Wealth and glory seek stability

They were saying, overtly and covertly, that no matter how hard she tried, she was worthless compared to her family background.

Zhang Qiao was obviously accustomed to such scenes.

Jian Xi raised her head slightly to look at the reactions of everyone present. Zhang Xuanyu and Lan Qi were eating and drinking as if everything around them had nothing to do with them.

Li Cejun raised his lips, as if to agree, "What the Emperor said is very true. If Ye Mayuan can mobilize his people to reclaim wasteland during this drought, I'm afraid he can provide the food needed by the people of Xuanwu."

It seems like he is showing support, but in fact he is setting a trap for Ruan Chizheng. As long as Ruan Chizheng responds, he will be wrong no matter what he does.

If we continue to talk about this, we can only say that the Ruan family is lazy, otherwise the empress would not bow to the Xuanyuan Dynasty.

If he refuted it, he would be overturning Ruan Chizheng's previous words in one fell swoop, and he would not lose either way.

This Li Cejun is really a wild rose covered with thorns.

Jian Xi thought secretly.

However, there is no flattery among men competing for favor.

I don’t know what the other concubines’ temperaments are like, but the emperor’s husband Ruan Chizheng and concubine Li both have distinct personalities and outstanding looks.

It exudes truth from the inside out, and reminds me of the unofficial history of the empress and Ruan Chizheng.

It's a perfect combination of a domineering empress and a proud and arrogant husband. The empress is quite good at playing.

Zhang Lan'er raised her glass, "Lord Li, it was my father who lost his temper just now. I hope Lord Li and Sixth Sister will not blame me. I will drink a glass to apologize."

"Sixth sister, you brought us so much food and wheat seeds during your visit to the Xuanyuan Dynasty. You are the greatest contributor to this trip. This snow mustard dish was made with the raccoons I hunted for you in the Wild Horse Plain. Please try it."

Zhang Lan'er speaks much softer than Ruan Chizheng.

Zhang Cen'er didn't dare to deny her this face, so she took a bite and replied with a smile: "Thank you for your kindness, it's delicious."

Hearing this, Ruan Chizheng said sourly, "That's the tenderest piece of meat on the raccoon, only one or two pounds. Lan'er gave it all to you out of kindness." Then he turned his head and glanced at Li Cejun, "That's the best thing you've never eaten in your life, try it."

Li Cejun smiled and took a bite, "Thank you, my Lord."

Jian Xi looked at it in amazement.

This Li Cejun seems to be a patient person.

But the fact that he refuted Ruan Chizheng's words at the beginning was enough to show that this man was not as gentle, respectful and frugal as he seemed. He also had his own plans and was probably protecting Zhang Cen'er.

He would rather suffer some injustice himself than let others wrong Zhang Cen'er.

At this moment, Jian Xi was a little envious of Zhang Cen'er, not because she had a noble status, but because she had a father who loved her so much.

While he was distracted, Zhang Qiao's majestic voice came, "Who is that?" His finger pointed directly at Jian Xi.

The atmosphere suddenly froze, and everyone's eyes shifted to Jian Xi.

Jian Xi looked around and made sure that he was being pointed at before he slowly stood up.

Zhang Cen'er was afraid that Jian Xi could not handle it, so he stood up and explained, "Mother Queen, that was a guest I brought from the Xuanyuan Dynasty. She is good at agriculture and business, and she also sold the grain to me this time.

Along the way, she also helped many tribes solve the problem of water supply and irrigation. She is the smartest woman I have ever seen."

Zhang Cen'er's flattery almost made Jian Xi wonder if she was talking about herself.

Zhang Qiao became a little interested, as she hadn't seen anyone from outside the region for a long time.

So he asked, "Since you are from outside the domain, could you tell me the difference between the Xuanwu Dynasty and the Xuanyuan Dynasty?"

"Mother Queen, she..." Zhang Cen'er felt that this was not an easy question to answer, and wanted to speak up to help Jian Xi out.

Zhang Qiao raised his hand to interrupt, with a hint of displeasure on his face, "I want to hear what she has to say."

Jian Xi suppressed her desire to watch the fun, but the eyes at the highest point opposite her that seemed to be able to see through everything made her heart tremble for no reason.

This should be the Empress' intention to test her. On another level, she might want to understand the real Xuanyuan Dynasty.

She was mentally considering her words.

Zhang Qiao's voice came again, "Just say it boldly. I am not the kind of person who cannot tolerate the good of other countries. Just tell the truth."

Jian Xi secretly complained in her heart that she would not take it seriously even if he said it was the truth. This was the tone that the leader often used. If she really told the truth, she would be a fool.

Mo Chuan at the back was getting anxious and angry, but Ling Bao calculated with his fingers and then gave Mo Chuan a reassuring look.

Zhang Qiao naturally didn't pay attention to the undercurrents below.

Jian Xi was afraid that Zhang Qiao would get anxious, so she spoke directly.

"Your Majesty, since I am a citizen of the Xuanyuan Dynasty, I will just talk about the Xuanyuan Dynasty first. Your Majesty will naturally judge its merits and demerits, and I will only tell you the truth."

Zhang Qiao moved his body and put his right hand on the back of the chair, "Okay."

After getting permission, Jian Xi explained bit by bit, "The Xuanyuan Dynasty where I was born is vast and rich in resources. The common people work very hard just to have a bite to eat. The court selects people based on their merits through the imperial examination. Emperor Xuanyuan is diligent in his work and governs his subjects in an orderly manner, with unity between the emperor and his subjects."

No matter how Xuanyuan Zhan plotted against her, Emperor Xuanyuan's achievements were there, and she would not deliberately discredit Emperor Xuanyuan just because of a grudge.

Seeing Jian Xi talking about so many advantages of the Xuanyuan Dynasty, Ruan Chizheng couldn't sit still anymore.

"According to you, the Xuanyuan Dynasty is better than the Xuanwu Dynasty?" His nose was almost snorting to the sky.

Jian Xi was speechless. How could a man who was almost fifty years old still have such a childish temper?

Either you live too comfortably, or you are too well protected.

His eyes unconsciously swept over Zhang Qiao. He thought she would scold him. After all, it was a serious crime to not know the rules and make decisions in front of the emperor.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Qiao just waved his hand slightly, "It's okay, I said I won't blame you, just continue."

Jian Xi bowed, "Yes, and the Xuanwu Dynasty, I have come all the way, the Sixth Princess took us to visit various tribes, the people of Xuanwu are all happy to live in their own place, the folk customs are simple and hospitable, these are rare, the people of the same tribe are also united, everyone is working hard to live a better life."

As for why they were from the same tribe, there are some explanations. I remember that they once encountered two tribes fighting for water sources. They used every possible means, including declaring war, sending people to poison, and tripping others up. They even sprinkled animal-attracting powder on the sheep of the opposite tribe, causing wolves to swarm over.

Obviously Zhang Qiao knew very well the nature of these people in his own country and did not care about it.

But she still asked the ultimate question, "Which do you think is better, the Xuanwu Dynasty or the Xuanyuan Dynasty?"

Jian Xi:......

What a confusing question.

"I think it doesn't matter whether it's good or not. As long as the subjects live well in any country, they can choose any country. However, I admire the faith of the people of the Xuanwu Dynasty.

They believe in the Eternal Heaven and love the land where they were born. All this is due to your Majesty's diligent efforts over the years."

Zhang Lan'er couldn't sit still anymore. "According to what you said, if the country is not good, the people will choose to leave. But there are also tyrannical monarchs in history books. Why don't we see people disappearing from their countries? This is a paradox."

Jian Xi smiled and said, "I am a humble woman, and I am only speaking from the perspective of an ordinary citizen. As for what the eldest princess said, that is what your majesty should do. Besides, the common people have one biggest characteristic: they will not easily resist unless their last taut string is overwhelmed."

If you want to advance, suppress it first.

And thin mud.

Flattery.

Three steps to survive in the workplace.

Jian Xi is well aware of this. Everyone likes to be affirmed, encouraged and praised.

As expected, Zhang Qiao smiled and said, "You are a good talker. In your opinion, what else does the Xuanwu Dynasty need to do to become better?"

This is not something that can be fooled by the two simple questions mentioned above.

"I think it is to educate the people."

Jian Xi used a difficult-to-pronounce name for herself. God knows how uncomfortable it was to call herself a commoner woman.

"tell me the story."

"As the Emperor said, the Xuanyuan Dynasty is indeed not as vast as the Xuanwu Dynasty. However, due to the drought this time, the Xuanwu Dynasty had to bow to the Xuanyuan Dynasty. Has the Empress ever thought about why this is the case?"

"How dare you!" Ruan Chizheng slammed the table and said, "Your Majesty, this lowly person actually said such outrageous words. Please call the court warriors to slap him in the face."

Zhang Cen'er could no longer bear it. "This is the Emperor's rule. The Queen Mother was talking to Jian Xi, and the Emperor interrupted her again and again. Is he trying to make the subjects laugh at the royal court?"

Zhang Qiao was very strict with her children, but surprisingly, she was quite lenient with the concubines in the harem.

Especially the emperor's husband Ruan Chizheng. Although he has grown older over the years, his style of doing things is even worse than that of his daughter Zhang Lan'er.

Zhang Qiao looked at him fiercely and threatened, "Alright, stop arguing. I haven't inspected for many years and don't know the situation down there. I finally got a guest and I want to hear what she has to say. Stop making trouble."

After hearing this, everyone stopped talking.

Jian Xi said respectfully:

"The people of the Xuanwu Dynasty are generally taller and stronger than those of the Xuanyuan Dynasty, but the people of the Xuanyuan Dynasty have one thing in common, which is hard work."

As he said this, he glanced at Zhang Qiao. Her face was as calm as a mountain, making it hard to tell whether she was happy or angry.

Jian Xi also wanted to flatter Zhang Qiao, but that would not leave a deep impression on her.

She has not forgotten her purpose.

This time, she promised Zhang Cen'er to help her obtain the throne. Today's performance is the first impression. She must not let people think that she is a useless person.

This is a power struggle, not a house fight. People with no value in a large mansion can still make a living by being honest and dutiful, but in the court, people with no value will either die or become scapegoats in the end.

"Since Your Majesty has asked me to tell you the truth, I can only tell you the truth. Before I came to the Xuanwu Dynasty, I read a lot of national policy history books, and my understanding of the Xuanwu Dynasty was only from the books.

I originally thought that the people of the Xuanwu Dynasty were just suckers with abundant resources, and no matter what they bought, they would inevitably be ripped off. "