The playboy county magistrate

"Let's stop here for today. From now on, all trade and border crossings shall be conducted in accordance with the newly established regulations. No more personal feelings shall be allowed to interfere with public law."

His voice was calm, yet every word was sharp and decisive, severing any hope or attempt by any nation to test the waters.

The envoys from all the countries bowed their heads in unison, not daring to utter a single dissent.

"Your Majesty, we obey."

Then the eunuch loudly announced the end of the banquet.

The officials bowed and left in turn. In this seemingly relaxed and elegant banquet, no one dared to truly relax or indulge.

Li Xuanzhi slowly walked out with the officials, and when he reached the middle of the steps, he paused slightly and looked back.

His gaze swept over the four beautiful women who stood in the courtyard, bowing to see him off. His eyes held only deep, discerning judgment.

Mei tide from Nanjiang lowered her eyes obediently, her brows and eyes gentle and calm. She seemed to always be dutiful and never revealed any ambition.

Ulan from the northern desert stood tall, his back straight. Though he had restrained his sharpness, he still couldn't hide the arrogance in his bones. His eyes held an unquenchable resentment and lingering fear of what had just happened.

The beautiful woman from the Western Regions smiled gently, but beneath that gentle exterior lay a calculating scheme waiting for its chance.

At the very end, Chiyo and Yukina from the East remained silent, dressed in plain clothes, their eyes lowered. Standing at the edge of the crowd, they were still as indifferent as they had been to Li Xuanzhi at first, almost transparent.

But it was precisely this transparency that made Li Xuanzhi even more wary, and he dared not relax his guard in the slightest.

The crown prince slowly approached from the side, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear him.

"Teacher, everyone at today's banquet had their flaws. Only the two Japanese women were flawless from beginning to end, without uttering a single wrong word or overstepping any boundaries. Their impeccable nature seemed rather abnormal."

Li Xuanzhi nodded slightly. "Your Highness sees things clearly. The other countries are only concerned with short-term border gains through trade. They are impatient, and their weaknesses are exposed. This can be prevented, resolved, and balanced."

"Only Japan is focused on building a long-term foundation. They can endure temporary loneliness and tolerate the present. This kind of mentality is the most unpredictable and the most difficult to guard against."

"There will inevitably be some underhanded tactics after the banquet." The Crown Prince's gaze darkened slightly.

"Inevitable." A cold glint flashed in Li Xuanzhi's eyes. "Last night, the nations secretly forged an alliance and divided their tasks. Today, their open probing attempts have all failed, and with their open avenues cut off, they will only rely more and more on operating in the shadows."

"The Japanese have never coveted public glory, precisely so that they could act stealthily after nightfall."

The two exchanged a glance, needing no further words, their understanding was already perfectly in sync.

The master and disciple had already clearly predicted the direction of the undercurrents in various countries.

After the guests left Chunhua Terrace, the palace maids cleaned up the table, and the eunuchs led the beauties from all directions back to their respective palaces.

The daytime clamor has faded, and the palace returns to tranquility. But the real power struggle has only just begun.

The five women from the southern border removed their elaborate palace banquet attire, changed back into simple everyday clothes, and sat quietly under the eaves, brewing tea. There was no fuss or ostentation; they remained demure and unassuming.

Meixi poured tea from the teapot; the tea soup was clear and the steam rose gently.

Her expression was serene as she slowly spoke:

"At today's banquet, the Northern Desert's impatience met with setbacks, and the Western Regions' boasting proved fruitless; both fell short. Only we remained calm and composed, neither provoking any suspicion nor leaving any openings. This move was the most prudent."

Someone immediately chimed in softly, "Sister is brilliant. The more radical you are, the easier it is to be stifled. On the contrary, our gentle and dormant approach is the safest way to establish ourselves."

Mei tide shook her head slightly, her eyes revealing a clear understanding.

"Stability is only temporary, and inaction will only lead to being forgotten. We may not strive for prominence, but we cannot afford not to seize opportunities to establish our position."

"We should be summoned by the palace soon. We just need to be diligent and obedient, and slowly win the Emperor's favor. We don't seek temporary favor, but only long-term stability, to keep the overall trade situation in the Southern Frontier stable."

Their calculations were always subtle and restrained. They neither clashed with others nor made enemies. They only sought to steadily preserve the interests of their tribe in the cracks.

However, the conversation between the three women from the northern desert after they returned was completely different.

Ulan clenched her fists, her brows furrowed with resentment and unwillingness, her voice cold and hard.

"If it weren't for Li Xuanzhi's intervention today, the Khan's plan might have succeeded. As long as he remains in power, our northern desert will have no chance to develop."

"What should we do next?" the noblewoman beside him asked, frowning. "The Great Yong Dynasty has strict rules and the emperor and his subjects are of one mind. Openly probing is completely useless. Are we going to swallow our anger like the people of Southern Xinjiang and Eastern Japan?"

Ulan raised her eyes to look at the deepening twilight, the sharpness in her eyes still undiminished.

"We can tolerate this for now, but we can't continue like this. We're not good at being charming or calculating. Our disadvantage is just too obvious. Do you have any good ideas?"

Today, Ulan experienced it firsthand: the emperor of Dayong hated women in the harem acting on their own initiative.

Today, when she came out to echo the Khan's words, the Emperor glared at her with such venom that he looked as if he wanted to slice her into hundreds of pieces and feed her to the dogs. This truly terrified her.

Before she could recover from her fear, a palace attendant hurried over.

"Your Highness, the Empress requests your presence."

The noble ladies from the northern desert surrounding Ulan instantly became restless.

Although the Emperor of Dayong did not openly express his anger at the banquet, they could still sense his fury.

Apart from the beauties who were presented as tribute, no one from the harem attended today's banquet.

Therefore, they could roughly guess why the Empress had suddenly summoned Ulan over.

It is said that the emperor of Dayong doted on his empress, and even the powerful crown prince was born to her.

I've also heard that the Empress has a very good relationship with Li Xuanzhi's family. With such abilities, the Empress is definitely not a woman who lives deep in the palace and whose mind is only filled with love and jealousy.

Being targeted by such an empress and used as the first example to be reprimanded, the beauties of the northern desert will inevitably be at a disadvantage from the start.

Although they had never seen their mothers live like dogs, they had heard that women who had fallen out of favor in the palace were not even as good as eunuchs without any connections.

Now, the northern desert still needs to rely on the Great Yong for survival. If something really happens to them, the Khan will not support them. Instead, in order to appease the anger of the Great Yong Emperor and Empress, he will select a smart, obedient, and sensible noblewoman to re-enter the palace.

For a moment, everyone stared at Ulan's retreating figure in a daze, even questioning whether Ulan's so-called "fierce" style was correct.

As the people of the northern desert were filled with unease and unsure of what to do, six women from the Western Regions sat facing each other by the window, having removed their dancing skirts and gold ornaments, their bright and alluring beauty completely concealed.

Qiluo lightly tapped the windowsill with her fingertips, softly reviewing the day's events.

"Our dance performance today has amazed everyone. Although we have not yet won the emperor's favor, we have already made a name for ourselves and will surely be the first to be summoned in the future."

"The only drawback is that Li Xuanzhi and the Crown Prince were too clear-headed, blocking all avenues for open petitions."

"So what should we do next?" a Uyghur woman asked in a low voice. "If we can't do it openly, are we just going to give up?"

A faint smile appeared on Qi Luo's lips, her eyes darting around, concealing a sharp edge.

"If it cannot be done openly, then we will proceed gradually and subtly. If the emperor is displeased, then we will not discuss political affairs or seek personal gain."