In the future, if there is an opportunity to communicate with Da Jing, Rong Ning will definitely go in person.

Her sister's safety was her greatest concern.

The situation in the Southern Dynasty is still uncertain. Although Rong Ning appears to be tough on everyone, she actually has no real power and is all bark and no bite.

Rong Ning has a long way to go if she wants to get what she wants.

But no matter what, Rong Ning would not let her sister's sacrifice be in vain.

Rong Ning folded the letter and murmured to herself, "I will strive to make the Southern Dynasty strong and never again let any royal woman become a political sacrifice."

Aying believed in her master, "Yes... this servant will always stay with Your Highness, and this servant also believes that one day, you will be able to bring Princess Zhaoqing back."

Rong Ning smiled slightly, but there was a hint of bitterness and helplessness in that smile. "I hope so. But this road is destined to be bumpy. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Have someone keep this letter safe."

"Yes, Your Highness. This servant will take care of it immediately."

Aying acknowledged and withdrew, leaving Rong Ning alone in the study, gazing at the moonlight outside the window, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

Rong Ning's current focus is on military power in the north and how to gather evidence of the prefect's crimes.

She knew that only by having enough power could she protect herself and those around her, and avoid repeating her sister's mistakes.

Military power in the north was in the hands of the prefect.

In Rong Ning's eyes, the prefect was a complete incompetent fool, just like the military supervisor she had killed back then.

Why, in such an important place as the North, after the war was quelled, did such an incompetent person take over all the affairs of the North from her hands?

Why would her father and those fools in the court rather let an incompetent fool come here to waste his days than let her stay here and make a name for herself in the North?

Just because she is a woman?

Or is it because her radical ideas would threaten their interests?

Perhaps both.

Rong Ning hadn't thought this far ahead before, so she compromised early on, but not this time.

She was determined to suppress all these rotten things at all costs.

Military power in the north is her most valued bargaining chip at present.

Now, the soldiers in the north are more or less connected with her, so it is not difficult to gain their trust.

The difficulty lies with the prefect and the interest groups associated with him.

The moment Rong Ning takes power will be the moment she brings down the prefect and his officials, and the moment she intimidates the interest groups behind her.

After pondering for a long time, Rong Ning slowly said, "A few days ago, my elder brother sent me news that Father Emperor's desire to reduce the power of a prefectural governor is growing stronger, and his idea of ​​taking action to eliminate long-standing abuses is also deepening, but he can't find an opportunity."

My older brother thinks I'm a potential breakthrough point.

“But Your Highness, that’s too risky. Although His Majesty allows you to stay in the North, he hasn’t given you any real power. It will be very difficult for you to do anything you want.”

"It's really difficult..."

Rong Ning nodded.

Her father would not bring it up until she had done something effective.

He needs certain conditions.

just…

Rong Ning has been creating the necessary conditions during this period.

During this time, Rong Ning had been gathering evidence of the prefect's crimes.

She dispatched her most capable subordinates to infiltrate various regions and gather evidence of the corrupt officials who embezzled public funds and oppressed the people.

This evidence is like a sharp dagger; once revealed, it will leave those prefects nowhere to hide and ensure they receive the punishment they deserve.

But this evidence alone is not enough to bring him to ruin.

Only if they truly do something that offends her father, the emperor, can they be wiped out in one fell swoop.

Right now, the Achilles' heel lies in the military.

When fighting against the Great Jing, the Southern Dynasty suffered repeated defeats, not only because of the lack of outstanding generals and the low combat effectiveness of its soldiers, but also because of serious problems with the army's supplies.

Military pay, weapons, and provisions—none of them actually reached the soldiers. They were allocated from the imperial court, passed through layer upon layer of people, and very little actually reached the soldiers.

There isn't even one.

Nobody knows how these northern soldiers managed to hold on!

Previously, the Xiang family, a powerful clan in the north, was responsible for the reserve supplies of the garrison troops in the north.

The Xiang family wields immense influence and has a strong appeal in the North. Members of the family are either involved in politics or business, and they have connections with each other, making them virtually all-powerful in the North.

The previous prefects of the northern region were either members of the Xiang family or people related to the Xiang family.

To prevent excessive losses during long-distance transport of military provisions, the imperial court allocated funds to allow prefects to procure and purchase them in the north.

There are too many loopholes in this process. Since the collusion between officials and businessmen is essentially collusion among their own people, it makes things much easier. They embezzle the funds allocated by the court or use inferior goods, causing the soldiers on the front lines to suffer from hunger and cold, which greatly reduces their fighting capacity.

Ironically, they did this not just once or twice, but for over a decade or two, and the imperial court never cared or investigated.

Her father was well aware of the problems in the north and had enough evidence, so the first thing he did after ascending the throne was to take advantage of the change of government and the fact that no one could take care of anyone else, and quickly wipe out the Xiang family.

However, the consequence of his actions was that his series of moves shook the northern lands. The governor and the military supervisor of Kangye City both wanted to protect themselves, so they accused each other and harbored their own ulterior motives, making it impossible to unite the people's hearts and minds, which made Kangye City teeter on the brink of collapse.

Later, Rong Ning arrived, killed the prefect and the military supervisor, as well as some generals who were passively resisting, and consolidated all power in the north, putting everyone at ease.

She put a lot of effort into doing these things at the time.

But once the new prefect arrived and she left, things went back to the way they were before.

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