Chapter 406: The Truly Incompetent Princess

Chapter 406: The Truly Incompetent Princess

You can’t change a dog’s nature; during this time, the soldiers always had the nasty habit of bullying the weak with their strength.

It was as if they’d die if they didn’t flaunt their authority, worried that nobody recognized them as government soldiers.

Normally, Lin Nuo would merely glance past them when he saw their rampant behavior.

But in Ru Yu Village, he couldn’t stand it any longer and punched one right in the face.

That was only a warmup for him. All he could do was worry about the future of the Great Puhan Nation—could this group even be called soldiers?

Perhaps he was being too optimistic about them.

In Lin Nuo’s mind, before the Empress Luo Xiaoxue took power, the army of the Great Puhan Nation was generally weak, prone to bullying the weak, lacking the vigor a dynasty should possess.

When the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam bends. This was related to the leadership; the royal family was just weak and incompetent, unable to even suppress the influence of Dong Wei. If they weren’t weak, it’d be a miracle.

Moreover, Dong Wei was an organization that prioritized profit above all, capable of committing treason for the sake of gain. The lower ranks mimicked their superiors, acting just for personal gain.

Strangely enough, after the young Empress Luo Xiaoxue ascended to power, the army of the Great Puhan Nation gradually transformed into a force of iron and blood, with her being especially fierce—fearless in battle, she swiftly drove away invaders and handled internal problems in one go.

The Iron-Blooded Empress, now that’s a tough character to deal with.

However, Lin Nuo hadn’t had the chance to meet her yet.

Right now, Luo Xiaoxue probably resembled a decorative vase—pretty but useless; nobody wanted her around, so they sent Luo Yi instead.

This Luo Yi was so clueless that she probably thought she was counted and helped out when sold off, as that group was planning to take the villagers from Ru Yu Village to Lu City as laborers. Did she really think they were going to Li City for a retirement vacation?

Even though there were imperial edicts, in this era, those were empty gestures.

You think it’d be useful? In reality, they had more effective documents, using one thing to counter another, suppressing the rest.

Lin Nuo could’ve chosen to ignore it, letting them follow the soldiers away, thinking it might spare them from death, but the days afterward might be tough.

But he refused.

His usual indifference turned into proactive action; it wasn’t because he harbored any sense of justice or wanted to be a hero, but simply because he wanted to do this thing.

Lin Nuo went back into the house, sat back at his spot, and continued eating the remaining rice in his bowl.

Others followed him inside, including Luo Xiaoxue, who came along. Xia Hanmo was hospitable and quickly prepared bowls and chopsticks for her.

“Thank you, Auntie, I’m just sitting for now.”

Luo Xiaoxue sat aside, intending to eat; she felt a bit parched after talking for so long with the villagers and drank a cup of water.

She couldn’t be as calm as Lin Nuo—her mind was swirling with thoughts. She initially believed she was helping the common folk, but after Lin Nuo’s pointed queries, the captain’s increasingly desperate attempts to cover up revealed everything.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the villagers probably won’t be settled in Li City, and the attitude of those soldiers was quite poor. I will report this upwards; I will ensure everyone is settled properly.”

“Don’t talk while eating; let’s deal with matters after we’ve finished.”

Lin Nuo said coldly, then picked up his chopsticks to grab some meat slices, mixing them with vegetables and rice before finishing it down with another sip of warm water.

He let out a long breath, feeling satisfied.

“Nuo’er, eat a bit more; I’ll get you some more rice.”

“That’s enough; I’m already full.”

Lin Nuo replied, then slightly stood up and turned to Luo Xiaoxue:

“Shall we go outside to talk?”

“Mm, okay.”

Luo Xiaoxue quickly got up and followed Lin Nuo outside.

“Auntie, Mother, I’m full!”

“Ma’am, I’m full~!”

Su Kexin and Ruo’er saw Lin Nuo taking Luo Xiaoxue out and hurriedly followed; who knew what the two were going to discuss?

Lin Nuo put his hands behind his back, walking lightly out the door and stopping at the stone table under the tree, slowly turning around:

“Now let me tell you about what’s next… Hey, why are you two following along?”

As Lin Nuo turned around, he saw Su Kexin and Ruo’er had tagged along. These two had a strong curiosity, always wanting to peek at something new.

“Young Master, you go ahead and talk; I’ll just listen in~”

Ruo’er stood obediently, thinking that she was a celestial being now, unlike the useless little girl she used to be. If the village was in trouble, she should step up.

But her brain was a bit slow, lacking strategy, so she could only take directions from her Young Master.

Whatever he said, she would do, as that was surely correct.

“Senior Martial Brother, if there’s anything I can help with, please let me know!”

Su Kexin’s attitude was resolute and righteous, seemingly radiating a bright light.

Normally, Lin Nuo wouldn’t bother to ask her for help.

But this time, she could lend a hand.

Lin Nuo said:

“Now that the villagers in Ru Yu Village know they need to relocate, you should ask the villagers if they are willing to go with the soldiers to work as laborers. If they consent, just leave them be. If they don’t want to, let them go to the theater stage we built in the village. I’ll talk to them directly.”

After a long speech, he transformed into a people’s leader, calmly issuing orders, prompting Su Kexin and the others to cheer him on.

“Young Master Lin, where do you plan to move them?” Luo Xiaoxue asked.

“Let’s leave first; surviving is what matters.”

Lin Nuo replied flatly,

“And if they wish to stay, we won’t force them.”

“I’ll find support.” Luo Xiaoxue said.

“Don’t bother; it’s likely they’ll just bring another group to steal people.”

Lin Nuo responded. He already didn’t trust any soldiers; he’d be thankful if they didn’t cause trouble.

Lin Nuo looked at Luo Xiaoxue, paused for a moment, then said coldly:

“Luo Xiaoxue, the current princess, you claim you came here under her orders—why are you looking for you?”

“Why, huh…”

Luo Xiaoxue was stumped. If she had to explain, then it’s about herself; what reason could she have?

Shouldn’t the heroic Knight Lin realize this, was he being obtuse on purpose?

“I’ve been to Ru Yu Village before, plus I served Princess in the past, so I was assigned to come here.”

“Does she know where the common folk are being moved?”

“She knows, um… it’s based on the imperial edict, stating they should go to Li City… but the reality seems quite different…” Luo Xiaoxue’s voice trailed off, losing strength.

“Oh, truly an incompetent princess, how’s she supposed to handle affairs in the future?”

Lin Nuo didn’t hold back on his criticism, feeling no fondness for Empress Luo Xiaoxue, finding her actions bewildering. He just criticized her bluntly; what a mess, what rubbish.

“Mm…”

Luo Xiaoxue lowered her head, like a little girl caught in the act, not daring to speak.

Being criticized by the Knight Lin left her heart feeling heavy.

But indeed, it was her fault for not achieving results, causing troubles for the villagers, making her feel like a fool, a joke.

At that moment, waves of energy surged in the sea domain, as members of the radical faction of the Sea Domain Dragon Clan approached.