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Upon hearing Xuan Feiran’s words, everyone was shocked, eyes filled with disbelief – could the Prince really have done such a thing?
Some individuals were displeased with Su Yu’s actions and boldly spoke up, “Your Majesty, isn’t this going too far? Taking action without informing the Emperor, giving out food without any regard, showing no respect for the Emperor.”
A blatant attempt to sow discord.
The Prime Minister stared at the speaker as if they were speaking nonsense; he had never witnessed such foolishness.
“Lord Lin, your words are unjust. What do you mean by saying the Prince shows no regard for the Emperor? The Prince has always held the Emperor in high regard,” the Prime Minister rebutted sharply.
“That’s right,” echoed the agreement.
“Furthermore, Prince Yu didn’t even use the national treasury’s food. He prepared over five million catties of food to send to the border. Perhaps he intended for Qi’s cities to become part of Xuan, and we should assist those people in their time of need. The people of Qi are already struggling to survive. What’s wrong with Prince Yu distributing food to help them after reclaiming the cities?”
Everyone spoke up in support of Su Yu, leaving Lord Lin fuming.
As they spoke, Xuan Feiran looked at a few other documents.
After reading the contents, Xuan Feiran was completely stunned, “Lai Fu, take this down to Lord Lin to have a look.”
“Understood.”
Lai Fu took the document down to Lord Lin.
In his mind, Lord Lin heard a voice telling him not to look, but with the Emperor watching, he felt compelled to do so.
Trembling, Lord Lin took the document and read it.
Upon finishing, his face turned deathly pale.
Others, observing his reaction, felt perplexed. What could be causing such a change in him?
What had the Emperor shown Lord Lin that instantly drained the color from his face?
“It seems everyone is quite curious about what We showed him. In that case, all of you can also take a look,” Xuan Feiran declared.
Following his words, Lai Fu took the document from Lord Lin’s hands and first handed it to the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister, after reading, first felt shock and then relief.
He had never imagined that the Prince could achieve such a feat.
Passing the document to others after reading it, Xuan Feiran finally spoke, “Is there still anyone who says that Prince Yu does not hold Us in regard?”
“Absolutely not.”
The ministers below were taken aback by the unexpected contents of the urgent report sent back from eight hundred miles away.
This revelation came as a complete surprise.
The joint letter, sent by the people of Qi, with their handprints, stirred them deeply, instilling a sense of pride and admiration.
It is evident that Su Yu did not hesitate to spread Xuan Feiran’s reputation at the border.
Furthermore, he carried out these actions in the Emperor’s name.
Could anyone else have achieved this level of success?
Those with ulterior motives would typically claim all the credit for themselves. However, Prince Yu did not. Instead, he attributed everything to the Emperor.
“Why, Lord Lin, are you so eager to sow discord between Us and Prince Yu? What is your purpose?” Xuan Feiran coldly inquired.
Lord Lin hastily knelt on the ground, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. I did not mean any harm. I simply felt that Prince Yu’s actions were inappropriate.”
Thinking that Su Yu would surely take all the credit for himself, he was surprised to see that Su Yu not only refrained from doing so but also carried out these actions in Xuan Feiran’s name.
Now, every person in Qi regards Xuan Feiran as their lifesaving benefactor.
Xuan Feiran’s reputation has reached unprecedented heights there.
Anyone with sense could discern the implications of his earlier words.
If he dared to continue with excuses now, he would only lower himself in everyone’s eyes.
“Your Majesty, I truly did not intend any disrespect,” regardless of whether or not they looked down upon him, Lord Lin’s priority was to extricate himself from the situation.
Xuan Feiran gave the other a meaningful glance, neither approving nor disapproving of his actions for now.
However, this was not the time for action yet. The real moment would come when Wang Jingyu and the others returned.
Lord Lin remained unaware of Xuan Feiran’s thoughts at the moment.
“This shall not set a precedent.”
“Understood.” Though somewhat puzzled as to why Xuan Feiran let him off so easily, Lord Lin felt a sense of relief. As long as Xuan Feiran didn’t cause trouble for him, he would be content.
After the court session, the Prime Minister went to the study.
“The intentions of Lord Lin are truly condemnable,” the Prime Minister said solemnly.
“Let him stay for a few more years. When Wang Jingyu and the others have finished their training, it will be time for him to depart.” Currently, there was no suitable replacement for these individuals, so they had to reluctantly keep them for now.
“Understood.”
“The way Prince Yu handled things was truly remarkable. By giving the people of Qi a new lease on life in their darkest hour, with them as an example and the Qi Emperor’s inaction, it has now become easier for him to capture the Qi cities.”
Xuan Feiran nodded with a smile, “Indeed, but Xiao Yu also sent a letter back. He mentioned that Lu Empire has taken action as well. After capturing a strategically advantageous city, it’s likely that Lu Empire will take control of other Qi cities.”
Currently, Su Yu and his group could capture cities without besieging them, which was more effective than Lu’s approach.
The Prime Minister’s expression turned grave, “Lu Empire does seem to have ambitions regarding Qi. They’ve hidden their intentions quite well.”
“They were considering an alliance with Ling Empire before; isn’t that seeking a tiger’s skin?”
“It’s right to undermine Ling Empire’s authority. Otherwise, Xuan would have to face not just Qi and Ling but also Lu lurking in the background.”
The Prime Minister frowned, “Do these neighboring countries realize that their lands are being eroded by Lu?”
Listening to the Prime Minister, Xuan Feiran shook his head, “That’s not crucial. What matters is that after Qi falls, Lu will come next.”
“Lu is coming for high-yield crops, but we don’t have an abundance of those. There’s no need to give away all our resources to them, even if Lu is more powerful. Xuan is strong enough as it is.”
“Su Yu mentioned that Luo Yan will handle this.”
Luo Yan…
The Prime Minister recognized that name; they had spent the previous New Year’s Eve together. But wasn’t Luo Yan just a child? What could they possibly do?
“Su Yu said that Luo Yan has developed a type of gunpowder, which will come in handy when dealing with Lu.”
Having witnessed the power of gunpowder himself, where a city could turn to ruins in an instant, Xuan Feiran felt grateful that his relationship with those children was still good, and that they listened to Su Yu.
“Is Prince Yu trying to intimidate them?” Although the Prime Minister avoided using the term ‘intimidate,’ that was indeed the implication.
Xuan Feiran chuckled, “Whether it’s considered a threat or not, as long as it benefits us.”
The Prime Minister nodded in agreement, “As Your Majesty says.”
“As for Lord Lin, should we have someone keep an eye on him?”
“Yes, for now, that’s the plan.”