351: Chapter 351 The one who has been the best to me since childhood

Walking down the dark stairs to the lowest level of the dungeon, Lin Xiao saw the two princes of Western Qiang.

Lin Xiao swept his gaze over Prince Meng Zhe, who was locked in an iron cage, and found him nothing out of the ordinary.

With mystic grade aptitude, only a dozen years of cultivation, and no special traits, he was truly unqualified to be the heir to the Western Qiang royalty.

It was no wonder this fellow was jealous of Princess Meng Xi, leading to him being used by Marshal Suhe and becoming a sacrificial pawn.

However, the Second Prince, Meng Chong, who was outside trying to persuade him with earnest words, was rather interesting...

[Meng Chong, 32 years old, Second Prince of Western Qiang, secret disciple of Grand Shaman Akwota, Aptitude: Earth Grade]

[Technique: Tianshan Great Scattered Hands (41 years of cultivation), a hidden weapon technique derived from the Shamanism Tianshan Great Handprint. Grade: Earth Grade]

[Traits: Wolfish Ambition (Special), Poison Expert, Hidden Weapon Expert]

At first glance, Meng Chong looked plain, thin, and had the appearance of a good-natured person.

If not for the Eye of God, Lin Xiao would not have been able to tell that this was a dangerous character.

What a prince who could endure humiliation; he had even managed to deceive Lu Sanchuan.

Being born with a limp, combined with a hidden weapon technique that excelled at concealing one's cultivation, it was indeed easy to hide his true abilities.

Just as Lin Xiao was muttering to himself, Meng Chong had already knelt down.

"Meng Chong, the second son of the Western Qiang King, pays respects to Lin Xiao!"

Prince Meng Zhe cursed angrily, "You useless waste! He is just a third-rank military officer from the Central Plains. You are a member of the Western Qiang royalty; why are you bowing to him!?"

Lin Xiao couldn't be bothered to look at him; talking to such a brainless person was a complete waste of time.

Lin Xiao raised his hand and flicked a sword qi from his finger, piercing Prince Meng Zhe's head!

[prestige + 100]

Damn, he really was a useless prince, only 100!

Lu Sanchuan and the others nearby were shocked, but they had no objections. This person had been left for Lin Xiao to deal with, so killing him was fine.

"Big Brother!!"

Meng Chong's eyes revealed deep sorrow, and he pounded the ground in grief.

Several Zhenbei Army guards nearby couldn't help but feel a sense of compassion upon seeing this.

In their eyes, Meng Chong could be considered a brother with affection and righteousness.

"Meng Chong, who taught you your martial arts?"

At Lin Xiao's question, Lu Sanchuan and the others nearby were stunned.

This cripple actually knew martial arts?

Meng Chong was looking down, and a flash of shock passed through his eyes!

Logically speaking, his concealment of internal energy had reached a level that even a Martial Arts Grandmaster would find difficult to detect.

Even his mentor, Grand Shaman Akwota, had said that as long as he didn't actively reveal his flaws, even he wouldn't be able to detect it.

This Lin Xiao... he was truly a monster!

No wonder his mentor had died at the hands of Lin Xiao...

However, Meng Chong was prepared. He replied timidly, "I... I learned it from a Shaman of the Western Qiang Shamanism. Because I have a congenital disability, I wanted to learn some skills for self-preservation."

Lin Xiao sneered inwardly. He truly had "Wolfish Ambition." Even though he had pointed out that he knew martial arts, he still wouldn't tell the truth.

It seemed his ambitions were significant.

"I see. It hasn't been easy for you."

Lin Xiao didn't expose him and said, "Go collect your brother's body."

Meng Chong kowtowed repeatedly, "Thank you, Lin Xiao... I hope Lin Xiao will spare my brother's wife and children. They really know nothing; the children are innocent..."

"Don't push your luck! I have already shown you mercy by not killing you!"

Lin Xiao scolded him and turned to leave the dungeon.

Lu Sanchuan frowned and followed him out.

"Lin Xiao, this subordinate has failed in his duty. I didn't even notice that Meng Chong knew martial arts."

Lin Xiao waved his hand, "It has nothing to do with you. The technique he practices is not weak, and since it requires concealing one's aura, it is perfectly normal that you couldn't detect it."

"In that case, this Meng Chong cannot be kept. I fear this boy has significant ambitions; he is a dangerous person." Lu Sanchuan's eyes revealed killing intent.

Lin Xiao praised him inwardly. He was worthy of being a famous general; although he had been tricked by Marshal Suhe, his overall thinking was still sharp.

"No rush. A viper that has already been exposed before our eyes is not scary; we just need to keep an eye on it."

"It is better to see where this viper wants to slither and who it wants to bite before dealing with it."

Lu Sanchuan was stunned, then seemed to understand something and nodded.

The next morning.

Princess Meng Xi, having cried all night, was exhausted and stayed in bed to rest.

However, the young woman had not forgotten her business. She specifically asked the Western Qiang official, Diplomat Zhong Lang, to bring several Hu Merchants who did business with the Western Qiang royal family to the palace.

Upon hearing that they wanted to purchase potatoes, the Hu Merchants were a bit confused.

"What, is there a difficulty?" Lin Xiao asked.

A brown-haired Hu merchant said, "General, the 'potatoes' you speak of are called wild sweet potatoes where we come from. These things are all wild; no one would ever cultivate them."

"Oh? Why?" Lin Xiao asked, puzzled.

"Because this thing has a very low yield, and the taste is very monotonous. It's just convenient to carry and store, that's all."

"And sometimes, eating it can cause poisoning; there is a certain amount of danger."

"Planting this is really not as good as planting wheat. Your Central Plains wheat is so good..."

The Hu Merchants spoke one after another, mentioning various drawbacks and advising Lin Xiao not to bother.

Lin Xiao suddenly realized that the Western Regions were mainly focused on nomadic life and trade. Farming did not seem to be very developed, so they did not know that potatoes could be cut into pieces and planted.

Naturally, they were even more ignorant about potatoes containing solanine and such.

"The Central Plains can grow wheat, but the Northern Desert is arid and cold, completely unsuitable for growing wheat."

Lin Xiao said, "Just go and bring the potatoes; I will buy as many as you can bring!"

Seeing that Lin Xiao "would not listen to advice," the Hu Merchants didn't say anything more. As long as there was money to be made, it was fine.

Another day passed, and Princess Meng Xi finally emerged from her grief.

Although her eyes were still swollen, her spirits had at least recovered significantly.

Urged on by Diplomat Zhong Lang and a group of supporters, Princess Meng Xi, who had brought reinforcements and saved Western Qiang, was revered as the new Western Qiang Queen.

The branch of Shamanism in Western Qiang mobilized in full force and held a heaven-worship ceremony in Xingyuan, formally establishing Princess Meng Xi's throne.

However, this heaven-worship ceremony had an extra step.

Lin Xiao, as the Great General of the Zhenbei Army, came to the altar in front of everyone and read an "appointment document."

The general meaning was that the Generals Mansion of the Zhenbei Army recognized Princess Meng Xi as the new Queen and would not allow anyone to usurp the throne without authorization.

This was actually a serious challenge to the status of Shamanism and the Western Qiang royalty, but the Shaman priests present didn't dare to make a peep.

After all, even Grand Shaman Akwota had been killed by Lin Xiao; the other Shaman priests dared not resist at all.

For a time, Lin Xiao's reputation once again shocked the upper echelons of Western Qiang!

The next day, with the cooperation of Princess Meng Xi and Diplomat Zhong Lang, Lin Xiao gathered the remaining generals and ministers of Western Qiang.

He used the Eye of God to screen them, killing or demoting the black sheep, and completely reshuffled the deck.

In fact, many of the ministers who were at odds with Princess Meng Xi had already been conveniently killed by Lu Sanchuan after Prince Meng Zhe's rebellion.

The remaining ministers were either neutral or supporters of Princess Meng Xi.

And when Lin Xiao proposed the requirement to establish the Dingxi Protectorate in Western Qiang, and to reorganize and restrict the Western Qiang army, the ministers, although unhappy, did not dare to disobey.

After all, the Zhenbei Army had even destroyed the Northern Barbarians' royal power, and the new Grand Shaman had surrendered. It was not shameful at all for them to bow their heads and accept their fate.

As for the majority of the grassroots people in Western Qiang, the Zhenbei Army's plan to build infrastructure, cultivate land, and open trade routes in Western Qiang was a huge benefit.

Originally, raiding the Western border caused many deaths every year. They risked their lives just for a bite to eat, didn't they?

Now that the Zhenbei Army had arrived, if nothing else, they had not wantonly killed civilians. They only killed the powerful officials, which actually made many Western Qiang people near Xingyuan feel very gratified.

That night, the palace was brightly lit, hosting a banquet for the new Queen's accession.

Dressed in a black robe with golden silk patterns, Princess Meng Xi was solemn and elegant, her skin as white as snow, fully displaying nobility.

The experiences of this period had transformed this girl-like prairie princess into a mature Queen.

Princess Meng Xi first toasted Lin Xiao, and then toasted Lu Sanchuan, the future "General of Dingxi."

Such a humble posture made the Western Qiang ministers feel a sense of humiliation, but they had to bow their heads under the circumstances.

When it came to the part where the ministers were to toast the new Queen, the limping Meng Chong, as her older brother, walked up to Princess Meng Xi.

"Your Majesty, Meng Chong toasts you. I wish you success in realizing your grand ambitions and leading the people of Western Qiang to a better life..."

Meng Chong's eyes contained a hint of hot tears, as if they were about to fall at any moment.

"Second Brother, thank you..."

Princess Meng Xi's eyes also turned red as she took the wine handed over by Meng Chong.

The palace maid next to her was about to use a silver needle to test for poison, but was stopped by Princess Meng Xi.

"There is no need. Second Brother has always been the best to me since childhood; there is no need to test his wine."

Princess Meng Xi smiled, picked up the golden wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp!

"Clang!!"

The golden cup and wine spilled all over the floor!

Princess Meng Xi clutched her throat in pain and collapsed!

[The short drama adapted from this book is now online, produced with high quality. Everyone can go and support it!]