Zhao Jiaqi looked at the angry and struggling man and said, "Emperor Wei, I'll ask you one last time, do you want to destroy your country or continue to be the emperor you are now?"
"No matter what you choose, this princess will ensure you return to your territory safely, but from now on, your fate will be in the hands of heaven!"
With that said, she had nothing more to add!
Fan Zehao took a while before finally opening his mouth: "Alright, this matter will be put aside for now. As for how it develops later, this prince will inform you all before you return home whether to fight or make peace!"
His words were quite direct. Everyone knew without thinking hard that this was the deadline for the Emperor of Wei!
Obey and make peace, refuse and fight until you obey, until you are destroyed – this was Fan Zehao's motto!
He scanned everyone, his stern face softening only when he looked at Zhao Jiaqi. Then, he resumed his cold demeanor towards the others!
"Yesterday and today, this prince has shown you all some of the little secrets of the inner city. Of course, you are all wondering why I did this and what my intentions are. Today, this prince will tell you!"
Fan Zehao continued, "The first reason is to show you the strength of my military soldiers. This is only a tiny portion, meant to tell you that if you want to invade my Yun Kingdom, you must weigh your strength!"
"Of course, this prince has always advocated for peaceful development. If you don't touch me, I won't bother you. Expanding the military and improving the physical fitness of the soldiers are all for my self-preservation, not to threaten you. Perhaps you can consider me a potential enemy and constantly guard against me, but I can only tell you that you are looking in the wrong direction. My ambitions are not great; having a wife, children, and a warm hearth is enough!"
He was indirectly conveying his intentions, letting everyone know that his soldiers were only for defending the country, not for seizing territory!
"Secondly, this morning I had you observe the development of the trade city and the operation of the workshops, also with the intention of having everyone develop together. As the saying goes, a single coin can stump a hero. When the common people have money in their pockets, you will also be happy. If the common people are impoverished, it will be difficult for you to collect taxes. When the poor are pushed to a certain extent, they will also erupt in war!"
His words made everyone fall into deep thought!
Fan Zehao added, "Whether it's a year of peace or a year of war, I ask you, without money, how can you buy grain, horses, and weapons? By plunder? If you think this way, don't others think the same? If you fail, wouldn't it be a loss of both wife and soldier, a gain not worth the trouble!"
"Only when you are strong yourself, with both financial and military power, do you have anything to fear? Even if they attack, what of it? We are fully capable of driving them out, even fighting until you submit!"
"We will only suffer small losses, but for those who are defeated, the losses are not just money and soldiers. At that time, your reputation and honor will be tarnished in countless households. Even if you sit on the dragon throne, there will be no shortage of people gossiping about you behind your back, and those who resent you will only increase, especially the families of the soldiers who enlisted. Without your greed, how could those soldiers have been sacrificed!"
A stratagem of attacking the heart!
Attacking the mind is better than attacking the body. This method is good, Zhao Jiaqi silently gave him a thumbs-up!
The previous matters had been sufficiently set up by her husband, and the rest would be handled by her!
Zhao Jiaqi struck while the iron was hot and proposed a suggestion: "Speaking of economic development, I have a few rather good suggestions that can help everyone's purses bulge, and we can prosper together!"
When it came to such good things, everyone was no longer hesitant and immediately became energetic. Someone quickly asked, "Princess, please tell us!"
Making money was more comfortable than fighting wars. They were not foolish and knew that hitting a stone with an egg was undoubtedly courting death!
Zhao Jiaqi observed everyone's enthusiasm, their gazes fixed on her, filled with brilliance!
She told them her preliminary plan: "The first step is for your respective countries to build a trade city like the one on my border and conduct trade!"
"Secondly, it's about transactions. All cargo transactions will be conducted between countries, and merchants will no longer go to the trade city to procure goods themselves. As for how the country distributes the goods after importing them, that will be up to its own management, but the premise is that the goods must be of good quality and at a fair price!"
"Thirdly, we can provide assistance, such as in grain production, medicinal materials, daily necessities, and treating epidemics, and so on. However, in return for our help, you must also provide equivalent technology."
As the conversation deepened, everyone kept it firmly in mind and collectively expressed that they would need to go back and study it before giving an answer!
Zhao Jiaqi nodded: "No problem, it doesn't matter when you've thought it through and get back to me. After all, opening up trade fully with all countries this time does carry some risks, unlike before when we only opened up trade with one or two countries."
Regarding this, everyone was very envious of the Zongsheng Kingdom, as only the Zongsheng Kingdom had unimpeded trade with the inner city!
Most of their country's trade was purchased from other fiefs of the Yun Kingdom, but it was very little, and trade cities were sometimes closed due to conflicts. In the end, their country's merchants had to turn to the trade cities of the Zongsheng Kingdom to purchase goods.
Therefore, the full opening of the inner city to them was a good thing!
As for the later matter of technology exchange, they felt it was a bit inappropriate. After all, the skilled technologies they possessed were researched by generations of their ancestors. To hand them over so easily, they were truly unwilling in their hearts!
The emperors returned to their respective villas and entered into heated discussions, excluding Yu Xiaoshuang. He sat quietly on the side like a little follower, listening to their discourse!
Suddenly, he felt quite inferior.
He didn't eat dinner and locked himself in his room for over an hour. He thought and thought but couldn't figure out something, needing the prince to enlighten him!
Leading his guards, he went to the prince's mansion!
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi had finished their evening routines and were preparing for bed. The servants announced his arrival, which surprised both husband and wife!
"Coming at this hour, he'll probably leave tomorrow!" Fan Zehao snorted coldly!
Zhao Jiaqi shrugged: "You'll know what's going on if you go see him!"
Her saying so made him lie on the bed and turn his head to smile at his wife: "I am the prince of this inner city, and he wants me to see him, so I must? That's too demeaning, I won't go!"
"You're so old and still acting childish. You should broaden your horizons and look further, not be so petty and calculating like a woman!"
After being reprimanded by his wife, Fan Zehao was even less inclined to get up: "I won't go, I'm a woman, and I'm petty and calculating. Why must I see him just because he's here? I am also a prince, and I still have my pride!"
With that, he rolled over and pulled the thin quilt over his head. The person in the quilt secretly rolled her eyes!
He was like a three-part radish that needed to be pulled out with force!