I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

Bai Zhou then styled Nian's hair into a bun, secured it with several jade hairpins, and then, satisfied, brought out a new dress and placed it on the small cabinet in front of Nian.

"Oh, do I have to wear this?"

"Sister will look beautiful in it."

"Hmph, that's right. Who do you think your sister is!"

Dressed in splendid new clothes, the beautiful immortal stood up and twirled around in front of Bai Zhou a few times, finally receiving his praise as she wished.

"Then I'm off, sister."

He said this, but stood at the door without moving.

"Sister, be careful, don't eat too much, and make sure you're well covered up at night."

Bai Zhou thought that Nian wanted to ask him for something more, so he softly said goodbye to her.

"Oh, that's not it."

Nian sighed helplessly, then extended her hand to him.

"Don't you have anything you want me to bring with me?"

"...This one."

Bai Zhou's expression stiffened slightly, then he said:

"With so many elders gathered here, I should have prepared gifts to congratulate them. However, I have been too busy lately to prepare any gifts..."

"Stop, stop, stop."

Unable to bear it any longer, he interrupted him.

"Who cares about those few? I'm talking about whether you asked me to pass it on to her."

"Sister, I haven't given you anything yet. I'll do it when you come back..."

Bai Zhou used the tactic of changing the subject.

Seeing his appearance, Nian didn't even look at him, but grabbed one of the various accessories on his waist and ran away after getting it.

"I'm leaving now, Little White! No need to see me off! But remember to miss me!"

The sounds of the year gradually faded away until they disappeared completely.

"Sister, oh sister."

Bai Zhou stood at the door, watching her leave with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

"It's better to catch something clever than to catch it quickly."

The accessory that had been pulled from his waist had only recently been returned to him, but now it was being given away again.

"So be it...so be it."

He has other work to do today, so there's no need to dwell on this matter too much.

After closing the door and entering the courtyard, I glanced around and saw the lynx already standing there waiting.

"Your Highness, good day."

Upon seeing Bai Zhou, the lynx, dressed in the official robes that Bai Zhou had specially prepared for her, held up her paws and greeted him.

"Kal'tsit, have you eaten?"

The greeting was very much in the style of Yan State, which made people smile.

"I've already eaten, Your Highness."

If possible, the lynx would actually like to eat here during the day, no matter what the dishes are like, at least it would be hot.

What did you eat?

Walking with Kal'tsit, Bai-day pondered various topics, but ultimately chose to press for answers.

"Pickled pork with mushrooms and potatoes, Your Highness."

"Hmm, is this the only dish?"

No wonder the lynx is so thin, eating only one dish. Bai Zhou wished he could keep the lynx by his side every day and watch her eat.

"He also had a bowl of soup, but he couldn't finish the other dishes by himself."

"Then Kal'tsit, come eat at my place tonight. Tell the royal kitchen what you'd like to eat and we'll prepare it."

"Your Highness, I am deeply honored."

The lynx kept calling him "Your Highness" and "Your Majesty" repeatedly, making Bai Tian's heart flutter with joy.

After chatting about everyday matters, it was time to talk about business. Bai Zhou also put away his smile and asked for her opinion instead.

"What does Kal'tsit think is the purpose of the envoy sent by Kazimierz this time?"

After Yan defeated Ursus and displayed its prowess to intimidate neighboring countries, numerous delegations of envoys arrived in Great Yan, bringing various congratulatory messages and gifts.

Besides the envoys sent by Gaul and Victoria to win them over, as well as envoys from the Eastern Kingdom, Syracuse, and Letania, Casimir also sent a delegation from afar, bringing many gifts and valuables to the Great Yan.

"Does Your Highness know who is currently in power in Kazimir?"

“Kasimir…it’s Attila.”

Bai Zhou naturally remembered the revolution that occurred in Kazimierz and the beneficiaries of it.

“I was quite surprised at the time that the boy actually returned from Gaul. And not only did he return, he also successfully seized the throne.”

"Her current achievements have not disgraced the reputation of her ancestors."

Suffering is necessary for the forging of heroes.

After reflecting on her feelings during the day, he began to ponder her intentions.

"Although Casimir and Ursus are both under the control of Gaul, Attila will not be content to submit to the tyranny of Gaul."

Bai Zhou clearly remembers that child's competitive spirit back then. How could someone like that be content to be a mediocre ruler when he grows up?

"Your Highness's victory over Ursus and thwarted Gaul's plot have shown the world the might of the Great Yan, giving her a glimmer of hope."

"This mission was both an endorsement of Gaul and a gesture of goodwill from her."

Kal'tsit believed that Bai Zhou had already guessed these major changes even if she didn't say it. But since he asked, she told him everything she could.

"Kal'tsit, what do you think we should say to her?"

Kal'tsit frowned slightly, then replied:

"His Majesty is ambitious and a wise ruler. As a wise ruler, how could he remain silent in the face of national humiliation?"

"uh-huh."

Bai Zhou nodded in agreement, saying:

“Kal'tsit is right, Adu is not one to be bullied. Since Gaul dares to openly and covertly contend with us, then my Great Yan does not mind becoming a friendly neighbor of Kazimir.”

Since we're neighbors, it's okay for me to give it some weapons and equipment to protect itself, right?

Since we're neighbors, is it okay for me to provide them with some technology to improve the quality of life for our residents?

Since we're neighbors, is it okay for me to lend it some money so it can improve itself?

If it weren't for the fact that another country is sandwiched between the two countries, Bai Zhou wouldn't mind taking a trip to Kazimierz and then "accidentally losing" a mobile city.

■

Good morning, everyone.

The New Year was already quite late, and as soon as she entered the house, she was greeted with a lot of teasing and laughter.

"Ninth Brother, you overslept again!"

"How could that be? I got up early today on purpose."

After replying, Nian called to Twelve in the kitchen, "Little guy, warm two bowls of wine and a plate of edamame."

"Ah Jiu, why are you wearing new clothes today?"

A hermit who was skilled in weaving saw her new clothes and asked her a question out of curiosity.

"It was given to me by the little guy before I left!"

"Ninth Sister, wine."

Nian proudly picked up his wine cup, shook his head boastfully, and was almost ready to pull out the other jade hairpins from his hair and put them in front of them.

"..."

One sentence caused the immortals to have different expressions.

"Although we know you're favored by him, this gathering and the gift-giving..."

The immortals had not returned to the capital for a long time, nor had they spoken with the true dragon for a long time. Seeing Nian showing off like this today, they couldn't help but recall the past and couldn't help but feel a little envious.

"It's just a gift. Back when I was teaching him, he would receive a gift every holiday, covering all aspects of life, including food, clothing, and shelter."

Some immortals had already enjoyed these things, and now seeing Nian's behavior, they just felt that she was quite naive.

"Sigh, I'm back too late. If I had known, I would have gone to see him a few days earlier; I might have gotten a gift too."

Some immortals are quite magnanimous and don't care whether they receive gifts or not.

"Pretty good, the little guy has a good eye."

"Yes, the fabric of this dress and the style of this hairpin are both excellent. You've put in a lot of effort, little one."

"..."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, but the artist found their noise annoying.

Is a mere piece of clothing something to brag about? It's like you're saying everyone has one.

Thinking of this, the artist puffed out his chest with a touch of smugness.

"Hey, it's the eleventh."

After drinking some wine, he peeled two edamame beans, chewed them, and came to the painter.

Why didn't you greet your sister?

She intimately embraced the painter.