I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

The first fire set by the new emperor upon his ascension to the throne burned so fiercely that no one had expected it.

As Xiao Jingshi issued one cold decree after another, the entire court was shaken.

The Imperial Guards and the constables of the Three Judicial Offices rushed out of the palace like wolves and tigers, heading straight for the Ministry of Revenue, the Zhang family residence, and the Grand Tutor's residence.

Within half an hour, the Minister of Revenue was arrested on the spot, and two large boxes were filled with letters and account books exchanged between him and the Zhang family.

The Zhang family, the largest imperial merchant family in the capital, has been completely shut down. Their once bustling and opulent mansion is now sealed off with white tape, appearing exceptionally desolate. Zhang Wanjin, the patriarch of the Zhang family, along with dozens of core members of his clan, have all been imprisoned in the imperial jail.

But what is most shocking is Grand Tutor Fu Yuanshan.

When the Imperial Guards stormed into the Grand Tutor's residence and announced the imperial decree, this veteran of three reigns, who once held immense power and had disciples all over the country, suddenly coughed up blood, suffered a stroke, and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Even so, he was carried by the Imperial Guards on a wooden plank and sent to the dark and damp cell in the Heavenly Prison.

The capital city has undergone a complete transformation.

The people applauded. For years, the Zhang family, relying on their status as imperial merchants, had exploited the local people, hoarded goods, and driven up public resentment. Now that they had been brought down by the new emperor, everyone felt immense satisfaction.

Those officials who had previously been involved with the Fu and Zhang families were now like frightened birds, living in constant fear. They submitted petitions one after another, trying to distance themselves from the families and making accusations, lest they be implicated.

For a time, the imperial court was filled with unease and suspicion.

Xiao Jingshi watched all of this with a cold eye.

He didn't condemn everyone outright. He knew that too much clarity leaves no room for conflict. What he wanted wasn't slaughter, but deterrence.

He wanted to use the downfall of the Fu and Zhang families as a warning, to tell everyone that the Great Liang had changed hands. His empire, under Xiao Jingshi's rule, would not tolerate anyone's covetousness or betrayal.

The results of the joint trial by the three judicial authorities were released quickly.

The Zhang family committed heinous crimes, not only profiting from the national crisis but also being found guilty of numerous serious offenses including disregard for human life, seizing farmland, and bribing officials. Wang Hai was sentenced to immediate execution, and all his property was confiscated. His associates were also sentenced to exile or imprisonment according to the severity of their crimes.

Although Fu Yuanshan was not directly involved in economic crimes, as Grand Tutor, he indulged his family, formed cliques for personal gain, and made irresponsible remarks about the foundations of the state, which were equally unforgivable crimes. Considering that he had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed, Xiao Jingshi showed leniency and spared him the death penalty, sentencing him to life imprisonment instead.

As for Zhang Qinghe, Xiao Jingshi didn't even bother to issue an imperial decree himself.

She was no longer worth his time or effort. Her final fate was to be sent to Jing'an Hall on the outskirts of Beijing—a place called "accommodation," but in reality, it was equivalent to a cold palace, where she spent the rest of her life.

After dealing with the matters of the Fu and Zhang families, several important positions in the imperial court suddenly became vacant.

Xiao Jingshi did not rush to fill in the gaps, but instead began his second step.

He promoted several young officials who had acted uprightly during the incident and dared to distance themselves from the Fu and Zhang families, entrusting them with important responsibilities.

He then selected new imperial merchants from among those reputable and powerful merchants who had been suppressed by the Fu family for many years, to be responsible for supplying materials to the palace and the army.

Among them, the most eye-catching is a business called "Shen Ji".

The head of the family, Shen Wansan, was shrewd yet extremely righteous. During the most difficult time of the war in the southern border region, he not only did not inflate prices, but also spontaneously organized caravans to send batches of affordable grain and medicine to the border.

Xiao Jingshi praised him highly, not only making him the new head of the imperial merchants, but also granting him an honorary title of "fifth rank" as an exception.

This series of swift and decisive actions, combined with a combination of kindness and severity, gave the court and the public a completely new understanding of the new emperor's methods.

He was not just a warrior who knew how to fight, but also an emperor who understood strategy and had skill.

The atmosphere in the imperial court was completely cleansed up within just half a month.

However, when Xiao Jingshi sat in the Qianqing Palace and looked at the national treasury account books presented by the Ministry of Revenue, his brows furrowed deeply.

The stark red numbers on the ledger were shocking.

Years of war have completely drained the Liang Dynasty's treasury. The remaining silver in the treasury is insufficient even to pay the military salaries of the capital's garrison for the next three months.

Worse still, while the barbarian tribes of southern Xinjiang have retreated, the Rouran tribes of the north seem to be becoming unruly again. Military reports from the border indicate that they have been frequently gathering at the border recently, suggesting a possible southward advance.

They had no food supplies inside and faced a powerful enemy outside.

This is the most severe test that he, the new emperor, will face.

He rubbed his aching temples, feeling somewhat tired.

Just then, a gentle voice sounded behind him.

"Your Majesty, are you still troubled by matters of state?"

Ye An'an quietly walked in, carrying a bowl of lotus seed soup she had personally stewed.

She is now the empress, but she still likes to cook for him as before.

"Why are you here?" When Xiao Jingshi saw her, most of the fatigue on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by a gentle smile. "It's late, and the child is still waiting for you."

"The baby is being looked after by a wet nurse." Ye An'an placed the lotus seed soup in front of him, then naturally walked behind him and gently massaged his temples with her slender hands.

"I came to see you. Your brow is so furrowed, it could trap a fly," she said with concern. "Is something wrong?"

Xiao Jingshi did not hide anything. He took her hand, made her sit on his lap, and told her in detail about the empty treasury and the crisis in the northern border.

"...The national treasury has no extra money at all. If war breaks out again in the north, the consequences will be unimaginable." He sighed. "Now, I truly understand what it means to be 'strapped for resources'."

Ye An'an listened quietly, her bright eyes sparkling with wisdom in the candlelight.

After listening, she didn't offer any comforting but useless words like ordinary women in the imperial harem.

She remained silent for a moment, then asked a question in a very serious tone.

"Jing Shi, what do you think is the purpose of war?"

"What is the purpose of war?"

Xiao Jingshi was taken aback by Ye An'an's question.

He had never thought about this question.

For soldiers, princes, and emperors, protecting their country and expanding its territory seemed like a matter of course.

"Naturally, it's to protect the territory of the Great Liang and our people from foreign invasion," he replied after a moment's thought.

"Yes, that's right." Ye An'an nodded, then continued, "Then why do we always have to fight with them? The barbarians of the Southern Frontier, the Rouran of the Northern Border, and those small kingdoms of the Western Regions, why do they always harass us?"

"Because they are barbarians, savage by nature, ignorant of civilization, and covet the wealth and prosperity of my Central Plains." Xiao Jingshi's answer was the consensus of all people in the Central Plains at that time.

"You're right!" Ye An'an's eyes lit up. "The key lies in the words 'wealthy' and 'prosperous'."

She stood up from Xiao Jingshi's lap and paced back and forth in front of the desk like a young teacher giving a lesson.

"Think about it, why do they envy our wealth? Because they are poor. Their grasslands are nothing but bare stones, with only cattle and sheep. They don't have our fine silk, our delicious tea, or our exquisite porcelain. Even a wok for cooking is a luxury for them."

"When winter comes, heavy snow blocks the mountains, cattle and sheep freeze to death, and they have no food to eat, so they have no choice but to come south and rob us. Because if they don't rob us, they will starve to death."

Xiao Jingshi listened quietly; he had never considered the root of war from this perspective. In his view, war was simply a matter of you hitting me and me hitting you, and whoever had the strongest fist was the boss.

"So, the root of the problem is not that they are barbaric, but that they are poor," Ye An'an concluded.

"What do you want to say?" Xiao Jingshi became interested. He felt that his empress was about to put forward some shocking viewpoint again.

"What I'm trying to say is, dealing with a poor and arrogant neighbor isn't going to work by just fighting." A glint of "business acumen" flashed in Ye An'an's eyes. "Even if you drive him away this time, he'll recover next year and come back. Because he can't survive. Unless you can completely wipe out his entire clan in one go, but is that even possible? Do we have that many soldiers and that much money and resources to support a war of annihilation?"