After Rebirth, She Becomes the Revenge Queen-Chapter 598 - 374 You’re Really Sly!

The Empress’s words carried a multitude of emotions, and Pei Zhan looked up at her, then nodded deeply in agreement. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

After she left, the Emperor also retracted his gaze, directing it towards Pei Zhan’s face.

The complexity within was such that Pei Zhan couldn’t understand it for a moment.

...

Since the previous imperial decree from the Emperor, instructing the Ministry of War to investigate the true situation in the northwest, many military generals in the court had already caught wind of it. This time, several generals and officials from the Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue were summoned into the palace, and everyone understood that something must have happened again over there in the northwest, although it remained relatively calm.

After all, it had been less than a year since Pei Zhan had conquered the lands of Dayue Country. After years of war between the two nations, even though they had achieved the victory of annihilating the enemy state, it was not yet a time to let down their guard. In the next three to five years, there would likely still be some remnant ministers and rebels attempting to retaliate.

If Great Zhou’s national power were stronger, the imperial edict Pei Zhan received back then would surely have been to send troops to garrison in Dayue, bringing that territory under the governance of Great Zhou. In this way, no matter how many were unwilling to accept it, they would be powerless to change it.

Unfortunately, Great Zhou could no longer afford such expenses at this time. Dayue, after years of war, also had no money. If a garrison was established, then Great Zhou would also have to take over Dayue’s civilians. The barren lands of the northwest desert could not compare to the Central Plains. Therefore, it would inevitably turn into an inextricable situation.

Hence, upon hearing that Pei Zhan had executed King Duan Ruo of Dayue, after a joint discussion, the court decided to return the lands to the people of Dayue, making them a vassal state of Great Zhou. In this way, after ending the war, Great Zhou could vigorously develop its economy and consolidate its foundation, which was the established national policy.

Over the past two years, with favorable weather conditions, no longer bearing war expenses, and no more sacrifices of soldiers, the national power was heading in a positive direction.

Everyone wasn’t surprised by the insincerity of the people of Dayue; everyone was cautious in their hearts. However, when they heard that the remnant this time turned out to be a Prince specially fostered outside by Duan Ruo, they were shocked.

As Lian Yang’s heritage was exposed, the past between Duan Ruo and the Prince Yi Mansion was also brought out for discussion. After all, King Yi’s grandson Xu Yin was still in the Heavenly Prison, and this had not happened long ago, remaining fresh in the memories of everyone. And Duan Ruo actually hid a Prince in preparation for restoring the kingdom—wasn’t this deliberately causing trouble for the people of Great Zhou?

On the afternoon of the day the Emperor gathered ministers for a discussion, the Ministry of Revenue began calculating the national treasury’s accounts.

Although the power balance between the two countries was now very unequal, as long as troops were mobilized, provisions and weapons must be in place first, and full preparations must be made.

Subsequently, defenses in various places around the capital were ramped up, and then the Commander stationed in the northwest was summoned back to the capital by imperial decree to report on duty.

These days, both the court and the public were bustling with activity, and even the streets and alleys, which had been silent for a long time, became lively.

In the teahouses, there were daily discussions, and anecdotes from the period of wars between the two countries, which had never been circulated before, emerged.

On the sixteenth of August, Fu Zhen took a trip to Baihe Temple. Seven years ago, she was deprived of her life here, and later, the original soul of Fu Zhen disappeared here. She came to copy a few Chapters of scripture, donate three thousand taels for incense money, and perform a religious ceremony.

The visitors in the temple were also discussing the military situation in the northwest, but theirs was all hearsay, with no way to know the specific details.

Surprisingly, everyone was not as pessimistic about this resurgence of lawlessness as one might think; they almost uniformly supported Great Zhou in deploying troops to strike back hard.

Fu Zhen wandered around the temple garden twice and, upon leaving, encountered Cheng Kong. They had not met many times, yet Cheng Kong, upon seeing her, clasped his hands together from afar and chanted a Dharma name.

Fu Zhen approached and greeted, "Master," then asked, "Does the Master remember me?"

Cheng Kong displayed a smile beneath his graying long beard, "Benefactor has a strong affinity with this humble temple, of course this humble monk remembers."

Fu Zhen recalled that on the day she returned to life, Mrs. Ning had received a few words of advice from him and guessed he knew something of her origins. She smiled and said, "Master is an enlightened monk. Meeting here today is my fortune. Could the Master grant me a few more words of wisdom?"

Cheng Kong lifted the corners of his mouth, "The benefactor’s blessings are profound; everything follows the decree of destiny, what more does this humble monk need to say? The benefactor’s children are blessed, except when the benefactor’s son is born in the future, there might be a small hardship. By then, the benefactor only needs to light a three-year long-lasting lamp before the Buddha, and there will be no other issues."

When Fu Zhen heard these words, they seemed like mere pleasantries. She and Pei Zhan had not yet consummated their marriage, so how could there be blessings of children? But when he mentioned "son," it sounded real, and her face flushed with heat, about to rebut him a couple of sentences. Yet, when she focused her gaze, the old monk had already turned and walked away...