My reborn husband and son are thinking about how to kill me every day.

King Jing of Qi angrily said, "Haven't all the monsters been eliminated? Why can't we accurately ascertain the situation across the country?"

"Your Majesty, there's been no news from the northern pass, but we've received reports from other places as well..."

The guard lowered his head and responded softly.

"Then why don't you report it immediately?" King Qi Jing said angrily, "I see that you are increasingly disregarding me."

The guards were inwardly groaning.

Is it that they don't want to report it? They really don't dare! A few days ago, someone came to report news from Shengcheng, and he lost his temper and almost chopped off the person who reported the news.

After finally gathering information, not only did they not receive a reward, but they also nearly lost their lives. Who would be so foolish as to do such a thankless task?

But the guard dared not say such a thing. He could only lower his head and apologize, saying that he had seen that the man was too busy and was worried about delaying his important business, so he dared not disturb him.

King Qi Jing naturally realized that this was just an excuse from the guards. In the past, he would have already beheaded such a person.

But right now... he really doesn't have many people to spare.

If we cut them all down, what will we use?

He was too lazy to pursue the matter and said coldly, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and report the situation in various parts of Qi."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The guard had no choice but to say, "According to the reports from our men who went to various places to investigate, normal order has been restored throughout Qi."

As King Qi Jing listened, his temples began to throb with pain again.

How has everything returned to normal in such a short time?

It didn't turn into chaos?

Lady Ji hadn't even stayed behind to handle state affairs; she wasn't even there, so why wasn't there any chaos? Why didn't the officials of Great Qi take the opportunity to rebel? Why didn't any officials contact him proactively to welcome him back?

The guard secretly glanced at King Qi Jing's expression and saw that his face was so dark it could drip water, and his body involuntarily trembled.

I didn't dare say anything more.

King Jing of Qi angrily shouted, "Continue! Keep talking!"

The guard had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue speaking.

"That female thief had schools built, saying that everyone in the country could attend for free. Now, several new schools have been built in Qiongdu, and a large number of people go there to study every day."

The subjects offered at the school were unlike anything we had ever seen before. They taught not only unusual subjects but also farming, raising pigs and ducks. Now, besides the school, many livestock farms have been built in the villages near Qiongdu.

Many of those who studied at the academy went to work on the breeding farm. Even the land that had been abandoned because of the monsters was planted with them…”

If this country were still under the control of King Jing of Qi, he would be very excited to hear this news.

This is the territory of his Great Qi, which, after experiencing hardships, has been revitalized.

But that's not the case now.

Now, someone has taken this land from him. And this land, in her hands, is even more prosperous than it was under his control.

No, that's impossible. How could anyone have transformed that ravaged land into what it is today in such a short time?

"Is this news fake?" He suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed intently on the guard.

The guards were momentarily stunned, not understanding what the king meant.

King Qi Jing completely ignored the bewildered guard. He exclaimed excitedly, "This must be a deliberate deception on her part, a message she deliberately sent to me. She wants to lull me into a false sense of security, make me lose all will to fight, and then win without a fight."

The more he talked about it, the more he felt that it made sense.

"If I actually believed these messages, I would have fallen for her trick."

"But..." The guard wanted to explain that this was not a false message sent back by Ji Yunshuang to mislead people.

These rumors didn't actually need to be sent to Qiongdu to investigate; they were already circulating among the people.

Many people outside are praising the new emperor, saying that Ji Yunshuang is a truly benevolent emperor who loves his people like his own children...

However, before the guard could explain, King Jing of Qi stopped him and said, "I know, this is not your fault."

That cunning witch deliberately spread the news by having someone pretend to do it. You couldn't possibly guard against it!

The guard swallowed his words of explanation.

For a moment, it was unclear whether it was truly as King Jing of Qi had said, that it was all a conspiracy by the other side, or whether King Jing of Qi had been driven mad by the blow.

At this moment, Wei Chengfeng rushed over after being summoned.

"Your Majesty!" Wei Chengfeng bowed to King Jing of Qi and asked, "May I ask what brings you here to see me?"

King Jing of Qi looked at Wei Chengfeng and was very dissatisfied with him.

He said coldly, "I entrusted Zhenxi Pass to you, and this is how you guard the border for me?"

Wei Chengfeng said, "Your Majesty, it is truly a case of 'even a clever cook cannot cook without rice'! I also wish that our Great Qi army were strong and well-equipped, but I, along with my soldiers, have been guarding this harsh and cold land. Our military pay has been delayed year after year, and we lack even the best weapons. I have done my utmost to make Zhenxi Pass what it is today!"

King Qi Jing's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. "Are you blaming me?"

Wei Chengfeng knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your humble servant dares not."

King Qi Jing stared at him with cold eyes for a long time before saying, "Get up! I summoned you here today because I have important matters to discuss. I have just received news that the demoness is currently in Jiangzhou, and now is the perfect opportunity for us to reclaim our territory."

In reality, Wei Chengfeng had already planted his own people around King Jing of Qi. Every move King Jing made was reported to him.

As for the information that King Jing of Qi had received, he was naturally aware of it as well.

Although he knew perfectly well what was going on, he still feigned surprise and stood up, saying, "Your Majesty, is this news true? Could it be a treacherous scheme devised by that vixen to capture Your Majesty?"

“Absolutely impossible! That demoness has already appeared in the Zhou Kingdom. She must have returned to the Zhou Kingdom some time ago, but I didn’t receive any news about it before.”

King Jing of Qi said, "We should seize the opportunity now and catch them off guard. If we wait until that witch returns to Qiongdu from Zhou, things will get complicated."

Wei Chengfeng's mind raced; he did indeed intend to fight back and retake Qiongdu.

However, after reclaiming Qiongdu, the throne should naturally be his.

He could then have King Qi Jing die before their impending victory and write the imperial edict of succession in advance.

He secretly plotted in his heart, but said aloud, "Your Majesty is wise. The military provisions are ready? When shall we depart?"

When King Jing of Qi heard him ask about military provisions, he was completely distraught.

He fled Qiongdu in such a hurry that he didn't have time to take many things with him, and he also lost a lot of supplies along the way because of his escape.

The remainder was used to maintain military expenses and manufacture weapons...

One by one, where would he find the military rations now?

He frowned. Was this a question a general should ask him? Was he the king, or was he the king?

This old man is becoming increasingly oblivious to hierarchy.

But he only had a few people he could use right now, so he suppressed his anger and asked, "I ordered you to build the most advanced weapons at full speed. How's that going?"