Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Your humble servant is Fa Xiaozhi, the Prefect of Shu Commandery..."

"Wu Jie, Commander-in-Chief of Shu Commandery!"

"See Your Majesty!"

At the entrance of Yuzhou Railway Station, Fa Xiaozhi and Wu Jie, along with local civil and military officials, bowed respectfully to welcome Jiang Mengxuan.

Jiang Mengxuan slowly stepped off the train, surrounded by fully armed guards.

After scanning the entire station, the Empress slightly raised her hand: "No need for formalities."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After the officials rose, Jiang Mengxuan walked gracefully to Fa Xiaozhi and nodded: "Fa Xiaozhi, I have heard the Duke of Zhenguo mention you, saying that you are a rare talent in Shu County. Today, I have met you and you are indeed as the Duke of Zhenguo said. You have impressed me greatly."

Fa Xiaozhi smiled and bowed, saying, "It is all thanks to His Majesty's strategic planning. I have only done my best and do not deserve such praise from His Majesty and the Duke of Zhenguo."

Jiang Mengxuan: "You will accompany me on this inspection of the railway lines in Shu County."

"Your humble servant obeys the decree."

To be able to serve by Jiang Mengxuan's side was an immense honor, and it was also a way for the Empress to subtly inform the officials before her that Fa Xiaozhi was one of her men.

Jiang Mengxuan walked up to Wu Jie again, a slight smile on her face: "General Manager Wu, you've worked hard. If it weren't for your decisive action, the rebels wouldn't have been able to gather together and be wiped out in one fell swoop."

Wu Jie cupped his hands and said solemnly, "This humble general is an officer of the Great Chu, how could I possibly collude with the rebels?"

Moreover, the Duke of Zhenguo had previously explained to me the dangers that江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) forces posed to the nation.

How could I possibly collude with them!

“Very good. Then, during my inspection tour of Shu County, all security will be handled by Commander Wu.”

"Your subordinate obeys!"

After saying that, Wu Jie followed behind the Empress, walking out of the station with Fa Xiaozhi on either side.

A comfortable four-wheeled carriage was already prepared. Just as the Empress was about to get into the carriage, Dong Biao, who was not far away, took the lead and knelt down in front of the carriage, using his body as a stool.

Jiang Mengxuan frowned slightly, and Qingwen, who was standing beside her, immediately questioned, "How dare you! Who would dare to block His Majesty's path!"

Dong Biao lowered his head and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I am the Marquis of Yuzhou, and I also come from humble origins. I have long admired Your Majesty."

It is my great fortune to have the honor of seeing Your Majesty today; it is a blessing I have accumulated over three lifetimes.

"I would be more than willing to offer my body as a cushion to welcome Your Majesty!"

"Dong Biao, you must not be disrespectful before His Majesty!"

Fa Xiaozhi sternly rebuked Dong Biao, then bowed to the Empress and apologized: "Your Majesty, please calm down. It was all my fault for failing to manage my subordinates properly, which caused me to offend Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Jiang Mengxuan's expression remained aloof as she looked at Dong Biao and replied indifferently, "Dong Biao, is that the Dong Biao who personally took Dugu Yun's head?"

"Your Majesty, it is indeed your humble servant."

"You're very good. You have such courage. You're a promising talent."

Upon hearing this, Dong Biao's face lit up with joy: "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

Fa Xiaozhi whispered to the Empress, "Your Majesty, Dong Biao has indeed made contributions, but he is ruthless and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. I think we should observe him further before deciding whether to give him an important position."

Upon hearing this, Dong Biao's joyful expression froze.

But Jiang Mengxuan replied, "Prefect Fa's words are biased. When the Great Chu employs people, it first looks at whether they have talent. Since Dong Biao has made great contributions in dealing with the rebellion, he should be richly rewarded."

As for whether someone is of good character, one cannot judge them solely by their words and actions. After all, aren't there plenty of hypocrites out there?

Fa Xiaozhi: "Your Majesty is absolutely right. It was my narrow-mindedness that led me to this conclusion."

Jiang Mengxuan looked at Dong Biao: "Dong Biao, do you still have any relatives?"

Dong Biao replied, "Your Majesty, my parents perished in the earthquake in the northern border eight years ago. I only have a younger sister who lives with me."

It was from that moment that I suddenly realized my mistakes, decided to reform myself, and became willing to serve the court.

"It seems you are also a person with a hard life. Since you have made great contributions this time, I will naturally not treat you unfairly."

As they were talking, Qingwen had already placed a stool in front of Dong Biao.

Jiang Mengxuan stepped onto the carriage using a stool, lifted the curtain, and said to Dong Biao, "Get up. Capable people don't need to say a word."

They will eventually be given important positions; those who lack ability, no matter how much they perform, are nothing more than insignificant ants, unable to attract any attention.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your guidance."

As Dong Biao stood up, the carriage had already slowly driven away from Xianhe Station.

Fa Xiaozhi walked up to him and said, "Dong Biao, His Majesty thinks highly of you, but you'd better change your temper."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will do my best to correct it."

"Very good, go back and pack your things these next few days."

"What do you mean by this, sir?"

"The Ministry of Personnel's transfer order will arrive soon, and you and I will be going to the capital to take up our posts."

After saying that, Fa Xiaozhi shook his head and got into his carriage.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you for your guidance, sir."

Dong Biao was very excited upon hearing this, finally he could go to the legendary, incredibly prosperous Nanjing.

Back at the governor's office, Jiang Mengxuan immediately summoned Fa Xiaozhi and asked, "Has the matter in Shu County been resolved?"

Fa Xiaozhi replied solemnly, "All the officials of Shu County involved in this rebellion have been apprehended and are awaiting Your Majesty's personal judgment."

"Is there any evidence of a crime?"

“The compilation of His Majesty’s books has caused a great uproar among the people.”

"What did you say?"

"The content is too offensive to read, I dare not speak of it."

"But it doesn't matter."

Fa Xiaozhi then replied, "They conspired to fabricate false statements about Your Majesty, claiming that Your Majesty's beauty was maintained only by consuming elixirs made from the blood of young boys and girls."

They also said that His Majesty was licentious and needed ten strong men to satisfy him in one night, and that His Majesty was tyrannical and took pleasure in killing, leaving countless corpses scattered beneath the capital…

Jiang Mengxuan listened quietly as Fa Xiaozhi recounted the rumors spread by the rebels. Even after he finished speaking, her aloof demeanor remained unchanged, as if she were listening to someone else's story.

"These traitors are only of this caliber."

Jiang Mengxuan picked up the tea and took a sip without any ripples in her eyes.

"Trying to smear me by using public opinion is a really low-level tactic."

Fa Xiaozhi: "Your Majesty is wise and intelligent, and will naturally not be affected by these foul words. However, those who fabricated these contents are all malicious and we hope that Your Majesty will not tolerate them."

"Then let's follow Fa Xiaozhi's suggestion and punish these traitors for treason."

With a single, casual remark, Jiang Mengxuan decided the fate of these aristocratic families.

"As ordered!"

With the Empress's golden words, Fa Xiaozhi could finally launch a thorough purge of the rebellious faction in Shu Commandery.

After Fa Xiaozhi left, Amber brought a pigeon to the Empress's side.

"Your Majesty, battle report from Liaodong."

Jiang Mengxuan immediately took the secret letters from each of their legs and opened them to read them.

"The army of Murong Wei of Northern Yan was besieged in the Changling Mountains, and Murong Chui's troops suffered setbacks in their advance on Rangcheng, resulting in a stalemate in the battle."

The Taegi army advanced 160 li (approximately 80 kilometers) towards Rangseong over several months, without engaging in large-scale battles with the Goguryeo army.

After reading this, Jiang Mengxuan fell into deep thought.

This is not Shen Lang's usual style. Could it be that the situation in Liaodong forces him to make a change?

Her thoughts quickly drifted to the Liaodong battlefield.