Chapter 94: The Official Departure for the Seven Kingdoms

Linsu wanted to speak, yet he did not know how to say it.

Whichever one he chose, the other two would be upset.

With only four wives, he already felt stretched unbearably thin.

“Xiaoyue, Yanfei, stop glaring at me. Xiaoyue and I will go first, then it will be your turn.”

Jingni did not want to speak, but she had no choice. The king was about to travel far, and she could not put the empire’s military and civil affairs out of her mind.

“Mm, all right then. Yanfei, Shaoshao, you must keep a close eye on the king afterward.”

Since their eldest sister had spoken, Yue Shen said no more.

She too was worried about the empire’s affairs. The young men who had only just entered the military and administrative offices were still too immature; at least two or three more years of growth were needed.

Linsu let out a quiet breath of relief. His first wife truly was broad-minded.

“All right. Jingni, make your preparations. Tomorrow we leave in secret.”

“Mm, fine. Tomorrow it is.” Jingni frowned. The king was in such a hurry; it seemed these past few years had indeed been hard on him.

The empire’s provinces, villages, townships, and armies were now all capable of functioning independently and in full order, and the work of the cabinet had been lightened by more than half.

As more students entered the military and administrative departments, the four ministers in the cabinet found themselves far freer as well.

Now that the empire’s prestige was growing day by day, even some scholars from the states of Yan and Zhao had taken the initiative to join the empire.

After Linsu weeded out the spies, he arranged for them to be assigned to various departments. Of course, the majority were sent to the academy.

Within the academy, some students had already come of age, and some had even completed the middle-level curriculum. With only the outstanding students, it was already possible to take over primary education. The advanced material would remain for the students to study and explore on their own, and in the future the carriage would no longer need to visit the academy so often to give lectures.

...

Before the empire’s king set out for Liaohai Pass, not a single soul came to see him off. One driver and two horses traveled alone along the great road.

The grand carriage had also become a small one, the only remarkable thing about it being the strange little dragon-horse.

“King, your spirit-shade is playing favorites.” Looking at the king’s increasingly fair and tender skin, Yue Shen could finally not hold back her complaint.

[Queen Yue, spiritual energy is insufficient. Spirit-shade has already done its utmost.]

Jingni also said, “King, your skin is getting fairer and softer by the day. This will not do.”

Linsu gave a bitter smile. “Rest assured, it will not get any fairer. But you must not be anxious either. Once your husband reaches the innate stage, I’ll have spirit-shade send spiritual energy to you.”

“What? Innate? Husband, you’d better forget it.” Yue Shen was startled.

Even little Yaner could not help but look at him with disdain.

“Daddy, it’s already been two years and you still haven’t even reached the low ranks. Thinking about the innate stage, you may need two hundred years.”

Heh. Jingni could not help laughing softly.

“All right, Yaner, don’t talk nonsense. It should only take a few decades.”

Yue Shen nodded. “Husband, don’t force yourself. Take it slowly. Just reaching the third rank would be enough.”

Linsu looked thoroughly wronged. Was he really only fit to muddle through as a third-rank nobody in this life?

The carriage absorbed spiritual energy, but each refinement wasted and leaked away thirty percent. Then, when it was transformed and fed back in, another thirty percent would be lost. Even after the spiritual energy had been purified and assimilated, the body could absorb and fuse only about twenty percent.

And yet Linsu never knew why. His body simply refused to hold onto much of the transformed spiritual energy; whatever entered him would always vanish for no apparent reason.

[Commander, perhaps your soul differs from the people of this world, so it cannot fuse with much spiritual energy. After the ship’s next upgrade, this should be solved.]

Spirit-shade had also given up. No matter how hard they tried, he remained the stuff of legends: a complete wastrel.

“Ah, forget it. Then I’ll have you reach the peak of grandmaster first, and your husband will work hard at cultivation after that.”

How could Linsu be reconciled to this? Even if he was a wastrel, he could not simply give up. But now, for the sake of his wives and children, he could only set his own training aside for a while.

Jingni hurriedly shook her head. “Husband, we are not in a hurry either. But spirit-shade must not play favorites.”

“Exactly. Husband, did you ask spirit-shade to take better care of Yanfei?”

Yue Shen was very frustrated. She herself had only just reached the grandmaster realm, yet Yanfei was already preparing to break through to the middle stage of grandmaster.

[Two Queens, spirit-shade has not played favorites. Everything is according to the commander’s arrangements.]

Spirit-shade was very fond of Shaoshao, but without the commander’s order, she could not give her younger sister, the Lesser Secretary of Fate, any extra care.

“I was the one who had spirit-shade make the arrangements. My plan was to let them all first enter the peak of grandmaster, and only then devote full effort to assisting your cultivation.”

Yue Shen knew of Shaoshao’s situation and did not oppose it. But...

“Why must Yanfei go first? Why can’t I go first?” After striving for more than ten years, Yue Shen did not want to lose to her again.

This... Linsu also found it difficult. He had already promised Yanfei before.

“All right. For these next two months I won’t cultivate either, and I’ll devote myself fully to assisting you and Jingni. Is that acceptable?”

“Mm, good.”

Both Jingni and Yue Shen nodded in satisfaction.

However, there was still one little one who was unwilling to accept it.

“Daddy, what about me? Did you forget me?”

Linsu gave a helpless smile. “My little darling, you’re still young. First stabilize your foundation and your character.”

“Yaner, let it wait two more years. You’re frightening even your mother like this.”

Jingni had begun cultivating at nine and only reached the third rank at twelve, rising above others. But now her four-year-old daughter’s internal power had already reached the third rank.

“Being too hasty really isn’t good.”

Yue Shen nodded. Excessive power easily made one’s character unstable.

“Oh. All right then. But I never deliberately cultivated before. I just slept a while, and it happened by itself.”

Little Yaner sighed in confusion. She did not even know why she could cultivate.

“Wasn’t it you who taught her?” Linsu looked at Jingni.

Jingni was also startled. “Husband, wasn’t it you?”

Yue Shen quickly shook her head. “It wasn’t me either!”

Ah, they could not keep it hidden anymore. Spirit-shade hurried to explain.

[Commander, Queen Jing, when Yaner was born, she already had accumulated hidden injuries and emotional wounds. Spirit-shade could only do its best to repair them. But unexpectedly, Yaner’s talent is much better than Yanfei’s.]

Jingni let out a soft sigh. She had known that killing intent and resentment entering the body would implicate the baby. Thankfully, she had met her husband.

“I never noticed it before. I also never asked spirit-shade.” Linsu explained as well. Spirit-shade in the past would not have said much. Besides, the hidden damage in little Yaner’s body was not very severe.

But Yaner only shook her head. “Baby is fine. Sister Spirit-shade, you’re not honest either. Just like Fourth Aunt.”

The Linsu family lived in the residence space, while in the carriage there was also a young married woman.

The coachman was a swordsman wearing a hooded cloak, though his sword was placed beside the married woman.

The carriage door was open as well. From outside, one could not see in, but from inside, one could see out.

“Darling, will my father agree to us being together?”

Wei Qianqian asked worriedly. Their son was already two years old now and was resting in the room.

For this journey, Linsu would first head to the state of Wei, so he had arranged for him to serve as coachman.

Compared with being a general, Xuan Jian also preferred the leisure of being a coachman.

“Whether he agrees or not does not matter. However, now that the king has allied with Wei, he should not object.”

Xuan Jian loathed this father-in-law of his very much.

If he had not gone to Liaodong, then by the fate he was meant to follow, Wei Qianqian would already have been hacked to death by Dian Qing.

“Hmph. True enough. Whether he agrees or not is not important.” Wei Qianqian did not have much affection for Wei Yong either. Perhaps her father had already forgotten that wild girl of his.

After three years, Wei Qianqian, now serving as the prefect of Liaoxi, was no longer the simple and innocent married woman she had once been.

...

Qing Qin was lucky. During the great battle at Liaoxi, he once again managed to escape successfully.

Of course, by now he had also been demoted and reduced to the garrison commander of Liaohai Pass.

In the past, Liaohai Pass had been a stronghold of the state of Yan, but now it was defended by only twenty thousand troops.