Chapter 136

The Emperor, at the Blue Star base, was so appeased by his wife that not only did he settle the hidden unrest from various proposals, but he also took over the military tasks from her, working overtime to finish them all.

An emperor who willingly became his empress's secretary, looking at Lu Jiuzhu with eyes gleaming for approval.

The black and white striped tiger approached, stood up and rested its paw on the Emperor's thigh. Its massive paw repeatedly pressed and kneaded the Emperor's leg, purring loudly.

Lu Jiuzhu sat on a couch not far from the desk, her legs crossed and her long dress flowing. Multiple communication windows were active on her holographic screen.

The Emperor, unaccustomed to such treatment, immediately hugged the white tiger, smothering it with kisses, proudly saying, "These state affairs aren't that difficult, just a bit cumbersome. I just wanted to give our little tiger more opportunities to grow..."

It wasn't out of jealousy that the young man could spend every day with his wife on Blue Star.

Lu Jiuzhu, who knew her partner all too well, asked, "Have you seen the message sent by Yinghuai and Xiaoyou?"

The Emperor paused in petting the tiger, and murmured, "Continuing to self-fund this project is no longer appropriate. According to Yinghuai, the state treasury will fund the purchase of the project from the Lu family."

Projects initiated and funded personally would naturally belong to the individual, but the issue of energy stone purification was too significant to be held privately.

Lu Yinghuai's proposal to negotiate with the empire proves that, despite his claims of political indifference and impatience with social interactions, he possesses an unparalleled political acumen.

The Emperor loves Lu Jiuzhu, and by extension, favors the Lu family. However, he also has the responsibility of upholding this nation. Ideally, love and duty should coexist without conflict, providing the perfect balance.

"Meng Wenxuan's lab has already sent the data packages to both the Imperial Research Center and the Dormancy Center. A tripartite collaboration will soon yield results in the energy stone purification research."

Xiayou has nearly deciphered the solution, and the lab now only needs to detail the solving process and answer some supplementary questions. A lag in efficiency would indeed be unwarranted.

Lu Jiuzhu leaned back on the sofa, her long, manicured fingers rhythmically tapping on the armrest.

She is the Grand Marshal of the Empire, and the most powerful empress in its history. Yet she never believed that a strong woman should emulate a man.

She is simply herself.

She has a penchant for luxurious dresses, delicate and elegant manicures, dazzling jewelry, and intricate, poetic hairstyles.

None of her preferences ever defined or restricted her.

Because she's immensely strong; even lifting the most ornate and heavy skirts, Lu Jiuzhu can still pilot a mech and wield the sharpest blade.

The tiger with black and white stripes playfully bit the emperor's hand.

It wasn't painful, but the unexpected nibble made the emperor hiss instinctively.

Well, teasing a tiger comes at a price, but fortunately, this tiger truly loves him.

The emperor leaned in and gently bit the large white tiger's furry ear, whispering, "What title do you think would be most fitting for Xiaoyu?"

Lu Yinghuai has already risen as high as possible. Any further would be more of a threat than a reward. Xiaoyu's unique psychic healing ability will become less noticeable once the energy stone purification is complete.

He will become the empire's top psychic healer, highly esteemed but never perilously placed on a pedestal.

Lu Jiuzhu turned off the screen and seemed to chuckle, "A hereditary title?"

The emperor laughed in return, "A hereditary title."

Such a title represents the empire's respect for Xiaoyu's contributions. It grants Xiaoyu, and even his descendants or relatives, a voice independent of the Lu family.

This recognition in the form of a hereditary title benefits the Lu family, the royal family, and every member of Xiaoyu's guard.

Lu Jiuzhu stood up, walking to the desk. She rested her hand gently on the back of the chair where the emperor sat, leaned slightly forward, and smiled, "This title cannot be inferior to the one bestowed upon the Duke Xia due to his parental influence."

With the weighty tiger pressing on his lap and playfully gnawing at his fingers, and the breathtakingly beautiful empress looking down with a soft smile, the setting was surreal.

The emperor responded with a gentle smile, exhaling softly, "Of course... I think 'Prince' would be just right."

Titles in the empire aren't merely symbolic. Xiaoyu's hereditary title would stand in stark contrast to the mere ceremonial title of the Duke Xia.

Holding the title of Prince means Xiaoyu would have political involvement, territorial autonomy, property rights, business privileges, a network of followers, and beyond all this, a substantial annual stipend from the empire.

Such titles, each time they are granted, represent a continuous financial commitment for the empire in the future.

Lu Jiuzhu was pleased and stood upright, saying, "I find it quite fitting too."

The emperor pulled the departing empress into his embrace, burying his face in her hair, pouting, "Leaving right after getting what you want? How heartless... I might just cry."

Lu Jiuzhu playfully tilted the emperor's chin up with her fingers, her expression a teasing smile, "Cry then, and I'll console you."

***

"A hereditary Prince title?" Xiaoyu looked in surprise at the message from the main computer, stunned for a moment.

He never placed much importance on titles, but such a title was a coveted golden prize the Duke Xia had always desired.

Lu Yinghuai wasn't surprised. He picked up the rabbit that had nestled into Xiaoyu's embrace, reminding Xiaoyu of their prior decision to offer their experimental project.

Xiaoyu nodded in understanding, murmuring, "Ah, I see."

After they left the Polar Conservation Zone, they didn't go home but instead sent the map, marking the insect eggs and anomalous energy stone mines, back to the Blue Star Base.

The newlywed couple, finally having some leisure time, piloted their aircraft through the conservation zone, hoping to encounter companion beasts by chance.

Even after the energy stone purification is complete, only future citizens of the empire would be unaffected. Those previously suffering from psychic disorders would still rely on Xiaoyu's treatment.

However!

This wild rabbit was certainly not one of them.

Lu Yinghuai glanced at the plump rabbit by their side, showing no intention of fleeing.

This rabbit was caught by Latiao during a leisurely stroll in the forest the previous day. It's unknown if it had been startled by a tiger, but this rabbit, upon seeing them, didn't flee but kept snuggling into Xiaoyu's embrace.

It had been a long time since Xiaoyu had held such an adorably soft creature. He used it as a hand warmer, not letting go from last night until just now.

He pretended not to notice the leopard silently staring at him from the side.

Xiaoyu poked Lu Yinghuai's waist and leaned over to see his expression, teasingly saying, "Is our Yuan Yuan jealous?"

The heavyweight Marshal Lu naturally remained silent, but Yuan Yuan next to them forcefully nudged Latiao away, then pawed his way into Xiaoyu's arms, letting out a soft growl.

"Why ask me about Yuan Yuan's matters?"

A message practically gleamed on the face of the mature and composed man: "Ask me about anything."

Xia You, laughing heartily, tumbled around on the grass while hugging Yuan Yuan.

Lu Yinghuai bent down to adjust his impeccably neat cuffs, feigning calmness.

Still, he glanced several times at Xia You who was holding the pampered Yuan Yuan.

The high mountain and deep valley reserve here, due to its latitude, wasn't perennially snowy like the poles, nor was it as cold as the Blue Star base currently in winter. Instead, the climate was mild, with lush green grass and murmuring streams.

After rolling, Xia You, with bits of grass in his hair, released the big leopard and lunged at Lu Yinghuai from behind, embracing him and gifting him a forthright and lingering kiss.

Lu Yinghuai turned his cheek, gently picked the grass out of Xia You's hair, and with a smile on his face, said, "Are we going to continue stalking General Chen today?"

At that, Xia You bristled, decisively declaring, "We stalk!"

After saying this, Xia You was somewhat puzzled, "I don't get it. Aren't pandas supposed to be lazy? General Chen has been leading us around this reserve for three days. It's ridiculous."

Xia You and his group would spontaneously seek out fluffy creatures, targeting those nearby or ones they found interesting, occasionally receiving gifts from Cheng Zhinian and An Jing, who would capture them using their mechs.

But this particular panda was exceptionally elusive, maintaining a teasing distance as if playing hard to get. It didn’t allow them to get too close but would occasionally peek at them.

The seemingly benign black and white fluffy creature wasn't as harmlessly cute as it appeared.

The first time Latiao tried to force a capture, he almost got smacked by the panda's paw. Had Yuan Yuan not reacted quickly, the ever-vain Latiao, if scratched on the face, would have sulked for a while.

Yuan Yuan wasn’t particularly interested in capturing the panda. To him, killing the panda would be easy, but capturing it alive would take some effort.

Besides—why would he want to capture that black and white, fluffy creature for Xia You to pet?

If there were too many fluffy creatures at home, the leopard would find it challenging to be the sole beneficiary of the nightly affections.

Yuan Yuan yawned, and before his mouth closed, his eyes flashed menacingly.

Latiao, resting on the ground with closed eyes, twitched his ears and howled softly.

Xia You and Lu Yinghuai simultaneously stood up, looking in the direction of the noise.

That commotion sounded almost like an entire herd of horses galloping straight towards them.

"But in such mountainous terrains, where would a herd of horses come from?"

The chaotic noise drew nearer, and a sudden twitch in Lu Yinghuai's eyelid hinted at an ominous premonition.

From a distance, an unmistakable pure white wolf led the way, followed by over a dozen fluffy creatures from both the canine and feline families, with several distinct-feathered birds flying overhead.

"They're all... symbiotic beasts."

Lu Yinghuai: "..."

Xia You: "Wow!!"

On closer inspection, several walking creatures had reptilian symbiotic creatures clinging to them, among which was the familiar juvenile dark green forest serpent known to Xia You.

The large white wolf skidded to a graceful halt, enthusiastically howling as a greeting to Xia You and Lu Yinghuai. Without any semblance of seniority, it enthusiastically nuzzled into Xia You's embrace, allowing him to stroke its ears.

Sen Shi dismounted from a Great German Shepherd, which had been riding a breeze dog, and pulled a giant fluffy bundle from his spatial knot, hissing in laughter at Xia You.

Xia You had since overcome his fear of snakes, but the familiar yet strange fluffy creature before him left him slightly puzzled.

The multi-colored fluff stirred, and a white snake head adorned with pale pink rabbit ears emerged, greeting Xia You with a kiss on the back of his hand, as if challenging the leopard's authority.

Yuan Yuan, with only a mouth and four paws, but surrounded by attention-seeking fluffies, growled, "Roar..."

Lu Yinghuai: "..."

Lu Yinghuai opened his mouth, paused, then closed it, seemingly conflicted. After what felt like an eternity, he finally whispered, "Master... what performance is this?"

The white wolf, having retrieved its light-computer since returning to the base, tapped the screen with its paw and typed with a grin: [Oh, it was so dull back at the base, so I came to hang out with you all. It's livelier with more company!]

[Don't be so stingy as a partner.]

[Be more magnanimous!]

Lu Yinghuai: "..."

Yuan Yuan's leopard ears tilted almost entirely back, displaying his sharp fangs at the white wolf.

At that moment, Yuan Yuan's urge to defy and eliminate the wolf reached its zenith.