Bai Qingyan finished speaking and solemnly bowed to the court officials gathered in the hall.
Li Mingrui, seeing this, knelt swiftly and shouted, "I swear to follow the Princess of Zhen to the death!"
"Yan has already been making strategic moves for the unification of the nation. I, Yang Wuce, have submitted to the Princess of Zhen to follow her in unifying the nation! As for those unwilling...they can stay at home quietly and watch others vie for dominance in this chaotic world!" After speaking, Yang Wuce knelt down before Bai Qingyan, "I, with the surrendered soldiers of the Liang Kingdom, swear to follow the Princess of Zhen to the death!"
"I swear to follow the Princess of Zhen to the death!" Yang Wei also knelt down.
Bai Jinxiu bit her lip hard, eyes reddening, and knelt down, "I, Bai Jinxiu, with the Yuanping army and the Bai family army...swear to follow the Princess of Zhen to the death!"
Bai Jinse wiped her tears with her sleeve and followed suit, kneeling down.
The officials in the grand hall were at a loss, uncertain of what to do, and could only look towards Prime Minister Lu, waiting for him to make a decision.
Dong Qingping saw that the officials were moved to tears and clearly persuaded. He thought to be the first to respond, to take the lead for those already loyal to Bai Qingyan. But, considering his nephew relationship with Bai Qingyan, he feared it wouldn’t be convincing enough.
Dong Qingping also looked towards Prime Minister Lu, hoping that if Lu took the lead in following Bai Qingyan, all doubts among the officials would vanish.
Prime Minister Lu gazed at the young lady standing on the high steps, bowing to them, and once again thought of his old friend Bai Weiting. Due to their positions, they had little interactions, fearing the Emperor’s suspicion, but Lu always respected Bai Weiting.
The eldest granddaughter valued by Bai Weiting, the proud disciple of the great scholar Guan Yongchong... whether in character or strategy, she was unparalleled. How many in the present age could match her?
Just moments ago, the Imperial City was in chaos. When the disaster report was received, Bai Qingyan promptly promoted officials to prioritize disaster relief. She elevated a lower-ranked inspector from the Ministry of Revenue to Minister of Revenue for his plan on arranging relief supplies and gave Wei Bugong 30,000 soldiers, managing the situation seamlessly.
This Wei Bugong, promoted by the Minister of War Shen Jingzhong, had talents that were stifled by his honesty and refusal to flatter superiors, causing officials in the Ministry of Revenue to suppress him.
In a crisis, the Princess of Zhen dared to boldly employ capable but lower-ranked officials.
Thinking further of the Emperor who intended to use children for alchemy, the venomous and ruthless King Liang, or the spineless Crown Prince who kowtowed to power without discernment, Lu knew they lacked integrity.
Unexpectedly, Liu Rushi, known for his stubbornness, was the first to step forward.
Liu Rushi bowed to Bai Qingyan, "I once harbored ill feelings towards the Princess of Zhen for burning and killing captives. But today, the Princess did not resort to coercion or subtlety to ascend the throne, instead openly declaring her intentions to oppose the Lin imperial power for the people and the unification of the nation. I admire her honesty and broad-mindedness! Though a scholar, I too possess blood and spirit and desire to witness the unification of the nation! I, Liu Rushi, wish to follow the Princess of Zhen!"
After speaking, Liu Rushi knelt down.
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