"What are you looking at?" Zheng Quchi followed their gaze and glanced at his stomach, immediately understanding.

She looked at them innocently, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said, "Did I say I was pregnant? I just asked them casually, and they misunderstood. What does it have to do with me?"

...No, no?

Wei Yao, Wang Zebang, and Runtu were stunned for a moment, then their expressions turned as if they had been pickled in salt, their faces becoming dry and their disappointment clearly visible.

"No, no." Zheng Quchi said firmly, instantly extinguishing any glimmer of hope in their hearts.

Wang Zebang waved away the soldiers who had come to cheer him on. After the main tent had returned to calm, he asked, "Madam, what if... the old clan chief really brings people to diagnose you and finds out that you are not pregnant? What should we do then?"

Really not?

But the general and his wife have indeed been married for quite some time. Surely they can't just be chatting under the covers every night?

After dealing with all these matters, Zheng Quchi felt a little tired. She thought of when Yuwen Sheng was around. He could make others obey him with just a glance. But when it came to her, she had to rack her brains, use her words, and put all her emotions into it.

As expected, evil people will always be punished by other evil people.

Although she couldn't reach the level of Yuwen Sheng, who was above all villains, she could still be a little wicked when faced with their attacks.

“This matter cannot be handled in the conventional way. Have you ever seen the most common tactic used by the inner quarters of the household: shifting the blame eastward?” she asked.

Men have their own way of thinking, and women have their own way of thinking. It just so happens that disputes over family property are best resolved using women's thinking and methods. Back then, she watched so many TV dramas about family feuds. Even if she couldn't learn the profound methods, she still picked up some of the basics.

We'll use these to deal with these old men who are all talk about rules and morality, catching them off guard and leaving them speechless and bitter.

Wei Yao's thinking was probably the same as those from the Yuwen family, still stuck in the stage of exposing and finding the truth. He really didn't understand the implication in her words: "Please enlighten me, Madam?"

“As long as the Yuwen family still has some sense of shame, I can make them quiet down for a while after this.” Zheng Quchi didn’t explicitly say what she planned to do, but casually brushed it off, saying, “Let’s put this matter aside for now. Next, we should deal with the food shortage in the camp.”

"What does Madam intend to do?"

All three pairs of eyes were fixed on her.

Zheng Quchi's back was a little sore from sitting; she had sacrificed too much to maintain the image of a lady.

But now that there were no outsiders around, she stopped stretching and started sitting casually.

"Actually, I had considered this matter before. To put it simply, it can be done from two aspects: one is to borrow money and grain, and the other is to make a living."

"Borrow grain?" Wang Zebang thought of the general's last "grain borrowing" incident: "But borrowed things are never a long-term solution; they will eventually run out."

To be a "wool party" (a term for exploiting people who exploit others), one must fleece the lands where there is wool. If they were to fleece the rich lands of Ye Kingdom, it would incite public outrage. However, without a general to suppress them, they would only bring trouble upon themselves.

Zheng Quchi said, "Borrowing grain is only to get through a temporary crisis; the subsequent livelihood is the guarantee for a long-term supply of military rations."

Wei Yao tentatively asked, "Is Madam planning to go into business?"

Zheng Quchi nodded: "Actually, I had already made plans. I manufactured the Panlong chariot to make money. I am an ordinary person and do not have such noble sentiments. I have already signed contracts with the wealthy merchants of the four countries at Wujue Temple. I just need to return to my country and set up the chariot workshop so that I can start cooperating with them to sell the chariots."

They were astonished after hearing this.

"Madam has already signed the contract?!"

Did she act so quickly? When the situation suddenly changed, she not only didn't panic or get scared, but she also took a break from her busy schedule to finalize a profitable deal with the businessman.

They couldn't help but look at her with admiration. The lady was indeed exceptional; she remained calm in the face of danger and was someone who could make a lot of money.

"So, who does Madam intend to borrow money from?"

Zheng Quchi said matter-of-factly, "Of course we should find the four partners, Chen, Yue, Mu, and Mu. We are short of money, and they are rich."

Besides, she didn't know any other rich people.

At this moment, Runtu rarely spoke up. He questioned, "Merchants value profit over righteousness. Madam is merely a business partner with them and has little personal relationship with them. Would they easily lend Madam money?"

Zheng Quchi thought for a moment, then drawled, "Of course... no. But I have my own way of getting them to agree. You don't need to worry about this; leave it to me."

Seeing that the lady looked confident, the three of them said no more.

"If there is anything you need to do, please feel free to tell us."

Zheng Quchi didn't stand on ceremony. She said, "I have four tokens from Chen, Yue, Mu, and Mu. I need you to make a trip to find their respective trading companies in Ye in this county. I will write them a letter explaining the situation."

"I'll take care of this," Wang Zebang said, taking on the responsibility.

Zheng Quchi nodded to Wang Zebang and said, "Okay, there's one more thing, Brother Wei, do you know where we can find the Gongshu family?"

Wei Yao hadn't expected her to seek out the Gongshu family at a time like this: "Madam... do you want to find a member of Gongshu Jiruo's own family, or a disciple of the Gongshu sect?"

"Anything is fine, you should have a way."

"This is not difficult. We have already sent people to secretly monitor suspicious individuals from various countries within Fu County, including Gongshu disciples. But Madam, is there something you need from them?"

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