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

Abolishing serfdom was not a matter of a day or two. After eliminating the forces of opposition, it had to be implemented city by city and region by region. In the process of implementation, various problems would inevitably arise.

For example, in some regions, serfs, oppressed by slave owners for too long, rebelled. The best solution wasn't to send troops to suppress them, but rather for His Highness to write a letter of persuasion. Local officials discovered that the serfs trusted no one, even the Queen, but obeyed His Highness without question. His Highness's letters, telling them to abandon violent resistance, were more effective than the death penalty. Therefore, whenever such incidents occurred, officials would write to him for help, and His Highness would have no choice but to reply.

His Highness had great sympathy for the serfs and respected them very much. Every reply he wrote was very careful and long. Sandonne offered to write it for him, but was scolded by His Highness.

For example, many places set up huge bureaucratic institutions specifically to manage the sale and trade of serfs. When slavery was abolished, it was impossible to dismiss all the extra officials, so local officials reported this most pressing issue to the emperor, and a thick stack of petitions piled up on the prince's desk.

His Highness the Prince devised a plan: to send these officials to the countryside to alleviate poverty. The serfs had only recently been liberated, but most were still illiterate. These officials, having received education, were perfectly suited to serve as village officials.

To achieve this goal, the official salary system needs to be revised, which requires coordination with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of War, and other departments to formulate relevant policies. After completing these tasks, it is necessary to combine performance evaluations with the determination of different officials to set different salary standards…

In short, His Highness needs to do almost everything personally, as no one else has experience in reform and can't help His Highness much.

Her work was very busy every day, and going for a walk after dinner was a luxury. However, even under these circumstances, whenever she came to pour tea, His Highness the Prince would talk to her from time to time.

She knew that His Highness the Prince was worried that she would be bored because she didn't understand politics.

Chapter 190 Go if you want to, why ask me?

The chieftain of the Winged Clan, whose golden feathers had been plucked from his wings by the mischievous children, had replaced them with a pair of large outer garments to cover himself. More than three months later, new feathers had grown on his wings. He quietly came to the Prince's tent to show them off, saying:

"Your Highness, I am the most miserable of the three clan leaders. Please take pity on me and send me to Sky Island to investigate. It is said that the gods live on Sky Island, and the enforcers of the laws of heaven are also there. Perhaps I can even become an undercover agent."

His Highness said, "Go if you want to, why ask me?"

The winged clan chief explained:

"It's fraught with danger up there. Our ancestor received a divine decree from Sky Island and bravely rushed towards the heavens, never to return. The life lamp he left behind in the clan was also extinguished. If I really want to go, I hope Your Highness will give the order, so that my death will be considered a sacrifice for the country."

His Highness the Prince said slowly, "Knowing that death is inevitable, why go?"

The chieftain of the Winged Clan answered truthfully:

"With Your Highness's strength, avenging the assassination and annihilating my clan wouldn't take long. Yet Your Highness has chosen to spare the lives of all three clans and hopes we will serve the Winter Kingdom. You must value the three clans. The Siren Clan has countless beauties to enjoy, and the Necromancer Clan's necromancy is a secret skill coveted by many. After much thought, what value do the Winged Clan have? Their greatest contribution to the Winter Kingdom is using their ability to fly long distances to Sky Island to gather intelligence on the enemy. Rather than sending my clansmen to their deaths in the final battle, Your Highness would rather send only me. Even if I die, I can at least earn a reputation for serving my country."

His Highness the Prince sighed and said:

"Trust is indeed a luxury. Winged Clan Chief, I understand your concerns, and I can tell you definitively that no Winged Clan member needs to go to Sky Island to die. You think my attempts to win you over are to send you to Sky Island to gather intelligence? Not at all. In fact, for the sake of the future great war, I will do my best to win over any force that can help the Winterborn Kingdom, besides your three races. You shouldn't think too highly of yourself. There are many flying races on the continent of Teyvat, not just the Winged Clan. On the day we attack Sky Island, Barbatos will lend me a hand; it won't be your Winged Clan's turn."

A race skilled in flight, they possess an innate affinity with the wind element. The winged race chieftain asked excitedly, "Your Highness, are you referring to the great... Wind God? Do you know him?"

His Highness replied domineeringly, "All you need to know is that Barbatos will come to our aid. If he wants to stay out of it, then he'll have to be brought here."

The winged clan chief was deeply shocked.

After observing carefully for a long time, he came to an astonishing conclusion: His Highness the Prince was not joking at all. He immediately bowed down in worship and decided to follow the Prince wholeheartedly from now on.

After the Winged Clan chieftain left, His Highness the Prince asked her, "Columbia, how much do you know about Sky Island?"

The memories of the Celestial Race are passed down from generation to generation. Parents can pass them on to their children, and the children can pass them on to the next generation. Although she is a descendant of the Celestial Race and has a long lifespan, her memories are fragmented. From the time she was old enough to understand, she could only find some fragments from her vague childhood memories. Her parents told her that this was a protective mechanism, and they kept Sky Island a secret, always discussing matters in a nearby room.

Seeing her lost in thought, His Highness the Prince smiled and said, "Don't force yourself."

She dared not meet the prince's gaze, and with a guilty conscience, she explained that she came from the Celestial Spirit Clan and should have been fully aware of the situation in the heavens, yet she could not recall anything.

The thought of everyone striving against the laws of nature, the near-assassination attempt on His Highness the Prince, and the many lives lost by the common people intensified his guilt. He bit his lip and made a difficult decision: to find a deserted place, remove his blindfold, and open his eyes, hoping that this would awaken all his memories.

Just then, His Highness the Prince suddenly grabbed her hand and said, "You can't open your eyes, or the seal will break."

Even Her Majesty the Queen knows very little about the secrets of the eyes, so how could His Highness the Prince know so much?

Seeing through her thoughts, His Highness the Prince smiled and said, "I told you long ago that we've known each other for a long time, but you just wouldn't believe me."

It was the same old explanation again.

But this time she wavered. Perhaps His Highness was telling the truth. Only her parents and the members of the Celestial Spirit Clan knew the secret of the eyes. It was impossible for His Highness to have contact with his relatives, let alone obtain this information through other means. The only explanation was that they might have actually met before.

However, every time she saw the prince's confident smile, her heart would flutter, and she would frantically pull her hand away, saying, "Your Highness, you're hurting me."

His Highness gripped the object tightly and said, "Then promise me that from now on you won't do anything foolish. I know a little about Sky Island. I don't take Sky Island seriously; it's just the first step in overturning the laws of nature..."

"Your Highness, may I come in?"

Before His Highness could finish speaking, the voice of the Siren Clan Chieftain requesting an audience suddenly came from outside the tent.

An awkward silence fell over her. She felt her face burning and whispered, "Aren't you going to let go?"

His Highness the Prince calmly asked, "Will you agree or not?"

The siren clan chief was about to enter, and she hurriedly shook off his hand with a "hmm." If outsiders saw this, she really didn't know how she would get along with others in the future.

Wearing a short skirt that hugged her hips, revealing her bare shoulders, and with her wavy hair draped lazily over one shoulder, and on her feet a pair of gorgeous cotton boots, the siren clan chief had dressed up specially for today. After entering, she came to the center and bowed, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it was unclear.

Her deep blue eyes were brimming with a captivating charm, as if they could steal the soul of any man in the world. She asked in a soft, alluring tone, "Your Highness, the neighboring village has invited us to a charity ball tonight. A few days ago, you casually mentioned that you planned to attend in disguise, but you lack a suitable dance partner, so you've come to volunteer."

With toes touching the ground and shoulders relaxed, she skillfully performed several movements, demonstrating a profound foundation in dance.

His Highness nodded slightly and said, "Go down and wait for my instructions."

The siren clan chief was overjoyed.

After everyone left, she said with disdain, "It's freezing outside, and they didn't even wear a scarf. They have ulterior motives."

His Highness laughed heartily and said, "I didn't see any ulterior motives from them, but I could tell someone was feeling jealous. Apart from the costume being a bit gaudy, the overall dance was quite good, and the movements were very elegant, weren't they?"

She sneered, "The Siren clan trains in seduction techniques from a young age, possessing a whole repertoire of skills to seduce men. I advise Your Highness not to fall for it."

After saying that, he left the tent with a dark face, and instructed the guards at the door, "Don't close the door, let His Highness the Prince calm down inside."

The cold wind howled outside, just like her terrible mood.

In the dormitory, Sandone, who was fiddling with an old instrument, was completely oblivious to her bad mood. Bringing up the very thing she didn't want to hear, she asked, "There's a charity ball tonight. His Highness the Prince, always so approachable, has decided to attend in disguise. Of course, you'll be dancing. Have you arranged to be his dance partner? If not, I won't be so polite."

She pursed her lips and sat on the edge of the bed. "How could it be our turn? The siren chieftain struck first. Sandone, how come I didn't know you could dance?"

Sandonne stopped what he was doing and replied, “Dance, like a machine, may look complicated on the surface, but it actually contains repetitive rhythms and cadences. The more you watch, the more naturally you’ll get it. How about I dance a bit for you? I’ll make a fool of myself.”

They pulled the self-regulatory organization along and danced a duet.

She was greatly surprised. Sandrine, a recluse who rarely left her home and had almost no social life, could actually dance! A few years ago, a foolish count had gone to Sandrine's laboratory and invited her to a party, only to be tossed aside like a chicken by the self-regulating agency outside Winterfell. Since then, men would avoid Sandrine's house altogether, let alone invite her to dance or dinner.

She pulled Sandoni aside to teach her, and he immediately asked with a grin, "You're not going to the ball tonight, so why are you learning to dance? Oh, you want to compete with the Siren chieftain, are you just being stubborn?"

She stomped her foot and said, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'm not talking to you today."

She spent almost the entire day practicing with Sandoni, learning the movements, steps, and rhythm. By the afternoon, she was basically able to complete a dance independently.

On the other hand, Sandone, the "puppet," was in a sorry state. She had stepped on her new shoes and left dozens of footprints. She had no choice but to promise Sandone that she would get a few more old machines from the ancient kingdom of Kanria next time.

In the evening, she changed into a brand new floral dress, its colors simple and elegant, giving her a serene and graceful air.

The skirt was retrieved by a messenger from the Prince's Palace, who rode the fastest horse back to Winterfell.

Her Highness's daily life, including food and lodging, was usually taken care of by her and Sandone. Apart from the captain of the guards on duty at the gate and a few other guards, everyone else believed the Prince had been assassinated. The current head of the abolitionist plan was the [young girl], the executive officer. Therefore, the communications soldier, receiving the order suddenly, took it extremely seriously, thinking it was a matter of utmost urgency, and completed the task as quickly as possible, unintentionally setting a record for the shortest round trip.

She was a little embarrassed when she received the dress and wanted to explain the situation to the communications soldier, but was stopped by [Puppet] Sandone.

Back in the tent, Sandone told her, "Now, in the eyes of outsiders, you are the greatest contributor to the Winter Kingdom's reforms, and completing the mission you assigned is the greatest honor of the communications soldier's life. Are you really going to cruelly destroy his faith?"

She said with difficulty, "But once the serfdom reform is completed, the truth will eventually come out. The signalmen will eventually find out that the greatest contributor is His Highness the Prince, and that I was just carrying out the reform according to his guidance."

Sandoni laughed, "What's the difference? From the moment you agreed to cooperate with His Highness the Prince's plan to fake his death, you were already one with him. If nothing unexpected happens, His Highness came up with this plan because he knew you were by his side, which is why he dared to implement it with peace of mind. If you hadn't come, it would have been a different plan altogether."

"Ah, Columbia, His Highness the Prince is so good to you. In the future, your name will be written together with His Highness's in the history books of the Kingdom of Winter, engraved on the monuments of the Kingdom of Winter, and revered as a hero by the people of future generations."

She was silent.

Sandonne encouraged, "His Highness is disguised to attend the banquet, so you are the star of the night. Dance well, and don't embarrass me."

The tall, self-regulating organization next to her gave her a thumbs up.

"Don't even think about running away, you're coming with me tonight!"

The party was hosted by a businessman who frequently does charity work. His son was abducted by the servant who fed him when he was a baby, and the elderly couple spent most of their lives searching for him, suffering for most of their lives as well.

Two weeks ago, the local sheriff personally visited the elderly couple and found a clue to the child at a mine, asking them to identify him. Since serfdom had been abolished, this sheriff happened to be responsible for registering and verifying the serfs there. He noticed a young man with a birthmark on his forehead, which matched the features of an infant who had disappeared twenty years ago, and promptly notified the couple. After careful identification, it was indeed their biological son, and the family embraced and wept.

After years of business, the elderly couple decided to hold a charity ball after finding their son. This was partly to thank His Highness the Prince for his reforms, and partly to raise more funds to help the serfs reintegrate into society.

Initially, only some business owners with whom they had collaborated and local celebrities were invited. However, word spread quickly, and the actual number of guests attending the banquet far exceeded expectations. Upon learning that it was to express gratitude to His Highness the Prince, many businessmen and philanthropists traveled from afar to attend, filling up all the local hotels on the first day. Many people had to rent empty houses from local farmers.

The day before the ball officially began, every tavern and shop was packed with people, and the town was bustling with activity. The local retirees exclaimed that they had never seen so many tourists in their lives.

This "unknown" charity gala only circulated among the general public and was unknown to the upper class and nobility. On the night of the banquet, the so-called "celebrities" sitting next to her and Sandone in the main guest seats were just local people with some fame, not at all on the same level as the "celebrities" of Winterfell. In fact, apart from the organizers, no one recognized the identities of the two executives.

That's fine, she doesn't like crowds anyway, and she doesn't want to be the center of attention.

Moreover, without the royal family members and the upper-class nobles of Winterfell, there was no need to abide by those somewhat hypocritical formalities.

The atmosphere was lively, and the guests and tourists attending the dinner were very relaxed. After the host finished speaking, they began to enjoy their dinner.

Completely disregarding her ladylike image, Sandone picked up her wine glass and drank with the stranger next to her. If she hadn't been reminded, cake would have been stuck to the corner of her mouth. This young lady rarely participated in activities, but since she was serving as His Highness the Prince's personal bodyguard and had this opportunity, she simply indulged in eating and drinking to her heart's content.

She had a small appetite and only ate some cake and pastries.

For some reason, she saw the siren clan chief dressed in full regalia below the stage, but not the prince who had said he would attend in person.

Chapter 191 Ancient Legends

Dinner ended quickly, and then it was time for today's dance session.

Without permission, the host revealed her identity as an executive officer, and the air in the room suddenly fell silent. Many people had never seen the eleven executive officers of the Winter Kingdom in their entire lives, and now they all cast curious and awe-inspiring glances their way.

The host asked with a smile who would like to invite the two executives to dance, but the young talents in the audience hesitated for a long time. The saying "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger" applies everywhere. What if the dance goes wrong and displeases the executives?

To defuse the awkward situation, the captain of the Prince's guards stepped in to save the day, performed a gentlemanly bow, and invited the puppet Sandoni to lead the dance.

The atmosphere at the scene immediately became lively.

The men took their partners' hands and entered the dance floor, swaying their bodies to the music.

She sat alone in the main guest seat, feeling extremely uncomfortable under the watchful eyes of countless people.

Just then, a handsome man dressed in farmer's clothes walked up to her from the crowd, beaming, and invited her, "Beautiful Miss Executive, I would like to ask you to dance. Look at that beautiful dress; it would be a shame not to dance with you under the bright moonlight tonight!"

Looking at the "farmer" in front of her, she was both amused and exasperated. She transmitted her voice and said, "When did Your Highness become so glib? You only changed your clothes, but you didn't disguise your face. Aren't you afraid of being recognized?"

His Highness the Prince smiled and shook his head, his indifferent expression seeming to say, "Anyway, nobody knows him."

She had no choice but to reach out her hand, and His Highness naturally led her to the dance floor.

The people in the middle of the stage automatically made way for a large open space.

His Highness gently embraced her waist and whispered in her ear, "It sounds like I can hear you singing again."