The Grand Shaman’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t expected that Bai Qingyan could deduce the method of time regression based on a legend.

But with time regression, only the person holding the male jade cicada could retain their memories. Therefore, without obtaining the male jade cicada, Sa’er Khan didn’t dare rashly shatter the female jade cicada.

The Grand Shaman studied Bai Qingyan carefully, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck his mind, and he thought of a possibility…

Could it be that time had already regressed, and Bai Qingyan was precisely that person who held the male jade cicada, which is why… she had guessed this secret?

“You…” The Grand Shaman looked Bai Qingyan up and down, unable to hide his shocked expression.

“So that’s how it is!” Bai Qingyan sat up straight, the confusion in her heart finally resolved.

So this was how time regression worked…

She speculated that at the same moment she died in her previous life, someone had shattered the female jade cicada.

Combining what this Grand Shaman had said, Bai Qingyan felt the most reasonable conjecture was that after time regressed, only she retained her memories. Therefore, she couldn’t go and ask Sa’er Khan or ask this Grand Shaman whether someone had once shattered the female jade cicada.

“Your Majesty, could you be…”

The Grand Shaman was about to voice his question when he met Bai Qingyan’s sharp, black, and white distinct eyes, and couldn’t utter a single word.

“I know everything I wanted to know. Do you have anything else to say that might preserve your life?” Bai Qingyan asked this Tianfeng Kingdom Grand Shaman.

The Grand Shaman’s lips trembled, and after a long while, he kowtowed: “I…”

He had no way to betray his motherland. He had once sworn an oath to the heavenly gods that in this lifetime, he would only serve loyally to the Tianfeng Kingdom’s ruler. But he was also human and would fear death.

Yet as long as he loyally worshipped the heavenly gods and didn’t deceive them, surely… even if he died, the heavenly gods would forgive his soul and let him serve at their side.

Thinking of the heavenly gods, the Grand Shaman seemed to gain endless strength in his heart. After kowtowing to Bai Qingyan, he said: “There is nothing more.”

“Such loyalty to your motherland – I deeply admire it. I will ensure you die quickly…” Bai Qingyan rose and walked outside.

The Grand Shaman’s body stiffened as he knelt on the ground for a long time without rising.

It wasn’t that Bai Qingyan wouldn’t give this Tianfeng Kingdom Grand Shaman a way to live, but this person was… too capable, actually able to divine that the jade cicada was in the pouch at her side.

Before coming to ask this Grand Shaman about time regression today, Bai Qingyan had already made up her mind: if this person could be taken into her service, she could give him a way to live, but if he was unwilling, Bai Qingyan could only send him on his way.

“Let him die quickly and bury him with honor,” Bai Qingyan said to Wei Zhong.

“Your Majesty can rest assured, this old servant will handle it personally,” Wei Zhong replied with lowered eyes.

Bai Qingyan nodded and walked out of the dungeon, gazing at the completely darkened sky.

The moon was bright and stars numerous, with clear moonlight like silver frost falling across her entire body.

Just now she had felt such an impulse to obtain the jade cicada in Sa’er Khan’s hands and shatter it to return to before the Southern Border war…

But who could guarantee that if she shattered the jade cicada, she would be able to return to before the Southern Border battle?

If she had truly obtained the jade cicada through chance and coincidence and been reborn, and her rebirth time was after the Southern Border war, could shattering the female jade cicada now take her back to that time?

According to what this Tianfeng Kingdom Grand Shaman had said, it definitely couldn’t.

If the time of her initial rebirth had been earlier, early enough to be before the Bai family sons encountered disaster in the Southern Border, there might have been a glimmer of hope.

Now, even if she shattered the female jade cicada, she couldn’t guarantee returning to an earlier time, and would first lose her two children. What would be the point of such suffering?

Walking on thin ice to reach today, every time she looked back, the slightest misstep would have meant the Bai family’s downfall.

Whether it was heaven taking pity on the Bai family and letting her be reborn, or whether her rebirth was mere coincidence, it was all heaven’s grace, for which she was deeply grateful.

She had once also resented why she wasn’t allowed to be reborn even earlier, early enough to save her grandfather, father, and uncles… and all her younger brothers.

But as a person, one cannot be ungrateful…

One cannot complain against heaven for giving her the chance to save the Bai family… but not allowing her to save more, just because she couldn’t obtain more.

Bai Qingyan lifted her feet toward the direction of the sleeping quarters, followed by palace maids, eunuchs, and guards – a dark mass of people.

“Your Majesty…” Wei Zhong’s young apprentice came forward carrying a lantern, falling one step behind Bai Qingyan. He lifted the lantern to illuminate the path beneath Bai Qingyan’s feet and said softly: “This servant will hold the light for Your Majesty. Would Your Majesty like to return to the study or the sleeping quarters?”

“Go see the two children,” Bai Qingyan said softly.

On the tenth day of the seventh month in the second year of Yuanhe, the Great Zhou and the Tianfeng Kingdom established an alliance for mutual trade and commerce.

On the fourteenth day of the seventh month in the second year of Yuanhe, Yan Kingdom’s eldest prince and second prince arrived at the capital as Yan Kingdom hostages. The Yan Kingdom main forces detained in the Southern Border could freely return to Yan Kingdom, and the Xiliang cities that Yan Kingdom had conquered were all returned to Yan Kingdom – Great Zhou did not covet them.

On the road back to the capital for the victorious Great Zhou army and the Bai family army after destroying Xiliang, the Great Zhou had already begun arranging for ministers who would soon depart for the Yan Kingdom to take over territories and cities and implement the Great Zhou’s new policies.

On the twenty-sixth day of the seventh month in the second year of Yuanhe, Minister of Works Shen Tianzhi was exceptionally promoted to Minister Shen and led Great Zhou court officials to the Yan Kingdom to oversee the implementation of new policies. Emperor Zhou personally commanded Wei Generals Shi Panshan and Zhen Zeping to lead one hundred thousand Great Zhou troops from Yan Kingdom’s borders deep into Yan Kingdom’s cities to escort and protect the implementation of new policies.

On the thirtieth day of the seventh month in the second year of Yuanhe, Yan Kingdom’s army entered deep into Great Zhou to conduct handovers and defense changes with the cities designated for implementing Yan Kingdom’s national policies, waiting only for Yan Kingdom court officials to arrive and implement Great Zhou’s national policies.

Such magnificent undertakings by both countries, with such grand troop movements, were preparations for the two nations’ wager.

The common people within the scope of implementing the other nation’s new policies only learned when the soldiers of both countries changed defense and the banners on the city towers were switched that they would serve as stakes in the wager between the two countries, implementing the other nation’s new policies to avoid warfare… seeking peaceful unification.

Initially, the common people were anxious and uneasy, with some even packing their belongings to prepare to flee.

But fortunately, the local county magistrates had already received the news and came forward to reassure them, saying they would remain, just under the command of court officials from the other country, and they would protect their own people’s safety. When the people saw that after the city defenses changed, the opposing army didn’t go on a killing spree, they finally set their hearts at ease.

On the second day of the eighth month in the second year of Yuanhe, the victorious Great Zhou army and the Bai family army that had destroyed Xiliang returned to the capital. Emperor Zhou, the Empress Dowager, and several ladies of the Bai family, along with all the court officials, personally welcomed them outside the city.

The common people had received word early and also rose before dawn, waiting on both sides of the main street to look out.

Normally at this hour, the great capital was so quiet that one could only occasionally hear the sound of dogs barking from distant alleys, and could only see the busy figures of early-rising vendors setting up breakfast stalls, lighting stoves, and wiping tables.

But today, the main street was exceptionally lively. The wine houses and tea shops along the street had all opened their doors early, not only brightly lit inside, but with customers coming and going.