The ministers of Chengguo watched all this, and the last bit of pride and stubbornness in their hearts was shattered. Zhao Hanzhang, far away in Luoyang, could know things even they didn’t know. What could Chengguo still hide from her, what could they use to resist her?

Even without the Prince of Cheng’s proposal to reduce his domain and step back, Chengguo would eventually be reduced and returned to direct court control.

This time, the ministers of Chengguo finally truly bowed their heads and submitted to Zhao Hanzhang from their hearts.

The court session continued until dawn. After Zhao Hanzhang had dealt with everyone, she finally had the camp tent opened and let everyone leave.

Outside the main tent it was already clean, with not only the bloodstains gone but even the craters in the ground filled in. On the ground were only scattered patches of black scorched earth—areas where the new soil couldn’t cover everything. Without looking carefully, one couldn’t tell at all that this place had briefly become a battlefield last night, with quite a few deaths.

Everyone restrained their thoughts and didn’t dare look further, obediently withdrawing.

Zhao Hanzhang kept the Prince of Cheng to share breakfast. Later they would still need to appear together before the people to reassure the Bashu subjects nearby.

Last night’s turmoil was only controlled within the inner perimeter. There were still over ten thousand subjects in the outer perimeter. The commotion here wasn’t small—they must have been terrified last night.

To prevent false rumors, she and the Prince of Cheng needed to appear hand in hand before the people.

Indeed, the subjects waiting in the outer perimeter saw the Prince of Cheng and the Empress arriving together, and their hearts settled. They didn’t know what had happened last night, but as long as the Prince of Cheng and the Empress were safe, all was well.

They liked the Empress and also liked the Prince of Cheng.

Zhao Hanzhang’s arrangements for Chengguo didn’t stop there. When leaving Chengguo, besides taking away many of Chengguo’s original ministers and generals, she also left behind a large army, with Ji Ping as general, garrisoning Yizhou.

Prince of Cheng Li Xiong became the Governor of Yizhou, with Li Xiang appointed as Chief Administrator of Yizhou. She also made new arrangements for officials at all levels below, most being from Li Xiong’s original team, with just a few officials transferred in from outside.

Previously, Chengguo had the structure of a vassal state, with a Prime Minister, Censor, Marshal, and Grand Commandant. But now, the vassal state had become a province, and with several places being reassigned to Liangzhou, all official positions had changed, so naturally the number of personnel also changed.

Zhao Hanzhang streamlined things considerably. After this round of screening, she took away several more old ministers from Chengguo.

They were still usable. She planned to take them back to Luoyang for reformation, then deploy them elsewhere after reforming.

Currently, the realm needed talented people everywhere. These people who had emerged from chaotic times and could govern one region couldn’t possibly be incompetent.

As for virtue, they would observe first. If not satisfactory, there were still laws that could be used as basis to confiscate their assets.

Zhao Hanzhang cut through the Gordian knot swiftly. In less than ten days, she had sorted through the entire Chengguo. Li Xiong stood beside her, watching her issue one decree after another. What had been like a tangled ball of knotted silk thread in Chengguo’s court was smoothly pulled out strand by strand by her, combed into a bundle of silken threads.

Grasped in the palm and hanging down, completely smooth and flowing.

Seemingly insignificant transfers and arrangements, yet they allowed people to cooperate with each other, no longer privately fighting and secretly competing for various reasons. Alongside them were supervisors, making it impossible for them to unite even temporarily to do bad things.

Li Xiong was completely convinced. This time, it had nothing to do with character, but he was completely convinced by Zhao Hanzhang’s ability.

At this moment, he finally understood Fan Changsheng.

He had twice advised him to submit to Zhao Hanzhang, not only because of Zhao Hanzhang’s character, but more because of her ability!

With such ability, even without the virtue to subdue the realm, no one in the realm could be her match. What’s more, she also had the virtue to subdue the realm.

How could the realm not fall into her hands?

Zhao Hanzhang spent the first Lantern Festival with the people of Yizhou and Bashu, only setting out to return to Luoyang the next day.

Chengdu had been very lively these past few days. Orders from the imperial palace—no, from the Governor of Yizhou’s office—were announced one after another. First, the three things that concerned them most were: First, Chengguo had been changed to Yizhou, and the Governor’s office would distribute land to people in Yizhou territory who had less than ten mu of perpetual property farmland.

Second, Yizhou was part of the nation of Hua. All laws would follow those of Hua. From now on, Yizhou students could participate in recruitment examinations in Yizhou, regardless of gender or ethnicity, and naturally no longer needed to leave Yizhou to participate in other provinces’ recruitment examinations.

Third, many officials had been transferred away. Some were said to have their entire clans taken with them. In the future, they would never again wake up to find two county magistrates fighting, each insisting they were the magistrate, or have soldiers burst into their homes saying their fields encroached on the road and needed to be cleared…

They would be distributed certain good farmland to cultivate like the people outside the mountains; their children could also enter school free for three years like children outside the mountains; they could also learn other skills…

When leaving the mountains, they no longer needed to pass checkpoints. Like people from other provinces, they only needed to carry household registration and travel permits to pass through. Like people from other provinces, they wouldn’t lack recruitment examinations because they were from a vassal state…

Whether ordinary people or literati and gentry, everyone was extremely excited.

Chengguo was only this area of Bashu. To serve in office within Chengguo, at most one could reach Prime Minister, equivalent to a provincial Chief Administrator. How could it compare to the vast world outside the mountains?

But Chengguo was a vassal state. The court had no direct jurisdiction here. The laws here were independent, the official system was independent, and so was education.

For talented people from Shu to enter the court, they either had to be very famous and could directly go to Luoyang to seek office, or they had to find ways to go to other provinces outside to participate in recruitment examinations.

But now, their path to recruitment examinations had also been opened.

On the sixteenth of the first month, the people of Chengdu enthusiastically lined the streets to see off Zhao Hanzhang. By the time she left Chengdu, several hundred people were still following behind the procession.

Zeng Yue sent someone to inquire. Before long, a guard returned to report, “Your Majesty, they are Yizhou students and some merchants who want to follow Your Majesty to Luoyang to study and… conduct business.”

The guard asked, “Should we drive them away?”

Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand. “Let them follow. You all take care of them.”

The guard acknowledged.

Zeng Yue wasn’t worried about them following, only concerned they might have internal conflicts that would disturb Zhao Hanzhang. He simply sent someone to organize and take charge of them, ensuring a safe journey back to Luoyang.

Zhao Hanzhang ordered Zuo Min to garrison Hanzhong Commandery as the Great General of Liangzhou’s garrison forces. Thus, the area from Hanzhong to the southwest also completely belonged to the nation of Hua, and the territory of Great Hua was roughly determined.

After leaving Bashu, Zhao Hanzhang hastened back at full speed.

Luoyang only learned their empress had run off to Chengguo when Zhao Hanzhang appeared in Bashu. Although the hundred officials grumbled internally, they showed nothing on the surface. The entire court proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Ji Yuan, Ming Yu, and Zhao Ming led the court’s control as a triumvirate. Fu Tinghan appeared daily at the minor court session leading the Crown Princess.

Zhao Mingming sat with her big eyes wide open, listening to uncles and elders discuss things she didn’t quite understand. But that was alright—Father had said she was a needle, a stabilizing needle for the court when Mother wasn’t there. As long as she sat here, she could stabilize the court.

That being said, Zhao Mingming still tried to understand what they were discussing. Father had said that these matters were currently Mother’s responsibility, but in the future would be hers.

If she learned these things earlier, wouldn’t she handle them faster in the future, saving a lot of time?

She was very busy. Normally during New Year’s, she should have been able to play to her heart’s content. But because Mother wasn’t there, she had to spend more than an hour every day meeting with court ministers, directly cutting into her entertainment time.