LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 6 - Requesting the Eldest Princess to Lead the Campaign
[Loading Map—]
[Identity Confirmed—]
[Your origin: A family of officials and scholars]
[Randomly drawing a talent template, your talent for this simulation is: Mandate of Heaven!]
[Mandate of Heaven: You are renowned from a young age, with high ambitions. You are destined to save a crumbling dynasty and turn the tide. Your military strategy is significantly enhanced, and your political acumen is greatly increased. However, your emotional intelligence decreases, and your popularity declines.]
Lu Ping slowly narrowed his eyes.
This is…
“Yu Qian! Yu Shaobao!”
As the card glowed with golden light, the well-known poem “Ode to the Lime” appeared:
“Unafraid to be crushed to pieces, I want to leave my integrity in the world!”
Lu Ping was thrilled.
Yu Qian, who was praised by later generations as the Minister of War who saved the nation, was an unparalleled talent.
He fully embodied the phrase “brilliant in both literature and military strategy.”
Reforming the military system, stabilizing the court, quelling internal chaos, and defending the capital—each accomplishment was a great achievement that would be remembered for generations.
Lu Ping, filled with ambition, clenched his fists tightly.
With the talent of Yu Qian and a wise ruler like Emperor Zheng, there was much he could accomplish!
Moreover, it was currently the year 517 of the Jing Calendar.
There were still several years before Emperor Zheng would pass away.
Time was on Lu Ping’s side, giving him ample opportunity to establish the capital he needed to confront Li Wenfu in court!
“Han Marquis, please rest assured. Your loyal subject will take you to new heights!”
…
Luo Jinxuan re-entered the game, watching the changing lights and shadows on the screen as lines of text slowly emerged.
[Year 517 of the Jing Calendar, August—The court turmoil had just subsided when three provinces were hit by floods. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Quanrong launched an attack on the western frontier. With the treasury empty, the emperor was deeply troubled.]
The timeline was almost identical to the first simulation.
But the background seemed to have changed slightly.
‘Internal strife and external threats?’
Luo Jinxuan furrowed her delicate brows. With her current experience and knowledge, she wasn’t fully equipped to deal with such complex issues.
Almost instinctively, she opened the general recruitment panel.
But it was filled with white character cards, with only a few blue ones.
Not seeing that familiar figure from her memory, Luo Jinxuan felt a slight sense of disappointment.
“Is Lu Ping not here anymore?”
“Or did he join someone else’s faction this time?”
Luo Jinxuan expanded her search in the recruitment interface.
Finally.
That familiar name appeared before her eyes.
[The state is of utmost importance, the ruler comes second!]
[Loyalty and righteousness, shining as bright as the sun and the moon!]
[Unafraid to be crushed to pieces, I want to leave my integrity in the world!]
Fortunately, Lu Ping’s character card did not display any faction affiliation.
Luo Jinxuan breathed a sigh of relief and extended an olive branch to Lu Ping.
[The other party rejected your offer of goodwill.]
Luo Jinxuan pouted, slightly annoyed, “Did you really have to refuse so quickly?”
With her pride, Luo Jinxuan was not someone who would persistently seek affection when it wasn’t reciprocated. She was about to close the page when she caught sight of Lu Ping’s nearly maxed-out military strategy and political attributes.
In the end, she couldn’t resist looking at his character profile.
[Lu Ping]
[Character Profile: Courtesy name Zheng, renowned from a young age, virtuous and talented, currently serving as a historian. Life achievements (Flood control, quelling border unrest ???), talents (Turning the tide, saving a crumbling dynasty)]
Wait a minute!
Flood control, quelling border unrest?
Isn’t this exactly the kind of talent that can solve the current crisis facing the court?
The court truly misjudged this exceptional talent, relegating such a capable minister to the role of a historian.
With the sense of responsibility that comes with being the eldest princess of the Great Jing Dynasty, Luo Jinxuan clicked on the “Recommend” button on Lu Ping’s character card.
[Lu Ping has received your recommendation and has been appointed by Emperor Zheng as the Governor of Yuzhou. Within half a month, he had the floods under control, and the emperor was greatly pleased.]
Seeing the sudden increase in the intimacy level between Lu Ping and herself, Luo Jinxuan was puzzled.
How could he still be unwilling to serve under me?
…
Lu Ping received a generous gift from Luo Jinxuan before he even had time to feel moved.
“After all, she’s my future wife, taking care of me right from the start.”
However, when Lu Ping prepared to join the Han Marquis’s faction, Yu Qian’s “State over ruler” talent trait automatically rejected the invitation.
“No, my dear, let me explain…”
Lu Ping was a bit panicked, but it wasn’t obvious.
The damned talent passive meant that he couldn’t send private messages to any faction.
At that moment, the Imperial Edict panel lit up.
[With the recommendation of the Han Marquis, Luo Jinxuan, Emperor Zheng appoints you as the Governor of Yuzhou. You are to assume your post immediately to address the flood crisis.]
“As expected of my future wife, she understands me well. She knows that my refusal to join was not my true intention.”
“We don’t need many words between us. Just watch as your husband clears the way for you to ascend the throne!”
[Upon assuming office, Governor Lu Ping orders the reinforcement of riverbanks, personally leads the people in continuous labor, and establishes pavilion chiefs every ten miles to oversee the maintenance of the embankments.]
[Lu Ping constructs a six-foot-tall, eight-foot-long iron ox statue to subdue the river. It is placed in the embankment to prevent future floods.]
[After three years, the floodwaters subside, and the river embankment built under your supervision is as solid as a fortress. The people of the three provinces deeply appreciate the imperial grace.]
[Year 520 of the Jing Calendar, you are appointed as a Grand Commander and ordered to lead troops to defend against the Quanrong.]
[The three-year flood left the national treasury depleted. You submitted a memorial to the emperor, proposing a series of economic reforms, including taxes on merchant guilds, the establishment of state-run salt and iron enterprises, balanced transport, price stabilization, and currency reform, all of which increased the national treasury’s revenue.]
[You issue military orders allowing soldiers on the western frontier to bring their families. During wartime, they serve as soldiers; in peacetime, they cultivate the land. The 200,000 frontier troops are now self-sufficient in food and supplies.]
After accomplishing all this, Lu Ping felt a sense of fatigue.
The western frontier was now secure, with the Quanrong having retreated dozens of miles away, not daring to invade again.
But Lu Ping no longer had the same desire to annihilate the Quanrong as he did in the first simulation, seeking unparalleled military glory.
First, this talent didn’t suit battlefield combat, making it hard to enjoy the thrill of wielding swords and spears.
Secondly, Lu Ping wanted to leave the credit for pacifying the Quanrong to Luo Jinxuan.
Given the current state of the western frontier, no matter who took command, victory would be within easy reach.
[Grand Commander Lu Ping submits a memorial, stating that the Quanrong can be defeated imminently. To enhance the prestige of the Great Jing Dynasty, he requests that the Eldest Princess lead the campaign in place of the emperor and achieve great military glory.]
By doing this, you can’t say he has any personal agenda, right?
Opening new territories and achieving everlasting fame—such achievements should naturally be left to the emperor.
But the emperor is old and frail, so isn’t it reasonable to let his eldest daughter, Luo Jinxuan, lead the campaign on his behalf?
In reality, Lu Ping had no bias toward Luo Jinxuan.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
The court was his true battlefield!
Having been delayed for several years by flood control and border defense, Lu Ping had less and less time left.
Sending Luo Jinxuan to lead the campaign against the Quanrong was the perfect solution.
Not only would it allow Luo Jinxuan, as the Han Marquis, to establish military merits, giving her more leverage in the future struggle for succession, but most importantly, it would keep her away from the court for a while.
This would allow Lu Ping to focus entirely on his political endeavors.
After all, the failure of the last simulation was still fresh in his mind.
It’s not that Lu Ping thought Luo Jinxuan was incompetent, but he believed that women should focus on being beautiful while men handled the hard work of political maneuvering.
And so…
[Emperor Zheng accepted Lu Ping’s suggestion and appointed the Eldest Princess, Luo Jinxuan, as the commander to lead the campaign against the Quanrong in place of the emperor. He ordered Grand Commander Lu Ping to return to the capital and stay at court to assist in governance.]
…
Luo Jinxuan was puzzled when she received the imperial decree, wondering why Lu Ping had recommended her to lead the campaign.
After all, she had never commanded an army.
Moreover, if she went to the frontier, her plans to cultivate her faction to deal with future court crises would have to be put on hold.
“What is Lu Ping really trying to do?”