Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

The territory of the Tang Dynasty was indeed extremely vast.

As Li Ke, the "King of the Western Regions," embarked on his journey to assume his post in high spirits.

It seems that the Tang Dynasty has already nominally arranged its military and political power in the Western Regions and Tibet.

However, in this era, mere nominal rule was simply insufficient to truly control that unruly land.

What truly held those Western Region kingdoms and Tibetan nobles by the throat was that invisible yet extremely deadly economic network.

The manipulator of this network was sitting in the study of the Eastern Palace, with a candied hawthorn made from Tianshan snow lotus, a tribute from the Western Regions, dangling from his mouth.

"Your Highness, this is a secret report just sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard from the Western Regions."

Shen Lian, the commander of the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was standing respectfully in front of a large sandalwood desk.

This ruthless demon, who once terrorized the Turks beyond the Great Wall, now faced a seven-year-old girl behind his desk who couldn't even fit in a chair.

The hands that had been holding knives for years were unusually damp with a bead of cold sweat.

Even the curve of his bowed head conveyed a deep-seated reverence.

Wu Zetian casually stuck the string of candied hawthorns into the pen holder next to her.

Her small, white hands, still chubby from being a baby, expertly unwrapped the top-secret intelligence letter sealed with sealing wax.

The little girl's rosy cheeks still exude an extremely innocent and adorable charm.

But the moment her bright, watery eyes swept over the letter, a chilling, ruthless killing intent suddenly burst forth.

"How dare you!"

Wu Meiniang slammed the intelligence report onto the desk with a sharp, muffled thud.

"What kind of worthless prince from Kucha dares to secretly collude with Persian merchants, privately raising the purchase price of cotton, and even withholding 30% of our Donggong Chamber of Commerce's profits?"

"Does he really think our Tang Dynasty's sword is ineffective, or does he believe my plans, Wu Zetian, are doomed to fail?"

Shen Lian swallowed hard and quickly bowed to report.

"Reporting to the Grand Commander, according to intelligence reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Prince of Kucha believes that our army has already withdrawn to Chang'an, and that the emperor is far away in the mountains."

He said privately that he was, after all, a member of the imperial family, and even if he were to have his pay reduced, the Tang Dynasty would not make a big fuss over such a trivial matter.

"Making a huge mobilization? Do we really need Your Highness's army to deal with such a stupid pig?"

Wu Meiniang sneered and skillfully opened the thick, brick-like general ledger of the Eastern Palace.

Her little finger flew across it quickly, then suddenly stopped on an extremely inconspicuous name.

"Pass on my order to the General Manager of the Western Regions Chamber of Commerce."

Although Wu Zetian's voice still carried a childlike tone, her tone was extremely cold, revealing a mature and decisive nature.

"From today onwards, completely cut off all supplies of snowflake salt and green brick tea to the Kingdom of Kucha!"

"Also, inform all caravans along the route that anyone who dares to sell even a single ounce of salt or a single coin of tea to the Kingdom of Kucha is strictly prohibited from doing so."

"That would mean going against our Donggong Chamber of Commerce, confiscating all our goods, and banishing us from the Silk Road forever!"

Shen Lian gasped in shock.

This "supply cut-off sanctions" tactic is a hundred times more vicious than directly sending troops to kill people.

In the arid and water-scarce Western Regions, where people mainly eat beef and mutton.

Without salt and tea, people would struggle to survive even on the most basic level. Within half a month, the entire country would descend into utter panic and riots due to extreme scarcity.

"Chief Steward, isn't this...aren't these a bit too harsh?"

Shen Lian hesitated for a moment, then whispered a reminder, "The Kingdom of Kucha has only just surrendered. What if we push them too far and they do something rash..."

"A cornered dog will jump over a wall? It'd have to be dead for it to do that!"

Wu Zetian waved her hand domineeringly, giving Shen Lian no chance to refute.

"Tell those merchants from the Western Regions that there is only one rule in the Western Regions, and that rule is the rule of our Eastern Palace Merchant Guild!"

"Those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish!"

"Since that prince of Kucha thinks he's too far from the emperor, then I'll show him what it means to be 'eager to see the king of hell, but troublesome underlings'!"

"Go! Send two more capable Imperial Guards to 'loosen the bones' for that prince."

A ruthless glint flashed in Wu Meiniang's eyes.

"No need to kill him. Break both his legs and hang him at the city gate of Kucha so everyone can see what happens to those who dare to embezzle His Highness's money!"

Shen Lian dared not utter another word of nonsense, and readily accepted the order with a fist and palm salute, then backed out of the study.

His clothes were even soaked with cold sweat on the back.

This seven-year-old Wu Da steward's handling of government affairs was so shrewd and ruthless that it was terrifying. He was even more ruthless and unscrupulous than Changsun Wuji, who was known as the "Old Fox" in the court.

The accounts were so clear that not even a single penny's error could escape her notice.

The system of rewards and punishments was so strict that it was almost abnormal. Merchants would feel weak in the knees at the mere mention of "General Manager Wu" compared to hearing "Red Cannon."

Meanwhile, on the soft couch in the corner of the study.

Li Chengqian was leaning comfortably against a pile of silk pillows, holding a copy of "Elementary Steam Dynamics" produced by the system, reading it with great interest.

He didn't even raise his head when Wu Zetian just delivered her extremely bloody "commercial sanctions," completely behaving like a hands-off manager who had "delegated power to the end."

"Your Highness, is my method of handling this acceptable?"

Wu Meiniang's fierce and powerful aura vanished instantly.

She jumped down from the small chair with great obedience, carrying the heavy ledger, and ran to Li Chengqian's side.

She nervously rubbed the hem of her clothes, like a primary school student who had done something and was waiting for the teacher's praise.

"Although the Kingdom of Kucha is a small country, I am afraid that cutting off supplies will affect the progress of your large-scale development of the Western Regions."

Li Chengqian put down the book in his hand and looked at the exquisitely beautiful little girl in front of him with great interest.

Over the past six months, this girl's growth rate has been even more terrifying than the cheat codes in the system.

She not only managed the extremely complex businesses of the Eastern Palace in an orderly manner.

They've even started proactively helping Li Chengqian screen and process top-secret intelligence sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This is hardly the cunning and scheming of a seven-year-old.

This is clearly a seasoned politician who has spent half his life navigating the political landscape!

Li Chengqian stretched out his hand with distinct knuckles and naturally ruffled Wu Meiniang's small head with its double buns.

"Well done. It's a case of killing the chicken to scare the monkey. To deal with those barbarians who never learn, you have to use such ruthless methods that will wipe out their descendants."

Li Chengqian looked at the little girl's face, which flushed red instantly from the praise, and a very amused smile appeared on his lips.

"But Meiniang..."

Li Chengqian suddenly leaned forward slightly, his eyes becoming extremely deep, as if he could see through the deepest secrets in the little girl's heart.

"I've noticed that you've been growing a little too fast lately."