These fairies want me to deal with them every day.

They immediately started complaining.

"Why are you so late! You dead man, you still know how to come!"

Wei Tu looked at her.

"So you call me a dead man instead of Master, huh?"

Ye Bingluan snorted coldly, "I don't have such a cold-hearted master."

Wei Tu smiled, turned to the side, and sat on the edge of the table.

He looked at the Great Shang Empress with such a frivolous and casual air.

"Really? How can I appear more enthusiastic?"

Ye Bingluan squinted at Wei Tu.

"For example, stay here and don't go back to Xianzhou."

"Then I am indeed a cold-hearted master."

"Coward."

"Ha ha……"

Wei Tu didn't mind. He casually picked up some memorials from the table, glanced at them, and then threw them back.

"It seems these people have caused you a lot of trouble."

"You know about these things too?"

Ye Bingluan suddenly thought of something and hesitated before saying, "Oh dear, the conditions offered by the other party are really tempting, including treasures, people, and cities... I'm starting to waver and wonder if I should go and see this extraordinary man."

Wei Tu said with great ease, "Then let's go take a look. Maybe she's much better looking than me. It's a place with abundant resources, so the people there should be good-looking too."

“…Wei Tu, you’ve gone too far.”

The boy laughed, "What are you afraid of? I'm just joking. How could a dignified empress marry into the Southern Barbarian Kingdom?"

This made Ye Bingluan seem a little happier. "Hmph, yes, how could a dignified empress be worthy of the young talents of the Immortal Continent?"

Wei Tu subconsciously ignored that sentence and then asked.

"Did you approach them on your own initiative?"

Ye Bingluan sighed and nodded, "I guess so, because the clues for something that has been lost for a long time are with them."

"what?"

"A knife passed down from the founding emperor of the Great Shang Dynasty was forged by Emperor Taizong himself and was a national treasure of the Shang Kingdom. However, it disappeared during an internal strife a hundred years ago. I only recently found some clues about it."

"A knife?"

"Yes, the Great Shang Dragon Sparrow."

"So the place you found out is the country of these southern barbarians?"

Ye Bingluan nodded.

"Yes... what's it called... Chechi Kingdom."

"...Is the train late?"

Wei Tu seemed to be deep in thought.

41. The methods of barbarians!

"What, you know this place?"

Seeing Wei Tu lost in thought, Ye Bingluan couldn't help but ask.

This scene seemed familiar, because this seemingly incredibly young boy appeared to know everything.

Just ask him anything. As for the reason... he'll definitely tell you: I read it in a book.

I don't know where he finds the time to cultivate himself when he reads so many books.

This time, Wei Tu simply shook his head, "I don't know."

Ye Bingluan wrinkled her nose. "Sometimes I really want to ask you how old you are. It feels like there's nothing you don't know."

Wei Tu smiled as he looked at the young empress, "She's probably... over three hundred years old."

Ye Bingluan stared intently at Wei Tu, "It doesn't seem like it..."

"Doesn't it seem so? The age of a cultivator cannot be compared with that of an ordinary person. A cultivator may look young, but their actual age may be many times, or even dozens of times, older than they appear. Especially those with deeper cultivation, it is said that they prefer to maintain their youthful appearance."

"...Are you really over three hundred years old?"

Ye Bingluan looked at Wei Tu with great suspicion, seemingly now somewhat uncertain herself.

Wei Tu thought for a moment, then instead of answering directly, he said with a mischievous grin, "Would you call this an old cow eating young grass?"

"You're incredibly lucky!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

After chatting for a while, Wei Tu took the initiative to ask, "By the way, do you know someone named Ming Xiangrong?"

Ye Bingluan immediately looked at Wei Tu with a wary gaze.

Wei Tu stared at the young empress, bewildered.

"Aren't you... a little too desperate for anything?"

Clearly, Ye Bingluan's first reaction to Wei Tu inquiring about a woman was quite genuine.

Wei Tu looked at Ye Bingluan with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"What the hell? I just ran into some trouble when I entered the city, and then this Ming Xiangrong helped me out of the predicament. After talking with her for a while, I felt that she had a lot of secrets."

Ye Bingluan looked at Wei Tu with a cold smile, as if she didn't believe this statement at all.

"I think you two are really into each other... Aren't all those romantic stories about talented men and beautiful women supposed to start with an unusual encounter?"

Wei Tu thought for a moment, "I'll consider myself a talented scholar, but is she really a beauty?"

Ye Bingluan grumbled, "You're no talent at all... Ming Xiangrong, although it's true that he's not as good-looking as me, he's rich. His mansion is so big, and he doesn't just have businesses in the Shang Kingdom..."

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm a cultivator, so no matter how much money I have, it's useless to me. Why would I covet something like that?"

"What if you're tired of eating delicacies and want to try something different?"

"...Be normal, you're an emperor after all."

Ye Bingluan snorted coldly.

"What do you want to ask her?"

Do you know what she did?

Ye Bingluan sneered, "How could I not know? It's not just about doing business; they're also colluding with ministers right under my nose, using bribery and other such methods. These things are all too obvious."

"So you seem to have taken no action?"

"What measures can be taken? The court's salaries are right here. Do you think everyone in the court is honest? They all have their own ways of accumulating wealth, whether openly or secretly. We can only turn a blind eye to these things to a certain extent. After all, in this not-so-peaceful world, using such methods to suppress one's own ministers can only alienate them. So, all I can do is prevent these merchants from doing anything bigger in this way."

If something too significant were to happen, I would, of course, swiftly confiscate their property and simultaneously reprimand those unruly ministers. However, Ming Xiangrong is too meticulous in her actions, and she hasn't caused any trouble. To be honest, even now, I still don't know what she really wants.

"Even though they're already very wealthy, they still have no intention of stopping."

Hearing Ye Bingluan's words, Wei Tu couldn't help but sigh at how much this woman had grown; she had come to understand that being an emperor wasn't something one could simply do at will.

You can't eliminate everything that seems bad. You must understand the principle that "too much clarity leaves no room for fish," and this era is far from peaceful, with many countries vying for power. Suppressing your ministers is tantamount to indirectly driving talented people to your enemies' side.

Not every talented person is an incorruptible official; this distinction must be made.

How to make the best use of resources, and how to motivate them with profit, is a skill.

"Human beings have an endless pursuit of profit, especially a businesswoman... However, do you also think that what she seeks is more than just this wealth?"

Ye Bingluan nodded, "Of course I know very well. This woman's methods were already well-known during the time of the late emperor. Moreover, the assets of her Ming family are spread throughout the entire Central Plains. It is no exaggeration to say that she is the richest merchant in this era. However, she does very little. Apart from collecting some intelligence, it is not clear what she is in charge of."

Wei Tu nodded thoughtfully.

"Indeed, if that's the case, it still seems suspicious."

"But there's no better way, is there? I can't exactly have someone tie her up and ask her what she wants, can I?"

"You seem like that kind of person."

　"Get lost! Isn't it because of a master like you that we have a disciple like this?"

"What are you saying? I don't remember teaching you any of that."

Upon hearing this, Ye Bingluan smiled and looked at Wei Tu. Beneath her magnificent dragon robe, one of her long legs was slightly raised, seemingly brushing against the boy's calf.

Although the tactile sensation is not obvious due to the clothing, there is no doubt that an empress harassing you in this way... the psychological feeling is much more stimulating.

"So, what does Master intend to teach his disciple this time?"

Wei Tu sighed, looking at Ye Bingluan, whose eyes and expression had become much more alluring and seductive.

It seems that this empress has not only made great progress in managing her subordinates, but has also developed some skill in dealing with men.

"I plan to teach you how to calm your mind when faced with temptation, and how to stop yourself from overthinking."

"Hmph. Fine, I won't let my imagination run wild. I'll just marry that king of Chechi Kingdom. Anyway, he's so rich, I'm sure I'll live a good life."

"Heh... If I marry into that kingdom, will they abandon the Shang Kingdom?"

"I want you to manage."

“I just took a look, and so many memorials are about this matter, but without exception, they all seem to be advising you not to do it.”

Ye Bingluan sneered.

"Of course, you have no idea how much face these people from the Central Plains have. Their ruler being a woman is already disgusting to them, and if she were to marry into a southern barbarian country, they would vomit blood on the spot."

"Indeed, arrogance is a flaw of all those who consider themselves to be of high status and culture."

"But these aren't the only things that are giving me a headache."