In just one day, all the food for the next half month was prepared. Even Liang Qingqing herself did not expect that the grain loan would be so effective. In such a short time, more than a dozen carts of grain could be transported!

However, Liang Qingqing attributed all of this to her good deeds of distributing medicine along the way, which earned her the love and respect of the people. Naturally, she received a great response when she called upon them!

The success of borrowing grain greatly boosted Liang Qingqing's morale; indeed, leaving the palace was the best decision she ever made.

She is not one of those weak and useless delicate flowers in the harem. She is a woman of the new era and will never rely on men to survive!

Now that Huangfu Rong is seriously ill and unable to get out of bed, Liang Qingqing, as the only messenger, has effectively taken control of the entire military.

The army continued its advance and finally reached the northern border, which was also the border of the Great Qi.

With the two countries at war, the border became grim and desolate.

It's been spring for quite some time now, but it's still so cold here that it makes your teeth chatter and your whole body shiver.

The city gate of Daqi was just ahead, and at this moment, Huangfu Rong, who had been sickly, forced himself to go out and take a look.

A gust of wind blew by, and my blood felt like it was freezing.

It's so cold outside, I wonder how Jin Shu is doing.

"After the war is over, let's go and take a look at the military camps stationed in the northern border."

Liang Qingqing was puzzled.

"What are you going to see in such a cold place?"

"Qingqing, you're talking too much right now. Do I need to explain everything to you?"

Liang Qingqing was busier than anyone else on this journey. In the past, when Huangfu Rong spoke, she would just listen from the side and offer a couple of suggestions at the end.

But now, no matter what Huangfu Rong says, she has to retort with a couple of words. As a result, the invisible difference in status between the two that has always existed has completely disappeared.

Liang Qingqing frowned and gently bit her lip.

"Shouldn't husbands and wives be completely open with each other? Or are you saying you don't consider me your wife?"

"I've already made you empress, so why ask such useless questions?"

"So you're regretting it? What? Suddenly you've discovered how good other women are? And you want to replace me?"

When Huangfu Rong was still an unfavored prince, their intimate conversations were always like this, without any distinction of status or position; they were just two ordinary people.

Later, when Huangfu Rong gained power, Liang Qingqing's attitude towards him gradually changed, becoming much more docile and gentle, and her words and actions were steady and considerate.

Huangfu Rong was very satisfied with this, and after ascending the throne, he made her empress as agreed.

But now Liang Qingqing has suddenly returned to her original self, as if she has grasped something, and her whole being has gained a lot more confidence and courage.

But Huangfu Rong was no longer the unknown prince he once was.

He frowned and said coldly.

"You will now go back with a troop of soldiers."

"Why? What did I do wrong? You've become a different person ever since you got sick. You don't care about me anymore."

"You've become a different person, not me! Guards, escort the Empress back to the palace!"

Liang Qingqing looked at him in disbelief, clearly not expecting that Huangfu Rong really intended to send her back.

On what grounds?

If it weren't for her help along the way, would these tens of thousands of soldiers have made it this far safely? She had been busy for over two months, distributing medicine and borrowing food, and all she got in return was this!

Before anyone arrived, Liang Qingqing turned and left with red eyes. Huangfu Rong neither called her nor looked at her, but turned around to look at the map of Qi.

The trusted eunuch came in to report.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has just ridden off somewhere. Should we send someone to follow her?"

"Yes, after bringing the person back, send them directly back to the capital."

Feeling troubled, Huangfu Rong coughed again, this time almost coughing up blood.

At this moment, a eunuch brought in a plate.

"Your Majesty, this is oxytetracycline that Her Majesty personally ground. Would you like to take it now?"

"Oxytetracycline?"

"Yes, Her Majesty said that's the name. Her palms were covered in blisters from preparing medicine for you and the people. I couldn't bear to see it."

Huangfu Rong's heart stirred slightly.

His tone was indeed a bit too harsh. Ultimately, she was the only one who could accompany him from the bottom to the pinnacle of power.

Regardless of whether Jin Shu's abilities are real or not, it shouldn't affect one's feelings.

"Never mind... let's send someone to bring the Empress back."

"Your Majesty, please remember to take this medicine."

This medicine did indeed alleviate the epidemic in the army a lot. With the troops about to go to the battlefield, he couldn't be dragging his sick body, so Huangfu Rong took the oxytetracycline that Liang Qingqing had made.

The next day, after Huangfu Rong got up, he indeed felt much more awake and his body felt much more refreshed.

Unexpectedly, the medicine that Liang Qingqing developed herself actually had miraculous effects!

Where is the Empress?

"Your Majesty, the Empress has gone to the northern border, saying she's going out for a stroll by herself."

"Are there any troops accompanying them?"

"A team of elite soldiers has been brought to protect you, Your Majesty, so there is no need to worry."

Huangfu Rong was relieved, and then asked another question.

"Do you still have that oxytetracycline from yesterday?"

"Yes, Her Majesty has already instructed me to remind Your Majesty to take one dose this morning."

Huangfu Rong was deeply moved. After taking the medicine, he immediately put on his armor and went to inspect the military camp, preparing to attack the State of Qi.

Meanwhile, in the Qi army camp, the Qi ruler, who was also the commander-in-chief, was holding a metal crossbow, playing with it with great interest and praising it repeatedly.

"With this, wouldn't our army be invincible!"

With unparalleled accuracy, he could fire ten arrows in quick succession, demonstrating both precision and extremely high lethality!

Qi Jun even captured a brown bear for an experiment. In front of the irritable, bloodthirsty brown bear that had eaten countless people, this arrow actually pierced its head quickly and accurately!

It should be known that this kind of beast is almost invincible in the northern frontier. Even well-armed soldiers, if they encounter this giant beast alone, will most likely end up with no remains. This is because its skin is thick and its flesh is impervious to swords and spears, and basically no weapon on the battlefield can do anything about it!

But Qi Jun's iron crossbow could accurately kill it within ten meters! One can imagine how lethal this thing would be if used on a person!

"Miss Jin! This is wonderful! This is wonderful!! I love it!"

At this moment, Jin Shu was sitting quietly to the side, watching Qi Jun excitedly playing with the crossbow.

She smiled.

"I'm glad Your Majesty likes it. However, this item is precious, and the tempering and forging process is complex. Only one bow and crossbow was made from ten thousand catties of black iron. If you like it, I certainly won't be stingy. It's just that my craftsmen have had a lot of trouble..."

"Miss Jin, please speak freely! There's no need for beating around the bush between us!"

“Okay, there’s a mountain in the northernmost part of Qi Guo’an County, which is adjacent to our country. I like it very much.”

"It's yours!"