"Oh? This statement sounds like some not-so-clever way of provoking someone." Although he said this, Mu Xingzhi still looked calm and composed, without any signs of being "tricked". Instead, he had a very interested expression.

Su Qingluan rolled her eyes at his expression, then sighed, "I really admire my parents for raising three children despite not having enough to eat." She looked at Mu Xingzhi, "So everyone is actually quite content. As long as they have enough food and clothes to eat, as long as they can survive, they will find ways to work hard."

Su Qingluan couldn't help but think of the patients in the same ward in her previous life.

Because her illness was protracted and always recurred, her physical condition was good and her will to survive was strong. Moreover, she had insurance to cover her, so she would not die anytime soon.

As the treatment time gradually lengthened and the number of courses continued to increase, Su Qingluan watched the patients in the ward come and go one after another.

To save money, Su Qingluan stayed in an ordinary large ward with eight people in a room. Although it was called "eight people in a room", many times, the hospital had limited resources and many patients, so they needed to add beds temporarily.

It is also because of this that during the last few years when Su Qingluan was hospitalized for treatment, she met many patients from all walks of life.

Although Su Qingluan's own financial situation is average, she can be considered "rich" among her fellow patients - many of them have no money to treat their illnesses and can only seek conservative treatment or simply give up.

That being said, even with limited funds, few people really wanted to wait to die. Almost everyone Su Qingluan met was exercising seriously, finding ways to balance nutrition, telling jokes to each other to cheer up their fellow patients, and comforting and enlightening their sad and desperate patients.

There is only one purpose for doing this: to survive, to survive as long as possible.

Retracting her gaze that was somewhat lost in memories, Su Qingluan looked at Mu Xingzhi: "As long as the social environment is stable, ordinary people will know how to live a good life. Don't underestimate the wisdom and perseverance of ordinary people like us."

In reality, she was the only one who knew that her cooking skills were learned from a master in her previous life, and they weren't as amazing as the people around her praised them to be in this life. Although she couldn't say it out loud, Su Qingluan knew her own weight.

Mu Xingzhi looked at Su Qingluan: "So what you want me to do is... let this country..."

Before he could finish, Su Qingluan interrupted him with a wave of her hand: "It's not me who thinks, but you have to think it yourself. And it's useless if you think it alone, you have to have the same idea as everyone around you. Anyway, thinking about it is a chore - but at least I can't and have no intention of achieving success, so you still have to suffer the hardship of being a superior person."

"Do you think that being on top means suffering?"

Su Qingluan thought for a moment and said objectively, "If you want to be that lazy, idle, and idle dandy, relying on your parents' achievements, you'll naturally enjoy more than anyone else—but that's because your parents have endured all their hardships. If you want to make a name for yourself, it won't be that easy."

"That's quite true."

"What's more, the higher up you are, the more attention you'll get. Those in that position," Su Qingluan pointed upward, "represent the dignity of a country. If you don't want to be 'enthroned in history' in an ingenious way, it won't be easy no matter what."

At least she had read the daily records of past emperors. As princes, they rose earlier than the roosters and slept later than the dogs. They had to learn a vast array of skills and were forced into the vortex of the struggle for the throne. Even if they didn't want to get involved, unless they were able to remain completely neutral, they would suffer a tragic fate if they accidentally chose the wrong side.

Thinking of this, Su Qingluan looked at Mu Xingzhi with a hint of sympathy: No matter whether this person is a member of the royal family or has any other identity, he always looks at things in a basket.

Moreover, even if he was the emperor, if he wanted to be a wise ruler, he would have to endure humiliation for the country during the day and not kill any censors or ministers until they were hurt; at night, he would sacrifice himself bravely for the country. He would probably have a limit on which daughter he would favor. If he encountered a daughter who was not capable enough, wouldn't it be very embarrassing...

Thinking about it this way, I feel more sympathy.

Mu Xingzhi: ...

Although he didn't know what was going on in Su Qingluan's unusual train of thought, he couldn't ignore the obvious sympathy and pity on her face.

Although he didn't understand why the other party's emotions would turn towards "sympathy", his reason told him not to ask out of curiosity - Mu Xingzhi's intuition made him feel that he definitely didn't want to hear the answer.

Finally, he sighed softly, "After all, Qingluan's three great gifts are truly too grand, and those so-called political stability, peace and prosperity you spoke of are just empty talk for now. I never owe anyone a favor, so in that case, I will grant you these three things."

"Anything is fine?" Su Qingluan's eyes lit up.

Mu Xingzhi nodded: "As long as I can do it within my ability."

Su Qingluan held out a palm: "Then, let's high-five as an oath this time as well?"

Mu Xingzhi did not answer, but stretched out his palm and gently patted Su Qingluan's.

Just like that, they high-fived again and swore an oath, making it a deal.

After Su Qingluan left, Song Bo looked at Mu Xingzhi with a hint of ridicule: "Boss, how could I not know that you are the type who is embarrassed to owe favors to others?"

Coming from a military background, he had very sharp ears, and he was only guarding outside the door, so he could hear everything that was going on inside clearly - of course, more importantly, Mu Xingzhi hadn't thought of hiding it from him.

If it were an ordinary subordinate, such as Kaiyang, they would never dare to joke with Mu Xingzhi like this. However, Song Bo had been serving Mu Xingzhi during his hibernation. He could be considered a half-elder to Mu Xingzhi, unlike any ordinary servant.

Therefore, Mu Xingzhi did not take this kind of joke seriously at all. Instead, he explained, "From the perspective of only talking about interests, Madam Su is actually a very loyal and righteous person. If you can promise her more tangible benefits, she will be able to give you more in return." As he spoke, he pointed to the piece of paper on the table that contained the directions for improving stirrups, horseshoes, and pig iron forging.

Song Bo couldn't deny this - after all, he was shocked by this piece of paper just now.

"Besides..." Mu Xingzhi smiled thoughtfully, "She really is a very strange person. I'm really curious. What kind of wish would such a seemingly indifferent person make with those three promises?"

He hadn't encountered such an interesting thing in a long time.

As if he had discovered some new game, Mu Xingzhi's eyes curved slightly, and a hint of anticipation flashed across his face.