After listening to Li Xiaochen's introduction, Lin Yuxin turned her head to look at each of them, finally settling on Wang Feng, who had been looking at her with ill intent earlier.
[That's Wang Feng? The one with the audacity to sleep with anyone, even his own sister-in-law? No wonder he looked familiar; I saw him once at a state banquet. This is like a bolt from the blue! He's practically delivered himself to my doorstep; it would be a shame not to take a bite.]
[But I wonder if he can control his desires while he's out and about. If he does, don't blame her for being ruthless!]
Thinking about the look Wang Feng had given her earlier, Lin Yuxin could easily guess what the lecher was thinking. However, if he dared to come, he would have to leave her something behind.
Li Xiaochen's eyes also revealed a fierce look; anyone who dared to covet him deserved to die.
Lin Yuxin looked away and took the pastries that Li Xiaochen handed over to Xiao Hao.
"Eat something! Have something to tide you over."
Xiao Hao took the snacks and smiled sweetly at Lin Yuxin:
"Thank you, sister!"
"Hmm, are you tired from the journey?"
Lin Yuxin raised her hand and touched his head, asking softly.
"Not tired!"
As Xiao Hao ate, he said that this little bit of hardship was nothing compared to the days when he lived under someone else's roof.
"The further north you go, the hotter it gets. This morning, Leng Han brought news that grain prices in Jibei City have started to rise. The original price of twelve coins per catty has now risen to fifty coins per catty, and many places have already started to experience water shortages."
With a cold face, Li Xiaochen solemnly told Lin Yuxin about the news he had just received.
"What did the prefects of Jeju Prefecture and Jibei City say?"
Lin Yuxin frowned upon hearing this and asked.
"There's still no movement in Jizhou Prefecture, but the prefect of Jibei City issued several orders yesterday. First, there's a charge of one tael of silver for entering the city. Second, grain will be collected. Third, the wells in every village have been requisitioned by the government, and people are not allowed to draw water privately, or they will be punished with a beating."
Li Xiaochen looked at Lin Yuxin and finished explaining the situation.
"The prefect of Jibei City is a heartless man! He's profiting at the expense of the people! And the higher-ups aren't doing anything about it? If this continues, there will be widespread resentment in no time. Isn't a rebellion just a matter of time? It seems someone higher up is getting involved!"
"It seems someone wants to muddy the waters so they can reap the benefits."
Lin Yuxin gave a cold laugh and said calmly.
"It's probably more than that. Last time in the main hall, someone tried to stop this mission, but you intercepted them halfway. They probably wanted to give you a hard time and make you scramble to get there."
Li Xiaochen nodded in agreement with Lin Yuxin's words.
"Ha! Well done, let's see who comes out on top!"
A glint flashed in Lin Yuxin's eyes, and her expression turned cold.
Seeing this, Li Xiaochen reached out and pinched her cheek, directly breaking Lin Yuxin's cold expression.
"what?"
Lin Yuxin frowned, raised her hand to slap away Li Xiaochen's hand that was pinching her cheek, and questioned him unhappily.
"Hehe, that expression doesn't suit you. You should smile more, right, Xiao Hao?"
Li Xiaochen smiled, then, fearing Lin Yuxin wouldn't believe him, turned to ask Xiao Hao, who was watching the scene unfold.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuxin turned to look at Xiao Hao, and saw that he was actually nodding vigorously, his mouth slurring as he ate:
"Yes, sister looks better when she smiles."
Lin Yuxin reached out and pinched Xiao Hao's cheek, squeezing his face until it was deformed, before withdrawing her hand with satisfaction and saying sourly:
"It's only been a few days, how come you're already on the same page as Li Xiaochen? Even your older sister doesn't say you're number one anymore?"
"No, that's not true! My sister is the most important person to me."
Upon hearing Lin Yuxin's words, Xiao Hao quickly swallowed what was in his mouth and began to explain.
If it weren't for his sister liking this ice, he wouldn't have given him a kind look and would have been cold to him all the time.
When he becomes successful in the future, he will find many kind and gentle men for his sister to serve her.
Although he didn't know what "warm man" meant, what his sister said made sense.
Lin Yuxin had no idea what her adopted younger brother was thinking, but she was still quite happy to hear his words.
"Good to know. It's not for nothing that your sister has doted on you. Did you hear what we were saying just now?"
Lin Yuxin smiled with relief, then asked him with a serious expression.
"I heard you!"
Xiao Hao nodded in agreement.
"Did you understand?"
Lin Yuxin asked again.
"I understood it, but I didn't really understand it."
This time, Xiao Hao didn't try to be brave and answered honestly.
"Xiao Hao, the officialdom is like a battlefield, but the people are the foundation of a country. No matter how dirty the means, they should not be used to scheme against the people. This time, your sister brought you out so you can see for yourself what kind of life the people of Xia Kingdom live and how inactive the officials are."
"You're still young, it's okay if you don't understand. Just watch and learn, it will all benefit you."
Lin Yuxin spoke earnestly to Xiao Hao, explaining why she had brought him out. His identity did not allow him to be a hothouse flower; he had to come out and see what his future country was like and how his future people would live.
"Yes, sister, Xiao Hao will definitely study hard."
Xiao Hao also put away his joking heart and nodded seriously in promise. From the moment he learned about his birth from his sister's inner voice, he could guess what his sister meant, so he would learn everything his sister taught him seriously.
【Xiao Hao, don't blame your sister for being heartless, bringing you out to train at such a young age. But I don't know how long you can stay by my side. However, I hope that as long as you are with me, I will teach you the right worldview and values, so that you will not become a tyrant in the future, but a wise ruler.】
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