At this time, the morning light was just breaking in the pilgrimage hall. In the magnificent hall, officials dressed in court robes stood neatly on both sides, and the atmosphere was solemn and dignified.
Jin Linlin sat upright on the dragon throne. She was wearing a gorgeous dragon robe and a crown on her head. Her face was stern and her eyes were sharp, revealing a sense of majesty and decisiveness.
Her gaze slowly swept over the officials below, and she thought to herself: Now that almost all the Jiang family members have left, her relationship with the Jiang family is completely severed. In this case, she no longer needs to be bound by romantic feelings and should focus all her attention on national affairs.
Jin Linlin cleared her throat and said in a loud voice:
"This year's harvests across the country have been quite impressive, and we haven't suffered any major disasters. This is truly a blessing for our nation. Now is the perfect time to incorporate the remaining one-third of the vassal states into our territory and achieve unification. This cannot be delayed!"
Her words resonated like a thunderclap in the court. All officials looked at each other, secretly marveling at Her Majesty's courage and determination. They had originally thought Her Majesty would hold off on taking action this year, but they hadn't expected her to be so decisive.
The left and right prime ministers Jialiu and Xinan both agreed with Jin Linlin's decision. They echoed in unison:
"Your Majesty is wise and unifying the world is the inevitable trend. Sending troops now will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort."
When all the officials heard this, they all nodded in agreement and stared at Jin Linlin, as if waiting for her further instructions.
The generals, led by Mo Ren, Jin Nian, Jin Yue, and Jin Ri, were all valiant and awe-inspiring. None of them objected to Jin Linlin's decision, but instead seemed eager to try, seemingly filled with anticipation for the impending war.
Seeing this, Jin Linlin nodded with satisfaction and continued:
"In that case, this is settled. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War must make preparations in advance to ensure the army can set out smoothly in two weeks."
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of War hurriedly bowed and responded in unison:
"Your humble servant obeys your orders!"
Finally, Jin Linlin set her eyes on Jialiu, Xinan, and Xia Heng, and solemnly instructed:
"Jia Liu, Xinan, and Xia Heng, the three of you must provide me with detailed strategies for this expedition and suitable generals within half a month." The three accepted the order.
"I've heard that the various vassal states seem to be interested in uniting recently. Is there any progress on this matter?"
The Director of the Intelligence Department hurried out and saluted:
"Your Majesty, this is indeed true. Envoys from several countries have been traveling back and forth frequently in secret, seemingly discussing a joint strategy to resist our dynasty."
Jin Linlin frowned and thought for a moment:
"This is a bit troublesome, but it doesn't matter. Jialiu, you go and arrange for spies to go deep into each country and find out their joint plans. Xinan, you are responsible for spreading rumors and disrupting their military morale." The two accepted the order.
At this time, the Minister of Rites suddenly stood up:
"Your Majesty, this military expedition can be used to announce to the world that our dynasty is in accordance with the will of heaven and that unifying the world is the inevitable trend of the times, thus vindicating our dynasty's reputation."
Jin Linlin's eyes lit up and she raised her hands in praise:
"This is a very good plan. The Ministry of Rites will prepare the imperial edict immediately."
Jin Linlin looked outside the palace, and she already had a clear blueprint of unifying the world in her mind. She firmly believed that this world would be in her hands soon.
As soon as the discussion was over, Haruyuki tiptoed over to Jin Linlin and said in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, the Queen has returned, but was stopped by the guards at the palace gate. She is now being taken outside the palace to wait."
Upon hearing this, Jin Linlin raised her eyebrows slightly, and slowly fiddled with the Buddhist beads in her hand, making a slight clinking sound.
After a while, she said slowly, "Bring it in!"
Haruyuki was taken aback. She had originally thought His Majesty would summon the Queen to the Imperial Study, given its relative privacy. She hadn't expected His Majesty to simply invite her into the main hall. Did this mean His Majesty had resolved to break completely with her?
Although Chunxue was a little surprised, she quickly recovered. She quickly walked behind Jin Linlin and shouted to the guards outside the palace, "Bring her in!"
When the officials in the hall heard Chunxue's cry, they all started whispering to each other. They didn't know what was going on, and they all looked confused, and their eyes fell on Jiang Zhixu at the same time.
Jiang Zhixu was dressed in plain clothes at the time, his expression unusually calm, as if everything in the outside world had nothing to do with him. He walked slowly into the hall with steady steps.
After entering the hall, he walked straight to Jin Linlin without hesitation, then knelt on his knees and spoke in a low and steady voice:
"Your Majesty, I deserve death and have returned to confess my crime."
Jin Linlin looked at Jiang Zhixu in front of her, a sneer on her face, her voice full of sarcasm and indifference:
"You disobeyed my order and secretly rescued the death row prisoner. How can you have the nerve to come back and see me now?"
Jiang Zhixu slowly raised his head, his eyes firm and resolute, looking straight at the emperor. He took a deep breath, and then said in a low and powerful voice:
"Your Majesty, I simply cannot bear to watch my third brother and his wife die on the spot. They are my family, and I cannot sit idly by. No matter how Your Majesty punishes me, I am willing to bear it. But please calm your anger and spare their lives."
Jiang Zhixu's words caused all the officials present to whisper among themselves. They all looked at him with scrutiny, as if they were very surprised by Jiang Zhixu's behavior.
After hearing Jiang Zhixu's words, Jin Linlin felt even more upset. She couldn't help but wonder why Jiang Zhixu came back since he had already left.
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