pdf-ebookys Chapter 453 Planning for the Future
Chapter 453 Planning for the Future
"Alright, then gather your men and set off immediately."
"I will have someone take you to the Northern Frontier. Remember, once you arrive in the Northern Frontier, you must obey General Yan's orders in everything."
"From now on, he will be your master. You must obey his orders as you would obey me, and you must not slack off in the slightest."
After thinking it over, Ruan Yuhu felt that it was safer to hand these people over to Yan Yu than to anyone else.
Although Ruan Yuhu was unaware of the true relationship between Shen Tianjiao and Yan Yu, judging from Yan Yu's return this time to help Shen Tianjiao quell Li Zhaohui's rebellion...
Yan Yu was someone Shen Tianjiao trusted deeply, so Ruan Yuhu had nothing to worry about entrusting Chen Ze and these people to Yan Yu.
The Marquis of Zhenbei is not in the northern frontier now. Although his direct subordinates are all there, it is still different when the Marquis of Zhenbei is not there.
Therefore, Yan Yu is the best choice. Ruan Yuhu feels most at ease letting Chen Ze follow Yan Yu.
"Also, after you leave here, forget everything that happened here."
"Never think about it again. Just treat it as a dream. When you wake up, it's all gone."
"I also instructed my subordinates not to talk nonsense, and not to mention what happened here to anyone, no matter who asks in the future."
Since Ruan Yuhu is going to let Xu Ziwu go, then everything that happened here must be completely wiped clean, leaving no trace.
"Yes, Chen Ze will obey the Lord's orders."
Without hesitation, Chen Ze turned around and left to muster his troops.
Seeing that Chen Ze had left, Ruan Yuhu instructed Ju Ruo, "Let him ride in my carriage. We'll leave in another carriage later."
"Arrange for a few people to accompany and protect him, and make sure he gets to his destination safely."
"Once we get there, don't let those people come back. They should stay and protect him."
"Let those people come back after he passes away."
"Yes, I will make arrangements now."
Ju Ruo didn't ask any more questions. Since Ruan Yuhu had given such instructions, there must have been a change in circumstances. Ju Ruo just needed to do as instructed.
"Wait, I have something to tell you."
Ruan Yuhu stopped Ju Ruo, who was about to leave, and instructed her, "After Chen Ze and the others leave, set this place on fire and burn it down."
Ju Ruo was taken aback, but then she understood what Ruan Yu meant.
"Yes, the servant knows."
There are actually not many people left here, only about a hundred.
Chen Ze quickly finished counting all the people. Once he had finished counting all the men, the people sent by Ruan Yuhu immediately led them to the northern frontier.
After Chen Ze and his men left, Xu Ziwu also got into the carriage arranged by Ruan Yuhu and left.
Seeing that everyone who was supposed to leave had left, Ruan Yuhu also got into his carriage and left.
After Ruan Yuhu and the others left, the people Ju Ruo left behind obeyed her orders and set a fire, burning everything in the place to the ground, leaving no trace of the past and erasing all memories.
Ruan Yuhu's carriage traveled for dozens of miles before finally stopping.
"Ju Ruo, give the order that everyone is tired from traveling all day and should rest here."
"Let everyone eat something, and see if there's any firewood or anything else around here that can keep us warm."
"By lighting a fire, we can both keep warm and prevent danger from approaching."
Since leaving the palace, Ruan Yuhu had been in high spirits, but now that the matter was resolved, she relaxed and lost her energy.
All she wants to do right now is sleep; she doesn't want to do anything else.
"Okay, Master, don't sleep yet. I'll cook you some millet porridge. Eat it before you go to sleep."
Ruan Yuhu hasn't eaten anything all day, and Ju Ruo wouldn't feel at ease if she went to sleep without eating.
"Okay, go and cook the porridge."
Although Ruan Yuhu didn't feel hungry, she nodded in agreement so as not to worry Ju Ruo.
The guards who came with Ruan Yuhu quickly found firewood, and when the firewood was lit, it brought not only light but also warmth.
Ju Ruo used the firewood to make a bowl of sweet and delicious millet porridge for Ruan Yuhu.
The taste of this millet porridge was different from any of the ones Ruan Yuhu had eaten before. It had an indescribable fragrance and a soft texture, making it even more delicious than the ones carefully prepared by the imperial chefs in the palace.
Because of the special taste of this millet porridge, even though Ruan Yuhu didn't have much of an appetite, she still drank more than half a bowl.
Ju Ruo looked at the remaining millet porridge in the bowl with satisfaction. She hadn't expected Ruan Yuhu to be able to eat more than half of the porridge. Ruan Yuhu's appetite today had exceeded Ju Ruo's expectations.
Her mistress, even when she was in the palace, ate very little at each meal.
If I hadn't been taking supplements like ginseng and deer antler regularly, my body wouldn't have been able to hold on until now.
"Master, you should rest. I'll stay here and keep watch."
Ju Ruo instructed the maidservant beside her to clear away the bowls and chopsticks, while she herself sat aside to keep watch over Ruan Yuhu.
"Alright, there are so many people outside, do you really need to keep watch?"
"Ju Ruo, you're not young anymore. You've been running around all day. How could you not be tired?"
“I don’t need you to keep watch. You can just sleep here. It’s getting late, and we need to get back to Huguo Temple as soon as it’s light.”
“Master, I…”
"Alright, that's enough. Just do as I say."
Ruan Yuhu interrupted Ju Ruo, leaving her no room to refuse him again.
"You need to take good care of your own health first, then you can take good care of me."
“We used to think that after we got our revenge, we would leave this world and go down to the underworld to reunite with our families.”
"But things have changed now. For Jiaojiao's sake, and for the sake of Yunli's national destiny, we must live."
"If you don't take care of yourself, who will take care of me?"
Ruan Yuhu's words completely dispelled Ju Ruo's concerns, and she didn't say anything more. Instead, she obediently went to rest on the soft couch on the other side of the carriage.
Although Ju Ruo has always been healthy, she is, after all, an older person, and after a long day of running around, she couldn't help but be tired.
Along the way, in addition to taking good care of Ruan Yuhu, Ju Ruo also had to take care of everyone's food and drink, arrange various matters, and do the things that Ruan Yuhu asked her to do.
Of all the people who went out today, Kiku was the most tired and worked the hardest.
Not long after lying down, Ju Ruo fell asleep with soft snoring. Ruan Yuhu listened to Ju Ruo's snoring and couldn't help but shake his head and smile. This girl is just so strong-willed.
Even though they are already very tired, they insist on saying they are not tired and always force themselves to keep going.
Ruan Yuhu got up and took a blanket to cover Ju Ruo. Although there was a brazier in the carriage and the temperature wasn't too low, it was still necessary to take precautions to keep warm.
After covering Ju Ruo with a blanket, Ruan Yuhu also lay down to sleep.
Nothing happened that night, and Ruan Yuhu slept soundly until dawn, a rare and good night's sleep she had had in years.
This desolate wilderness was not like being indoors; the thick frost and snow outside had stained the faces and eyebrows of everyone outside with a layer of silver.
This matter made it absolutely impossible for Ruan Yuhu to get off the carriage and go outside. She knew her own physical condition better than anyone.
She wasn't one to fool around, although she really did want to go outside and experience what it felt like to have frost and snow on her face and eyebrows.
This was an experience she could never have had in the palace, but unfortunately, she was too delicate and frail to enjoy it.
"Ju Ruo, take all the dried meat, pastries and other things you brought from the car and distribute them to them."
"It's really tough on them to sleep in this desolate wilderness. Let them have some decent food to warm their stomachs so they can suffer less when they travel later."
Ruan Yuhu was always very lenient with his subordinates. As long as they did not make mistakes and worked loyally, Ruan Yuhu would never treat them unfairly.
Often, Ruan Yuhu would take out the good things around her and give them what they needed.
This is another very important reason why Ruan Yuhu is respected by them, besides being their master.
"it is good."
Ju Ruo naturally knew what kind of temperament Ruan Yuhu had. She was always considerate of her subordinates and was willing to share any good things with them.
Therefore, before arranging the trip out of the palace, Ju Ruo specially prepared a whole carriage full of food for the people below.
Ju Ru handed over the dried meat, rice, steamed buns, and other items on the carriage to the person in charge.
After receiving these things, the man used the large pot they had brought to cook the rice and add dried meat, making a meat porridge.
In this cold weather, what could be more blissful than a bowl of hot meat porridge?
Even Ruan Yuhu, who usually doesn't like to eat, ate a big bowl of meat porridge when breakfast was ready this morning.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they packed their things and set off for their next destination, Huguo Temple.
Having resolved a major issue that had been weighing on her mind, Ruan Yuhu's mood visibly improved, and she even became much more talkative than usual.
Ruan Yuhu no longer cares about what method the Marquis of Zhenbei used to help his daughter escape that calamity.
Regardless of what methods the Marquis of Zhenbei used to save Shen Tianjiao's life, those things are no longer important.
The important thing is that Shen Tianjiao is alive and well, which is enough for Ruan Yuhu.
While chatting with Ju Ruo, Ruan Yuhu began to think about where to start, how to help Shen Tianjiao stabilize the court, establish her prestige, and gain more support and trust.
This way, when Shen Tianjiao ascends the throne as empress in the future, there will be fewer obstacles.
He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world; this is an eternal truth.
While the court officials must certainly maintain their control over those powerful families, the most important thing is to gain the recognition and support of the people.
Otherwise, even if Shen Tianjiao successfully ascends the throne in the future, she probably won't live a comfortable life.
The frequent rebellions in the court today will shift from the imperial court to the common people.
If the common people rise up in rebellion, it will be much more troublesome and serious than if the court officials rebel.
When the court officials rebelled, Shen Tianjiao used her schemes and power to force them into a corner, leaving them nowhere to escape and ultimately forcing them to surrender.
However, the same methods cannot be used to deal with and resolve issues when dealing with ordinary people.
Once the people rise up in rebellion, it will quickly spread like wildfire, eventually igniting riots across the country.
If troops are not sent to suppress them, Yunli will have no peaceful days. At that time, let alone the arrival of the restorer of the dynasty, who will lead Yunli to become the strongest country among the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces.
I'm afraid that before Shen Tianjiao can even make a move and start to prosper Yunli, Yunli will fall apart and perish because of these riots.
If troops are sent to suppress them, Shen Tianjiao will likely be charged not only with interfering in politics as a woman and attempting to overthrow the foundation of Yunli Kingdom, but also with the crime of being cruel and heartless.
At that time, I fear that the problem will not be solved, but will only get worse day by day. If this continues, it will also be a sign of the country's demise.
The most important thing now is to help Shen Tianjiao win people's hearts and let the people see that even as a woman...
Their queen, Shen Tianjiao, is someone who can protect them, provide them with a peaceful life, and lead Yunli to prosperity.
It will not only give them a sense of security, but also free them from the suffering of war.
What Shen Tianjiao can offer them is something that neither their former king nor their future king can give them.
The belief that only by making Shen Tianjiao the savior of Yunli, and that only by following Shen Tianjiao could Yunli prosper and its people live a good life, was ingrained in the very bones of the people of Yunli.
Only in this way can the country avoid internal strife and achieve a smooth transition after Shen Tianjiao ascends the throne.
To achieve this, Ruan Yuhu would need to put in a lot of thought.
The incident where Nan Chu sent people to poison Shen Tianjiao not long ago actually created a very good image for her.
This allowed the people of the capital to see for the first time Shen Tianjiao, the regent empress, who was different from their high and mighty emperor.
When the people encounter disasters and need protection, Shen Tianjiao, as their national mother, will step forward to protect them regardless of her own safety.
But that alone is far from enough, and people's hearts are easily changed.
This one act of gratitude alone is not enough to completely subdue those people, nor can it truly solidify Shen Tianjiao's image as a benevolent ruler in the hearts of every citizen of Yunli.
The more of these things, the better. Only in this way can we ensure that the image of Shen Tianjiao as a wise and virtuous ruler, the only one who can save Yunli, is engraved in the bones of every Yunli citizen.
Only in this way can we achieve lasting success.