Chapter 243: The Third Year of Mingxi

Niu Jiahua didn’t dare bring Xu Shuangnian into a city, nor did she dare go into any larger towns. She could only travel the mountain paths.

Thankfully, Niu Tianhu had packed a large bundle for Niu Jiahua. It contained clothes, medicine, silver, and dry rations, all prepared with meticulous care. Because of this, Niu Jiahua didn’t have to worry about filling her stomach along the way. The most difficult part was having to sleep in caves at night, but for someone like Niu Jiahua, who had grown up in the mountains, this was no problem at all.

On the other hand, Xu Shuangnian, the County Magistrate, had never endured such hardship. Being tied up the whole way was one thing, but he was only given a mouthful or two of food and water to keep him alive. He even had to be watched by a young girl when he relieved himself. It was practically killing him.

By noon the next day, they reached the outskirts of Yuan City. Niu Tianhu’s original intention was for Niu Jiahua to come to this city, which was far from Kunyu County but not excessively so. Niu Jiahua had already given up on the idea, but unexpectedly, she had ended up here after all. It really was fate.

Niu Jiahua tied Xu Shuangnian up on the mountain and rode into the city to gather information.

The single household registration document Niu Tianhu had procured for his daughter was, of course, authentic, allowing her to enter the city with ease.

But the moment she entered the city, Niu Jiahua began to cry.

"Senior Sister, I miss my dad."

’We’re bandits. We can’t even enter a city to buy things. But my dad got me a completely legitimate identification document.’

’This isn’t something you can get in a day or two. He must have been planning this for a long time, preparing an escape route for me far in advance.’

’He didn’t want his daughter to be a bandit for her whole life. He didn’t want his daughter to encounter danger.’

’It seemed like he never said anything, but it was all filled with a father’s love.’

The appearance of Prince Wei was no small matter. After spending a little silver, she indeed found out that Prince Wei would be arriving in Yuan City in two days.

Niu Jiahua’s face stiffened. "Senior Sister, we’re not actually going to see this Prince Wei, are we?"

’A bandit kidnaps a county magistrate to see a prince... and the prince will help the bandit? It sounds absurd.’

Xiao Li said, "You can kill Xu Shuangnian now."

"What?"

Niu Jiahua was in disbelief. "Senior, what are you talking about?"

Xiao Li’s voice was cold. "If Xu Shuangnian dies, the County Magistrate of Kunyu will be replaced, and Tianhu Village won’t be attacked for the time being. Isn’t that the result you want?"

Niu Jiahua fell silent.

Xiao Li asked, "You can’t bring yourself to do it?"

Niu Jiahua remained silent, her silence an admission.

Xiao Li found it laughable. "Then what do you plan to do? If Xu Shuangnian lives, Xu Nianqing will attack Tianhu Village again. What will you do then?"

Niu Jiahua’s expression was grave. "Then why did you want me to find Prince Wei, Senior Sister? Or is it that you’re the one who really needs to find him?"

Xiao Li: ’She picks now to get smart.’

"Kidnapping the County Magistrate to solve the siege on Tianhu Village and finding Prince Wei aren’t mutually exclusive. But killing Xu Shuangnian is a much cleaner solution than asking Prince Wei for help. It leaves no loose ends."

Niu Jiahua said, "He’s a County Magistrate."

Xiao Li couldn’t help but scoff, "He’s a County Magistrate, so he wants to kill everyone in Tianhu Village to earn merit. You’re a bandit. If you want to live, you have to kill him."

’To not understand your own position when it’s the law of the jungle is to court death.’

’I’ve made the reasoning clear enough. If she can’t understand it, then it wouldn’t be an injustice if she died.’

"Senior Sister, Senior..."

Niu Jiahua called out to Xiao Li several times, but Xiao Li no longer answered her.

Niu Jiahua left Yuan City, and this time, Xiao Li did not follow her.

’I could have used Niu Jiahua’s hand to write a letter to Prince Wei, Xiao Jingyi, and have him intervene in this matter.’

’But then I would have to expose my current, bizarre state.’

’How would I explain it to Xiao Jingyi? If I returned to my body, how would I face him?’

’Am I a person or a ghost?’

’Xu Shuangnian wanted to kill bandits for merit first, so Niu Jiahua killing him to protect Tianhu Village is their karma. It doesn’t matter which of them dies.’

’But I can’t just expose myself to protect Tianhu Village simply because Niu Jiahua doesn’t have the guts to kill Xu Shuangnian.’

’Sacrificing myself to grant someone else their perfect ending would be truly foolish.’

Xiao Li landed on the highest rooftop in Yuan City. Moonlight fell upon her, a single golden speck of light emitting a soft glow.

Yuan City was a major city, so information was relatively easy to come by.

It was now the third year of Mingxi.

Mingxi was the era name that Song Junzhan and the others had chosen for her. The name Xuanyang could have continued to be used, but they felt it was inauspicious. ’Xuan’ meant black, while ’yang’ meant light.

How could the ascension of an Empress, the founding of a new dynasty, be symbolized by a black sun?

So it was changed to Mingxi, which meant ’bright and prosperous’.

The era name was counted from the year of her ascension. The incident had happened to Xiao Li near the new year of her ascension. It was now spring of the third year, meaning more than a year had passed in between.

And in that year and more, many world-shaking events had occurred. For instance, the emperor of Yue Country, Murong Yu, had escaped back to his homeland, led a rebellion, and actually managed to seize five cities, re-establishing Yue Country.

For another, Cang Country had sent troops against Longsheng, but what they seized were cities that had once belonged to Yue Country.

It wasn’t just Beicang; Yundan, Bai Di, and Xiqi had all dispatched troops on several probing attacks. Within Longsheng’s borders, three different rebel kings had also emerged, vowing to overthrow the Empress and carve up the realm.

The realm seemed unsettled, but in reality, it was a complete chaotic mess.

There were also rumors that the Empress had already been assassinated and that Prime Minister Song Junzhan was concealing the news of her death in order to usurp power and seize the throne for himself.

Others claimed the Empress had defied the natural order, severing the Xiao Family’s draconic lifeline, which was why the various lords were rising up to vanquish her and restore order.

But though they wanted to attack, they didn’t dare.

The Empress had not appeared for a long time, so perhaps she was truly incapacitated. Yet her most trusted ministers remained united.

The civil servants used all their abilities to govern the cities under their control, while the military generals diligently trained their troops, whose morale and power were terrifyingly strong.

The civil and military officials were in unprecedented harmony. Even without an Emperor, the court continued to run smoothly, even developing in an even stronger direction.

The common people paid no taxes and every household had surplus grain. The benefits of being a soldier were excellent, so the young men of every family were fighting tooth and nail for a chance to enlist.

This was especially true for the Silver Armor Army, with their armor, steel knives, warhorses, and a "Big Killer."

The people were prosperous, the soldiers were strong, the court was stable, and the military generals were numerous.

The lords wanted to attack, but none of them wanted to be the first to go to their deaths.

The only reason they could still clamor and make noise was that the court had not yet sent anyone to suppress them.

Hearing of this situation, Xiao Li was not surprised.

’It didn’t matter that I was an Empress; even if a man had won the throne, there would certainly be those who were unconvinced and wanted to rebel. The throne is the ultimate temptation for human ambition.’

’Conflict doesn’t stop just because someone becomes the Emperor. It is merely an exchange of offense and defense.’

’I’m not afraid of others trying to seize power. At the same time, I anticipated that I might suddenly have an accident or disappear, which is why I delegated authority. I kept only the core in my hands and distributed the power of administration.’

’My departure wouldn’t cause the nation to collapse. As long as I am not dead—even if I’m just a living corpse lying there—the structure of the court will not fall apart.’

’And while the court seems to be ignoring these lords, I know they are just biding their time. The moment the time is right will be the day they die.’