I Have to Attend Court

Old Madam Zhou clicked her tongue in astonishment. "Has this little beast gone mad? He actually kidnapped the imperial chef?"

Qian Huihui shook her head and said, "These people don't seem to have been kidnapped. Let's take it one step at a time!"

She touched the gold hairpin in her hair and said, "Oh no! My gold hairpin is gone. I don't even know where it fell off."

Old Madam Zhou touched her head, her heart skipped a beat, and she said, "My gold hairpin is gone too, what happened?"

Zhou Mei touched her chest and said, "I... my jade pendant is gone too... Waaah... that jade pendant was a gift from my grandmother."

They had nothing left that was gold or jade on them.

After finishing her meal, Zhou Wanwan wiped her mouth, sighed, and said, "I have to go to court now. You all continue eating!"

She stood up and walked to the backyard, where the buildings looked exactly like those in the imperial palace in the capital.

This house has quite a history.

Years ago, there was a prince who betrayed the imperial court and secretly built a mansion.

He was determined to imitate the imperial palace in the capital, and following its design, he managed to build a building that was exactly the same as the palace in the capital.

Later, the Eighth Worthy Prince's property was confiscated, and the mansion was abandoned. This mansion was located near the Valley of Evildoers.

The house was brought back by those trees and has now become the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Zhou Wanwan sat on the dragon throne. Xiao Dezi flicked his whisk and announced in a high-pitched voice, "All officials, enter the hall..."

Zhou Wanwan got goosebumps as she watched the ministers slowly walk in.

Before long, the Hall of Diligent Governance, modeled after the imperial palace in Beijing, was Manman.

Zhou Wanwan silently counted them in her mind; there were more than two hundred imperial officials.

Looking at the huge crowd in front of her, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Who would have thought that this small, secluded mountain stronghold could gather so many officials from the imperial court?

Then, more than two hundred officials suddenly knelt down and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhou Wanwan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly as she said, "Rise."

She feels like she's playing house every day now.

She used to play house with children, but now she has to play house with these old folks.

Otherwise, if these old guys are unhappy, they can make you kneel for a whole day.

Some old folks can still whine and cry, they're even more difficult to deal with than a shrew.

Zhao Muyuan and said:

"Your Majesty, the situation in the Northern Desert is extremely troublesome. Not only is the journey long, but the local forces are also complex and intertwined."

Please consider this carefully and do not set off lightly.

Zhou Wanwan shook her head and said:

"I definitely want to go to the Northern Desert. It has a large gold mine, as well as countless rare minerals, furs and medicinal herbs."

Not only can it fill our current shortage of funds and food, but it can also firmly hold these resources in our hands.

"In the future, whether it's expanding our influence or dealing with other unforeseen events, we'll have more confidence."

Just kidding, now is the time for development. If a knock-off wants to develop, it needs money.

She wasn't a real emperor. A real emperor could confiscate vast amounts of money from anyone.

But she was a bandit, and all bandits can do is rob.

Robbing ordinary people is shameful, but robbing invaders—is she in the right?

The money obtained through robbery can be used to develop the stronghold and help more people, killing two birds with one stone.

Zhao Muyuan didn't dare to refute and nodded, saying, "That makes sense. I think we can bring an army of 100,000. Our mountain stronghold is now full of talented people."

Zhou Wanwan waved her hand and said, "No need, no need, I have my own arrangements."

Just kidding, leading an army of 100,000 to directly attack the Northern Desert, what would happen if the imperial court found out?

Moreover, although she didn't have an army of 100,000, she had powerful trees! Those trees were her most secret weapon.

Several thousand of these trees have mutated over a very long period of time, with the Old Scholar Tree not needing to replenish their energy for even a day.

Other trees can last for four or five hours, and there are now many trees on the mountain.

Zhou Wanwan couldn't possibly replenish their energy every single day, so sometimes she would do it over several days.

However, Zhou Wanwan is much more capable now than before; previously, she could only replenish energy for a few hundred trees.

But now she can replenish the energy of two or three thousand trees at the same time, and it only takes half an hour to fully charge them.

Then they'd switch to the next batch, but Zhou Wanwan could only charge for two hours a day, otherwise she'd become extremely tired.

She's only five years old; her body can't handle it.

However, this situation will improve as she grows older.

Next, the ministers reported on their work.

Zhou Wanwan held a piece of paper to cover her face and then began to doze off.

She liked doing this when she was in school, and now that she's working, she still has to do it.

Zhou Wanwan was channeling energy late into the night and then watched some of the Zhou Family's drama, so she was exhausted.

The ministers below had been reporting for half an hour, but Zhou Wanwan had not made a move.

The ministers all bowed their heads. Xiao Dezi then woke Zhou Wanwan Zhou Wanwan, who groggily asked, "Um... what do we do next?"

Xiao Dezi coughed and said, "Court is adjourned!"

After the ministers left, Zhou Wanwan finally came to her senses and asked, "What did we talk about today? Briefly."

Xiao Dezi smiled and said, "It's alright, the Grand Tutor said he'll organize it and show it to you..."

Zhou Wanwan nodded and entered the imperial study, where she saw the Grand Tutor writing furiously.

"Your Majesty, these are some of the questions raised by the ministers today."

"And these are the two estates we bought this time. What should we plant on them?"

Zhou Wanwan was bored lately, so she had someone buy two estates, which were quite close to here.

Zhou Wanwan thought for a moment and said, "I plan to dedicate one estate to growing sweet potatoes and the other to growing medicinal herbs."

Grand Tutor Zhao Muyuan nodded and said, "As long as you have a clear understanding, these are the contents of the morning court session. Please take another look."

Zhou Wanwan glanced at it; they were all trivial matters.

Because everyone is copying others now, they're all gossiping about this family and that family, and there are also issues about the construction of these copycat sites.

Zhou Wanwan looked at it and said:

"Let's do things the way they say! I have no objections."

However, we have to set off for the Northern Desert tonight.

Zhao Muyuan said with a worried look, "Why don't I go with you?"

Zhou Wanwan quickly waved her hand and said:

"No need, no need. I can rest assured only if you stay and guard the stronghold."

I was able to save you then, and I can protect myself now, so don't worry!

Zhou Wanwan felt it would be more convenient for her to go alone, since she had many powerful subordinates.

They can go through the jungle or through the mountains.

Then they heard Xiao Dezi outside say, "Your Majesty, your brothers have arrived."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "Please invite them in!"