Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

"Sister, I'm planning to wage war against the Prince of Ding'an." One day in April, Zhou Luo suddenly said this to Xia Yu.

"Huh? Is it that sudden?" Xia Yu, who was eating, was startled by Zhou Luo's words.

“Now is the perfect time. Prince Ding’an is like a festering sore in the court; I cannot have peace of mind until he is removed,” Zhou Luo said solemnly to Xia Yu.

"What do the court officials say about this? Do they approve?" Xia Yu glanced at the Nineteenth Princess beside her, and after she led the palace people out, Xia Yu asked Zhou Luo.

Hearing Xia Yu's question, Zhou Luo narrowed his eyes and said...

"It was Uncle Jiang who first brought up this family matter."

The "Uncle Jiang" mentioned by Zhou Luo is Jiang Pingda. It seems that he has always been a proponent of war. Ever since the last siege of Jialing Pass, he has wanted to lead troops into battle, but Zhou Luo stopped him on the grounds that Empress Dowager Jiang was worried about him.

After a moment of silence, Xia Yu asked again.

"What about the Empress Dowager? Hasn't she always wanted to prevent Lord Jiang from going to war?"

"The Empress Dowager has not yet expressed her opinion!"

"Just keep everything in mind. I can't help with other things, but don't worry about the supplies. With me here, the soldiers on the front lines will never go hungry," Xia Yu assured him, raising his hand.

"Sister, thank you for your hard work. Once the national mourning is over, I promise to find you the most handsome and ideal husband to be your consort!" Zhou Luo said sincerely to Xia Yu.

Xia Yu's slightly upturned lips instantly drooped. This child was bewitched. An emperor who did nothing but think about finding men for her all day long.

However, after Zhou Luo brought it up so many times, she would sometimes think in her spare time about which men she knew were decent. Her maids were all of marriageable age, and it was time to find them good matches.

Ten days after Zhou Luo and Xia Yu discussed this matter, the imperial court officially announced the edict to send troops to suppress the Prince of Ding'an. At the same time, Jiang Pingda was appointed Generalissimo to lead an army of 200,000. Murong Fu was responsible for escorting the supplies.

"Two hundred thousand troops? With so many people deployed to the battlefield against the Prince of Ding'an, won't the forces in other places be left empty? Won't the other two vassal kings cause some trouble at this time?" Upon hearing the news from the court, Xia Yu couldn't sit still for a moment. As soon as the ministers who were discussing matters left the imperial study, he immediately went in to see Zhou Luo.

“Sister, according to news from the north, the Prince of Dingbei has passed away. The Prince of Dingbei’s heir is keeping his death a secret because he is afraid the court will take action against him. He is as obedient as can be right now.” Zhou Luo saw that Xia Yu was really anxious and quickly explained.

"And what about the Prince of Huainan?"

"Him? Heh, he's too busy taking care of himself right now. According to the information brought back by his spies, his sons are fighting amongst themselves. Now, Grand Tutor Shen's men have secretly contacted the second son of the Prince of Huainan. With the support of the court, he's been making quite a stir lately, and he's very capable." Zhou Luo said with a faint smile.

Looking at the smile on his lips, Xia Yu could only think, "This kid's gone bad." How old is Zhou Luo? He's already so cunning. Is his bloodline really that powerful? Like father, like son—is this old emperor's child born to be emperor?

The grain was readily available; there was no need to levy grain from the people or use the granaries of various government offices. The people were puzzled as to why the imperial court hadn't levied any grain for this war, and why they only saw cartloads of grain being transported to the front lines.

Back in the southern province, Zhou Ji received a message from someone in the capital. Upon seeing the contents of the note, he angrily smashed all the cups, vases, and porcelain in the room.

He didn't continue his campaign against that illegitimate figure; instead, he dared to initiate a war. And so suddenly, without any prior warning. He thought there wouldn't be any trouble in the next two or three years, after all, the Prince of Dingbei and the Prince of Huainan were still eyeing the capital with predatory intent. How could he dare to transfer such a large number of troops to the southern provinces?

Zhou Ji couldn't understand it, and neither could the senior generals around him. After Mr. Hua's death, he had tried to find a strategist, but half a year had passed without any results. The people around him now were good at fighting, but when it came to cunning and scheming, all of them combined couldn't match even a fraction of Mr. Hua's abilities.

Suddenly, Zhou Ji had a thought: Mr. Hua is gone, but his descendants are still here. Surely they can inherit some of Mr. Hua's intelligence and talent.

Thinking of this, he couldn't wait a moment longer. He ordered carriages to be prepared, and immediately set off for Mr. Hua's residence in the Southern Province. This was the first time he had visited Mr. Hua's home in the several months since he returned to the Southern Province. To show his sincerity, he also had many gifts loaded onto two carriages, and led a large entourage of over a hundred guards to Mr. Hua's residence.

Returning here, I see the two large, gilded characters on the plaque—characters I wrote myself, which I then had made. Back then, Mr. Hua was by my side, meticulously planning everything for me, transforming me from a minor prince of modest strength into a powerful and well-equipped force. Thinking back now feels like a lifetime ago.

At this moment, the Hua Mansion's gates were tightly closed, making it appear much quieter. Zhou Ji ordered someone to knock on the door. Several minutes passed before a panting, aged voice came from inside and asked...

"Who's out there?"

"Grandma, Prince Ding'an has arrived and wishes to see your matriarch. Please inform him as well." Although the guard knocking on the door spoke politely, in his mind, once he announced the prince's name, the other party should immediately open the gate and welcome the prince in.

To everyone's surprise, after the guard finished speaking, there was a moment of silence inside. And the door didn't seem inclined to open.

The guard even wondered if the panting voice he had heard earlier was just his imagination. After waiting a while and seeing that there was still no sound from inside, he couldn't help but knock on the brass ring on the door again.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go in and report to our matriarch." Silence fell again. The guard pressed his ear against the door, trying to hear more clearly. He listened intently for a while, holding his breath, and seemed to hear footsteps. He frowned slightly, finding the woman incredibly ungrateful. The prince was already at the door, and she still wanted to go back and report to their master? Shouldn't she immediately open the door and respectfully welcome them in?

He returned to the carriage and relayed the old woman's answer to Prince Ding'an, who was sitting inside.

The coachman was different from the guard; he was an old hand who had worked in the Prince's mansion for a long time. Hearing the guard's reply, he understood without a doubt that the Hua family was dissatisfied with their Prince and that was why they had acted that way.

However, as a servant, he could understand the Hua family's actions. Mr. Hua, as their strategist, went to war with them. They returned to find Mr. Hua dead outside. Even if he died, at least bring back a handful of his ashes; that would at least atone for their years of friendship. But it was said that, let alone ashes, Mr. Hua hadn't even been properly buried when the prince and his men escaped. His final fate was unknown. Anyone would feel heartbroken in such a situation!