Chapter 889: The Prince's Heart

"Long live the Prince! Long live the Prince..."

Zhao Xu rode his horse forward, and the commoners and merchants on the street turned their gazes toward him one after another.

In their eyes was love, trust, and adoration.

They consciously stood on both sides of the street, continuously raising their fists and cheering.

The waves of sound were so intense they could practically overturn Yancheng.

Although they were far away in Yancheng, they had been following the war in Jiangnan through the Newspaper.

Now, Yan Wang was the soul of Da Song.

Every move Yan Wang made would tug at their hearts.

Therefore, they naturally hoped Yan Wang could sweep away the Rich Clans of Da Song and quell the internal rebellion.

Furthermore, Da Song had been weak for a long time.

In the past, the common people would not discuss state affairs, and even if they did, it was heartbreaking.

But now it was completely different; under the leadership of Yan Wang, they were full of confidence.

This victory undoubtedly strengthened their confidence once more.

They no longer had to live in fear as they had in the past.

On this land of Da Song, from now on, they would no longer be oppressed by Rich Clans and powerful families, nor would they be slaughtered by foreign tribes.

They only needed to rely on their own hardworking hands to live a stable and prosperous life.

At this moment, Zhao Xu sat on his horse.

Facing the enthusiastic commoners, the exhaustion in his entire body seemed to vanish at this moment.

The hard work, sweat, and blood and tears of these past few years all seemed worth it.

Finally, he had relied on his own will to sweep away the powerful clans and transform Da Song.

In this era of threats, he had allowed Da Song to be reborn, ensuring it would not repeat the century of humiliation of the contemporary era.

However, looking at the pure and kind faces of the commoners, he felt there was still much to do to maintain the smiles on their faces.

Although Da Song had been reborn like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

But for this reborn Eastern dynasty,

the danger had not yet departed.

To the north of Da Song, the mortal enemy of two hundred years, the Northern Di, had not yet been annihilated.

And now, the Ross nation, known as the Bear of the North, had extended its tentacles here.

In Dongying, across the sea to the east, Commander Watanabe was still resisting, waiting for the Westerners to arrive and unlock the cage he had set.

At the same time, according to intelligence revealed by the Diplomatic Minister of the Ross nation.

The Western Lands Allied Forces assembled by Britain would likely arrive in Tianzhu in another two or three months.

They would use Tianzhu as a bridgehead to prevent him from seizing colonies in the East Land Southern Region.

Their ultimate goal was to strangle him.

This signal was equivalent to the Westerners pointing a gun at his forehead.

If this can be endured, what cannot?

Therefore, the internal rebellion of Da Song was quelled, but there were still many battles to be fought outside.

His responsibility was to maintain the growth of Da Song's commerce while fighting wars.

Avoiding foreign wars affecting development.

Besides this, there was also the territory of Tibet.

This place, like the Northern Di, must be taken.

To him, that was the territory of Da Song.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly saw a team of Imperial Guards appear ahead.

In the center of the Imperial Guards was the imperial carriage of Zhao Heng.

This was Zhao Heng coming to welcome him in person.

Arriving before the imperial carriage, Zhao Xu dismounted, and Zhao Heng and Mi Fei stepped down.

Seeing Zhao Xu, Zhao Heng was all smiles.

The betrayal of the powerful clans and the internal rebellion of Da Song were a wound in his heart.

For an emperor, letting the foundation left by his ancestors fall into pieces was the greatest shame.

Moreover, he had a personality that loved to claim credit.

"Yan Wang, you are truly the pillar of my Da Song nation. With this great victory in Yizhou, the internal rebellion is finally quelled, and Da Song is unified. I am very gratified; compared to you, I am not even one ten-thousandth." Zhao Heng grabbed Zhao Xu's arm and squeezed it hard.

He was truly happy; this was like a debt owed by a father being repaid by his son.

"Father Emperor overpraises me; your son is only doing his duty," Zhao Xu laughed.

If it were several years ago, if Zhao Heng had praised him so highly, he would surely have been startled, fearing his achievements would overshadow the master.

But now, he knew Zhao Heng had no ill intent.

Hearing this, Zhao Heng nodded with satisfaction.

However, he could not stop sighing in his heart.

If he had treated Yan Wang like this from the beginning, perhaps the relationship between him and Yan Wang would truly be one of fatherly kindness and filial piety.

Instead of being like it was now, with a faint layer of estrangement.

Seemingly to make Zhao Xu happy, he added: "Before you returned, I issued an edict; from now on, you should change how you address your birth mother to Empress Mother."

Liu Fu, Yang Feng, and other officials were in attendance on both sides of the imperial carriage.

They nodded to Zhao Xu at this moment, confirming this point.

Zhao Xu was stunned for a moment.

Zhao Heng first issued an imperial decree naming him Crown Prince, and now he had conferred the title of Empress upon Imperial Concubine Mi.

He had let go of the last shred of obsession in his heart and completely severed ties with the powerful clans.

After all, not appointing a woman of humble origins as Empress was the ancestral instruction of the Zhao Clan Royal Clan.

In ancient times, any Emperor who broke ancestral instructions required courage.

"Father Emperor is wise." Zhao Xu looked toward Zhao Heng and revealed a smile.

Zhao Heng was the Emperor of Great Song, and this move of his held great significance for Great Song.

Although he had wiped out the powerful clans, the powerful clans had only been physically eliminated.

Yet in the hearts of many, the shadows left behind by the powerful clans still remained.

Therefore, Zhao Heng appointing Imperial Concubine Mi, who was of humble origin, as Empress was a heavy blow to those who still held the Rich Clan and powerful clans in high regard.

And for the humble families of Great Song, it was a shot in the arm.

"Hahaha..." Having been praised by Zhao Xu for the first time in such a long time, Zhao Heng could not help but laugh.

Zhao Xu looked toward Imperial Concubine Mi at this moment—no, Mi Huanghou—and said, "Congratulations, Mother Empress."

The former Imperial Concubine Mi, now Mi Huanghou, looked toward Zhao Xu, her eyes filled only with a mother's concern for her child.

To her, she did not care about this title at all.

But she also understood the meaning of this title, so she accepted it.

Stroking Zhao Xu's head, she said, "Since the war in the south is over, you can stay in the Prince's Mansion for more days from now on. Then you should hurry and have a big, chubby boy with Susu, so that Mother Empress and your Father Emperor can rest easy in our twilight years and enjoy the happiness of family life."

Yang Susu was also there; her sedan chair was right behind the imperial carriage.

The imperial carriage stopped, and she stepped out of her sedan chair to personally support Mi Huanghou.

Upon hearing this, her face could not help but turn red, and she glanced at Zhao Xu with a look that was both shy and feigned annoyance.

"Her Majesty is absolutely right." Yang Feng also joined in the fun at this moment and even winked at Yang Susu.

Liu Fu looked at Zhao Xu, smiling quite ambiguously.

Clearly, Yan Wang being urged to have children in public by Mi Huanghou was very amusing.

Zhao Xu was helpless, and before Imperial Concubine Mi could say anything more explicit, he urged everyone to return to Wuji Palace.

Halfway there, Yang Susu returned to the Prince's Mansion attended by Feng'er and Luan'er.

He, however, went straight to Wuji Palace with the civil and military officials.

Since everyone had arrived, he could just introduce the war situation in Yizhou to them.

At the same time, he would learn about the state affairs during the war.

Most importantly, the unification of Great Song was imminent, so naturally, there would be no distinction between Jiangnan and Jiangbei in the future.

He and the court officials needed to consider the overall situation and restore the livelihoods of the people of Great Song that had been damaged by the war.

Among these, in terms of the military, it was necessary to establish defense zones.

In terms of state affairs, it was necessary to take over the numerous cities in Jiangnan.

Furthermore, in order to defeat Xitu Guo more efficiently in the future, it was also necessary to carry out further reforms to the military and government institutions.