194: Chapter 0194 Is My Husband Serious?

Seeing Lin Xiao's expression, Xiao Qingxuan sensed something was amiss.

After reading it, the woman glanced at Chief Clerk Xu Zheng.

"Chief Clerk Xu, please step out and wait for a moment. We need to discuss this."

Over the past few days, Chief Clerk Xu Zheng had long realized that Xiao Qingxuan was Lin Xiao's right-hand woman, so he dared not ask any questions and simply withdrew.

Once he had left, Xiao Qingxuan sneered, "These two prefects certainly have a crafty scheme."

"Let me see what they've written."

Mu Wanying took the letter, read it, and looked somewhat surprised.

"Exempting the people of Yicheng and Fushan from taxes and corvée labor for three years, paying to build concrete roads, and supplying honeycomb coal at half price for two months?"

"I think it sounds alright. Aren't these all proposals that benefit the people? Besides, we were planning to build the concrete roads anyway."

Xiao Qingxuan sighed, "Indeed, looking solely at these points, the Zhenbei Army wouldn't be losing out."

"But you must understand, once Husband agrees, these favors will become the credit of those two prefects."

"Furthermore, the several thousand garrison troops in those two commanderies will also be grateful to them for being spared from war."

Leng Bingyan realized, "I understand now. Those two guys want to gain leverage so that the people of the two commanderies will support them, making it difficult for Husband to take action against them?"

Xiao Qingxuan nodded, "Exactly. Recently, Husband had Chang Youkui purge those corrupt officials, which must have stung them."

"Plus, the previous prefects in Cang Province, apart from Prefect Sun Zhao, didn't fare well. They are definitely afraid of being purged."

"That's why they're using this tactic. If Husband agrees, they gain political achievements. If Husband refuses, then Prince Bai and his lot will have leverage against him."

Upon hearing this, Mu Wanying realized the trickery involved and inwardly exclaimed at how insidious it was!

"Despicable and shameless villains! Either way, they want Husband to suffer a loss. Since they are so afraid of death, I'll just go and kill them!"

Leng Bingyan was also fired up and, itching for action, said, "How about you kill one and I kill the other? We can split up?"

Xiao Qingxuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It seemed that Mu Wanying's greatly increased cultivation and her fame from the battle at Qin Water had made Leng Bingyan eager to test her own skills.

"You two, stop messing around. Killing them is definitely not an option."

Leng Bingyan said, "I can do it without anyone knowing. No one will find out."

"Assassination is even more out of the question!" Xiao Qingxuan flatly rejected the idea.

"Why? Even if my martial arts aren't as good as Wanying's, isn't it enough to kill them?" Leng Bingyan said, feeling unconvinced.

Lin Xiao smiled and soothed her, "Yaner, don't be angry."

"Your sister-wife doesn't think your martial arts are lacking, but we cannot use tactics like assassination."

"In war, nothing is too deceitful. Why can't we use it?" Leng Bingyan muttered.

"It's different. In martial arts and military strategy, one might say that, but it doesn't apply to civil governance."

Lin Xiao said earnestly, "If we were just people of the jianghu, living freely and settling grudges as we pleased, then assassination would be no problem."

"But we are the Zhenbei Army. To govern the millions of people in the Northern Territory, we must have prestige and act uprightly!"

"If we start resorting to assassination, we will become like Prince Bai, that rebel and villain who stops at nothing to achieve his goals."

"Even if the people don't say it out loud, deep down they will look down on us. Power gained through assassination lacks credibility."

"Moreover, in the future, our enemies will be able to assassinate our people without any psychological burden."

"We are highly skilled in martial arts and have nothing to fear, but what about our subordinates? If some officials are assassinated every few days, how can we govern the world?"

"Assassination is like drinking poison to quench thirst. Once it begins, sooner or later, one will die from the poison!"

Leng Bingyan and Mu Wanying listened in a daze, feeling deeply ashamed. Upon careful thought, they realized their consideration had indeed been flawed.

"Husband, you just said... govern the world?"

Xiao Qingxuan, however, caught a detail and smiled meaningfully, "Husband, are you serious?"

"Huh? Did I?"

Lin Xiao scratched his head, "Maybe I just slipped up. I was just talking nonsense, haha..."

Xiao Qingxuan rolled her eyes at him and said, "What you said is perfectly reasonable. We definitely cannot engage in assassination. However, we cannot agree to these two prefects' conditions either."

"If we set this precedent, what will happen if everyone who encounters us tries this same trick?"

Lin Xiao nodded, "As for that... I've already thought about it. Let's leave this matter to Yaner to handle."

"Me?"

Leng Bingyan said in surprise, "Didn't you say we can't use assassination? I don't want to give anyone leverage against you, Husband."

Lin Xiao smiled, "It's not to have you kill anyone, but to have you act as a special envoy to deliver a message for me."

"Deliver a message?" Leng Bingyan looked puzzled.

"Wife, tell Chief Clerk Xu Zheng to go back and say that I need to consider this for two days. Yaner, come with me to the study!"

After giving his instructions, Lin Xiao took Leng Bingyan into the room.

Once inside, Lin Xiao had Leng Bingyan grind the ink.

Under the woman's curious gaze, Lin Xiao took two sheets of letter paper and wrote a single character on each.

After writing, he stamped both with the General of the Zhenbei Army's seal.

"Yaner, deliver these two letters to the prefects of Fushan and Yicheng respectively."

"Tell them that if they haven't made up their minds by the day of the Lower Origin Festival in five days, they can go meet Inspector General Jiang Shengyuan in the underworld!"

Leng Bingyan, who had been watching from the side, read the letter the man had written. Once she understood, she nearly laughed out loud!

"Husband, I understand. I'll set off right now!"

Lin Xiao, however, grabbed the woman's hand and stuffed the Seven Orifice Exquisite Pill into it.

After opening the mysterious package earlier, he had been considering who to give it to. Now, it seemed Leng Bingyan was the one who needed it.

"Yaner, eat this first."

"This pill... it has a superior luster. What is it?"

After Lin Xiao gave an explanation, Leng Bingyan was shocked.

"The Seven Orifice Exquisite Pill!? This is a legendary spiritual pill that has long been extinct in the jianghu. Where did you get it, Husband?"

"Don't ask too many questions about that. Since I helped Wanying greatly increase her cultivation, I naturally cannot treat you unfairly."

Lin Xiao smiled, "If it weren't for the fact that there was only one, I would have wanted you to eat a few more so that you could be safer."

Upon hearing this, Leng Bingyan's eyes had already turned red, and her phoenix eyes were filled with tears of shame and gratitude.

"Husband... it's my fault. I shouldn't have lost my temper earlier. I just wanted to do more for you. I was afraid that if I were too useless, you wouldn't love me anymore..."

Lin Xiao felt moved; this innocent woman was truly easy to understand.

"Silly girl, according to your logic, should I abandon those soldiers who are injured or disabled just because they are no longer useful to me?"

"What kind of person do you take me for? We are family. You are my woman. How can the feelings between us be simply measured by 'useful' or 'useless'?"

"Don't let your imagination run wild in the future. I am counting on growing old together with you all!"

Hearing this, Leng Bingyan felt instantly at peace.

Although her background was not ordinary, compared to Xiao Qingxuan, she was far weaker.

Originally, this wasn't really an issue. After all, Xiao Qingxuan was an Empress with outstanding abilities, and she certainly couldn't compare.

But watching Mu Wanying, who was previously on par with her, suddenly become a Martial Arts Grandmaster and gain fame throughout the world...

Leng Bingyan naturally felt anxious and uneasy, fearing that her man would look down on her.

But now, she realized how silly she had been.

Mu Wanying was indeed excellent, but the key was that Husband was there.

Otherwise, relying on Mu Wanying herself, she might not have become a spear technique master even after another thirty years!

Therefore, all she needed to do was trust her husband and trust her own judgment in choosing a man!

"Husband, I will be going to the Fushan and Yicheng commanderies for at least three days, but tomorrow is my turn to serve you..."

Leng Bingyan's eyes were filled with love that was about to overflow, and her body felt flushed and hot.