"If I were to pay my respects to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

Upon arriving at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Wei Ruo put aside her other thoughts and, facing the diligent and ambitious young emperor, she did everything in her power to help Gu Qingyan.

"Sir, please get up."

In just a few months, Gu Qingyan's way of addressing Kui Ruo underwent a subtle change.

For Gu Qingyan, Wei Ruo was truly too special.

There are very few people in the world who know that their father is still alive and that their father is Emperor Zhaoyuan. Kui Ruo is one of them. What is even more remarkable is that even though Kui Ruo knows this, the plans he makes are still paving the way for the future of Daqing.

At this stage, Gu Qingyan is very clear that he needs a courtier like Wei Ruo.

"I wonder what business Your Majesty has summoned me to the palace?"

Gu Qingyan granted Wei Ruo special permission to wear plain clothes except for the morning court session, when she was required to wear the court official uniform. He even thoughtfully provided Wei Ruo with a very suitable reason.

Orphaned and alone.

"Sir, to be honest, I have unified Daqing and, with the help of the Empress Dowager, acquired the border city of Dawei, but I feel even more lost." Gu Qingyan pursed his lips. "I can only make myself feel like I am working for the people by constantly reviewing memorials."

"Sir, I feel this is not right."

"But what should I do? I am somewhat confused."

He had asked his father this question before, but his father's answer was always the same: this is a path that every monarch must take.

The king said he could even ask his ministers, but the king himself could not give him a good answer.

Because their paths to becoming emperors were so different.

He also understood his father's meaning; he needed to have ministers and advisors he could rely on.

Upon hearing this, Wei Ruo was taken aback for a moment, then a smile appeared in the corner of his eyes. "Your Majesty's diligent governance is a blessing to the people of Daqing. Even if Your Majesty did not summon me, I still have something to tell Your Majesty."

Gu Qingyan's eyes widened, and he stood up.

"Your Majesty, you are destined to unify the world in the future."

Kui Ruo's first words stirred Gu Qingyan's heart slightly: "Your father is Emperor Zhaoyuan of Da Ning, and Da Ning is the most powerful country in the world today."

"Your Majesty, if Daqing remains inferior to Da Ning, will you be able to win over the hearts of Da Ning's officials and people when the two countries are united in the future?"

Gu Qingyan fell silent. What Wei Ruo had said was exactly what had troubled him for a long time.

"I...I can only make Daqing even stronger."

“Exactly!” Kui Ruo’s voice suddenly rose. “And this kind of strength is based on peaceful coexistence with Da Ning. If you go to fight with Da Wei, or even annex countries weaker than Da Qing, such as Japan, wouldn’t you be destroyed by Marquis Dingyuan?”

A strong light flashed in Gu Qingyan's eyes. It seemed that Wei Ruo's words had pointed him to an excellent path.

“Your Majesty, you must know that the reason why Da Ning did not attack Da Qing was because Emperor Zhaoyuan was under tremendous pressure to maintain the situation.” Kui Ruo’s expression also became serious. “The stronger Da Qing becomes, the greater the pressure on Emperor Zhaoyuan will be.”

Gu Lin had never said these words to Gu Qingyan.

Gu Lin always maintained a calm and collected demeanor, allowing Gu Qingyan to lead Daqing according to his own ideas.

"So, am I just going to stand by and watch my father be caught in a dilemma?"

Wei Ruowei took a barely perceptible breath. Gu Qingyan in front of her was only twelve years old. He was still quite naive in handling many things, but he understood things very quickly.

Following such an emperor, he...

"Your Majesty will make Daqing stronger and stronger, and when the relationship between Emperor Zhaoyuan and you is revealed to the world one day, the entire Da Ning will submit to you. This is the greatest reward you can give to Emperor Zhaoyuan."

Gu Qingyan felt as if he had suddenly understood something.

The doubts and confusion before me vanished, and I felt much more enlightened.

"Then who will I attack next?"

"Great Wei".

A hint of gloom flashed in Wei Ruo's eyes. "I recently heard that Emperor Wei is seriously ill. Now is the perfect time to confront Great Wei. Also, Your Majesty, the dry season has arrived in Great Wei."

Gu Qingyan realized what was happening, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"The cities of Great Wei that border our Great Qing are extremely prone to drought. At this time, continuing to attack us gives us a natural advantage. Moreover, Your Majesty can also divert the waters of the Mi River."

If the people of Wei are deprived of water, they will naturally collapse without a fight.

Kui Ruo's expression did not change at all; in fact, she still looked righteous and awe-inspiring, which made Gu Qingyan's heart tremble a few times.

I couldn't help but silently recite Amitabha Buddha's name a few times in my heart.

"The Great Xia Dynasty was destroyed too quickly. If it weren't for that, we could have destroyed the Great Xia Dynasty before Da Ning."

Kui Ruo was unaware of the strangeness in Gu Qingyan's expression, and her tone carried a hint of regret.

"If a major flood follows a severe drought, the Eastern Qing Kingdom, which borders the Great Wei, can also take action, as long as they can release the rising waters of the Mi River..."

Before Wei Ruo could finish speaking, Gu Qingyan nervously stretched out his hand, "Sir, if you continue, I'm afraid I'll become a tyrant condemned by the world."

Upon hearing this, Wei Ruo seemed to realize something and said, "The Emperor's benevolence is a blessing to all the people of the world."

After Wei Ruo left the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Gu Qingyan plopped down on the dragon throne, breathing heavily. His conversation with Wei Ruo had left him feeling utterly exhausted.

"Qin Wei, do you think... isn't the gentleman's approach a bit too radical?"

Gu Qingyan's words were still somewhat reserved. In fact, in Gu Qingyan's heart, what Wei Ruo said was not just radical, it was practically outrageous.

"Your Majesty, in Lord Wei's eyes, anything that does not harm the people of Daqing and Daning is permissible."

Qin Wei's words made Gu Qingyan pause. Could it be that Qin Wei agreed with Wei Ruo's idea?

Seeing Gu Qingyan's somewhat distorted expression, Qin Wei couldn't help but smile. "Your Majesty, Lord Wei is a rare and exceptional strategist."

"Such a person, as long as he is loyal to the emperor and can promptly dispel any ideas that the emperor has rejected, is a pillar of the state."

"A poison master?"

Gu Qingyan murmured softly, "A poison master dressed in plain clothes, who looks indifferent to the world?"

In the shadows, Gu Lin watched as Kui Ruo walked out of the Taihe Hall, stood there for a while, and then returned to Zhaoning Palace.

“Ayu, I’m sure Kui Ruo has already cleared up Ayan’s confusion.”

Jiang Yu's hands never stopped practicing calligraphy. "Would Kui Ruo enlighten A Yan? Could it be that conflicts between countries can all be resolved through fair and square means?"

“Ayu, Kui Ruo is no good. The methods he comes up with are so insidious that even you would find them vicious.”

As a rival in love, Gu Lin knew Wei Ruo inside and out.

This is a wolf in sheep's clothing; if you're not careful, he'll drag you into an abyss.