And so, Lin Yi, the heir, had lived a happy life for more than ten years, a life most people could scarcely imagine.
What a life!
Seeing these memories, Lin Yi marveled, "My father's way of raising me was surprisingly forward-thinking. I can only say I must be his biological son. A wild one wouldn't get this kind of treatment."
Still, this was pretty good. At least he could get a head start in life.
Now that he had a general grasp of things, he would be Lin Yi, the Prince of Northern Liang's heir, from now on.
Lin Yi stretched and got out of bed. He might as well go experience the Great Ning Empire and see what things were like here.
Knock, knock!
Just then, someone knocked on the door, and Haitang's voice came from outside.
"Young master, the physician is here. Please let him examine you."
"Come in!"
Lin Yi didn't refuse. His health came first, after all. If he had any illness, treating it early was the best choice. Hiding an illness and avoiding treatment was a grave mistake.
"The young master is no longer in serious danger. From here on, he only needs to rest and recover. He fainted earlier because he was frightened, but he's fine now."
After a careful examination, the physician couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief. It seemed the young master had finally recovered.
He could finally give an account of himself. Otherwise, if the prince held him responsible, he would probably suffer the consequences.
"All right, you may leave."
Hearing that he was fine, Lin Yi couldn't help sighing in relief and dismissed the physician.
Now that his health was no longer an issue, it was time to deal with the problem at hand. He still needed to govern Northern Liang City, so those assassins had to be dealt with.
He looked at Haitang and said gravely, "Haitang, Han Song should have caught the assassins by now, right?"
"Young master, well..."
Haitang frowned slightly, unsure how to answer.
Han Song was the commander of the guards at the Prince of Northern Liang's Residence, and he was in charge of tracking down the assassins this time. He commanded more than five hundred Northern Liang Guards, so by all rights he should have caught the culprits.
But in fact, he didn't seem to have caught them yet. He was still searching for them throughout the city.
"He hasn't found them?"
A cold glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes. This was going too far.
As long as the assassins remained at large, they could strike again at any time. His life was in danger, and Lin Yi hated the feeling.
Haitang nodded bitterly and said gravely, "Commander Han has searched everywhere for the assassins, but so far he's found nothing."
"Hmph, so he's found nothing!"
He was the Prince of Northern Liang's heir, for heaven's sake. Three days had passed since the assassination attempt, and they still hadn't found the assassins.
He couldn't help sneering. "Has he failed to find them, or has he not looked at all? It seems that with my father away from Northern Liang City, these people no longer take me, the heir, seriously."
Although his father was the Prince of Northern Liang, he was just a young brat. The old hands under his father probably refused to acknowledge him.
The assassination attempt had taken place on a bustling street. If the Northern Liang Guards at his side hadn't kept him protected, he probably would have been killed. There had been quite a few attackers.
Which raised a question: Northern Liang City was the royal city where the Northern Liang Guards were based, yet these assassins acted as if they were in their own home. Something was clearly wrong.
Leaving everything else aside, there was something wrong with this assassination attempt.
There was no such thing in this world as lightness skills that let people fly around. At most, they could jump a little higher, but surely they couldn't have flown into the city. The assassins had probably been inside the city all along.
If that was the case, the people in Northern Liang City couldn't be trusted at all.
Even the guards at the Prince of Northern Liang's Residence might not truly be loyal. Aside from his father, there were probably very few people he could trust.
Haitang glanced worriedly at her young master. She knew his temper: he was definitely not the sort to take a loss lying down. He had nearly been assassinated this time, and he would never let the matter rest.
But with the prince away, he had to be exceptionally careful.
Naturally, she had no idea that her young master had been replaced by another person, whose temper was naturally different as well.
Lin Yi had little interest in what his maid was thinking. He needed to deal with the current situation in Northern Liang City, or another assassination attempt was very likely.
He couldn't help murmuring, "No one else is reliable. It looks like I'll have to become stronger myself. Otherwise, I won't even be able to keep those arrogant soldiers and fierce generals under control, let alone deal with the assassins outside."
He had to keep his life in his own hands. Otherwise, it was far too risky.
Just as he finished speaking, a burst of golden light suddenly exploded in Lin Yi's mind, shaking his entire soul. Then a mechanical voice rang out.
"Ding! System charging complete!"
"Ding! Host Lin Yi has awakened the heart of an expert. Activating the Winning People Over with Virtue System. From this day forward, you shall embark on the path of an expert."
"Ding! System notification: Each time the host wins someone over with virtue, the host can obtain a corresponding reward. Peerless military commanders and powerful armies are all within reach!"
The Winning People Over with Virtue System?
Hearing the introduction, Lin Yi couldn't help twitching at the corner of his mouth. Surely this thing wasn't going to make him act like a saint or a Buddha. That would be ridiculous.
"System, are you serious about this winning people over with virtue business? Do you want me to become a monk?" he said, somewhat annoyed.
Ding!
The system responded at once, explaining, "Winning people over with virtue does not refer solely to moral conduct. There are also civil virtue and martial virtue. If morality cannot win others over, then naturally you must resort to martial virtue."
Pfft!
Lin Yi understood instantly. Damn it, whether they submitted willingly or not, he could just talk them into submission or beat them into submission. Now that was interesting.
What a humane system. I like it!
He couldn't help taking a closer look at the system's rules. He concluded that it was even more formidable than he had imagined. Not only could he win people over with virtue, but he could also earn rewards for conquering territory and cities.
Rather than calling it the Winning People Over with Virtue System, they might as well call it the Conquest System.
Then he thought of something. For the time being, he was in charge of Northern Liang, so the whole of Northern Liang could be considered his.
In that case, the rewards would be incredible.
Northern Liang had three commanderies and nearly a dozen cities. The rewards would probably be through the roof. He was about to soar to the heavens.
"System, give me my rewards. I'm currently in charge of the Prince of Northern Liang's Residence. I have countless cities under me, and the common people have all submitted willingly. You should give me an army of at least a few hundred thousand, right?"
Lin Yi spoke excitedly.
"Host, please behave yourself. At present, the only person under your control is yourself. The other places belong to your father..."
Damn!
Hearing that, Lin Yi's mouth twitched. That was a painful thing to say.
To put it bluntly, the only person he could actually make decisions for was himself. He had no control over anywhere else, so the system didn't acknowledge it. This was ridiculous.
That hurt!
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't bully a young man for being poor. It'll all belong to me eventually.
There's a newbie gift pack, at least, right?
There has to be!