Jiang Qinyu pondered for a moment and said, "The border town is actually not bad. The heated kang (traditional heated brick bed) was promoted last year, and this year there was a bumper harvest of high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes. People's homes are not short of food, and if they are really freezing, they can stay on the kang and not go out."

She wasn't worried about the border town, but in Yongshan County... it seemed that only some families in Dingshui Village had built heated kang beds in their homes.

"Don't worry, I've already sent people to Yongshan County and towns near Biancheng to promote heated kang beds." Lu Yanzheng knew what she was thinking as soon as he saw her slightly furrowed brow.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qinyu was indeed less worried.

Although it's a bit late to set up the kang now, it's still better than having no solution at all.

Just then, Chen Bolai reported, "General, Madam, Young Master Xiao requests an audience."

Lu Yanzheng and Jiang Qinyu exchanged a glance. "Let him go to the main hall. We'll be there in a bit."

“Xiao Rui must be here to find a solution,” Jiang Qinyu said without hesitation.

Lu Yanzheng nodded. "It should be."

Every household in the border town has a heated kang bed. The inn where Xiao Rui is staying is the best in the border town, so naturally they have replaced their old bed with a kang bed. It seems that Xiao Rui has already experienced the benefits of the heated kang bed last night.

The two walked together into the main hall, where they found Xiao Rui and Lu Wanqing already drinking tea.

"Madam!" As soon as Lu Wanqing saw Jiang Qinyu, she smiled and ran over, rubbing her hands as she ran. "Long time no see, Madam. Do you still remember me?"

"Miss Lu." Jiang Qinyu smiled gently, showing no dislike for Lu Wanqing.

This girl is straightforward and doesn't have many hidden agendas. I quite enjoy being with her.

Lu Wanqing smiled and said, "My cousin said he was coming to see your General, so I came along. It's quite appropriate for the men to talk while I talk to the lady."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted upwards to look at Lu Yanzheng.

However, this sight stunned Lu Wanqing, who pointed at Lu Yanzheng with extreme rudeness and stammered, "You...how could you..."

"Cousin, have you met General Lu?" Upon seeing this, Xiao Rui quickly got up and stepped forward, subtly bringing Lu Wanqing to his side.

Jiang Qinyu looked at Lu Wanqing curiously and asked, "Miss Lu, what's wrong with you?"

"Uh...no, it's nothing, maybe I saw it wrong." Lu Wanqing was being stared at by three pairs of eyes and asked with such concern, and for a moment she also doubted whether she had made a mistake.

Lu Yanzheng didn't take it seriously, only glancing at Lu Wanqing before his gaze fell on Xiao Rui. "Young Master Xiao, what brings you here today?"

Xiao Rui snapped out of his daze upon hearing this, cupped his hands and said, "General Lu, I have a request for you, please do not refuse."

"Oh? What matter requires Young Master Xiao's attention?" Lu Yanzheng asked knowingly.

Xiao Rui then recounted his experience of sleeping on a heated kang bed at the inn the previous night, and added at the end, "When I stayed at the general's house in Dingshui Village, I knew that this thing was no ordinary object, but I didn't know what it was used for at the time. Now it seems that it is a wonderful thing for keeping warm in winter."

"Does Young Master Xiao mean that I should send someone to teach you how to make a heated kang?" Lu Yanzheng raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Rui nodded, "Yes, the border town is now stable and every household has a heated kang bed, but the people outside are still living in the cold. I can't bear it, so I ask the general for your advice!"

“Giving the Fire Pit technology to Young Master Xiao is not out of the question, but what are you willing to give in exchange?” Lu Yanzheng said calmly.

Without hesitation, Xiao Rui said, "As long as it's mine, General, please ask."

What does it matter if he has to make some sacrifices to protect the people of Yukang Prefecture from the cold?

Lu Yanzheng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Anything is fine?"

“Of course, a promise is a promise!” Xiao Rui said firmly.

His gaze was so firm that even Jiang Qinyu was somewhat moved, and suddenly she no longer wanted to use the technique of "pan kang" (a type of heated brick bed) to blackmail him.

Unfortunately, Lu Yanzheng remained unmoved and said directly, "Then Young Master Xiao, please give the entire Yunshan area within Yongshan County to the border army!"

"What?" Before Xiao Rui could speak, Lu Wanqing exclaimed in surprise, "You want the entire Yunshan area within Yongshan County?"

You should know that the mountains and forests belong to the imperial court. Even though her grandfather was the prefect of Yukang Prefecture, he had no right to make decisions for the imperial court.

Lu Yanzheng didn't even look at her, he just stared quietly at Xiao Rui.

"General Lu, this has stumped me." Xiao Rui gave a wry smile.

He kept his head down, and no one could see his expression.

In fact, both Lu Yanzheng and Xiao Rui knew the truth at this time.

Xiao Rui has been away from the palace for so long without showing his face; everything has been done in secret.

Even though he knew that Prince Yong had betrayed him, he did not take action against him.

Lu Yanzheng had always wanted to find a wise ruler to assist in ascending the throne. Xiao Rui's actions, to say nothing of anything else, at least showed that if he became emperor, the people would have a good life.

But Xiao Rui has refused to stand up, so now so many small anti-court forces in Dayue are like headless flies, with one group falling and another quickly emerging.

The fact that Prince Yong's forces are growing stronger is a situation that Lu Yanzheng is extremely unwilling to see.

Xiao Rui has royal blood and a reputation for virtue. If he were to openly step forward, most of the anti-court forces near Yukang Prefecture would be willing to submit to him.

Xiao Rui knew very well that Lu Yanzheng was forcing him to stand up now.

If he agrees to give the entire Yunshan area within Yongshan County to the border troops, it means he has officially declared war on the imperial court.

"Cousin, you don't have the final say on this!" Lu Wanqing said anxiously when she saw Xiao Rui thinking seriously. "Don't make a mistake!"

Having lived a sheltered life since childhood, she had never considered anything like rebellion, and therefore subconsciously did not want Xiao Rui to embark on a path of anti-court.

Jiang Qinyu glanced at Lu Yanzheng, then at Xiao Rui, seemingly lost in thought.

Just now, Lu Yanzheng only said that he wanted to test Xiao Rui to see how far he was willing to go for the people, but she did not know that it was this kind of test.

Jiang Qinyu wasn't stupid. Just by thinking about Xiao Rui's identity and what Lu Yanzheng had said, she could guess his intentions.

Will Xiao Rui really change his original plans for the sake of the people?

The eyes of several people in the main hall were on Xiao Rui. It was unclear how much time had passed before they saw him slowly raise his head.

At that moment, Jiang Qinyu suddenly noticed that Xiao Rui's aura had changed.

She couldn't quite put her finger on what the change was, but it seemed as if the gentle and refined young man of the past had vanished, replaced by a king with a restrained aura and an air of nobility.

“General Lu, I promise you, one month from now, not only will the Yunshan Mountains within Yongshan County belong to the Border Army, but the entire Yunshan mountain range will be incorporated into the Border Army’s sphere of influence.” Xiao Rui said, looking steadily at Lu Yanzheng.