Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

"Now, with my assistance, Your Majesty's county system is becoming increasingly stable, and the court's control is constantly being strengthened. It has transformed from the original system of enfeoffing nobles into a system where all resources are checked, controlled, and allocated by the court."

"For example, if taxes are to be levied, these people will have to pay more."

“The measurement and verification of land for the purpose of production allocation will affect their land consolidation.”

“Issuing arrest warrants and abolishing the large number of domestic slaves, and making these people engage in agricultural production, will deprive them of their right to do whatever they want.”

“Every policy of the imperial court threatens their real interests. Of course, these people are unwilling to give up their wealth accumulated over many years, which will be taken away by the imperial court for nothing.”

“After the remnants of the six kingdoms agreed to overthrow the Great Xia, their interests would be guaranteed. Naturally, these gentry and nobles would respond and secretly support them.”

Zheng Jie frowned, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and after a long silence, she looked at Bai Su and asked, "In your opinion, how should we deal with this?"

If an enemy were to attack, we could simply send troops to quell them. However, these bandits are hiding in the shadow of the empire, which is a bit troublesome.

This unseen enemy is the most difficult to deal with.

Without being able to distinguish who are the traitors of the six kingdoms and who are the subjects of the Great Xia, taking forceful action would only lead to chaos throughout the land.

After all, when making this decision, the primary and secondary objectives must first be distinguished.

The biggest threat is not these local gentry, but the remnants of the six former states. Only by completely eliminating them can we ensure that no force in the world can threaten Xianyang.

At that time, those local gentry will be nothing more than fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

Bai Su pondered for a moment and said, "Wait."

"wait?"

A hint of doubt flickered in Zheng Jie's phoenix eyes.

Bai Su nodded slightly: "The situation is in our favor. As long as we continue to wait, the imperial court will continue to build official roads and improve the efficiency of troop deployment. The resistance of these remnants will become weaker and weaker."

"After all, the imperial court can mobilize most of the grain, supplies, and troops in the Central Plains through the extensive official roads. No matter how powerful those remnants of the six kingdoms are."

"With only one city, facing the imperial court that has integrated most of the resources of the Central Plains, there is no chance of victory."

"By throwing money and supplies at them, we can wear them down... We are in an invincible position from the start."

"If I were a citizen of one of the six states, I would definitely choose to quickly gather all my troops within the next year or two and march straight to Xianyang, just to take a gamble."

"After all, if we continue to wait, the huge size difference between the two sides will make the chances of winning increasingly slim."

"Therefore, all we need to do is wait patiently and remain calm while waiting for the right moment to act..."

The current situation between the remnants of the six former states and Xianyang is somewhat similar to that of Shu Han facing Cao Wei.

Knowing full well that the chances of winning the Northern Expedition were slim, they could only grit their teeth and persevere, taking a gamble while the gap between the two sides was at its smallest.

After all, the size difference between the two sides is too great.

Both sides spent ten years recuperating, but one integrated most of the population and resources of the Central Plains, while the other could only remain in a corner. The speed at which the two sides recovered their strength was not on the same level at all.

The Empress nodded slightly: "Alright, then I'll go with your suggestion. I'll wait for them to jump out and see what tricks they can pull."

"Yes."

Bai Su nodded.

Just as Sister Zheng was about to speak, her eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and a look of discomfort appeared on her face.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Seeing Zheng Jie's strange reaction, Bai Su couldn't help but ask in confusion.

Zheng Jie covered her mouth, and after a while, she glared at Bai Su with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance in her phoenix eyes: "Isn't this all because of the bad things you did, you scoundrel? This little guy is making me feel uncomfortable."

Bai Su was taken aback when she saw Zheng Jie touching her lower abdomen.

It took him a while to come to his senses, and his tone was gentle: "I...can I touch it?"

Zheng Jie nodded slightly: "Be careful."

Bai Su took a deep breath and carefully placed her hand on Zheng Jie's lower abdomen. Touching the delicate skin through the black dragon robe, she found the belly to be very smooth and not yet changed much, but there was a feeling of a small life growing inside.

This feeling of blood being as thick as water gave Bai Su a strange sensation.

Looking at the once audacious thief now so cautious, Zheng Jie couldn't help but smile.

Inside the main hall, the candles flickered and danced.

Two tall, slender figures were reflected in the water, making the scene exceptionally warm and inviting.

Chapter 272 Bathing and Back Scrubbing

By the time Bai Su returned to the mansion, it was already late at night.

The maid, Da Qiao, thoughtfully boiled water and cut some fruit, placing it on a plate.

A bathtub was also placed inside the room.

With Da Qiao's help, Bai Su took off his clothes and soaked in the bathtub. The hot water seeped into his skin, making him let out a comfortable sound.

Although the brick road made the carriage much smoother and less bumpy than before, we still ate and drank inside the carriage the whole way.

After traveling in the carriage for several days, he was really exhausted.

Da Qiao had served Bai Su countless times, so she was used to the current scene. She folded Bai Su's clothes and prepared to wash them tomorrow.

Although she was now the head housekeeper, she was no longer the little maid she once was and could have easily delegated such tasks to servants.

However, she remained calm and composed, taking care of Bai Su's daily life with the same thoughtfulness as always, without the slightest carelessness, and meticulously handling every little thing.

"Hu Yu, where did she go?"

Bai Su lay in the bathtub, her eyes closed, and asked.

Knowing Hu Yi's personality, she would definitely rush into his arms as soon as she saw him return, clinging to him with a grin and begging him to feed her.

Cough cough, of course I meant to cook delicious food for her, I didn't have any other intentions.

But when he returned today, he found the mansion quiet and there was no sign of Hu Ji, which was quite unusual.

Da Qiao tossed her jet-black hair aside, her slender white fingers lightly touching her cheek. After tilting her head and thinking for a moment, she said, "Your Highness, you've gone to supervise the imperial examinations."

"The imperial examination?"

Bai Su was startled and opened her eyes.

This girl is usually quite playful and rarely reads books. Why did she suddenly decide to do such a troublesome job as proctoring the imperial examinations?

Da Qiao explained, "This is His Majesty's arrangement."

Seeing Bai Su's puzzled expression, she recounted the recent events that had occurred in Xianyang.

It turns out that a few days ago, the auspicious "Black Bird" suddenly descended upon the palace, saying that it could protect the Great Xia for ten thousand years, ensuring favorable weather, abundant harvests, and national peace and prosperity.

They can also teach His Majesty the art of immortality, but on the condition that a temple be built deep within the palace, where they must study the arts for a full year and not leave until they have mastered them.

However, the affairs of state cannot be left unattended.

Therefore, His Majesty decided to choose a successor between Hu Yu and his eldest daughter Fu Su to temporarily oversee state affairs.

The supervision and presiding over the imperial examinations were a test His Majesty was giving to the two princesses.

Based on their performance, a decision will be made on who will succeed them.

After a year or two of development, the scale of the imperial examination system is now vastly different from what it used to be.

Not only students from Guanzhong, but also students from all over the Central Plains, and even from the grasslands and the Western Regions, came from afar to participate in the imperial examinations.

Managing and supervising so many people is no easy task.

Of course, if things are done well, it can also be a good opportunity to build connections and reputation.

After all, among so many young students, there must be all kinds of talents, and many of them will become the backbone of the government in the future.

Even though Hu Yi often slacked off and played around, she was still very serious when it came to important matters like choosing a successor.

Thanks to Bai Su's connections, he set off in a grand procession with Liu Ji, Cao Can, and a large group of others.

After all, she had been competing with her sister for so many years, and she didn't want to lose to Fusu and end up having to depend on others in the future.

"Master, what's wrong?"

After Da Qiao finished speaking, she looked at Bai Su's somewhat strange expression and couldn't help but ask with some doubt.

"No...it's nothing, I was just a little surprised."

Bai Su chuckled awkwardly, but a strange feeling stirred within her.

Others might not know what that Xuan Bird is, but he certainly does—it's the hot air balloon he once commissioned the Mohists to make.

Back then, when I took Sister Zheng to Tianhou, the hot air balloon was kept by a special person. I never expected that Sister Zheng would take it out to create hype now. Why is that?

Zhengjie has already experienced all sorts of things and knows that there are no immortals in the world and there is no way to achieve immortality. Why would she suddenly want to go into seclusion for a year?

Wait, a year...

Bai Su was stunned for a moment, and a thought suddenly popped into her mind: Could it be that Sister Zheng is trying to have a child?

Thinking about it this way, it's quite possible that it was Zheng Jie's doing.

After all, it wasn't noticeable for the first two or three months, as she was wearing a large dragon robe to conceal it, but once her belly started to grow bigger, it would definitely become impossible to hide.

If the ministers in the court notice something amiss, it will be a major blow to the face of the royal family.

Moreover, Zhengjie has always cared about her reputation and would definitely not allow such a thing to happen.

Find a suitable excuse to stay in the palace for a year, until the child is born and the body recovers, and then take charge of the government. No one will notice anything wrong with that.

As for the children born, they could be kept in the dark by claiming they came from the royal family or were adopted.

After understanding Zheng Jie's thoughts, Bai Su couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.

Doesn't Your Majesty worry that your future children might come to Xianyang Palace with a sword on their backs and loudly proclaim a magnificent rebellion against their mothers?

Seeing Da Qiao blinking her clear black and white eyes at him curiously, he coughed lightly and asked, "How has the situation been in the manor lately?"

Da Qiao pondered for a moment and said, "Everything is fine..."

She recounted in detail what had happened in the mansion over the past few months, who had come to visit, and how much wine Liu Ji had stolen.

Bai Su was in charge of all the affairs of the mansion, big and small, when Hu Yi was not at home.

After a period of training, she managed the household in an orderly manner, displaying the authority of a head steward.