In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

So, does Dongfang Xiao have any problems? Of course she does. It's just that her character is still too flawed. Even though Xu Shi kept digging pits for her, she still willingly fell into them in the end.

It's too late to regret it now. The effects of "increased entropy of evil thoughts" are irreversible, at least at her level, it's unlikely to happen. It all depends on when and where the mark appears.

Therefore, she was somewhat resentful of Xu Shi, and seeing him reminded her of her previous wrong decision.

Naturally, she felt the same way about the people around Xu Shi. It was a case of hating the house because of its crows, and she couldn't help but scrutinize them with a critical eye.

Tang Shuang was the kind of person who surprised her. At first glance, she seemed unremarkable, but who knew she was actually the governor of Night Sin City? In terms of rank, she was on par with her.

But Governor Tang was very approachable, possessing the authority of a superior but not much, and his speech was as calm as a still lake.

If I had to put it into words, she's probably somewhere between a good person like Sister Xie and a bad person like Jiang Chengcheng... right?

The little empress thought so.

However, this was just a side note; the main focus of today's negotiations was the exchange of benefits between the two lands.

The final result was satisfactory to both parties.

As for Night City, in accordance with the original agreement, factories will be built in various counties of the Hualan Empire to help produce weapons. Infrastructure projects such as electricity and water conservancy will also be carried out, which can be considered a large-scale reform across the country.

As for further informatization construction, it will be carried out after the above construction is completed—the pilot construction of Yinsong Island has already illustrated this point. Even if the things are readily available, people who have never been exposed to them before still need to digest them little by little.

If small-scale reforms and upgrades can cause such a stir, imagine the impact they would have on such a large area of ​​land. It's easy to imagine the enormous impact they would have on the people here.

Fortunately, everyone had enough time, and all the professionals were available.

Oh, by the way, speaking of Silver Pine Island, this island has now been designated as an "autonomous region," which can be separated from the Hualan Empire and governed by Pan Cheng himself.

To put it bluntly, the City of Night Sin "borrowed" it to be used as an overseas base. Everyone understands the logic, but we need to use a more elegant way of saying it, otherwise there will be a bunch of old-fashioned people crying and wailing that their ancestral land should not be handed over to others.

Besides that, the benefits that Night City can obtain are naturally the liquid "rust mist" mineral veins unique to the Hualan Empire. Anyway, Boss Xu has already marked several for himself.

This can be considered the biggest gain from this overseas trip – as mentioned before, compared with the high-concentration "Rust Mist" ore in the "Forsaken" territory, liquid "Rust Mist" ore also has its unique advantages, so it can be said that each has its own merits.

Even before everything had settled down, Jiang Chengcheng and Xie Qingyan had already conducted some research on it and concluded that the liquid "rust mist" ore had considerable value in both military and medical fields.

On this basis, the two lands will also exchange personnel in order to maximize the value of these resources and thus develop better weapons and medicines.

After all, everyone now knows that there is a "Heavenly Principle" above them, and after hearing all this, Dongfang Xiao did not hesitate to place it as an "enemy".

Putting aside her own ambitions, at the very least she doesn't want to be controlled like a puppet. Why should everything we do serve some so-called protagonist or plot? Screw that!

However, to be fair, given her current situation, it's actually quite difficult for her to refuse...

"Xu...Teacher, you're not serious, are you?"

She added, "According to the plot, I'll end up becoming a fan of that Luo Yu guy? And there's a high chance I'll end up with another woman..."

"Although it's just speculation, the situation shouldn't deviate too much."

Xu Shi was quite confident about this, since he himself had escaped from such a plot.

People from "Tianli" seem to have a penchant for harem settings; at least, this is the case in Night City and the Hualan Empire.

"I'm actually curious, did you have any dealings with him before?"

"I asked with great interest," Mr. Xu asked.

"...If I hadn't been told, I wouldn't have even remembered this person."

Dongfang Xiao shook his head, "I only saw him once a few years ago at the investiture ceremony of the Knights Templar."

But for her at that time, these things were just a formality; she didn't really care about them.

That's why she was so resistant. It felt numb and uneasy. It was really a bit too much to give herself to someone like that. In comparison, she naturally felt that Xu Shi was a better choice.

Regardless of human nature, her teacher's methods were undeniable, and she had to admit that he possessed a certain personal charm; otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen into even the biggest trap he set.

"In short, as it is now... while it may not be the best outcome for me, it's satisfactory enough."

The young empress was unusually candid, and her words carried a hint of resignation.

"As long as our contract remains in effect, you will continue to be satisfied."

Xu smiled slightly.

"I understand."

Dongfang Xiao blurted out the words subconsciously, but quickly shut his mouth after realizing that Tang Shuang was also present.

No matter how many times this kind of scene happens, she will still feel somewhat embarrassed.

Governor Tang looked at Xu Shi in disbelief. Good heavens, are you guys playing this trick?

Clearly, due to the time constraints, she didn't quite understand the nature of the relationship between the two.

However, she wasn't particularly surprised—as she said before, if it were Xu Shi, it would be normal.

“…Sorry, sorry.”

The little queen wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground and hastily changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, my teacher once told me that there are some things he can't decide on his own and that he has to listen to the governor... Sister Tang, are you the governor? Is that really true?"

"He's right."

Tang Shuang nodded without hesitation, "We also have an agreement. After all, I am the governor, and all matters, big or small, must be approved by me."

Xu looked like he'd seen a ghost. When did this kind of agreement happen? How come I didn't know about it?

"...But it seems that all I have left is the power to approve."

Governor Tang rolled his eyes at him and slowly uttered the second half of his sentence.

They don't even have the right to disapprove; that's how dog-like conglomerates operate.

Her tone still carried a hint of resentment. She recalled how she used to regard conglomerates as wolves and tigers, but she never expected that things would turn out this way.

Humph.

"Let's not talk about that. I have something to ask you too."

She steered the conversation back to the topic.

"OK?"

"I heard you and Xu Shi have some little secret between you. Can you show it to me?"

Tang Shuang blinked and asked.

Dongfang Xiao was immediately speechless.

...I retract my previous statement!

This woman is no different from Jiang Chengcheng, that kind of wicked teacher's wife!

……

A demonstration is impossible. Given Mr. Xu's current capabilities, he's not capable of creating a large-scale online impromptu event for multiple people. He may be willing, but he lacks the resources.

However, Tang Shuang was quite happy when she left the palace, mainly because in addition to the actual negotiations, Xu Shi also obtained an imperial edict.

"Imperial Tutor Xu Shi is loyal to the country and his achievements are unparalleled. He is hereby specially appointed as Regent Prince, enjoying the title of Duke, and granted a fief of ten thousand hectares..."

This is clearly top-tier treatment, but it inevitably carries a hint of being shut down. To put it more interestingly, it's like giving him a title, which is more symbolic than practical—he can't really be a duke living in a remote corner of the country, and the so-called fiefdom is "governed by the royal family on his behalf."

Privileges such as being able to enter the palace at any time, wearing a sword and shoes in the hall, and being granted a seat in front of the palace are indeed not available to ordinary people. However, he does not need Dongfang Xiao's consent to do so. He has been to the palace so many times before, and except for the first time, when has he ever needed to report and obtain approval?

But that's enough. Anyone with eyes can see that he has become the second Cheng Gujian.

Yes, the Hualan Empire cannot exist without the Grand Duke, just as the West cannot exist without Jerusalem.

As for what the court officials think, whether they oppose or support it, that's not something he needs to worry about; Dongfang Xiao will take care of it for him.

"The Regent, huh? That sounds pretty cool."

Tang Shuang weighed the imperial edict in her hand. "Not bad, not bad. It's finally a good match for this governor."

"Come on, if I hadn't forced you back then, would you have been able to bring yourself to become the governor?"

Xu Shi made a face at her. Besides, does the master need this damn regent title to increase the prestige of the position?

In the City of Sin, the conglomerates hold a much higher status, don't they?

"I don't care, that's the point."

Governor Tang started to argue irrationally, "Speaking of which, while you were away, I redesigned the uniforms for the government system and brought a few sets with me. Would you like to try them on?"

It must be said that she has a considerable obsession with role-playing.

"Well...it depends on my mood."

"You dare refuse? I'm giving you this order as the governor!"

Tang Shuang adopted a very authoritative demeanor, "Otherwise, you don't need to go back. Just stay in a foreign land with your little empress and grow old alone!"

"Ah, yes, yes."

Mr. Xu simply ignored this insignificant threat.

To be honest, judging from their behavior, it's hard to tell that they are the rulers of a city-state or a vast land. They seem like a carefree couple who are just bickering and playing around.

At least that's what the pedestrians on the way back all thought.

When they returned to the mansion, their young apprentice, Pan Ling, had been waiting for them for a long time.

"master."

Little Ling asked earnestly, "Now can you tell me what exactly 'Heavenly Principles' are?"

Previously, due to the short notice, Xu Shi didn't have time to explain much to her, which made her extremely anxious and worried.

"Look, he's in a hurry."

Xu Shi couldn't help but chuckle, but he naturally wouldn't go back on his word, so he carefully explained the whole story to her, much more seriously than when he answered Dongfang Xiao's questions in the palace.

“…Is that so?”

Surprisingly, Pan Ling's reaction to all of this was not intense; in fact, she was unusually calm.

"You can keep your composure."

Xu Shi was still a little surprised.

"Because I've already broken the so-called plot, haven't I?"

The foolish apprentice said seriously, "Instead of worrying about these vague and unrealistic things, we should do our best in everything we have at hand."