Chapter Twenty-Eight: The World Is a Giant Amateur Stage

"Niu Lin! What nonsense are you spouting? Her Highness the Princess is in the enemy's camp; how could she possibly return so easily?"

Following the skepticism of the crowd, the soldier standing guard on the corner watchtower grew anxious and shouted down at them, "If you don't believe me, come and see for yourselves!"

This shout instantly drew everyone's attention. Sure enough, from a distance, the group saw Ye Huang and Lin Qian, along with those soldiers, returning having successfully rescued the Princess, seemingly without having endured any brutal or desperate battle.

"As expected of the former Heir Apparent of the Prince of Zhengxi; he remains formidable." Among the White Pole Army, there were those familiar with Lin Qian who could not help but sigh in admiration.

"What? You say he is the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Zhengxi? The one who fell from grace three years ago?"

Many remembered Lin Qian's past; they were all witnesses to how the Great Qian Emperor, Emperor Baoqing, had treated his meritorious subjects.

Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly spoke up: "Her Highness the Princess once said that the only person she could look up to, the one she would pursue for a lifetime, is this very Heir Apparent of the Prince of Zhengxi."

"How did he get here? Wasn't he imprisoned in the capital?"

"Who knows? But now that he is here, we are finally saved. We no longer need to fear the Northern Wu Kingdom!"

Beyond the Northern Wu Kingdom, other petty factions were also watching them like tigers stalking their prey. Lin Qian's arrival ignited a spark of hope in everyone's hearts.

"We are home!" Ye Huang looked at the spirited Lin Qian beside her, feeling a sense of relief.

His three years in the Imperial Horse Administration had not diminished his sharp edge in the slightest; if anything, his spirit was even more formidable than it had been three years ago. He was a man whom even imperial power could not break. Even after enduring the darkest and most painful period of his life, he had emerged like a sword tempered to a new, sharper edge.

For a moment, Ye Huang could not help but link her arm through Lin Qian's, as if declaring to the world before the gates of Chunping City that he, Lin Qian, was her man.

"Oh, my goodness! Look, look! Her Highness the Princess is, she is holding hands with the former Heir Apparent!"

With this earth-shattering cry, all the soldiers on the city walls erupted into a frenzy, staring transfixed at what was unfolding before them.

"Long live Her Highness the Princess! Long live the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Zhengxi!"

Hearing the words "Prince of Zhengxi," Lin Qian’s expression darkened.

Ye Huang, holding Lin Qian’s hand with commanding authority, stood beneath the walls of Chunping City and announced loudly, "What Prince of Zhengxi’s Heir! From this day forward, I, Ye Huang..."

She nearly blurted out "am this man's woman," but Ye Huang quickly hit the brakes. After a slight pause, she continued, "I, Ye Huang, follow only Lin Qian's lead! He is the Deputy Commissioner of the Longwu Army of the Northern Frontier! You are to address him as Commander-in-Chief, do you understand?"

"From today on, the thirty thousand White Pole soldiers under this banner have only one master, and that is Lin Qian!"

The White Pole soldiers in the city were stunned. Deputy Commissioner of the Northern Frontier's Longwu Army? Then why come to Chunping City? Had this Lin Qian truly severed ties with the Prince of Zhengxi’s estate, with no further connection to it from now on?

The soldiers and civilians of the White Pole Army stood on tiptoe, waiting in anticipation. Ye Huang shouted the order: "Open the gates! From today, the master of Chunping City is Lin Qian, and the White Pole Army shall serve him as their master!"

Only then did the White Pole soldiers react, rushing to throw open the city gates. Cheers erupted like a surging tide.

"Long live Lin Qian! Long live the Commander! Long live Her Highness!"

The cheers rolled on, wave after wave. The White Pole soldiers within Chunping City were a source of constant headache for the Great Qian court; they could neither send troops to crush them entirely and erase them from history, nor could they offer amnesty, as they served a master passed down through generations—the family of Ye Huang’s mother!

Ye Huang’s maternal family had led the White Pole Army for over a century. Now, Ye Huang had finally found a new home and a new master for them, and a brand-new era was about to dawn.

Upon entering Chunping City, the attention focused on Lin Qian and Ye Huang made her heart swell with joy. However, Lin Qian looked at the nearly dilapidated city and the impoverished lives of the common people, many of whom were dressed in rags.

The streets were still those built a century ago when the Great Qian court had intended to turn Chunping into a premier border trade hub to welcome caravans along the Hexi Corridor. But today, with the Silk Road blocked, trade had naturally ceased, and Chunping City had been in decline for nearly fifty years.

"Revitalizing the prosperity of Chunping City is the primary task," Lin Qian murmured to himself.

Ye Huang was stunned, as if she hadn't heard clearly: "Brother Lin Qian, you... what did you just say?"

Lin Qian sighed slightly: "Look at the people in this city; there are still those who go hungry. How exactly have you spent these past few years?"

At the mention of this, Ye Huang felt a bit embarrassed. Half of the White Pole soldiers were assigned to cultivate land, while the other half took turns guarding the city, rotating every three months. It sounded efficient, maintaining productivity.

But... beyond grain, they lacked everything else. First, because the Silk Road was effectively severed, there was no trade with merchants. Second, the people here were lucky just to have enough to eat; there was no room to even consider other livelihood issues.

In this border city, mere survival was the greatest stroke of fortune. Even the common people felt that surviving until now was no small feat compared to those in other frontier towns who not only faced constant enemy incursions but also never even got to harvest the crops they planted. The enemy forces raiding the border would always plunder the fruits of their labor beforehand.

Starving people everywhere—that was the reality of the world outside.

"Over the past three years, besides farming, the court would send a small amount of grain and pay. We kept all the grain and used all the silver to trade for necessities in the nearest towns..." Ye Huang bit her lip gently. Although she was a royal princess, she had seen the true suffering of the people. However, she was a woman; she might be able to lead troops in battle, but when it came to economics and governance, she was completely clueless.

"What should we do? The people here live such bitter lives."

"Brother Lin Qian, do you have any good ideas?"