Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"impossible!"

"That's absolutely impossible!"

"You're all biased towards Madam Shen, you're all lying, even Li Sanwan, you're lying—"

"You're all ganging up on me!"

Yelü Meng shouted at the top of his lungs as if he had gone mad.

How could Li Sanwan's milk tea possibly lose? Shen Qing, a native of Da'an, had an extremely low chance of having ever drunk milk tea. Logically, she should have been shocked and full of admiration. How could she be like this now?

That bubble tea? It's obviously not a proper thing. How could it possibly compare to milk tea?

These people must have conspired to put on an act in order to keep Shen Qing here!

"Whether it's favoritism or not, the eldest prince will know once he tries it himself," Shen Qing calmly handed a cup of bubble tea to Yelü Meng.

"Yes, yes, Your Highness, try it! Lady Shen's pearl milk tea is delicious, much better than my milk tea," Li Sanwan chimed in from the side.

"Try it."

"Brother, you should try it quickly."

Yelü Qi and Yelü Gan stood with their arms crossed, watching the show from the sidelines, and at this moment they couldn't help but say a few provocative words.

Especially Yelü Qi, after he finished speaking, he silently said to Yelü Meng, "A dog would go back on its word."

It would be a waste for someone like Yelü Meng to drink such delicious bubble tea.

Yelü Meng's eyes widened; he suddenly remembered.

When Shen Qing first came, he said that he would never eat the food Shen Qing made, and that he would be a dog if he went back on his word.

this......

If he were to taste Shen Qing's bubble tea today, wouldn't that be letting Yelü Qi and Yelü Gan get their way?

Yelü Meng was about to explode with anger and frustration, but he just couldn't vent it.

Yelü Qi and Yelü Gan were simply watching him make a fool of himself!

"I won't taste it!" Yelü Meng said through gritted teeth.

He then turned to the Emperor of Liao and said, "Father, I was reckless today. I shouldn't have made things difficult for Lady Shen. Since I lost the contest, I am willing to accept the punishment."

"However, the weather is getting colder and winter is coming soon. Our Liao Dynasty is short of food, and I'm afraid this winter will be difficult."

"In order to atone for my crimes, I beg Your Majesty to grant me a troop of soldiers. I will certainly seize enough food, and I will never make things difficult for Lady Shen again. Please grant me your permission, Your Majesty!"

This statement cleverly transformed the punishment of expelling the capital into an opportunity to send troops to seize food.

If you do well, you might even earn merit.

After all, winters in the Liao Dynasty were indeed difficult, with people lacking food and clothing.

The Liao emperor nodded in agreement almost without hesitation: "Good!"

"If that's the case, I'll give you 30,000 troops..."

"Wait a minute," Shen Qing interrupted the Liao emperor.

"I remember His Majesty just said that whoever lost would leave the Liao capital, and now the eldest prince has lost..."

"Lady Shen," Empress Xiao, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Although the eldest prince lost, his words are not without reason. You have not experienced the winter in Liao, so you do not know."

"In winter, cattle and sheep have no grass to eat and can only rely on the hay they have stored up. If there is not enough hay, the cattle and sheep can only be slaughtered for food. But if too many cattle and sheep are slaughtered, there will be no cattle and sheep to raise the following year."

"People suffer even more. Not to mention the cold, they eat very little. They can only eat the dried meat they have stored and the pickled vegetables they made in the fall. Without food, many people will starve to death."

Empress Xiao was not exaggerating at all; this was the actual predicament of the Liao Dynasty.

She did dislike the eldest prince and wanted her own son, Yelü Gan, to ascend the throne, but at this time, she also supported the eldest prince's decision to lead troops to seize grain.

There's no rush to fight for power; let's focus on getting through this winter first.

After all, the weather is getting colder every day.

"The eldest prince said he was going to rob grain, does he mean to rob grain in Da'an?" Shen Qing said coldly.

Everyone fell silent.

Oh dear, I was so busy drinking bubble tea that I almost forgot that Madam Shen is from Da'an.

"This..." the emperor hesitated.

"Every year we go to raid, suffering heavy losses and even failing to plunder. Why doesn't Your Majesty think of a way to solve the Liao Dynasty's difficult winters once and for all?"

Shen Qing hadn't forgotten that she also had a mission: to use food to prevent war and help the two countries achieve peace.

At this critical moment, we cannot allow Yelü Meng to lead his troops to seize Da'an.

The emperor shrugged: "Of course I've thought about it. How could I not have?"

"I have always wanted to conquer the Central Plains and unify the world, so that our Great Liao would not have to worry about winter. But unfortunately, I have not been able to do it."

Shen Qing: "..."

The Liao emperor certainly had lofty ambitions.

"Has Your Majesty considered that the Liao people and soldiers have lived on the grasslands for many years and are used to the life of galloping across the grasslands? Even if you were to take control of the Central Plains, I'm afraid they would not be willing to leave the grasslands."

"Winter is difficult for the Liao Dynasty. We should focus on solving the wintering problem. Why insist on waging war?"

The reason why the Liao Kingdom frequently harassed the border of Da'an was largely due to the scarcity of resources, especially in winter when they lacked food and clothing. To survive, they had no choice but to plunder the border.

To avoid war, the first step is to help the Liao Dynasty solve its problem of resource shortages.

"You make it sound so nice, but if we don't fight or plunder, how will we solve the problem of getting through the winter?" Yelü Meng shouted, his face full of resentment.

The emperor sighed softly, "Lady Shen, do you have any good ideas?"

"Business."

"Trade?"

"Yes, the Liao Kingdom has fat cattle and sheep, and strong warhorses. Da'an has abundant grain and cloth. Why not use cattle, sheep, and warhorses to exchange for grain and cloth?"

"Besides cattle, sheep, and warhorses, there are also spices and specialties from Liao Kingdom that can be exchanged for supplies in Da'an. With trade between the two countries, the problem of getting through the winter will naturally be solved."

The Liao emperor nodded thoughtfully, but then looked troubled.

"The two countries have been at odds for many years. Things were good for two or three years after that princess was sent to marry into the Liao Dynasty, but things have returned to normal in recent years. Now, the Liao Dynasty wants to establish trade relations with Da'an unilaterally, but I'm afraid it will be difficult..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing knew that the Liao emperor's attitude had softened.

She quickly replied, "That's easy. There's nothing a meal can't solve."

"If there is, then two or three meals will definitely solve the problem."

Emperor of Liao: "???"

"How about this, I'll write a letter to the Emperor of Da'an, and you can all sit down for a meal and have a good talk, and then settle the trade agreement."

"In this way, the people of Liao can live a life of plenty on the grasslands, and the people of Da'an can be spared the ravages of war. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Sit down and have a meal? Discuss matters with the Emperor of Da'an?

Does Madam Shen really have that much influence?

The Liao emperor was completely stunned.

Yelü Meng, standing beside him, looked even more incredulous: "You, a mere young woman, really managed to invite the Emperor of Da'an?!"