It doesn't matter what the lord is.

I was going to say something to her, like:

"Are the Ten Kings of Hell not working?"

"You've never seen anyone survive the Hidden Guards' assassination list? Have you seen one now?"

"Stop calling others trash every day. Look at yourself first. What's the point of being good at talking?"

But when the words come to my lips, I am too lazy to say them.

Maybe it's because the weather is too cold.

I took a sip of tea and said slowly:

"Get up. Although I had some unpleasant experiences with you at that time, I will not throw away a talent that Yuxi City can use just because of my personal likes and dislikes. As long as you can put aside your identity as a secret guard messenger and help Yuxi City to build up the Anbu organization, I guarantee that your position will not be worse than when you were in Lingwu. After all, it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. You know this principle better than me."

Frost then stood up from the cold ground, lowered his head, and said humbly:

"Yes. Thank you, Lord Mayor."

After Shuang sat down on the other side of me, Xiluo took a meat bun from the paper bag and handed it to Shuang. Although Shuang was a little hesitant, she still took it and ate it in small bites. During this time, her brows were almost imperceptibly frowned, but she quickly regained her composure, put on a smile, and said to Xiluo:

"taste good."

It looks a bit reluctant.

I know that she is different from Xi Luo, she has not suffered too much, on the contrary, her life should be quite good. These street food must be difficult for her to swallow, after eating a few bites, she took it in her hand and said nothing. I didn't say anything, I just took a bun and ate it silently. Shuang glanced at me and quickly finished the bun in her hand.

I asked Shuang:

"You have met Changqing, right? Did you talk to him about anything?"

Frost lowered his eyes and said:

"Changqing is from Cangzhou, and he is quite good at building the Anbu. I will assist from the side and fill in the gaps. The framework of the Anbu organization has been built, and the next issue is the issue of personnel increase: the Anbu organization we have now can complete the monitoring of the five cities of Yuxi City, Zhenmo City, Tiebi City, Lieyang City, and Tianqi City, but there is a shortage of manpower at present, and we have not yet expanded outward. I heard that the financial situation of Yuxi City this year is not optimistic, and we plan to expand the manpower after the beginning of this spring."

I nodded.

Although He Yue was the one who brought up the issue of funding, I still shamelessly said:

"I've told He Yue that you can contact him after the spring and he will approve the funding for you. Besides, I know Chang Qing's ability very well. He has certain abilities, but he can't really support the operation of an Anbu organization. You are experienced, so you can take care of it. The Anbu organization will still rely on you in the future."

A strange look flashed across Shuang's eyes, and he said respectfully:

"Thank you for your trust, Lord City Lord. I will do my best..."

I shook my head and said:

"Chang Qing is a good person. Don't try to gain power over him. You can do as much as you can in official matters, but you can't take away too much of his power. You'd better keep this in mind."

Shuang suppressed the smile on his face and said seriously:

"Yes."

I don't know if Xiluo can understand what we are saying. She has been focusing on the buns on the table since the beginning. There are at least seven or eight buns in a basket. Shuang and I took two, and Xiluo ate all the rest. I couldn't help but cast a suspicious look at Shuang, seriously suspecting that she had been abusing Xiluo and not giving her food. But Shuang looked aggrieved, and said before I could open my mouth:

"During this period, not only was all the food expenses gone, even part of the money for buying charcoal was used to buy her food."

After hearing this, Xi Luo seemed a little embarrassed and hesitantly put down the half bun in his hand.

I laughed, patted her head and said:

"It's a period of growth, so it won't hurt to eat more."

Then he said to Shuang:

"Although it's a bit hasty, I will leave Yuxi City and go to the capital soon. I'll ask you to take care of Xiluo. At the same time, please keep a close eye on the five cities. We don't need to expand outward for now, but when I'm away, try not to let those random people from outside sneak into our city."

A confident look appeared on Shuang's face, and he lowered his head and said:

"Yes. I can assure you that unless those big shots take action personally, not a single fly from another family can fly into Yuxi City."

10. Xiaopang's reply

After the basic things were explained, before leaving for the capital, I called Alaiya, Heyue and others to have a year-end party. To be more precise, it should be called "The First Annual Meeting of Lide Group". Alaiya, Felita, Heyue, Baihuang, and Fang Shisan were all participants. The content was not serious, mainly to make a summary and chat.

It is said that there is basically no New Year atmosphere in the capital. The royal family has to tour, the common people have to kneel down, and all kinds of civil officials and military officers have to run around behind the royal tour team. A good New Year is like suffering. To be honest, I haven't had a good New Year in Lingyun City in recent years. I was basically left out. The shops on the street were closed, and the casinos and bars were not open to customers. There were no entertainment venues except for the fireworks. But I couldn't go there in front of Alaiya, so the New Year in recent years was still quite boring.

Seeing so many people here this year, I feel a little emotional.

It turns out that it is better to be the master of your own house. Even in such a remote place, it is better than staying in Lingyun City and suffering.

I didn't ask her to come over from Hiro, and she is not suitable to meet other people in the city. Anbu should behave like an Anbu, and it is better to stay out of the spotlight. Although this is a bit unfair to her, I believe she knows it in her heart.

"I came here today...mainly to say a few more words to everyone. Actually, everyone here has been in Yuxi City for less than a year. Including me, I have been in Yuxi City for less than a year. Several major events have happened this year, including changes in the world situation and things that happened in Yuxi City. I won't talk about these. First of all, I still hope that when I am not here, you can perform your duties, and even if there are any conflicts, don't make it too awkward."

I glanced at He Yue and Fang Shisan and said:

"Work is always full of friction. Four more cities were added this year, which is a good thing, but those four cities only have land, no industry, and future construction work will be a difficult and troublesome matter. I don't care about things, and it's almost the same whether Yuxi City has me or not, but if I'm here, there will be someone to make the final decision, and someone to take the blame. Now that I'm gone, you have to divide the pot among yourselves, and don't fight when the time comes."

He Yue and Fang Shisan said with a smile:

"will not."

Bai Huang held his cheek, looked at me with disdain, and said:

"What's going on, little brother? You're acting like you're making arrangements for your final resting place. It's not like you to be so scared of dying as a king."

I leaned back in my chair, stretched myself, and complained:

"As the saying goes, if your left eye twitches, you'll have good luck, and if your right eye twitches, you'll have disaster. My right eye is about to get crow's feet these days. How can I not be afraid?"

Bai Huang snorted and said:

"coward."

I retorted:

"You're not going, so it's easier to talk while standing..."

Before I finished speaking, I suddenly remembered this and asked:

"What do you guys in Yunhai say this year? Between Bai Ye and Bai Feng, who will stay in Yunhai and who will go to the capital?"

Bai Huang turned his head and said:

"How would I know about their affairs? I have always stayed in Yuxi City."

I thought about it and didn’t ask any more questions.

He Yue helped me to excuse myself:

"Although it's not the lords going to the capital, the ceremony should be quite grand. Those who are capable of inheriting the lordship, whether they are the princes or the city lords who have been granted fiefs, are basically fully grown. We started late, which is a disadvantage. Miss Alaiya who went with us is currently at the fifth level of swordsmanship, which is enough for Yuxi City, but I am a little worried about her in the capital. If something really happens, Yuxi City is too far away from the capital, and we can't do anything."

Fileta was lying on the table. After hearing this, she stood up, straightened her bangs, and said:

"Otherwise I'll go too..."

He Yue shook his head:

"The royal family has specified that a city lord can only bring one guard. Even if we follow in secret, we should not be able to hide from their eyes."

I said to Fileta:

"The journey is long, so I won't take you with me this time. The traveling merchant who knows ancient characters came again some time ago. I asked him to translate a few magic books on your bookshelf. You can learn more when you have time. At the same time, don't just learn magic. Think carefully about why you are learning magic. When I come back from the capital, you will be able to reach the sixth level."

Fileta smiled ingratiatingly, winked at me, and asked:

"Will the master come to help me?"

I smiled and said:

"Some I can help with, but some I can't even if I want to. Think about how you were when you first started learning magic, and what you were thinking about. When you couldn't continue learning, what did you rely on to persevere? Once you understand these and are determined in your heart, it won't be too late to advance to the sixth level."

After saying that, I also looked at Alayya and said:

"As for you... Logically, you should have reached the sixth level long ago. Maybe it's just that the opportunity hasn't come yet."

Alayya replied:

"Yes, Master. Alayya must improve her strength as soon as possible."

"No rush. No need to rush."

If Alaiya and I were alone, I would have joked, "Your breasts aren't even anxious, so why are you anxious?" But with so many people present, such a joke is not allowed. Alaiya had a calm expression throughout, and the atmosphere was a little cold for a while.

At this time, someone knocked on the door. Bai Huang, who was closest to the door, opened the door casually, and Tira outside handed over a letter. I wanted to ask why the letters to and from Yuxicheng were not left to He Yue to worry about, but when I took it and looked at it, it was addressed to me.

The signature is Fang Yuan, the lord of Zhaochen Qianyuan City.

There is a response to the question I asked Alayya last time.

I opened the letter, read it for a while, and smiled meaningfully.

I put the letter away and said to the people present:

"This year, Zhaochen is the one going to the capital."

Fang Shisan's slender hands holding the wheelchair trembled for a moment, and then his expression returned to normal.

He Yue glanced at Fang Shisan and said to me:

"This is good news for us. We have cooperated with Fang Yuan before. This person currently has no conflict of interest with us. We can even consider him as a cooperative partner. Having him in the capital will be a companion. Fang Shisan, what do you think?"

Fang Shisan smiled and replied softly:

“Indeed… that’s the case.”

I tapped the table, thought for a while, and said:

"It's better for him to go. The Zhaochen family and the Yunyang family are sworn enemies. Although I am not a member of Yunyang now, it does not mean that Zhaochen will let me go. On the contrary, I am still the one who bears the brunt when they deal with Yunyang. Fortunately, Fang Yuan was chosen. Otherwise, if it were someone else, he would go against me everywhere in the capital, which would be so annoying."

I smiled, took a sip of tea, and said:

"However, things are unpredictable. I had a very bad life in Yunyang and was even driven out. As for him, although he was not driven out, he had already had a life-and-death situation with Lord Zhaochen. Two brothers in distress were unexpectedly summoned to the capital. The people in the capital are also interesting. That white-robed minister has a good plan."

11. Year-end summary

"Zhaochen is already a mess, even more chaotic than Yunyang. The Lord of Yunyang at least manages things, but what about the Lord of Zhaochen? He only knows how to cultivate his immortality and has recruited a large number of alchemists and alchemists to make medicine for him. The selection of the crown prince is still ambiguous, Fang Yuan has rebelled again, and various forces in the territory are intertwined. The royal family wants Fang Yuan to go to the capital at this time. It seems that they hope that the water in Zhaochen will continue to be muddy."

After He Yue finished speaking, he took a candied tangerine from the table, peeled it, and ate it one slice at a time.

There were already a lot of orange peels piled in front of Bai Huang. She ate very quickly, throwing half an orange into her mouth to chew.

Bai Huang was almost full and lay on the table.

She didn't care about the world's major events, and asked lazily:

"Speaking of which, isn't today considered an early New Year's Day? Why are there no entertainment activities at all... There should be singing and dancing, right? There are so many theaters out there, and in recent years there have been musicals, so why not just invite two people to come?"

Then, Bai Huang started talking again:

"In Yunhai, during the Chinese New Year, the lanterns in the city are always on for three days and three nights. The streets are full of people, singing, dancing, setting off fireworks, and there are countless adults and children. People on the street are shoulder to shoulder, sweating profusely. It would definitely be boring at other times, but during the Chinese New Year, everyone's face is very festive. I also feel festive. Sugar figurines, bean juice, and fried cakes wrapped in fragrant rice, a bag of which I can never finish. When I was very young, my parents would not let me go out to play, but the mansion would invite many opera troupes. There was an opera troupe that sang especially well. I said I liked it very much, so my father bought it for me and spent 500 gold coins. As a result, I got tired of listening to it after two days, so I sent them away."

I rubbed my hands and asked Bai Huang:

"Well, I can sing, and it's cheap, how about——"

Bai Huang raised his eyebrows and said:

"Without makeup, you are so different from the girls in the troupe. That girl is really pretty and has soft skin. When I was a kid, I liked to touch her face. I got addicted to it and rubbed off her makeup. There was another girl with really big breasts. I really liked to bury my face in them and rub them. It was as comfortable as it could be."

I was startled. It seemed that I could no longer let Bai Huang take a bath with Alayya and the others.

This person is a bit dangerous.

……

Today's dinner was eaten in a kotatsu. It was a rice cake hot pot that was very suitable for the occasion.

But before they could eat, several people were already staggering.

"This is... a kotatsu... Just combining a quilt and a kotatsu together can actually produce such a powerful effect..."

When we changed seats, Fileta was the first to take the seat on my left, with her lower body in the kotatsu and her upper body leaning on my legs, resting on them. Alayya sat on my right, staring at the broth in the hot pot that was about to boil but didn't.

Bai Huang also lay on the ground, closing his eyes contentedly, and said:

"I think it's not difficult to make. I'll ask Yunhai's craftsmen to make some and send them to my father and brother."

I said casually:

“You have to pay patent fees.”

But Bai Huang turned his head and pretended not to hear.