"You've gone to great lengths, Registrar. This guest room is exquisitely laid out and fully functional; staying here is a true pleasure," Li Xue said.
“Yes, the princess is of noble birth. This suite was custom-made for her and will not be used for business.” Zhao Xian said earnestly.
"Thank you, sir. I'll book this room for myself and cover the cost."
"Your Highness is too kind in saying that. This is a remote and impoverished area, and not many merchants come here to stay. This suite of rooms is basically empty, so we renovated it to serve as a place for Your Highness to rest."
Oh, by the way, there are still a few days until the end of the first month of the lunar calendar. In terms of timing, we are still in the New Year period. I wonder what important matter brings the princess here at this time.
Li Xue glanced at the guards and two soldiers beside her and said, "You all stay here. I have something to discuss with the registrar."
After Li Xue finished speaking, she led Zhao Xian into the study.
Li Xue's expression was serious, and Zhao Xian, unaware of what had happened, couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
After the two were seated, Li Xue finally spoke:
"Some time ago, the soldiers on patrol encountered several merchants. Because their behavior was suspicious, they questioned them."
The soldiers quickly discovered the problem: the men were not from the Northern Dynasty, but from a foreign country. Their illegal crossing of the border was certainly not a good thing, so they arrested them.
When they realized their plan had been exposed, they tried to escape, but the soldiers gave chase. Seeing that escape was hopeless, the men committed suicide.
One of them was a little slow and was captured by the soldiers, but he didn't die.
Next, the man was interrogated. He was very tight-lipped, and once he opened his mouth, he couldn't get anything out of him. There was no good way to deal with barbarians; if they didn't talk, you had to torture them to death. In the end, the barbarian couldn't take it anymore and had to confess.
The main reason for the last defeat of the foreign kingdom was that our soldiers possessed powerful crossbows. The foreign kingdom tried many methods to obtain the method of making crossbows, but none of them succeeded.
Within our Great Northern Dynasty, there are spies from some foreign countries. They are well hidden and difficult for us to discover in a short time.
This time, the foreign kingdom sent people to infiltrate the Central Plains to make contact with these spies, determined to obtain the method of making crossbows, and preferably to find a crossbow to bring back to the foreign kingdom.
According to this person's confession, the foreign kingdom had sent several groups of people to infiltrate the Central Plains. This time, the foreign kingdom sent them to enter the Central Plains disguised as merchants. Unexpectedly, they were captured as soon as they arrived at the border.
The first few groups of barbarians who infiltrated the Central Plains were not all captured. Perhaps they have already made contact with spies and are trying to obtain crossbows.
Currently, only the Ministry of Works and the Registrar can make crossbows. If they know that the Registrar can make crossbows, they will definitely come to Narcissus Village, and the Registrar will be in danger.
I came all this way specifically to tell you this, so you can be prepared and prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
Zhao Xian was secretly surprised. Li Xue's worries were not unfounded. He was very likely being targeted by the foreigners. In that case, he was in the dark while they were in the open, making it impossible to defend against them.
"Currently, the village patrol team and the village militia all carry crossbows, which are easy to lose in their possession."
I plan to destroy all these crossbows, leaving not a single one. That way, even if the barbarians find this place, they won't be able to obtain any crossbows.
"This is indeed a good idea, but in doing so, the patrol teams and household guards will not have bows and crossbows, which will greatly reduce their defensive capabilities."
"That's no problem. We'll make some bows and arrows for them to use when patrolling the village. There's no need to use crossbows; ordinary bows and arrows will suffice."
Li Xue nodded. Actually, what he was most worried about was Zhao Xian's safety. If those people found this place and got a crossbow, that would be fine. But if they didn't, they might try to harm Zhao Xian.
Zhao Xian noticed Li Xue's worry and said:
"Princess, there's no need to worry. Once we reach Narcissus Village, they won't be able to do as they please. Last time, when Wild Wolf Stronghold launched a night raid on Narcissus Village with over a hundred men, we utterly routed them."
"If they come, I have even less to fear. Even if they capture me, they won't get the method for making crossbows."
"Sir, you must not speak recklessly. Your safety is more important than anything else. These people may contact you in the future under the guise of businessmen, so you must be on guard."
"These people are very capable, and they're operating in the shadows, always keeping an eye on you. Someone as talented as you, they might have already wanted to kidnap you and take you to a foreign land," Li Xue said earnestly.
Zhao Xian was taken aback. Such things had happened in history, and he had to be on guard.
“This place is thousands of miles away from the foreign country. How could I, a living person, be kidnapped by the foreign country? Even a pig would grunt if it were led away.”
Zhao Xian's words made Li Xue burst into laughter, but after laughing, she became serious again.
"I brought two young guards with me to Narcissus Village this time. They are both top experts from the Prince's mansion, and they are specifically there to protect the Prince."
I brought them with me this time, even though my father was reluctant to part with them, but there was nothing he could do.
One of them is named Wang Xing, and the other is named Lü Liang. From now on, they will follow you as your servants, so that they won't attract the attention of others or affect your business.
I know that Zhao Cheng is essentially your bodyguard, and he can indeed protect you very well, but Zhao Cheng has his own things to do and cannot always stay by your side.
But they are different; they will protect you secretly as servants.
From now on, whenever you go out, you must take at least one person with you. They can help you catch the bus or carry your bags. Don't be careless about this.
Li Xue's thoughtfulness deeply moved Zhao Xian. Although he felt perfectly safe and didn't need two people to protect him in secret, he couldn't refuse since Li Xue had made the arrangements.
At this moment, Li Xue came out of the study and asked Zhao Xian to wait in the study for a while. Zhao Xian did not know what she meant.
A short while later, Li Xue went into the study again, followed by Wang Xing and Lü Liang.
Wang Xing and Lü Liang were now dressed as servants, and they no longer looked heroic and imposing, but rather very honest.
"From now on, you two must always pay attention to your surroundings, try to conceal yourselves, and secretly protect the Registrar," Li Xue instructed again.
"Princess, rest assured, we will protect Lord Registrar with our lives," Wang Xing and Lü Liang replied firmly.
Seeing that things were mostly arranged, Li Xue breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile:
"That's settled then. I'm going to the farm to check on my little black dog. You don't need to follow me. I'll come back for dinner by myself tonight."
After Li Xue finished speaking, she went downstairs and left without looking back.
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