556: Chapter 556 Little Woman

Seeing Lin Xiao's appearance after the fierce battle, the two women couldn't help but exchange a knowing smile.

It seemed Hua Nongying's cultivation was still insufficient; she hadn't held out for very long.

Leng Bingyan stood up to pour the man a cup of tea, while Xiao Qingxuan picked up an inner garment from the side and draped it over Lin Xiao.

Only after Lin Xiao sat down and took a sip of tea did Xiao Qingxuan ask,

"Husband, did Li Sixun really have a chance to seize the throne in the past?"

Lin Xiao didn't hide anything and briefly recounted the story of the two brothers swapping identities years ago.

Even though it was just a summary, it left the two women greatly shocked.

"Such a thing actually happened? No wonder Emperor Hong would try to kill General Mu Tiexin; they weren't even the same person!?"

Leng Bingyan suddenly understood. "Husband, have you mentioned this to Wanying?"

"Not yet."

Lin Xiao shook his head. "I want to wait until I've met the Prince of Nanling to confirm it in person before telling Wanying."

The information obtained so far was only from Emperor Hong's side.

If the current Prince of Nanling, Li Sixun, wasn't the real person either, it would be a total mess.

"This matter is of great importance; it is right for Husband to be cautious."

Xiao Qingxuan analyzed, "But if Li Sixun truly gave up the throne voluntarily back then, he probably has even less desire to be Emperor now."

"Whether he takes the throne or not is up to him."

Lin Xiao said indifferently, "With Chancellor Yang guarding the Cabinet, the world won't fall into chaos. We just need to do our own work, and everything will fall into place naturally."

The two women nodded with smiles. Indeed, the one truly capable of influencing the world's winds and clouds now was the Zhenbei Princes Mansion, not the Imperial Palace.

"Wife, is Princess Lanyi willing to confess her crimes?" Lin Xiao asked.

"As Husband expected, she would rather die than submit." A trace of irony appeared in Xiao Qingxuan's eyes.

Lin Xiao was not surprised and asked, "Where are Qi Songyuan and Meng Sansi now?"

"Both have been expelled from the Academy and dismissed from the Imperial Academy. They are temporarily staying in a private villa of Meng Sansi's outside the capital, likely to avoid the spotlight."

Leng Bingyan asked directly, "Husband, should we tie them up? Or just kill them?"

"Why kill them? Those two old men have ruined reputations and are in a wretched state; are they not hoping for a 'martyr's death'?"

Lin Xiao smiled. "In the name of the Zhenbei Army, tell them to come to Baishui City, saying there's something we need them for."

"Husband wants to invite them here?"

"Does Husband still intend to use them?"

Both women were surprised. Those two old fossils were as stubborn as could be. Could they really admit their mistakes and obediently serve the Zhenbei Princes Mansion?

"Whether to use them or not, we'll see once they arrive."

Lin Xiao said, "One is a great scholar of this age on par with Elder Zhu, and the other is a leader of the southern literary world. Both have Disciples all over the world."

"In terms of real ability, they are certainly not lacking. The Academy expelled them not because they are worthless, but because the Academy feared getting burned."

Leng Bingyan frowned. "But... these two are tough nuts to crack. What if they insist on not coming?"

Lin Xiao said with a beaming smile, "Yaner, you didn't understand my meaning. This isn't a request; it's their last chance."

"If they refuse to cooperate, based on their current crimes of 'colluding with the deposed Crown Prince' and intending to incite war, even clan extermination would be considered light."

Leng Bingyan's eyes lit up, and she stood up excitedly. "I understand, I'll see to it immediately!"

Half a month later.

As potatoes were sold throughout the northern provinces, the food shortage caused by the war was easily resolved.

Not only that, the Northern Canteens introduced several potato snacks—French fries, potato chips, and butter-roasted potatoes—which became an instant trend.

The common people were amazed that this new crop introduced by the Prince of Zhenbei from the Western Regions was so delicious.

This caused the price of rice and flour, which had been tight, not only to stop rising but to drop by ten or twenty percent, because everyone was rushing to buy potatoes!

Lin Xiao was very satisfied with Hu Xinyi's ability and subsequently handed over the task of expanding potato cultivation for the coming year to her as well.

Food production had to be kept in the hands of one's own people to feel at ease.

While Hu Xinyi felt excited, she also felt a bit lost. She was excited because she now had a place before Lin Xiao.

Her disappointment stemmed from the fact that this status... was not quite what she had imagined.

But Hu Xinyi quickly pulled herself together. She believed that as long as she grew potatoes well and increased production, there would eventually come a day when she could plant the potatoes into the Prince's heart.

Around this time, the carriage of Meng Sansi and Qi Songyuan quietly entered Baishui City.

"Brother Qi, we're almost there," Meng Sansi said solemnly.

Qi Songyuan put down the book in his hand and said with a light laugh, "Seeing Brother Meng's appearance, are you feeling a bit uneasy?"

Meng Sansi sighed softly. "Brother Qi might not know, but at my age, I have long since looked past life and death."

"But my Meng Family clansmen and the Disciples under my tutelage have been brought into trouble because of me, and now they face obstacles everywhere they go."

"In my heart, I feel I have failed the ancestors of the Meng Family..."

Qi Songyuan stroked his beard and said, "Brother Meng, rest assured, this is only temporary."

"If that Prince of Zhenbei truly wanted us dead, we wouldn't have lived until now."

"His inviting us to Baishui City this time is nothing more than wanting to win us over and have us serve him."

"When we see the Prince of Zhenbei in a moment, we'll flatter him a bit and give him a way out; he will naturally entrust us with heavy responsibilities again."

"After all, if he wants to rule the country, what he lacks now are not generals, but us literati."

Hearing this, Meng Sansi immediately felt it made sense, and his expression improved significantly.

"Brother Qi is absolutely right. Killing us would bring him a hundred harms and not a single benefit. I was overthinking."

While they were talking and laughing, the carriage stopped.

The two got out of the carriage, looked up, and exchanged puzzled glances.

This was surprisingly not the Zhenbei Princes Mansion, but a typical military officer's residence. The plaque at the entrance read 'Cao Residence'.

"Driver, did you go to the wrong place? What is this place?"

"I didn't," the Zhenbei Army carriage driver said with certainty. "The orders from above were to deliver you to General Cao's residence."

"Which General Cao?" Meng Sansi asked.

"Who else could it be? Naturally, it's the great hero who pacified the Western Borders, the Deputy Commander of the Northwest Army, General Cao Wang!" the driver said with a face full of respect.

"It's him!?"

The two old men looked at each other, feeling increasingly baffled.

This Cao Wang had risen to fame in the past year because he had blocked Lu Sanchuan's elites in the Jingtian County campaign, replacing Jiang Wanli to guard the key points of the Western Borders.

Later, he had taken the lead in defecting to the Prince of Zhenbei, helping Xiao Qingxuan suppress the rebels and subdue a hundred thousand troops.

In recent months, it was heard that he had also arrested hundreds of Western Border officials. He was famous in the Northwest and deeply revered by the common people!

It was true that Cao Wang was at the height of his power, but in the eyes of Meng and Qi, he still didn't qualify!

At most, he was a brave general who was good at clinging to powerful thighs. How could he have the status to have these two great scholars of the age pay him a visit?

"Outrageous... A mere Cao Wang, not worth seeing!"

Just as the two were about to flick their sleeves and leave, the door opened.

A woman wearing a ruqun and a married woman's bun, looking like a newlywed young wife, walked out quickly.

"Elder Qi, Master Meng, please wait!"

Qi Songyuan turned his head and was immediately stunned. "You are... the girl Haitang!?"

Haitang, now a wife, gave a shy and graceful bow. "Haitang greets Elder Qi. It is I."

"You... why are you here? This attire... could it be..."

Haitang blushed and said, "I have already married General Cao as a concubine. The General sent me out to welcome the two masters in for a talk."

"How could you marry Cao Wang!? What about Lanyi!? Did she agree!?" Qi Songyuan questioned.

Haitang smiled awkwardly. "The Commandery Princess can barely save herself; how could she still care about a Haitang like me..."

Qi Songyuan wanted to give her a lecture, but then he thought that it wasn't his business. He could only say, "Forget it, I won't mention your matter for now, but this General Cao of yours is not worthy of Old Meng and me paying a visit."

Meng Sansi nodded. "Indeed. Go and tell Cao Wang that we came to see the Prince of Zhenbei, not to find him."

"The General guessed that you two might misunderstand."

Haitang sighed, "Please think carefully, when you were invited here, was it ever mentioned that the Prince would see you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the two old men were stunned on the spot.

Thinking back carefully... it seemed that from beginning to end, they only said 'The Zhenbei Army requests your presence'?

Good heavens! They really hadn't mentioned the Prince of Zhenbei!!

Could it be that from the very beginning, Lin Xiao had no intention of meeting them in person!?

"Elders, since you're already here, why not come in and see my General?"

Haitang said with a complex expression, "The General said that if you two insist on leaving, it will be seen as... you and the families behind you intending to be enemies of the Prince of Zhenbei, a fight to the death."

"A mere Deputy Commander of the Northwest Army dares to threaten us!?"

"Does he think we are people who fear death?!"

Qi Songyuan was indignant, and Meng Sansi's face also darkened.

"Elders, if you were truly fearless, why would you have come all this way?"

Haitang's counter-question immediately left the two old men dumbfounded again.

Qi Songyuan looked at her seriously and realized that after not seeing her for two months, the childishness on this little Haitang's face had vanished, replaced by a kind of post-transformation maturity.

After struggling for a moment, Qi Songyuan gritted his teeth and stepped inside.

Meng Sansi also gave a long sigh and followed into the General's Mansion.