The playboy county magistrate

Li Xuanjing did not state his purpose, nor did Princess Ning'an ask.

While Princess Ning'an may not possess the same level of patience as Li Xuanzhi, she could still easily outmaneuver Li Xuanjing.

After Princess Ning'an and the others finished playing their round of leaf cards, Li Xuanjing couldn't hold back any longer.

"Princess Ning'an, are you finding your stay here comfortable?"

Princess Ning'an looked at Li Xuanjing with increasing disdain.

She just couldn't understand it. They were all born from the same father, so how could he, as the older brother, be so much worse than his younger brother, Li Xuanzhi?

"I don't understand what you're saying, Young Master Li. If I say I'm not used to living here, does Young Master Li have a way to send us back to the Northern Desert?"

Li Xuanjing was humiliated and cursed inwardly. Princess Ning'an was indeed arrogant and domineering, and she couldn't even understand polite words. What an idiot.

But his smile remained kind, and even his gaze towards Princess Ning'an held a touch more tenderness.

Those unaware of the true situation would surely assume that Li Xuanjing was deeply in love with Princess Ning'an and wanted to marry her.

"Young Master Li, please speak frankly. This princess is quite tired after playing cards all day and would like to go back to her room to rest."

Princess Ning'an really didn't want to spend any more time talking to this fool face to face; she was afraid that stupidity was contagious.

She had initially thought that Li Xuanjing had come to her today seeking cooperation, and that he was a smart man.

Now it seems that this scoundrel was just a brainless idiot who was lustful at first sight.

She can use him, but she, a princess from a foreign land, is not worthy of being used with her beauty!

Li Xuanjing finally came to his senses, obediently lowered his head, and respectfully bowed to Princess Ning'an.

"I am here today specifically to apologize to Princess Ning'an on behalf of my good-for-nothing younger brother. He has always been this way since he was a child, only thinking of himself and never considering the thoughts and feelings of others."

"If there is anything offensive, please forgive me, Princess Ning'an, and don't upset yourself."

Princess Ning'an sneered inwardly.

A good-for-nothing younger brother?

She was merely confined to the royal guesthouse; she wasn't deaf or dead, so he could fool her.

"Oh? Is that so? Didn't you separate your families? Also, Li Xuanzhi became an official in the court based on his own abilities. If someone like that is considered useless, then what kind of person would be considered useful in Young Master Li's eyes?"

Princess Ning'an herself didn't know what she was thinking.

She clearly wanted to lure Li Xuanzhi to the northern desert to help improve people's livelihoods and help the northern desert grow into a great power.

Seeing that Li Xuanzhi was uncooperative and even so loyal to the Emperor of Dayong, they should have killed him.

After all, the talents that the Northern Desert cannot obtain should not be obtained by the Great Yong either, in order to maintain the current balance between the two countries to the greatest extent.

Once the balance is broken and the passive party becomes the northern desert, it will truly escalate into a national catastrophe.

Li Xuanzhi is now the enemy of the entire northern desert, and Princess Ning'an is extremely agitated whenever others say a single bad word about Li Xuanzhi.

For example, right now, Princess Ning'an couldn't stand by and watch Li Xuanjing, Li Xuanzhi's half-brother, slander Li Xuanzhi like this.

"Before you call Li Xuanzhi useless, take a look at yourself. Guards, show him out!"

The deputy envoy standing to the side hesitated, wanting to speak but unable to hold it in any longer.

"Your Highness, if Li Xuanzhi cannot be used by us, he is of no value. Our previous partners have already fallen and cannot cause any trouble in the short term. This eldest son of the Li family may be our only breakthrough. Why not use him to achieve the results we desire?"

Princess Ning'an shook her head helplessly.

"I understand what you mean, but look at the eldest son of the Li family, is he someone who can deal with Li Xuanzhi?"

"When we look for partners, they either need to be powerful, influential, or wealthy. At the very least, they need to be intelligent, have many clever ideas, and have a high success rate."

"What good is Li Xuanjing besides being sick?"

The deputy envoy from the northern desert immediately fell silent, having nothing more to say.

"What? You have something to report too?"

Princess Ning'an just wanted to be alone for a while, but to her surprise, the deputy envoy refused to leave.

"Your Highness, you are the pearl of our northern desert, and you must never share a husband with another woman, much less become a concubine."

Princess Ning'an's lips twitched violently.

Is her intention already that obvious?

Even someone as emotionally oblivious as the deputy envoy could see through her true feelings, right?

What about Li Xuanzhi? Did he already see through it, which is why he treated me so forcefully?

Princess Ning'an's feelings became even more complicated, and she waved her hand dismissively at the deputy envoy.

"I know what I'm doing. You just need to do your job and fulfill your responsibilities and obligations. It's best not to meddle in things that don't concern you."

Princess Ning'an didn't wait for his reply. She chased him out, closed the door behind her, and went back to her bedside to lie quietly and think about things.

The Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Study.

Upon receiving the message, the chief steward hurriedly pushed open the door and entered.

"Your Majesty, the eldest son of the Marquis of Chengen went to the royal post station by carriage. I don't know what he said to Princess Ning'an of the Northern Desert, but he stayed there for a full three hours."

The emperor paused slightly as he reviewed the memorials, but quickly resumed his nonchalant manner and continued writing swiftly.

"Your Majesty, shall I send someone to the Marquis of Chengen's residence to give them a warning?"

The emperor shook his head slightly. "No need. I also want to see what secret the Earl of Chengen is hiding by abandoning such an outstanding son as Li Xuanzhi and insisting on doting on Li Xuanjing to the death."

The emperor simply couldn't understand what the Earl of Chengen was trying to achieve by doing this.

Even among royal offspring, if the eldest son is a good-for-nothing, the emperor would not consider entrusting a country to such a useless person.

For the Earl of Chengen, the succession of the Earl's mansion was of paramount importance. Instead of encouraging more promising children to inherit the mansion, he constantly suppressed those with potential, paving the way for useless and incompetent individuals.

This operation was so perplexing that the emperor truly couldn't understand it.

"By the way, the secret guards also discovered something else: the matter is too old, and some things still need time to find evidence to verify their authenticity."

The chief eunuch handed the emperor a secret letter written in the handwriting of the commander of the secret guards. After reading it, the emperor's gaze became deep, and after a long while, he personally burned the secret letter.

"Go and tell the Empress to have the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites select an auspicious day as soon as possible. Li Xuanzhi's marriage should ideally be completed within seven days, and at the latest within half a month. In addition, immediately order someone to send over all the memorials from Nanjing over the past ten years, along with the official rosters and performance evaluation records."