Lin Yuxin raised an eyebrow in surprise.

[Protect me? Did I do something important? Why would the emperor send someone to protect me? Or is it to protect Xiao Hao? But the emperor shouldn’t know yet that Xiao Hao is his son, right? Oh well, who cares? Since they’re here to protect me, I might as well take advantage of it, especially since they belong to the emperor!]

[As for those spies, I’d like to see what tricks they have up their sleeves.]

Although Lin Yuxin didn’t fully understand the situation, that didn’t stop her from using the privilege granted by the emperor.

Hehehe!

She didn’t bother thinking too much about those troublemakers for now.

Li Xiaocheng watched Lin Yuxin’s smug expression and felt an itch in his heart.

He made no effort to hide his special treatment of Lin Yuxin, and the surrounding officials quickly noticed.

They exchanged glances and suppressed their surprise—was the Regent interested in the Princess of Pingning?

Regardless of whether it was true or not, all the officials immediately became much more respectful toward Lin Yuxin.

“Greetings to the Regent and the Princess of Pingning!”

As the two approached, the officials hurriedly saluted.

“Rise. It’s getting late, let’s depart,” Li Xiaocheng replied coolly.

Lin Yuxin recognized a few officials and acknowledged them briefly before returning to her carriage.

As the carriage slowly left the capital, the figures of her grandfather and family became smaller and smaller in the distance.

Her eyes turned red, but she quickly pulled herself together, ready to face the new challenges ahead.

Li Xiaocheng noticed her expression and chuckled softly.

“I thought I’d have to comfort you, but you got over it pretty quickly.”

“Being sad isn’t my style. It’s not like I won’t be coming back! The most important thing right now is the situation in Beicheng.”

Lin Yuxin rolled her eyes and glared at him.

“Haha! Alright.”

Li Xiaocheng didn’t tease her further and instead spoke seriously:

“I sent Leng Han ahead to gather intelligence. We should have news in a couple of days.”

“How long until we reach the border of Jibei City?”

Lin Yuxin frowned.

“Around ten days.”

“Ten days… That’s a lot of time to get things done…”

Lin Yuxin lowered her head in thought.

[Sigh! If this world had airplanes, we’d get there in half a day. But ten days… At least there shouldn’t be any major incidents yet. The refugee riot is set to break out in about a month. Hopefully, I can stop it!]

Suddenly, a pair of large hands grasped hers. Lin Yuxin was startled and looked up at Li Xiaocheng.

“Don’t worry, I believe you’ll handle this well.”

His voice was gentle, reassuring.

He didn’t understand what she meant by “airplane,” but he could see her growing anxiety.

From the moment the emperor assigned her this task, he had watched her move from shock to acceptance, and now to concern—it was clear how seriously she took this matter.

“Mhm, I know!”

Lin Yuxin squeezed his hand briefly before letting go.

She indeed felt the pressure. She was just an ordinary woman.

Even though she had some abilities, this task involved the survival of tens or even hundreds of thousands of people.

How could she not feel the weight of responsibility?

In her past life, even with the advantage of her space, she had only been a doctor—a battlefield medic.

She had spent her days treating the wounded in warzones, using the resources in her space to save countless lives.

When the war ended, she worked as a traditional medicine doctor in a military hospital.

But that was treating people one by one.

Now, she was expected to handle matters that only government officials should deal with! Of course, she felt immense pressure.

Still, she wasn’t afraid.

Her photographic memory held vast knowledge.

Saving lives was still saving lives—whether it was one person or a whole city.

As long as she used the right methods, she believed she could succeed.

The convoy traveling north consisted of over a hundred people.

Fifty guards sent by the emperor, ten brought by Li Xiaocheng, twenty from her grandfather, plus several officials and their own attendants—bringing the total to about a hundred.

Thus, the group set out on their grand journey toward the north.

After traveling for several consecutive days, Lin Yuxin felt like her backside was about to break from all the jolting.

Unable to bear it any longer, she leaned out of the carriage and shouted toward Li Xiaocheng, who was leading on horseback:

“Li Xiaocheng! I need a break!”

Those around her had already gotten used to this.

During the journey, the Princess of Pingning had called out to the Regent countless times.

At first, everyone had been on edge, expecting the Regent to scold her.

Instead, not only did he never get angry, but he also immediately rushed over to do whatever she wanted.

Their jaws practically dropped.

Was this really their high-and-mighty, ruthless, and cold-blooded Regent?

This was complete and utter henpeckery! A total disgrace to men everywhere!

“Wait a minute—when did the Regent and the Princess of Pingning get married? I don’t remember that happening.”

“They haven’t married yet. The Regent is just shamelessly chasing after her.”

“What’s so special about the Princess of Pingning? She’s just a spoiled brat! And what was the emperor thinking, sending a little girl to handle the drought in Beicheng?”

“I don’t know! But just wait and see—sooner or later, she’ll end up crying.”

A group of Ministry of Works officials sat together, resting while they chatted.

They watched as Li Xiaocheng dismounted his horse, personally helped Lin Yuxin out of the carriage, and even placed a cloth on the ground for her to sit on.

They winced at the sight, their teeth aching from secondhand embarrassment.

Of course, none of them dared to say anything in front of the Regent.

They valued their heads too much.

Still, they lowered their voices and continued gossiping.

“But seriously, how did the Princess of Pingning convince the emperor to let her go north?”

“Probably because the Regent begged for it! I bet the emperor actually sent him to be in charge, and the princess is just tagging along. They must have been secretly involved for a long time.”

“Do you think the emperor will approve of their marriage? He dotes on the Regent, so he might agree.”

“Enough gossip! We should be discussing the situation in Beicheng, not the Regent’s love life!”

At that moment, Wang Feng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, interrupted their increasingly off-topic conversation.

The officials looked at each other in surprise.

Wasn’t Lord Wang the most notorious womanizer among them?

Why was he suddenly uninterested in gossip?

“Hmm, you’re right. Let’s talk about Beicheng.”

Gu Qing, another official, quickly changed the subject to ease the awkward atmosphere.

With that, the officials began discussing the situation in Beicheng.

However, Wang Feng’s gaze lingered on Lin Yuxin with a hint of something sinister.

Lin Yuxin was drinking water handed to her by Li Xiaocheng when she suddenly felt an icy stare directed at her.

She frowned and turned her head, locking eyes with Wang Feng.

[Why does he look familiar? That gaze… He’s definitely not a good person.]

She couldn’t quite remember who he was.

Li Xiaocheng, having heard her inner thoughts, followed her line of sight and saw Wang Feng quickly look away.

His eyes darkened.

He then turned to Lin Yuxin and introduced the group of officials.

“The ones sitting over there are Wang Feng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and Gu Qing, an Assistant Minister. To their right are Liu Hongbo, Shao Chongshan, and Lu Feng—all from the Ministry of Works. They’ll most likely listen to Wang Feng, so you’ll need to find a way to make them follow your lead.”