551: Chapter 551 Giant Baby

When Lin Xiao arrived in front of a tent on the lower slope, the two old men were eating roasted potatoes.

The sandy soil of Western Qiang was unexpectedly suitable for growing potatoes; they were sweet, soft, and glutinous, and the group of academy teachers and students were hooked on them.

Especially after Lin Xiao told them they could eat them with butter and cheese, they were all so impressed they bowed down in admiration.

"The Prince is here? Perfect, these potatoes are hot, have some together with us!"

Zhu Ming and Master Li Jingyi sat on the ground, eating until their beards were covered in potato crumbs, which looked somewhat comical.

Lin Xiao casually picked one up, dipped it in some prairie cheese, took a bite, and his mouth was filled with a rich fragrance.

"You two elders shouldn't eat too much, otherwise your stomachs will easily get upset again."

Zhu Ming and Master Li Jingyi flushed, recalling the awkward situation yesterday when they ate too much and suffered from indigestion, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"It is shameful. The Prince's way of eating potatoes is truly amazing. At my age, I still lost to the desires of the palate," Zhu Ming laughed.

"With these potatoes, the famine caused by the war last year should be able to be endured."

Master Li Jingyi praised: "The Prince thinks ahead; this is truly a blessing for the people of the world."

Lin Xiao smiled, "Stop flattering me first. Tell me, does the academy plan to hand over Qi Songyuan?"

Master Li Jingyi sighed: "Prince, we just received a message via carrier pigeon from the inner gate. Three days ago, Prince of Wu, Liu Bing, personally went to Lushan Academy."

"Prince of Wu, Liu Bing, together with Meng Sansi and Qi Songyuan, are all going to file an imperial complaint and let the Emperor decide."

"According to the timeline, if everything goes smoothly, the Emperor is already about to issue an imperial decree, dispatching an imperial envoy or ordering the cabinet to thoroughly investigate the matter of Princess Lanti."

Lin Xiao suspected he had misheard, "What did you say? The academy and Prince of Wu, Liu Bing, want that fool to back them up?"

Zhu Ming and Master Li Jingyi looked at each other; they weren't even pretending anymore, were they?

"Ahem... Prince, this old man knows that you look down on the one in the palace, but regardless, he is the current Emperor."

Zhu Ming earnestly advised: "The Prince's reputation is widespread, and you are both loyal and righteous. As long as you follow the trend, you will surely be a wise monarch who leaves a name in history."

"But if you end up with a charge of 'rebellion' because you directly defied the imperial court, it would not be worth the loss."

Master Li Jingyi quickly nodded: "Correct, the Prince can just hold onto Princess Lanti and let this case drag on."

"As long as you don't openly oppose the imperial court, they won't be able to pose any threat to the Prince's reputation."

Lin Xiao heard this and finally understood the implication.

The two old men knew that he would never submit to Crown Prince Li Chenghao, so once the imperial court intervened in this matter, it would likely lead to a direct confrontation.

At that point, if the army marched south, there would inevitably be heavy casualties.

And if the academy refused to bow its head, it would face the disaster of being wiped out.

"You two elders have it rough too."

Lin Xiao sighed: "You cannot quarrel with me, you have to take care of your fellow academy members, and you have to worry about the war starting again and the people suffering..."

"No wonder you are hungry early in the morning; there is just too much to consider."

The two old men's worries were exposed, and they were quite embarrassed.

"I am confused about one thing. It is fine that Qi Songyuan and Prince of Wu, Liu Bing, joined forces, after all, they both want to protect themselves."

"But that Meng Sansi, was his brain kicked by a donkey? Why would he help file a complaint?"

In Lin Xiao's impression, he had never even met that man named Meng, and other academy masters were acting like cowards; why was he so active?

"Does the Prince remember that Lv Sheng?" Master Li Jingyi asked.

Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment, then remembered: "That guy who contradicted me at the Qushui Banquet?"

"Correct, he is Meng Sansi's proudest student, known as the number one talent in the world."

Master Li Jingyi said with some regret: "But ever since Lv Sheng came to the Northern Territory, he was first thrown into prison for offending the Prince."

"Although he was released quickly, in Xinghua Village, he was shocked by the Prince's world-shaking literary talent and completely lost his spirit."

"It is said that he now lingers in the red-light district every day, living in a drunken stupor, and Meng Sansi had no choice but to expel him from the academy."

Lin Xiao was speechless: "This can be blamed on me too!? There are so many scholars in the world, is he the only one who can't afford to lose?"

Isn't this a typical giant baby?

"There is gossip saying that you, Prince, snatched Lv Sheng's sweetheart, which made him give up on himself. Is that true?"

Ding Cuihua walked over at this time and asked quite gossipy.

"What?"

Lin Xiao found it more and more outrageous as he listened, "Senior Ding, where did you hear that? And who is his sweetheart?"

Ding Cuihua pointed not far away at a figure who was busy cooking for the Militia and students.

"It is that one."

Lin Xiao was confused: "Hu Xinyi?"

The woman liked him, but he hadn't agreed, does this count as snatching?

"I just heard people say that, it seems someone saw that Lv Sheng originally visited Xinghua Village with that girl Hu Xinyi."

"As a result, after your 'Jiang Jin Jiu', there is no need to talk about what happened later..."

Zhu Ming rolled his eyes at the old woman: "You are old enough, stop listening to that gossip! Xinyi is a good girl, don't ruin her reputation!"

"How could I not know that little Hu is a good girl? Haven't I been taking her with me these past two days and teaching her how to cook!"

Ding Cuihua said unconvinced: "If the Prince hadn't asked, I wouldn't have brought this up!"

"Rumors are unverified, how can you gossip behind people's backs?" Zhu Ming scolded.

"You two old things are guessing Meng Sansi's thoughts behind his back, has it been verified?" Ding Cuihua scolded.

"Hey, sister-in-law, why even include me?" Master Li Jingyi protested.

Lin Xiao got a headache listening to this. After a few days of contact, he realized that all three were old urchins.

"Alright, you three, stop arguing."

Lin Xiao stood up and said: "I already know about your worries, but if they want to use the Emperor to suppress me, they are overthinking it."

"Prince, the advantage is on your side now, do not be impulsive..."

Zhu Ming was about to persuade him, but was stopped by Lin Xiao.

"Elder Zhu, I do not intend to disobey an imperial decree, but the premise is... there must be an Emperor to issue a decree," Lin Xiao said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

The three old men looked confused. Isn't the Emperor Crown Prince Li Chenghao?

Although this kid is a bit stupid, he was born to the legitimate Empress and came from the position of Crown Prince, so there is no problem.

"Prince! Could it be that you... you want to..."

Master Li Jingyi thought of a possibility and couldn't help but widen his eyes!

Could it be that Lin Xiao was going to send someone to take out the Emperor!?

Assassinating the Emperor is indeed a method, but at this juncture, committing regicide, wouldn't that just give the enemy an opportunity?

"Haha, Master Li, stop overthinking. That muddle-headed ruler is not worthy of me using force."

"In a few days, you will understand what I mean."

Lin Xiao turned and walked away with a smile, sighing with regret as he walked: "The imperial city must be very lively right now... tsk tsk, it's a pity, I still have to continue digging potatoes."

Zhu Ming and Master Li Jingyi looked at each other. Lively? What kind of lively?