As the war in Western Liao came to an end, the three kingdoms of Beiming, Nanjiang and Dongyi were also conquered one after another.
The prince and a group of ministers stayed up all night for several days before they drafted a preliminary policy for the management of the four small countries.
The memorial was presented to the emperor, and several sleepless nights of discussion ensued.
Although the four countries are small, they are still countries. Although their land area cannot be compared with Tianling, it is not possible to directly downgrade them to states.
In the end, the distribution could only be refined according to the customs and habits of each country. The area of Western Liao was maximized and divided into four states. Beiming Yanhan was divided into three states for the convenience of administration. Nanjiang and Dongyi had the smallest areas, and part of them were directly incorporated into Tianling's original state capital. The remaining areas were divided into two states.
Each state is divided into layers, and it took nearly a month to sort out a series of policies.
After the territorial division, the next step was to dispatch officials. The four countries were newly incorporated into Tianling, and the court was not very clear about the local situation. Naturally, it would not recruit local officials in the short term, and could only transfer them from the capital.
The Ministry of Personnel was overwhelmed by this matter. The four countries were far away from the capital, and the civil servants were weak. Those who were too old were worried that they would not be able to hold office, and those who were too young were worried that they lacked experience and could not control the people of those ethnic minorities.
After a round of screening, there were only a few suitable officials left. Moreover, with such a large number of officials being transferred, the official positions in the capital had to be readjusted. After going through this process over and over again, more than a month had passed by the time the list of officials to be transferred to other places came out.
Ever since the news of the end of the Western Liao Campaign came, Tian An has been looking forward to Zhao Yiming's return every day.
When he went to war, the two children were only three months old, but now they are almost one year old, and he is waiting for him to come back and celebrate their first birthdays with them.
However, seeing that the court has only now selected the list of officials for transfer, if Zhao Yiming waits until the officials have settled down in their posts before leading his troops back, it may be the end of the year.
Seeing the situation, Tian An no longer expected him to make it to his child's first birthday party. He only hoped that he could come back to spend a good New Year with the three of them.
It is said that since she married Zhao Yiming, the two of them have not had a good New Year!
Things never happen three times over. After all the hard work of unifying the country this year, it’s time for them to have a family reunion!
However, Tian An had never expected that Zhao Yiming would be on the list of people to be transferred out.
If the prince hadn't told her this news himself, she wouldn't have believed it. "Does this mean he can't come back?"
The prince looked apologetic and felt a little sorry for his cousin and his cousin, but there was nothing he could do as they were short of manpower!
"At most three years, until the court selects a new batch of officials, then as long as there is a suitable official to replace him, Mingyu will be able to return."
Three years! Their children are old enough to help with cooking.
After the prince left, Tian An looked at the two children with a worried look on his face, "Xiyue, Nanchen, do you miss your daddy?"
"Dad—Dad"
Tian An had not expected to get a response from both children, he just subconsciously told them his worries, but he did not expect that Nanchen, who had never spoken before, actually called out the word "Daddy" in a clear and loud voice.
This made Tian An very happy. Although he knew that children would be able to speak for themselves when they reached a certain age, this was just biological instinct!
But as a mother, how can I not be excited to hear my child speak with my own ears!
Perhaps because he saw his mother was happy, little Nanchen, who still didn't understand anything, called out the word "Daddy" again, and then he couldn't stop calling out "Daddy" non-stop.
Seeing her brother calling so happily, little Xiyue, who was standing by, opened and closed her little mouth a few times and then started calling too. However, her pronunciation was not as standard as Xiao Nanchen's, and one could just barely hear that she was calling dad.
The two children spoke at the same time, which made the maids and servants who were serving them so cute.
Especially Madam Xiao, who would praise this one for being clever and then that one for being smart, with a smile on her face that never stopped, but after laughing she couldn't help but sigh.
"What a pity! The two children called me dad for the first time, but I couldn't hear it with my own ears."
Now everyone in the mansion knew that their master would stay in Western Liao for at least three years, and they all felt sympathy for the mother and her two daughters.
At night, Tian An tossed and turned in bed. Although three years passed quickly, for the children, these were the most precious three years of their lives.
The children's childhood was not accompanied by their father. This was a kind of childhood deprivation for them, and it was also a regret for Zhao Yiming!
After a sleepless night, Tian An kept his eyes open until dawn, and finally made a decision when the first ray of sunlight shone through the window.
She wanted to take the children to Western Liao to find Zhao Yiming.
No matter where they are, the only place where the four of them are together can be called home. Instead of leaving regrets for the children and Zhao Yiming, it is better for them to spend these three years together happily.
And even though the Crown Prince's term was only three years, who could say for sure if there would be another three years after that? If they couldn't find a suitable candidate to replace Zhao Yiming, wouldn't their family have to live apart forever?
Although she hadn't slept all night, Tian An didn't feel tired at all when she thought about the four of them getting together. She had a quick breakfast and then had someone harness the carriage to go find the prince.
When the Crown Prince learned that she was going to take the children to find Zhao Yiming, he subconsciously objected, "The journey to Western Liao is long, and the children are so young, how can they withstand it? Why don't you wait until the children are older? Then I will personally send someone to escort you three to Western Liao."
Tian An shook his head and said, "Don't worry about the children's health, my cousin. I am a doctor myself and will never let my children suffer.
Besides, it's just the beginning of August, so going to Western Liao now is just the right time to arrive before winter sets in."
The prince tried to persuade her for a long time, but no matter what he said, Tian An always had reasons to dispel his doubts, until finally he really didn't know what reason to find to persuade her, so he gave up!
He sighed and said, "When are you ready to leave, I will arrange for someone to take you there."
The journey was long, and although Tian An would arrange her own people, she would always be extra careful because she was carrying a child. It was always better to have more escorts, so she readily accepted the prince's kindness.
After mentally estimating the time for the prince, he hurriedly said his goodbyes.
This trip to Western Liao will last for at least three years, and it is not known when she will be able to return. There are many arrangements to make, and she does not have much time left.
After returning home, Tian An first wrote a letter to Zhao Yiming, informing him that he would soon bring the children to find him, and then began to hurriedly arrange to pack up.
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