"You all have a very good opinion of Ji Qianqiu." After stuffing the last piece of pastry into her mouth, Tianning spoke Ji Tingwan's mind.
"Which ear of yours heard me praise her?"
Princess Shuwan also gave Tianning a disdainful look.
Isn't that a compliment? Tianning thought, this princess is rather arrogant.
"You think she only did good things?" Princess Shuwan sneered. "She brought not only new life to this country, but also destruction."
"A miraculous medicine," Tian Ning pointed out precisely.
"You're quite a clever little girl," Princess Shuwan rarely praised someone. "Those fools who are obsessed with the huge profits brought by the elixir of immortality and who are intoxicated by the elixir of immortality all day long are not as clear-headed as a girl your age."
"However, Ji Qianqiu did more than one stupid thing. Besides the elixir of immortality, there was also gunpowder. She is indeed a genius, able to discover such a thing, but when she presented gunpowder to the Emperor, she never considered the future! Back then, the Emperor took the initiative to provoke the war because of the appearance of such a miraculous thing as gunpowder. Our army was indeed invincible for a year, but other countries are not fools. When the enemy united and discovered the gunpowder residue... Now, the border war is tense, and Ji Qianqiu deserves some credit for that!"
"All she knew was that she had received her father's reward, honor, and the position of Crown Princess that she had always longed for!"
"Of course, that's not all..."
In Princess Shuwan's eyes, Ji Qianqiu was indeed a clever woman, so clever that her words, opinions, and actions were astonishing to them back then! However, Ji Qianqiu was also foolish, only caring about immediate interests and never considering the consequences of saying such things.
It's incredible that such extremes could be displayed in someone like that!
Chen Nianyi's thoughts were similar to those of Princess Shuwan.
Many times, she could clearly sense Ji Qianqiu's malice towards her.
Despite the other party's repeated pronouncements of lofty principles, Ji Qianqiu back then even disregarded others' opinions and helped a woman who, after years of enduring domestic violence from her husband, finally couldn't bear it any longer and killed him with her own hands! Shen Nianyi still remembers how Ji Qianqiu did everything he could to save that poor woman's life. That year, Ji Qianqiu rode his horse to the execution ground and stopped the sword that was about to fall.
Standing on the execution ground, Ji Qianqiu said, "That woman acted in self-defense and did not deserve to die!"
If it weren't for her husband's inaction, the neighbors' indifference, and the lack of regulation in national laws, how could she have been driven to this point?
The suffering of women must be taken seriously!
After that incident, at gatherings of aristocratic young ladies, there were fewer sarcastic remarks about Ji Qianqiu, and even many women from ordinary families began to admire him.
It's hard to imagine that someone who should have reached great heights would engage in such childish behavior that seems to constantly target himself.
Shen Nianyi always felt that Ji Qianqiu was very divided, and she couldn't understand why.
Even with 22 years of life experience away from Beijing, Shen Nianyi still couldn't understand it.
But perhaps... she'll find out soon.
Thinking this, Shen Nianyi inexplicably looked in Tianning's direction. She didn't know why, but after the child appeared, she had a feeling that all the mysteries would soon be answered.
Tianning certainly knew why.
Ji Qianqiu brought things that didn't belong to this era: advanced ideas, a sinister elixir, and highly lethal gunpowder...
These things did bring Ji Qianqiu benefits at first, but as time went by, everything slipped out of Ji Qianqiu's control, and the pace of progress accelerated.
This is both a good thing and a bad thing.
But since it has already happened, people caught in the vortex of the times must adapt. The times create different kinds of people; some are obsessed with elixirs of immortality, while others, like Shen Nianyi and Princess Shuwan, are reborn...
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