Hu Ji let out a soft breath. "From now on, shall the Clear Water River ahead mark the border between the two nations?"
"A thousand years ago, this was Great Wilderness territory to begin with. Yan Kingdom merely occupied it. Recovering Dragon City today is not an invasion—it is simply reclaiming our old homeland and mountains and rivers."
Hu Ji smiled. "Whether His Majesty or the court officials, their greatest expectation is probably only to hold Cloud-Breaking Terrace. It is unlikely any of them harbor thoughts of recovering lost homeland and mountains and rivers. You took such a great stride today—what are you thinking?"
"What could I be thinking? I merely did it in passing."
"Not necessarily, was it?" Hu Ji said. "Expand territory and open frontiers, and one may be made a king. That is an ancestral law of the Great Wilderness. Could it be that you, Marquis, want to become a prince?"
"You..." Lin Xiaosu gently shook his head. "Do you really think I have any chance of being made a king under this emperor?"
Hu Ji's expression settled. "No chance?"
"Absolutely none!"
"In the early days, you leapt three ranks at a time in the officialdom. It took only half a year for you to rise from a commoner to a marquis. Going by your momentum, I thought being made a king was only a matter of time. Why do you think there is no chance?" Hu Ji asked.
Lin Xiaosu said, "A marquis and a king appear to be separated by merely two steps, but in truth, their significance is as far apart as heaven and earth."
"Is the difference really that great?"
"It is. At least in His Majesty's eyes, they mean entirely different things. A marquis can be the product of bestowed favor, but