I am the snake demon!

"Come back with me!"

Leng Qinghan was eventually taken away by Leng Shih-hu.

After all, you can't fight city hall.

But now that this whole thing has happened and everyone knows about it, whether Leng Qinghan is there or not doesn't really matter.

What happens next is unlikely to please Leng Shih-hu.

The others then offered their condolences.

Bai Xuan also met with Xu Chengfeng, an elder of the Xu family, and Xu Wenzheng, the General Who Guards the North who commands one-third of the troops in the northern border region.

Xu Chengfeng appeared to be honest and simple, and Xu Wenzheng also expressed his closeness to him.

Bai Xuan treated him with courtesy, keeping a respectful distance, but dared not let his guard down.

Especially Xu Wenzheng.

In a clan society, Xu Wenzheng also had the right to inherit the throne even if the Prince of Zhenbei had no son.

Back then, the Prince of Zhenbei had no son, and Xu Wenzheng was the recognized young marshal of the Xu family army.

The fighting subsided somewhat after Xu Yanheng was born.

Later, when Xu Zhenlan was born, the Prince of Zhenbei named him Zhenlan.

It should be noted that Xu Wenzheng's courtesy name was Tianbo.

However, the North cannot afford internal strife right now, so everyone maintains a facade of harmony.

After that, it was just a normal condolence ceremony.

There was nothing wrong at first, but after what happened with Leng Qinghan, Bai Xuan suddenly felt bored and listless.

There was no way around it; my excitement threshold was suddenly raised.

It wasn't until later, when female warriors arrived one after another with their daughters of varying ages, that Bai Xuan's expression changed.

The Prince of Zhenbei was named Yunlong, and his courtesy name was Zhongwen.

But to be honest, Bai Xuan felt that the courtesy name Zhengchun suited him better.

They only had daughters, and each one was more beautiful than the last.

Bai Xuan secretly kept these forces in mind. The fact that these people came to pay their respects at this time must mean they had deep feelings for each other. They might be useful in the future if needed.

And so, while silently enjoying the spectacle, Bai Xuan feigned a sorrowful expression, completed his assigned task, personally escorting the coffin and sending the remains of the Prince of Zhenbei to his burial.

After finishing all this, Bai Xuan finally had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief and prepare to go to the library of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion to borrow the Taiqing Guizhen Method, intending to continue studying the Nine-Bend Formation.

He simply couldn't believe that someone as intelligent as him couldn't even grasp the basics of the Nine-Bend Formation.

Before he could take a single step, Hongxiu approached and said, "Young master, Zijuan, the eldest princess's sister, requests your presence in the library."

At this time, although the Prince of Zhenbei had been buried, Bai Xuan had become the true master of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, and the generals of the northern border were well aware of this.

However, for Bai Xuan to succeed as the Prince of Zhenbei, he still needed to be officially conferred the title by the imperial court. The emperor would then grant him permission to inherit the throne, and the Ministry of Rites would discuss and determine the posthumous title for the Prince of Zhenbei before formally conferring the title with an imperial edict.

Although the North is semi-independent, the necessary ceremonies and procedures still need to be followed.

Therefore, Hongxiu still addresses Bai Xuan as "Young Master" rather than "Prince".

"The library?"

Bai Xuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said, "That's the same destination as mine, but why did you suddenly summon me to the library?"

"This servant does not know, but Sister Zijuan said that the young master should hurry up, as the eldest princess has something urgent to discuss," Hongxiu replied.

"Alright, let's go together then. We can discuss it and then choose the books. You should also take a good look and find a martial arts manual that suits you," Bai Xuan said.

"Young master, the library is a forbidden area of ​​the mansion, and no one is rewarded without merit," Hongxiu said in surprise.

"Yes, but you made me happy, isn't that a merit? Choose carefully, improve your martial arts, and protect your young master." Bai Xuan chuckled, then stepped outside.

At her age, Hongxiu's cultivation level of sixth rank is actually not low.

Ninety-nine percent of her peers in the martial arts world are not as skilled as her, and those who are stronger than her are basically core disciples of major sects.

But for Bai Xuan, it was still too low.

In his eyes, there are only four of the nine realms of martial arts.

One through six, they are all the same.

Hongxiu was slightly stunned, but then she quickly realized what was happening and hurried after Bai Xuan.

When Bai Xuan went out, he immediately saw Zijuan, who was also a beautiful maid, dressed in purple.

I wonder if all the high-ranking maids in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion have names containing suggestive connotations.

Upon seeing Bai Xuan, Zijuan bowed respectfully and then led the way.

Bai Xuan followed behind her, walking for a long time, passing through layers of corridors, and finally arrived at the library of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion.

Bai Xuan shook his head slightly and looked at Hongxiu and Zijuan beside him, saying, "Now I understand why the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion makes you maids practice martial arts. If you didn't practice martial arts, an ordinary maid would have broken her legs walking all this way."

Having a large family is one of its downsides.

The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion is so large that even walking around inside the house takes a lot of time.

"Perhaps, otherwise it would delay the young masters' important matters." Ziju smiled sweetly. She and Xu Yuhua had grown up together since childhood. Although she knew the hierarchy, she often joked with the young lady. Therefore, although she respected Bai Xuan, she was not afraid of him.

"No matter how big or small the matter, it's all a worry." Bai Xuan shook his head with a smile, took a step and walked into the library. As he passed the threshold, he glanced at the stone lions on both sides, a smile appearing in his eyes, and then strode inside.

"This old man greets the young master."

As soon as Bai Xuan entered, on the first floor of the library, a simply dressed old man immediately came forward to pay his respects.

"No need for formalities, where is my elder sister?" Bai Xuan asked.

This library contains all the martial arts classics and formation diagrams of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, making it a veritable human armory.

There are countless hidden masters in the pavilion.

But only three people are officially living here.

One is Li Daoyan, the top strategist of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, and the other is Lu Zhanqiu, the top expert of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion.

And besides them, there was only the scribe in front of him.

As for its origin, Bai Xuan didn't know either.

However, the fact that they are able to guard this place suggests that they are extremely loyal.

"The eldest princess and the second princess are with Mr. Li, waiting for you on the top floor, young master," the old man replied.

"Second Princess?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan showed a hint of doubt on his face.

Xu Yushuang, his nominal second sister, but Bai Xuan hadn't really interacted with her since she entered the manor.

It's reasonable for Li Daoyan and Xu Yuhua to consult with him, but it's not reasonable to include Xu Yushuang.

However, you'll know once you get up there.

So Bai Xuan didn't mind and said, "I'll go see my elder sister and the others. You find a martial arts manual suitable for my maid Hongxiu. She can choose any of the entire library without any restrictions."

Although they didn't know what it was about, they were discussing matters, and Hongxiu obviously couldn't listen in, so it was a good opportunity for her to choose a martial arts manual.

"Yes."

The elder should be treated with respect.

"Go find it."

Bai Xuan said something to Hong Xiu, then walked towards the high-rise building. This library was all-encompassing, containing countless secret manuals, and had a total of seven floors.

Bai Xuan quickly went up to the top floor, pushed open the door, and saw Li Daoyan, Xu Yuhua, and Xu Yushuang sitting in the room.

"They're here," Xu Yuhua said, looking up at Bai Xuan.

"Well, what brings you here?" Bai Xuan nodded, then gestured to Li Daoyan before sitting down in the main seat and asking.

"Yes, there are two things." Xu Yuhua's expression turned slightly serious. "The Ministry of Rites has been arguing for a month, and they still haven't settled on my father's posthumous title. With the end of the year approaching, it will most likely be delayed until after the new year. In other words, your investiture will also have to wait until after the new year."

"They've been arguing about the posthumous title for over a month. Are they trying to drag out our mourning period? Our father died loyally for the country on the battlefield. Is there any controversy about that? Even if the emperor wants to reduce the power of the princes, he shouldn't be so disrespectful to the dead. If he's going to give him a bad posthumous title, should we prepare to rebel? This person is hopelessly stupid. The country is doomed." Bai Xuan frowned upon hearing this.

An excellent politician must first be rational and respect the dead, because the dead will not affect your interests.

If this emperor doesn't even know this, he's probably only at the level of Zhu Yunwen. Well then, I'll just have to accept being emperor, even if it means being wronged.

"Third brother, watch your words!"

Upon hearing Bai Xuan casually utter the word "rebellion," Xu Yuhua's expression immediately changed, and she looked at Bai Xuan nervously.

To bring up the word "rebellion" out of nowhere is truly a case of "if you don't say something shocking, you'll die trying."

Even when the Prince of Zhenbei was alive, it was difficult for a rebellion in the northern border to succeed, let alone now.

It would be good enough if they could keep their family business.

If someone were to seize upon any evidence against them, it would provide the emperor with an excuse, and a single misstep could result in the execution of their entire family.

Xu Yushuang looked at Bai Xuan with equal surprise, never expecting that Bai Xuan would disregard the emperor so much.

A subtle expression appeared on Li Daoyan's face. As expected of a Jianghu person who grew up in the mountains and fields, he had no respect for royal authority.

"Let's be realistic," Bai Xuan said.

The Prince of Zhenbei sacrificed his life for the country; to give him a bad posthumous title would be utterly disrespectful.

Let's rebel.

"The posthumous title has been largely decided. Among the three, Zhongwu, Wumin, and Wuxiang, we are striving for Zhongwu, but many people in the court believe that Father King was too ruthless during his lifetime and think that Wuxiang is more appropriate than Zhongwu. Therefore, the debate is still ongoing," Xu Yuhua comforted her.

"That's alright, all three are honorary titles. But why argue about it? They've already been given, so it's best to give it to Zhongwu. If they refuse to give it to Zhongwu, we can't do anything about it if they give it to Wumin or Wuxiang. Instead, this delay will only make us more dissatisfied if Wuxiang is given in the end. And even if it's Zhongwu, I'd rather have given it to him from the beginning." Bai Xuan nodded, then asked with some doubt.

All three posthumous titles are excellent, with Zhongwu being the most outstanding among military posthumous titles.

The posthumous titles of people like Zhuge Liang and Guo Ziyi were all Zhongwu, and Yue Fei was originally Wumu, but was later promoted to Zhongwu.

While Wu Min and Wu Xiang are not as honorable as Zhong Wu, they are still posthumous titles. It is worth mentioning that Di Qing's posthumous title was Wu Xiang.

So actually, any of the three posthumous titles are acceptable.

If the imperial court were to grant the position to Wu Xiang, the northern border, though unwilling, would be able to accept it.

But dragging it out like this only makes people unhappy.

"The emperor's heart is hard to fathom, but if things drag on like this, something is bound to happen, so the northern border cannot be thrown into chaos. And only two people can decide whether the northern border is in chaos or not: one is my elder brother Xu Wenzheng, and the other is Uncle Leng. If we want to win over Uncle Leng Shih-hu, the number one general in the northern border, we must resolve the matter between Qinghan and you." Xu Yuhua said to Bai Xuan.