"Your Majesty, my beloved daughter, at such a young age, not even of marriageable age, has already shouldered the heavy responsibility of fighting against the Northern Barbarians with her frail shoulders!"

Hiss! The moment he opened his mouth, the ministers trembled.

"Now she is strongly advocating the construction of the Ghost Hero New City. It's poor there, lacking both manpower and resources. She's just a young girl. If it weren't for the soldiers' trust, how could she stabilize the northern front?"

With a fierce glare, Li glared at Feng Liyan and said, "A mere 50,000 iron ore deposits, after deducting the cost of manufacturing war-damaged weapons and armor, also need to be used to manufacture agricultural tools to support the people's livelihood. Where is the excess? Yet there are still people with tiny hearts who are jealous and want to slander it."

"Now that the traitors behind An Ziji have their eyes on her, my heart is filled with worry day and night, and I wish I could go and protect her myself."

Xiao Yuanshan unleashed his full power, giving Feng Liyan no chance to speak:

“Soldiers are hard to feed, they need pay and weapons; people’s livelihoods are hard to protect, they need food, drink and stability. My dear son has exhausted all his efforts to ask the court and His Majesty for some help. Where is he wrong?”

"Some people are unaware of the suffering of the common people. It is already late spring, and the north is cold from early on. Instead of making agricultural tools to help the people reclaim land for spring planting, are you expecting me to watch everyone starve to death or just wait for the court to give them handouts?"

"Fortunately, her mother was watching over us from heaven and discovered this iron mine, which was conveniently located nearby. How much time did this save for the recovery of the North?"

Uh, the ministers shuddered at the thought of Xiao Zhixing's face and then his mother.

And, Mr. Xiao Mafu, are you sure you're not just pricking His Majesty's heart by calling him "my dear son" all the time?

"My dear son is willing to endure the criticism from some people to ensure that ordinary people have enough to eat. What's wrong with that?"

"She did nothing wrong! On the contrary, she anticipated His Majesty's thoughts, brought peace and stability to the country, and relieved His Majesty's worries. This is truly a great achievement!"

"Besides, she has already reported that in urgent situations, expediency is necessary. The iron ore is used for the military and the people. She didn't embezzle it for personal gain. It's a trivial matter. Just send someone to investigate. How could someone accuse her of disrespecting the imperial authority?"

Xiao Yuanshan suddenly turned to Feng Liyan and roared, "I'm not dead yet, and you dare to slander and bully my precious son?"

*Smack!* He slammed the jade tablet in his hand hard against Feng Liyan's face: "Despicable scoundrel!"

Wow.

To criticize indirectly; to use indirect criticism to attack someone else.

This is an expression of anger over the attack on Jianan Pass and the loss of military power.

The civil officials beside him, including Grand Tutor Li, Duke Li, and Huo Jindao, stepped back in unison, keeping a distance from Feng Liyan to avoid being accidentally injured by Xiao Yuanshan.

Feng Liyan covered his swollen face and roared, "Xiao Yuanshan! You...you're so rude! How dare you yell at the imperial court?"

Xiao Yuanshan rolled up his sleeves, put his hands on his hips, and sneered:

"That's always been my way. I settle scores with revenge, and I never resort to underhanded tactics or scheming behind people's backs. I vent my anger on the spot. What? Was what I just said wrong?"

Feng Liyan, trembling with rage, pointed at him, his anger burning, "You brute! You country bumpkin! How arrogant!!"

"Heh, I didn't bring my axe today, that's real arrogance."

Now the whole world knows that his axe and face terrified Xiao Kui, causing him to flee in defeat. He is very pleased with himself.

The emperor had no objection to him bringing a battle axe into the palace, after all, it was the key artifact that relieved the siege of Yanshan and saved the emperor from being infamous for eternity.

Feng Liyan was so angry he nearly fell backward, then turned and knelt down, pleading, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, look at him!"

The ministers couldn't bear to watch. If they couldn't win, they'd complain to their parents. Tsk tsk, Feng Liyan was indeed no match for Xiao Mafu.

Zhao Yunqi rubbed his temples and sighed deeply, "Alright, alright, what kind of talk is this? Feng Qing, step back. Yuanshan, you should at least show some mercy."

Feng Liyan retreated, feeling frustrated.

Xiao Yuanshan bowed to the emperor and said, “My son is a bit willful in his actions, but he is always thinking of the country. I beg Your Majesty to see this clearly and not listen to the words of treacherous people, lest you hurt the hearts of loyal ministers and generals.”

The wicked Feng Liyan: This is outrageous! This is outrageous!

[Hahaha, my Marshal Xiao is as charismatic as ever! When it comes to roasting people, he's a professional!]

[Although he wasn't very well-educated, he was eloquent. Back then, he made a name for himself by talking several traitors to death. This Feng Liyan is just asking for trouble.]

[That's right. My Grand Marshal clearly came here today specifically to support his daughter. Feng Da slapped him in the face, so naturally he won't be polite.]

Looking at Marshal Xiao's life as a whole, he seemed rough, unrestrained, and unconventional, even daring to beat up Consort Zhang and others, defying his superiors, yet he lived a very comfortable life.

[Isn't this a case of feigning ignorance while being wise?]

[You think he's really heartless, being able to remain a marshal for so long and still hold his position?]

[The events of that year are now lost to history, but the fact that he beat Consort Zhang and her entire family was recorded by the historians with the emperor's permission—I simply refuse to believe there wasn't a deeper meaning behind that.]

[Wasn't this supposed to be the Emperor's leverage to kill Xiao Yuanshan later? Should we write it down now, so that when his crimes are written down, it will be more convincing to the public?]

Sigh, isn't it because he has a goddess as his daughter that he lives such a comfortable life?

[I just want to know, does Zha Zha Qi regret being envious? Compared to my goddess, Zhao Lin is simply unbearable to look at.]

Xiao Zhixing smiled; this was Xiao Yuanshan's cleverness—his persona was firmly established.

The main hall of Gansheng Palace.

Zhao Yunqi spoke, "I agree to Qi Danhe's request."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "As for Yuan Sheng's request, do any of the ministers have any objections?"

Xiao Yuanshan stared at Feng Liyan, as if to say that if he dared to object, he would beat him up on the spot.

Li Xiao raised his tablet and said, “Your Majesty, Prince Xiao’s actions are indeed understandable. She single-handedly discovered the mine and the rebels’ whereabouts, which is a great achievement. However, she acted first and reported later, which serves as a warning to others. Shouldn’t her merits and demerits be balanced?”

"As for the 50,000 kilometres of iron ore, have her report in detail on its intended use, and she is absolutely forbidden from using it for private purposes."

"We second that proposal," the ministers said.

Everyone knew that, given Xiao Zhixing's temperament, he probably wouldn't return the iron ore. They also didn't want to be sent by the emperor to demand more, as it would be a thankless task.

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