a high position of power while her own daughter knew nothing at all. She felt as uncomfortable as if she were being scratched by a cat.

She and Lian Qiuzhi had been fighting for most of her life, and she had always stepped on Lian Qiuzhi's head in the past. Especially since Lian Qiuzhi didn't marry as well as she did and didn't have a son, it really made her feel proud for a long time.

But I never thought that Lian Qiuzhi would come back in such glory.

Not only did she come back, but Xu Yinxi also became a female official!

"These damn fence-sitters! Our Great Zhou Dynasty hadn't fallen yet, yet they were secretly colluding with Jinzhou Prefecture!"

Madam Lian Er ignored the sourness of Aunt Lian San and said, "I am just reminding the family that if anyone wants to give their children a way out, they must act quickly. Otherwise, if you are slow at every step, it will be too late for the rest of your life!"