However, before Lin Zaozao could refuse, the bearded general below immediately spoke up.
"Your Majesty, if you find eighty husbands insufficient, how about this? When I return, I can send more talented male attendants to the imperial palace to enrich your harem."
"Forget it, forget it, eight husbands are enough for me. Any more and I won't be able to handle them with my petite stature."
Just as Lin Zaozao finished speaking, Zhang Shu, who stood below, immediately objected.
"Young Mistress, as the Empress of Han Country, eight husbands may indeed be a bit few. But rest assured, I have already prepared suitable candidates for you to choose from."
As Zhang Shu's voice fell, two groups of strikingly handsome men entered the hall from outside, each with their own unique style.
They smiled tenderly at Lin Zaozao and then elegantly lined up in front of her.
"Young Mistress, this is the eldest son of the Minister of Revenue. He is twenty years old this year and is exceptionally skilled in painting."
"And this one is the third son of General Li from the Ministry of War. He is twenty-two years old. Although his martial arts and military strategies may not be the best, he is still a remarkable talent."
"Then we have the grandson of the current Grand Tutor. His wit and courage are unparalleled, and he will surely bring you joy in the future."
"And this one is the fourth son of the Minister of Rites. His..."
"Wait, hold on!"
As Zhang Shu earnestly introduced the handsome men below, the faces of Xiaotaohua and Ji Fantian grew darker with each passing moment.
Even Han Ye's expression, who knew that Zhang Shu had trained some male attendants for Zhuzhu, wasn't looking good at the moment. However, he never expected that all these male attendants would turn out to be sons of high-ranking officials in the court.
But most importantly...
Han Ye looked at the familiar faces below and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on!
Don't these guys have anything better to do? Why do they have the time to come to the hall and compete for favor now?
It seems that these guys are still too idle. When he returns later, he must give them some tasks to keep them busy.
As Lin Zaozao watched Xiaotaohua and Ji Fantian's faces growing darker, she nervously swallowed her saliva.
She turned her head to look at the handsome men standing below, smiling softly at her. It wasn't because she suddenly became serious.
Rather, the expressions of her brothers Han Ye and the others were truly becoming more and more frightening.
Facing the expectant gaze of the handsome men, Lin Zaozao chose to ignore them completely. No matter how good-looking they were, they were not as important as her husbands.
Quickly glancing at the row of incredibly handsome men below, she turned back and anxiously looked at Zhang Shu.
"Zhang Shu, they are all very good. But I already have eight husbands. And among the eight husbands, I have only consummated my marriage with two of them. The rest haven't even tasted a bite yet!
Uncle, if I really devour all of them, they will surely drain me dry.
Besides, when I returned, it was to shine and make a name for myself in Han Country's future. To be honest, I'm still young, and I don't want to die early in a man's bed!"
As soon as Lin Zaozao finished speaking, Uncle Zhang immediately became displeased. He took two steps forward and looked at Lin Zaozao.
"You are the Empress of Han Country, my lady. Taking multiple husbands not only ensures a continuous lineage but also allows these husbands to wholeheartedly support and assist you in your duties.
Furthermore, by marrying multiple husbands, you can easily replace one if you're in a bad mood. Most importantly..."
"Uncle Zhang!" Lin Zaozao interrupted helplessly.
She knew that Uncle Zhang had her best interests at heart. Each man standing in the grand hall represented a different faction. If she were to marry them solely for the sake of power, her position as the Empress of Han Country would become more secure.
However, what mattered most was that if she truly married so many husbands, she would have to balance the power behind these handsome men to maintain the stability of the former dynasty.
If it came to that, she would be busy in the former dynasty during the day and busy with these handsome men in her bed at night.
If it came to that, what would be the point of her being the Empress of Han Country? She might as well return and live a simple life as Lin Zaozao, a village woman.
While these men were handsome, she could simply enjoy their company and engage in playful banter. But if it came to the real deal...
Don't blame her for being hesitant. Lin Zaozao had not reached such a level of promiscuity. If someone belonged to her, she would naturally have genuine affection for them. If not, well, she wouldn't indulge in such loose behavior!
Lin Zaozao sighed softly and looked at Uncle Zhang, speaking seriously.
"Uncle Zhang, I'm not in a hurry for offspring right now. After all, I've just come of age and returned to Han Country. I haven't truly grasped power yet.
If I have children now and they tie me down, I won't be able to wholeheartedly fulfill my role as the Empress of Han Country."
As she spoke, Lin Zaozao paused slightly in her tone and looked at the handsome men below, enunciating each word seriously.
"Uncle Zhang, if you have a way for my husbands to bear children for me, then forget about me marrying eighty husbands—I'll accept even eight hundred.
I'll spend every night in the bridal chamber, and I'll make them bear children until they can't anymore. After all, I am the Empress of Han Country now, and I can afford to raise several children."
Uncle Zhang was left speechless by Lin Zaozao's words.
The idea of men giving birth was simply a fantasy! If men really could bear children, the populations of Canglan, Fengshuo, and Han Country wouldn't be declining.
However, when Uncle Zhang saw the reluctance in Lin Zaozao's eyes, he immediately dropped the idea of marrying more husbands for her.
After all, he only wanted his young mistress to live a good life. No one in this world could force her to do something she didn't like. Not even him!
"Alright, let's not mention marrying more husbands for now. Right now, everyone present, tell me about the affairs of Han Country.
Start with the urgent matters, and as for the less important ones, you can write them down and submit them later. I will definitely read them."
The courtiers below, looking at Lin Zaozao's serious expression and her majestic aura as an empress, no longer dared to test her with the matter of marrying more husbands.
After all, they had seen Han Ye standing beside Lin Zaozao, his eyes filled with a hint of coldness.
The political power in Han Country had always been in the hands of the High Priest. And last night, the High Priest had become the consort of Empress Mingzhu.
On the second day after the High Priest and Empress Mingzhu performed the ceremonies, they started thinking about arranging a husband for the Empress.
No wonder the Empress and Prince Han Ye were unhappy.
But when the officials' gaze turned towards the culprit of this matter, Uncle Zhang, he immediately turned his head as if he hadn't noticed.
He was just a bit anxious! After all, those people who were now following the young master by the Empress's side were not as outstanding as the young gentlemen he had trained.
The officials were in no hurry to choose a husband for Lin Zaozao. So, in the following days, they earnestly introduced Lin Zaozao to the affairs of Han Country.
When it came to handling the major national affairs of Han Country, Lin Zaozao seemed to be naturally adept, handling them with ease.
It was as if she already knew how to handle every matter, how to allocate manpower, and how to make decisions when it came to choices. It was as if she had long been aware of all these things.
So, early in the morning, the courtiers, who had initially approached Lin Zaozao with a probing attitude, no longer dared to hold her in contempt.
Because this Pearl Princess, who had just returned from the common people, was truly too shrewd in handling political affairs.
No matter how they looked at it, Lin Zaozao no longer resembled someone who had been foolish for over a decade and suddenly awakened.
Just as the High Priest had said, Princess Mingzhu was indeed the destined female emperor of Han Country. They no longer dared to doubt the High Priest and the Royal Tutor's decision.
"Prime Minister Zhang!"
"Here!"
"Besides the city gates bordering Han, you should now open the gates that connect with Canglan and Fengshuo."
"After opening the city gates, let experienced merchants from Canglan and Fengshuo engage in trade first."
"If the situation stabilizes, then open the passage for the people of Han Country to go out, so they won't be deceived. Han Country has been closed off for over a decade, and it's time to let the people of Han Country go out and see the world."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Uncle Zhang!"
"Here!"
"On the border where Han Country meets Canglan and Fengshuo, guard the national borders to prevent them from causing trouble at the border while the hearts of the people are still divided just after my ascension to the throne."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After Lin Zaozao finished arranging all her decisions one by one, she announced the end of the court session.
After all the courtiers left, Lin Zaozao turned her head to look at Han Ye.
"Han Ye, have we placed spies in Canglan and Fengshuo?"
"Yes, there are many. Zuzhu, why do you need these spies?" Han Ye asked, puzzled.
"Know thyself, know thy enemy, and you shall be victorious in a hundred battles. Han Ye, give me a list of those spies later. I have a great use for them."
"Alright, I'll give it to you when we return."
After speaking with Han Ye, Lin Zaozao saw the court hall empty of officials who had already left. Her body, which had been sitting stiffly all morning, immediately slumped onto the chair.
Heavens above! Being an empress is not as easy as it seems.
On this particular morning, she felt like she had lost tens of thousands of brain cells.
If she had to use her brain like this every day, she would go bald at a young age.
As a young girl, if she became bald before growing old, how ugly would she look!
Han Ye looked at Lin Zaozao, who was sitting on the chair without any semblance of composure, and gave a faint smile. He sat down beside Lin Zaozao and gently embraced her in his arms.
"Zhu Zhu, are you tired?"
"Mmm! I'm not physically tired, just mentally exhausted."
Lin Zaozao weakly leaned against Han Ye's chest and coquettishly complained.
"Zhu Zhu, let's go back and freshen up, have something to eat. We still need to meet with the envoys from Canglan and Fengshuo this afternoon!"
"The envoys from Canglan and Fengshuo?"
Upon hearing Han Ye mention this, Lin Zaozao immediately remembered what Uncle Zhang had told her about her parents' death being related to the Empress of Fengshuo. And when Dashan was in Luoshui Village, he had mentioned that Fengshuo was like half of her family. Due to all the subsequent chaotic events, she hadn't asked about these doubts.
Since she had some free time now, she needed to clarify everything so that she could better handle the reception of the envoys from Canglan and Fengshuo in the afternoon.
"Han Ye, when I was in the border city, Uncle Zhang told me that my parents' death was related to the Empress of Fengshuo. And Dashan mentioned that Fengshuo is like half of my family. What exactly is going on?"
