Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

This was the first New Year that Li Yinyin spent outside Shangshui Village, and also the first New Year that the Li family celebrated after their reunion outside Shangshui Village.

For others, this year might be very meaningful, but for Li Yinyin, it was just the three of them, and apart from being in a different place, it was no different from before.

On the table were the same foods she used to love, and her older brother and sister-in-law, while showing their affection, didn't forget to put some on her plate.

If we're talking about changes, then of course there have been.

This year, Li Yinyin can't go out to play with her friends like before, nor will she encounter the inexplicably annoying Mu Xianyun on the street. She also can't attend the market in Shangshui Village, can't eat the candied hawthorns skewered by her fifth cousin, and can't have her fifth sister-in-law's special sugar paintings.

Li Chengming was worried that she would find it boring, so he asked her, "Should I find you two playmates?"

"No thanks," Li Yinyin refused. "I'm only free these few days. I'm usually so busy that I don't have time to play. I'll probably just get to know them and then we'll become strangers again."

Yu Qiaoyun suddenly remembered someone: "When Xiao Fu first came here, she asked to learn manners from the nanny. She should have learned enough by now. Let her stay by your side."

Li Chengming thought for a moment, "Is it the child we rescued from Yunzhou back then?"

Only after Qiaoyun nodded did he say, "Then let her come along for now, but there are still too few people."

Li Yinyin disagreed: "As long as there are useful people around, it's pointless to have so many people around."

Yu Qiaoyun understood her husband's meaning and said, "We need to train more, otherwise you will only have a few servants by your side in the future, and you won't even have a few palace maids who can talk to you or eunuchs who can run errands for you. How can that be?"

Li Yinyin then said, "Then I want someone who is good-looking."

Li Chengming already knew that his sister liked good-looking people, so he readily agreed: "That's not difficult. Just have someone go and pick one out first."

Li Chengming and Yu Qiaoyun acted quickly. Before the New Year was even over, several palace maids and eunuchs were sent to Xiao Fu's side along with her.

Apart from Xiao Fu, the palace maids were all a few years older than Li Yinyin. Perhaps because they had more experience, they knew how to behave appropriately and were very respectful.

Since Li Yinyin is currently living in Chang Le Palace next to Weiyang Palace, only one eunuch was sent over for the time being. He was younger than Li Yinyin and perhaps had mixed Western Region ancestry. He looked different from ordinary people, with a slender figure and beautiful features. If you looked at him casually, you might mistake him for a girl.

Li Yinyin asked him, "What's your name? And why did you become a eunuch?"

"This servant Russell greets Your Highness," Russell seemed a little timid, and his movements were not as fluent as others when he bowed, clearly indicating that he had not learned the etiquette well enough. "My mother was a slave, and I was born a slave."

A palace maid, emboldened, spoke up: "Your Highness, please allow me to report that Russell's mother was a female slave sold from the Western Regions. She gave birth to Russell after entering the palace. After Russell's mother passed away, he was raised in the depths of the Yongxiang Palace."

Li Yinyin noticed her protectiveness towards Russell and the ambiguity in her words, and turned to the palace maid who had spoken: "What's your name? You seem to know a lot about him."

“This servant, Hongxiu, greets Your Highness.” Hongxiu’s manners were clearly much better than Russell’s, and she had her own style. “When I was in Yongxiang, I worked with Russell’s mother, so I know more about her.”

Li Yinyin nodded and didn't press the matter further. After all, if Russell's identity was questionable, no matter how good-looking he was, he wouldn't have been sent to serve her.

She then had the others introduce themselves before telling them to go and settle in. Since there were no eunuchs in Chang Le Palace before Russell, he was able to live alone in a side room, while the others were temporarily living in a large communal room, where they would receive better treatment once they were promoted.

With a few more people around her, Li Yinyin continued to do her own thing as usual, but Hongxiu and the others served her much more attentively than the maids who followed her.

Aside from her daily tasks, Li Yinyin hardly had to think about anything else, which made her extremely content.

After the New Year, Li Chengming got busy again, while Xun Minzhi simply traveled light to Zhao State. Xiao Liu and the other military officers also set up camp in the various locations they had chosen beforehand.

Li Chengming is about to wage war against Zhao Kingdom.

"It's the time for spring plowing, isn't it a bit hasty to start a military campaign now?"

Hearing this, Li Chengming looked at his younger sister: "Yinyin, can you answer your sister-in-law's question?"

Li Yinyin had considered this issue before, so she wasn't afraid to speak about it now that she was called upon: "First, during the New Year, another rebellion broke out in Zhao Kingdom. The Ninth Prince, who was known for his cruelty, became the new emperor. As soon as he took the throne, he killed many loyal ministers and generals who opposed him and violently suppressed the voices of opposition among the people. The anti-royal sentiment in Zhao Kingdom has almost reached its peak. If we don't seize this opportunity and let this sentiment continue to ferment, they will gather troops in the country to 'set things right,' and Zhao Kingdom may become difficult to attack."

"Secondly, Mr. Xun's persuasion was successful. The border general of Zhao Kingdom had a grudge against the Ninth Prince and was willing to surrender. My elder brother can enter Zhao Kingdom without losing a single soldier."

"Thirdly, as you are worried about, spring planting is just around the corner. Judging from the past situation in Zhao, when a new emperor takes office, he will inevitably set fires in the countryside, which will affect the spring planting. If we can conquer Zhao with lightning speed, even if the spring planting is slightly delayed, the impact will not be too great. Even if the people of Zhao have various difficulties, they will be grateful to you, brother. We will at most get through these six months, and the people of Zhao will not be a burden."

"But if we wait until after our spring planting season to send troops, the spring planting season in Zhao Kingdom will also be overdue. By the time we finally take over Zhao Kingdom, it will be even later than this. By then, we don't know how many people will have successfully planted their crops in the spring, how many people will have their fields abandoned, or how much harvest they will get in the autumn."

"Brother, you must conquer the world, but you must also govern it. Only by taking each step steadily can you truly safeguard the stability of the country and go further. Brother, what do you think of my words?"

Li Chengming was naturally very satisfied: "Although it's not comprehensive, it has basically grasped the key points."

Li Yinyin smiled smugly and said, "I don't care, I'll just take it as you praising me, big brother. As for more comprehensive questions, I'll ask you about them later!"

Although Li Chengming felt there were still shortcomings, what Li Yinyin said was enough for Qiaoyun to understand. She thought for a moment and said, "You can go to war with peace of mind. I will lead the people to do the spring plowing first."

"I'll help too," Li Yinyin said. She was refused participation on the battlefield, but she could at least get involved in internal affairs.

“Yinyin, don’t be in a hurry,” Li Chengming said. “If you have some free time, why don’t you first study how to train a team of female guards who are loyal to you?”