Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Strategy Over War

For example, if Shang Tian Hao had wanted to find a chance to send Shang Xing Yu out of the capital in the past, then aside from Shang Xing Yu himself, Ye Rong and the others would have been anxious too, but they would have had no way to stop it.

Now it was different. If Shang Tian Hao truly tried to send Shang Xing Yu away, Minister Ye and Pei Ling Yuan and the others would definitely not just watch.

And taking another step back, with those people involved, Shang Tian Hao also would not dare act the way Shang Tian Hao used to.

Of course, Shang Xing Yu’s shaky reputation had also been salvaged a little.

Those three points were all on the surface. The most important gain was still the Han Family. The favor the Han Family owed was the biggest harvest this time.

Shang Xing Yu’s dark eyes looked over again. “Is Princess satisfied with the results this time?”

That gaze was proper, proper to the point it could not be more proper, yet Sheng Zhi Wan still felt it burn. Sheng Zhi Wan looked away on instinct before answering, “Of course I am.”

“Even if it means falling out with Qi Shi?” Shang Xing Yu asked. “I heard Duke Qi Residence has been lively lately.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s expression cooled. “You investigated my private affairs?”

“Yes.” Shang Xing Yu admitted it without hiding anything. “I need to know why Princess is doing this. Otherwise, one day, if Princess tells Qi Shi everything, I don’t want my partner to suddenly change.”

Shang Xing Yu paused, then leaned in without warning. “Besides, I think I’m biased against Qi Shi. I just feel Qi Shi doesn’t deserve Princess.”

Their breaths tangled suddenly, and Sheng Zhi Wan’s body stiffened.

Sheng Zhi Wan was about to retreat when Shang Xing Yu pulled back first.

Shang Xing Yu spread a hand innocently. A small spider rested in Shang Xing Yu’s palm. “Princess, don’t be afraid. That little thing almost fell on Princess just now.”

Sheng Zhi Wan stared, stunned for a moment, then finally steadied her scattered thoughts.

Shang Xing Yu was right. If they wanted to cooperate, there had to be trust.

And Sheng Zhi Wan believed Shang Xing Yu truly cared for commoner. Otherwise, in her past life, Shang Xing Yu would not have used Scorched-Earth Defense to protect tens of thousands of commoner in Ting Zhou, fighting the hardest battle of all.

Sheng Zhi Wan looked at Shang Xing Yu. “I did this for two reasons. For Sheng Kingdom, and for myself.”

“In recent years, Sheng Kingdom’s wars have never stopped. The State Treasury is empty. Right now everything looks bright and thriving, but if a war or a natural disaster hits, there will be chaos.”

Sheng Zhi Wan continued, “Also, among my imperial brothers, Young Master Shang Er, which one do you think can shoulder the heavy responsibility?”

Everything Sheng Zhi Wan said had come true in her past life.

At the end of this year, the north suffered drought. The next summer, the south flooded. After that came disaster after disaster, big and small.

And those princes sank deep into the fight for the throne. They used the disasters as tools, attacking each other and tearing each other down, never caring whether commoner lived or died.

Shang Xing Yu heard the deeper meaning in Sheng Zhi Wan’s words, yet Shang Xing Yu still could not quite believe it. It was not that Shang Xing Yu doubted what Sheng Zhi Wan wanted to do.

It was that Sheng Zhi Wan would reveal this kind of thought to Shang Xing Yu at all.

Was Sheng Zhi Wan not afraid that…

Shang Xing Yu asked, “Which prince does Princess favor?”

Sheng Zhi Wan met Shang Xing Yu’s gaze. “I trust you. So I want that seat.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes were steady.

After returning from rebirth, leaving Duke Qi Residence was never Sheng Zhi Wan’s only goal. Sheng Zhi Wan wanted to leave Duke Qi Residence and make the people who owed her in her past life pay the price.

But Sheng Zhi Wan wanted even more to protect Sheng Kingdom. Sheng Zhi Wan wanted to understand why Grandmother had told Sheng Zhi Wan to hide her talents.

If Grandmother did not need Sheng Zhi Wan to be clever, why had Grandmother arranged for people to teach Sheng Zhi Wan these things anyway?

And the Cold Poison in Sheng Zhi Wan’s body – the great Master said Sheng Zhi Wan carried it from the womb. Who would poison a mere palace maid?

Sheng Zhi Wan’s gaze met Shang Xing Yu’s. Calm and bright, yet firm enough to be unshakable.

Shang Xing Yu’s heart thudded hard once. “Then Duke Qi Residence and Qi Shi?”

“I will leave,” Sheng Zhi Wan said.

Shang Xing Yu’s eyes lit up. “Good!”

“What…?” This time, Sheng Zhi Wan was the one who froze.

Shang Xing Yu’s eyes curved with a smile. “What do you need me to do this time, Princess?”

Seeing Shang Xing Yu smile, Sheng Zhi Wan blanked for a moment. Sheng Zhi Wan suddenly remembered the sandalwood scent from that night, and looked away. “I need you to form a merchant caravan that travels between Sheng Kingdom and Te Dan, and I need you to do it in the shortest time possible.”

Te Dan bordered the west of Sheng Kingdom and met the two provinces of Yi Zhou and Zhi Zhou. The land was fertile, and grain yields were high.

These years, Te Dan and Sheng Kingdom were not exactly friendly, but trade among commoner had always been frequent. As long as there was silver, pulling together a caravan was not hard.

Shang Xing Yu frowned slightly, puzzled by Sheng Zhi Wan’s purpose. “Does Princess want silver, or grain?”

“Both,” Sheng Zhi Wan said.

Sheng Zhi Wan dipped a finger in water and drew the shape of the two countries on the table. “I want Te Dan to become my granary and my money bag.”

The royal house of Te Dan honored purple above all else. But extracting purple dye was complicated.

To obtain it, Te Dan had to cross Pu Ya Mountain and the Li Yin Grasslands and trade with other coastal nations to acquire murex snails. Even then, murex snails lived in the deep sea, and collecting them was extremely difficult, so only a small number of royals and nobles could obtain the purest purple.

But a few years ago, Sheng Kingdom had received a batch of flower bulbs offered in tribute by Zate Yan Jue. The flower was called the Li Lan Flower. The bulb was as large as an egg and shaped like garlic, and the petals and leaves came in many different forms and colors.

Emperor Chong Sheng distributed those bulbs to the various palaces, and Sheng Zhi Wan had been fortunate enough to receive some. Later, because Sheng Zhi Wan feared the cold, Sheng Zhi Wan kept those flowers at the imperial villa and hired specialists to care for and cultivate them.

By now, they had produced over ten thousand plants.

Ninety-nine point nine percent of the blooms were white, yellow, pale apricot, or light pink. But there were also a very tiny number of special ones, where vivid purple spread across white petals.

The moment Sheng Zhi Wan first saw that bud, Sheng Zhi Wan had made this plan.

Strategy Over War. Next came breaking alliances, then attacking armies, and only then besieging cities.

Sheng Zhi Wan would take Te Dan without using a single soldier, and hold all of Te Dan in the palm of her hand.