Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: “They Really Flirt Anytime, Anywhere…”

The people of Zhenxue City never thought that the formerly most esteemed Princess of the Great Xia, now Prince Xia, would one day knock on their doors with grains and meat in hand.

On the second day of the New Year, Pei Shujing and Xie Ning woke up early, accompanied by more than ten officials, to visit and comfort the lonely, the elderly, and the children in the city.

Undoubtedly, this act, while making the common people anxious, also moved them deeply.

Everyone couldn’t help but think that perhaps the Zhennan Army, now called the Jingnan Army, was truly better than the Zhenbei Army.

Perhaps this Grand Princess was genuinely benevolent.

Some said this was an act to win public support, but no one cared, because even if it was to win support, wouldn’t the people be able to live a good life for a few years?

Moreover, how many people would stoop so low as to enter the homes of the common people like Prince Xia?

While the common people enjoyed peace, the powerful local families and wealthy households in the city were having a terrible New Year.

How to govern as a regional hegemon is a difficult question.

The common people are easy to manage; if their stomachs are full, they will cry out for a prosperous age, cheer for ten thousand years, be profoundly grateful to the ruler, and pray for the ruler with incense sticks morning and evening.

The less desire, the easier it is to satisfy.

The common people are easy to satisfy.

But aristocratic families and powerful households are insatiably greedy.

The conflict between rulers and powerful households lies in how to distribute the benefits.

If powerful households seize more benefits, the resources available to the ruler and the people will decrease.

During periods of abundant social resources, this conflict can be concealed.

When social resources are scarce, the conflict surfaces.

In most cases, rulers will seek help from the powerful households, but countless examples prove that they would rather stand by and watch the Central Plains collapse, rather let foreign tribes rule them, than cut off a piece of flesh to save the country.

This is not the nature of capital.

It is the deep-seated desire within human nature.

This kind of desire needs countless instances of profit to be stimulated. Those who fit this criterion…

Merchants, powerful families, nobles, corrupt officials…

They are all meat-eaters.

Therefore, the decline of a country inevitably starts from the top down!

It’s like a chain reaction, passing that spirit of decline to the local authorities, who then expose their greedy faces and begin to harvest profits.

Once this guidance is complete, it is like carving countless wounds on the body of the state. Every passing day, these wounds will grow a little larger.

Only by cutting away this rot can the decaying situation be redeemed.

Among these, the administration of officials and taxation are the most crucial.

“If the administration is not clear, the decrees will be hard to implement.”

At the other end of the long street, Pei Shujing and Xie Ning stood under an eaves.

Xie Ning looked at Pei Shujing: “For a ruler to govern, the first priority is to clarify the administration of officials. If the administration is unclear, even the best policies will become tools for local officials to seek wealth.”

“This Prince understands.” Pei Shujing’s eyes were complicated. “If the administration is unclear, state affairs will inevitably be muddled!”

“Yes.” Xie Ning smiled. “So, the first thing we do in Zhenxue City is to rectify the official administration. But local officials and local powerful families collude with each other. Moving one affects the whole…”

Pei Shujing was shaken inside. “So you have always let this Prince be patient and hold back.”

Xie Ning nodded and smiled: “We can wait.”

“As long as we control the military, we can gradually replace incompetent officials, and then let these officials clean up the local administration. In this way, while clarifying the administration, the impact is small, and the replacement is completed quietly.”

Pei Shujing looked at him silently: “Don’t think about escaping this Prince’s sight with such methods in the future.”

Xie Ning said reservedly: “I am completely loyal to Your Highness!”

Heh heh.

“I understand solving the official problem gradually.” Pei Shujing then asked, “What about the powerful families? When this Prince first arrived in Zhenxue City, establishing authority was necessary, and dealing with the powerful families then would have been the best opportunity. Why wait until now?”

Xie Ning said mildly: “Local powerful families collude with officials! Moving them at that time would be like cutting flesh directly from one’s own body—the pain would be unbearable.”

“So, Your Highness first rectified other officials, supplemented by dispatching troops to establish authority and reclaiming land to win public support, accumulating momentum step by step. Until Your Highness’s recent appointment as King, Your Highness’s prestige reached its peak. This is the perfect time to strike.”

“Besides, Your Highness, didn’t I tell you to change your self-address to ‘this King’ long ago?”

Pei Shujing said expressionlessly: “It’s a habit.”

The truth was, every time she thought of addressing herself as “this King,” she remembered Xie Ning’s peculiar habit…

When she truly ascended to the throne, addressing herself as ‘Zhen’ (I, the Emperor) in front of Xie Ning every day would make him even more excited, wouldn’t it?

Xie Ning naturally didn’t know Pei Shujing was plotting against him internally. He was looking at the commotion on the street with a leisurely expression.

“Vile dog slave! What tax? The Le family has none!”

“Idiot!”

Pei Shujing sneered.

“Keep watching.”

Xie Ning said mildly.

Xue Chang, the deputy general of the Jingnan Army, pressed his hand on the hilt of his saber, squinting at the man: “None?”

“None! If you have the guts, kill this old man!”

The man shrieked: “You want to take the taxes you exempted from this old man? Is there still justice?! Ah!”

Xue Chang stepped forward.

“Justice? Her Highness is Prince Xia. Her Highness’s law is justice!”

Clang!

The horizontal saber was partially drawn.

Xue Chang said menacingly: “Her Highness orders powerful families to make up for the taxes. Will you comply, or not?”

The man looked up at him.

The soldiers behind Xue Chang stepped forward in unison.

“Comply, or not?”

The man felt his lower abdomen swell, his liver and guts splitting: “Comply, comply!”

“This Prince actually wanted to kill someone to establish authority!”

Pei Shujing shook her head slightly, somewhat disappointed.

Then, she walked out.

Immediately, Xie Ning followed closely behind.

“It’s Her Highness!”

The man watched Pei Shujing approach, his face pale, and he bowed.

“Greetings to Prince Xia.”

A few powerful local figures around could still remain calm. Their leader stepped forward and cupped his hands.

“Your Highness, may I ask why this is happening?”

“Paying taxes is glorious. Don’t you know that?” Xie Ning retorted. “Is it not shameful to evade taxes? Shouldn’t one pay what they owe?”

The leader chuckled, pointing toward the capital: “There are plenty of those in this world!”

“Someone eats feces, why don’t you eat it?”

He still maintained a smile: “Doesn’t Your Highness worry that this move will offend countless aristocratic families and powerful households?”

Many common people had gathered around. Seeing this scene, they were secretly delighted, feeling that the Grand Princess was indeed their empathetic leader.

But hearing this question now, they couldn’t help but feel increased pressure.

An old man said: “Doesn’t this world belong to them? If they all oppose Your Highness, Your Highness will be in danger!”

“Be quiet, first hear what the Imperial Son-in-Law says.” A woman said.

Xie Ning pointed to the people: “The root of your question lies in the understanding of this world. Whose world is this? Some say this world belongs to emperors, generals, aristocratic families, and powerful nobles.”

“Is that not correct?”

The man smiled.

The common people are not people; this is the understanding of the meat-eaters.

They are just tools.

The people looked disheartened, but not angry.

Xie Ning shook her head: “The wealth of this world, everything in this world, comes from the hard labor of the common people. Craftsmen, merchants, farmers, soldiers, all trades and industries are managed and labored by the common people. But why are the creators of all this treated like mere weeds?”

“This world is sick. Where is it sick? It is sick from the greed of the meat-eaters!”

“To cure this world, where is the prescription?”

Xie Ning’s voice was clear, her eyes deep, causing people to lower their gaze, afraid to meet her eyes.

Her gaze shifted from the leader to the people.

“The prescription I offer for this world is: The people are like water…”

The leader lightly gasped, then smiled gracefully: “Sensationalism!”

“…The ruler is like a boat!”

The leader’s expression slightly changed: “Audacious!”

Xie Ning enunciated each word: “You are the audacious one!”

“I hear you are a highly respected person in this city. Do you dare test if my saber is sharp?”

Pei Shujing stood beside Xie Ning, watching the man with a deep gaze.

The man’s smile froze.

The continuous smile he had maintained was completely gone. He looked deeply at Xie Ning.

“We will pay. We never said we wouldn’t.”

Xie Ning sighed: “Your Highness, why is it so hard to kill someone?”

She turned to look at Pei Shujing.

Pei Shujing’s eyes were shining brightly. So were the eyes of the common people around them, clearer than ever before.

The old man stammered: “What did the Imperial Son-in-Law just say?”

A young man’s eyes followed Xie Ning, saying: “The Imperial Son-in-Law said, we are the water, and the ruler is the boat.”

“Oh! What does that mean?” The old man’s eyes were slightly red, filling with tears.

The young man continued: “It means: Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it!”

The old man felt a surge of heat gathering in his chest, urgently looking for an outlet to rush out. He wanted to shout, but he couldn’t think of what to shout.

He opened his mouth, his lips trembling.

Then.

He cried out in a hoarse voice:

“Willing to die for the Imperial Son-in-Law!”

One after another, the common people began to shout.

“Willing to die for the Imperial Son-in-Law!”

Xie Ning was slightly taken aback. Just as he was about to give the credit to Pei Shujing, he saw her shake her head.

Pei Shujing slowly looked around. On those faces were fanaticism and gratitude.

In her two lives, she had never heard anyone value the common people so highly.

In the past, people had shouted the slogan “The people are precious,” but it was only a slogan.

In actual governance, there was no trace of goodwill towards the common people.

Until today, after Xie Ning’s words, seeing the innocent, lovely smiles of these simple people, she finally understood how she should proceed in the future.

The People!

For the People!

Act first, then speak!

Support the people of the world with actions, and the people of the world will naturally support you with actions.

The expressions of the powerful families grew increasingly unpleasant as they listened to the unstoppable cheers.

It was a consensus that the only people any ruler could rely on were the aristocratic families and powerful households!

But Xie Ning had broken this consensus, and the blade was already near their heads.

Looking at the figures of Pei Shujing and Xie Ning leaving, surrounded by the people.

Someone sneered: “Has this Grand Princess gone mad too?”

The original leader shook his head, his expression calm.

“They just stood on the side of the common people.”

“What do we do now?”

“Wait!”

“Wait?”

“Wait for the news to ferment, wait for the world’s reaction, wait for… their self-destruction!”

At this moment, Xie Ning and Pei Shujing didn’t know what they were saying.

Of course, even if they did, they wouldn’t care.

Xie Ning was currently only concerned with one thing that Pei Shujing had secretly whispered into his ear.

“Good performance. I’ll reward you when we get home.”

“!”

There were nomads on the snowy plains. For a long time, the warhorses from the snowy plains had been one of the most important sources of warhorses in this world.

Before the establishment of Great Xia, the Snow People always believed that their cavalry was sufficient to sweep across the world. A very important reason was that the Snow People did not lack horses.

Even now, many Snow People tribes living in the snowy mountains still engage in the trading of warhorses as middlemen.

“Do you know who this Snow Queen is?”

Seven days after the New Year.

After Pei Shujing and Xie Ning crossed the last snow valley, they finally arrived at Xingye City again.

After the Snow Queen was defeated, the Jingnan Army naturally took over the city. To prevent the Snow People from harboring malicious intent, Pei Shujing specifically ordered Gao Changxun to be stationed there.

Of course, she also placed the captured Snow Queen right under the noses of all the Snow People in Xingye City. She wanted to see if anyone still dared to harbor thoughts of rebellion.

Entrapment, or “fishing for justice,” was effective in any era.

According to Gao Changxun’s letter, on average, almost two groups of Snow People assassins came to rescue the Snow Queen every day.

Knowing they would surely die, they still appeared one after another.

Even Xie Ning had to admit that the Snow Queen’s status among the Snow People was quite high.

Pei Shujing leaned lazily in Xie Ning’s arms. Hearing Xie Ning’s sigh, she smiled.

Xie Ning held Pei Shujing with one hand and the reins of the horse with the other.

“Oh? Could she possibly be a person from our Great Xia?”

Pei Shujing shook her head: “No, she is a Snow Person, but she once visited our Great Xia. According to the investigation of the Secret Service, there’s a high probability that she served as a Marquis’s maid and an auxiliary soldier for the Zhenbei Army for three years in the Li family.”

Xie Ning was stunned, looking incredulously at Pei Shujing’s profile.

Pei Shujing chuckled: “Otherwise, why do you think Li Yi has kept the Zhenbei Army here for so many years, even besieging but not killing?”

“It’s because since this Snow Queen is gathering intelligence on the Zhenbei Army, let’s keep the Zhenbei Army right under her nose, putting her and the Snow People in a constant state of torment.”

A Queen, willing to serve as a maid and an auxiliary soldier just to learn from the enemy…

Xie Ning sighed again. This truly counted as enduring hardship for a great purpose.

But no matter how hard she tried, the gap between the Snow People and Great Xia remained unbridgeable. She ultimately could not swallow the “Wu” state.

She remained a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

First, she was kept captive by the Zhenbei Army, then captured by the Zhennan Army.

She even fell into Pei Shujing’s calculations.

Pei Shujing had another purpose for keeping the Snow Queen in Xingye City: to make the Snow Queen personally witness how her people threw themselves into the fire like moths.

This was also a strategy of “taming the falcon.”

So, the reason they were here now was that Gao Changxun’s letter indicated that the Snow Queen couldn’t hold on anymore and wanted to see the Grand Princess.

So Pei Shujing came.

She squeezed Xie Ning’s hand on her waist and smiled faintly: “Look, the Queen has been rescued.”

The biting cold wind, the fierce gasps of humans, the mournful neighing of horses.

“My King, be careful!” The man on horseback gave a hoarse warning!

The woman, who had been focused on riding, felt her heart skip a beat, sensing a premonition of danger.

Sure enough, when she looked up, she saw forty-something riders silently watching her hundreds of meters ahead.

The person at the very front was a woman, who was likely the Grand Princess of Great Xia.

The moment she saw the Grand Princess, she understood everything.

Sending her clansmen to rescue her endlessly was a trap, and allowing her to be rescued was also a trap.

Under normal circumstances, she would have been confident in leading her clansmen to fight their way out, but now…

Looking at the dozen or so people left after the pursuit, she gave a bitter smile.

The person riding the same horse as the Grand Princess took a bow and arrow from his side.

This person held the Grand Princess of Great Xia in his arms, yet the arrow in his hand was aimed at her.

She suddenly felt like prey in a hunting ground, and the hunter was using the act of shooting her to display his bravery, the purpose of which was…

The purpose was, of course, to court.

The arrow didn’t kill her but struck the horse beneath her. The horse, in pain, expended its last bit of strength, carrying her only a few dozen meters before its legs buckled forward, and the massive body crashed down.

She was desperately thrown out, her body heavily tossed onto the snowy plain.

She lay on the familiar snow.

The clean sky was reflected in her eyes.

“Gulu gulu, ji ji zha zha!!”

The dozen or so Snow People roared at Pei Shujing and Xie Ning.

Xie Ning nodded, replying in kind: “Lue lue lue lue, ni jiu yo nu you!“

“………” The Snow People.

Pei Shujing asked with interest:

“Do you speak the Snow People’s language?”

Xie Ning said modestly: “I understand a little. They were just cursing Your Highness.”

“Oh.”

Pei Shujing nodded: “The Imperial Son-in-Law is truly knowledgeable.”

Just as Xie Ning was about to offer a few more modest words, Pei Shujing turned to the Snow People and spoke a string of words Xie Ning couldn’t understand.

The expressions of those few Snow People immediately changed, clearly, they understood!

Xie Ning: “…”

Pei Shujing continued: “The Snow People’s language is indeed obscure and difficult to understand, but…”

“It happens that this Prince is good at learning, so this Prince should understand a little more than the Imperial Son-in-Law.”

“Your Highness, you are the one who is knowledgeable. I, the Imperial Son-in-Law, admire you, I admire you.”

“Your guess was right. They were indeed cursing.”

“Just a lucky guess, a lucky guess…”

“However, they were cursing you.”

As the dozen or so riders charged forward, Pei Shujing chuckled softly.

Xie Ning, sitting on horseback and holding Pei Shujing, also charged forward.

The two horses passed.

The leader was already decapitated.

Xie Ning gently wiped the blood splattered on Pei Shujing’s face: “Are you afraid?”

Pei Shujing glanced at him helplessly.

“Be serious.”

Xie Ning shrugged. Wasn’t he serious enough just now?

The two dismounted, and the remaining Snow People were quickly slaughtered by the accompanying Jingnan Army.

They walked over to the Snow Queen lying on the snow.

Disregarding what the Snow Queen was thinking, they turned to criticize her appearance.

“She is indeed a woman,” Xie Ning lamented.

Pei Shujing smiled gently: “Is the Imperial Son-in-Law attracted again?”

“…The Imperial Son-in-Law only loves Your Highness.”

Pei Shujing smiled noncommittally: “Even if you are attracted, you have no chance. Do you see the scar on her face?”

“It’s more obvious than the mark on my face.”

“More than ten years ago, when Li Yi was still a child, she once flogged the stable boy because of a mistake in caring for her beloved horse. When the matter reached the Marquis of Zhenbei’s ears, Li Yi was reprimanded and confined for a month to reflect.”

“Could it be…”

“The Snow People believe this scar is a symbol of a King. Only she herself knows that it was whipped out by that somewhat spoiled and willful little girl years ago.”

Pei Shujing smiled, looking at the unresponsive woman.

“Li Yi asked this Prince to tell you something—with her whip mark on your face, you will be her slave for life.”

“Just like the person by my side, this scar on his face was left for this Prince. So, he should never delude himself into escaping this Prince’s palm.”

Xie Ning was a bit speechless.

This wicked woman, she could link everything to him…

However, he couldn’t let the Grand Princess lose face in front of outsiders, so Xie Ning cooperated: “Right, right, right!”

“It seems she and I have a bond. How about I become her sworn brother, and Your Highness witnesses it?”

Pei Shujing chuckled: “She… is not worthy to be compared with Jingqiu.”

“True.” Xie Ning nodded.

Hearing this, the Snow Queen’s expression finally changed.

She sneered: “Since you are a woman, why show yourself in men’s clothes?”

Xie Ning was stunned.

The Snow Queen glanced at him dismissively.

“I served that person for many years. I can naturally easily see through your disguise.”

Xie Ning was a bit surprised: “You’re quite proud of that?”

Before the Snow Queen could reply, Pei Shujing gave him a sharp look.

“Shouldn’t she be proud?”

Xie Ning silently nodded: “…She should be proud, yes, proud.”

The Snow Queen was extremely annoyed that the two of them would flirt and talk nonsense in front of her. She stood up angrily, pointing at the two of them, trembling all over.

Xie Ning was slightly surprised: “Is she shaking from the cold?”

Pei Shujing gave him a chiding look: “Idiot. Snow People are already adapted to the temperature of the snowy plains. How could she be cold?”

“That’s not right. She’s a person too. She should be cold when she should be cold!”

“Are you questioning this Prince?”

“I…”

“No reward now!”

“…Oh.”

“Are you two done yet?!”

If she had a knife in her hand, the first thing she would do was not attack them, but commit suicide.

She would rather die than listen to these two talk nonsense in front of her again!

Pei Shujing narrowed her eyes at her.

“This Prince doesn’t want to take you as a slave, but the entire Snow People tribe will become this Prince’s slaves.”

“As for you, this Prince will show some respect for the whip mark on your face. Comply, and you live. Resist, and you die.”

The Snow Queen sneered: “Based on what?”

“In this King’s opinion…”

Before she could finish, Xie Ning interrupted her: “Second reminder.”

The Snow Queen choked: “…In my opinion, your Great Xia is nothing special. Just Li Yi and this person beside you make me utterly contemptuous of Great Xia.”

“A woman who cannot openly gain power—is a dynasty like that worthy of my submission?”

Pei Shujing smiled.

“This Prince is now a little reluctant to kill you.”

She slightly bent down, blocking the sun from the Snow Queen’s sight.

“So, this King is also working hard for that.”

The Snow Queen was stunned.

She widened her eyes, pointing at Pei Shujing: “…You, you want to…”

At this point, she suddenly fell silent.

Pei Shujing didn’t care what she was thinking, covering her mouth as she yawned.

“I’m tired. Let’s enter the city to rest.”

Xie Ning helped her onto the horse and whispered softly in her ear: “I was a little jealous just now.”

“Oh? Why?”

“You said you were reluctant to kill her.”

Pei Shujing was speechless. She leaned back against Xie Ning, coaxing him like a child.

“Be good.”

“No, unless you let me sleep in your bed again!”

“…Such a lack of ambition!”

The Snow Queen watched their retreating figures, her face flickering between expressions.

Until just now, she had always thought these two women were putting on an act in front of her.

But now she realized she was wrong.

They genuinely didn’t care about her…

Perhaps, as the Grand Princess said, she was just an afterthought for the Snow People tribe.

And only because of the scar on her face.

She touched the scar, remembering the woman who had woken her up countless times in the dead of night.

She sneered.

She limped along behind the Jingnan Army.