Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

She couldn't help but feel a surge of nervousness and helplessness.

Bai Su pretended to be disappointed and released Fu Su. Fu Su staggered back two steps, almost losing her balance. Her beautiful eyes were glazed over, and she seemed to have not come back to her senses.

Bai Su shook her head slightly: "In the end, all that so-called obsession is nothing more than this, it's truly disappointing."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave.

This scare should be enough to keep Fusu in line for a while, but it's not a long-term solution. How will we clear up the misunderstanding in the future?

Just as Bai Su turned around and had taken a few steps, Fu Su, who was in the corridor, suddenly spoke up: "Wait a minute!"

Bai Su paused, turning around in surprise.

Thick clouds drifted across the sky, blocking out the sun and casting shadows over the entire hall.

Bai Su saw Fu Su standing in the shadows, one hand on a pillar.

She lowered her head slightly, her dark hair falling down and obscuring her face, making it difficult to see her expression, creating a very oppressive atmosphere.

After a long time.

Fu Su slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with determination, as if she had been driven to the brink of despair and was making a final, tragic outburst.

She bit her red lips tightly with her pearly teeth, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Alright, I will serve you like a younger sister, but please keep your promise and do not overstep your bounds."

Seeing Fu Su's serious expression, Bai Su's eyelids twitched involuntarily. Oh no, she'd messed up.

He clearly had no feelings for Fusu; he only said those things because he was angry and wanted to scare her.

Then I'll explain to her properly that I'm just a carefree person who wants to live a life of leisure and have no ambition whatsoever.

But to everyone's surprise, Fu Su was so determined that she actually agreed.

Do I really look like such a villain? Heaven and earth bear witness, I am clearly an honest person who is not good with words and never lies.

Bai Su tossed her hair, feeling a sudden headache.

After all, he was already with Zheng Jie and had Hu Yi, so he couldn't go after his sister-in-law anymore.

Is Bai Su the kind of person without integrity? Besides, Fu Su isn't that pretty.

Bai Su slowly raised her head, glanced at Fu Su in front of her, and couldn't help but feel a little helpless. Well, she was quite pretty.

She is much prettier than Hu Yi, who has grown quite a bit recently, and has an intellectual and elegant temperament.

Her slender waist had no excess fat, comparable to her younger sister Hu Yi, both as thin as willow branches.

However, she is a head taller than her younger sister, and under that white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), she must have a pair of long legs that are no less impressive than her sister's.

Besides bearing a striking resemblance to Zheng Jie, she also seemed to have inherited the fine traditions of the Zhao family in terms of her impressive figure.

Although she is not quite as good as Zheng Jie, she is still considered to be outstanding.

Bai Su couldn't help but recall the memory of her wedding day when she accidentally entered the wrong bridal chamber and ended up in Fu Su's room, and an idea popped into her mind.

If one day, Fusu were to wear her own sister's clothes, wouldn't that be...?

Cough cough, how could I think like that? I, Bai Su, am a person of principle.

Seeing Bai Su looking at her with a strange expression, Fu Su clenched her fists.

She lightly bit her lip with her pearly white teeth and said, "Hu Yu is one thing, but I don't know how Mother, such a shrewd person, was deceived by you..."

"But since things have come to this, there's nothing more to say. I will keep my promise to you, and I hope you will keep your word."

"Speak," she said, staring intently at Bai Su with the look one would give a villain.

That tragic, heroic gaze, so full of self-sacrifice, made Bai Su's eyelids twitch. She was being treated like a villain.

He couldn't help but say, somewhat exasperated, "As expected of Prince Fusu, he is truly loyal and righteous, which is very touching."

Just then, Hu Yu's voice suddenly came from behind: "Fu Su, husband, what are you two talking about here?"

Hu Su, now dressed in a black palace gown, walked over. She skillfully took Bai Su's arm and looked at Fu Su with a wary gaze.

After all, she had been competing with Fusu for the position of crown prince for many years, making them rivals who loved and hated each other.

Recently, with the help of her husband, she has finally gained more prestige than Fu Su for the first time. Therefore, she is worried that Fu Su might get angry and cause trouble for her husband.

When Fusu saw her sister looking at her with the eyes of an enemy, she felt a sudden wave of sorrow.

What a silly little sister, she didn't even realize she'd been sold out.

If she hadn't seen through Bai Su's true colors and managed to appease this scoundrel by offering herself as bait, the fate of the Great Xia dynasty would likely have been in grave danger.

Despite the complex emotions she felt, her expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of anything amiss.

This made Bai Su, who was standing to the side, sigh inwardly, "Women are indeed born actresses."

After pondering for a moment, Fu Su said, "I didn't say anything, but recently, after the trade treaty was signed, the court's tax revenue has been changing every day. I want to host a banquet to entertain Lord Bai, firstly to celebrate his success, and secondly to ask him about trade matters."

“Of course, my husband, Hu Yu, is no ordinary man.”

A smug smile appeared on Hu Su's fair face, and she tightened her grip on Bai Su's arm.

Bai Su glanced behind her, her silver teeth clenched as she glared at Fu Su, her lips twitching involuntarily.

That's it. In this sister-in-law's eyes, the label of a treacherous minister with a wolfish gaze is now firmly attached to me.

Chapter 397 What a Scoundrel Should Do

Inside the main hall, candlelight flickered.

The table was laden with fruits and dishes.

Fu Su sat upright at the table, took a sip of wine, and gently placed the wine cup on the table.

Her gaze fell upon Bai Su before her, and she said, "Lord Bai is truly a man of extraordinary talent. Relying on the trade of the Central Plains as a foundation, he has signed trade treaties with neighboring countries, using the economy to manipulate and influence the rise and fall of these countries. He can be said to hold the reins of the world."

Bai Su sat lazily at her desk, shaking her head slightly: "I'm still one step away from ruling the world."

Fu Su was taken aback for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Which step is still missing?"

After all, in her view, the Central Plains had almost monopolized the source of trade with its silk, porcelain, tea and other goods. Who else in the world could compete with the Central Plains?

Even Hu Yi, who was eating snacks nearby, couldn't help but look over curiously.

Looking at the two women with puzzled expressions, Bai Su couldn't help but smile and say, "Have you forgotten where the cotton seeds came from?"

Fu Su raised a delicate eyebrow and tentatively asked, "You mean the Peacock Dynasty?"

Bai Su nodded slightly and said, "That's right. Cotton is also one of the hard currencies in trade, and its status is not much inferior to that of silk and tea. The Peacock Dynasty is the place of origin of cotton."

"The reason they haven't made good use of the advantages of cotton is simply because they have lost power, their national strength is weak, there are countless states within the country, and their decrees are difficult to extend beyond the capital."

"If a powerful force were to take over the Mauryan Empire and annex it, just like us, and use cotton as hard currency to trade with neighboring countries, it could accumulate a great deal of wealth and thus rise to become a powerful empire in a short period of time."

"At that time, not only will there be one more competitor in trade with the Central Plains, but there will also be one more major power blocking the entrance to the Western Regions on this essential trade route, acting as a middleman, collecting customs duties from our caravans, and taking away most of the profits."

"Therefore, if we want to hold the Silk Road in our hands and completely monopolize the upstream of trade, we cannot allow a great power to emerge here."

"If we can annex the Mauryan Empire, not only will we reduce one threat, but we can also control all the cotton in the world, completely monopolizing the source of hard currency in the world's trade, and then we can make a fortune from trade."

"Moreover, we have an additional super granary with three times the arable land of the Central Plains, where grain can be harvested three times a year."

"Therefore, if the Great Xia wants to maintain its dominant position, it must find a way to take over this Peacock Dynasty."

After listening to Bai Su's story, Fu Su did not show much surprise.

After all, she was very familiar with this kind of thing. Back then, the Great Xia Dynasty had annexed the land of Bashu and had this large granary, which laid the foundation for its conquest of the six kingdoms.

The current Mauryan Empire, in the eyes of the Central Plains, is roughly equivalent to a larger version of the Sichuan Basin.

If one wishes to support the people of the Central Plains with a nation of many states, then taking over the Mauryan dynasty is an essential step.

Hu Yi said with a smile, "So, the real reason why you sent envoys to trade is that you were just pretending, but deliberately provoking us and creating a pretext for war."

Bai Su chuckled and said, "It's enough that you understand in your heart; there's no need to say it aloud."

Since ancient times, the Central Plains have valued having a legitimate reason for launching an expedition. If a large army is to be sent on a westward expedition that involves traveling thousands of miles, there must be a suitable pretext.

After hearing Bai Su's plan, Hu Yu's fair face was filled with undisguised excitement.

After all, she has always lacked any notable political achievements. If, during her temporary administration of the government, she could take over the Peacock Dynasty with Bai Su's support, that would be a good opportunity.

Then when Mother chooses the heir apparent in the future, won't she be guaranteed a spot?

Thinking of this, she also picked up her wine cup, which was unusual for her, and drank with Bai Su. After drinking a cup of strong liquor, she immediately started shouting.

"Hiss, so spicy!"

Bai Su couldn't help but chuckle at Hu Yu's constant panting and sticking out his tongue. The liquor wasn't very strong, only around 20 degrees.

He drank a glass of wine and didn't feel much of a difference.

But when Bai Su looked up and saw Hu Yi's face was already flushed, she was speechless. His alcohol tolerance was really too low.

Fu Su also chimed in, "Hu Yu, you can't hold your liquor, so drink less."

This girl is still the same as before. She doesn't drink much, but she still likes to drink. Every time she drinks, she gets a little drunk after just a little bit.

"It's alright. I'm having a rare good time today, so it's fine to drink a little more."

Hu Yingying smiled and paid no attention to Fu Su's advice. While drinking her wine, she talked about some interesting things that happened recently when foreign pilgrims came to pay homage.

"Do you remember the Gija Joseon? It was Gija, the uncle of King Zhou of Shang, who betrayed King Zhou of Shang and submitted to the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou emperor assigned him to the Liaodong Peninsula and gave him the name Joseon."

"Two days ago, Gija Joseon sent an envoy to visit the Central Plains. They were like country bumpkins who had never seen the world before. When they passed by the county government, they thought it was the imperial palace and knelt down to worship on the spot. It was hilarious."

"It is said that they are currently fighting back and forth with three Han clans in the south, and they call it the Three Han Kingdoms. Their envoy said that they are willing to recognize the Great Xia as their suzerain state and request military assistance."

"Hahaha, such a tiny place, with villages fighting each other, is called the Three Han Kingdom."

As Hu Yu spoke, she began to laugh. She was slightly tipsy and almost laughed herself to the point of falling over.

Bai Su helped Hu Yi up and said helplessly, "You can't hold your liquor, so drink less."

Seeing this, Fu Su muttered under her breath, "Your sister is almost drunk, but you're still pretending to be all lovey-dovey. You're quite the actor. No wonder Hu Yi is so infatuated with you."

Bai Su raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but say, "Your Highness Fu Su, you've really misunderstood me. I'm not the kind of person you think I am?"

Fu Su said calmly, "Do you still want to pretend in front of me?"

Bai Su's eyelids twitched involuntarily. He had no intention of being a bad guy, but his sister-in-law kept saying this about him.

This made him feel annoyed. Since you think of me as a bad guy, then I'll show you how bad I can be.