The dirt road through the forest was bumpy. The carriage wheels rolled over loose gravel, and the wind occasionally lifted a corner of the curtain, letting in a few stray beams of the setting sun.
Inside the carriage, a man dressed in white leaned against a soft cushion to rest. His complexion was noticeably paler than average, and he let out a muffled cough every now and then, his chest rising and falling slightly. He was clearly unwell.
Sitting opposite him was a baby-faced young master carrying a sword. He wore a green robe and carried an extraordinary aura.
Seeing the white-clothed man's discomfort, he frowned slightly and reached out to tuck the thin blanket around his knees.
Although he kept his movements light, he still woke the fitfully sleeping man.
The man in white slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still somewhat unfocused, his voice laced with exhaustion.
“Buyan, how many more days until we reach Wuyuan Prefecture?”
Lu Sui stared at him for a moment.
He said rather helplessly, “Fuyan, can you please take it easy and stop ruining your own body? Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to keep your illness a secret in the first place.”
The more he spoke, the deeper the regret in his eyes became. “If General Shen knew you were sick, he would never have allowed you to accompany Physician Zou and me to Wuyuan Prefecture. If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to face General Shen when I return to Zhenbei Prefecture?”
“Buyan, the students of Yecheng Academy are all sensible. They wouldn't write a letter begging for help unless it was absolutely necessary. For the students in Yanping City to send a messenger overnight to Longyou City for help, they must have encountered something they cannot resolve on their own. I have to go see for myself.”
“As for my illness, you don't need to worry too much. The medicine Physician Lin gave me is highly effective. I'm fine.”
Shen Yu lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the narrow path outside. “It's just that this road is truly too bumpy. If traveling by carriage is this grueling for us, the commoners traveling on foot must be suffering a hundred times more. Since the Divine Lady has bestowed cement upon us, we should put it to practical use. We should turn cement into houses for the people to live in, bridges for them to cross, and roads for them to walk on...”
“Right now, cement roads have only been paved in Zhenbei Prefecture, while the roads outside remain so difficult to travel. This is a failure on our part as the Divine Lady's believers. We haven't done well enough.”
Lu Sui's gaze also fell outside the window. He said in a low voice, “Since you know that, you should cherish your body even more. Live well, and serve the Divine Lady and the people of the world.”
“Buyan, even if you didn't say it, I would still take care of myself. Truth be told, I'm afraid of death too, and I'm loath to die.”
Shen Yu lowered the curtain, turned to look at Lu Sui, and said, emphasizing every word, “I must live to see the day when peace reigns across the land and the seas are calm, or else I will not rest in peace!”
“We will!” Lu Sui's voice was firm. “We are fortunate to have the Divine Lady's protection. We will see it sooner or later.”
Compared to the south, which was still oppressed by the Yong Dynasty, the north was already incredibly fortunate. At the very least, from the prefectural officials down to the common citizens, everyone had something to look forward to.
Everyone's lives were getting better by the day.
Thinking of this, he added, “By the way, Fuyan, our major moves in reclaiming the north have already reached the capital. Probably because State Preceptor Luo Daoqing was defeated at Xindu City, those sorcerers who control the imperial court are feeling apprehensive. Not long ago, they sent an envoy to Zhenbei Prefecture, proposing to divide the realm along the river and rule separately with the Divine Lady.”
At this point,
a trace of anger appeared on his face. “I really don't know where they get the nerve to actually dream of dividing the realm along the river with the Divine Lady! If we weren't busy stabilizing the newly secured north, I would personally lead an army to the capital and lop off those sorcerers' heads!”
What garbage. How dare they think they are worthy of standing on equal footing with the Divine Lady?
It was a good thing Pei Wanning had ordered her people to beat those envoys out of Zhenbei Prefecture; otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to swallow this insult.
Shen Yu lowered his eyelashes and said in a deep voice, “Once the north is completely stable, perhaps we can start working on reclaiming the south as well. All the mountains and rivers of the mortal realm belong to the Divine Lady. The Xi Clan has shamelessly occupied them for five hundred years; it is long past time they returned them to her.”
Lu Sui nodded. “That is indeed the case.”
“The Divine Lady has long prophesied that the Yong Dynasty's fate has run its course. With the realm fractured, it is ultimately the common people who suffer. Unifying the world under the Divine Lady as soon as possible is also in accordance with heaven's will.”
Dividing the realm along the river? Heh, wishful thinking.
These mountains and rivers can only belong to the Divine Lady. Anyone who dares to reach out a hand to lay claim to them is just as shameless as the Xi Clan, and everyone has the right to punish them.
Meanwhile, Yun Shu happened to be flying past on her sword. At a glance, she spotted three carriages traveling along the narrow path, followed by a squad of cavalry.
“Host, it's Shen Yu and the others.” The little fox flew to Yun Shu's side and said in surprise, “It looks like they're heading to Yanping City in Wuyuan Prefecture to govern it. What a coincidence! Wuyuan Prefecture is the only map we have left to complete, so we're heading in the same direction.”
Hearing this, Yun Shu turned her head to look at it. “Although Wuyuan Prefecture is mostly plains, the altitude is high. Can a frail scholar like Shen Yu handle altitude sickness? Also, if I recall correctly, Lu Sui's mother seems to be from Wuyuan. Wouldn't it be more suitable for him to govern Yanping City? Why is Shen Yu going there?”
She frowned slightly.
In the eyes of these believers, only she, the Divine Lady, was qualified to be their leader. But how could she, with her divine status, personally step down to make administrative decisions? At most, she would occasionally drop subtle hints in secret about the general direction they should take. As for the specific governance and official appointments of each prefecture, those had to be discussed and decided among the highly prestigious believers like Pei Wanning and Shen Yu.
All administrative policies were drafted after consultations among the high-ranking officials of Zhenbei Prefecture, then dispatched for implementation in the other prefectures.
This was essentially the same as when Yecheng and Chaoyang City used to follow Xindu City's administrative decrees. It was just that now, with their territory expanding, loopholes and oversights would inevitably appear in many places, requiring refinement.
But surely the oversight wasn't so severe that they would send Shen Yu, who was clearly unsuitable, to govern Yanping City in Wuyuan Prefecture?
“Did something happen in Yanping City?”
The little fox pulled up the system panel. “Host, wait a second. Let me check the surveillance for Yanping City.”
Not a single point of its Shock Value had been spent in vain. After upgrading its various functions, monitoring the cities of the north was child's play.
“Host, I found it!”
“Your guess was spot on. The person appointed to Yanping City this time is indeed Lu Sui, and Physician Zou is traveling with him. The reason Shen Yu is here too is because not long ago, a student from Yecheng Academy—who had volunteered to go to the harsh conditions of Yanping City to teach the locals—was murdered. The other students in the city wrote a letter to Shen Yu, so he came to Yanping City together with Lu Sui!”
Yun Shu's face darkened. “System, can you find out who murdered that student?”
The little fox stole a timid glance at Yun Shu. It could clearly feel that she was extremely, extremely angry, and she wasn't hiding her murderous intent in the slightest.
“Host, that student was killed outside the city. My surveillance cameras can only monitor the inside of the city...”
Its voice grew softer and softer as it spoke.
“System, forget about Shen Yu and the others. We're heading to Yanping City first. I want to see exactly which bastard dared to kill the outstanding successor I worked so hard to nurture. I'll make him regret ever being born!”
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