536: Chapter 536 Idol

After some attempts, Lin Xiao had to give up for the time being.

This thing was not a real person; if it were, he could use store pills or the Technique.

If a robot broke, he wouldn't know how to fix it, and if it hadn't charged enough, he couldn't afford to wait.

He had been away from the Northern Territory for too long and it was time to return.

This trip had lasted two months before he knew it.

However, Lin Xiao planned to let the Celestial Soldier continue charging here; in case it had a self-repair mechanism, it might be usable again in a few days.

Gu Zhiyao naturally had to stay and guard the Celestial Soldier, so she could not return to the Northern Territory with him.

To reward her for her hard work, Lin Xiao stayed an extra night, leaving Gu Zhiyao feeling exceptionally fulfilled.

Half a month later, in Baishui City.

The Zhenbei Princes Mansion, after several expansions, was now comparable to half of the Bai Princes Mansion in Yong Province.

Although autumn had just arrived a few days ago, the temperature was still quite hot.

Early in the morning, Xiao Qingxuan, wearing a cool, water-blue ruqun and with her long hair simply tied up with a hairpin, arrived at the study.

Her nature was relatively conservative, whereas Su Wansha and Xie Juner, finding the heat unbearable recently, had started wearing the popular women's shirts sold by the Northern Cottage, paired with silk skirts, looking quite elegant and charming.

But Xiao Qingxuan was still not quite used to it, so she chose traditional dress.

In any case, her cultivation Technique could lower her body temperature, so she wouldn't sweat.

By now, the desk was already piled with various documents sent from the Northern Territory, Western Territory, and even the Northern Desert.

The woman routinely opened one, read it, and made annotations with a vermilion brush.

Xiao Qingxuan hadn't expected that after stepping down as Empress, the number of memorials she had to review now was actually several times more than when she was in Western Shu.

All of this was thanks to her good husband, which was truly both laughable and irritating.

When she reviewed one particular memorial, Xiao Qingxuan's dark eyebrows furrowed slightly, lost in thought...

"My Lady!"

Xiao Qingxuan heard Lin Xiao's voice.

She was hallucinating again.

Xiao Qingxuan shook her head helplessly; Lin Xiao had been gone for over two months, and her longing had become so intense recently that she felt her husband had returned at the slightest sound.

"My Lady!"

Lin Xiao walked to Xiao Qingxuan's desk and smiled, "I'm back!"

Xiao Qingxuan looked up abruptly and, realizing it was truly Lin Xiao, was overjoyed.

She dropped the brush and paper in her hand, quickly walked around the desk, and threw herself into Lin Xiao's arms.

"Husband! You really are back? I've been missing you so much I've been losing my mind, always thinking it was a dream..."

With her soft, fragrant body in his arms, Lin Xiao smiled guiltily, "I didn't want to either, but this world doesn't have telephones."

"Telephones?"

"Oh, it just means letters aren't very convenient."

Looking at Xiao Qingxuan's glistening, affectionate eyes, Lin Xiao couldn't help himself and leaned down to kiss her.

After some intimacy, Lin Xiao waved his hand, and the doors and windows of the study behind them all closed.

Xiao Qingxuan naturally understood what the man wanted to do; although it was a bit inappropriate for early morning, she had been looking forward to this day for too long.

Until noon, no one dared to approach the study.

After changing clothes, Lin Xiao sat on a chair, while Xiao Qingxuan sat on his lap, telling him about all the major and minor affairs of the territory over the past two months.

"Husband, after Minister Liu Zongfu investigated and handled half of the corrupt officials, Prince Zhaokang of the East Sea colluded with the remaining officials and had a falling out with the imperial court."

"Now, Prince Zhaokang of the East Sea has taken over a hundred thousand of the Eastern Sea Army and forcibly occupied Huai Province, Hai Province, and Dan Province, along with Eastern Sea City, refusing to let the imperial court intervene at all."

"Prince Zhaokang of the East Sea even cursed Crown Prince Li Chenghao as a muddled ruler, saying he admired you as a hero and was willing to support you in declaring yourself Emperor."

Lin Xiao sneered, "This Prince Zhaokang of the East Sea has truly learned the shamelessness of the Prince of Donghai; he wants me to clash with the imperial court so he can watch the fire from the other shore."

"Exactly, he probably thinks that this way, you won't kill him."

Xiao Qingxuan sighed, "Ever since Prince Zhaokang of the East Sea began relying on his military might, he has been frantically levying grain and hoarding wealth, attempting to ensure the Eastern Sea Army's absolute loyalty."

"This has made the people of those three provinces suffer unbearably; hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and had no choice but to flee north."

"Minister Liu Zongfu is currently in Qi Province, and Wei Kongming has also taken over Qi Province with the Yan Kings Army."

"But the number of refugees in Qi Province is increasing; if this continues, we won't be able to supply enough food, which is a major hidden danger."

"After all, the Yan Region itself has just been through the ravages of war, and not much grain was planted during this year's spring plowing..."

Seeing the worried look on her face, Lin Xiao felt a pang of heartache; if he hadn't returned, Xiao Qingxuan likely would have had no one to discuss these matters with.

"The time is about right. General Zhao has waited long enough; let him lead the troops out."

"Also, have the Northern Trade Alliance send grain directly to Qi Province, prioritizing ensuring that the army and the refugees do not go hungry."

Xiao Qingxuan nodded, "I guessed that you had General Zhao waiting in Qizhou for this purpose."

"But Husband, if we send grain to the Eastern Territory, we might face a food shortage ourselves, causing grain prices to rise..."

Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow, "Don't we still have the potatoes planted at the beginning of the year? Calculating the time, they should be ready for harvest."

Xiao Qingxuan's eyes lit up, "Potatoes? How could I have forgotten about that treasure!"

"It has to be you, Husband; you solved the problem that has been bothering me for so long the moment you came back!"

Lin Xiao laughed, "My Lady, the way you flatter me, if I weren't thick-skinned, I'd be blushing."

"By the way, what was that memorial you were reading earlier? You seemed a bit confused."

Xiao Qingxuan picked up the one she had discarded earlier and handed it to Lin Xiao.

"It was sent by Prince Wu, Liu Bing, saying he is sending his legitimate daughter, Princess Lanti, to negotiate business with our Northern Trade Alliance."

Lin Xiao took a look; it really was the royal seal of the Prince of Wu.

"It should be to test our attitude. Do you think there's something wrong with it, My Lady?"

Xiao Qingxuan said seriously, "Husband, you may not know, but this Princess Lanti is not an ordinary royal relative; she is an inner-sect disciple of the Academy."

"Inner-sect of the Academy? So what?"

Lin Xiao was unimpressed. It wasn't him bragging, but even if all the masters of the Academy stood before him, he wouldn't take them seriously, let alone a single disciple.

"Husband, for a woman to enter the Academy, the requirements are already several times stricter than for men. Entering the inner sect is even harder than ascending to heaven; one needs to be truly brilliant to have a chance."

Xiao Qingxuan continued, "Throughout history, the Academy has only accepted three female inner-sect disciples, and Princess Lanti is the only one in the last few hundred years."

"The martial world and the imperial court list these three women as the 'Three Jades of the Academy', meaning three beautiful jades, and Princess Lanti was awarded the title of Royal Princess because of this."

"As far as I know, this Princess Lanti is skilled in both literature and martial arts."

"She is a martial arts prodigy who has participated in the Tianwu Grand Tournament and even took the imperial examinations, earning the title of Jinshi."

"It's just that because of her gender, this Jinshi title was not made public."

Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised, "My Lady, how are you so familiar with Princess Lanti? Could it be you've met before?"

Xiao Qingxuan puffed out her cheeks, revealing a rare glimpse of girlish charm, "To tell you the truth, when I was in my prime youth, the person I admired most was Princess Lanti, who, like me, was a woman skilled in both literature and martial arts... but I have never actually met her."

Lin Xiao held back his laughter. Well, well, his wife had just encountered her teenage idol!