358: Chapter 358 The King of Zhenbei

Crown Prince Li Chenghao's face went pale, only then realizing the severity of the situation.

"Your son is dull-witted; please calm your anger, Father."

Emperor Hong's eyes revealed a hint of frustration at his son's lack of progress, and he said, "Lin Xiao has now conquered the Northern Desert, expanded our territory, and achieved immortal merits."

"For the past two days, officials in the court have been submitting memorials proposing that Lin Xiao be enfeoffed as a Prince of a different surname to stabilize the northern border and appease the military. Are you aware of this?"

Crown Prince Li Chenghao was stunned: "Father! That must never happen! If that happens, the northern border will truly be occupied by Lin Xiao!"

"Nonsense! Lin Xiao is not surnamed Li; could he possibly snatch away the Li family's empire? If he dares, it is treason!"

Emperor Hong glared at him.

Everyone knew Lin Xiao might rebel, but it could not be spoken aloud. As the Crown Prince, he especially could not say it!

"I summoned you here because I want you to use the name of the Eastern Palace to start a 'Capital Region Daily'."

"Just imitate Lin Xiao; he writes about the northern border, so you write about the Capital Region. Follow his example."

"Once it is done, present it to me so I can take a look."

Crown Prince Li Chenghao was delighted upon hearing this. This was a good assignment; if he could distribute newspapers through the government, his influence would greatly increase.

Had his father finally started paving the way for him?

"Your son will certainly do his utmost!"

Emperor Hong's expression softened slightly as he said, "Right, regarding Princess Xinglan, although I have bestowed a marriage upon you, you must also put in some effort."

"Now that Khitan King Yelü Dachuan and the exiled Marshal Suhe of the Northern Barbarians have joined forces, it is precisely when the Yan Region is in danger."

"Princess Li Xinglan is but a woman; she will inevitably feel panic and seek someone to rely on."

"If your affair with her can be successfully concluded, there will be no need to worry about the Three Prefectures of Yan anymore."

Crown Prince Li Chenghao frowned and said, "Father... but your son has heard that Princess Xinglan has a wayward temperament and also has an unusual relationship with Lin Xiao..."

"What, are you afraid she will defy the imperial decree?"

Emperor Hong chuckled mockingly: "Do not think about such useless things. The Great Gan is not just the north; most of the territory and most of the population are in the south!"

"The more powerful the Zhenbei Army becomes and the stronger Lin Xiao gets, the more the feudal lords of the other regions will rely on our imperial family."

"As the saying goes, when things reach an extreme, they reverse; when they reach their peak, they decline. Do not lose your composure."

Upon hearing this, Crown Prince Li Chenghao felt a jolt in his heart. That's right, it was just the emergence of the Zhenbei Army, not the sky collapsing!

The true granaries and prosperous lands of the Great Gan were all in places like Nanling, Baiyue, and the Eastern Region.

Lin Xiao wants to rebel? He would need the princes and powerful nobles of those places to agree first!

"Father's teachings are correct. Your son will go prepare a generous gift to send to the Princess's Mansion..."

Crown Prince Li Chenghao took his leave and walked away with a light step.

Zheng Yangwei said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, do you really intend to... adopt the suggestion and enfeoff Lin Xiao as a Prince?"

"Is it possible not to?"

Emperor Hong laughed at himself: "Almost the entire Northern Desert has been taken by him, and he even established some Protectorate Office..."

"If you really count the territory, Lin Xiao has almost taken more than half of the Great Gan and could form his own country."

"Zhu Ming's disciples, the people of the Xie Clan, and those military generals who have friendships with General Mu Tiexin and Zhao Yunting have all stood on Lin Xiao's side!"

"If I am still stingy about the title of a Prince of a different surname, wouldn't that make the entire court and the people of the world mock me!?"

Zheng Yangwei sighed and nodded helplessly.

"Enfeoff him, he should be enfeoffed. Not only must he be enfeoffed, but he must also be heavily rewarded!"

Emperor Hong said with deep eyes, "I want Lin Xiao to be glorious and highly favored, so that everyone in the world can see my appreciation and high regard for him!"

Zheng Yangwei listened from the side and felt a hint of oppressive emotion...

He suddenly thought of a sentence Emperor Hong had just said—When things reach their peak, they must decline!

Northern Border. Cang Province.

A convoy arriving from the capital, decked out in royal regalia, was exceptionally grand.

Wherever they passed, countless commoners gathered to watch and point.

Before they even reached Cang Province, the Generals Mansion in Baishui had already received the news.

The entire Generals Mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the whole city hung red lanterns, as festive as the Lunar New Year!

Thanks to the "highway," the imperial decree from Emperor Hong officially enfeoffing Lin Xiao as the "Prince of Zhenbei" finally arrived just before Lin Xiao set off for Gan Province.

Lin Xiao and the women still did not kneel, but none of the eunuchs and imperial guards delivering the decree dared to question it for a single word.

"Congratulations to the Prince of Zhenbei, congratulations to the Princess Consort. Your Highness is the third Prince of a different surname since the founding of the Great Gan, having expanded the territory for the Great Gan with immortal merits."

"The Emperor's oral decree: when Your Highness is free, you must go to the capital for a meeting; His Majesty looks forward to seeing Your Highness soon."

The eunuch said with a flattering smile.

Lin Xiao nodded indifferently: "This General... uh, this Prince understands. Go back and tell His Majesty that the northern border is truly busy with affairs, and when I have time, this Prince will naturally go to the capital."

The eunuch and his party smiled bitterly in their hearts; they had never seen anyone so calm when receiving an enfeoffment!

The key was that this was a Prince of a different surname; in the history of the Great Gan, apart from the Princes of different surnames in Baiyue and the Eastern Region, this was the only one!

But Lin Xiao seemed not to care at all, without even a smile on his face!

The eunuch and his party did not dare to ask for a reward, feeling that if they stayed any longer, they might be beheaded by Lin Xiao at any moment, so they slunk away.

Lin Xiao casually threw the imperial decree to the Old Butler and returned to the mansion with Xiao Qingxuan and the other women.

"Congratulations, Husband. Among the Princes of different surnames of the Great Gan, only you have earned it through military merit; you are far more honorable than that Prince of Wu or the Prince of East Sea!" Xiao Qingxuan said with a smile.

"Forget it, my lady. You, a female emperor, have now become a Princess Consort; you've been demoted by who knows how many ranks. What is there to be happy about?"

Lin Xiao laughed mockingly: "This Emperor Hong, he speaks nicely, but in his heart, he wishes he could grind me to dust."

"Indeed, that dog emperor clearly knows that Princess Xinglan is our husband's woman, yet he bestowed her in marriage to the Crown Prince. Isn't that just to disgust our husband?" Mu Wanying snorted coldly.

Lin Xiao frowned when he heard this. What did the woman mean by that? Why did it sound so strange?

"Your concubine has received intelligence that Emperor Hong values husband's Northern Daily very much and even had the Eastern Palace organize the 'Capital Region Daily,' wanting to follow the same pattern."

Su Wansha chuckled: "Emperor Hong's feelings toward husband should be considered both love and hate."

"Heh, news is a powerful weapon to control public opinion. That Emperor Hong values it shows he indeed has an eye for it."

Lin Xiao said playfully: "It's just that... newspapers look simple, but they are actually very complex. Making the common people willing to read them is not easy."

The women nodded one after another. They had also tried writing the content for it, but found that no matter how they wrote, it was not as popular as Lin Xiao's "Miscellany."

Moreover, starting from the latest issue, Lin Xiao had also set up a "GG" section.

He used it to promote some products of the Northern Trade Alliance, which quickly boosted sales the next day.

Xie Juner considered herself a genius at business, but facing Lin Xiao, this "eccentric talent," she could only admire him to the point of prostration.

"Alright, there is nothing else."

Lin Xiao said loudly: "Ladies, arrange the matters at hand. Tonight, our whole family will set off for Gan Province!"

The women were overjoyed; they had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

After all, except for Mu Wanying and Leng Bingyan, everyone had never seen the grand event that occurred every five years on the Tianwu Continent!