Chapter 533: The Thousand-Year-Old (54)
Wen Wan rode swiftly to the Kingdom of Bianta and, as an envoy, entered the royal palace directly to meet their emperor. Although he was not ugly, and in his youth one could tell he was a handsome man with a good figure, it did not prevent him from being an old man now. Through Gu Li's training, he successfully preserved the dignity of an envoy and then moved into the royal palace.
Then they began searching for the weaknesses of the Whip Tower Kingdom.
Wen Wan discovered that the Whip Tower Kingdom was really... poor, which was something she hadn't expected, especially compared to the country under her father's rule. The Whip Tower Kingdom was truly impoverished, and apart from the royal palace, most of the people lived in poverty.
Despite the abundance of iron ore, the local people still use the most primitive stone tools instead of iron tools. Apart from the army and soldiers, there are also some wealthy people who use stone knives to cut vegetables.
After some inquiry and investigation, Wen Wan discovered that this country did not actually turn iron into tools and weapons.
This is absolutely outrageous.
Moreover, this country is extremely short of water, which is also the reason for their poverty. It is arid, and iron smelting requires a lot of water, but they don't have enough. They don't even have enough water to meet the basic needs of the people, so how can they have extra water to smelt iron?
Wen Wan asked for a topographical map of the Whip Tower Kingdom.
They discovered that this country was not without water; on the contrary, it had a very large river, but it was separated from the location of the Whip Tower Kingdom by countless high mountains.
Moreover, that's in an even lower place; water flows downhill, not uphill.
Wen Yan: "..."
Goodness.
Goodness.
At least she knows some theoretical knowledge, so her geography studies weren't a complete waste. But she doesn't know the specifics, though the system is there!
So Wen Wan had the system retrieve a large amount of data, and then she began to research solutions.
There was just too much data, and my brain was about to explode.
In the end, all they could do was write down all the information from memory or tell it to Gu Li. Gu Li was smart, so it was better for the male lead to do things that required thinking.
Gu Li didn't ask Wen Wan where she knew all this, but instead began to organize the information, her learning efficiency was comparable to a rocket.
Then a specific plan was put forward.
Wen Wan was incredibly impressed and hugged Gu Li affectionately, saying, "What would I do without you! You're such a genius!"
Gu Li: "..."
Gu Li was very happy, his loving eyes fixed on Wen Wan. She should rely on him a little more, admire him a little more, and never leave him. It wasn't that she couldn't live without him, but that Gu Li himself couldn't live without her.
Afterwards, Wen Wan went to negotiate with the emperor.
The emperor of Whip Tower was greatly shocked upon hearing her words. "What did you say?"
Even the ministers from the nearby Whip Tower Kingdom stared wide-eyed.
Wen Wan said, "I have a way to solve the water shortage problem in Bianta Kingdom, but I have one request: that the two countries sign a treaty of friendship and cooperation, and that my princess does not need to come to Bianta Kingdom for marriage."
"Your Highness, this is no joke. Do you know that our Whip Tower Kingdom suffers from drought year after year? The heavens don't send rain. Are you perhaps a deity who can make the heavens send rain?"
Wen Wan: "I am not a god, but I can free the Whip Tower Kingdom from the effects of water shortage and drought."
Wen Wan looked at the emperor of the Whip Tower Kingdom, "Your Majesty, what do you think?"
The other person was silent for a moment, then asked, "What do you want to do?"
That means you've agreed.
Wen Wan breathed a sigh of relief. "I need a lot of manpower, as well as a series of things such as timber that I can use. I will make a list for you."
“I can divert the waters of the Qiming River to the Bianta Kingdom.”
"impossible."
A minister shouted, thinking it was utterly delusional. Wen Wan was not angry, but said, "If I cannot do it, then I will not only compensate the Whip Tower Kingdom for all its losses, but also send my princess to the Whip Tower Kingdom in her entirety for a marriage alliance."
"Your Majesty, do you wish to cooperate with me? As you surely know, I possess a wide range of skills, and my reputation in my country is known to everyone from eighty-year-old mothers to young children. If I say I can solve a problem, then I certainly can. Will you cooperate?"
Emperor: "How long will it take you?"
"Two months, but I need to allocate all the necessary resources and manpower."
The Emperor said, “If you fail to do so, I will not let you off the hook. Even if you are a prince of the country, you will pay the price for daring to be disrespectful to me.”
"Of course, but we need to sign a written agreement first. Otherwise, what if His Majesty the Emperor regrets it after I've done it?"
Do you think I would break my promise?
Wen Wan: "Of course not. This can also restrain me, so that I will be more motivated and more eager to do things."
Ultimately, both parties signed an agreement.
Then Wen Wan began her plan. Gu Li came up with a solution suitable for this place and began to allocate a large number of people and resources, involving the people of the Whip Tower Kingdom throughout the process. This was to lower their guard, since this was their territory.
When Wen Wan took out gunpowder to blow up the mountain, everyone in the Whip Tower Kingdom was shocked.
The people considered it a miracle.
The emperor, however, had heard of this thing. This terrifying weapon used in that war had shocked all the countries, and they dared not even provoke that behemoth.
Wen Wan directly blasted open the mountain with a large amount of gunpowder, and then began to build a plank road.
A large number of people, a wealth of resources at their disposal, and a complex array of procedures—all of these fall under Gu Li's purview.
Wen Wan was responsible for cheering him on from the sidelines. As expected of the male lead, as expected of the person she liked, and as expected of the Ninth Prince described in the original work who could rise to a position second only to the emperor, his mind was truly brilliant.
Exactly two months, not a day more or less.
Then, under the emperor's watchful eye, this project, which could be described as a miracle, was completed. When the emperor saw the water flowing from the Qiming River, over the mountains, and into the fields of the Bianta Kingdom, he was so moved that his eyes turned red.
"Okay, okay, okay!"
Three consecutive good results—you can imagine the shock he felt.
The people were shocked and cheered; they finally had water.
Wen Wan completed the transaction with the Emperor of Bianta Kingdom. She solved the age-old problem of water shortage in Bianta Kingdom, and the other party readily agreed to all of Wen Wan's proposals.
The two countries soon signed a cooperation treaty.
And so-called marriage alliances are naturally unnecessary.
The Whip Tower Kingdom will provide them with a large amount of iron ore, and they will also learn iron smelting techniques. The biggest problem has been solved, which will not only improve the lives of the people, but also be of great help to the military.
The emperor of Bianta Kingdom was extremely reluctant to part with Wen Wan when she left.
He even wanted to marry his most beautiful daughter to Wen Wan, who was terrified and quickly declared that she already had a princess and would not marry anyone but her in this life.
The emperor of Whip Tower Kingdom was very disappointed. How could such a son not be his own?
However, if the second prince becomes emperor, the country will definitely become even stronger, and they will have to maintain this cooperative relationship even more carefully.
Wen Wan, along with Gu Li and Xiao Cui, left the Whip Tower Kingdom amidst the cheers of the people. Before leaving, she left behind most of the blueprints and instructed them to reinforce the structures within the stipulated time. However, the time was still too short, and some parts might not be perfect.
The emperor was very pleased; he hadn't expected the second prince to actually accomplish this.
Then he forced her to return to the palace, and in front of all the ministers, he praised Wen Wan lavishly, bestowing upon her countless gold and silver treasures, fertile land, and... people.
Yes, the emperor has sent troops to Wen Wan again.
Wen Wan was completely numb.
The emperor wouldn't allow her to refuse, so Wen Wan had no choice but to send those three thousand elite soldiers to General Chen for training.
Wen Wan also gave her father a suggestion: diplomatic relations between two countries cannot be resolved by sending a woman to marry a foreign ruler. It is mainly driven by interests. As long as both sides are strong enough to benefit, they can cooperate.
Otherwise, even if they can cooperate for a while, the relationship will eventually break down.
Wen Wan didn't know if the emperor would listen to her, but she still had to say it.
Then she went to see Qi Mingzhu, who was so moved that she wept bitterly. Qi Mingzhu thought her life was ruined.
After meeting Qi Mingzhu, Wen Wan wanted to leave the capital as soon as possible to continue her adventures, but halfway there she found that a small group of people were following her carriage, and the one leading them was Qi Mingzhu.
Even the little prince I raised for a long time when I was a child came.
Wen Wan was terrified.
"Why are you here?"
Wen Wan made the group line up. "How could you sneak in like this? Do you know how thoroughly the palace will turn upside down looking for you?"
Qi Mingzhu: "Your Majesty, I want to stay with you. I don't want to stay in the palace anymore."
Qi Mingzhu couldn't say she didn't hate Consort Rong.
She was no longer the Qi Mingzhu she was as a child. She truly understood nothing. She knew that her mother had abandoned her. She was not as important as her third brother's grandson. Even though she was the daughter who was connected to her mother by blood, she was still abandoned without hesitation.
However, she would not retaliate against Consort Rong; she could only control herself and give up this filial affection.
As for the other princesses and princes, they somehow found out about my departure and insisted on coming along. Qi Mingzhu was afraid of being exposed, so she had no choice but to take them with her.
Wen Yan: "..."
There are five in total. Besides Qi Mingzhu, there are four others: the little prince Xiao Jiu'er, who is now three or four years old, and three other little princesses. They used to be Wen Wan's little follower, then Qi Mingzhu's little follower, and now they are her little follower.
"If you come out with me, what will happen to your mother?"
"Qianqian's mother is no longer alive."
"Linlin's mother doesn't like Linlin, and Linlin doesn't like her either."
"Yueyue's mother is in the Cold Palace, and Yueyue cannot see her."
Wen Yan: "..."
In the past, most of those who could stay by his side were unfavored princes and princesses. The emperor had many offspring, and children were constantly being born in the palace, even grandsons of the emperor came one after another.
Wen Wan looked at Xiao Jiu'er, "Jiu'er, Consort Chen should be alright, right? And she's been very good to you."
Little Jiu'er burst into tears and clung tightly to Wen Wan's leg, "Brother, don't send Jiu'er away. Jiu'er wants to stay with Second Brother forever."
Wen Yan: "..."
In the end, she was forced to compromise, but she still wrote a letter to her father to explain the situation. Unexpectedly, the emperor agreed to let these children follow him, saying that it would be a good thing for them to broaden their horizons. Wen Wan had no choice but to find four more maids, all poor children bought from the market, and then have Xiao Cui train them to take care of these precious little princes and princesses.
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