She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

The young men stared at the imposing man sitting in the light and shadow, not recognizing him. How could ordinary people like them possibly recognize such a high-ranking official as the Provincial Governor?

But they thought that no one would dare to impersonate a high-ranking official.

Chen Qiaoming paused for a moment, then rose and went into the courtyard: "Since the Regent's Consort has agreed not to hold your mistakes against you, I will not pursue the matter. As long as you cooperate and the officials and the people work together, we will surely overcome this difficulty!"

princess?

The person sitting inside was none other than the Regent's wife?

The group of young men who barged in were dumbfounded.

They actually managed to steal the Regent's wife's thunder?

Doubt was completely replaced by fear, and in the courtyard, Ulala knelt on the ground.

"Please, sir!"

"Please, Your Highness!"

"Give me a break!"

Jiang Ruining is very satisfied with the results of her plans and decisions.

"Carry the spy's corpse around the city, so that all the believers know what happened and who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes! Let the other people who have been incited like you calm down."

"I want to see your abilities! Find a way to assemble a force of ten thousand able-bodied men, in large groups of two hundred and small groups of thirty. Select leaders for each group, and have them patrol day and night to protect the safety of the city, temples, monasteries, charitable institutions, and other places!"

"Once the team is assembled, hand in the roster and follow my orders! Cooperate, and I will provide you with two meals a day."

Hearing that there would be food, everyone's energy returned!

"You're not lying to us?"

Jiang Ruining said, "I am the Regent's Consort; what I desire is peace and stability for the people, not executioners!"

The young and strong men thought it made sense.

If she kills them all, people will only say that she, as the ruler, is cruel and has lost the support of the people!

"Very good!"

"As long as we have food, we can get through this!"

"Everything will be alright once spring arrives!"

……

Looking at those excited faces, Jiang Ruining knew that this pride was far from enough to withstand the impending great cold wave from hell!

Therefore, she continued to increase the rewards: "Once the natural disaster has passed, I will reward you according to your merits, cooperation, and loyalty, with gold, silver, land, or even official positions!"

"Since Heaven has not sent down deities to protect all living beings, then let you, the young, strong, and wise, become the deities of all living beings. Let me, and Lord Chen, see your courage and ability to protect every citizen of Daning Prefecture!"

Ordinary people.

I've always known that I'm just an ant in the grand scheme of things, but now I have the chance to be a god and protect all living beings. How can I not be thrilled?

Even though they couldn't become gods, the lure of the rewards kept their focus entirely on protecting the people.

This can greatly reduce the burden on the army, allowing them to focus on border defense!

If someone else had told him this, Chen Qiaoming would not have believed it at all. How could someone resolve a crisis and even form a militia force with just a few words?

"princess……"

Jiang Ruining looked at the Commander.

"These people lack management and combat experience, and are prone to internal strife due to the struggle for credit. Therefore, it is necessary for you to quickly dispatch fifty captains, twenty assistant captains, and one fourth-rank military officer to oversee, command, and train them!"

"This is also a good opportunity for the Commander-in-Chief to cultivate talent; we must seize it!"

It takes wisdom and strength to train the militia into an organized and disciplined force in a short period of time!

The commander-in-chief had clearly considered this as well, his eyes lighting up: "Yes! I'll take care of it right away!"

The night wind, mixed with blizzard, blew the torches, making a "wind whistle" sound.

This added immense intimidation to Jiang Ruining's ruthless pronouncements: "I will send people to keep an eye on you! Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be executed immediately, along with their family and friends!"

The able-bodied men knelt and bowed their heads: "We humble subjects will be utterly loyal and serve the Princess! We will serve the Da Ning Prefecture!"

Jiang Ruining's smiling tone conveyed appreciation, satisfaction, and encouragement: "Very good! Remember all of this: be disciplined, obey your superiors' commands, do not be arrogant, and certainly do not harm each other to steal credit!"

The able-bodied men unanimously replied, "Yes! We will heed the Princess's teachings!"

Jiang Ruining waved his hand: "Go, all of you! Go do what you're supposed to do!"

……

The messy courtyard has returned to quiet.

The guards were well-trained and quickly restored everything to its original state.

There were no signs of the door being broken into.

Jiang Ruining remained composed and authoritative throughout.

No! Chen Qiaoming even watched as her aura surged and intensified, making this middle-aged man, who had served as a regional governor for seven years, dare not act rashly and even subconsciously obey her commands!

"The princess doesn't seem surprised by what happened tonight."

Jiang Ruining sat back down in the main room.

In the center of the hall stood a charcoal brazier, about half a person's height, covered with a perforated metal mesh. The charcoal fire crackled and popped, occasionally sending sparks flying out and falling into the brazier outside the charcoal brazier, extinguishing the fire instantly.

Just like the riot just now, it came with violence, but it was resolved in an instant, losing all ability to spread!

He put down the hand warmer, took the handkerchief handed to him by the maid, and wiped his sweaty palms: "Although Da Ning Prefecture is not an absolute pass, it is adjacent to the Zhao Kingdom. The Zhao Kingdom has long coveted the rich resources of the Great Zhou, and will surely have planted pawns in the Great Zhou for future use."

"Given this natural disaster, how could they not seize the opportunity to cause trouble?"

Chen Qiaoming was stunned by her clear thinking, which he had deduced only the moment the traitor in Northern Liao was exposed!

And she may have already anticipated all of this when she guessed about the snow disaster!

Jiang Ruining continued, "By seizing our supplies, they will have the leverage to recruit able-bodied men. With a larger force, they can then contend with the government. Meanwhile, another group will undoubtedly try every means to incite conflict between the people and the government."

"At that time, the spies who monopolize the resources and the traitors of Zhao will launch a rebellion. While you gentlemen are busy suppressing the rebellion and are overwhelmed with the task, the Zhao army will surely take advantage of the situation and invade."

After thinking it over, Chen Qiaoming broke out in a cold sweat.

The so-called spies from the Northern Liao were actually people from the Zhao state in disguise!

Zhao's intention was to make them defend in the wrong direction, focusing all their defenses on Tongguan and neglecting their local deployments.

Once everything proceeds according to their plan, the chaos within Da Ning Prefecture will render the defenses preoccupied with suppressing the riots. The city gates will be as fragile as eggshells, and they will be able to break in, burn, kill, and plunder without even needing to claim credit!

The consequences could be disastrous!

Chen Qiaoming's shock was evident in his eyes, followed by speculation.

Is she following the Regent's orders and acting according to plan, or...?

Ba Xi gave him the answer: "Lord Chen, there's no need to guess. Everything that happened here was just the Princess's speculation. If there's any help, it's just that marriage compatibility chart, so you'll know who's standing before you!"

"Whether you follow the Princess's orders or not is her own business; the Prince will not interfere!"

Chen Qiaoming's gaze turned serious.

Only now did he finally feel a sense of awe for the girl before him.

With just a little "coincidence," he accurately predicted so many things that happened later, and even saw through the schemes of the Zhao state and the treachery of some people. Not to mention him, even among all the civil and military officials in the court, there are few who can do this!

Her intelligence is simply terrifying!

Jiang Ruining rested his hand on the armrest of the chair and tapped it lightly and rhythmically: "Does Lord Chen know why the Regent is the Regent?"

Chen Qiaoming lowered his head slightly: "Please enlighten me, Your Highness!"

Jiang Ruining slowly said, "Because the Regent can accept and value the strange words and actions of talented and extraordinary people, discern them, adopt them, and quickly implement them, he can be one step ahead of others and can launch more attacks and defenses!"

Chen Qiaoming pondered for a moment, then slowly exhaled: "It is because my vision is not broad enough."

Jiang Ruining smiled: "The Regent is bold and decisive, not only because he is a madman, but also because he has the strength to back him up. His insight into people is also beyond the reach of ordinary people. Lord Chen is able to hold the position of governor of a province, which is due to your own abilities. There is no need to belittle yourself."

Chen Qiaoming was taken aback.

This guy is really bold, daring to openly call the Regent a madman!

However, a woman who could make the Regent sign and affix his seal to the marriage charter would not be a normal person, so it is not surprising that she would say such a thing.

He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, stood up, respectfully cupped his hands, and bowed deeply.

"This humble official will obey the Princess's orders!"

Jiang Ruining smiled with satisfaction.

well.

I've been busy all night, and this is exactly what I've been waiting for!

"Those spies from the Northern Liao are truly wicked; we must warn Tongguan to strengthen its defenses as soon as possible!"

Chen Qiaoming understood.

This was to make the Zhao state think that it had succeeded.

The day they launch a full-scale attack on the city will be the day their entire army is annihilated!

Having too much ambition will bring retribution!

"The Princess is right!"

Jiang Ruining clasped her hands together and gently placed them on her knees: "Now, I am giving Prefect Bai my first order, and I ask that you strictly carry it out!" She paused slightly, "I will take good care of your family."