70: Chapter 70 Xia Jin's Desire

Inside the Fenglin Imperial Palace, Princess Jiang Rou finally breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Jiang Qianjue slowly wake up.

“Father!” She tightly gripped Jiang Qianjue's hand, a hint of tears welling up in her eyes.

Jiang Qianjue slowly opened his eyes, and upon seeing his daughter by the bedside, he reached out and patted her cheek.

“Father, this time it was thanks to Prince Jin and Revered Master arriving just in time that you were rescued from the hands of those villains.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qianjue turned his gaze toward Xia Jin and Leng Yuexi in the room. A flicker of complex emotion flashed through his eyes, and then he forced himself to sit upright in bed and solemnly bowed to the two of them.

“Thank you, Prince Jin and Sect Leader Leng, for saving my life! I... Jiang Qianjue, am eternally grateful!”

As he spoke, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Just a few days ago, he was still the supreme Emperor of the Fenglin Kingdom; in the blink of an eye, he was first forced to surrender to Great Xia, then mysteriously kidnapped by The Sixth Prince of Great Gan, and finally rescued by this Prince Jin of Great Xia.

Jiang Qianjue took a deep look at Xia Jin. Since this Prince Jin could rescue him from the hands of The Sixth Prince of Great Gan, his strength went without saying—he was likely peerless across the lands of the Eastern Region.

Perhaps Fenglin's surrender to Great Xia might not necessarily be a bad thing.

“Sigh...” Jiang Qianjue let out a long sigh, feeling as though he had aged several years. He gently patted Princess Jiang Rou's hand and turned to Xia Jin, saying:

“Prince Jin, I am of advanced age, and after this ordeal, I am mentally and physically exhausted. From this day forward, all decisions regarding Fenglin will be handled entirely by Rou'er. Whatever orders you have, Your Highness, simply let Rou'er do them; I believe she will cooperate fully.”

Hearing this, Princess Jiang Rou was momentarily stunned. “Father!”

Xia Jin looked at the father and daughter before him and remained silent for a moment. “Eldest Princess, now that the matter is settled, stay in Fenglin for the time being to take good care of your father. In ten days, find some time to come to the Great Xia Capital; I have important matters to entrust to you.”

“Thank you, Prince Jin.” Princess Jiang Rou turned to look at Xia Jin and nodded.

Leng Yuexi walked to Princess Jiang Rou's side and gently patted her shoulder. “Rou'er, the heavy burden of Fenglin is now on you. If you face any difficulties, send word to me at any time.”

“Thank you, Revered Master.” A glimmer of gratitude flashed in Princess Jiang Rou's eyes.

“Let's go first and not disturb the father and daughter.” Xia Jin nodded to Leng Yuexi.

“Rou'er, we shall see you again in the Great Xia Capital then!”

With that, Leng Yuexi and Xia Jin transformed into two streaks of light and disappeared beyond the Fenglin Imperial Palace.

Shortly after Xia Jin and the others left Fenglin, inside the Imperial Study of the Great Xia Imperial Palace.

Emperor Emperor Xia Yu was staring at the two imperial seals placed before him, his face unable to hide his excitement.

One was the Green Jade Coiling Dragon Seal of the Fenglin Kingdom, and the other was the Red Gold Tiger Seal of Dayuan, symbolizing yet another expansion of his Great Xia Dynasty's territory.

Commander Qin Hu of the Imperial Guard stood by his side and said with a smile, “Congratulations, Your Majesty! After our Great Xia annexed the two nations of Fenglin and Dayuan, our territory has expanded by nearly half. Next, we just need a little time to reorganize military affairs and stabilize our rule. In the future, here in the Eastern Region, Great Xia will be enough to stand as an equal against the Yuehua Dynasty!”

“Your Majesty's achievements are second to none, save for the founding ancestor of Great Xia!”

Emperor Xia Yu reached out to stroke the two imperial seals but simply shook his head:

“Qin Hu, you are wrong!! All of this relies entirely on my Big Brother.”

“With Big Brother here, never mind the Yuehua Dynasty, even the entire Eastern Region will sooner or later fall into the hands of our Great Xia. But without Big Brother presiding over us, even if we annexed Fenglin and Dayuan, in the eyes of the Yuehua Dynasty, our Great Xia would still be nothing more than a soft persimmon to be crushed at will.”

Just then, a familiar laugh came from outside the Imperial Study: “Hahaha, you brat haven't been blinded by the victory before your eyes!”

Hearing the voice, Emperor Xia Yu shuddered and suddenly stood up from the dragon throne. “Quick, Big Brother is back!”

Without the slightest hesitation, Emperor Xia Yu rushed hurriedly toward the door. Before he could even step outside, he saw Xia Jin walking directly into the Imperial Study with a woman dressed in a purple dress.

That woman was actually holding Xia Jin's arm without any reservation, and more importantly, his Big Brother didn't seem to mind at all. Their relationship was clearly extraordinary.

Emperor Xia Yu was momentarily stunned, staring wide-eyed at Leng Yuexi beside Xia Jin. After a moment, he looked at Xia Jin and asked stutteringly, “B-Big Brother, could this be... Sister-in-law?”

“Hmm!?” Xia Jin raised an eyebrow. “You brat actually have some sharp eyes.”

Hearing the word “Sister-in-law,” the worry on Leng Yuexi's face faded, replaced by a slight smile as she nodded toward Emperor Xia Yu. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“Don't!!” Seeing Leng Yuexi actually call him Your Majesty in front of Xia Jin, Emperor Xia Yu was startled and waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no, no! Sister-in-law, you can just call me by my name! If you call me Your Majesty, Big Brother will definitely beat me up later!”

“Is that so?” Hearing this, Leng Yuexi suddenly let out a giggle, then looked at Xia Jin with a half-smile. “It seems my husband bullies his younger brother quite often!”

“Uh...” Xia Jin rubbed his nose, momentarily unsure how to respond. He could only aim his focus at Emperor Xia Yu and kick him. “Hmph! You talk too much!!”

Seeing them exchange pleasantries, Commander Qin Hu, who was standing behind Emperor Xia Yu, also hurriedly bowed. “Greetings, Prince Jin! Greetings, Princess Consort!”

Xia Jin waved his hand and then pulled Leng Yuexi down to sit beside him.

After Commander Qin Hu poured tea for the three of them, he immediately stood respectfully to the side.

Xia Jin's expression gradually grew serious as he looked directly at Emperor Xia Yu. “Listen to what I have to say next.”

Emperor Xia Yu's heart tightened, and he immediately sat up straight. “Go ahead, Big Brother.”

“I will only give you one year. Within one year, you must be prepared to take full control of the entire Eastern Region.”

“One year?” Emperor Xia Yu couldn't help but frown, a look of difficulty appearing on his face. “Big Brother, this... isn't it too rushed?”

“Right now, Dayuan and Fenglin have only just surrendered to our Great Xia. The military systems are in chaos, the local officials' hearts are not yet aligned, and all the armies, taxes, and official systems have yet to establish a unified organization and law. To not only stabilize the existing territory but also annex the remaining four nations of the Eastern Region within a year... it's hard! It's almost impossible!”

As Xia Jin's younger brother, although Emperor Xia Yu's cultivation talent was far inferior to Xia Jin's, he was an absolute Genius when it came to governing a nation and handling court affairs.

That was why he knew very well that expanding territory is easy, but defending the land and governing the people is difficult!!

“Nothing is impossible!!” A flash of dominance appeared in Xia Jin's eyes. “If not for my concerns about the two powers of Great Gan and the Lieyang Dynasty in the Central Region, I would have given you half a year at most.”

Hearing this, a bitter smile played across Emperor Xia Yu's lips.

His Big Brother made it sound very simple, but what about the people? He had no capable men under him who could help.

“I know what you're worried about,” Xia Jin said, as if seeing through Emperor Xia Yu's thoughts. “You don't need to worry about the remaining four nations of the Eastern Region; when the time comes, I will personally take action to clear the obstacles. As for the military organization and the Early Stage governance of the newly occupied lands, someone will come to help you.”

“Who?” Emperor Xia Yu couldn't help but frown.

“One of your Sister-in-law's disciples!” Xia Jin glanced at Leng Yuexi beside him.