"Report! We have already requested assistance from the Yuan Kingdom, but the Yuan Kingdom is already preoccupied with its own problems and has no reinforcements to send!!"

"Report! The borders have been breached! Northern troops have stormed in!"

One scout after another brought reports, startling the King of Qi so much that he fell off his throne, his expression blank and his face pale as he stared outside.

Why is it so quiet outside?

"Your Majesty, the palace servants scattered last night, and now only Your Majesty remains in the entire palace."

Even most of the women in the harem have fled.

When the enemy is at the gates, who cares about the emperor? When the palace gates are broken down, whether it's the noble emperor or the lowly eunuch, they will all end up buried in the same pit.

Qi Jun sat there, his eyes glazed over, looking as if he had lost half his life. His body swayed precariously, and his voice was so weak that he seemed about to faint at any moment.

"Tell me, why was I so greedy back then? Why did I insist on taking over that coal mine for myself?"

Tell me, if I had maintained a friendly relationship with that woman, would I still be sitting in this position? Would I still be able to protect the throne of my Great Qi?

His response was to the empty and desolate palace.

The only palace servant had just moved the last valuable item in the palace and run away.

When Jin Shu rode her horse directly into the palace gate, the palace was already in ruins, a far cry from the magnificent and prosperous scene when she was first invited to the palace for a banquet.

Inside the palace, Qi Jun had been kneeling in the middle, waiting for quite some time.

He wanted to run away, but then he thought, where could he run to? Jin Shu wouldn't let him go. Rather than that, he might as well be sensible and surrender sooner rather than later. Maybe there would be a chance for things to turn around.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

He had already been thinking about how to address Jin Shu. Should he continue calling her Miss Jin? But they were no longer on equal footing.

Then let's call her Empress, since it's the truth. The first female emperor in history is standing right in front of me, judging me.

Looking at the timid and cowardly emperor before her, Jin Shu simply uttered a casual remark.

"Your country is now mine. I'm giving you one day to pack your things and get out of my country."

"Just like Yuanjun, let's see how far you can run. I'll send men to chase you in a day. If they can't catch you, fine. But if they do, I'll kill you both to intimidate the world."

Finally, Jin Shu stood atop the Qi Kingdom's palace, watching Qi Jun stumble and run away.

At that moment, he was completely terrified, and all he could think about was running, running, running. He didn't dare to stop for a moment.

Killing him would be too quick and easy; let's use this method to make him live in fear for the rest of his life.

Soon, good news also came from the Yuan Kingdom: the city gates of the Yuan Kingdom had been blasted open by muskets.

Two small states in the Central Plains disappeared quietly into the long river of history.

Thus, the territory of the Northern Kingdom expanded once again, extending south and east along the northern border, annexing the former Qi and Yuan kingdoms, and officially stepping into the Central Plains from the northern border.

Now, the whole world knows how powerful the North is.

At this time, people in the nearby Central Plains countries felt insecure and were filled with fear and anxiety.

But when they heard that the northern kingdom had breached the city gates and spared all civilians except the royal family, the people of the neighboring kingdom breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as they aren't killed, it doesn't matter who's emperor; life goes on the same way anyway.

Moreover, the construction techniques, breeding techniques, and education levels in the North far surpass those of other countries. Many people have already visited, and when they return and are asked if the North is as developed and powerful as rumored, those who have been there will only say...

"Truly living up to its name, a prosperous era indeed!"

As a result, many people from the surrounding area even packed their bags and came to the northern country to seek refuge.

By this time, the Northern Kingdom had become one of the few major powers on the entire continent.

The original simple council hall was transformed into a super palace. Based on the blueprints provided by Jin Shu and with the carpenter's extraordinary skills, Jin Shu not only created a spiral staircase and elevator in the palace, but also an improved council hall that would amaze anyone who saw it.

The space, large enough to accommodate nearly 10,000 people, features an arc design that allows everyone present to see the golden chair in the very center of the conference hall.

When the conference hall was first put into use, Jin Shu sat in the center and released the first legal code of the Northern Kingdom, which was named the Northern Frontier Code after the capital, Northern Frontier.

It includes tens of thousands of legal provisions, large and small, ensuring that all aspects of life are governed by law.

Following the promulgation of the code, Jin Shu established law enforcement and supervisory departments, with Zhou Yinghuai serving as the chief justice.

When the news was announced, everyone in the council chamber turned their attention to Zhou Yinghuai, who was standing next to Jin Shu.

At this moment, this young, pale-faced scholar became, in effect, a powerful law enforcement official second only to the emperor in the Northern Kingdom.

After the meeting concluded, all the officials of the Northern Court gathered around Zhou Yinghuai, offering their congratulations incessantly.

"Lord Zhou is truly a man of great talent at such a young age. At only twenty-four, he is already on par with our Right Chancellor. His future is limitless!"

"Lord Zhou is still unmarried, yet he has already become His Majesty's right-hand man. We will have to trouble you to take care of us in the future."

"Sir, you have reached the age to get married. You can't just be busy with national affairs. You should also pay more attention to your own life's important matters."

Almost all the officials in the court were older than Zhou Yinghuai, and their enthusiasm for urging him to get married was higher than ever before.

Especially now that Zhou Yinghuai holds a high position and enjoys the Empress's trust, as long as he doesn't take any wrong turns, he will surely have a bright future and boundless wealth. All the eligible women in the country are eagerly waiting for Lord Zhou to get married. However, the current situation is that the emperor is not in a hurry, but the eunuchs are anxious. No matter how much people urge or persuade him, the person in question has an expression of not listening, not caring, and not paying attention.

In the end, even the Right Chancellor joined the ranks of those urging marriage.

It was because of the Grand Chancellor's granddaughter that Zhou Yinghuai fell in love with her at first sight when he was still the top scholar of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he remained devoted to her even after they arrived in the northern frontier.

Now everything is better. The Right Chancellor is still the Right Chancellor, the only prime minister in the Northern Kingdom, in charge of all matters large and small throughout the land.

As his granddaughter, she should be a perfect match for Zhou Yinghuai, a match made in heaven.

“You know how my granddaughter feels about you. If you don’t agree, you should at least talk to her and explain what you don’t like about her.”

Zhou Yinghuai shook his head repeatedly.

"Please don't overthink it, Right Prime Minister. I have no interest in this matter. With the country newly established, I want to spend more time on state affairs."

This certainly pleased the Right Chancellor quite a bit.

That is why the Right Chancellor wanted to marry his granddaughter to him.