But he could also see that Lin Kangle was rough on the outside but meticulous within – he was good material for leading troops in battle. No wonder Lin Kangle, despite his civilian origins, could become General Zhang Duanrui’s deputy at such a young age, and was now highly regarded by Bai Qingyan.

Hearing Lin Kangle’s voice coming from outside, Bai Jinxiu, who was kneeling beside the soft couch, looked up at Bai Qingyan with a choked voice: “Elder Sister, grandmother has already passed away. We should escort the grandmother back to the capital as quickly as possible and let her rest in peace.”

Bai Qingyan lowered her eyes and stroked the Grand Princess’s still-warm and soft hand, nodding.

Although grandmother had not been able to wait for the coronation ceremony, she had not been able to wait… to see the moment when the surviving descendants of the Bai family were still alive, at least her final journey was seen off by her and Bai Jinxiu, so she had family by her side.

At least before grandmother passed, she knew that A’Yu, A’Jue, and A’Yun were still alive, which should have brought some comfort to her heart.

Bai Qingyan said in a hoarse voice: “Send someone… to report the mourning news to the Bai family!”

“Alright!” Bai Jinxiu supported herself on the edge of the soft couch and struggled to stand up, feeling her legs weak and numb. She barely managed to stand and called, “Someone come…”

Hearing this, Shen Tianzhi and Lin Kangle quickly turned and walked into the large tent.

“Your Majesty…”

Lin Kangle and Shen Tianzhi knelt and paid respects to Bai Qingyan.

She unhurriedly released grandmother’s hand, placed grandmother’s hand under the blanket, and covered her properly before turning around to look at Lin Kangle and Shen Tianzhi: “Rise. In the future, there’s no need for such grand ceremonies in the army. Luohong City has been broken, and the Jin Dynasty has ended. We set out today to return to the capital. Shen Tianzhi will stay with sixty thousand soldiers and also serve as the prefect of Luohong City, assisting the people in repairing their houses and rebuilding Luohong City.”

“Won’t sixty thousand soldiers be too many?” Lin Kangle asked straightforwardly.

Lin Kangle wasn’t doubting Shen Tianzhi, he just felt that helping the people repair houses and rebuild Luohong City would require only a thousand men at most.

“Yes!” Shen Tianzhi accepted the order.

“General Lin will rest with the soldiers who fought the fire for one day, then tomorrow lead troops to Hedong, this Jin Dynasty old prince’s fief, to deliver an imperial edict… telling them that their heir must not delay and must arrive at the capital by the twentieth of the sixth month to participate in the coronation ceremony. If they refuse to comply… just capture them! Surround Hedong with troops… If the Hedong Prince’s mansion makes any rash moves, show no mercy.”

Bai Qingyan had originally planned to personally visit all three fiefs – Hedong, Anxi, and Shuofang – but now that her grandmother had passed away, the remains needed to be transported back to the capital quickly to prepare for the funeral. Bai Qingyan decided not to visit all three places.

She planned to have Bai Jinxiu escort the grandmother’s remains back to the capital first, while she visited Anxi and Shuofang, then quickly return to the capital.

“Yes!” After Lin Kangle also accepted the order, he looked up at Bai Qingyan. “Your Majesty, there’s one more matter… The former dynasty’s deposed prince and Master Qin Shangzhi came to surrender last night. The deposed prince was stabbed in the chest and has now been saved. I wonder… does Your Majesty want to meet with that Master Qin?”

Bai Qingyan turned back to glance at grandmother, not knowing… whether grandmother would feel a little comforted to learn that the deposed prince was still alive.

After all, he was of the same bloodline as his grandmother. Bai Qingyan didn’t want to completely exterminate them, so she said: “Escort the deposed prince and Fan Yuhuai and others back to the capital together. As for that Master Qin… if he’s willing to follow the prince, let him follow the prince.”

Bai Qingyan didn’t say the rest, because she was clear in her heart… Qin Shangzhi would certainly follow the deposed prince.

“Then… how should we deal with the soldiers and hidden guards that the deposed prince brought?” Lin Kangle asked again.

“Detain them temporarily. We’ll decide how to handle them after returning to the capital!” After Bai Qingyan finished speaking, she looked at Shen Tianzhi again. “There’s one more thing, Lord Shen… After helping the people repair their houses, lead troops to the station at Tianxia Peak Road, which is the necessary route from Anxi and Shuofang to the capital. If anyone leads troops toward the capital, find a way to annihilate them all at Tianxia Peak Road. Just let a few routed soldiers pass through.”

Only then did Lin Kangle understand what the sixty thousand men Bai Qingyan left for Shen Tianzhi were really for – they were to guard against military rebellions from Anxi and Shuofang.

On the tenth day of the sixth month in the first year of Yuanhe, the Great Zhou Female Emperor personally attended the Hongmen Banquet. Bai Jinxiu, Lin Kangle, and other generals took Luohong City in one night. The Jin Dynasty’s deposed prince surrendered, and the Jin Dynasty was officially declared extinct.

On the sixteenth day of the sixth month in the first year of Yuanhe, envoys from various countries who came to congratulate the Great Zhou Female Emperor’s coronation arrived successively at the capital.

With the arrival of envoys from various countries, the busiest person was Dong Qingyue, Minister of the Honglu Si. Fortunately, because Bai Qingyan had instructed before going to Luohong City that new talent and those from humble backgrounds could be greatly promoted, Dong Qingyue made a big move this time to recruit new people, injecting fresh blood into the Honglu Si.

Probably because Dong Qingyue was the maternal uncle of Female Emperor Bai Qingyan, those nobles didn’t dare say anything.

But during this period, the former dynasty’s imperial relatives and nobles in the capital became restless. Originally, they thought that when Bai Qingyan ascended to the throne as emperor, even if they could barely save their lives, they would probably become commoners.

But who would have thought that after Bai Qingyan stabilized the situation in the capital, instead of dealing with them, she rushed to Luohong City to rescue the Grand Princess, showing no intention of making things difficult for these former dynasty imperial relatives.

The more cunning among the imperial relatives and nobles began to scheme. The Great Zhou Female Emperor Bai Qingyan’s grandmother was the former dynasty’s Grand Princess. By that connection, they were also related to the Female Emperor and could still be considered imperial relatives and nobles. The Grand Princess would surely protect them, too.

Once this thought took root and word spread… and they saw no sign of Bai Qingyan sending people to scold or refute them, these imperial relatives and nobles became bolder. They thought that when the Grand Princess returned, no matter what, they would have the Grand Princess persuade Bai Qingyan to preserve their titles and salaries unchanged.

Who knew, before they could wait for the Grand Princess to return, they heard that the Grand Princess had passed away in Luohong City. The imperial relatives and nobles in the capital immediately became anxious and uneasy.

Some even speculated that because the Grand Princess disagreed with Bai Qingyan’s overthrowing the Jin Dynasty and ascending to the throne, Bai Qingyan killed the Grand Princess.

When this rumor emerged, those who understood Bai Qingyan naturally dismissed it as nonsense.

But these Jin Dynasty imperial relatives and nobles believed it to be true, and all of them kept their tails between their legs, afraid that Bai Qingyan might kill them too in a moment of displeasure.

As for those old princes of the Jin Dynasty’s imperial clan who originally had fiefs, not daring to confront Bai Qingyan directly and fearing heavy losses if Bai Qingyan sent troops, they came to the capital one after another. After discussions, they prepared to negotiate with Bai Qingyan with a glimmer of hope, hoping to at least preserve their ancestral fiefs.

Of course, these old princes with fiefs from various places didn’t come alone. They had already prepared their descendants well. If Bai Qingyan refused to agree, they would raise troops…

These old princes who had fiefs and private armies had already given tremendous face by coming to participate in this coronation ceremony. If Bai Qingyan wanted to seize the private property passed down by their ancestors, even if they died, they couldn’t burden their descendants with losing their ancestral fiefs.