Reborn Daughter: The Young Lady Wants to Make a Trouble

Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Li Xueyue unfolded the scroll in her hand and began to speak.

"Since exploring the capital with the prince, I have discovered some worrying things." Li Xueyue said.

"Oh?" Representative Wu raised his eyebrows.

He leaned forward, curious to hear what she had to say. What amused him the most was that the prince's expression became even gloomier because of his little action.

"I heard that Hanjian is much better at supporting civilians than Wuyi," she began, her eyes scanning the people in the room. They looked at her, encouraging her to raise objections.

She smiled, "I agree with that."

Li Xueyue saw the approval in everyone's eyes, but this was also expected. Everyone wanted to hear how great their motherland was.

Who hasn’t? It’s best to start with a positive tone, then ask a question, and end with a compliment to soothe them.

“But support for the community needs to be improved,” Li Xueyue added. “For example, if orphanages could get more funding, or if schools were built so that little boys and girls don’t end up on the streets.”

"Why should peasants be educated anyway?" Han Gong retorted. "It's a waste of resources. These commoners are stupid. They will treat books as food and ink as drink."

“Because these children are the future of the country,” Li Xueyue said. “Whether they are born into noble or commoner families, they will play an important role in shaping society.”

"Little princess," Duke Han said in a disappointed but very happy voice. "The people who will lead the country in the future generations will be descendants of noble birth. They are qualified to lead the court. Not the descendants of humble servants."

His words drew a round of agreement. The government has already provided hundreds of new jobs for farmers and civilians. Why give them more opportunities? It would take up too many resources.

"Besides," Duke Han said, "what if the peasants use their newfound knowledge to rebel? Now that they can read and write, they will surely think they are powerful enough to overthrow the royal family."

Li Xueyue raised an eyebrow. "Well, how could the nobles not do the same thing? You have more wealth, knowledge, and resources to usurp the throne. What stopped you?"

Han Gong was taken aback. He had not expected her to attack him so sharply. To be honest, he thought she would succumb to his scrutinizing gaze. The Crown Princess attracted the attention of everyone in the room, but that did not mean that everything was good.

“Loyalty,” he said, laughing. “You clearly lack loyalty to the country of your birth.”

Li Xueyue smiled coldly, "Wanting to make the country you will lead better does not mean being disloyal to the Five Barbarians."

She gave him a sly glance. "Where is the loyalty of the nobility to the dutiful servants who clothe you, take care of your children, feed you, serve you, and listen to your every word?"

Han Gong sneered: "I paid them, I brought them here, they are mine, the money should be enough to make them happy."

"Don't you want your servants to be more capable?" Li Xueyue asked.

"They don't need to be smart," Duke Han blurted out. "They just need to know how to move their hands and feet."

Li Xueyue pursed her lips. Arguing with him was like talking to a wall. Such a conversation would not produce any results. If a person was unwilling to change, he would always oppose all suggestions and comments.

"Increase funding for orphanages?" Duke Han said softly, with a sly smile on his face. "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. We already give them enough money. Why waste the annual budget on useless children?"

“Because it’s the country’s responsibility to take care of its citizens,” Li Xueyue deadpanned. “We don’t want a rebellion like in other countries.”

Duke Han narrowed his eyes. "From what you said, it seems that you knew there was a rebellion. I think you should know, because you--"

"That's enough." The voice was soft, but it silenced the whole room.

The Crown Prince's heart was in turmoil, he was furious and very unhappy.

"If you insult my wife again, you will lose your tongue." Yu Zhen was furious.

Han Gong shut his mouth for a moment. He was deeply disappointed with the prince's reaction. If this woman wanted to fight for her own opinion, she should fight alone. How humble it was for the crown princess to rely on her husband's power.

"I am only expressing my opinion, sir," said the duke, "I do not wish to offend you——"

"You make me angry."

After hearing what the prince said, Lord Han's face turned pale. Hearing a burst of laughter coming from the room, he cleared his throat awkwardly. It seemed that everyone was on the prince's side today.

"King Han, it's so unfair that you monopolized the conversation with the Crown Princess," Representative Wu said.

"I heard from my cousin that she is very talented, so I wanted to talk to her, but you just kept refuting her without considering other people's feelings." Representative Wu sighed.

"Mr. Han, you are too greedy," he said finally.

Duke Han snorted. "If you want to argue with that guy--" He paused.

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped.

Although Han Gong was three times older than the prince, he couldn't help but shudder when he saw this horrifying scene. The prince's face was dead silent. If he said another word, his head would fly off.

"I'm very sorry, Your Highness. I just said the wrong thing." Han Gong stammered. The prince didn't need to point out what was wrong, just seeing his unhappy expression was enough.

Seeing that the prince continued to sit there with an increasingly gloomy expression, Duke Han panicked and loosened the prince's collar.

"It's just—"

"Bah, you definitely don't want your tongue back." Councillor Wu waved his hand and snorted, "Shut up and sit back. You're annoying us all."

After hearing this, Han Gong's face was furious. He sat back in his seat very reluctantly, careful not to make any sound. Everyone has heard the rumors about the prince. No matter if you are a noble or not, as long as you anger him, he will kill you without hesitation, and no one will be spared. Even if the prince is worse than him, no one dares to call him a tyrant.

"So," Councillor Oh clapped his hands, turning to give the Crown Princess a big, playful smile.

"Is that all, Princess? Or do you have anything else to say?" he asked.

"Apart from the fact that the taxes on civilians are too high and there are no representatives of this class to speak for them, I don't think I have anything to add." Li Xueyue said thoughtfully.

Representative Wu nodded. "Well, these topics can indeed be discussed for a long time. But the rule of our discussion is that everyone must have a chance to speak."

Li Xueyue didn't need to know these things, Yu Zhen had already told her, "Yeah, I know."

"In this case, as I'm sure you're aware, every member must be given the opportunity to share their advice before the same person raises another issue."

Li Xueyue blinked, she had forgotten about this.

"Yes, yes," she muttered.

Councillor Wu's smile gradually turned into an understanding one. "Fortunately, Mr. Han has given some advice. You don't have to listen to his annoying voice for the time being."

Li Xueyue smiled bitterly and said nothing. She didn't like insulting people who opposed her. She walked to the empty seat next to Yu Zhen and sat down without saying a word.

Unexpectedly, the next person to come up with the idea was Representative Wu.

He stood empty-handed.

Li Xueyue was a little confused. She thought he was an agricultural representative and should be able to give some advice.

If she remembered correctly, Han Jian's resources had been greatly reduced due to the war, and many crops had been burned.

“I don’t have much to say today,” Representative Wu began, “except to report on the current progress of the agricultural situation and a suggestion I have in mind.”

Representative Wu paused for a moment before continuing, "As you know, the land in Hanjiang has always been fertile."

His smile faded slightly, matching the seriousness of his next words.

“Although our crops have been badly affected by the war, new crops are growing again quickly.”

Then he perked up again. "By the end of summer, our resources should have increased dramatically!"

The room erupted in cheers. Many people were delighted to hear the news.

Li Xueyue was the same. If the war stopped, wouldn't the soldiers stop occupying towns? With more resources, the people wouldn't be so hungry...

“Well, my next suggestion is different from what I originally thought,” Representative Wu said.

He locked eyes with the crown prince and smiled. "Our citizens work hard to house and feed the soldiers who keep our country safe. They donate what little resources they have."

Representative Wu looked around again, trying to read the expressions on everyone's faces, but most people's expressions were unreadable.

"In return for the citizens' loyalty to this country, I have to agree with the crown prince. Their taxes should be lowered."