"Your Majesty is wise."
"If even the Bitter Sect doesn't want to provoke them, the other two sects won't easily offend them either."
"Let's give up on the Northern State in exchange for the stability of the other states …"
The Shen Emperor spoke, and the officials all agreed. A few of them showed hesitation on their faces. Their lips moved as if they wanted to say something, but due to the general trend, they couldn't say anything in the end.
The young Shen Emperor put his sword back into its scabbard, waved his hand, and said, "Disperse. Order the Northern Army to withdraw from the Northern State and return to the Mera State. Defend the northern defense line to the death. We can't let them occupy the new state again …"
The officials obeyed and retreated. The Shen Prince paced back and forth in the main hall. He gritted his teeth and said, "The Great Zhou, it must be the damn Great Zhou that's causing trouble!"
The Shen Kingdom and the Great Zhou had hundreds of years of hatred.
When the last central dynasty on the Zu Continent collapsed, the Shen Kingdom was the most powerful among the countries on the Zu Continent. They wanted to take advantage of that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to unify the Zu Continent, but the newly established Great Zhou led troops to attack the new capital and almost destroyed the country.
That war broke the backbone of the Shen Kingdom, causing them to be unable to recover for decades.
This was the eternal pain in the hearts of every Shen Kingdom citizen and every Shen Royal Family member.
The dying dream of the previous emperors was to conquer the Great Zhou Dynasty and unify the Ancestral Continent. They originally had this opportunity, but the Xiao Royal Family had already decayed to the extreme in the past few years. The Shen Kingdom had secretly prepared for this, and then that woman ascended to the throne.
She used five years to lead the Great Zhou back to its peak, causing the Shen Kingdom's decades of preparation to go up in smoke.
The Shen Emperor took a deep breath and squeezed out a voice from between his teeth, "Venerables and elders? None of them are reliable at critical times!"
"So, Your Majesty, do you want to consider cooperating with us?"
A voice suddenly sounded. The Shen Emperor's expression changed. He looked at a shadow in the corner and said sternly, "Who's there? Come out …"
…
Nanjun, Great Zhou.
Under the towering Monument of Heroes, the southern army of the Great Zhou and the northern army of the Shen Kingdom faced each other across the river. Under the iron fist of Official Li, in recent days, no one from the Shen Kingdom dared to cross the border and cause trouble. Instead, they faced each other across the river.
Shen Country's North Bang, a stream of light flew over from afar and flew into the Shen Country's Northern Army's tent.
Two hours later, there was a sudden commotion in the northern Indian army, and many people began to move.
When the sentry of the southern army saw this scene, he immediately said, "Quick, the people of the Shen Nation are making a move. Quickly inform Commander Zhang."
After receiving the news, Commander Zhang immediately left the military camp and went to the border. He asked in a deep voice, "What happened to the people of the Shen Kingdom?"
Several high-ranking military officers stood by the riverbank and looked at the other side with puzzlement on their faces.
At first, when the northern army of the Shen Kingdom made a move, they thought that the other party was going to provoke them on a large scale. They were already on full alert and prepared for war. However, the actions of the other side made them somewhat confused.
After the commotion in the northern army of the Shen Kingdom, they began to tear down the tents of the camp, smashing the stoves built outside, and pulling down the northern army flag erected in front of the camp.
A deputy general was puzzled and said in shock, "What are they doing? Are they going to rebuild the camp?"
Another general said, "Why does it look like they're retreating …"
"Damn, they're really leaving …"
"The northern army is retreating from the border. What are they doing?"
…
All the soldiers of the southern army stood by the riverbank and watched as the northern army of the Shen Kingdom tore down their camp, leaving behind a mess, and retreated. Some of them had been guarding the border for decades and had fought with the northern army of the Shen Kingdom for decades. This was the first time they had seen such a strange scene.
This was the border between the two countries. How could the Shen Kingdom withdraw their army for no reason? When the generals saw this, they became vigilant.
"What trick is this?"
"Are they deliberately acting like they're retreating to make us lower our guard?"
"Why are the people of the Shen Kingdom so careless? We still can't let our guard down …"
Just as everyone was worried, a dragon's roar came from the sky. Two streams of light landed in the crowd. Commander Zhang walked forward and cupped his hands. "Lord Li, the northern army of the Shen Kingdom suddenly retreated for no reason. In your opinion, this …"
Li Mu smiled and said, "Don't worry, this is a normal military movement. The Shen Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom are already independent. Naturally, the northern army will not be allowed to stay. From now on, the Great Zhou will no longer border the Shen Kingdom. The soldiers of the southern army can live in peace …"
"What?"
"The Shen Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom are independent?"
"How is this possible?"
When the generals heard this, they all exclaimed. The Northern Kingdom was a part of the Shen Kingdom, just like the Southern County would always be an inseparable territory of the Great Zhou. Whether it was an external invasion or internal strife in the Southern County, the imperial court would not sit idly by. Think about it, would the Great Zhou allow the Southern County to be independent?
Only Commander Zhang was shocked. He looked at Li Mu and asked, "Lord Li, did you do this?"
Li Mu waved his hand and said, "I only did a little work. It's not worth mentioning. Alright, I'll have to trouble Commander Zhang to go to the county office and let them tell the public about this matter so that the people of the Southern County can rest assured."
Commander Zhang came back to his senses after a long time. He cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Li Mu. He said, "I admire Lord Li from the bottom of my heart …"
The people of the Shen Kingdom provoked the Great Zhou at the border of the Northern Kingdom. They thought that Lord Li would beat the northern army of the Shen Kingdom until they were afraid and that would be the end of this matter. They did not expect that he would directly take drastic measures to make the Northern Kingdom of the Shen Kingdom independent.
The Northern Kingdom of the Shen Kingdom would become an independent country. This way, the Great Zhou and the Shen Kingdom would no longer be neighbors, and the Southern County would no longer be harassed by the Shen Kingdom.
He did not know how Lord Li did it, but there was no doubt that from now on, the soldiers of the Southern Army would have a good life.
Once this news was spread, the entire Southern Army was excited. When the people of South County heard about this exciting news from the officials, Li Mu had already ridden on Cheng Xin and was on his way home.
As for Ao Run, because of his recent good performance, he was given a long vacation by Li Mu and returned to the Eastern County to reunite with his wife and concubine.
On this day, when the officials of the Great Zhou were attending the morning court, a strange phenomenon suddenly occurred in the ancestral temple of the imperial palace.
Golden light shone out from the ancestral temple and could be seen clearly everywhere in the Divine Capital.
Mr. Mei hurried to the ancestral temple to check and soon returned to the Ziwei Palace. He said, "Your Majesty, for some reason, the psychic power of the Southern County's Psychic Power Cauldron in the ancestral temple suddenly increased. The golden light of the ancestral temple was emitted by this cauldron …"
When the officials heard this, they were both happy and suspicious.
They were happy because the increase of any county's psychic power was beneficial to the condensation of emperor qi. Soon, the Great Zhou would have another seventh-realm powerhouse.
They were suspicious because the Southern County and the Shen Kingdom bordered each other. The people of the Southern County were often harassed by the people of the Shen Kingdom. Their psychic power had always been ranked last among the 36 counties. Why would it suddenly increase?
The originally quiet Imperial Court immediately became noisy.
"What happened in the Southern County?"
"Psychic power wouldn't increase for no reason. Could it be related to the Shen Kingdom?"
"But the Imperial Court hasn't taken any action against the Shen Kingdom recently. This matter is really strange …"
Assistant Minister of the Secretariat Liu Yi suddenly thought of something and muttered, "Lord Li seemed to have gone to the Southern County a few days ago …"
When the official beside him heard this, he immediately guessed, "Could it be that Lord Li did something?"
Another official said decisively, "It must be. If Lord Li isn't in the Divine Capital, then he must have gone on a secret mission …"
"Silence."
A voice came from behind the curtain, causing the originally noisy court to instantly quiet down.
Her Majesty the Empress now had absolute authority in the imperial court.
No matter how many people talked about her behind her back, there was an undeniable fact that she was the ruler of the Great Zhou's resurgence. Whether it was the people or the court, many voices believed that the Empress's achievements had already surpassed Emperor Wen's.
Behind the curtain, Zhou Yi said calmly, "The increase in psychic power in the Southern County might be because of the independence of the Shen Kingdom and the Northern Bang. There's no need to doubt. If there's anything, please report. If there's nothing, the court will be dismissed."
The court fell into a long silence. Seeing that no one was going to report, Zhou Yi's figure gradually disappeared behind the curtain.
After a long silence, the first voice appeared in the court. Then, it became noisy again.
"What did Her Majesty just say?"
"The Shen Kingdom and the Northern Bang are independent?"
"When did this happen? Why didn't the departments receive any news?"
This heavy news shook the hearts of the courtiers. The last time they talked about the Shen Nation was when the Northern Army in the Shen Nation's Northern Army provoked a dispute at the border. How long had it been since then? The Shen Nation's Northern Army was gone …
It was no wonder that the psychic power in the Southern County had increased. The Shen Kingdom was divided, so how could they bother to harass the Great Zhou? Moreover, although the states of the Shen Kingdom had always been independent, the division of a state and independence was something that happened in the previous dynasty of the Shen Kingdom. They would not believe that the Great Zhou had not interfered in this.
After hearing this news, they recalled what had happened recently and found some clues.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice said, "I was still curious. Manager Wei was doing well in the Ministry of Justice and was about to be promoted. Why did Her Majesty suddenly send him to the Southern County? I think he didn't go to the Southern County of the Great Zhou, but the Northern Bang of the Shen Kingdom …"
"Brilliant, this move is really brilliant. After losing the Northern Bang, if the Shen Kingdom wants to provoke the Great Zhou again, they can only bypass the Ghost Realm from the west. From now on, the southern border of the Great Zhou will be free of worries …"
After the morning court dispersed, the officials discussed for a long time in the Ziwei Hall before returning to their respective offices.
Soon, the news of the Northern Bang of the Shen Kingdom's independence spread to the ears of the people of the Divine Capital.
The people were still puzzled by the golden light emitted from the palace just now. When they heard the news, they were all excited. Because of the previous Emperor's decree, they did not have a good impression of the people of the Shen Kingdom. In addition, the people of the Shen Kingdom provoked them at the border, causing the people to hate them even more. They were very happy to see the Shen Kingdom on fire.
Li Mu was ten miles away from the Divine Capital. He asked Cheng Xin to transform into her human form and fly into the city at a low altitude.
Ever since she entered the Divine Capital, Cheng Xin's eyes had been looking around. Clearly, for a little female dragon who had grown up in the sea and had only been to the Shen Kingdom with Li Mu, the Divine Capital of the Great Zhou was the real world of flowers to her.
Everything here was so new and interesting.
Looking at the children on the street happily licking sugar-coated haws, she casually took one from the haystack on the shoulder of a passing sugar-coated haws vendor. She put it in her mouth and took a bite. The sweet and sour taste made her eyes turn into crescents.
Seeing that she was about to leave after eating the sugar-coated haws, the vendor suddenly became anxious. He hurriedly chased after her and said, "Hey, miss, you're so beautiful. Why don't you pay for your food …"
Li Mu took out a few copper coins and handed them to him, saying, "I'm sorry. Is this enough?"
"It's enough, it's enough …" The vendor nodded. Just as he was about to take the coins, he looked up and saw Li Mu. He was stunned for a moment and then said happily, "Lord Li, when did you come back? I haven't seen you in a long time."
Li Mu said, "I just entered the city."
The vendor immediately said, "Then I can't accept this money. This little thing isn't worth much. I'll just take it as a gift to this miss. I wish Lord Li and this miss a long and happy life together and have a child soon …"
In the hearts of the people of the Divine Capital, his image as a lecher could not be changed. Li Mu forced the payment and did not explain to him. He took Cheng Xin to the Li Mansion.
Along the way, there were many people who greeted him warmly. In the crowd, one of the people seemed to have realized something and whispered, "The Shen Kingdom and the Northern Bang didn't become independent earlier or later. They just had to become independent when Lord Li wasn't here …"
He looked at Li Mu's back and asked loudly, "Lord Li, where have you been these days?"
Li Mu looked back at him and said, "South County."
Looking at his back, the man slapped his thigh and said repeatedly, "I knew it, I knew it …"
…
After Li Mu entered the city, it took him a long time to reach the door.
In the Li Mansion, when Xiao Bai happily ran over to open the door and Liu Hanyan and the others walked to the door, they all looked at Ao Cheng Xin who was behind Li Mu.
In order to give the Empress a surprise, Li Mu did not tell her about Cheng Xin. Of course, he also did not tell Liu Hanyan and the others.
Liu Hanyan pulled Li Mu to the side and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"
Before Li Mu could explain, Liu Hanyan pinched his waist. She glared at Li Mu and said angrily, "Have I been too good to you? You even dare to bring her back without saying anything …"
"I …"
"What about you? Let me tell you, I will only forgive you this time. There won't be a next time. Otherwise, I will bring Sister Qing and Wanwan back to Mount Baiyun. You can live with these little vixens …"
Li Mu looked at her and said innocently, "What are you thinking? You didn't agree. How would I dare to bring people home casually? This is the mount I caught for Her Majesty …"
He waved his hand at Cheng Xin and said, "Cheng Xin, let them see your identity."
Cheng Xin nodded obediently. A pair of dragon horns gradually grew out of her forehead.
Xiao Bai grabbed Li Mu's arm and subconsciously hid behind him. The pressure of the Dragon Clan made her, who only had a trace of the Heavenly Fox Bloodline, naturally feel afraid.
As the top race on the continent, Liu Hanyan and the others had never seen the Dragon Clan before. They surrounded Cheng Xin and sized her up, making her feel very uncomfortable. However, after secretly glancing at Li Mu, no matter how uncomfortable she was, she could only endure it.
There was a fluctuation in the space in the courtyard. The Empress slowly appeared with Zhong Ling in her arms.
"Father …"
When Zhong Ling saw Li Mu, she immediately flew over happily. Li Mu held her in his arms and walked to the Empress's side. He looked at Cheng Xin and said, "Your Majesty, this is the mount that I promised you. This dragon has committed a crime in the South County. I punish her to be your mount for three years."
Ao Cheng Xin looked at the woman in front of her and finally knew who her master for the next three years would be.
Her future master was not only a beautiful young lady, but also a very powerful young lady. She was even more powerful than her father and even her grandfather.
In front of such a powerhouse, her pride as a member of the Dragon Clan quickly dissipated without a trace.
Before Li Mu came back, he was worried that Liu Hanyan and Li Qing would be unhappy that he only gave the Empress a mount.
Later, it turned out that he was thinking too much.
If it was just an ordinary gift, they would definitely feel unbalanced in their hearts. However, this was a dragon. Other than the Empress, who else was qualified to find a dragon as a mount?
Four hours later, Li Mu brought the women and the Empress, who had changed her appearance, to walk on the streets of the Divine Capital.
Ao Cheng Xin followed behind the Empress step by step, looking like a competent follower.
The women were shopping while Li Mu silently absorbed telekinesis. In a short four hours, the telekinesis of the people of the Divine Capital had increased by several times.
Liu Hanyan walked in front and asked Ao Cheng Xin, "What did you do when you were in the Thousand Fox Country?"
Ao Cheng Xin said, "Nothing. I just cultivated in my room …"
Liu Hanyan glanced at Li Mu and asked, "What about him?"
Ao Cheng Xin shook his head and said, "I don't know. My lord stays in the room with that queen every day. I don't know what he's doing …"
Li Mu raised his eyebrows and immediately explained, "What do you mean you don't know what he's doing? I didn't do anything. If you don't believe me, you can ask His Majesty. I stayed in the Thousand Fox Country for a few days to wait for Lord Zhou. In order to promote the stability of the southern border …"
Zhou Yi snorted and said, "What's the use of asking me? I don't know what you did with that vixen in the room."
Li Mu had no choice but to say, "I'm wholeheartedly for the people. Even if you don't believe me, you should listen to the voices of the people …"
On the streets not far away, there were many people discussing the matter of the Shen Country.
"I heard that the matter of the Shen Country's Northern Bang was done by Lord Li."
"No way …"
"What do you mean no way? Shen Country's Northern Bang became independent, and Lord Li just happened to come back from the Southern County. Even if you think with your feet, you know why Lord Li went to the Southern County."
"With Lord Li around, it's a blessing for the people and the Great Zhou."
The people chatted for a while, and the topic gradually changed.
"Didn't they say that Her Majesty and Lord Li have a child? When does Her Majesty plan to make Lord Li the empress …"
"I want to know too. We're so anxious …"
"But if that's the case, what about Lord Li's wife?"
"That's true, but if Lord Li can't be with Her Majesty, I'm afraid everyone will be upset …"
…
Soon, no one beside Li Mu spoke.
Liu Hanyan was expressionless. Li Qing lowered her head and did not say anything. Wanwan was at a loss. Xiao Bai looked at Li Mu and then at Zhou Yi …
Li Mu and Zhou Yi looked at each other, and the empress immediately looked away …
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