Heroine, don't turn back, I'm just a farmer.

"Should I give my sister a white hat?"

Li Xiuer looked at her Wuji brother with confusion and bewilderment.

"Yes, what is Your Highness's status now? He is the Prince of the Kingdom and the Prince of Li."

"This 'king' character is wearing this white hat, can you guess what it is?"

"Oh……"

Li Xiuer covered her open mouth in surprise, her little braid at the back of her head almost standing up.

"Young master, please stop teasing Xiu'er."

Before Li Xiuer could react or say anything, Li Jiuluan carried the tray into the courtyard.

Almost simultaneously, a series of screams suddenly came from around the courtyard, followed by the "thud" sound of sharp blades piercing flesh.

In just a few breaths, Li Jiuluan put down the tray and sat down, and the old man with the jade flute also entered the courtyard.

"Your Highness, all those who were on duty around the courtyard tonight have been dealt with."

Lu Guo, "..."

This man is truly ruthless. Just because of his claim of adding a hat to the king's hat, he killed everyone who knew about it tonight.

"Master Yu, what the young master said tonight must not be known to outsiders. The families of these disciples should be supported by the Lü family."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Xiuer, you go out too."

"Waaaaah... Sister, don't you love Xiuer anymore?!"

"go out!"

"Hmph, fine, I'll leave then."

Knowing her older sister wasn't joking, Li Xiuer stood up and left the courtyard, saying goodbye to Lu Guo before she left.

"Brother Wuji, I'll come find you to play again tomorrow."

"Okay." Lu Guo nodded.

As the crowd dispersed and the stench of blood dissipated, Li Jiuluan sat upright, her expression calm and serene, revealing no trace of the emotional turmoil she had just displayed when she ordered the execution of more than a dozen people.

"Please fill this cup, young master."

Li Jiuluan poured the wine, raised the glass above her eyebrows, and said, "Jiuluan had no choice but to do this. Please excuse my poor attempt!"

"The fault lies with me; I shouldn't have been so abrupt."

Lu Guo took the wine cup and drank it down in one gulp. "Your Highness is decisive and ruthless, with an aura that can swallow the sun and moon. I admire you."

"I did not kill Bo Le, but Bo Le died because of me; the fault lies with me."

"To show my sincerity, I will grant Your Highness one request."

"Li Jiuluan's favorability +3".

"please."

Li Jiuluan also raised her cup and drank it down in one gulp.

"I've handled some matters these past few days. How are you feeling, young master?"

Li Jiuluan put down her wine glass and asked.

"The recovery is going well. Has Your Highness handled the matters concerning the Jianghuai martial arts world?"

"Some things have been dealt with."

Li Jiuluan's expression remained indifferent.

"Now that it's been resolved, Your Highness should be happy. Why do you still look so troubled?"

Lu Guo glanced at her and asked.

"I am revered by the Hengxing Daoist sect and valued by their disciples, and I am also regarded as the leader by the martial arts practitioners in Jianghuai. I must be careful in my actions, otherwise one wrong move could lead to total defeat."

"Although I am not very knowledgeable and not of much use, if Your Highness has something on your mind, I can tell you and give you my opinion."

"To be honest, Buddhism has deep roots in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and with the emergence of the Immaculate Conception, there are already contradictions."

"Jiu Luan thought that it was time to take a gamble. Even if they couldn't accomplish anything great, they should still do something practical for the Southern Tang Dynasty and not let their lives in this chaotic world go to waste."

"However, Buddhism was very powerful in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and my father was a devout Buddhist. His actions were truly remarkable."

"A temple."

Lu Guo sighed.

"Four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties, how many pavilions are shrouded in mist and rain? Perhaps the strength of the Southern Tang Dynasty was dragged into the quagmire by the increasingly bloated temples and those monks who did not do any work."

"I have spent ten years building up my strength in the underworld to where I am today, but the underworld is not a place where I can have the final say."

"Even if I unify the martial arts world of Jianghuai and create a good situation, it is not necessarily possible to make the many sects in the Southern Tang completely believe in me and serve me as their master."

"While the matters concerning Brother Zhao's mourning hall and Wu Gou have had some effect, a commander cannot establish authority without authority. If some of these matters are not handled properly, I fear we will only end up with a rabble, how can we achieve great things?"

The Jianghuai region is very complex. It is the border area between the Southern Tang and the Dasheng, and is not only mixed with various forces of the Southern Tang, but also occupied by various forces of the Dasheng.

"Your Highness is overthinking it. In my opinion, many of the followers of Hengxingdao are completely devoted to you. After my duel with Wugou, those martial artists have already won you over. With Your Highness's status, why worry about not winning people's hearts?"

"Even if I control the martial arts world in the Jianghuai region, there are still many more sects within the Southern Tang. The so-called Jianghu is just a microcosm of the relationship between countries. One day we will still have to contend with the Great Sheng World."

"As their influence expands, their numbers will grow and their structure will become more complex. With Buddhism possessing such bewitching methods, if things are not handled properly, they may end up benefiting others."

"But Buddhism has a profound influence in the Southern Tang Dynasty. If I cannot lead the army, how can I win the hearts of the people? If I cannot win the hearts of the people, how can I contend for the throne?"

"Jiu Luan is a woman. Just that alone is enough to make me fail and lose everything."

Li Jiuluan's expression remained aloof, but there was a hint of indescribable emotion in her eyes. She indeed had a far-sighted vision and saw things very clearly.

In this chaotic world, no matter how well she did, as a woman, she could never subdue everyone in terms of prestige.

Putting aside her identity as a woman, without substantial strength and absolute prestige, it would be wishful thinking to try to conquer the world by taming a group of martial arts practitioners.

"Your Highness has a long-term vision. The people of the martial world are unruly and can be pioneers, but they cannot be relied upon. Ultimately, the balance of power between the Southern Tang and the Great Sheng will be determined by the underlying strength of the nations."

Upon hearing this, a different kind of light appeared in Li Jiuluan's eyes.

"The affairs of the Southern Tang Dynasty are not in the martial arts world, nor in the imperial court, but in Buddhism. If the affairs of Buddhism are not resolved, the Southern Tang will never be able to strengthen itself, let alone compete for supremacy."

"Please speak plainly, sir."

Li Jiuluan poured Lu Guo another cup of wine, raising it to her eyebrows.

Lu Guo took the wine glass, but didn't drink it; instead, he held it and pondered quietly.

Thinking of the special achievement of the "Black-Clad Prime Minister," he already had a good idea in mind.

That is to establish him as a persona similar to Yao Guangxiao.

Yao Guangxiao was also a Buddhist disciple.

If you have a golden statue, how can you not be a Buddhist disciple?

So he spoke.

"What is Your Highness's opinion on the matter that I, Zhao, also possess a golden statue?"

"Is the young master exceptionally talented?"

"That's not the case. If I said I was a Buddhist disciple, how credible would Your Highness find it?"

Thinking about how this person was impossible to kill, and possessed the aptitude to learn techniques with just a glance, plus what he himself said, if it were true...

"Young master says he is a Buddhist disciple, and I'm afraid no one can question that."

After much deliberation, Li Jiuluan had to admit that if she hadn't known some information, no one would have doubted that the person in front of her claimed to be a Buddhist.

Lu Guo was pondering the information about the Southern Tang Buddhist sect in the game, wondering how to bring it up, when he heard Li Jiuluan speak again.

"Jiu Luan knows that suppressing Buddhism is no easy task and should be done gradually."

"Buddhism has a deep foundation in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and its guardian deities are the most powerful in the world. Suppressing them by force will inevitably backfire."

"What can I do for you, sir?"