The widow becomes a fairy, and the time-traveling girl counterattacks and becomes the queen

Zhou Feihu's tall body was slightly hunched, and his face, which usually looked intimidating without anger, was now filled with struggle and pleading.

"I hope Your Highness will show some leniency to my son-in-law for the sake of my son Zhou Shen."

He finally spat out the words that had been rolling in his throat for a long time.

"Zhou Shen" is his last bargaining chip. Although he knows that he cannot negotiate terms with the royal family or seek favors, he also cannot bear to see his daughter become a widow at such a young age.

"If your son-in-law is colluding with Minister Gou, embezzling military funds and forming a clique for personal gain, this is a crime that cannot be tolerated by the law of the country!"

Zhao Haoxuan stood with his hands behind his back, and a slight cold snort escaped from his nose, which instantly made Zhou Feihu and Zhou Xiaoqian's hearts rise to their throats.

"Your Highness..." There was a hint of request in Cui Yingying's eyes.

She knew that if she didn't plead for mercy now, her in-laws would probably become estranged from her in the future, and Zhou Shen would then be caught in a dilemma.

"However," Zhao Haoxuan changed the subject slightly after meeting Cui Yingying's gaze, and glanced sharply at Zhou Xiaoqian who was kneeling on the ground.

"Considering Sister Cui and Mr. Zhou's past achievements, if he can voluntarily confess all his crimes, expose his accomplices, and make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence, we might consider giving him a lighter sentence."

The four words "leniency" are like the last straw that a drowning man grabs.

Zhou Xiaoqian's face was pale, her hair was disheveled, and she didn't care about her manners at all. She suddenly took two steps forward on her knees and put her hands on the ground.

"Don't worry, Your Highness! Don't worry, Your Highness! I will definitely persuade my husband, I will definitely persuade him... I will tell him everything I know, and I only ask Your Highness to spare his life!"

Her voice was choked with sobs and she kowtowed repeatedly.

Zhou Feihu's heart ached at the sight of his daughter. He quickly bowed, "Your Highness is so kind! I...I will go and persuade him, persuade him to confess, persuade him to report the crime! I won't dare to hide anything!"

"Okay, everyone, get up." A cold female voice came from the side.

Wang Xinyao stood beside Zhao Haoxuan, frowning slightly, looking at the contrast between Zhou Xiaoqian's appearance before and after, feeling extremely annoyed.

She has a strong character and acts decisively. She can't stand people who gossip behind others' backs and who, when they encounter problems, only know how to blame others, cry and beg, and have no self-control.

Although he and Zhou Shen are born of the same mother, he is ultimately a child spoiled by his parents. Compared with Zhou Shen, there is a huge difference between them.

When she saw Cui Yingying's eyes filled with worry and embarrassment, she finally swallowed back the sarcastic words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Forget it, I can’t make things too difficult for Sister Cui.

She turned her head slightly and stopped looking at the father and daughter, believing that out of sight, out of mind.

Cui Yingying felt Wang Xinyao's restraint, gave her a grateful glance, and then turned her gaze to her father Cui Zheng.

After years of separation and suffering, her father's face was weathered, but the eyes looking at her were still full of unchanging love.

She walked forward and gently held her father's rough hand, her eyes filled with guilt and sorrow: "Dad, it's my daughter who is unfilial..."

"Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about? Your father is not sad anymore, really not sad anymore."

He raised his other hand and gently patted the back of Cui Yingying's hand: "No matter how hard the days are, they will eventually pass.

Seeing you doing well, your father feels at ease. From now on, we will be good father and daughter and will never be separated again."

His words were like a warm current, soothing Cui Yingying's uneasy heart.

She nodded vigorously, and finally couldn't help but let the tears fall, but this time, they were tears of relief and hope.

When the carriage carrying Zhao Haoxuan and Wang Xinyao rumbled back to the Prince's Mansion, it was already completely dark.

Cui Zheng stayed in Zhou's house. He had been separated from his daughter for many years. He had too many things to say and too much longing to make up for. This night was destined to be a sleepless night between father and daughter.

As soon as Wang Xinyao and the other person stepped into the mansion, the eunuch Xiao Xizi, who had been waiting for a long time, hurried to greet them.

"Your Highness and Madam, all those imprisoned in the dungeons and courtyards of Prince Yu's Mansion have been rescued!"

Zhao Haoxuan paused, his eyes suddenly sharpening: "Oh? What's the specific situation?"

Xiao Xizi stood up straight and spoke quickly and clearly: "Your Highness, this operation went very smoothly. The remaining followers of Prince Yu's Mansion were leaderless and failed to organize an effective resistance.

A total of over 2,000 people were rescued! Old Prince Zhao personally took charge of the resettlement of the victims, properly arranging them in his suburban estate and assigning doctors and servants to carefully care for them so they can recuperate.

"More than 2,000 people?" Wang Xinyao took a breath and her beautiful eyes were filled with shock and horror.

Although she had already known that Zhao Yucheng secretly imprisoned monks, she still felt a pang of fear when she heard such a specific number.

Zhao Haoxuan's face instantly darkened, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and his fists in his sleeves clenched unconsciously.

More than two thousand monks!

There aren't a lot of cultivators in the Great Xia Kingdom to begin with. Those who can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and embark on the path of cultivation are all outstanding individuals selected from thousands of people. They are the potential cornerstone and strength of a country.

This Zhao Yucheng, in order to practice that evil martial art and satisfy his own selfish desires, was so cruel and disregarded human lives that he regarded so many pillars of the country as nourishment for his practice!

This is simply evil to the core and has no humanity at all!

"Fortunately... fortunately, he's been brought to justice." Wang Xinyao suppressed the turmoil in her heart, her voice tinged with fear. "Otherwise, who knows how many more talented people would have fallen victim to his murderous hands."

This is not only a tragedy of personal fate, but also a huge loss to the national strength of the entire Daxia.

Zhao Haoxuan slowly exhaled, his tone solemn, "Yes, the law of nature is vast and wide, and nothing escapes it. He has committed numerous crimes, and now that he has been brought to justice, it can be considered an explanation to the people of the world and to all practitioners."

However, behind this explanation is the pain and despair that more than 2,000 families have experienced. This heavy price is heartbreaking to think about.

Time flies, and the ten-day period is over in a blink of an eye.

On this day, flags were flying inside and outside the capital, gongs and drums were beating, and the streets were deserted.

The 300,000-strong triumphant army that aided the Kingdom of Li and defeated the Barbarian Alliance returned to the capital in a mighty force under the leadership of the Grand Commander Zhou Yunxi.

The army was wearing bright armor and had swords and spears everywhere. Although they had experienced the baptism of war, their morale was high, their steps were in step, and they carried the awe-inspiring majesty of a victorious army.

Emperor Zhao Guoan, accompanied by civil and military officials, personally went ten miles out of the city to greet him on the welcoming platform that had been set up long ago.

This is the highest honor the country can give to its meritorious officials.

In the sunshine, Emperor Zhao Guoan was wearing a dragon robe, his face solemn and gratified. His eyes swept over the soldiers who were surging like a tide below, his eyes full of admiration and emotion.

What is even more eye-catching is that the delegation led by the Miao Emperor Chen Qingfeng also appeared on the welcoming platform.

The two heads of state met again on such a grand and formal occasion.

Chen Qingfeng was dressed in the traditional attire of the Miao royal family. He looked graceful and elegant. He stood side by side with the Xia Emperor Zhao Guoan, chatting and laughing. This undoubtedly showed the world the unbreakable alliance between the Xia and Miao countries.

The grand triumphal ceremony and the court meeting to reward meritorious officials lasted for several days in a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

The first thing to do was to posthumously honor and provide compensation to the soldiers who died heroically on the battlefield.

Zhao Guoan issued an edict to posthumously confer corresponding titles of nobility and honor on all the fallen soldiers, and allocated a huge sum of money to build a Martyrs' Shrine in the capital, where their tablets would be enshrined and worshipped for eternity.

At the same time, strict orders were issued to local governments to properly take care of the families of martyrs, ensure that they have a worry-free life and their children receive a good education.

This move made countless soldiers grateful for the emperor's grace and strengthened their determination to die for the country.

Next, there were rewards for the surviving heroes.

Chen Guangze and his son Chen Liangxian returned to the capital.

Emperor Zhao Guoan, in gratitude for Chen Guangze's outstanding contributions in defending the country's territory, specially conferred on him the title of "First Class Loyal and Brave Marquis", a hereditary title.

Chen Liangxian was also awarded the title of general.

Commander-in-chief Zhou Yunxi, who was able to plan and win battles thousands of miles away, ranked first in the list of merits and was named "General Protector of the Country", promoted to the title of Marquis, and rewarded with countless gold, silver, land and houses, enjoying unparalleled glory.

Under him, generals such as Fang Zhiyuan, Luo Qing, Xu Ping, and Ye Fan were all promoted to generals due to their outstanding military achievements, and each held military power in a certain area.

Even Gu Ze, who joined the army halfway and made many contributions with his extraordinary bravery and intelligence, was awarded a real title of general.

Hu Wei and He Tian, ​​who stayed at the border to stabilize the rear, were also appointed generals to guard the country's borders.

It is worth mentioning the two female heroes Zhao Yue'er and Ouyang Ping.

They are as good as men on the battlefield and have made many outstanding achievements.

Zhao Guoan made a special decree and granted them the title of female generals.

When they received the specially made general's uniform with exquisite embroidery, the two girls were so excited that they almost jumped up.

They finally found the meaning of life, and their faces were filled with bright smiles as they held each other's arms.

Among the crowd, the most excited person was Xie Xiaogang from Xiejia Village.

This young man, who came from the countryside and was once a peasant in the village chief's family, seized the opportunity to change his destiny on the battlefield with his passion and fearlessness.

When he took the heavy general's uniform with trembling hands, his eyes instantly turned red.

He thought of the rice fields in his hometown, his parents' earnest expectations, and his own decision to join the army...

All the hardships and dangers were rewarded at this moment.

He subconsciously raised his head, his eyes passing through the crowd, and accurately found Wang Xinyao, who was standing next to the prince, also wearing the imperial robes and looking radiant.

It was she who gave him the opportunity and guidance;

It was she who illuminated his way forward.

His eyes were filled with endless gratitude and admiration.

The position of general means that he has truly stepped into the power class of the aristocracy.

The once unattainable dream of "marrying a princess" seems to have finally been illuminated by a glimmer of reality.

The next step is to receive rewards based on military merit, such as promotion or awards of gold and silver.

The girls in the medical team even received a personal inscription from Emperor Zhao Guoan.

The title of "saving lives and helping the wounded" has since belonged to this special team.

The entire Xia court was immersed in the joy and excitement of rewarding people based on their merits.

In addition to promotion in official position, the material rewards were also extremely generous.

The Xia Kingdom today is no longer what it used to be.

Ever since Wang Xinyao offered a highly efficient method of salt production and provided high-yield grain seeds, the salt industry of Daxia Kingdom has completely turned around.

High-quality and low-priced salt not only met domestic demand, but was also exported to neighboring countries, earning a lot of wealth.

The promotion of high-yield grain varieties has resulted in bumper harvests year after year in the country, and the national treasury has been filled with grain.

Emperor Zhao Guoan waved his hand and awarded huge amounts of gold, silver, cloth and grain, enough for the meritorious officials and their families to enjoy for many years.

The soldiers cheered loudly and shouted "Long live the court", and their loyalty to the court reached its peak.

And in this feast of rewards, the biggest invisible winner may be Wang Xinyao herself.

Although she did not directly participate in government affairs, she owned 30% of the profits from the salt fields.

This seemingly small share has become an astronomical figure due to the extremely low cost of salt production and huge sales volume.

What's more, she also has many industries and businesses such as paper mills and mushroom workshops.