Chapter 420 Even if I know him, it's the same.
The Empress Dowager sat to the side, feeling very gratified, for Zhizhi was finally showing some of the qualities of an emperor.
This change came at a great cost, and Empress Dowager Lin Qingshuang felt both gratified and heartbroken.
The King of Qin did not argue further, but kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Shen Ruzhi said calmly, "If you can make amends in other ways, I might consider keeping you in the capital and letting you live a life of wealth and luxury as a carefree prince."
The King of Qin's eyes lit up. "Is Your Majesty truly telling the truth?"
"I am the Son of Heaven, and the words of the Son of Heaven are as weighty as gold. How can they be taken lightly?"
The King of Qin was overjoyed and said excitedly, "I have indeed done something, but I don't know if it counts as a great achievement."
Shen Ruzhi looked at the King of Qin, signaling him to continue.
The King of Qin swallowed hard. "I recently saved someone, and Your Majesty knows this person."
Shen Ruzhi said calmly, "Saving people only proves that you are a kind-hearted prince, it can hardly be considered a great achievement."
“But Your Majesty knows this person,” the King of Qin added. Shen Ruzhi replied, “It doesn’t matter if I know him or not.”
"However, I can grant you permission to take back some things that are not available in the northern desert, considering that you saved people."
"Whom did you save? I need to know if you are not lying to me."
The King of Qin said, "That man said his name was Yu Hai."
Shen Ruzhi's originally calm heart was now in turmoil, and she could no longer hear what the people around her were saying.
"Zhizhi?" Empress Dowager Lin Qingshuang gently pushed the branch-like object.
Shen Ruzhi then came to her senses and looked at the King of Qin nervously, "Do you know the consequences of deceiving me with this matter?"
The King of Qin was not afraid at all, saying, "I never speak, so how could I dare to deceive Your Majesty?"
"To be honest, I once disguised myself and came to the capital because I was fond of playing and eating. I happened to run into someone who was ambushing me on the way."
"I followed and rescued Yu Hai, replacing him with a disfigured corpse."
"That's why the Third Prince thought that Yu Hai was really dead."
Shen Ruzhi could no longer hear what the King of Qin was saying after that. She gripped her teacup tightly in one hand and asked, "Where is Yu Hai?"
"Where is she now? I want to see her."
Although Shen Ruzhi remained calm, the way she gripped the teacup and the panic in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
The King of Qin noticed this carefully.
It seems I made the right bet. "Your Majesty, he was seriously injured. I have ordered someone to take him back to the northern desert to recuperate."
"I only received the letter today. Yu Hai is out of danger, but his hands and feet still need to be properly cared for."
“He is too weak to write you a letter,” said the King of Qin. “I dare not bring a dictated letter.”
"I'm mainly afraid that the handwriting is different, and His Majesty will think that I am lying to you, and then he will kill me."
Lin Qingshuang gently comforted her, "Zhizhi, since Yu Hai is still alive, you will meet again sooner or later. This Prince Qin has indeed made a great contribution, so why not let him move back to the capital?"
The King of Qin was overjoyed. Shen Ruzhi looked up at the King of Qin and said, "I can allow you to return to the capital, but there is one condition: you need to go back and wait for Yu Hai to recover from his injuries before you can enter the capital together."
"Also, you must ensure his safety. As long as Yu Hai can return alive to see me, I will not treat you unfairly."
"Even if you want the throne, I will give it to you, as long as you can be a good emperor."
The King of Qin happily agreed, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"However, I have no interest in the throne, but I do have one more thing I hope Your Majesty will grant." The King of Qin's face became somewhat serious. "I hope Your Majesty will spare those people from the mountain stronghold."
“They were all forced by me, and they all have their own difficulties. I’m sure Princess Langya has already explained the situation to His Majesty.”
Shen Ruzhi glanced at the King of Qin again.
After a long pause, he finally asked, "Are you married?"
"Your Majesty, um?" The Queen of Qin belatedly realized what was happening.
Shen Ruzhi said to the King of Qin, "I have a few suitable candidates here. You can choose one, and I will act as a matchmaker for you if you find someone you like."
"His Majesty..."
"Alright, that's enough for today. You may leave now."
Seeing this, the King of Qin had no choice but to retreat.
After the King of Qin left, Shen Ruzhi summoned the scarred man again.
The scarred man kowtowed, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"If I were to use your life to save the safety of everyone in the entire village, would you be willing?" Shen Ruzhi asked bluntly.
The scarred man didn't even hesitate. "Your Majesty, I am willing."
"As long as it can improve the lives of my fellow villagers, I will take responsibility for all the minor offenses."
Seeing this, Shen Ruzhi instructed the eunuch behind her, "In that case, change your name."
“The bandit Scarface is long dead; someone else is still alive,” Shen Ruzhi said. “As for what name you want to change it to, that’s up to you.”
The scarred man looked up at Chen Ruzhi in surprise.
"What? You don't want to?" Shen Ruzhi said calmly.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!" the scarred man kowtowed.
Shen Ruzhi told him to rise, and then said to the scarred man, "Ningning said you have exceptional defensive skills. If you're willing, you can join the army."
"I can let you guard the city you used to live in."
"I hereby grant you another secret decree: if any officials in nearby prefectures or counties are found to be corrupt, accepting bribes, or beating ordinary people, you may execute them first and report later."
After finishing her sentence, Shen Ruzhi immediately added, "But the premise is that you must have sufficient evidence to convince me."
The scarred man kowtowed excitedly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly not let Your Majesty down."
The scarred man exited the main hall and happened to run into Jiang Wanning and Pei Yanchuan. "Thank you, Your Highness and Your Highness."
"Zhizhi is a good emperor. You should thank her. Your lives will get better and better from now on."
The three exchanged a few words and the scarred man left.
Shen Ruzhi came out. "Ningning, thank you."
Do we still need to say thank you to each other?
Shen Ruzhi rarely showed a carefree smile, "How do you know that the King of Qin's last trump card is Yu Hai?"
Jiang Wan Ning looked into the distance and said, "I'm just guessing. Since it's a trump card, I naturally won't use it unless absolutely necessary."
"If we just take it out directly, it will seem too deliberate."
“Ningning, I want to go to Peach Blossom County,” Shen Ruzhi said. “The magistrate of Peach Blossom County has multiple responsibilities.”
Shen Ruzhi said worriedly, "I don't think that just letting the scarred man go back as he is will be enough to fight against these local bullies."
“I also want to inspect the people’s conditions,” Shen Ruzhi said.
“I’ll go with you,” Jiang Wanning said.
Zhizhi has indeed grown a lot and knows that she has a greater responsibility on her shoulders.
No longer did they entrust everything to Empress Dowager Lin Qingshuang.
But when Jiang Wan Ning looked at the familiar Shen Ruzhi in front of her, her composure made her heart ache.
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