553: Chapter 553 The Prince's First Time

Two days later, the front page of the Northern Daily published a piece of news that shocked the world—

"Emperor Hong's secret edict has appeared, passing the throne to the Prince of Nanling, Li Sixun!"

The article below also detailed how the former Crown Prince Li Chenghao disregarded filial piety, rushing to usurp the throne before Emperor Hong's coffin had even returned to the capital.

It described how Prince Wu, Liu Bing, colluded with the Academy masters Meng Sansi and Qi Songyuan to conspire against the Prince of Zhenbei, acting like jackals from the same lair.

It even went so far as to say that the people of the capital and Baiyue were nearly plunged into the disasters of war.

Each point was supported by evidence; the proof was irrefutable!

In an instant, the entire Imperial Dynasty was thrown into turmoil. From top to bottom, everyone condemned Li Chenghao, Prince of Wu, and the others for disregarding the people's livelihood and committing acts of treason.

Meng Sansi and Qi Songyuan, once revered by thousands, were now despised by all, deemed unworthy of being teachers.

As for the matter of Emperor Hong passing the throne to Li Sixun, the common people found it quite believable.

If the edict had claimed Emperor Hong passed the throne to the Prince of Zhenbei, it would have seemed fake; no matter how selfless one might be, one wouldn't just hand the empire over to an outsider.

But Li Sixun was different. He was a brother of the same mother, had managed the Southern Ridge well, and had even annexed Western Shu.

No matter how one looked at it, he was the only member of the Imperial clan with a chance to go toe-to-toe with the Prince of Zhenbei.

Therefore, all circles in the Imperial Dynasty felt that Li Sixun's succession was credible, and there was nothing wrong with the edict.

When the masters of the Academy heard about the edict, their jaws dropped in shock; they were terrified.

They were old and experienced, and they understood very well what consequences Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong's revelation of the edict at this critical moment would bring.

It meant that the Prince of Zhenbei would have no worries about the future, no matter what actions he took against the Prince of Wu in Baiyue, the Academy, or even the Buddhist Sect!

Because, before Li Sixun ascended the throne, the Imperial Dynasty would have no Emperor!

And even if Li Sixun ascended the throne, it was impossible for him to listen to the opinions of Prince of Wu and the others like Li Chenghao did, and become an enemy of the Prince of Zhenbei!

After all, his wife was the Empress of Western Shu, who was just waiting for an opportunity to "avenge herself and restore her country"!

For Li Sixun to be allowed to live and be Emperor was already the Prince of Zhenbei being very generous!

With matters having reached this point, the Academy's leadership did not dare to hesitate.

That very day, they decided to draw a clear line with Meng Sansi and Qi Songyuan, stripping them of their titles as Academy masters.

They declared that the two men's decision to go to the capital and lodge complaints with Prince of Wu was their own choice and had nothing to do with the Academy.

Although many despised this act of self-preservation, most could understand it.

The Academy was, after all, a sect; it would always have to consider how to continue its existence and could not possibly go head-to-head against the hundreds of thousands of the Zhenbei Army.

"This... the late Emperor actually left a secret edict?"

When the news reached the ears of Master Li Jingyi and Zhu Ming, the two were following the main force for digging potatoes, returning to Baishui.

On the way, hearing about the major changes in the capital, both old men were greatly shocked.

"No wonder the Prince said the capital would have some excitement; this isn't just excitement, this is earth-shattering!"

Zhu Ming stroked his beard and sighed: "With this, the imperial power of the Imperial Dynasty will exist in name only for a short time."

"That clever Prince of Nanling, even with the late Emperor's secret edict, won't ascend the throne at this time. He will definitely wait until the matter of Princess Lanti is over before making a decision."

Master Li Jingyi frowned and said: "Brother Zhu, this edict didn't appear early or late, but appeared right at this moment. Could it be..."

"You mean it's forged?"

Zhu Ming shook his head: "Impossible. No one can bear the great crime of forging a secret edict!"

"Besides, the Cabinet, the Hanlin Academy, the Imperial Household Department, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Personnel—with so many civil and military officials watching, how could it be seamless?"

"This must be Emperor Hong's own handwriting. Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong is already at this age; there is no need to forge an imperial decree and let himself be infamous for ten thousand years."

Master Li Jingyi laughed bitterly: "Brother Zhu, don't be anxious. I didn't say there was a problem with the edict, but this Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong, clearly had the secret edict in his hands for a long time, yet only brought it out now—is it really just to preserve the overall situation?"

Zhu Ming's eyes darted to the front of the main force, where Lin Xiao was chatting while riding a horse with Zhao Caiwei and Wanying.

"As for that... one can only ask the Prince."

Master Li Jingyi sighed: "Being far away in Western Qiang digging potatoes, he can still depose an Emperor and establish a new monarch. Does this world... really still belong to the Li family?"

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao, who had personally stirred up the situation in the capital, had no interest in these matters in the capital.

To him, it didn't matter what happened to the Imperial Dynasty, as long as they didn't add to his troubles.

Currently, Lin Xiao was worried about one thing: the storage of potatoes!

After dozens of carts of potatoes were dug up, they were currently covered with waterproof sunshade cloth, but some had already begun to sprout slightly.

The moment Lin Xiao thought about needing to transport the potatoes to various states and sell them to the commoners as rations, he felt a headache.

The situation in each place was different, and the conditions were also different.

Once this thing sprouted, it could be poisonous. It concerned lives; he couldn't be careless at all.

Mu Wanying and Zhao Caiwei heard Lin Xiao's distress and felt somewhat helpless.

"Husband, we are both from military backgrounds and are good at marching and fighting, but we really don't understand how to transport or store these potatoes."

Zhao Caiwei said: "Why not invite Miss Hu? Her Hu Family was once one of the top grain merchants in the Northern Territory. She must know how to store and transport grain."

Lin Xiao thought that was right. There was a specialty in every trade; he had indeed asked the wrong person.

Soon, Hu Xinyi, dressed in men's clothing and riding a horse skillfully, approached.

"Prince, what are your orders?" Hu Xinyi was natural and poised, her face filled with a confident smile.

Perhaps due to a change in temperament, Lin Xiao looked at the girl's tanned face and thought she looked even prettier than before.

After half a month of training, Hu Xinyi had been eating and living with the Militia and students, never complaining about hardship or fatigue.

This not only surprised Lin Xiao, but even Mu Wanying and Zhao Caiwei praised her highly.

"It's like this, Miss Hu. Although the potatoes have been harvested, it will still take some time to get them to the commoners in the Northern Territory..."

Lin Xiao explained his concerns.

After listening, Hu Xinyi thought for a moment and said: "This matter is not difficult to say, it just depends on whether the Prince is willing to give up a portion of the profits to the grain merchants in each state."

"Oh? How so?" Lin Xiao asked.

Hu Xinyi said: "The reason the Prince is worried is because potatoes need to be placed in a cool, dark place to be stored for a long time."

"In fact, most of the civilian houses in the Northern Territory have their own cellars, so it is not difficult for the common people to store them at home."

"So, the key to the problem is how to get the potatoes into the hands of the common people in various places as soon as possible."

"Although the Northern Trade Alliance is large, it has many businesses, and its efficiency in selling potatoes is definitely not as good as the local grain merchants."

"If the Prince is willing to hand over the distribution rights of the potatoes to local grain merchants and bear the costs during transportation, then the grain merchants will definitely help with distribution actively."

"Of course, the Prince can use local officials to carry out publicity and supervision to ensure that the grain merchants do not sell sprouted potatoes."

After hearing this, Lin Xiao fell into deep thought.

In fact, he had thought about mobilizing merchants from various states to help with distribution.

But because he was not familiar with commercial operations and was not familiar with the merchants in various places, he did not dare to make a decision.

He had originally planned to ask Xiao Qingxuan and Su Wansha for their opinions after returning to Baishui, but now it seemed that Hu Xinyi seemed to be a more suitable candidate.

Su Wansha and Xie Juner, after all, were one a big boss of the Trade Alliance and the other from a noble family, and they were usually coordinating the overall situation.

The merchants below found it difficult to even see them, so naturally, there would be communication problems.

But Hu Xinyi was different; she came from a pure merchant background, and even if her family was gone, her connections were still there.

And she knew all the ins and outs of the bottom-level merchants, so she was not easily deceived.

"Xinyi, you will be in charge of the potato distribution. You will contact the merchants in various places, and I will have Xie Juner cooperate with you."

Lin Xiao made a decision immediately.

When Hu Xinyi heard this, she first showed a look of surprise, and then her eyes suddenly became moist.

"Why are you crying?"

Lin Xiao couldn't help but laugh: "I gave you a task, are you that excited? This is a tough job!"

Hu Xinyi shook her head, wiped her tears embarrassedly, and a hint of shyness appeared on her slightly tanned face:

"I am happy because this is the first time the Prince... has called my name."