The playboy county magistrate

Li Xuanzhi lightly touched the deed with his fingertips, his eyes clear and cold, and spoke softly.

"He is power-hungry and short-sighted, thinking himself clever, and attempting to use petty gains to manipulate important officials in other countries' courts and stir up power struggles within royal families. He is simply a fool who has bound himself."

"Today, through his efforts, we have acquired two border cities without losing a single soldier, thus securing our border defenses."

"As for his dreams and schemes to seize power..."

A smile played on his lips. "I never took it to heart. I was just going with the flow and getting what I needed."

Inside the royal post station in the capital city of the Great Yong Dynasty.

Princess Ning'an sat upright at her desk, her face somber, the air around her so low it was almost suffocating.

The contents of the surrender agreements between Yunlan and Hanshuo were copied down, the handwriting on the pages glaringly obvious.

There were also five hundred boxes of high-quality Yanhan flowers piled up to the side, all of which were shipped to Xiguan in Dayong Town.

Li Xuanzhi had only been at the border for a short time when two cities in the northern desert, bordering the Dayong Kingdom, were handed over to others. All the valuable resources he had accumulated over the past two years for exchanging for supplies from neighboring small countries were thus wiped out.

No one could have predicted that the stalemate at the border would not collapse due to the strong attack of the Great Yong, nor would it be broken by the bloody battle on the battlefield, but would instead be destroyed by the self-righteousness of their own prince.

Princess Ning'an gripped a secret report tightly between her fingers, her knuckles turning white.

The details that had just been relayed from the border, word by word, completely shattered all her forbearance and scheming.

She spent so much time and effort, even bearing the infamy of causing chaos on the border, just to hold off Li Xuanzhi, disrupt the border defenses of Dayong, and buy time for the northern deserts to recover.

He personally risked spreading rumors, bracing himself for the possibility of being executed by the Emperor of Dayong in a fit of rage. And what was the result?

Her own brother, her beloved second brother from the same father and mother, turned around and ran to the enemy camp, humbly flattering the enemy ministers.

By giving away the city's treasures for nothing, severing the nation's defenses, and personally handing over Li Xuanzhi a tremendous achievement.

Ridiculous, absurd, and hateful!

"Toba Lie!"

Princess Ning'an suddenly spoke, her tone as cold as ice that had never melted in a snowfield for a thousand years.

"These two handover documents were actually signed and sealed by you personally! You're utterly hopeless! How could such a fool have emerged from my Northern Desert Royal Court!"

Princess Ning'an had absolutely no desire to stay in the capital of Dayong and cause any more trouble.

What she's most anxious about right now is to hurry back to the northern desert and give that good-for-nothing a good beating!

She had a premonition that if she stayed in the capital, the entire northern desert would have to change its name and surname along with the Great Yong Dynasty!

"Get everyone in the delegation moving! Pack your things quickly, I will personally go to the palace to say goodbye tomorrow!"

The most urgent task is to get back. Although his father doesn't have outstanding talent, he will never allow Tuoba Lie to be so foolish.

Such leniency can only prove one thing—

Something must have happened to my father!

At this moment, Tuoba Lie looked at his father on the bed, whose eyes were tightly closed and showed no signs of waking up. He smiled and began to have a sweet dream.

He was still immersed in his own dream of power and intrigue, completely unaware of the murderous intent lurking in the eyes of the ministers guarding the area.

Tuoba Lie even felt he had made a great contribution, his tone carrying a hint of smugness.

"My imperial sister has repeatedly provoked the Great Yong Dynasty, and now she is trapped in the capital of the Great Yong Dynasty and unable to leave. This has only wasted our military strength and caused us to lose face, putting the Northern Desert in a passive position."

"Look at me, the prince. I humbled myself and went to the border to sue for peace. With just two desolate cities and some other things, I won the favor of the emperor's most beloved minister. This easily extinguished the border war and stabilized the relations between the two countries. It was a good strategy that benefited both the people and the country."

"Don't worry, before long, Dayong will definitely open up trade markets, and our people will be able to eat Dayong's grain, salt, and oil, and wear sturdy and durable clothes just like the people of Dayong."

He deliberately raised his voice, every word subtly criticizing Princess Ning'an for being reckless, incompetent, and warlike, thus elevating his own wisdom and forbearance.

The minister, who had been grinding his teeth to the bone, suddenly let out a low laugh after hearing this. The laugh was cold and piercing, devoid of any warmth.

"A good plan?" He raised his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a blade fixed on Tuoba Lie's face. "Second Prince, are you naive and foolish, or are you blinded by greed and power?"

"The cities of Yunlan and Hanshuo form the first line of defense in the northern desert! These two cities guard the mountain passes, isolating the wilderness. They can withstand wind and snow and defend against nomadic bandits; they are the garrison points for our northern cavalry!"

"With the loss of these two cities, the gates are wide open, and there are no more natural defenses to hold! If the Great Yong Dynasty decides to launch an attack in the future, it will not need to forcefully attack the formidable passes; it can directly penetrate into the heart of the northern desert and bring its army to the gates of the royal court! Is this what you call benefiting the people and the country?"

Tuoba Lie's composure shattered instantly, and panic surged within him, yet he still stubbornly continued to argue.

"You flatter me! It's merely the ceding of two border cities, in exchange for lasting peace! Li Xuanzhi has already promised to befriend me and will never easily wage war again. How can you speak of him besieging the royal court?"

"Befriend them?" The minister's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he almost laughed in anger.

"Do you really think he's genuinely friendly with you? The officials of Dayong are all ruthless and vicious, and Li Xuanzhi's mind is as cunning as a beehive; he'll play you like a dog on a leash!"

"You surrendered the city and offered up treasures, groveling to please the enemy. In his eyes, you are not an ally, not someone to be trusted. You are merely a power-hungry, short-sighted, and self-important fool who has delivered himself to his doorstep and is easy to manipulate!"

Normally, I would never dare to say such a thing.

The ministers were furious, feeling that things were likely going badly for the northern desert this time.

Rather than being brutally killed by the enemy later, it's better to have a good chatter session and confuse this idiot first.

These words struck like a heavy hammer, shattering Tuoba Lie's self-deceiving dream.

His face suddenly turned pale and then flushed, and shame and anger welled up inside him.

"What? Are you from Ning'an? How dare you reprimand this prince so disrespectfully!"

"In the end, all I did was seek peace with the Northern Desert and stability for the people. My conscience is clear! But what has Ning An done? She has been recklessly provoking us, spending so much time in Dayong only to achieve nothing, and causing the loss of so many elite troops. She is the one who has brought disaster to the country!"

The King of the Northern Desert had just woken up, his aged eyes as deep as a still pool. Upon hearing these words, he coughed violently in anger.

After a long pause, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice hoarse.

"Tuoba Lie, tell me, what exactly is this so-called friendly relations and stability you speak of?"

When Tuoba Lie heard his father ask him a question, he immediately straightened his back and spoke with a firm tone.

"Father! Your son and Li Xuanzhi have been completely open with each other and have reached a tacit understanding! From now on, Li Xuanzhi will no longer target the Northern Kingdom while he is at the border. Your son can secretly maintain a balance of power and eliminate the seeds of trouble left by your sister's previous willfulness!"

"Our northern frontier can also take this opportunity to recuperate and rebuild. When the time is right, my son can leverage the power of the Great Yong and the laxity of Zhenbei Pass to stabilize order and eliminate border troubles!"

"These two cities and five hundred chests of Flame-Cold Flowers are merely a small token, a trial balloon. Once my son comes to power, we can reclaim them all!"