Did the eldest daughter ascend the throne today?

Zhou Hongye chose to rebel with Ning Zhiwei, so he had to try his best. If he succeeded, he would be a king, and if he failed, he would be a bandit. He didn't want to die.

"My lord, now there are four kings, fighting each other fiercely. However, if you claim to be king at this time, they will think you are an alien and will unite to attack you. Therefore, this is not the best time to start a rebellion."

Don't be impatient at this time, the more impatient you are, the easier it is to make mistakes.

Ning Zhiwei already had an idea in mind, but still wanted to hear his opinion, "I know, do you have any good suggestions?"

Zhou Hongye looked serious. "We should accumulate strength, develop in secret and wait for the best opportunity. When they have almost consumed each other, we will take action. Of course, we must make all necessary preparations. This is the first step."

The smartest thing to do is to let them fight until they are bloody, and then come out to take advantage.

"Second, create and guide public opinion. Our situation is special. We need to create a complete logical system of female rule, publicize your virtues, publicize the benevolent governance of the Northwest, and let the people of the world accept this system imperceptibly. With the guidance of day by day, the impossible will become possible. This step is crucial."

"Third, use the will of heaven to create public opinion that your accession to the throne is legitimate. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If you win the hearts of the people, you will win the world."

Ning Zhiwei's lips curled up slightly, "That's right, you are responsible for this matter."

Zhou Hongye quickly responded, "Yes."

"One more thing. The generals in the army are of utmost importance. You must keep them firmly under your control and make them willing to follow you to conquer the world."

Ning Zhiwei had already made plans. "Military generals need to be awarded titles based on their military merits. They are easy to persuade, but civil officials... we also need to establish a complete system."

Zhou Hongye frowned, "This is indeed a bit difficult. If you raise a banner, you can openly issue a call for talents and let people of insight from all over the world join you. But now, it's difficult."

Ning Zhiwei waved his hand, "No need to issue a recruitment order, just say that we want to build several academies in the northwest, and welcome respected celebrities to serve as the principals, with preferential treatment. We are also in urgent need of a group of teachers to teach, and the annual tuition is 500 taels of silver. Families are welcome to come, and food and accommodation will be provided, and life safety will be guaranteed."

A light flashed in Zhou Hongye's eyes. It didn't matter if the salary was doubled several times. The last sentence was the highlight.

In these troubled times, with wars everywhere and lives at risk every day, if there were a peaceful and tranquil paradise, who wouldn't rush to it?

"My Lord, this is a brilliant move of yours. Once they enter the northwest, we will have the final say."

Ning Zhiwei said seriously, "No, no, we still have to convince others with virtue."

"Oh, by the way, we also need to recruit a group of miracle doctors. Let's say that our dozen Renxintangs need doctors to take charge."

In wartime, miracle doctors can save lives.

"Yes."

There is a courtyard in the general's mansion that belongs exclusively to Ning Zhiwei. It is located in the best location, and all the objects are still untouched, silently waiting for the return of its owner.

Ning Zhiwei chatted with Zhou Hongye for half the night and went to bed in the early morning, sleeping until noon.

Just after he finished washing, his subordinate came in and reported, "Master, the eunuch who ordered the emperor to meet the Seventh Young Master late last night."

Ning Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, "What did you say?"

"I'm not sure. The two of them talked alone for a quarter of an hour."

Ning Zhiwei was silent for a long time, then said expressionlessly, "Keep staring."

"Yes."

Ning Zhiwei rubbed his eyebrows, "Where is Lord Rong?"

The maid reported, "Lord Rong left a message for you. He is going out with his men."

Ning Zhiwei was a little hungry, "Let's set the table."

Just as they were about to eat, a familiar laugh was heard from outside, and the servant announced, "The eldest lady, the fourth lady, and the sixth lady are here."

Ning Zhiwei smiled and said, "Let them in."

Ning Wenyin came in with her two younger sisters, smiling, "Fifth sister, we're here to have dinner with you."

Ning Zhiwei waved at them, "Come quickly, I'll have someone make a few more dishes."

Ning Liu saw two dishes and a soup on the table and was stunned, "Fifth sister, you usually eat so simply."

In the Ning family, the old lady had six dishes and one soup, and the children ate with her. The wives had five dishes and one soup, and the young lady and the girls had four dishes and one soup.

This is already very simple, and cannot be compared with the capital, but I didn’t expect that the commander-in-chief of an army would eat even simpler food.

Ning Zhiwei said calmly, "Every meal is hard-earned, and the military supplies on the front line are not abundant."

The three of them were silent. She ate very simply, but was very generous to the women of the Ning family. She allocated 12,000 taels of silver and two farms to the women of the Ning family. The output from these two farms was enough for them to have enough food and clothing.

But some people are still dissatisfied.

The servant came in and said, "The Second Young Master's wife asked the servant to come here to ask for leave so that she can't come to the meeting this afternoon."

Ning Zhiwei took a sip of tea, picked up a piece of dessert and stuffed it into her mouth to fill her stomach first. "What's the reason?"

The servant reported, "He said he didn't sleep well last night and is feeling unwell."

Ning Zhiwei's expression remained unchanged. "Let the Second Young Master's wife have a good rest. Her health is the most important thing."

The three sisters of the Ning family had no idea what she was thinking. Her power was growing day by day, and she never showed her emotions. During the meeting, the third lady did come, but she didn't say much.

The next day is the funeral procession. All the procedures are fixed and you just have to follow them.

First, Ning Zhiwei took the lead and stood at the front, leading the entire family to worship their ancestors and family members who died in the battle. There was incense, prayers, music, and everything was in an orderly manner.

Afterwards, they threw their mourning clothes into the fire one by one and put on new clothes to show their filial piety.

Everyone in the Ning family attended this occasion, including the wife of the seventh young master Ning, who was beaten with ten boards. She was supported by her sisters-in-law and was able to complete the ceremony with ease.

As the only adult male, Ning Qishao stood behind Ning Zhiwei, but he could not stand for long and needed someone to support him.

There were many guests watching the ceremony, including Rong Jing, Mr. Zhou, the three siblings of the Duan family, generals in the army, officials from the government office, and of course the eunuchs who delivered the imperial edicts were also there.

After the ceremony, Ning Zhiwei and his family bowed to the guests to express their gratitude, and the guests returned the greetings.

"Thank you all for coming. Please take your seats."

At this moment, Third Master Duan stood up and said, "Wait a minute, Princess Jingning, does the one-year agreement still count?"

Everyone stopped and looked over. What was going on?

Ning Zhiwei looked at Duan Xinyu beside him and raised his eyebrows. "One-year agreement? The late emperor promised Miss Duan to the Ning family. The Ning family was in mourning at that time and it was not convenient to hold a wedding. So, I promised that after one year of mourning, if the two families were still interested, the marriage would be finalized. Is this it?"

She discussed this matter with both Old Madam Ning and Seventh Young Master Ning, and their attitudes were ambiguous.

Everyone looked at Ning Qishao and his wife, and Mrs. Qishao's face changed drastically.

The Third Master Duan cupped his hands and said loudly, "Yes, a year has passed, and our Duan family has made a decision..."