Female special forces soldiers in ancient times

Before long, Li Tingting woke up the sleeping little devil.

Gently lift him from the dragon bed and hold him tenderly in your arms.

Haha! What a lazy little pig, making such a commotion!

He was still sleeping so soundly.

Looking at the little devil in my arms, sleeping so sweetly,

Li Tingting's eyes instantly filled with an overwhelming tenderness.

Even the smile at the corner of her mouth carried a subtle warmth.

After leaving the palace gates and getting into the carriage, they soon arrived outside the Golden Palace.

As the carriage curtain was lifted, the bright yellow lights of the Golden Palace immediately came into view.

Looking up the white marble steps, the palace gates were wide open.

Warm light wafted out, carrying the scent of sandalwood, and even the wind seemed to soften.

The officials were already standing on both sides of the hall according to their rank, their black court robes making the ranks look neat and orderly.

Upon seeing Li Tingting approaching carrying the baby, the senior officials in the front row instinctively fell silent.

The murmurs that had been casually discussing politics fell silent instantly.

When her gaze fell on the sleeping little emperor in her arms, her expression softened slightly.

At this moment, no one dared to speak loudly.

Even her breathing seemed to soften, as if afraid of disturbing the emperor's countenance.

Li Tingting stepped onto the white marble steps.

He walked steadily and slowly, as if afraid that any movement under his feet would startle the person in his arms.

The hem of her skirt swept across the steps with only a very faint sound.

Four armed guards followed closely behind her. When she reached the dragon throne,

They quickly split into two rows, with two people on each side of the palace steps.

His hand rested on the hilt of the knife, his posture upright as a pine tree.

His gaze was sharp but not outwardly revealed; he silently protected the safety of the palace.

Li Tingting carefully held the little emperor in front of her.

He freed one hand and gently brushed the brocade cushions on the dragon throne.

Only after confirming that everything was alright did they slowly sit down.

She adjusted the young emperor to a more stable position, letting him lean against her chest.

He tucked the corner of the swaddling clothes in again before looking up at the assembled officials in the hall.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the officials in the hall bowed in unison.

The hem of the dark court robe spread out in a neat arc.

They shouted loudly, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress Dowager!"

"My lords and ministers, you have worked hard. Please rise and dismount!"

After Li Tingting finished speaking, she gently rocked the mischievous little devil in her arms.

It seemed like they wanted to make him sleep more peacefully.

You must be tired? What's going on?

Upon hearing this, all the ministers could hardly believe their ears.

They all looked at each other, as if asking each other a question.

Um, did you hear what the Empress Dowager just said correctly?

After a brief moment of stunned silence, a chorus of thanks quickly filled the hall.

The officials bowed again: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

The folds of their dark court robes swayed gently with their movements, yet their voices carried an undeniable warmth.

Lin Dejun, the newly appointed Minister of War, stood up straight. He was dressed in a scarlet official robe.

He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said loudly, "Reporting to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..."

Your humble servant has something to report.

"Oh, Lin Chenggong has something to report? Tell me quickly."

Lin Dejun was also one of the officials who supported the Li family.

In addition, he is a steady, low-key, and talented person.

Therefore, after Li Tingting took over as regent, she would definitely make an exception and give such a talented person a prominent position.

Now that he has something to report, it proves that this person is still diligently handling official duties.

This naturally brought Li Tingting a sense of relief.

Therefore, she gave him a satisfied smile.

Upon hearing this, Lin Dejun held the memorial tightly in both hands, bowed, and took half a step forward.

He said loudly, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I received news yesterday from the Western Frontier Army..."

The western border passes have recently benefited from the new policy of truce and trade between the imperial court and the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This attracted crowds of ordinary people, vendors, and students taking exams to cross the border.

Initially, the rank-and-file soldiers, unaware of the details of the new policy, obstructed the process according to regulations.

This caused congestion at the border and even led to some disputes with the public.

He paused briefly, his gaze falling upon the memorial.

The report continued: "Later, the army sent someone to review and handle the matter."

It was found that the new policies of the imperial court had not been communicated to the grassroots level in a timely manner.

He then allowed the people to pass through on the spot and reprimanded the team leader who had been making things difficult for them.

There is another matter that needs to be reported to the Empress Dowager:

Officials handling the matter are concerned that if the situation is left unchecked for a long time, the people...

The outflow of students may lead to a loss of human resources for our country.

A temporary order has been issued: effective immediately, only merchants will be allowed to cross the border; all other individuals are temporarily prohibited from passing.

We hereby request the Empress Dowager to determine the subsequent policies for the resettlement of displaced people and the retention of scholars.

To stabilize the border and reassure the people.

Your Majesty has verified that the information is indeed true.

The detailed report submitted by the generals is now presented for Your Majesty's decision.

As soon as Lin Dejun finished speaking, Li Tingting's hand holding the little emperor paused slightly.

The gentle swaying motion slowed down.

She looked down at the peaceful sleeping face of the baby in her arms, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the swaddling clothes.

Her brows furrowed slightly—in her heart, she had always believed that "no matter is too small when it comes to people's livelihood."

The congestion and disputes at border crossings may seem like a minor oversight in grassroots implementation.

But behind this lies the livelihood of merchants, the future of students, and the survival of displaced people.

The slightest misstep could alienate the people; how could that be considered a trivial matter?

A moment later, she raised her eyes and swept them over the assembled officials in the hall.

The voice was calm yet carried an undeniable weight:

"Gentlemen, what Minister Lin just reported about the border situation..."

What do you think?

The moment these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

The officials below the stage were all looking at each other.

The bodies beneath the dark court robes stiffened instinctively—those usually vying for power and profit...

They were all very enthusiastic when attacking each other, but when it came to...

The phrases "governing people's livelihood" and "appeasing the people" have gone silent.

No one wanted to be the "first to speak out," fearing they might say the wrong thing and get into trouble.

After a long silence, Wu Xiong'an realized that everyone was in an awkward atmosphere.

He secretly rejoiced; wasn't this a perfect opportunity to show his loyalty?

So he stepped forward, bent down, and bowed:

"Your Majesty, I believe that... such minor border matters need not be given too much attention."

Since the military has already taken action, allowing the merchants to leave while temporarily detaining others,

That's a reasonable plan. Let's just go with the military's suggestion; there's no need for further trouble.

After he finished speaking, the Wang family, who had always been on the same side as the Wu family, would naturally take action as well.

Wang Chong quickly followed behind, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..."

Your humble servant believes that Lord Wu's words are absolutely correct.

It's good for our people to trade with the Great Zhou.

The money earned will eventually be spent in Great Xia, which will benefit our dynasty's treasury.

As for those refugees... our nation has a huge population.

"A little more or a little less wouldn't make a big difference; why trouble the Empress Dowager with such a trivial matter?"

As soon as Wu Xiong'an and Wang Chong finished speaking, the Li family camp on the right...

Then came an angry shout: "That's utter nonsense!"

Li Xiang, the Minister of Revenue, dressed in a purple official robe, suddenly stepped forward.

With a gust of wind in his robes, he pointed directly at Wu and Wang: "The refugees are the root of our dynasty!"

The people have been displaced, and the imperial court should have taken steps to resettle them.

How can you say 'a little more or a little less doesn't matter'? Today we're letting them go to the Great Zhou.

Tomorrow, even more people will follow suit and migrate out of the country—who will farm the land?

Where will the taxes come from? If this continues, the very foundation of the nation will be shaken.

Is this what you call a 'minor matter'?

The two officials behind him who were fans of the Li family immediately echoed his sentiments.

One of them cupped his hands and said loudly, "Lord Li is absolutely right!"

The exodus of migrant workers is already a hidden danger, but the outflow of students is even more detrimental to the very foundation of our nation!

Students are the future of the nation; today we send them to the Great Zhou to seek fame and fortune.

If they serve the Great Zhou in the future, it will be a loss of talent for our dynasty.

By then, trying to salvage the situation will be virtually impossible!

"Hmph, that's just sophistry!"

An official who was a fan of the Wu family frowned.

He stepped forward half a step to retort, "The refugees went to the Great Zhou and ate the Great Zhou's grain."

Living on the land of the Great Zhou is clearly a burden on the Great Zhou.

How could it be a loss for our dynasty? It actually saved our dynasty the money needed for resettlement.

Isn't this a good thing?

The officials from the Wang family also followed suit and spoke up.

His tone was somewhat sarcastic: "As for the students,"

Currently, all officials in our dynasty are performing their duties, so there are no vacancies.

Moreover, with continuous warfare in recent years, the national treasury is empty, and even military pay has to be carefully calculated.

Where would we find the extra money to support more officials? Wouldn't it be better to send them to the Great Zhou?

This actually saves our dynasty a lot of trouble!

"Hmph! You're short-sighted!"

A fan of the Li family, his face flushed with anger, rebuked them.

"Saving resettlement funds today will mean losing a source of tax revenue tomorrow."

"If the Great Zhou Dynasty becomes strong and our dynasty becomes weak in the future, it will be too late to regret it!"

"Oh dear! Is Lord Zhou perhaps trying to seize power by using the issue of refugees and students?"

One of the Wu family's fan officials' eyes turned cold, his words laced with sarcasm.

"Don't forget, the Empress Dowager is still here. How dare you try to confuse the public!"

The officials from the three parties each gave their own version of events, with one claiming "disregard for people's livelihood."

My comment, "Making a mountain out of a molehill," caused the black, purple, and blue court robes to sway back and forth in the hall.

The argument grew louder and louder, and even the sandalwood incense outside the hall seemed to be disturbed by the noise.