We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Li Lin's body tilted and fell to the ground, and the wine jug in his hand rolled down the hillside.

He subconsciously reached out to catch it, but missed.

Then he laughed bitterly and said, "Father is right. How can a mediocre person like me be a prince? My title of Duke should be stripped away and I should just be a commoner!"

Li Che refused to let him go and grabbed him by the collar: "Do you think your father is punishing you? You are totally wrong! He is trying to save you!"

Li Lin looked at Li Che with drunken eyes.

Li Che had no choice but to let go, and regardless of the demeanor of a vassal king, he sat down next to Li Lin.

The following words were not a conversation between allies, but a heart-to-heart talk between brothers.

"This time, the aristocratic families have been slaughtered in droves. Naturally, the aristocratic families of the world will not tolerate you and me. The power of the aristocratic families is so immense. If they are determined to embarrass you and me, I'm afraid we will have to stay in the north for the rest of our lives."

"Father, the Emperor, would rather sully his own holy name, even if it meant being known as mean and ungrateful, than kill Duan Shao and give an account to the aristocratic families. This is the only way to ensure the safety of you and me, my brother!"

Li Che paused, gritted his teeth and looked at Li Lin:

"Now is your chance to regroup and completely control Yan Territory, and even the entire North Territory."

"And what about you, brother? You spend all day drinking and getting drunk, only caring about the personal relationship between you and Tong Wenjun, who are both teachers and friends, but you have forgotten our great ambition to serve the people!"

"I should have left seclusion and returned to Fengguo a few days ago, but my sister-in-law was worried that you couldn't get over the inner demons, so she begged me to stay and guide you."

"Sister-in-law, a mere woman, is still concerned about the overall situation. You are also a prince in charge of 100,000 soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilians. How can you be so cowardly?!"

Li Lin trembled when he heard this, and his face showed a little more shame and anger, but less numbness:

"I'm not a coward! I just hate it. I hate the aristocratic families' audacity to manipulate the world. I hate myself for being incompetent. I can't help my father with his worries, and I can't protect Old Tong and the people of Yan!"

Li Che immediately said, "Then you must cheer up! You should know that although Mr. Tong committed suicide, he actually died because of the oppression of his family, and even more so because of his status as a noble family!"

"As long as the aristocratic families are not eliminated, the situation in Daqing will remain unchanged!"

"Only one Old Tong died today, but in the future there will be countless more 'Old Tongs' from aristocratic families, either hampered by their family background and frustrated, or forced by the world to die with hatred!"

Li Lin was slightly stunned, and stood there like a statue, not saying anything for a long time.

Li Che didn't say anything else, just let him digest it himself.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Lin finally spoke hoarsely: "But I am not you after all, Lao Liu."

"I don't understand the mind of an emperor, I don't know the ways of the court, and I don't know how to deal with the aristocratic families."

"Without Master Tong, I can't even govern the State of Yan properly."

Seeing that Li Lin's eyes finally had some expression, Li Che breathed a sigh of relief and his tone softened a lot:

"What's the harm? You don't need to understand."

Li Lin looked up and stared at him.

But Li Che reached out and patted the sword on his waist, and said coldly: "What is this thing hanging on your waist for?"

Hearing this, Li Lin's eyes lit up slightly.

But Li Che continued, "There are many truths in this world, but only truth lasts forever."

"What is truth? The sword at your waist is truth, the 100,000 loyal and brave men of Yan are truth, and the caliber of Fengguo's muskets and cannons is truth!"

"Our enemies are nothing more than the aristocratic families, the barbarians, and the other vassal kings. Since we can't reason with them, let's talk about the truth!"

Li Che looked at the wine jug that fell down the hillside and slowly said the last sentence:

"The little grievances in your heart can be resolved with strong liquor... The injustices in the world should only be resolved with the sword!"

. . . . . .

When Li Che and Li Lin returned to Prince Yan's Mansion, Princess Yan hurried out to greet them.

After seeing Li Lin, Princess Yan was stunned at first, then her face showed joy.

Although Li Lin still reeked of alcohol, he was completely different from the previous few days.

A few days ago, Li Lin looked old. Although he was a young man in his twenties, he looked like an old man who had lost his spirit.

But now Li Lin's face is firm and his eyes are bright. He has recovered 70% of his vigor and heroic spirit.

"Your Highness, Your Highness." Princess Yan walked forward happily.

Li Che bowed and said, "I've said it many times, sister-in-law, just call me Sixth Brother."

"Etiquette cannot be abolished." Princess Yan shook her head and insisted, "Your Highness looks much better today."

Li Che also knew that although his fourth sister-in-law came from a military family, she had the demeanor of a lady from a noble family, so he no longer forced her to change her words.

"Fourth brother has defeated his inner demons and regained his glory." Li Che smiled slightly.

Li Lin felt a little embarrassed by what he said, and seeing his wife's affectionate eyes, his heart softened:

"I'm sorry for making the princess worried these past few days. It's my fault."

The two looked at each other affectionately, and Li Che felt as if he had been stuffed with something, a kind of granular substance that gave him a full feeling of satiety that did not exist in this era.

"Okay, there's nothing to do here, Fourth Brother. I'm going back to Fengguo too."

Li Lin then averted his gaze and said with some shame, "Sixth brother, why are you in such a hurry to leave? I haven't taken good care of you these past few days. I haven't fulfilled my duty as a good host. You should at least rest for a few more days."

"There's a long way to go, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future." Li Che smiled faintly, "Besides, spring is approaching, and I have to go back to organize the spring plowing in Feng State, and also guard against invasions from the Khitan and Mohe."

Li Lin also knew the importance of spring plowing, so it was not easy to force him to stay.

Thinking about how I had neglected my sixth brother due to my decadence these days, I felt more and more guilty.

However, neither of the two brothers was the type to be sentimental, and they quickly moved on from the matter.

Li Che looked at the Princess of Yan beside him and said seriously:

"Old Tong has passed away, and Yan lacks capable officials. Now that the war has just ended, it's time to rebuild. How will Fourth Brother respond?"

Li Lin scratched his head and sighed, "We can only take it one step at a time."

"There are some talented people in Fengguo who can govern. I can lend some to Fourth Brother."

Li Lin's eyes lit up: "Really?"

If a vassal king allows another vassal king's people to serve as officials in his territory, he will be sidelined soon.

But Li Lin and Li Che didn't care about this kind of thing at all. They had already formed an alliance and had experienced many life and death hardships together. It was not an exaggeration to say that they were like brothers.

"I'll send someone over on a chosen day." Li Che shook his head: "But this is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Fourth brother has abundant martial virtues, but he should also pay more attention to civil governance."

"I have already established Fengguo University in Chaoyang City. I think it is already completed. This school is solely for the purpose of cultivating talents and teaching everyone without distinction."

"Fourth brother should recruit students from poor families in Yan and send them to Fengguo University to study. Only then can we ensure the long-term stability of Yan."

Li Lin said seriously, "Don't worry, Sixth Brother. I understand."

"As for this moment, Yan State is in urgent need of a wise and strategic person who can coordinate the overall situation and turn the tide. I have a candidate here."

Li Lin hurriedly asked, "Who is he? Even if I have to carry a sedan chair with eight people, I will invite him here!"

Li Che smiled slightly and looked at the Princess of Yan beside him:

"That's not necessary. Didn't my brother already marry her off in a formal ceremony, with a sedan chair carried by eight people?"