The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 346 He Wants What He Gets

Qi Yongji interrupted Cai Xin's performance: "I'm more curious, Zheng Xun just let Liang Youde leave like that, isn't he afraid that Liang will turn against him?"

“Of course I’m afraid,” Cai Xin replied confidently, well-prepared. “Liang Youde said that Zheng Xun poisoned him, and this poison requires an antidote every year. If…”

"She's quite cunning."

The fact that the antidote was administered only once a year prevented them from uncovering the secret agents of the Dayong Dynasty through the exchange of antidotes.

After all, a year has passed, and it remains to be seen what the future holds.

Did you bring Liang Youde with you?

"Your Majesty, I have arranged for him to be outside the palace gate. Would Your Majesty like to summon him?"

"Bring him up."

Liang Youde was a nobody, but since it concerned Cai Xin, he had to meet him in person to put his mind at ease.

Soon, Liang Youde was brought in by a short, fat eunuch who looked like a steamed bun.

After Liang Youde finished bowing, Qi Yongji waved for him to stand up: "You are Liang Youde?"

"Your Majesty, it is indeed I."

Qi Yongji said gently, “You have done very well. The poison in your body is a bit tricky, but there is no need to worry. I will arrange for the imperial physicians to treat you. If the imperial physicians are not able to do it, I am willing to post a notice to find a doctor for you.”

He made no mention of his suspicions about Liang Youde, and his tone was full of concern, not accusation.

Liang Youde looked up in surprise.

Cai Xin coughed twice to remind him not to be impolite.

Liang Youde lowered his head and said awkwardly, "This humble subject knows his crime!"

"It's just a trivial matter, why are you so nervous? The way you're acting makes it seem like I'm an unreasonable person."

Liang Youde rubbed his sleeves sheepishly: "This humble subject just didn't expect the Emperor of the Brown Kingdom to be so kind and tolerant, so I was a little caught off guard. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

His nervousness, though not entirely proper, made Qi Yongji lower his guard somewhat.

"You made the right choice between Dayong and He Kingdom. From now on, stay in He Kingdom. As for Dayong... we should continue to maintain contact."

Liang Youde smiled with relief: "Your Majesty, rest assured, since you are willing to take me in, I should naturally repay you. Whatever you say, I will do."

Qi Yongji laughed heartily: "No wonder Zheng Xun chose you to come to the Brown Kingdom as this envoy. I must say, you really have a good tongue."

"Your Majesty flatters me. I am but a humble merchant, and I make my living with my mouth!" Liang Youde's tone was like the ebb and flow of ocean waves, with a greasy kind of comicality. "Your Majesty has shown me such kindness. I have nothing to repay you with but this small gift. I hope Your Majesty will not find it offensive."

Qi Yongji's smile remained unchanged: "I am very much looking forward to it."

I'm really looking forward to it too.

I'm genuinely looking forward to it; do you really think Liang Youde can come up with anything good?

Come on, let the show begin!

Zheng Xun leaned back in his chair, clearly intending to keep a close eye on the developments on the screen.

The others put down their pens, touched their brushes, or went to the toilet. Once they were ready, pairs of expectant eyes fell on the light screen, as if they wanted to burn it through.

Liang Youde brought a box.

Qi Yongji took the box from Eunuch Mo beside him and opened it open generously to show his trust.

Everyone in front of the light screen held their breath.

The crown prince nervously gripped the table: "Could it be an assassination attempt?"

The Third Prince analyzed in a serious tone: "Perhaps it was poisoned."

Zheng Jin was speechless: "This is getting more and more outrageous. The various checkpoints in the palace are not just for show. If there were anything truly threatening, it would have been stopped long ago."

After opening the box, Qi Yongji's nose twitched: "What smells so good?"

"Your Majesty, this is the new species that Zheng Xun sent people to research."

Qi Yongji and Cai Xin exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

Upon hearing the news of the new species, Qi Yongji realized that he couldn't let things continue like this.

The land of the Brown Kingdom is not as fertile as that of the Great Yong Kingdom. If the gap in seeds widens further, the Brown Kingdom's rear supply will inevitably lag behind in the future.

The army of the Brown Kingdom was already in dire straits. He had barely managed to replenish his forces, so how could he allow the Great Yong Kingdom to continue to expand its advantage?

Therefore, he was willing to pay any price to tear a hole in Dayong's defenses and then stuff his own people into Dayong.

You must either obtain a new species or destroy it; you must succeed in one of them.

But he didn't expect his men to be so incompetent that both methods failed.

He never expected that it would come so easily.

What he had been desperately seeking had come to him on its own.

He opened the kraft paper in the box, feeling a sense of reassurance that it was indeed true.

He wanted it, and he got it.

This is not surprising; he has always been lucky.

After his initial joy subsided, he quickly regained his composure and reason, and immediately noticed the unusual nature of the seed.

"You're saying this is grain seed? But how can grain seed taste like this?"

What does it taste like?

It's like countless rich aromas blended together, with the distinct and unique flavors growing stronger and stronger.

He grabbed a handful of seeds and examined them closely; a complex aroma wafted over him.

My nose was taking in so many smells at once, which made me feel a little nauseous, and even caused it to malfunction for a moment.

Liang Youde rubbed his hands nervously: "This humble subject used more than ten kinds of flower fragrances... so the smell might be a bit strong..."

Qi Yongji asked curiously, "You're using flower fragrance to scent the seeds?"

He simply couldn't understand what was going on in Liang Youde's head.

He's adding fragrance to the seeds? Does he hope the crops he grows will smell of flowers?

Liang Youde remained silent, seemingly a little guilty.

Qi Yongji's smile vanished: "Liang Youde, is there anything you're hiding from me?"

Liang Youde's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, no... no!"

Qi Yongji's lips twitched.

Is he treating him like a fool?

"Why are you so nervous? Liang Youde, this is a serious matter, you'd better tell me the truth."

When Qi Yongji said this, his voice was much softer than usual, and each word came out of his mouth like thin sheets of paper falling on Liang Youde's face.

It may seem light and airy, but it will cover his mouth and nose, robbing him of his breath.

A glint of light flashed across Liang Youde's forehead; it was sunlight falling on the ground and reflecting the sweat on his brow.

"Your Majesty should know that the Great Yong Dynasty keeps a very tight grip on new species, and it is not easy to transport them out."

After Liang Youde finished speaking, he cautiously looked up at Qi Yongji's expression.

He couldn't figure it out. He swallowed hard and whispered, "Later, I came up with a plan. I wrapped the seeds in parchment, then covered them with sheep intestines, and let the horses eat the intestines... Their seeds are strictly controlled, but the horse farm next door has inferior horses, so it's much easier to get them out. Once we're in a secluded place, the horses will pull the seeds out..."

Qi Yongji's face turned ashen as he recalled how he had just held the seeds up to his nose and smelled them.

He's usually quite good at controlling his emotions, but at this moment, he really couldn't control himself at all.

Liang Youde deserves to die!

How dare he bring this filthy thing in front of him? Why didn't he stop him when he saw him smelling the seeds?

He suspected that Liang Youde was setting him up.

Liang Youde knelt on the ground, his body swaying precariously, as if he were about to faint from nervousness.

Qi Yongji remained silent.

After a long while, he finally managed to say, "You are a meritorious official. Don't worry, I won't blame you."

After sending Liang Youde away, he quickly regained his composure and resumed his smiling demeanor: "Eunuch Mo, the poison in Liang Youde's body..."

Chief Steward Mo understood: "Your Majesty, this servant can only do his best, but I reckon the poison cannot be cured."

Qi Yongji nodded in satisfaction: "I trust you to handle things."

It's normal to encounter some unexpected problems during detoxification. It would be normal for Liang Youde to die prematurely, wouldn't it?

Zheng Xun clicked his tongue in disapproval upon seeing this scene.

[Hey, cherish this pathetic version of Qi Yongji now, because it won't be long before a million corpses lie before him.]

Once he realized that killing people directly was the easiest way, he no longer wanted to use those roundabout methods!

Inside the light screen, Cai Xin stood obediently to one side, head down, expressionless, as if he were a clay figure that could neither move nor speak.

Qi Yongji did not hold a grudge against him.

After his anger subsided, he said, "Cai Xin, you keep the people of Dayong dangling in your airs. Don't make contact with Dayong too quickly. In a few days, I will find an excuse to reprimand you. Then you can go and accept Dayong's offer."

A fierce glint flashed across his face: "Following the clues, I refuse to believe I can't catch the little rats of the Great Yong."

Cai Xin respectfully replied, "Yes!"

Zheng Xun, standing outside the light screen, curled his lip, his inner thoughts growing increasingly sarcastic.

【Oh, oh, oh, making excuses to reprimand me!】

[It was clearly Qi Yongji, this pure-hearted warrior, who had long disliked Cai Xin, this opportunist.]

Yuan Sui sighed, "Cai Xin was still trying so hard to please him, little did he know that Qi Yongji already harbored resentment?"

Hearing him mutter, Xu Zhen turned his head and raised an eyebrow: "He doesn't know? That's not entirely true."

Yuan Sui humbly asked, "Aren't these people the most arrogant of all?"

The few remaining noble families in the Brown Kingdom were all incredibly arrogant.

But Cai Xin actually went to curry favor with Qi Yongji.

Not only did she try to please him, but she also pretended to be stupid and cooperated with him to suppress her...

This whole thing sounds ridiculous.

"Arrogance requires substance. Cai Xin, with his keen sense of timing, naturally saw the signs of his family's decline. He knew who was in charge now and in the future, and he was able to set aside his pride and face—that makes him a ruthless man..."

Those old aristocratic families who were proud of their status must have ridiculed Cai Xin quite a bit. Foolish people don't realize that their words and actions are foolish; they only smugly laugh at those who climb the social ladder for being stupid.

These people who are stuck in their ways will surely be trampled underfoot by Cai Xin.

“You think highly of him,” Cen Wan chuckled, “I think Cai Xin is still not smart enough. If I were him, I would have done it more thoroughly. Since he wanted to show his loyalty to Qi Yongji, why not sell out the other families as a pledge of loyalty?”

The person who heard this: ...

Cen Fengzi was gentle and refined, but his actions were truly insane.

Cen Wan saw through their thoughts and blinked innocently: "You don't think I'm heartless, do you? Actually, Lord Xu is no less so."

The unspoken part of her sentence was, "Xu Zhen is just a bit cunning; he can't compare to my upright and honest nature."

Liao Hongsheng chuckled: "They rarely see a woman who acts so decisively and with such courage, which is why they are surprised."

"Lord Liao's words are more pleasing to the ear."

In the light screen, Cai Xin suggested, "Why don't we have the Empress contact them? Women are less likely to arouse suspicion, and the Crown Princess of Dayong is also a woman. The Empress might be better able to understand Zheng Xun's style of doing things."

Zheng himself remained silent.

She was quite certain that Cai Xin was not one of her people, but he was so considerate that he took the initiative to create opportunities for her when she wanted to test the Queen of the Brown Kingdom.

Qi Yongji pondered for a moment and felt that Cai Xin's words made sense, so he nodded decisively.

Having finalized the plan, Qi Yongji's expression relaxed: "Although Liang Youde's method was a bit flawed, at least we got the seeds. We'll have the Minister of Agriculture plant them and give it a try."

"Your Majesty! The Ministry of Agriculture has been receiving salaries for many years without making any real progress. Why don't we follow the example of the Great Yong Dynasty and search for people among the common people?"

The light screen flickered, then closed abruptly.

Zheng Xun: !!!

What surprised her was not the sudden closing of the canopy, but Cai Xin's words.

Even assuming Cai Xin isn't one of my men, is he?

[Never mind, whether it is true or not, I'm willing to call her my prince's sweet little cotton-padded jacket.]

I was initially worried that the Minister of Agriculture would notice something amiss, but since he's going to find someone from the common people, it'll be much easier to fool him.

Qi Yongji, you thought you were getting a free lunch, but little did you know I was throwing you a discus.

[We've poured so much effort into researching these seeds, and he dares to steal them!]

[I'd rather not steal from them, since they're enemies after all. If they had something good, I'd steal from them too.]

Those who heard her thoughts: ...

Why.

How could she take such a domineering and bandit-like idea so for granted?

But he actually developed the idea that if he couldn't have it, he would destroy it.

You must understand, those seeds weren't just for the army; more importantly, they were for feeding the people...

Regardless of the struggle between Dayong and Heguo, and regardless of the infighting among the powerful, why must ordinary people be dragged into it?

As lucky individuals born into wealth, power, and privilege, why can't they even manage to refrain from bullying the weak?

Zheng Xun remained silent for a long while, and those who heard his thoughts also fell silent.

They didn't dare disturb Zheng Xun, but they were genuinely curious!

Judging from the princess's tone, it seems that everything Liang Youde did was orchestrated by His Highness behind the scenes.

It must be out of Your Highness's kindness to send the seeds to Dayong with such great effort.

If that's the case, then it proves that there must be something wrong with the seeds.

However, Zheng Xun did not provide an answer.

She quickly calmed down and began to handle official business.

With Her Highness the Crown Princess working so hard, no one else should idly stand idly by.

The ministers belatedly realized that they seemed to have been tricked by His Highness.

Working behind closed doors, they can do whatever they want, and it's not easy to get caught if they slack off occasionally.

But now that everyone is huddled together, you can see what your colleagues are doing with just a turn of your head.

With so many eyes watching, no one dared to rest.

Thus, the already complicated court affairs reached a new level of turmoil.

Even so, no one backed down.

Aside from the "sword of destruction" hanging above them at the beginning, everyone genuinely wanted to serve the people and the Great Yong Dynasty.

Everyone was focused on their own tasks when Zheng Xun finally looked up.

She glanced at the countless hairs on the ground below and inexplicably thought of a candle that had exhausted itself to shine.