With wives as numerous as clouds and soldiers as numerous as a million, you say he's a useless

As expected, Ye Cheng'an was pulled into the study by Zhao Xuefu.

Last time, he and Mu Yanqi had a fierce battle in the study for a full hour.

The familiar surroundings and the same lonely man and woman reminded Ye Cheng'an of the beautiful moments of that day.

Especially when gazing at Zhao Xuefu's stunningly beautiful face, he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

I wonder if the proud Ninth Princess will kneel down before him like Mu Yanqi did...

Is the princess's mouth sweeter and softer? Or is Mu Yanqi's superior?

"Ye Cheng'an, we are both smart people, so there's no need to pretend anymore. I admit that my purpose in coming to the Northern Border is ostensibly to reward you, but in reality, it's to investigate the strength and weaknesses of the Northern Border." Zhao Xuefu's voice rang out, interrupting Ye Cheng'an's fantasy.

"At first, I did consider having my father send troops to the northern border to annex this place."

"Later, I heard that you resigned from your position as heir apparent, and nearly 70% of the servants in the palace left with you. I realized a problem: within the Northern Territory, you are more popular than Ye Jinglan, the King of the Northern Territory. Therefore, I want to use the position of consort to win you over and lead the majority of the Northern Territory's army to serve the court, so that the court can be spared from war and can also recover the Northern Territory."

"In this way, both the imperial court and the people of the northern border can be spared from war to the greatest extent possible."

"But what I didn't expect was that you refused."

"To this day, I still haven't figured out why you refused. This is clearly a win-win situation. I will help you get revenge on Ye Jinglan and Su Wanrou, and you will help me win back the people, hold a high position, and have a bright future."

Seeing that Zhao Xuefu had actually come to his defenses, Ye Cheng'an began to have some calculations in his mind. It seemed that this Ninth Princess from the imperial court had realized after this period of contact that if he didn't treat her sincerely, he wouldn't get any benefits from her...

So they simply laid their cards on the table.

Indeed, this Ninth Princess is quick to admit her mistakes and correct them, which shows she is a person of character.

Therefore, he couldn't help but speak his mind, "Princess, you think that my leading the northern army to surrender to the court is a win-win situation, but have you ever considered this question...?"

"His achievements are so great that they threaten the emperor's authority!"

"Once they reach the imperial court, will the northern army, along with the former forces, be loyal to me, or to the Emperor... His Majesty?"

"Sooner or later, I will become a thorn in the emperor's side. By then, the northern border will have been annexed, and my army and I will lose our dominance within the imperial territory. Anyone can kill me."

"For me, this is not a win-win situation, but rather jumping from one fire pit to an even bigger one."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuefu frowned, seemingly genuinely unaware of this possibility. Her eyes darted around as she struggled with her words, "But you are my consort, and I am Father Emperor's most beloved daughter. Who would dare harm you?"

Ye Cheng'an sneered, "Throughout history, how many princesses have had a good ending?"

"Does the princess truly believe that the emperor's favor comes for free?"

"Do you know why Su Wanrou and her son tried so hard to arrange a marriage with you? It's because of His Majesty's favor towards you. They thought that getting a princess as a bride was equivalent to getting the support of the royal family."

"But the imperial family is the most ruthless. If it truly involves the interests of the royal family, His Majesty will definitely abandon the princess immediately!"

"My refusal doesn't mean I don't trust the princess, but rather that I don't trust the royal family."

"...No, Father wouldn't do this to me." Zhao Xuefu's lips trembled as she murmured repeatedly.

Ye Cheng'an did not argue, "Whether it will happen or not is never something that you or I can decide with just a few words. Why don't you and I continue to observe?"

"Let's see who the emperor will choose between the interests of the court and the princess."

"I believe that the day when the mystery is solved is not far away."

Ye Cheng'an's words stirred up endless waves in Zhao Xuefu's heart, but she quickly calmed herself and said, "Alright, I'll take a good look with you!"

"If, as you say, Father Emperor is truly willing to abandon me for the sake of the court's interests, then I will not return to the court!"

"From now on, as you said, I will follow your lead, give up my princess status, and stay by your side forever!"

"However, if, when faced with a choice, Father does not abandon me, you must promise to return to the court with me and become my consort!"

"Okay." Ye Cheng'an agreed without hesitation.

He had never met Emperor Qian, but didn't he understand human nature?

If Emperor Qian truly loved Zhao Xuefu, he would never have let her risk her life in the Northern Border.

But now, Emperor Qian not only allowed Zhao Xuefu to come to the northern border, but also allowed her to decide her own husband, which clearly shows that he is treating her as a pawn.

Once a piece loses its usefulness, it is discarded.

This time, Zhao Xuefu is doomed to lose.

"The princess just said she had a question for me? Is she done asking?" Ye Chengan asked.

Zhao Xuefu shook her head. "No, my question hasn't even begun yet. All of the above was just to show you my intentions and let you know that I have no intention of being your enemy or harming you."

"Now, my problems are only just beginning."

"Princess, may I ask?" Ye Cheng'an looked at Zhao Xuefu casually.

He suddenly realized that Zhao Xuefu, after being honest with him, was less elusive and distant.

"In fact, Father Emperor's desire to annex the northern border is not solely due to ambition, but also because there are many treacherous officials in the court, several powerful forces are eyeing the country covetously, the national treasury is empty, and there is a severe drought in the south, leading to widespread famine. The court has no money to provide disaster relief..."

"It would be incredibly difficult to get money from these various forces, while the Northern Territory is overflowing with wealth. My father wants to annex the Northern Territory because he wants its money."

"If you can solve the problem of the empty treasury and lack of funds for disaster relief, Father Emperor will probably give up the idea of ​​annexing the northern border."

Hearing Zhao Xuefu's words, Ye Chengan smiled. This princess can be quite naive sometimes.

Even if the emperor's reason for wanting to annex the northern border was to have money for disaster relief, the court's power is too great and it will not allow the northern border to be autonomous.

However, Ye Cheng'an was too lazy to explain these things to her. In any case, he could endure as long as the Northern Border could. He might as well offer a suggestion to help the emperor solve the current problem and make him temporarily give up the idea of ​​sending troops to the Northern Border.

He would wait until he was fully capable and had the strength to rival the imperial court before confronting it head-on.

"Isn't that simple? The reason why these forces are eyeing each other like wolves and tigers is nothing more than their covetousness for the imperial power. If Your Majesty only needs to start with what they all want, it will be much easier to divide them."

"If I were His Majesty, I would publicly announce the establishment of a Regent, second only to the Emperor, to incite a struggle among three forces."

"Then we will use the disaster situation in Jiangnan as a test to see which of the three forces can do the job better."

"Once this plan is devised, the three forces will inevitably split and devote all their efforts to disaster relief... The famine in Jiangnan can be resolved."

Zhao Xuefu frowned. "But what happens after the famine is over? If someone is really appointed as regent, wouldn't the imperial power be divided up?"

Ye Cheng'an laughed, "Does the princess know what 'drawing a pie in the sky' means? When I asked His Majesty to propose establishing a regent, it wasn't really about making it happen. It's just a pie in the sky to incentivize those treacherous officials to keep solving problems for His Majesty. All three factions are unwilling to fall behind, so naturally it's hard to determine a winner. His Majesty is quite troubled about who to appoint as regent..."

"In this way, by appointing the regent, the three forces will be lured into continuing their competition. As the conflicts between the three forces intensify, they will inevitably fight amongst themselves. At that time, with the three tigers vying for power, Your Majesty can reap the benefits and consolidate your imperial power!"

"Once the three forces are weakened, we can eliminate them all at once! At that time, won't His Majesty be in complete control of the court?"

hiss.

Ye Cheng'an's words caused Zhao Xuefu's brain to shut down.

She never imagined that the complex situation that had troubled His Majesty for so many years would be so insignificant in front of Ye Cheng'an.

A simple trick can break the deadlock.

This young master from the North is indeed no ordinary person.

Zhao Xuefu is determined to have this man!

"The eldest son is indeed exceptionally wise. I will immediately send a message back to the court to explain the eldest son's plan to my father and dissuade him from sending troops to the northern border."

"Furthermore, on behalf of the Great Qian imperial family and the people of Jiangnan, I thank the eldest son for his advice."

"Smack".

After saying that, Zhao Xuefu cupped Ye Chengan's face, kissed him hard on the lips, then blushed and ran away.

Ye Cheng'an subconsciously touched his lips. No, before coming in, didn't Zhao Xuefu agree not to take advantage of him?

How could this person go back on their word?

However, the experience was quite good, so why not do it again?

Ye Cheng'an stroked his lips, savoring the delicate softness of Zhao Xuefu's lips.

Compared to Mu Yanqi, Zhao Xuefu's lips were sweeter.

Mu Yanqi has practiced martial arts for many years and is of mixed Western Region descent. Her lips have lost some of the sweetness of a young girl and gained a wild and unrestrained flavor.

They are two completely different experiences.

Ye Cheng'an suddenly felt a sense of anticipation for the day when he would completely conquer the Ninth Princess...

However, what he was even more looking forward to was that after the troops of the Nine Cities obtained the "Locust-Exterminating Divine Water" and successfully eliminated the locust plague, they would send all the locusts in the Nine Cities to Yong'an.

In this way, he can make a windfall again!

If Nie Chongshan and the others knew that locusts could fetch exorbitant prices, they would probably be so angry they'd vomit blood.

Then there's Su Wanrou. After learning that she deliberately let Xiao Heming spread locust plagues to Yong'an, not only did it not cause him any trouble, but it also allowed him to make a fortune from it, and to imprison the troops of the Nine Cities and then seize the locusts of the Nine Cities for profit...

Their complexion will definitely look terrible.

Ye Cheng'an was increasingly looking forward to seeing how this matter would be handled after it reached the royal court!