Hedging through trade should minimize the probability of war, since who would want to go to war when everyone is living in peace and prosperity?

Pei Xuan was unwilling to sacrifice the Ninth Princess, a woman, and in order not to dishonor the reputation of men, he had been searching through the historical records of the Mingyue Kingdom.

Heaven rewards those who persevere.

He finally found a clue.

"Your Majesty, the land of the small kingdom of Mingyue is barren and its food production is not abundant. If we can prolong the war, it may be feasible."

Pei Xuan said firmly, confirming that this was the best method at present.

Unexpectedly, the Marquis of Pingyang was the first to raise an objection: "Lord Pei, are you dreaming? Their grain production is not high, and we also have to take care of tens of thousands of people. Grain is of paramount importance. If you do this, won't the people starve to death?"

“War between the two countries will inevitably cause immense suffering. We should minimize the damage so that we can better cultivate our crops. As long as we wage a protracted war, the small country of Mingyue will inevitably be unable to hold out. At that time, it will become our land.” Pei Xuan still insisted on his opinion.

If they do that, they will definitely win.

Not only can we make them submit, but we can also reclaim our land; that is the right thing to do.

The Minister of Revenue immediately snorted coldly: "Lord Pei truly doesn't know the cost of firewood and rice when he's not in charge of the household. Now that the Ninth Princess can solve the problem, why bother to use a single soldier? This is clearly a deliberate attempt to kill the people."

"I wonder what Lord Pei is really thinking?"

Immediately, all the important officials in the court began to condemn Pei Xuan.

Pei Xuan did not want to conform.

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect once more: “A great nation like ours should not engage in marriage alliances, pay reparations, cede territory, or pay tribute. What kind of man would rely on a woman to solve this problem?”

Opinions varied widely in court.

"Alright, it's the way things are, let's send the Ninth Princess away." The Emperor did not accept Pei Xuan's suggestion.

This was the first time Pei Xuan had hoped that Qi Guze could stand in the imperial court.

Even if Qi Guze only said one sentence, it would be a benchmark for the court officials to follow.

Pei Xuan was stunned, wanting to say something more, but unexpectedly, Marquis Ningyuan spoke first.

“Your Majesty, Lord Pei has close ties with Qi Guze, but Qi Guze is already a traitor. How can Lord Pei prove his innocence?” A smug smile appeared on his lips. “I request that Lord Pei be allowed to take a leave of absence for a period of time so that he can prove his innocence.”

What do you mean by asking for leave? It's clearly a ploy to get Pei Xuan to resign.

This time, Pei Xuan did not beg for mercy.

The Emperor surveyed the scene from the Golden Palace, realizing the matter was already settled, and then gave Pei Xuan a meaningful look.

“Zhun, Pei Xuan, you should rest and recuperate at home during this period.”

The morning court session concluded with the Emperor's words.

He could sense that the Emperor no longer trusted Qi Guze and was distancing himself from those who had previously been by Qi Guze's side; he was probably not the first.

Marquis Ningyuan must already be here, having ousted many of Qi Guze's supporters.

Pei Xuan was depressed and didn't even know how he walked down from the court. His head was buzzing. How could he have been dismissed from his post? Whether Qi Guze had defected to the enemy or not, the emperor's current attitude clearly indicated that he had defected. But now it was unknown whether he was alive or dead. How could he be labeled as a traitor for no reason?

He was in a daze, not knowing what to do, and when he looked up, he found himself in Tianxiang Tower.

It seems he still felt deep down that he could find someone to discuss things with here, after all, two minds are always better than one.

After he pushed open the door, he saw Xu Yuehuai packing her luggage. He asked in surprise, "Manager Xu, are you going on a long trip?"

Xu Yuehuai let him in and said softly, "I want to search for Qi Guze along the way again. We need to find him, whether he's dead or alive. So many people have been searching there for days without finding any clues. I think he must still be alive. He must have been rescued by someone."

“That’s perfect. Why don’t I go with you? I don’t have anything else to do anyway, and I’m just idling around in this city,” Pei Xuan said.

"Hmm?" Xu Yuehuai asked with some surprise, "What will happen to the court if you leave?"

"As for politics, it's all the same old stuff anyway. It doesn't matter if I'm here or not," Pei Xuan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai stopped what she was doing and asked, "Lord Pei, has something happened in the palace? You seem a little different today than usual."

"Really? Aren't I perfectly normal?" Pei Xuan replied with a smile, but kept his head down, refusing to look Xu Yuehuai in the eye.

“Lord Pei, these are extraordinary times. Let’s not keep any more secrets between us,” Xu Yuehuai said to Pei Xuan.

“That’s true,” Pei Xuan said, scratching his head. “Actually, it’s not a big deal. It’s just that the Emperor recently suspected that Qi Guze had indeed defected to the enemy, and I was implicated as a result. To put it nicely, he let me rest for a few days; to put it bluntly, I was dismissed from my post.”

"So who is in charge of the government now?" Xu Yuehuai asked after thinking for a moment.

“It’s that villain, Marquis Ningyuan!” Pei Xuan replied through gritted teeth, recalling the scene in the court earlier. “He must have bewitched the Emperor, making him believe that Qi Guze had treasonous intentions.”

Xu Yuehuai patted Pei Xuan on the shoulder and comforted him, "It's alright. Once we find Qi Guze, all doubts will naturally disappear. I was a little unsure about going by myself, but with you by my side, I think it's much more reliable."

After discussing it, the two decided to set off the next day. Xu Yuehuai also went to Tie Xiong's place to tell him that Pei Xuan would be going with him and that he shouldn't worry too much, just take good care of Zhou Wan. Tie Xiong was relieved. If anything happened to Xu Yuehuai, he would not be able to face the two of them even after he died.

On her way back, Xu Yuehuai planned to go to the palace to ask the emperor why he would believe such nonsense.

On her way to the palace, she encountered an unexpected person who advised her not to go to the palace to see the emperor. After talking for a long time, the person actually convinced Xu Yuehuai to give up the idea of ​​seeing the emperor.

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye, and Xu Yuehuai and Pei Xuan set off.

Marquis Ningyuan had naturally received the news early on and was preparing to send people to arrest them so that they could be charged with collusion.

Marquis Ningyuan was overjoyed. He never expected to kill three birds with one stone. Not only did he make the emperor suspicious of Qi Guze, but he also took the opportunity to bring down Pei Xuan, Qi Guze's lackey, and even implicated Xu Yuehuai in his search for Qi Guze.

The area outside Tianxiang Tower was filled with spies of Marquis Ningyuan. From Pei Xuan's dazed arrival to his conversation with Xu Yuehuai inside the shop, and his beating and scolding of Marquis Ningyuan as a villain, everything was relayed to Marquis Ningyuan by his spies.