Genshin Impact: I, the Winter Prince, reign supreme.

His Highness the Prince replied:

“I’ve met with all eleven of your executives over the past few days. We can deal with the others later; first, we need to resolve Columbia’s issue. You know, even though her power is sealed, it’s still very dangerous. She needs care, protection, and attention. She’s currently an executive of the Winter Kingdom, but she might be turned against us by the Heavenly Principle in the future. You’ve come to me for advice, and this is my first piece of advice: whoever controls the [Girl] controls the world.”

Double entendre.

The Ice Queen asked, "If I acknowledge the problems you raised, then you can lie to her?"

His Highness pondered, “I can help Zhidong achieve her great cause of defying the laws of nature, and I can face Sky Island without hesitation. The only thing I cannot bear is the day when she and I meet on the battlefield. If that day ever comes, I will not be able to dodge the sword she thrusts at me.”

I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge the sword she thrust at me.

Because the person opposite is the [girl] Columbia.

The Ice Queen sighed, "You see further and more clearly than I do. So why were you so happy when she refused?"

His Highness said confidently, "She refused because of her pride. In six months, she will definitely agree to let me go see the snow."

The Ice Queen said, "From what I know of that girl, she's cold and lacks enthusiasm for anything. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart, once she's made up her mind, she'll never easily change it. Can you reveal some details of the plan?"

His Highness smiled and said, "Of course. As Empress, you must cooperate with my plan. The plan is that you, in the name of the Empress, will seek marriage partners for me from the outstanding women of the six kingdoms!"

Chapter 181 His ambition is no less than mine

The Ice Queen was taken aback. "Help you find a husband?"

To the Ice Queen who had saved him, His Highness the Prince spoke without any reservations:

"The usual approach to pursuing a girl like her is to create a chance encounter and gradually build up affection by spending time together. However, for a woman who is used to being alone, conventional methods risk failure if you want to open her heart."

"Therefore, I did the opposite and expressed my feelings directly from the very first meeting. Her current rejection of me is simply because she suspects my motives are impure and that I have ulterior motives for approaching her. So, I might as well become a womanizer as she wants. Go and help me find a wife; send letters to the most beautiful women in the six kingdoms."

“When I leave Zhidong with other women to live a carefree life of wandering the world, she will inevitably feel a great sense of loss and come looking for me. At that time, if I confess my feelings to her, I will surely win her over in one fell swoop. If you don't accept my confession, why are you crying when I leave? This is a strategy of retreating to advance, of feigning indifference to lure you in.”

The Ice Queen clapped her hands and praised, "What a brilliant move of feigning indifference!

His Highness laughed and said, "Columbia is a very proud woman, but I am even more proud than her, so I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. People with personalities like us always like to torment each other. I hope the Empress will not laugh at us."

The Ice Queen pondered his words, "He who possesses the [young maiden] possesses the world," and while personally brewing him tea, she smiled alluringly:

"Even I have to condescend to handle this matter; being a matchmaker is no easy task. My prince, how do you intend to thank me?"

His Highness looked at the Ice Queen, his tone slightly changing, "Your Highness?"

The Ice Queen explained:

"Since it's an act, let's make it as realistic as possible. A marriage proposal always needs an identity, so why not help you with the plan under the guise of recruiting a princess? That would make the plan more credible. Since I ascended to the throne as Empress, apart from those uncles who were constantly threatening suicide for official positions and the few relatives who made contributions, I have never conferred a title upon anyone other than a prince."

"The ranks of nobility are divided into Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Duke, with Prince ranking above Duke and only below me. There is a formal coronation ceremony for a Prince. Once you have achieved political success and silenced those old ministers who, upon learning that I have bestowed upon you the title of Prince of a different surname, will likely be remonstrating three times a day, morning, noon, and night, shouting 'Your Majesty is confused,' I will then hold a grand and magnificent ceremony for you. If you do not like the title of Prince, you can wear this ice crown on your head."

This was an absolutely shocking conversation, with the Queen of Winter willing to relinquish the throne that symbolized the highest power in Winter.

Faced with the temptation of power, His Highness the Prince didn't even blink, chuckling as he said, "No need to test me. I have no interest in your throne. Even if I wanted to ascend the throne, I would need the approval of Sky Island, but they wish I were dead right now. Your Majesty, you really overestimate me. It seems I have no choice but to serve the Kingdom of Winter."

Upon hearing the address "Your Majesty," the Ice Queen smiled charmingly, pleased with herself. She brewed tea for him again, adopting a humble posture, and said:

"With your abilities, a dramatic change is bound to happen in Winterlands. I believe you are right. Once you are all lovey-dovey with other women, Columbia will regret it and you will finally win the heart of the beauty. She will even prefer to believe that she has saved a savior of the Teyvat continent."

Hearing the flattery around him, His Highness the Prince calmly asked one last question, "If you want me to help you govern the Kingdom of Winter and improve its overall national strength in the shortest time, are you willing to let me judge your relatives and behead them if they commit crimes?"

Throughout history, the corruption and collapse of empires, the changes and turmoil of royal power, have mostly been caused by the emperor's relatives. These privileged individuals have always been the greatest obstacle to reform. The Ice Queen secretly admired the Prince's wisdom, and after hesitating for a long time, a cold glint flashed in her eyes as she replied:

"My relatives and clansmen may insult you, attempt to assassinate you by any means necessary, or even rebel. If they merely engage in petty tricks, slandering and insulting you behind your back, I may find it difficult to speak up for you in front of the court, but I will remain silent and not support them. If they dare to assassinate you or rebel, you won't need to lift a finger; I will personally eliminate their faction."

“My prince, from this day forward, you will hold the power of life and death until winter, and you need not consult me ​​again.”

His Highness, holding a teacup and offering tea instead of wine, said, “With your determination, I can proceed with the reforms without restraint. You just asked how I should thank you for being a matchmaker. Everyone says that the ancient kingdom of Kanria is so powerful that even the laws of heaven are wary of it. How about letting Zhidong surpass Kanria?”

The Ice Queen, once again surprised, was moved and raised her teacup to clink glasses with him, saying earnestly, "I look forward to your performance."

Having finished her business with the "Descendants," the Ice Queen came outside and, standing impatiently in the snow, approached them and asked:

"Your Majesty, this person has only been here for a few days. Is it inappropriate for you to trust him so much?"

"He's still delusional enough to want me to accompany him to enjoy the snowy scenery. Humph, I certainly don't want to. If you insist on satisfying his unreasonable demands, send Rosalind or Sandone instead. Just don't send Arecino; her temper might tear the 'Descendant' to pieces. This guy is lawless because of your trust in him; he's arrogant, narcissistic, and domineering."

The Ice Queen slowly said:

“I have been observing his injuries every day for the past few days. His rapid recovery is entirely due to his amazing elemental affinity. None of you noticed this because his strength was too weak to attract your attention, but I have the same elemental affinity as him, which is why I discovered it.”

She had always suspected that even if she had given blood transfusions to the "Descendant" for several days in a row, even if Her Majesty the Empress had injected divine power into his body, and even if the palace physicians had performed the surgery exceptionally well, it would not explain why the damage that Heavenly Law had caused to his body could not be seen on the skin within just a few days.

He had just gotten out of bed and walked five steps yesterday, which caused his wound to tear open, but today he was full of energy as if nothing had happened. Only then did he realize the reason: his elemental affinity, comparable to that of a god, gave him a terrifying self-healing ability like that of a god. As his strength increased, he would soon reach a state of immortality, and beyond that would be the realm of the immortal god.

With such monstrous talent, even if they started cultivating elemental power very late, their future achievements are unimaginable. Dr. Doughtore, who specializes in studying gods, once proved that the seven Teyvat gods possessed this unparalleled and terrifying talent from birth, including the Ice Queen, who, although human, was a rare and exceptional darling of ice elemental power.

Legend has it that shortly after Her Majesty the Queen's birth, her parents went to a bar to celebrate and got drunk. They collapsed on their doorstep with their child. The next day, people found her parents frozen to death, but a baby girl had miraculously survived and even smiled at the onlookers. This incident alarmed the former Ice Queen, who sent people to bring the baby girl back to the palace and raise her with great care.

Later, when Her Majesty the Queen spoke with the executives, she explained that it was not a miracle. She had never felt cold since birth. The ice element not only did not harm her, but also actively enhanced her physique. Even if she did not cultivate every day, the ice element power in her body was still circulating on its own, constantly developing and growing stronger. This was a manifestation of extremely high elemental affinity.

Facing the biting wind and snow outside, Her Majesty the Queen spoke earnestly again:

"The painting on the wall, you named that sword intent 'Sword of Guardian,' which perfectly matches the theme of the painting, and there is another layer of meaning to it. The person holding the sword in the painting is him. He said he wanted to protect you, but he is protecting more than just you. When he said, 'If I can't even protect the people around me, how can I protect the world?' I knew that his vision was not limited to protecting the Winter Kingdom. His ambition is no less than mine."

As she listened to the Queen's reinterpretation of the painting, she suddenly felt that it made some sense.

Her Majesty the Queen continued:

“Columbia, when you came to see him today, didn’t you notice any changes in him? He somehow managed to resist the curse from the heavens. If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t have lasted past the third day before my divine status shattered.”

"The Keeper of Heaven's Law did not pursue the enemy all the way to the Winter Palace, not only because her own condition was unstable, but also because the 'Descendant' was bound to die from the vicious curse she released. But he was still alive, even if it was only a temporary suppression of the curse, which was already a miracle."

"Why do I trust the Prince so much? These are the reasons. A person who cannot even be killed by the laws of nature will be the greatest variable on the continent of Teyvat."

She had no doubt about the Empress's judgment. Since even His Majesty had said so, the arrogant man she had previously despised suddenly seemed much more impressive. She pricked up her ears and hurriedly asked:

"You called her... a prince?"

Her Majesty the Queen smiled and nodded, saying, "From now on, you shall address him as His Highness the Prince, the Prince of Winter, who ranks above the Eleventh Executive Officer. Columbia, I have another task for you. Before he fully matures, it is the period when he is most vulnerable to premature death and demise. You must ensure his safety."

Sensitive to the situation, she immediately assumed it was a deal between Her Majesty the Queen and the "Descendants," and that she had become a bargaining chip. She promptly refused, exclaiming, "Why me of all people? I'm not going!"

Her Majesty the Queen said helplessly, "You... then send Arecino to carry out this mission."

She deliberately spoke loudly in a tone that everyone in the room could hear:

"Anyone is fine, but I'm not."

Because Arecino was too busy with training at the House of Hearths to spare any time, Her Majesty the Queen appointed the puppet Sandone as the Prince's personal bodyguard.

Like her, Arecino, upon receiving the mission, made a huge fuss and nearly destroyed the laboratory. She also demanded that she treat everyone to the most expensive food in East City and go to the dangerous border of the Canria ruins to capture a few large "farming machines" in order to make up for her mental anguish.

It was a very good deal, and she agreed without hesitation.

Let alone eating the most expensive delicacies of winter, even if she were to make an unreasonable request to ask Her Majesty the Queen to personally cook a few dishes, she would comply without hesitation.

On his first day as His Highness the Prince's personal bodyguard, Sandonne met with her that evening and shared his experiences from the day, saying:

"This newly appointed prince doesn't do his job properly. So many ministers and nobles are eager to curry favor with him, but he has the leisure to take me on a trip to the countryside in a carriage."

"I thought he was going to contact the big landowner who owned half of the farmland in the Winter Kingdom to support his work. But the landowner received a message from the palace secretariat by carrier pigeon and, as is the usual way of receiving important figures from the palace, gathered all the local small landowners together to wait for the prince's audience."

"Considering the prince's unique status, the landowner prepared a grand welcome ball. The wine and cakes on the table were of no less quality than those in Winterhold, and the fruit baskets, typical of the countryside, were so tempting that even I was envious. The landowner's eight daughters attended in their finest attire, each one as beautiful as a flower, and their wedding attire would likely be no more impressive than this."

"Upon hearing that the prince was from out of town, fearing he might be chilled by the wind and snow, the land took the initiative to use more than 500 slaves to set up a stove around the open-air stage. The people sitting in the wind and snow were so hot that even after taking off their thick cotton coats, they were still sweating profusely, as if they had been to the scorching hot Nata Kingdom."

"And guess what happened? Our prince was completely different from other officials. He wasn't going to see that big landowner at all. When the carriage arrived, he bypassed the group of well-dressed landowners and instead chatted happily with a group of serfs. Although those serfs had pitiful backgrounds, they knew how to curry favor. Our prince was probably overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and actually sat on the snow and talked with them for the better part of the day."

"Thinking that the mud there would dirty my boots, I stood at a distance and waited. I don't know what they were talking about, but I vaguely heard the prince say something like 'The serfs have been liberated and are now singing.' I reckon the landlords all heard it. Columbia, you really should go and see. Their expressions changed drastically, and their faces turned as green as frogs."

"Anyway, it was almost dark when our prince remembered he had to go back to the palace. You ask if he chatted with the landowners? Of course not. Our prince has quite the airs of an official; he said he was tired today and gracefully boarded his carriage. But those serfs, after our prince left, for some reason, cried and wailed, shouting 'Your Highness!' with such force that you could still hear them long after the carriage had driven off. They scared the horses so much that they galloped wildly all the way, making me dizzy and disoriented."

"Alright, that's what happened today. Sigh, it's a good thing you didn't go, you would have suffered terribly if you had."

The next day, as usual, he waited for her at Sandoni's place.

When Sandone returned, she was in low spirits and her eyes were a little red. She hurriedly asked if she had been bullied by the prince.

……

Ps:

Sigh, it's been another hectic day. I'll post this now and revise the details tomorrow. Please bear with me.

In addition, I've been using long chapters of 4,000 words these past few days, so what you see as one chapter is actually equivalent to two previous chapters.

I can only eat dinner now, but the food is already cold.

I need to adjust my schedule tomorrow.

Chapter 182 Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish

When the puppet Sandonne, who had accompanied the prince on his second day of travel, returned home that night, her mood was completely different from the day before. She immediately hugged Sandonne to comfort her and said:

"It must be because I didn't agree to protect him, so he's taking it out on you. Sandone, how dare he bully you, I'm going to settle the score with him right now! He's just taking advantage of Her Majesty the Queen's temporary favor, what's so great about him?"

She visited the Winter Palace this morning, where the princes and ministers were still queuing up to be received by the prince, all complaining and clamoring to go to Her Majesty the Queen to accuse the prince of dereliction of duty.

Upon reaching the gates of the Winter Palace, I spotted a familiar figure. It was the lady-in-waiting in charge of palace etiquette, a woman of exceptional diligence and responsibility. She had personally taught each official the proper manners for entering the palace.

It took immense patience to get eleven unruly executives to follow the elaborate rules of etiquette. The lady-in-waiting devoted a great deal of energy and effort to teaching all of them.

That day, Her Majesty the Queen publicly praised her in front of all the courtiers in the palace hall, which made her famous. Royal relatives and nobles invited her to their homes to provide special training for their children.

She was acquainted with the lady-in-waiting and had established a friendly relationship with her when they were learning court etiquette. She was the most diligent and fastest learner among the eleven executives and was appointed as a squad leader by the lady-in-waiting.

Upon meeting again, the lady-in-waiting was extremely anxious and took the initiative to ask for her help, hoping that she could persuade His Highness the Prince to take some precious time to seriously study etiquette, so as not to make a fool of himself when he went to the palace for meetings.

She smiled wryly and said that she couldn't possibly control the prince.

The female official's face was full of sorrow and tears streamed down her face. She stamped her feet anxiously and lamented what she should do.

Several ministers in charge of water conservancy gathered together and whispered among themselves.

As she passed by, she overheard them talking about a severe ice storm in the southern temperate region that urgently needed relief and assistance. Now, Her Majesty the Queen had announced that His Highness the Prince would implement new policies, entrusting him with the power to govern the country. However, the Prince had disappeared without a trace.

Several other ministers were discussing the upcoming visit of delegations from Fontaine and Natta. The delegations were high-ranking officials from both countries, and His Highness urgently needed instructions on the appropriate standards for their reception.

Besides the many ministers who had to report on their official duties, there was also a group of princes and nobles leisurely gathering together to eat melon seeds.

This group of royal relatives weren't doing their jobs; their purpose in coming to the palace was to curry favor with and win over the newly appointed prince. Even they, after waiting for two consecutive days, became impatient, and their words were often disrespectful.

She thought to herself, "Her Majesty the Queen may have misjudged this person."

His Highness is not up to the task.