The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

There were two letters on Lind's desk, one from the capital and the other from Doug.

In his letter, Doug first offered his condolences as an uncle, inquired about Lind and Lena's well-being, and then repeatedly emphasized that he was not the one who sent the assassins.

This letter was less of a formal letter and more of a response to Lind's declaration of war. Lind himself probably hadn't even received it yet, but the message was already circulating all over Doug's territory the very next day.

This letter was probably written by a ghostwriter, and it must be said that it was written quite well. Not only did it place itself in the position of Lind's elder, but it also subtly implied that Lind had orchestrated the assassination in order to start a war.

Not long after Grand Duke Klars died, Doug had searched the mountains and seas for his two nephews. Now that he claims he didn't assassinate his niece and nephew-in-law, the only people who would believe him are probably the real murderers.

But Doug still had to come forward to clarify, because Lind's declaration of war was well-reasoned and practically pointed at Doug's nose, calling him a disloyal, unfilial, unkind, unjust, impolite, unwise, and untrustworthy person, while standing on the moral high ground of being assassinated and pointing fingers at Doug.

Doug was like a foreigner from outside the Great Firewall seeing how people inside the wall cursed for the first time in his past life. He was being cursed at, but he still had to praise the other side for their eloquent cursing.

This forced Doug to retaliate, even though the retaliation seemed rather weak.

The other letter was much more interesting than Doug's. When Lind received the letter, he was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had traveled through time again.

After all, the sender's signature was Queen Lilith.

News was generally delayed in this era, and the only information Linde learned through Lucanus was that Crane had also been assassinated.

To be honest, when Lind learned that Crane had also been assassinated, he could roughly guess which group of people were behind the two assassinations.

But Linde really didn't expect that the Augustins would actually recommend Lilith for the position.

Although in retrospect, there were some clues—information before the incident indicated that Kran was frantically expanding the Queen's power—no matter what, the Queen is still just the Queen. Making an outsider the Queen is simply too...too crazy.

The only explanation is that the situation in the capital is indeed very bad. The reforms have entered a deep water zone and become a dilemma. The rational Augustine is unwilling to take the blame, so he decides to push an outsider to take the fall.

If Lilith successfully leads the reforms, the Augustins will reap the rewards; if the reforms fail, they will sacrifice Lilith.

Just thinking about it made Linde feel hopeless. This transmigrator was in such a miserable state. She became a widow right after getting married and had to take over the mess left by her husband.

But Lilith's letter to Lind is very interesting. First, she continued Crane's policy and acknowledged Lind's status as Governor of the North, but she also bluntly mentioned another "Governor of the North," Doug.

Furthermore, it was explicitly stated that the capital city was providing support to both governors of the North, both overt and covert. For example, Lind's side did not suffer any economic blockade, and gray-collar workers and merchants from the capital city could still travel freely. Doug's side also received a considerable amount of weapons and military equipment aid from the capital city.

Everyone knows about this, but this is the first time it's been said so openly, since everyone still has some sense of shame.

Immediately afterward, the newly enthroned queen began to make conditions with Lind. She would recognize Lind's position as governor, and even acknowledge Lind's legitimacy and title as Grand Duke of Lars. She would also cease aiding Doug Lars and stop interfering in the North, in exchange for Lind's public support as the new queen.

It seems very generous, but it's actually a bunch of nonsense. Linde's current status doesn't need the capital's recognition. Linde became the governor because he has the current strength, not the other way around.

The same applies to the legitimacy of Grand Duke Lars. Lind is now the head of Lars and doesn't need the capital's recognition at all. Moreover, the queen probably wrote a letter to Doug Lars, and the contents of the letter are probably similar to what Lind received.

As for the eventual cessation of aid, in reality, the capital did not provide much aid to either side in the North. Unless the capital directly intervened with troops, it could not truly change the situation.

Moreover, the policy of contraction towards the North had already begun during the time of Kran. Given the current predicament of the capital, even if Lind rejects the proposal, the capital will still gradually withdraw its aid and gradually reduce its interference in the North.

This promise isn't entirely useless, but it's completely useless.

In other words, this newly appointed queen wants to get the support of the two governors of the North for free.

After all, it's reasonable for you to support me and for me to support you, right?

Linde recalled the letter he had once written to this time traveler in a moment of madness. It seemed that the other party had grasped the essence and was already a qualified politician.

After careful consideration, Linde decided to give the newly appointed queen some face.

After all, although Doug took the blame wholeheartedly, the masterminds behind the assassinations of Crane and himself were most likely the same group of people, and Lind wanted to make them pay the price, ten times, a hundred times the price.

Blood for blood, tooth for tooth.

As long as this time-traveling queen is willing to take action, Lind wouldn't mind adding some bombshell information—yes, really bombshell information.

After writing his reply to the queen, Lind went on to deal with other matters. The newly conquered territories needed new administrative systems, and the existing systems also needed to be revised in the wake of the victory. The more you win, the less resistance the nobles will have to the reforms.

The new "Ordinance for the Reform of Nobility" and "Land Allocation Act" must be implemented quickly during this period.

Are you really not going back?

Linde took the documents submitted by Caroline and glanced at the chief clerk who had covered her dark circles with heavy makeup.

This former student council president of the Royal Capital Academy, who is rumored to be a distant relative of mine, is now a somewhat tired, long-haired, black-haired beauty.

"If you don't leave now, it will be too late. You will be labeled as a gray-collar worker. No matter which family you were born into, people will only see you as a gray-collar worker."

"I can't ask for it."

Caroline handed over yesterday's production status to Lind.

"Moreover, my family is very supportive of me and encourages me to follow you."

This is what nobles call not putting all your eggs in one basket. But Linde heard that Caroline was originally a promising successor, and he didn't know what rumors her family had heard, so they put their biggest egg in his seemingly small basket.

"You should take a rest. You've hardly rested at all since this winter."

An excellent leader must learn to give his subordinates adequate rest, just as Linde has always done.

Caroline is now considered part of the initial startup team, a true high-level executive in the gray-collar world, having taken over most of Lila's original work.

However, senior executives in the gray and white-collar industries rarely take vacations, and Caroline is a workaholic. Even though professionals are physically stronger than ordinary people, Linde felt that working overtime all the time was not a good thing.

"I'll grant you two days off. Right now, as long as production can continue as normal and the bill can be passed smoothly, there's nothing else that's important."

"No, Your Excellency, the war has only just begun, and this is the most crucial moment."

"This is an order. Go and rest for two days. I will have someone else take over your work during these two days. You are not allowed to do any work."

"But Your Excellency, you haven't had a rest in a long time either."

Lind frowned; Caroline wasn't the first person to advise him to rest.

"The war has only just begun, it is precisely..."

Linde was stunned when he was halfway through his sentence.

"Alright, I'll go take a break too, and so will you. You may leave now."

It seems I really need to rest. After Caroline leaves, Linde is also going back to his bedroom to rest and arrange for someone to take over Caroline's work. Well, Linde is still working.

"How long have you been away?"

Lena stood in the room with her hands on her hips, angrily lashing out at Lind, who was still working.

"It was just last night..."

Linde finished dealing with the remaining matters and then shrank back.

"come over!"

Lena sat on the bed and patted her thigh.

Seeing Linde hesitate, Lena asked, "Brother, isn't this what you usually like to do? Besides, you should rest."

Although Linde wanted to shout "No, I didn't! I just wanted to experience it!" when he saw the maids and nuns still bowing their heads in the room, he eventually realized the change in address and obediently lay down.

"Brother, what did I do wrong? Why won't they let me work? They didn't even tell me they were declaring war on me."

Lena gently stroked Lind's hair, her expression no longer showing anger, but rather worry and a hint of fear, perhaps fearing that she would be abandoned.

Linde then realized that his previous reaction was too extreme; the moment Lena collapsed had been too much of a shock to him. But it was time to let Lena return to a normal life.

"I'm sorry... let's have Peking duck together tonight."

"Hmm, let's go to the lab and check on the magical train. I just had a new idea. Although we can't optimize the train anymore, we can optimize the railway."

Lena continued, "Brother, don't worry, no matter what happens, I'll stand by you."

In a daze, Lind had a rare good night's sleep since the start of the war—until he was woken up by Lena's drool.

Well, Lena is still Lena. It seems we shouldn't do lap pillows anymore. But Lind felt incredibly relaxed at that moment.