Baili Zhuo stared at her intently, but Ye Nuan looked at him calmly without any fear!

The soldiers from Beichen immediately knelt before Ye Nuan and pleaded, "Master Ye, we kneel on behalf of our emperor and beg you to lend us some food!"

Ye Nuan closed the tea lid and said in a slightly cold tone: "What does it have to do with you? It's not you who wronged me!" She turned her eyes to Baili Zhuo.

Baili Zhuo sat stiffly in the chair.

"Our honorable Emperor, can't you lower your noble head? I'm afraid it won't be long before your throne is lost!" Once the throne is replaced, blood must be shed.

The two sides were at a stalemate, and the atmosphere was somewhat dull. Jiang Ji intervened at the right time to smooth things over: "Master Ye, if we don't borrow grain, can't we just buy it?"

Ye Nuan looked at her: "Oh, how do I buy it?"

Jiang Ji said, "Of course I buy it at the market price."

"According to the market price!" Ye Nuan raised her voice, dissatisfied. "When Pavilion Master Jiang sold the grain, he sold it at three times the market price. The emperor came in person. If I don't sell it at five times, I will lose money!"

Everyone in Beichen was shocked: How dare you say that! Five times, she's the one trying to steal it!

"The Creation Pavilion has made a lot of money in the wasteland over the past decade. It shouldn't be difficult for them to come up with this little money, right?" She just wanted Baili Zhuo to return all the money she earned from her husband.

In fact, they made good money in the first few years, but later Jiang Ji became more powerful and often cooked the accounts. The silver they earned every year was not as much as those of the bigger shops in Kyoto.

Baili Zhuo frowned: "Five times, you really dare to think so!" He just wanted to borrow food and didn't want to pay money. What's wrong with this Jiang Ji?

Ye Nuan smiled: "More than five times? A little less is not impossible, how about a tenth less for each kowtow? If you kowtow a hundred times, I'll give you a hundred dan of grain for free!"

I haven't even bowed my head yet, but just thinking about it is humiliating enough.

"If you don't want to choose, don't waste time and leave now!" She stood up and Qi Wuze immediately stood up as well. Gao Zangfeng made a gesture to see him off.

Baili Zhuo stood up: "Wait a moment!"

Ye Nuan turned around: "It's decided!"

Baili Zhuo wanted to bargain, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He finally said, "Two floors, 20% off."

"Twenty percent, but you have to kowtow three times for twenty percent. How about five kowtows and I'll give you the grain at the market price?"

Ye Nuan continued, "I heard that most of the Emperor's 100,000 troops have fled, and the remaining half are almost starving to death. Rebellious people are everywhere, and the capital is almost unstable. If you mobilize the army and lead the army in person and cannot get food, I'm afraid you will lose the throne when you return."

Baili Zhuo's knuckles crackled. "Three kowtows, and I'll borrow the grain for free. I'll return it to the wasteland next year."

Ye Nuan slowly sat back down, raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright! Go ahead and kowtow!"

Baili Zhuo froze for a moment, then knelt on one leg. The generals of Beichen who were still kneeling shouted in unison, "Your Majesty!"

Ye Nuan sat at the top, steady as a rock: "Don't stop!"

Baili Zhuo also knelt down with his other leg, muttering to himself: A real man can bend and stretch. As long as I kill all these people afterwards, no one will know!

The first one to bow his head.

A servant outside the main hall suddenly struck a gong and shouted, "Everyone, come and see! The Emperor of Beichen has knelt! He's kneeling to our lady!"

Baili Zhuo almost vomited blood, and the soldiers of Beichen wanted to rush over and stop their emperor.

It was so embarrassing. The emperor's kneeling brought shame to all of them.

But these people still want to beat drums and gongs!

But I’ve already kowtowed once, what’s left for the second or third time?

Baili Zhuo held his breath and clamored twice more. Then, he quickly stood up in front of everyone and said to Ye Nuan, "Is that enough now?"

"Enough!" Ye Nuan said to Gao Zangfeng, "Send some food to our Emperor!"

Baili Zhuo's eyes were about to burst: "Once the food! Ye Nuan!!!"

Ye Nuan agreed: "I said I would lend you grain for free if you kowtowed three times, but I didn't say how much. If the grain is a lot, Your Majesty, don't you want it?"

Baili Zhuo: "You are teasing me!"

Ye Nuan felt at ease: "Yes, I was just teasing you!"

A dozen Beichen soldiers stood up, swords drawn, and prepared to attack. As Qi Wuze swung his sword, everyone inside and outside the main hall drew their swords and glared at him. Outnumbered and outmatched, Beichen's soldiers angrily held back.

It’s so bullying, but what can we do?

When you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head!

Ye Nuan smiled faintly amidst the tension: "I'm not unreasonable. I've already kowtowed. I'll sell you the grain at the market price, 10% more. Money in one hand, grain in the other!"

Xu Yi righteously condemned: "Master Ye, this grain is for disaster relief. Anyone with a heart for helping others shouldn't ask for so much silver."

Ye Nuan looked at him: "A heart to save the world? If this throne belongs to my husband, I will naturally have a heart to save the world."

Huang was originally a place abandoned by the imperial court. The lives there were worse than those of the disaster victims. Who has come to help them over the years?

Ye Nuan clapped her hands and had two large boxes of account books brought over. She opened the account book and said, "Here are the jades that the Creation Pavilion has earned from Luomu City over the years. Return them all and I'll send someone to Chentian Pass immediately!"

Butler Chen began to report the accounts with the account book. With each page he reported, Baili Zhuo's eyes turned redder, and Beichen's soldiers' faces turned greener.

Butler Chen closed the account book and concluded, "A total of 50 million denarii of jade."

It's not 50 million taels of silver, nor 50 million taels of gold, but 50 million denarii of jade. Jade is calculated by denarii. Yes, the Jade Price has always been calculated by denarii when selling things at Zaowu Pavilion.

Even as an unfavored prince, Baili Zhuo had never felt so aggrieved. The blood rushed to his head, and his hands cramped with anger. If he had known this woman was so difficult to deal with, he should have executed her immediately to prevent future trouble.

"I didn't bring any money with me when I went out!"

"It's okay. You should have brought your private seal with you." She glanced at Beichen and his men and said, "You can use any valuables you have to pay off some of your debts. The jade on the emperor's waist and the ring on his finger are both great. My hunting falcon will definitely like them!"

It had to be said that Ye Nuan was quite skilled at humiliating people. Everyone in Beichen had already turned the color of liver. But since they had already kowtowed, a little more was not a big deal. So, Baili Zhuo took the lead and removed the rings on his fingers and the jade pendants around his waist.

Ye Nuan looked at the ring's quality and gave it to Lie Falcon on the spot. He then said to Butler Chen, "Use the remaining silver to write an IOU immediately and have His Majesty the Emperor stamp and sign it!"

Steward Chen pulled out a written document from his pocket and said with a smile, "The document is ready. Your Majesty, please stamp and sign here!"

Baili Zhuo didn't understand why he had to sign a document even though he had already kowtowed when he clearly wanted to borrow the grain. What was wrong with that? He looked at Jiang Ji, who smiled and urged him, "Your Majesty, please sign. Sign and you can get the grain!"

He looked at Ye Nuan again, and Ye Nuan smiled with her eyes curved.

Baili Zhuo looked around the room. It seemed that everyone was waiting for him to sign and stamp the document. Even Beichen's soldiers were unwilling to give up.

What can I do? I’ve already hit my head!

Baili Zhuo gritted his teeth and signed his name on the IOU in front of him, then took out his private seal and stamped it!

Click, the final word!

"We can load up the food now!" Although he led an army of 100,000, he was still so aggrieved. Baili Zhuo stared at Ye Nuan and almost wanted to eat her raw.

Ye Nuan was completely unaware and put the IOU into her arms with a smile: "I will ship the grain to the interior of the country in three batches, and you can pay the silver in three batches!"

"You!" I really didn't expect her to be so shameless.

Ye Nuan was about to ask someone to load the food when hurried footsteps were heard outside the door. Qi Yan appeared in the main hall and said anxiously to Qi Wuze, "Aze, Aya and Xiaohu ran to the desert."

Qi Wuze and Ye Nuan stood up in shock and asked anxiously, "Why did they run to the desert?"

When the people of Beichen saw that something happened to Luo Mucheng, they felt secretly happy: You were so shameless just now, and now you are getting your retribution!

But the next second Qi Yan said, "Ye Yuru, who went to the farm earlier, somehow took Huajuan's wolf cub away. Huajuan took two people to chase them, and the people who came back said they had entered the desert!"

Ye Nuan pulled Qi Wuze and ran out. The Beichen soldiers, who were still happy, were stunned for a moment before they suddenly realized what was happening and quickly ran to stop them: "Master Ye, our food!"

Ye Nuan said as she ran, "Let's talk about it when I come back!"

When will you come back? They are in urgent need!

You're not trying to default on your debt! They've already kowtowed to the emperor, given him the ring, and even signed the IOU. How could they be so shameless!

Just as they were about to give chase, the enraged Baili Zhuo suddenly stood up and chased after them. Everyone thought: "His Majesty is indeed alert, catching people so quickly!"

Xu Yi was feeling relieved when he suddenly thought of something and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, are you going to look for Concubine Ye?" The soldiers of Beichen then remembered that they seemed to have mentioned Concubine Ye just now.

The emperor was kicked in the head by a donkey the moment he encountered Concubine Ye. By the time everyone had chased them away, there was no trace of the three men. Xu Yi and the other dozen or so people looked at each other, then back at Jiang Ji. They all looked so heartbroken that they almost fainted on the spot.

"Master Jiang, what should we do now?" Do you still want the food? How do you want it?

Jiang Ji smiled as brightly as a lotus: "How about we wait together!"

Xu Yi remembered jumping up and down: "I can't wait! Tens of thousands of soldiers are starving and waiting for food, and the court is still waiting for food!"

"Is that so?" Jiang Ji stroked her temples and suggested, "How about you raise some money now and take some of the food away first?"

It seems that this is the only way!

Everyone thought about Baili Zhuo, and the more they thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. He had thrown away his country for a woman. Beichen had left at such a critical moment, and if he came back, the world would have changed!

Xu Yi was still unwilling to give up, so he asked for a horse and chased after him. The sky outside was still clear, but the hearts of Beichen's soldiers were filled with gloom.

Qi Wuze and Ye Nuan rode on the snow-covered road toward the edge of the desert. Nearing the edge, they ran into He Xin and his camel team, who had just returned from transporting salt water. Unexpectedly, Jin Qiu was also among them. Ye Nuan temporarily switched camels and instructed Jin Qiu to go to the farm to calm her mother down.

Baili Zhuo, who had come after him, snatched the camel and ran off. He Xin chased him for a long time, only to knock the hat off his head. He stared at the bald head in confusion for a long time: "When did a bald donkey appear in the desert?"

This was the couple's second trip to the desert. The windswept sand filled the sky, a golden hue. A hunting falcon soared through the sky, flying for a long time before returning to lead the way.

Qi Wuze asked worriedly, "Will these two people encounter a sandstorm?"

If these two people had always followed Ye Yuru, it would probably not happen.

The desert was boundless, and this was their first time venturing so deep. They traveled for two days, Baili Zhuo always lagging behind them, and they encountered no sandstorms or wild animals.

Ye Nuan had space and no worries about food and drink. Baili Zhuo also had good endurance. With only a pot of water, he didn't even complain of being hungry.

After walking for a few more days, the sand was gradually replaced by loess. Following the falcon, the two men saw a city, a not very majestic city with a little green floating on it - Liuguang City.

Ye Nuan was surprised: "They came here?"

"This is Liuguang City." People from Liuguang City go to the wasteland to exchange food and oil every year, but this is Qi Wuze's first time here.

Thousands of soldiers were stationed on the walls of Liuguang City, all on high alert. Ye Nuan and Qi Wuze observed from outside for a while and discovered that the city guards were all women, and that anyone entering or leaving was subject to inspection, a stricter system than that of Luomu City.

Qi Wuze asked doubtfully, "It's just an isolated city surrounded by desert. What's the point of defending it?"

It was obvious from their clothes and appearance that they were not from Liuguang City, and they could be recognized at a glance when they walked in.

Ye Nuan said, "It's almost dark anyway, let's wait a little longer and sneak in when it's pitch black."

Baili Zhuo was still following from a distance, and Ye Nuan turned around to look at him without avoiding him.

The golden sun set in the west, and the sky gradually darkened. The temperature in the desert dropped sharply. Qi Wuze and Ye Nuan circled the city gate, finding the weakest point of defense and swooping over. The two landed silently and quickly retreated to another dark spot, where they waited quietly.

As Baili Zhuo was about to climb up, Qi Wuze threw a stone directly at his hand. The sudden force made his wrist numb, and he rolled directly into the bright light of the tower. The soldiers guarding the city shouted in surprise, "Who?"

Qi Wuze and Ye Nuan quickly escaped. Baili Zhuo, who was discovered, was furious and had no choice but to fight against the guards who rushed over.

A fierce exchange of words could be heard on the city wall. Qi Wuze touched his nose and asked Ye Nuan, "Am I being unkind?"

Ye Nuan chuckled: "Why should I be kind to him? I was already very good not to kill him in the desert."

After searching the city for a while, Falcon lost track of Aya and Xiaohu, but was certain they were inside. Ye Nuan suddenly regretted not asking for Liu Yu's token; otherwise, she could have gone straight to him.

"How about we first find out where the Young Master's Mansion is, and then have Liu Yu send someone to look for it tomorrow?"

"Okay!" Qi Wuze looked around and said, "It's cold, I'll find you an inn to stay in first, I can ask around myself!"

Ye Nuan nodded.

The two walked along the street for a long time and found that many inns were closed. Qi Wuze shamelessly looked at several inns before finally finding one that opened its doors to receive them. The innkeeper was a middle-aged woman in her forties. She looked Ye Nuan and the other two up and down for a long time before asking, "You are not from Liuguang City, are you?"

Ye Nuan answered honestly, "No, we came from the wilderness and wanted to buy some flowing brocade. What's going on in your city? Why are there soldiers everywhere? Why are all the houses closed at nightfall?"

This inn was, after all, a pitifully small one, barely clean enough. The landlady ushered them upstairs, saying, "The city lord died suddenly a few days ago, and the young prince took the throne. Five generals are unhappy, and a bloody scene has erupted. They say the city lord was poisoned, and they've been arresting people everywhere these days!"

"You two are strangers, so it's better for you to stay out on the streets."

Ye Nuan asked doubtfully, "If the city lord dies suddenly, isn't it normal for the young prince to take the throne?"

The proprietress was straightforward and said immediately, "It's normal for the young prince to succeed the throne. The only bad thing is that he's a man."

Is it a man?

"How do you say that?"

The proprietress glanced at the two of them, then looked at Qi Wuze and said with a smile, "I heard that men are the masters of the wilderness. Is this the madam's husband?"

Ye Nuan nodded.

The proprietress smiled mysteriously, "Our Liuguang City is run by women. The city lord is a woman, and the ten generals are also women. The city lord has only given birth to one child, Shaojun, in her lifetime."

Women are in charge?

Could it be the country of women?

Ye Nuan didn't care when Hu Li brought a group of female soldiers to the wilderness. Now she thought that Liu Yu was spoiled and indeed a bit like a girl in the boudoir, while Hu Li was resolute and courageous.

"Where does the young master live now?"

The proprietress said, "Of course, we live in the City Lord's Mansion, but life there isn't easy either. Three of the ten generals support the young prince's succession to the throne, two are neutral, and the remaining five have their own thoughts. From what people are saying, it seems the young prince needs to get married to be eligible to succeed him, but who to choose is a big problem, as seven of the ten generals have daughters."

Qi Wuze was immediately delighted when he heard that Liu Yu was getting married, but Ye Nuan asked, "Does the boss lady know where General Hu Li lives?"

The proprietress, who had been talking nonstop just now, immediately asked cautiously, "What do you want to do with General Hu Li?"

Ye Nuan said, "We are old acquaintances of General Hu Li. She went to the wasteland years ago and told us to go find her when we get to Liuguang City."

When the proprietress heard it was an old acquaintance, she felt relieved and said, "General Hu Li lives in Xingren Hutong, East City. You should go out tomorrow morning and walk east. Just ask a few people."

Ye Nuan took out a silver ingot from her bosom and stuffed it into the proprietress's pocket, saying, "Thank you, Madam. Could you please boil some water and bring up some hot food?"

The proprietress received the silver and happily went downstairs. After everyone left, Ye Nuan closed the door and said to Qi Wuze, "You can rest tonight. I'll try to drive the snake away and find A'ya and Xiaohu. If we can't find them, we'll go look for Hu Li tomorrow morning." Liu Yu was so busy that he definitely didn't have time to take care of them.

Qi Wuze nodded and began to make the bed. Ye Nuan tried several times, but didn't see a snake crawling into the house. She couldn't help but wonder, "Strange, there are no snakes in Liuguang City?"

There was a knock on the door, and the proprietress personally brought up some food. Qi Wuze opened the door and invited Ye Nuan to eat, then casually asked, "My wife wants to eat snake soup, do you have any?"

The proprietress looked embarrassed: "Snakes have never appeared in Liuguang City since ancient times."

Ye Nuan was puzzled: "Why is there no snake?"

The proprietress said, "Rumor has it that the first mayor of Liuguang City was killed by a snake bite. After that, the people in the city went crazy catching snakes. There haven't been any snakes seen in the city for a hundred years."

"Enjoy your meal, my dear guests. Hot water will be served shortly." After saying this, the proprietress hurried downstairs. There was nothing she could do as the shop was small and she was both the shopkeeper and the clerk. If it wasn't for making some money, she wouldn't take such a big risk to receive people from the wilderness.

Ye Nuan and Qi Wuze were discussing the next day's affairs while eating. They were only halfway through their meal when there was a rapid knock on the door downstairs. Someone shouted, "Open the door, open the door! The soldiers are checking!"

The two looked at each other, stopped what they were doing, and remained silent.

The proprietress was still boiling water. She finally came in after a long time after the door rang. As soon as she opened the door, someone shoved her hard and shouted, "You have a stranger here, a man or a woman?"

The proprietress was quick-witted and asked, "Could the officer describe their appearance? What is the matter with them?"

The leading officer glanced around and said impatiently, "We apprehended a criminal on the city wall today. He confessed to having two accomplices, a man and a woman, both tall and beautiful. These two are very likely involved in the poisoning of the city lord. If you find them, report them immediately."

The proprietress was wavering. If she didn't tell anyone, she would be considered harboring a criminal if she was discovered. But if she told anyone, she was afraid that she would not be caught and would be retaliated against instead.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "The people staying here are all regular customers. I really haven't seen these two people. Sir, why don't you search somewhere else?"

The police officer was naturally not so easily fooled. He clamored to go upstairs and no matter how the proprietress tried to stop him, she couldn't stop him.

The proprietress was nervous and just hoped that the two people in the room would hear the noise and run away quickly.

Ye Nuan and Qi Wuze looked at each other and cursed in their hearts: It must be that bitch Baili Zhuo!

Qi Wuze quickly ran backwards with his bowl in hand, and flipped directly into the dark part of the beam.

The door slammed loudly, and Ye Nuan stood up and calmly went to open the door. Just as she reached the door, it was knocked open from the outside.

The officials who came were all women. They were stunned for a moment when they saw Ye Nuan. After looking her up and down, they moved their eyes to the table in the room and asked suspiciously, "You eat four dishes by yourself?"

Ye Nuan nodded: "Actually, I wanted to order some soup, but unfortunately the boss lady didn't have time to make it."

The leading officer asked again, "You're not from Liuguang City? Where are you from? Why are you staying at this inn?"

Ye Nuan made up a story: "I am from the wasteland. I came here at the invitation of General Hu Li. I plan to get ready and go to her house tomorrow."

The officer, who had been a little skeptical at first, suddenly realized something and asked hastily, "Are you here to participate in the election, too?"

General election? What election?

As Ye Nuan showed a slight hesitation, the dozen or so officers opposite her began to examine her, and she had no choice but to nod.

The atmosphere among the officers relaxed instantly, and after a few words, they burst into laughter. "The City Lord's Mansion has decreed that any woman aged seventeen or above, but no more than thirty, with a clean family background, can participate in the election. Many people have signed up for General Hu Li's residence, and I happen to be going there today. How about I take you with me now?"

Ye Nuan was stunned, then she said, "I'm eating right now, I'll go tomorrow!"

The leading officer said enthusiastically, "What are you talking about tomorrow? The rows to be taken tomorrow will be put at the back. Let's go now."

“Let’s go, let’s go!!”

Ye Nuan smiled, but still refused: "No, the official is going to inspect, won't you continue?"

The officer laughed and said, "What's the point of investigating? It's just a formality. Registration is important." Then he started to pull Ye Nuan again.

Qi Wuze, who was hiding in the dark, frowned, ready to take action at any time.

Ye Nuan: "I am still tomorrow..."

The originally kind officer suddenly sneered, grabbed Ye Nuan's hand and pulled her away, shouting, "Do you think we're stupid? You've come here from the wilderness at this perfect time. Beautiful woman, tell me, where are your companions?"