latelenovela Chapter 453: Four Countries Praise
Chapter 453: Four Countries Praise
No one had expected that the situation would develop in such a dramatic way.
The news that Shen Li was canonized as the Crown Princess by the Emperor of Beichen was like a gust of wind accompanied by thunder, which instantly swept across the four countries of Beichen, Lichen, Dongsheng and Xiqi at an astonishing speed.
At first, everyone thought this would cause a huge uproar, but the result was unexpected.
Across the four kingdoms, no one felt anything was wrong with this matter; instead, they all agreed that it was a natural and logical outcome. Even after learning that the two princes had recovered and were no longer disabled, no one mentioned anything inappropriate, as the Emperor had deliberately concealed the matter.
In an instant, the streets and alleys were filled with people engaged in heated discussions.
In Lichen Country, the street vendor selling sesame cakes skillfully flipped and toasted the dough while exclaiming to his regular customers, "Princess Fuxi is truly a master! I heard she rides a dragon with great dignity, leading a group of capable men to fight the enemy. If only Lichen Country could have such a figure, there would be no need to worry about unrest in the world!"
The old customer nodded as he took the steaming hot pancake and echoed, "Who said it wasn't? What a pity that this treasure was taken by the Beichen Kingdom. If Princess Fuxi was from our Lichen Kingdom, it would truly be a blessing for us ordinary people to have earned through several lifetimes!"
In a teahouse in Dongsheng Kingdom, tea drinkers were chatting animatedly. A young man, resembling a scholar, took a sip from his teacup, then shook his head and said, "Princess Fuxi's appointment as Crown Princess is truly well-deserved. She is both wise and courageous, and has a heart for the world. I've even heard she can make war horses transform into humans after taking a transformation pill! How many people, throughout history, could even achieve such a remarkable ability? If she were born in Dongsheng Kingdom, she would surely lead us to prosperity!"
The tea drinkers around cast approving glances at her, and for a moment, the teahouse was filled with praise and envy for Shen Li.
At the market in Xiqi State, an elderly woman was chatting with a vegetable vendor. "How come Beichen State is so blessed to have a Princess Fuxi, now crowned the Crown Princess? Look at her, riding a dragon on patrol, scaring off the enemy invaders so much they dare not even show their heads. If only Xiqi State had such a talent, I would feel much more at ease!" The vendor, weighing vegetables for the elderly woman, smiled and replied, "Don't be envious, Auntie. Who knows, one day Princess Fuxi might show mercy and come to help Xiqi State!"
In Beichen, the people were even more filled with pride. A young mother held her child's hand and said proudly, "Bao'er, look! This is Princess Fuxi of Beichen. From now on, she'll be our emperor. With her around, our lives will surely get better and better!" The child blinked his watery eyes and said in admiration, "Mom, I want to be as powerful as Princess Fuxi!"
Inside the Xiqi Imperial Palace, on the golden nanmu imperial desk, a mutton-fat jade cup held still-warm tea, its steam rising in wisps, yet unable to dispel the chilling atmosphere that filled the room. Emperor Nangong Zhaolie wore a bright yellow dragon robe, a five-clawed golden dragon embroidered with gold thread baring its fangs and swaying in the candlelight, seemingly echoing his surging fury.
"Bang!" Nangong Zhaolie slammed the table, a dull thud echoing from the thick mahogany desk. The brush, inkstone, and inkstone on it trembled slightly. His eyes burned with rage, and veins bulged slightly on his forehead. He cursed, "I never thought that old bastard Xuan Ye would come up with such a cunning scheme to keep Shen Li in Beichen! He's so cunning and treacherous. Does he really think I'm just a decoration? How dare he monopolize this immortal inheritance?"
He stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, his steps quick and heavy, as if every step was to crush this annoying situation.
The commander-in-chief An Ye, who was standing aside, frowned, took a step forward, knelt on one knee to salute, and a steady voice rang out in the hall: "Your Majesty, you deliberately let His Royal Highness the Crown Prince follow Shen Li at that time, weren't you planning to gain the upper hand? Now our spies have sent news that Shen Li is not only surrounded by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but also by Emperor Luo Lingchen of Lichen, the new emperor of Dongsheng Su Ran, and even the Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion Chu Fengmian. Think about it carefully, what does this mean?" An Ye raised his head slightly, his eyes revealing prudence and thought.
Upon hearing this, Nangong Zhaolie's brows knitted into the shape of a "川" character, and he fell into deep thought. He paced slowly, weighing the pros and cons of each step. After a long moment, he whispered, "Even the Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion follows her. Could it be..." This bold guess shocked him so much that the second half of the sentence got stuck in his throat, unable to utter it.
An Ye's expression was solemn. He nodded slightly and continued, "In my opinion, the Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion has already calculated that Shen Li might be the ruler of the world, so he went looking for her. After all, Shen Li has a strong connection with the immortals. Recently, miraculous things and rare objects have been appearing one after another, such as the appearance of dragons, the amazing sight of flying geese, high-yield grains, and life-saving elixirs. Each one of them is amazing."
Nangong Zhaolie was startled at first, then he suddenly raised his head and laughed, and his laughter echoed in the empty palace: "Fortunately, I had foresight and sent Qi'er to her early." A trace of complacency flashed in his eyes, as if he saw the dawn of Xiqi's dominance over the world, "Qi'er is smart and intelligent. As long as she can hold on to Shen Li, this big tree, and she really becomes the master of the world, why should my Xiqi not prosper!" After that, his eyes were full of determination, as if the world was already in his hands.
In recent months, Shen Li, Luo Lingchen, Su Ran, Nangong Qi, Chu Fengmian and others have been riding majestic dragons, traveling back and forth along the border.
They worked tirelessly, patrolling everywhere and always being alert to the enemy's movements. Once they found any clues, they would strike with lightning speed and give the enemy a heavy blow.
At the same time, branches of Fukui-ro opened one after another in various parts of Shikoku.
Shen Li also distributed various high-yield crops, including rice, soybeans, corn, sweet potatoes, and peanuts, to the four countries, wholeheartedly striving to rapidly enhance the national strength of the four nations. The armies of each nation also trained their soldiers using the methods of military boxing and Tai Chi, boosting morale.
Shen Li and his team flew everywhere and didn't have to worry about supply reserves at all.
After all, her magical space was fully stocked with food, livestock, spiritual springs, and fruit, all inexhaustible. If that wasn't enough, there was still the system mall.
Shen Li devised a variety of delicious treats for Luo Lingchen, Su Ran, Nangong Qi, Chu Fengmian, and Jiaolong Baifan. Ice cream, cola, fried chicken, turkey noodles, spicy noodles... These novel foods seemed to have opened the door to a new world for everyone, with the exception of Luo Lingchen, who had also traveled from the 21st century, so these junk foods were no strangers to him.
Shen Li suddenly had an idea and fed the war horses that had previously awakened their spiritual intelligence with transformation pills. After those war horses took the pills, spiritual energy surged around them, and they all successfully transformed into human form.
In this way, her space now had hundreds more human-shaped war horses. Shen Li's interest grew, and she set her sights on the colorful rabbits, eager to witness their transformation.
However, after repeated attempts, all ended in failure. However, Shen Li was open-minded by nature and was not too disappointed about this.
Their days were spent either flying on dragons thousands of miles in the sky or setting up camp in the wilderness.
Although they were living in a time of war, people did not feel the cruelty and bloodiness of war at all. Instead, it felt like they were on a free and easy adventure.
Thanks to the powerful deterrent power of the dragon and the presence of several immortals, those small countries that were usually ready to make moves overseas were frightened and kept silent, no longer daring to invade easily, and the border was calm for a while.
At the same time, Shen Li distributed storage bags to Luo Lingchen, Su Ran, Nangong Qi, Chu Fengmian and others, and carefully filled each bag with food, sweet and clear spiritual spring water, juicy fruits and other precious supplies in case of emergency.
One day, Shen Li and his group passed by a picturesque place. Surrounded by green mountains, gurgling green waters, the sound of birdsong filled the air, and colorful wildflowers bloomed in profusion. The picturesque scenery was truly refreshing. They decided to take a short break there.
Luo Lingchen found a seat next to Shen Li and sat down. His eyes were always gently on Shen Li, as if they contained thousands of words.
After pondering for a long time, he finally mustered up the courage, and with a hint of nervousness and anticipation in his voice, he slowly said, "Li'er, time flies so fast. It's August 15th soon, and you'll be sixteen soon.
According to the situation here, most women would have been married and had children by this time. Look... when can we get married? "After saying this, he looked at Shen Li with a shy yet loving look, the expectation in his eyes like the warm spring sun, blazing and sincere.
Su Ran, Nangong Qi, and Chu Fengmian also looked at Shen Li with burning eyes, their eyes full of eagerness and expectation, as if every word uttered by Shen Li at this moment would become a new footnote to their lives.
Su Ran was the first to break the silence, stepping forward with a sincere and eager expression. "Li'er, Ah Chen is right. I was wondering the same thing. Now that everything is peaceful and prosperous, isn't it time for us to settle down? These days, we've been accompanying you on your inspections and going through so much together. I'm increasingly certain that you're the one I want to spend my life with." As he spoke, his face flushed slightly, his usual gentle demeanor replaced by nervousness and anticipation. He clenched his fists, staring intently at Shen Li, afraid to miss any subtle expression on her face. After all, Shen Li hadn't yet clearly expressed her willingness to accept the four of them.
Nangong Qi stepped forward immediately, his gentle face now tinged with shyness and anxiety: "Ali, you know me, from the time we met until now, I have always liked you, and you hold an increasingly important place in my heart. I long to be with you forever, and I want you to be by my side year after year in the future." His voice trembled slightly, but revealed an unquestionable firmness, and his slender fingers clenched into fists, as if he was secretly cheering himself up.
Chu Fengmian's usually unruly eyebrows were now filled with tenderness and expectation. He held the folding fan, looked quietly into Shen Li's eyes, and opened his thin lips slightly: "Li'er, along the way, I have witnessed your bravery and responsibility. Unknowingly, my heart has been filled with you. The four of us are willing to spend the rest of our lives protecting you. If you agree, it will be the greatest happiness of our lives." His words were concise, but full of affection. His eyes, which were usually calm, were now filled with hot love, and he locked his eyes tightly on Shen Li's figure.