The Emperor System and Zhao Yunqi were both surprised and unsurprised by Xiong Chumo's handling of the situation.

"The young man from the Xiong family made arrangements based on his own status, which is acceptable. I am not surprised, and you should have expected it as well."

Everything Xiong Chumo has now is thanks to Xiao Zhixing. If it weren't for her discerning eye, he might still be that boy forced by his father to become a minor official.

Xiao Zhixing boldly employed him, placed high hopes on him, and trusted him wholeheartedly. Anyone with a conscience would not and dare not betray him.

The Emperor System snorted coldly.

It was somewhat displeased that everyone was so loyal to Xiao Zhixing.

Why did the people I painstakingly nurture choose to betray me?

Could it be that I nurtured their hearts?

It was unwilling to accept this, saying, "If the temptation is strong enough, I don't believe he can still maintain his original intention."

Zhao Yunqi said helplessly, "That's a matter for the future. Your little test is enough. If you make any big moves, Xiao Zhixing will definitely take notice."

You can tell what a person will be like at three years old. It's impossible for Xiong Chumo to suddenly change his personality. He is an honest and kind person by nature. No matter how much temptation he is given, he can't change much.

Those in power actually prefer such ministers and are willing to use them boldly.

Zhao Yun asked curiously, "Li Jun has still not dealt with the super rice. What do you think he will do?"

The Emperor System was momentarily at a loss for words to express its complex emotions.

Zhao Yunqi chimed in, "You want Li Jun to be selfless, but you also want him to grow stronger?"

Zhao Yunqi was not polite at all, "If he really selfishly pocketed the divine rice and only used it to develop and expand his Li family, would you feel comfortable giving him the throne? He might become another Luo Wei in the future."

The Emperor System was spinning its programs wildly, clearly enraged.

Zhao Yunqi continued to criticize it, saying, "Throughout my life, I have received both praise and criticism, but my sense of public duty has never changed. This is a quality that an emperor should have. After Li Jun obtained the divine rice, he did not think of making it public to benefit the world, but instead hid it privately, which is already a bad thing."

"The world belongs to the people. The monarch bears the heavy responsibility of the world on his shoulders. He must be impartial and always think about the well-being of the people, rather than turning the world and all the good things into his own private property!"

Zhao Yunqi said sternly, “An emperor may not be perfect, may have preferences, and may be ruthless, but he must never be selfish and a miser who only plunders his own private coffers.”

The Emperor System retorted, annoyed, "Why are you making it sound so serious? He was just making a choice that anyone would make. Who wouldn't want to grab something for themselves? Did Xiao Zhixing really share all the good stuff?"

"He was first and foremost the heir of the Li family, and only then a subject. He didn't even know he was participating in the selection of the crown prince, so of course he would keep the best things for himself first!"

Zhao Yunqi rarely showed anger, "It is precisely because of this that we can best test his true nature. If that is the case, I would rather choose Xiong Chumo, because he at least has the great love and public spirit of a ruler."

"I don't want to get angry with you. Xiao Zhixing may indeed be hiding something good, but what she's using now, isn't it all for the peace of the Northern Border? Isn't it for the development of the Northern State?"

The unified empire fell into a long period of stagnation.

Finally, Zhao Yunqi said, "You yourself said that the selection of the crown prince should be fair and just and that you would not interfere. This is a one-time exception. Also, the truth about the Gentleman's Academy assessment must not be known to anyone. Otherwise, I really won't live much longer. Don't force me to go crazy before I die."

The Emperor System immediately shut down contact, refusing to engage with him.

Xiao Zhixing stopped listening and went to check on Li Jun's side.

After considering it for a few days, Li Jun selected ten acres of land in his family's ancestral shrine to begin experimenting with planting super rice.

However, he did not reveal the truth about the rice, and it is unknown whether he intended to harvest it and then report the facts to the court, or whether he intended to cultivate more seeds for his own use.

The viewers in the live stream were finally disappointed.

[Yellow comment: No wonder only Beizhou rice was famous during this period. Who would have thought he wouldn't accept such a great act of merit offered to him?]

[Green comment: Maybe he wants to experiment first before reporting it; that's the safest approach, right?]

[Red comment: No, Number Two, didn't you guys understand? This is a matter of attitude. He reported to his superiors and the court immediately, and he could have experimented on the spot. This order of events speaks volumes.]

[Yellow comment: Exactly. For example, you get a treasure, but you keep it a secret until you've confirmed its authenticity before telling your boss. But have you considered whether your boss might suspect you're hiding something?]

[Red comment: If you can keep it a secret forever, that's fine, but if the secret is leaked halfway through, your boss will doubt your loyalty even more.]

[Yellow comment: That's why some people choose to keep their treasures hidden away, never revealing a single detail, and only using them for themselves.]

Well, no matter how you look at it, Li Jun is the last one. Otherwise, with his intelligence, how could he not know to avoid any impropriety and report it immediately?

Xiao Zhixing was engrossed in reading everyone's comments; what they were saying was pretty much what he was thinking.

So when the Emperor System said it would give the two of them an opportunity, she was a little angry but didn't think of stopping it.

Based on her understanding of the two men's personalities, she had roughly estimated their response, and it was exactly as she expected.

It poses no threat.

As expected, the Emperor System was so disappointed that it went into seclusion.

She always knew that at this time, the threat to Dasheng lay with the surrounding barbarians.

Unrest on the borders leads to unrest in the nation.

These domestic competitions are insignificant compared to the life-or-death struggles between nations.

After seeing Lin Rushu and the Song family off, she had the secret manual that Xiong Chumo had sent copied and distributed to the other eleven people, including Li Jun.

Terracing technology is not limited to the south; it can also be used in some mountainous areas of the north.

These guys are very thoughtful; they not only sent her a thank-you gift, but also sent one to Xiong Chumo. Clearly, the terraced field technology is of great use to them.

Meanwhile, after arranging everything, Xiao Zhixing led Xiao Xuan and the others south, and they were almost at the border of Dongzhou.

During this time, Xiao Chi chased after them for half the distance and had another chance encounter.

This time, Xiao Zhixing disguised himself as Xiao Chi and met with him under that identity.

Xiao Chi was clearly still making a last-ditch effort, wanting to get closer one more time to confirm something.

Seeing this, Bai Feng dared not respond and immediately switched identities with her.

"My god, this guy is amazing! How did he keep up with us?"

Xiao Zhixing observed through the live stream and found that his nose seemed to be very sensitive, comparable to that of a hunting dog.

They kept a low profile and took a secret route, but unexpectedly, he still managed to follow them all the way.

So when they settled down at an inn in a small town in southern Beizhou, Bai Feng took her place and rested inside while reading memorials.

Xiao Zhixing's "Xiao Xuan" was bored, so he took his entourage out of the inn, intending to go out for a stroll to relieve his boredom.

I had only walked one street when I smelled the familiar aroma of noodles.

Hard work, yet sweet, and incredibly unique.

Xiao Xuan's nose twitched, and he seemed to have lost his soul. He couldn't help but lift his foot and walk towards the scent.

After turning left and right, we came to a simple noodle stall.

He stared intently at the noodle soup. "Boss, give me a bowl."