Jiang Shuyue was determined to go all out so that her son could live a peaceful life.
A flicker of emotion crossed Xiao Jingzhao's eyes.
Is she concerned about herself?
“We have a long history together, it would be too formal to talk about cooperation. Never mind, I will send two bodyguards disguised as coachmen to escort you and your son to the capital.”
Xiao Jingzhao thought to himself:
You and your child are safe and sound; thank God. His great cause doesn't need to rely on sacrificing women to achieve it.
Jiang Shuyue walked to the armchair opposite Xiao Jingzhao and sat down, slowly removing her veil.
"It seems the Crown Prince doesn't trust me."
Her veil slipped off, revealing her beautiful face. Her fair and delicate features were like a lotus flower in bloom, and her gentle smile was absolutely lovely.
The crimson beauty mark between her eyebrows seemed to burn the heartstrings, making Xiao Jingzhao's heart skip a beat.
"Even if you train tens of thousands of refugees into elite soldiers and successfully enter the capital and storm the palace, can you be sure that the major powers in the capital will genuinely support you?"
Xiao Jingzhao watched the woman in front of him speak eloquently. She was clearly a beautiful young woman, but her intelligent eyes made her seem like a shrewd and calculating advisor.
"Tell me, how can we gain their support?"
Only after saying those words did Xiao Jingzhao belatedly realize how naive he had asked.
Jiang Shuyue smiled brightly, her lips parting slightly:
"The four major families of the capital have a history of over a hundred years, have served several emperors, are deeply rooted and powerful, and should not be underestimated."
"The Wei, Wu, Du, and Zhen families are so powerful that if they stomp their feet in the capital, the entire city will tremble."
"These four families are bound together by interests and appear to be allies, but in reality, they also have their disagreements. If you want to take advantage of these four families, you have to find their weaknesses and dismantle them one by one."
Xiao Jingzhao also knew that these major families were not only bound by interests, but also strengthened their relationship through marriage.
He leaned back in his armchair with interest. "Tell me, how can we break them apart?"
Jiang Shuyue looked directly at Xiao Jingzhao without flinching. "Take the Wei family and the Wu family for example. One is the maternal family of Empress Wei, and the other is the maternal family of Empress Dowager Wu. The Empress Dowager always has the upper hand over the Empress. Don't the Wei family members harbor any resentment?"
Seeing Xiao Jingzhao nod, Jiang Shuyue continued, "And then there's the Du family. Speaking of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he's considered to be at the pinnacle of power, but when he sees the Wei and Wu families, even if he's an illegitimate son of one of them, he has to keep a low profile."
Xiao Jingzhao picked up the thread, "The True Grand Scholar is considered a breath of fresh air among these four great families. Back when Qingling Mountain Man left the capital, he also resigned from his official post and lived a life of writing and calligraphy, a life of leisure and freedom."
Jiang Shuyue gently shook her head. “No, what you see is only the surface. When he was young, the real scholar was known as the Sage of Poetry. He had countless students, and even half of the people in the Hanlin Academy were his favorite students.”
"Scholars are good at verbal attacks and writing criticisms. If he stands up and shouts, it can be as powerful as a thousand troops on the battlefield."
Xiao Jingzhao's eyes lit up at Jiang Shuyue's words. He couldn't help but admire the woman in front of him for her insightful and sharp perspective.
Jiang Shuyue raised her hand and tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek behind her ear.
He said calmly, "The real Grand Scholar may appear to be retired at home, but in reality, he has countless students and disciples. There are many talented people among them. Does that mean all of his students are successful?"
“There are many people who are full of ambition but are not successful. Besides, the Wei and Wu families have tried to form a marriage alliance with the Zhen family many times, but the Zhen family has always cleverly declined.”
Having lived in the capital for so many years, the original owner naturally knew the details of those major families.
Jiang Shuyue paused, a confident smile spreading across her face: "If you want to bring down these four great families, I can do it."
If Jiang Shuyue had said she could do it right away, Xiao Jingzhao would never have believed it.
After listening to her explanation, he completely believed her from the bottom of his heart.
This woman is extraordinary; she truly deserves to be the mother of his son.
If it weren't for the false news of her death spread by the Minister's mansion, he would have married her in a grand and glorious way long ago, and their relationship wouldn't be like it is now—a complicated situation.
The thought had barely crossed Xiao Jingzhao's mind when it first came to him, and he himself was unaware of the change in his heart.
Xiao Jingzhao placed his long, slender hand on the armrest of the round-backed chair, straightened up, and leaned back in the chair with a somewhat languid posture. "I accept your proposal. Let's cooperate. Feel free to make any requests you may have."
Jiang Shuyue wasn't one to dawdle. "Time is of the essence, and I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for my friend to return. I have something I need your help with."
She got up and walked to the front of the Treasure Pavilion, with her back to Xiao Jingzhao. With a thought, three palm-sized stones appeared in front of her.
She placed the stone on the desk and said, "Could you please have someone take this jade blank to Biyuxuan to sell?"
Xiao Jingzhao: "..."
Is this woman short of money?
"I'll have Xiang Song send you some silver notes right away. You should keep this jade blank for Sui Sui to play with."
Xiao Jingzhao thought to himself:
This woman is so intelligent, shouldn't she be asking how much of the spoils she will get when the King of Yannan rules the country?
Such a great opportunity, yet all she had to do was run errands for him.
"These are stones that Sui Sui picked up. I've already sold one, so there's no use keeping them. I'd better sell them and go back to the capital to make a living."
Xiao Jingzhao: "..."
Was he politely rejected by her?
Seeing Xiao Jingzhao hesitate, she said, "Without a livelihood, how can you have the opportunity to come into contact with those people? They are officials on the surface, but they also have many other businesses at home."
Xiao Jingzhao picked up a stone and looked at it in the sunlight outside the window.
My son is truly extraordinary; he brings home jade blanks.
He put down the stone, placed his index finger to his lips, and with a whistle, two figures flew over quickly.
"Master, please give your orders."
"Take this jade blank to Biyuxuan and sell it. Make sure you negotiate the highest possible price."
Xiangyang reached through the window and picked up the stone, muttering, "What price is it anyway? Why are you even negotiating..."
Feeling the cold, sharp gaze flying towards him, Xiang Yang realized he had spoken out of turn.
He quickly changed his tune, saying, "With the young master's name mentioned, how could Biyuxuan dare to lower its prices?"
"Shut up!"
"roll!"
Xiao Jingzhao and Xiang Song shouted at almost the same time.
Jiang Shuyue frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes. "The price of jade depends on its quality. How can you force someone to pay the highest price? What's the difference between that and robbery?"
Xiao Jingzhao knew that Jiang Shuyue had misunderstood, so he quickly explained, "Don't listen to his nonsense. That's not what I meant. The Yannan Prince's Mansion has absolutely no precedent of oppressing the people."
Xiangyang and Xiangsong left the villa.
Xiang Song glanced back with lingering fear, then turned and glared fiercely at Xiang Yang. "Do you know what you just said? Miss Jiang will think that our master is a bully who preys on men and women. You're going to ruin our master's image in Miss Jiang's eyes."
Xiangyang scratched the back of his head, puzzled, and asked, "Is Master very afraid of Miss Jiang?"
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