From cute to empress

Chapter 129: All People Unite

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something bad has happened!" County Magistrate Sun ran into the bedroom in a panic, knelt on the ground, spoke in a hurried tone, and beads of sweat covered his forehead.

I was startled and asked quickly, "County Magistrate Sun, what happened? Please tell me slowly."

Magistrate Sun took a breath and then said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Landlord Zhao...Landlord Zhao...he has colluded with bandits and wants to sabotage the water conservancy project!"

"What?!" I slammed the table and stood up, seething with anger. "Landlord Zhao is so bold! He actually dared to obstruct a national project. Is he planning a rebellion?!"

Zhen Youcai, standing nearby, frowned and asked in a deep voice, "County Magistrate Sun, is the information reliable? Do you know how many bandits Landlord Zhao has colluded with? What are their plans?"

County Magistrate Sun wiped his sweat and said, "Reporting to General Zhen, the news is absolutely true! Landlord Zhao, upon learning that the water conservancy project would occupy his fertile farmland, harbored a grudge and secretly contacted the bandits in Black Wind Village. It is said that there are hundreds of them! They plan to raid the construction site tonight, burn the tools and materials, and prevent the project from continuing!"

"This is outrageous!" I was furious. "General Zhen, you must immediately assemble your troops and arrest Landlord Zhao and bring him to justice. Also, be sure to strengthen the security of the construction site before the bandits do. We absolutely cannot let them succeed!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhen Youcai took the order and turned to walk out of the bedroom with firm and powerful steps.

I suppressed my anger and said to Magistrate Sun, "Magistrate Sun, go back immediately to appease the people and tell them that the court will severely punish the criminals and protect their safety and interests."

"Yes! I'll take my leave!" County Magistrate Sun took the order and left.

As night fell, the entire palace was enveloped in a tense atmosphere. I paced anxiously in my bedroom, my heart filled with worry.

"Your Majesty, you should go to bed early. I believe General Zhen will be able to handle this matter." The personal maid consoled him softly.

I shook my head and said calmly, "I can't sleep. Go see if General Zhen has returned."

The maid took the order and left. After a while, she returned and said in a panic, "Your Majesty, General Zhen... General Zhen..."

"What happened to General Zhen? Tell me quickly!" My heart tightened and an ominous premonition came to my mind.

"General Zhen said that on the construction site... on the construction site..." The palace maid hesitated and did not dare to continue.

"Tell me! What happened?!" I shouted.

The maid fell to her knees in fear, trembling as she said, "There's no one on the construction site... There's no one on the construction site..."

"What?!" I froze in my tracks. The flickering candlelight in the bedroom illuminated the silence, yet my heart was pounding like a drum. "No one..." Those words echoed in my ears like a curse. Zhen Youcai wouldn't say such a thing for no reason. Could it be that...

I suddenly grabbed the maid's shoulders and asked anxiously, "Where are the workers on the construction site? Where did they go?"

The maid was startled by my sudden action. After hesitating for a long time, she timidly said, "Your Majesty, I don't know..."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Since Zhen Youcai told me not to worry, it meant he already had an idea. I let go of the maid and paced back and forth in the hall, anxiously awaiting news from Zhen Youcai.

I don’t know how long it took, but the sky was already turning pale and Zhen Youcai rushed back exhausted.

"My dear, what is going on? Where are the people on the construction site?" I walked quickly forward and asked anxiously.

Zhen Youcai's face was a little tired, but he couldn't hide his excitement. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The workers on the construction site are all safe, and..." He paused, his tone filled with admiration, "They also helped us catch Landlord Zhao!"

"Oh? What on earth is going on?" I became even more confused.

Zhen Youcai recounted the story, explaining that the workers had long known that the landlord, Zhao, was colluding with bandits to sabotage the project. They hated Zhao's actions, but feared collusion between officials and bandits, so they dared not speak out.

Wang, a migrant worker, stepped forward. He was a stonemason in his fifties, experienced and upright, and highly respected among the migrant workers. He suggested that rather than sit and wait for death, they should take the initiative to protect the project and themselves.

So, under the leadership of Wang, the workers organized themselves and patrolled the project day and night to guard the safety of the project. They used their familiarity with the terrain to set traps and lay a net, waiting for the landlord Zhao and the bandits to fall into the trap.

Landlord Zhao and the bandits were fooled. They took advantage of the night to sneak up on the construction site, but were caught by the migrant workers who had been lying in wait. Landlord Zhao's plot was thus exposed, and he was brought to justice. The land was nationalized and used for the construction of the water conservancy project.

Hearing this, I was filled with emotion. These migrant workers, though of humble status, have hearts of gold. They have demonstrated with their actions what true patriotism and national justice are!

I took a deep breath and said to Zhen Youcai, "Pass the word down. I'm going to the construction site myself and express my gratitude to these respectable migrant workers in person!"

After that, I ignored Zhen Youcai's dissuasion and strode out of the hall...

The morning sun warmed my face, dispelling my fatigue from the journey. Before me, the towering dam rose from the earth, like a silver dragon lying across its surface, majestic and imposing. This was the achievement Zhen Youcai and I, along with countless other people, had longed for day and night.

"Your Majesty, look, this is our newly built water conservancy project!" Zhen Youcai stood beside me, pointing to the shimmering water, his tone full of pride.

I nodded and looked around. The once barren land was now covered in greenery, and the faces of the people were filled with happy smiles. They spontaneously gathered on both sides of the dam and greeted my arrival with the warmest applause and cheers.

"Long live the emperor! Long live General Zhen!" The deafening voice resounded through the sky.

Zhen Youcai and I looked at each other and smiled. At that moment, all the hard work and efforts turned into supreme glory.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, I personally cut the red ribbon, announcing the official completion of this water conservancy project, the product of countless people's hard work. The people cheered, singing and dancing to celebrate this hard-earned victory.

"Your Majesty, look how happy the people are!" Zhen Youcai handed me a glass of wine, his eyes full of satisfaction. "With this dam, we no longer have to worry about droughts and floods."

I took the wine glass and took a sip, feeling a surge of emotion. Yes, for this moment, we have put in so much effort and endured so many hardships, but it is all worth it!

However, just as I was immersed in joy, a guard hurried over, knelt in front of me, and presented me with a secret letter with trembling hands.

"Your Majesty, urgent report from the border!"

My smile froze instantly, and a sense of foreboding welled up in my heart. I took the secret letter, unfolded it, and my face changed drastically.

"The border...enemy troops are invading again..." I muttered to myself, and the secret letter in my hand slowly slipped.

"Your Majesty!" Zhen Youcai noticed my strangeness and asked hurriedly, "What happened?"

I took a deep breath, handed him the secret letter in my hand, and said in a heavy tone, "Read it for yourself..."

Zhen Youcai took the secret letter, read it quickly, and his expression became extremely solemn.

"Looks like we have to..." I stood up suddenly, looking into the distance with a determined look, my tone full of determination, "Let's go..."

Zhen Youcai suddenly looked up, his gaze blazing at me. His usually smiling face was now clouded with gloom. He clenched the secret letter in his hand and said gravely, "Your Majesty, I will mobilize the troops and march forth immediately. I will defend this frontier to the death!"

I shook my head, put down the wine glass in my hand, and said firmly: "No, I will go with you!"

Zhen Youcai was startled and tried to dissuade him, but I raised my hand to interrupt him. I looked around at the people immersed in joy, and a warm feeling welled up in my heart. I couldn't let their hard-earned homes be destroyed, and I couldn't let the soldiers on the border fight alone.

"Pass the order down, the army will assemble immediately and prepare to set off!" I gave the order loudly, my voice full of unquestionable majesty.

The cheerful music suddenly stopped, and the people looked at each other, confused as to what had happened. I walked up to the crowd, looking at their puzzled faces, and felt a surge of guilt.

"My fellow countrymen, I'm going to break my promise..." I took a deep breath and told everyone the news of the emergency at the border. After hearing what I said, the people were silent for a moment, then burst into exclamations.

"Your Majesty, you must come back safely!" An old farmer knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty, we are not afraid of war, we are willing to contribute to the country!" The young and strong men volunteered to follow me to the battlefield.

Looking at the worried and resolute expressions of the people, I felt a mixture of emotions. I raised my hand, motioning for silence, and said firmly, "I promise you, I will return safely and will protect our home!"

After saying that, I turned to look at Zhen Youcai with a firm gaze: "Let's go!"

The setting sun stretched our shadows far and wide. The thud of horse hooves hammered at my heart, and also at the land about to be plunged into war once again. I knew an even more brutal battle awaited us, but I would not retreat, for behind me were the millions of people eagerly awaiting my triumphant return!

Just as we were about to leave, a cloud of dust suddenly rose in the distance, and a familiar figure rode towards us...