A woman dressed as a man and played the male supporting role: the male protagonist always broke the

Chapter 70 The Dark Prime Minister vs. The Prince in the Cold Palace 17
"Shut up, all of you! Let the Prime Minister speak."

The emperor was irritated by them and shouted at them.

A bunch of useless people, not only can they not compare with the prime minister, but they also like to step on others' feet and stir up trouble. If they were not completely useless, he would not bother to see them.

Ling Mo waited until they were quiet before he continued slowly, "Although the ministers often talk about things that are not very important..."

Just talking nonsense all day long.

The courtier was stabbed in the heart.

"But one thing is still correct..."

That's all you can do.

The courtier was stabbed in the heart again.

The corners of Situ Jing's mouth curled up slightly.

"Dafan and Li are both vassal states of Yuye. It would be bad to help either side. Since we want to form an alliance through marriage, let each country send a princess to form an alliance through marriage."

shock!
After Ling Mo finished speaking, those who reacted were instantly enlightened, their eyes widened and they clapped their hands: "Great! This way, if we refuse to send troops to help the Great Fan Kingdom, people won't say that we are cowardly and don't have the demeanor of a great country. We don't even dare to form an alliance."

"The Prime Minister is very wise!"

"This is a very clever plan."

……

The matter that had been bothering them for days was resolved by Ling Mo's two sentences, and no one could refute it or find a better solution.

"Your Majesty, we still have to send troops."

The whole place was silent again.

However, no one came out to refute, but waited for Ling Mo to finish speaking.

Although some people do have itchy mouths.

The emperor stopped smiling and was also very puzzled.

"Both Dafan and Li are right next to our territory. Since we can't stop the war now, it's safer to send troops to suppress them nearby to avoid bringing disaster to our people."

"Besides..." She paused, and everyone felt that she was about to say something big.

"Under war, there will naturally be more refugees. These refugees cannot go to either country. To the west are the Xiongnu. How can the bloodthirsty Xiongnu accommodate them? But our dynasty can."

"First, it demonstrates our dynasty's tolerance and generosity.

“Secondly, the people of Dafan and Li were separated from Yuye because of war a hundred years ago. Now that we accept them, they can settle down in our dynasty and recognize their ancestors.

"Thirdly, even if some people don't want to stay, we can teach them that 'the world is one family, and Yuye is one person', and 'the ruler of the Central Plains is the legitimate emperor'. After that, even if the war stops, they will not forget to respect and love the Yuye Dynasty when they return."

"To put it bluntly, a vassal state can also become our state or county, right?" She asked this question with a smile on her face, and she spoke nonchalantly as if she was discussing what to eat today.

What vassal state? It is clearly a prefecture that is not part of our dynasty! It is clearly a territory that is scattered outside our dynasty!
"How dare you!" the emperor scolded.

Of course, it would be more credible if he said these two words without smiling as much as a chrysanthemum.

"I am so embarrassed that I spoke so arrogantly for a moment." Ling Mo bent down and blamed himself at the right time.

"Ahem, since the Prime Minister is doing this for the good of the people, let's forget about it this time. But in the future, you must not make such absurd remarks in public."

OK, I mean you can talk to him in private.

Everyone knew what was going on, but when the prime minister said one, two, three, their eyes lit up again and again.

Situ Jing looked deeply at the young man standing among the crowd. Although he was not as good as the fairy sister, if this person could become his helper, he would definitely be able to fight ten people at once.

The prime minister made a beautiful appearance for everyone when he returned to the court for the first morning audience. So, your father is still your father, and the chief of the ministers is still the chief of the ministers. Not everyone can challenge or question him at will.

In the imperial study room.

The emperor left the prime minister to play chess.

"You, you, other ministers either beat me to show that they are not afraid of power, or they carefully lose to flatter me, but you always draw with me! Do you really think I can't see it?"

"Of course I knew that Your Majesty could see it, so I called it a draw. Between the monarch and his subjects, a draw is just right." Ling Mo put down the black piece in his hand, picked up the cup next to him, and took a sip of tea.

The best silver Maojian tea only produces one and a half kilograms a year, and it all belongs to the emperor.

Such a plain and straightforward way of speaking made the emperor suddenly understand.

He had indeed locked up the prime minister for too long.

The past four years have felt like forty years. Before, he and she were just like father and son, but now when they go out, they might be said to be like grandfather and grandson.

The emperor looked at the young man in front of him and couldn't help but sigh at the passing of time.

However, after playing two games of chess, he felt a little tired.

"What was said in the court today can be said in private later."

"I understand."

The emperor snorted, "You are the one who knows the least!"

Looking at the expressionless boy opposite him, he didn't care. He had long been accustomed to her indifferent look.

"Are there any more specific measures for what you mentioned today?" The emperor finally asked his main purpose.

"Yes." Ling Mo looked at the emperor and said seriously.

"Then why didn't you say anything in the court today?" The emperor narrowed his eyes, his shrewd gaze falling on her face, "Are you blaming me for locking you up for four years? Are you resentful?"

"I dare not." She said calmly.

But her cold look made it hard to convince people that she really didn't dare.

Instead, it seems more like being wronged, but being angry but not being able to speak out.

"Ling Mo!" The emperor slammed the table and said angrily, "Embassies from various countries were all here, but you forced me to release Sixteen at that time, simply because you knew that I had to agree to you in order to save face.

"But how will other people see you? As a ruler, I am being led by a minister. Do I have no shame? Where do you put me?!"

Ling Mo bowed his head and saluted, "I know I was wrong, but Your Majesty, there is one thing I should have said four years ago. Although it is too late to say it now, I still hope you will listen."

The emperor suppressed his anger and said, "You say!"

"The reason why I told you this at that time was, firstly, because I wanted Your Majesty to agree to let the Sixteenth Prince come out, and secondly, to stop the conspiracy of the Kingdom of Li."

"What conspiracy?" the emperor was shocked.

"When I investigated corruption, I found out about the construction of the Hot Spring Palace. The hot springs in the palace needed to be built with a kind of stone called warm stone, and this stone was only available in Li State. Because of its uniqueness, they naturally sold the warm stone at a sky-high price.

“According to what I learned, when the officials and merchants from the Kingdom of Li were negotiating the price, neither side gave in. Finally, they agreed to buy a large amount of warm stones at the original price on the condition that the Li people would deliver them.

"The journey from Li Country to Kyoto is long, and the money spent on the journey is even more expensive, equivalent to 30% of the price of this batch of warm stones. So why did they choose this business that would lose money no matter how you calculate it?"

Not expecting the emperor to answer, she continued, “Because the people they sent to deliver the warm stones will all stay in the Hot Spring Palace and participate in the construction of the palace to earn wages.

Goods in Kyoto are expensive, and the workers earn almost five times as much as workers in Li Country. So both sides feel that they have gained an advantage, which is a double-happy situation.

But your majesty, the problem lies with these Li country workers. They are not ordinary laborers, but soldiers from the army!"

(End of this chapter)