“I secretly summoned Zhao Rushan back to Yinzi City for questioning. He denied being responsible for the kidnapping and revealed that the Prince of Yan had sent envoys to negotiate with him,” Feng Miaojun said coldly. “The Prince of Yan was willing to provide him with substantial military funds, allowing him to collude with local officials and secretly raise troops, to restore the former kingdom when war broke out between Yan and Wei.”

“Zhao Rushan refused, so the Prince of Yan settled for his second choice, Grand Tutor Lu.” She shook her head. “Grand Tutor Lu had an illustrious reputation, with numerous disciples among the dignitaries across the regions. He harbored a deep national and personal hatred toward the Wei people. Then the New Xia Queen, who had even closer ties to Wei, took over the East. Driven by hatred, Grand Tutor Lu accepted the Prince of Yan’s conditions.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Haizhen spoke directly: “If that’s the case, the Prince of Yan will continue to sow discord. As long as the people have reservations about New Xia, he will always find gaps to exploit.”

Feng Miaojun poured out the last of the fine wine and casually replaced the stopper: “Therefore, we must find a way to plug these leaks as well. For the Kingdom to develop, peace must come first. If the troubles in the East are not eliminated, New Xia will always face internal threats. The most straightforward method to monitor the people’s sentiments is to measure Yuan power.”

Yu Haizhen understood and nodded: “I will do my utmost.” Perceiving the direction of public sentiment and reporting to the sovereign to pursue advantages and avoid harm was one of the State Preceptor’s most important duties.

Feng Miaojun rubbed her hands together: “When you return to New Xia, you’ll assume your position immediately. A dignified State Preceptor cannot have inadequate resources. Whatever personnel you need, I can arrange them from here.”

Yu Haizhen’s expression subtly changed: “I can request anyone I want?”

The “personnel” referred to, of course, were cultivators. The State Preceptor was typically also the leader of a kingdom’s cultivators.

Feng Miaojun smiled: “Of course.”

Yu Haizhen casually named a few people, all deeply accomplished cultivators. Feng Miaojun noted each one, but after a while heard no more names: “Is that all?”

“That’s all.” She dared not request too many at once, lest the new ruler become concerned.

Feng Miaojun stroked her chin: “Are you sure you haven’t forgotten someone?”

“No, this will do.”

Yu Haizhen’s expression was serious, and Feng Miaojun could only sigh: “Very well, we’ll do as you wish.”

She seemed somewhat disappointed, and as Yu Haizhen was about to inquire further, a commotion erupted in the street.

Looking down, they saw officials escorting sixty or seventy people toward the market square, with cries and screams emanating from the prisoners. Some wailed until they were hoarse, then fainted and collapsed to the ground, only to be dragged onto carts to continue the journey.

Others burst into curses but were quickly silenced with hemp gags.

Countless people stood watching from both sides of the street, all in silence—a silence that was suffocating.

Yu Haizhen watched too, but with no trace of pity in her eyes: “Which family is this?” She had witnessed similar scenes several times since her arrival.

“Former Assistant Minister Bao Tonghe.”

Feng Miaojun glanced toward the street, where sunlight generously bathed the world below. She sighed softly:

“Today is truly perfect weather for executions.”

From then on, the market square was packed from morning till night.

The great purge in Yinzi City continued for three days. Feng Miaojun dared not claim she had dealt with all the nobles who secretly communicated with Grand Tutor Lu and plotted rebellion, but after these few days, the East would know peace for a long time.

It was the first time the people had witnessed the thunderous wrath of the New Xia Queen.

Meanwhile, New Xia began investigating and arresting rebel forces across the East. With Grand Tutor Lu’s list in hand, the Queen should have been able to make arrests efficiently, but in reality, the task proved extremely difficult.

These individuals received sympathy and protection from residents. Less than a year after the East had been incorporated into New Xia, the call to restore the former kingdom remained strong in towns, especially in remote rural areas. After all, the kingdom had fallen not long ago, and most people could not erase their identification with it.

In Yinzi City, Grand Tutor Lu’s once-bustling mansion had been confiscated and sealed.

Following the Queen’s orders, no one dared touch the Lu family storerooms. The seals would only be broken when Feng Miaojun personally arrived.

She brought only a few trusted confidants, including Chen Dachang, to inventory the items one by one.

Unexpectedly, the Lu estate’s assets were somewhat “thin,” not the mountains of treasure she had imagined. The expenses of a noble family were also considerable; without proper management, social obligations alone could empty mountains of gold and silver.

This showed that Grand Tutor Lu maintained strict household discipline; otherwise, the various tributes would have been endless.

Considering that Lu had enjoyed decades of prestige maintained a good reputation, and could have peacefully lived out his remaining years, only to ultimately fail to maintain his integrity until the end, Feng Miaojun couldn’t help but sigh.

However, fewer items in the storeroom made the search easier.

She did not find what she was looking for here.

After confirming there were no other hidden mechanisms in the storeroom, Feng Miaojun considered for a moment: “Let’s go to Grand Tutor Lu’s quarters.”

Grand Tutor Lu’s room was no different from that of any elderly person. Despite the bright sunshine outside, the room emanated a chill.

It was the air of stale decay.

Feng Miaojun took out an ant nest the size of a blood walnut, placed it on the ground, and tapped it lightly: “Go, find all the hidden mechanisms in this room.”

As soon as she spoke, countless fire-red tiny ants emerged from the nest, spreading in all directions, leaving no corner unexplored, no matter how concealed.

These were heart-devouring ants. Many details that might escape human eyes could be entrusted to them.

Sure enough, before long, a small cluster of ants gathered together, alerting Feng Miaojun to something unusual—right on the chair where she sat!

She raised an eyebrow and stood up, grabbing the sandalwood chair to examine it carefully. Indeed, she discovered a hidden compartment beneath the seat, only an inch thick. Grand Tutor Lu had been meticulous, knowing that thieves breaking in would at most search for hidden compartments under the bed, beneath tables, or in wall panels, but few would notice that an ordinary chair could also conceal a secret mechanism.

Feng Miaojun pulled open the compartment and found it lined with cotton to prevent whatever was hidden inside from making noise if the chair was moved.

The compartment was small and contained only one item, but it made Feng Miaojun’s eyes widen:

A broken metal fragment, neither gold nor copper, with patterns and symbols etched on its surface.

Walking through the commoner districts, such broken pieces could be found everywhere. However, in Feng Miaojun’s eyes, this object was more precious than any treasure!

She already possessed a similar fragment, which had been retrieved when the Kingdom fell—a Kingdom Vessel.

Grand Tutor Lu was right; this thing could serve as a Kingdom Vessel. Indeed, though the fragment of the Realm God’s altar was neither a divine artifact nor possessed any other special properties, it could carry a nation’s destiny.

She gently picked up the fragment and stored it away. No wonder he had been so confident about restoring the Kingdom—besides planning to raise a rebellion in Miao Hansheng’s name, he had also secretly kept a fragment of the altar. With this object, he could re-establish the Kingdom and generate Yuan power.

Just like present-day New Xia.