The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Chapter 1293 686: Epilogue: The Grand Wedding

Three months later.

Capital, at the beginning of summer, green trees cast shadows, and this ancient city which has stood for millennia has restored its prosperous atmosphere.

The war is over, and the people of Yu Country have embraced the long-awaited peace.

In the Zhao Residence, within a study, intricately carved window panes are open, through which one can see a well-proportioned hand, holding a brush dipped in ink, leaving characters on a large book:

"...The Ksitigarbha Dharma King is finally extinguished; this ascension battle went smoother than expected.

In hindsight analysis, it was due to the unstable foundation of Ksitigarbha's reunified split soul, and by drawing faith from widespread suffering, he contradicted the Heavenly Dao.

Though Zhang Yan Yi died, the Heavenly Dao he invoked still aided me greatly in that battle..."

"Thinking carefully, when Ksitigarbha collapsed, I even sensed in him the resisting will of the Red Sect Master and Bian Ji, which might be one of the many factors leading to this false god's downfall.

He who wins people's hearts wins the world. The contest between Small Vehicle and Great Vehicle spanning hundreds of years has finally concluded.

And with the complete erasure of Ksitigarbha's Divine Soul, he has no chance of rising again."

"After the battle, the Buddhist sect, having lost nearly all the high-ranking fighters, poses no threat anymore, and the Western Regions soldiers have surrendered one after another... I didn't concern myself much with the aftermath; I entrusted it to the court generals; I have confidence in them.

However, due to this victory, Yu Country has resolved to establish a 'Protectorate' in the Western Regions; as for the discontent from various Western countries, Zhenbao's opinion is to let Princess Wen Zhu appease them."

"The upper echelon of the Buddhist sect underwent a thorough cleansing, but there remains a large number of devotees at the lower levels, and a solid foundation among the people.

This can be solved easily, just as I envisioned long ago; the Bodhisattva, having passed tests and proven her stance, is the best candidate.

The female Bodhisattva no longer needs to concern herself with dual cultivation... ha, I've given her a formidable task, to travel everywhere, to integrate the scattered Buddhist disciples of Yu Country and the Western Regions, completing the 'merge,' isn't this a great meritorious deed?

Well... although her gaze was quite resentful when receiving the task, I pretended not to notice. Clever as always."

"The Liao Clan in the Southwest Territory is also a hidden threat, though it wasted only half a day of my time.

I brought Tuoba Weizhi back, took him to the Territory, and found the clan leader Song Zhi; he didn't flee but respectfully awaited my arrival at the clan leader's residence, asking for self-execution. I permitted it.

From now on, the Liao Clan will be managed once again by Tuoba Weizhi.

Oh, I accidentally found a small remnant group of Kuangfu Society in the Territory; what surprised me was that Xu Jianwen's wife and children died in their residence before my arrival.

Zhao Shixiong suggested it was Queen Wen who poisoned her offspring before committing suicide... probably to avoid disgrace. Truly a fierce character, what a pity.

Hope their family reunites in hell, and in their next life, they won't harm others.

As for Zhao Shixiong, he even asked to retire... well, let him be, after a lifetime of battles, he deserves to enjoy his twilight years."

"Speaking of Kuangfu Society... suddenly think of Yun Xi, it's been a while since I last saw her. After returning to the Capital, I sent someone to inquire and found she's still relentlessly hunting down the remaining rebels of Kuangfu Society, it shows how much harm Zhuang Xiaocheng's deception caused her...

Yu Xiu's sister, Nie Yurong, mixed with Yun Xi and even became friends - an interesting affair."

"Eight Princes' Rebellion ended, among the few princes, except the Lingnan King who stayed away from the conflict, enjoying leisure in the farthest place, only Prince Huaian and Prince Chen survived.

I asked Zhenbao's opinion, she said they should be stripped of most of their wealth and power, leaving them a portion to live in peace. Also fulfilling the promise made during their surrender."

"Here's an interesting matter. Back in Yongjia City at Huai River, the civil servant Du Ruhui I recruited casually has reportedly shined brightly at the rear this past year, has been transferred to the Capital, joining the Ministry of Personnel; while chatting with Mr. Yuan, he mentioned that he sees this person as having prime minister potential...

I suspect Yuann Li is indirectly praising me, ha, everyone knows Du Ruhui was recruited by me, the whole court dare not treat him with anything less than an open door."

"After the war, rewarding merits, Duke withdrew due to injuries and illness, and Young Master Tang Ping succeeded, becoming the youngest Duke, a fine development.

Surprisingly, Dong Da didn't die on the battlefield, returned to the Capital together, surely about to rise to prominence, reportedly intending to take charge of the Hanlin Academy.

Ning Zechen resumed his position as Shipping Governor, overseeing Jiancheng and Huai River routes.

Wei Xianzong also climbed back up due to his battle achievements, and Zhenbao promises not to hold past issues against him."

"... The other day, Little Ma (Ma Yan) came to me, asking what to do with the bunch of people in the Imperial Prison, I almost forgot, Chai Keqiao from Qingshan and his group - after considering, I decided to release them.

It wasn't out of leniency, but by calculation, I am the true founding master of Qingshan lineage... With Wu Xiankui dead, those below pose no threat, better to let them continue Qingshan's legacy than it being severed."

"Speaking of legacy, Yu Xiu took the priests back to the Heavenly Master Mansion, and was elected as the first 'Female Heavenly Master' in Daoist history.

And after the experience of war, she surprisingly had an epiphany, stepping into Half-step Celestial; I gave her the Heavenly Book left by Zhang Yan Yi.

Believe that under her charge, the Heavenly Master Mansion will rise from the ashes and return to its prime within decades."

"What else is worth paying attention to? After much thought, there are still three things."