“How can that be? I am still young in my official career and fear I am not suited for such a great responsibility.”
“Lord Lin, you have not only sought disaster relief funds but also cured the plague, and this time you’ve resolved the crisis in the capital. These deeds alone are enough to silence the public.”
“No, my meager skills are not enough.
The main reason is that the Fourth Prince was too prideful, insisting on confronting His Majesty head-on.
You’ve already initiated a coup, why would you care about baseless reputations? Let posterity say what they will; securing the throne first is what truly matters!
In short, the Fourth Prince seemed rather… unintelligent.
That’s why I had the opportunity to seize.”
“Lord Lin is too humble. It was the Fourth Prince’s misfortune to encounter someone as wise as you.
Therefore, I, this Prime Minister, believe that to not bury Lord Lin’s peerless talent, we should indeed entrust you with important responsibilities.”
“No, no, no, I am too young and fear I will not be able to win the trust of the people.”
“Lord Lin is of similar age to me, how can you be considered young?”
…
Suspecting she had stumbled upon a real-life ‘farmer and the snake’ scenario, Lin Qingge finally sought help from the person behind the desk.
“Your Majesty, your Left Prime Minister has gone mad, won’t you do something about it?”
“Actually, in the beginning, I did consider having you as the Right Prime Minister.”
Lin Qingge: ???
“But your qualifications are indeed too shallow, and your conduct is too erratic and difficult to control, so I gave up.”
“Me? Prime Minister?”
Seeing Lin Qingge’s exaggerated expression of ‘Are you kidding me, big brother?’, the new Emperor, in a rare moment of good mood, curved his lips and let out a scoff:
“Don’t worry, I still want to live a few more years and am not that desperate.”
Hearing this, Lin Qingge rolled her eyes to the heavens and said grumpily:
“Your Majesty, since the Fourth Prince is no longer a threat, this minister will request leave from the capital.”
Lin Qingge had not forgotten that the憨憨 Yan Tinghao had been held hostage for three days.
Her luggage was all packed; she was just waiting for those idiots outside the city gates to leave.
After all, a good dog doesn’t block the way.
However, given Wu Cheng Wang’s repeated attempts to kill her, going to Wu Cheng Wang’s lair would be like a sheep entering a tiger’s mouth.
To save her life, she decided to bring along the criminal squad.
Ling Han, the assassin leader whose combat power was second only to Leng Ningyue.
Wu Suowei, with his exceptional lightness skill and nimble fingers.
Lu Mingxuan, who was proficient in everything from swindling to deceit, yet timid.
Lu Huaiying, the hexagonal warrior skilled in reconnaissance with a sharp mind.
In addition to these four, there was the anti-social trio.
Leng Ningyue, who had always prioritized her safety above all else; Hua Jinrong, who wanted to take the opportunity to go on a spree to evade the position of Prime Minister; and Murong Bai, who, while possessing no combat power in the traditional sense, was in some ways more dangerous than the other two combined.
Since Murong Bai, this esteemed lord, couldn't ride a horse, Qin Han was enlisted to drive.
As the carriage reached the city gate, they coincidentally encountered Lin Yan, who had come to check the situation.
Upon learning the purpose of Lin Qingge’s departure, Lin Yan volunteered.
Considering Lin Yan was one of the few sane individuals among them, and there was an empty seat in the carriage anyway, Lin Qingge brought him along.
To save time, the moment Xiao Zhanbei’s Xiao Family Army arrived, Lin Qingge and her party left the city.
Whether it was due to the awe of the Great Xia’s God of War, or because Murong Bai’s laxative was too potent, causing him to become utterly depleted.
In any case, as the two armies faced each other, the Fourth Prince’s side showed no intention of engaging in battle; instead, they were as quiet as a chicken.
Thus, Lin Qingge and her entourage swaggered right through the middle of the two armies.
At this moment, Ye Shengxiao, who was with his elder brother, seemed to have found a long-lost relative and galloped out from the formation.
“My lord, where are you going?”
“To the dragon’s den and the tiger’s lair.”
“My lord, you are as witty as ever. If you don’t mind, would you take this humble one along?”
Although somewhat displeased, Lin Qingge, feeling that the criminal syndicate, oh no, the team investigating for Shuntian Prefecture needed to be complete, finally waved her hand and, under the protective and menacing gaze of General Xiao, beckoned to Ye Shengxiao.
Watching the city gates recede, Hua Jinrong, who had gotten into the carriage citing exhaustion from riding, fanned himself and said:
“I didn’t expect you to be so concerned about Constable Yan, My Lord, to the point of risking danger to save him~”
Lin Qingge heard this and nodded gravely:
“Indeed, without Constable Yan, I don’t know how I’ll even begin to explain to others how the Fourth Prince was so foolishly unaware, only to make wedding clothes for others!”
Normally, she found his constant questioning tiresome, but without that mouth that had to ask about everything, Lin Qingge found her damn desire to perform unfulfilled!
So, for that reason alone, she had to save that憨憨!
“Tsk tsk, this student truly envies Constable Yan~
I wonder if, should this student fall into dire straits, you would also rush to save me so selflessly~”
Looking at Hua Jinrong, who was clearly overacting, Lin Qingge said with some exasperation:
“I’d probably have to pry open your skull to see what kind of jumbled mess is inside!
Who curses themselves to fall into dire straits?
Besides, didn’t I already save you once at Yanshou Village last time?”
“Oh, right, you already saved me, My Lord. Then, as I have no way to repay you, I can only…”
Before Hua Jinrong could finish speaking, his mouth was stuffed with a osmanthus cake thrown by Leng Ningyue.
After passing Wolong Mountain Villa and traveling for about half a day, everyone arrived within the territory of the Northeast Great Camp.
Although called the Northeast Great Camp, it was actually an alias for Wu Cheng Wang’s fief.
After years of development, the Northeast Great Camp had evolved into a city comparable to Fengtian Prefecture.
As Lin Qingge and her party were too conspicuous, after deliberation, they decided to split into pairs and infiltrate the city in batches to gather information, then rendezvous at the contact point of the Tianji Pavilion within the city.
Perhaps it was after her male disguise at the banquet opened a new world, the extremely life-preserving Lu Mingxuan, disguised as a woman, chose to be paired with Ling Han, whose combat power was second only to Leng Ningyue.
Lu Huaiying, who originally intended to look after his younger cousin, could only let Wu Suowei stand beside him as he saw this.
As for Hua Jinrong and Murong Bai, the good buddies, they were naturally together. Qin Han stayed behind to guard the carriage and provide support. The remaining were Lin Yan and Ye Shengxiao.
Even though Ye Shengxiao was reluctant in every way, he knew that his beloved would definitely stay by his lord’s side without leaving.
This time, Lin Qingge and the other person still posed as a couple.
However, this time, the one dressed as a man in a cyan robe was not Lin Qingge, but the exquisite and beautiful Leng Ningyue.