When Shen Ping An turned one year old, she could already speak some fluent sentences. However, perhaps due to the difficult birth, she only started walking at the age of one and a half. Even now, she still walked a bit unsteadily, so when they went on long journeys, she had to be carried by her parents.

Most of the generals who had seen blood on the battlefield were big and burly, exuding an aura that ordinary people didn’t possess. Most children would burst into tears when they saw them. But Shen Ping An was surprisingly brave.

She used her small hand to lift the curtain of the carriage, looked at these unfamiliar ladies with big round eyes, and then asked her father in a sweet voice, “Daddy, are we moving house?”

Liang Jue wasn’t an ordinary man either. He had been calm from packing up to now. He put down the curtain, held the child, and reassured Shen Ping An casually, “Yes, your mother is accompanying the army, so you have to stay with your father to be with your mother.”

The little girl pouted and asked again, “But I haven’t said goodbye to Xiao Die and Xiao Hua. They must be very sad, right?”

Although she was very young, this child had always liked people who were beautiful. She favored her handsome father more than her mother and also liked the good-looking boys in the neighborhood.

“They will be very sad, but doesn’t Ping An want to be with her mother and father?” This time, a gentle female voice answered her.

Liang Jue lifted his head in surprise to see Shen Meng lifting the curtain and squeezing into the carriage.

Although Shen Meng, as a mother, was usually very gentle, Shen Ping An still had a bit of fear towards her own mother compared to her father, who never got angry.

She struggled out of her father’s arms and planted a soft, wet kiss on the woman’s cheek. “How could it be? Ping An loves Daddy and Mommy the most. Wherever you go, I’ll go. Even though it’s bumpy on the road, it’s too hard for Daddy to carry Ping An all the time.”

Her words were as sweet as honey. The woman smiled gently, ruffled the child’s soft hair, and said, “Alright, knowing that your father is tired, be less naughty. In a little while, we’ll be able to live a peaceful life.”

The carriage continued to travel on the not-so-smooth road. Liang Jue leaned towards his wife’s direction, feeling slightly relieved. “We’ve been on this road for two days already. When does the we plan to settle down?”

Shen Meng lowered her voice and whispered to Liang Jue, “In a few days, when we reach Liang City, that will be the lord’s main base.”

In her memory, Meng Zhai had established his home in Liang City and, relying on his desperate tactics, had recaptured two small cities nearby.

Then, over the next three years, Meng Zhai’s forces continued to grow and expand. If it weren’t for her rebirth, no one would have thought that such a person, originally from the mountains and living by hunting, would become the ultimate winner and ascend to the throne as the founding Empress.

Shen Ping An was soon lulled to sleep by Liang Jue. After the child fell asleep, he asked his wife, who was reading military books, “Do you really think she will win?”

Although he had been living in a small town for the past two years, he was still very concerned about the current situation.

The Southern Qiao and Northern Du, these two rebel armies, were currently the largest and most hopeful forces for overthrowing the Empress and rebuilding the regime. As for Meng Zhai, if it weren’t for the generals under her command coming to her, she wouldn’t have known about this formidable figure in the chaotic times.

Shen Meng replied, “In this world, there are many things that are unpredictable. My husband should know that once his wife decides on something, she won’t easily change her mind.”

Liang Jue fell silent for a moment. “Then wife should also know that I have decided on you. Whatever you say, I believe it. Even if you deceive me, I am willing to trust you.”

He didn’t say the last sentence out loud, only silently completing it in his heart: Even if Shen Meng wanted him to die with her, he would be willing to accompany her to death.

This kind of thinking wasn’t exactly positive; in fact, it was somewhat dark and scary. But Liang Jue really felt this way. He just didn’t dare to say it out loud, afraid of scaring Shen Meng and provoking her annoyance.

“I would never deceive you.” Liang Jue’s eyes spoke volumes. Although he didn’t express his innermost thoughts verbally, Shen Meng understood what he was thinking.

In her previous life, she had encountered Meng Zhai before she had developed her power. At that time, she felt that she would be a formidable opponent for the Third Princess.

However, Meng Zhai was too ordinary at that time, to the point where the Third Princess didn’t take her seriously. She dismissed Shen Meng’s warnings as mere trifles after hearing a few words from others.

Looking back now, the Third Princess had always been stubborn and self-willed. She only liked to hear opinions that aligned with her own views. Perhaps it was because she lacked the monarch’s favor in her early years and no one cared about her opinions.

When she became the monarch, she found it difficult to listen to others, regardless of whether they were reasonable or not.

She had been too arrogant in her previous life, thinking that the Third Princess was weak and easy to manipulate, but in the end, she had been the one who was manipulated and ended up getting herself involved.

“What does the lord feel about you?” Shen Meng had just gone out and was called in for a conversation.

The content of the conversation was nothing more than the current situation and some military opinions. Although Shen Meng was indeed invited by Meng Zhai, she was still a newcomer and not a renowned strategist. If she were unconditionally relied on from the beginning, Meng Zhai himself would fear that he couldn’t appease the military.

Thinking of how excited Meng Zhai had been, holding her hands as if she were a confidant just now, Shen Meng’s lips curled slightly. “Not bad.”

Meng Zhai was not someone easily fooled, and Shen Meng had no intention of deceiving her like she had deceived the Third Princess. Since she was new here, she had to show some real skills to establish authority.

After all, Meng Zhai’s territory had been conquered by those generals, and Shen Meng could see it clearly. Those women despised scholars from the bottom of their hearts, each thinking that scholars were only good at playing with words and fooling people with their pens.

Shen Meng didn’t want to argue with these generals, so it wasn’t until the army safely entered Liang City.

Liang City was Meng Zhai’s stronghold, where the people benefited from Meng Zhai’s protection and respected their new leader of the rebel army.

When Shen Meng and her family entered the city by carriage, they also basked in the glow and received a warm welcome from the crowds of people lining the streets.

It was the first time little Ping An had seen such a lively scene. Her eyes followed the cheering crowd, but there were too many people and too much going on for her to take it all in.

She asked Shen Meng, “Mom, why are they so happy? Why are they welcoming us like this?”

“Because our lord defeated the enemy and drove away the barbarian invaders, bringing peace to the people of this city and allowing them to live good lives.”

Little Ping An listened with a confused expression and said innocently, “Then when I grow up, I want to be a general too, and make the people happy.”

Shen Meng didn’t take her daughter’s childish words seriously, of course, but she also didn’t want to discourage a two-year-old child.

She just smiled and said, “Yes, little Ping An will definitely become a great general who will awe the world in the future.”

Once inside Liang City, Shen Meng’s family was not allocated any good houses. It’s not that Meng Zhai didn’t value her, it’s just that the original mansion had been taken over by Meng Zhai. Liang City was not particularly rich, and there weren’t many good houses available. Shen Meng also couldn’t expect her previous associates to make room for her family.

After searching for half a day, Shen Meng only found a relatively clean and tidy place to stay.

It was impossible for them to be assigned servants to serve them. Liang Jue was used to being served by others, so it was unlikely for him, a young master, to do such rough work. Fortunately, they had enough gold and silver brought with them. Shen Meng spent money to hire a quick-witted widow and a handy sister in the city to take care of the rough work in the mansion.

Liang City was so small that any little thing that happened would be known to everyone. Just as the Shen family settled in, Meng Zhai’s younger sister-in-law, Li Wen, came to their door to mock them.

She crossed her arms, her eyes filled with disgust. “The lord herself lives frugally, sharing the same hardships with everyone, but some people are delicate. Nothing much has been done yet, but they already expect to be waited on.”

Probably because she came from a poor family, Li Wen always harbored resentment towards those who lived luxurious lives. Moreover, during the previous battles, her agile mind made her something of a strategist in front of Meng Zhai.

But after Shen Meng arrived, Meng Zhai directly honored her as a strategist and ordered everyone to treat Shen Meng with respect. This made Li Wen feel threatened, fearing she would lose her position. Already harboring ill will towards Shen Meng, seeing her live so well in Liang City only fueled her discontent.

Why should someone like Shen Meng, who was already an official before the chaos, live better than her now that the world had been reshuffled? Look at this house; although it wasn’t as grand as her sister-in-law’s as a leader, it wasn’t bad either.

Li Wen’s malice was evident, and Shen Meng, as the head of the household, naturally wouldn’t allow her husband and daughter to endure such treatment.

She signaled to Liang Jue to take the child out. “The lord and the soldiers share the same hardships, which is the lord’s compassion for the soldiers and a blessing for the people. But the lord is the lord, and Shen Meng is Shen Meng. Originally, Shen Meng was just a commoner from the market. It was because the lord appreciated her that she left her hometown and came to Liang City. My husband comes from a distinguished family, and I pity him for having to bear the burden of taking care of his child. Since we have some property in the family, I naturally can’t bear to see him work too hard.”

“Why don’t you, who are so wealthy, donate to the soldiers so they can eat well and dress warmly and live a good life!”

Shen Meng stared at Li Wen, her eyes sharp as knives. “Since we entered the city, the lord has never asked the people for anything, nor has she ever extorted property from the wealthy. Because the lord knows that if she were to do so, there would be no difference between her and those thugs. Everyone’s property is hard-earned. My money comes from legitimate sources, and it’s up to me how to dispose of it. Furthermore, I hired people to work and paid them silver. With this money, they can also improve their lives. This is a voluntary transaction, and I has never mistreated anyone in the house. Of course, if Li Wen is willing to donate all her property and live on dry rations every day, I doesn’t mind donating a few thousand taels of silver.”

Li Wen couldn’t do what Shen Meng did, so why should she dictate what Shen Meng should do? She plotted secretly, not willing to suffer such humiliation under Meng Zhai’s name.

“You!” Li Wen was furious and left the Shen residence, immediately going to Meng Zhai to complain bitterly.

However, she didn’t expect her complaint to backfire, and she ended up getting scolded instead. She sought out the soldiers around Meng Zhai, who reluctantly told her the truth.

Since Shen Meng hadn’t settled in yet, someone had already sent tens of thousands of taels of silver and ten thousand bushels of grain, as well as personally taken care of all the winter clothing and quilts for the soldiers.

Although the world was chaotic, money wasn’t hard to earn. During these two years, Shen Meng had used her advantage of being reborn to do business. Initially, she had borrowed a lot of money from Liang Jue’s dowry, almost putting all his money into it. But after two years, she had made a profit and multiplied their wealth several times.

Without her own strength and relying solely on others, she would only be at the mercy of others. She had always been an opportunist, not aiming to be remembered for ages, but rather to be a useful pawn in the hands of the new Empress.

The benefits of sending out money and grain were evident at this time. Meng Zhai was short of manpower, so in some aspects, she naturally turned a blind eye to her actions.