In the palace, Lin Yi was sunbathing in the Imperial Garden. Cai Yan and Shenle were beside him, while Princess Anne was sitting further to the side. In the distance were Lü Qiling and the Holy Maiden Ma Ling'er.
Compared to Shenle and Cai Yan's elegance and tranquility, Ma Ling'er on the other side appeared rather unruly.
"Your Majesty, I heard you won another great victory, annihilating two million enemy soldiers. Is that true?"
"I heard that Li Ru swallowed the river in Dalang Valley in one gulp, and then spat the water into Flying Hero Pass, drowning millions of people. Is he really that powerful?"
"I also heard that the Zhennan Nation and his son surrendered. Is that true?"
The young girl's eyes were full of curiosity, with the words "gossip" written on each of her pupils, along with an open thirst for knowledge.
Cough cough!
Lin Yi nearly vomited blood, and said irritably, "You little brat, you've asked me so many questions in one go! How am I supposed to answer you? You're such a gossip!"
No wonder the Chaoyang masses in later generations are so outrageous. Even the Southern Saintess is like this, let alone the common people. They are probably all gossip kings.
"Emperor!"
Ma Ling'er's eyes sparkled, her gaze filled with tender affection and a hint of pitifulness. This was the killer technique she had recently learned from Princess Anne —a tender, coquettish, and pitiful act.
It wasn't that she was gossipy; it was just that the imperial harem was incredibly boring.
Because the two empresses controlled the North-South Daily, they still had the opportunity to contact the outside world. After entering the palace, Ma Ling'er followed Lü Qiling and stayed in the inner palace.
As a result, she knew nothing about what was happening outside, so she was filled with curiosity.
Depend on!
Lin Yi rolled his eyes. This girl was capable of tackling a tiger with one hand; this attempt at being cute was just too unskilled.
It's so disgusting!
He flicked Ma Ling'er on the forehead and sneered, "Don't try that on me. I am the ruler of a country; how could I be persuaded by a few sweet words from you!"
"Ah... a finishing move..."
Ma Ling'er was devastated. This was the ultimate skill she had learned, how come it hadn't instantly killed the Emperor?
Pfft!
Shenle couldn't help but chuckle, saying irritably, " Ling'er, can't you read the newspaper? All that stuff is in the newspaper."
This girl even has a killer move: acting cute and charming. It's like a chubby girl blinking – it's just hilarious!
"I'm still learning to read, but the characters in Great Liang are so difficult, I can't read any of them." Ma Ling'er was about to cry.
She wanted to read the newspaper too, but the problem was that she was a chieftain from the south and didn't know any of the characters used in the Great Liang. This was the simplified Chinese characters promoted by Lin Yi, which left her completely clueless.
You could easily make her lift a stone weight with one hand, but it's far too difficult for her to learn to read again.
Cai Yan glanced at her, a sly glint in her eyes, and chuckled, " Ling'er, it seems there's a rule in the royal family that someone who can't read can't become a concubine, otherwise it will affect the prince's intelligence."
"Ah?"
Ma Ling'er was on the verge of collapse. Did this mean she couldn't be the emperor's woman and would have to be a common soldier for the rest of her life?
When she was a chieftain in the south, she never imagined that a man could be so powerful, able to suppress her at will and destroy a country with a wave of his hand. Such a man attracted her at all times.
She was deeply hurt to realize that she wasn't qualified.
She sat slumped in the chair, her face disheveled, looking utterly hopeless and as if her future was bleak.
Her father had long ago told her that she must bring glory to the South. He said that as long as she slept with the emperor, all the chieftains in the South would be proud of her. Now, she never expected that she would be stuck on not being able to read.
"No, I must learn to read."
"I want to read the newspaper, I want to be an imperial concubine, I want to bring glory to the South, and I want to sleep with the Emperor."
In that instant, she thought of her fist, then glanced thoughtfully at Lin Yi. What if she had knocked the Emperor unconscious?
Hiss!
Seeing the look in her eyes, Lin Yi shuddered. This woman was definitely lusting after his good looks.
He had heard Net report what Ma Ling'er's father said, but he hadn't taken it seriously at the time. However, it seemed that this holy maiden was going to use force.
He said irritably, " Ling'er, don't you dare do anything reckless! Attacking the Emperor is a capital offense. I'll chop your father off!"
ah?
Upon hearing this, Ma Ling'er's face stiffened, and she immediately withdrew her outstretched hand. She couldn't resort to force.
Seeing her still-frightened expression, Lin Yi was speechless and said irritably, "You stupid holy maiden, I will send someone to teach you to read. You should learn pinyin first."
As for the situation in the Southwest, it's not as miraculous as you describe, and Li Ru isn't some kind of all-powerful figure...
He briefly explained the situation to Ma Ling'er, which would satisfy the curiosity of this little girl. Otherwise, the girl would probably be bored out of her mind and become a truly silly saintess.
Wow, the city gates have been blown down!
"So they used explosives to blast the mountain, and then used the collapsed mountain to block the river. Li Ru is really clever."
"My God, over two hundred people were killed! The Great Liang is so powerful!"
Ma Ling'er's exclamations echoed through the Imperial Garden; to her, the news was like a story, utterly captivating.
Cai Yan and the others were both amused and exasperated; such a holy maiden was truly putting the southern chieftains in a difficult position.
However, at the same time, they also heard the most authentic progress of the war, and they were all filled with shock. The strength of the Great Liang had become terrifyingly powerful.
This battle can only be described as utterly devastating. Zhennan didn't even manage to effectively resist Great Liang before being almost completely wiped out.
Cai Yan couldn't help but exclaim, " The Great Liang of today is more than ten times stronger than it was a year ago! It's like a dream!" Although she had the information from the newspaper, these outrageous figures still shocked her.
"Yes, the Great Liang is no longer what it used to be. If the Northern Region Barbarians hadn't been wiped out, they would probably be having sleepless nights right now!" Princess Shenle couldn't help but sigh.
The Great Liang, which was able to sweep through the Zhennan Dynasty, could easily take down the Northern Region Barbarians, and even his father's Great Ning Imperial City would probably only take a few days.
This shows that his father's defeat was not unjust.
"Coo coo coo!"
Just then, the cooing of pigeons suddenly rang out; it was Yingge herself who had come over.
"Your Majesty, important news has arrived from the West!" Yingge said in a deep voice.
She controlled the palace's carrier pigeon system, so upon receiving this important message, she quickly sent it over.
"The west?"
Lin Yi took the note thoughtfully, opened it, and glanced at it. His pupils contracted immediately. It was indeed important; a major development from the West was about to unfold!
Someone is plotting to assassinate Emperor Bill III of the Frostwest Empire!