She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 109 Unauthorized Departure is Equivalent to Treason

Upon hearing the words "Prince of Zhenbei," Shen Qingtan couldn't help but recall the rumors circulating about the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion.

The great-grandfather of the Prince of Zhenbei fought alongside the founding emperor to establish the empire and was enfeoffed as a king of a different surname in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Liangzhou was granted to the great-grandfather of the Prince of Zhenbei as his fief.

The founding emperor treated the great-grandfather of the Prince of Zhenbei very kindly, and exceptionally allowed his family to stay with him in the fiefdom instead of remaining in the capital.

The sons and grandsons of the Prince of Zhenbei were all brave and skilled in battle, and made great achievements. Over the generations, their prestige grew higher and higher, and their achievements even became so great that they aroused the jealousy of Emperor Changping, the grandfather of Emperor Jing'an.

Emperor Changping then left the women and children of the Prince of Zhenbei's family in his residence in the capital. On the surface, it was said that the Prince of Zhenbei's grandfather was away fighting on the battlefield, and the court was taking care of his family. In reality, however, he was holding them hostage in the capital.

From that time onward, the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion suffered suppression from Emperor Changping. Even after the late emperor ascended the throne, he continued to suppress the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, following Emperor Changping's edict.

Until the sixteen-year-old Prince Zhenbei suddenly appeared and became famous in one battle.

He was born with a rebellious streak, wild and untamed, with an arrogant and domineering attitude, as if he were the most important person in the world.

And he certainly has the right to be arrogant.

After winning the battle, the Prince of Zhenbei returned to the capital to receive his reward. When he returned to his fiefdom, he took his family with him from the capital.

The late emperor didn't even dare to strongly oppose it, because he had no capable military generals at the time. The Duke of Zhuguo was executed along with his entire clan on charges of treason, and Empress Xiaoen was poisoned to death by him.

As for General Qi, he was to guard other borders.

The Liangzhou region was constantly embroiled in war, and only the Prince of Zhenbei was capable of guarding it.

If he punishes the Prince of Zhenbei, the enemy state will surely make a comeback.

For the sake of the greater good, the late emperor had no choice but to release the family members of the Prince of Zhenbei's household.

In order to suppress the Prince of Zhenbei, he planned to arrange a marriage for the Prince of Zhenbei and issued an edict to summon him back to the capital.

However, the Prince of Zhenbei did not return to the capital, citing the urgent situation at the front lines.

The late emperor then sent the imperial edict bestowing the marriage upon Liangzhou.

Two months later, the messenger who delivered the imperial edict returned and said that the Prince of Zhenbei had already married and could not divorce his wife and remarry.

The late emperor, having lost face, issued an order that all personnel of the Prince of Zhenbei's residence must not be summoned and must not leave their fiefdoms without authorization. Anyone who disobeyed the order would be punished as a traitor.

The Prince of Zhenbei remained unmoved, and thereafter his methods became increasingly ruthless, striking fear into the hearts of the enemy.

In recent years, Liangzhou has been very peaceful, with no major wars.

Thinking about this, Shen Qingtan felt that the title "Great Killing God" was quite suitable for the Prince of Zhenbei.

Not only because he was a brave and fierce general, but also because of another rumor.

It is said that more than 30 years ago, someone was talking about the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion behind his back. The Zhenbei Prince overheard this and immediately drew his sword and beheaded the person.

From then on, his reputation was not good. His fearsome name spread throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, and no one dared to provoke him. They avoided him like the plague and did not even dare to mention him.

Shen Qingtan felt that the rumor was just a hoax. If the Prince of Zhenbei really did that and killed an innocent person, it would be like handing the late emperor a handle to use against him. How could he not be punished at all?

She said helplessly, "The Emperor will never send the Prince of Zhenbei to Guanzhou."

Although Emperor Jing'an did not suppress the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, he did not disobey the late emperor's decree and still did not allow the people of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion to leave their fiefdoms without authorization.

If one wants to leave their fiefdom, the only way is to perform a great service and return to the capital to receive a reward.

Shen Qingtan, seemingly lost in thought, added, "Besides, using a powerful weapon like the Prince of Zhenbei to punish corrupt officials would be a waste of his talents."

"I was just too angry and said something nonsense." Boss Qin lowered the carriage curtain and sighed, "I hope the Emperor will take notice of the refugees as soon as possible and punish the corrupt officials who have committed many evils."

Shen Qingtan said in a low voice, "His Majesty will find out soon."

-

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

Emperor Jing'an sat on the dragon throne, flipping through the memorials in his hands.

This is a battle report sent urgently from the northern border. It seems that the Northern Qi Kingdom knows that the army in the north is running out of food and wants to use delaying tactics to exhaust their supplies.

Not only that, they are even secretly increasing their troop numbers.

The grain supplies that the Duke of Zhao collected have been transported to the northern border, but it is unknown how long they will last.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had just experienced a natural disaster and was in a period of food shortage.

A protracted war is not a solution.

Emperor Jing'an was in a real bind, not only because of the war in the north, but also because of something the censor had reported during the morning court session.

Refugees gathered at the foot of the imperial city; these refugees came from Guanzhou.

Since there are still refugees in Guanzhou, it means that the food shortage there has not been resolved, and it is likely that food will be allocated for disaster relief again.

Emperor Jing'an asked the Duke of Zhao, who was standing beside him, "What are your thoughts on the war in the northern border, Father-in-law?"

Without hesitation, the Duke of Zhao replied, "Increase the troops and make this a quick victory."

Emperor Jing'an frowned and said in a deep voice, "If we want to increase the troops, the supply of provisions will be difficult. The generals selected must be brave and skilled in battle, and they must be able to win every battle. However, the cities near the northern border that have stockpiled troops do not have such good generals. Sending troops from other places will not be a solution to the immediate crisis."

The Duke of Zhao bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I do have someone in mind."

Emperor Jing'an asked, "Who?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing'an suddenly had a flash of insight and instantly thought of someone.