The princess is so powerful that the fish pond is full of people

Liang Chongyue combed the system's hair with an expressionless face. She dismissed all the palace servants in the Yangxin Palace. Listening to the sound of the system's claws rubbing against the whetstone made Liang Chongyue feel better.

The system is so good at sharpening its claws that it even has to practice to see how to get it out more smoothly.

The claws were sharpened to such a point that it felt like just a slight scratch could cut through the flesh. The system was still not satisfied, so it adjusted the angle left and right and continued to sharpen.

After some time, the system stopped. Liang Chongyue thought it was going to compare the progress again, but then the system's voice sounded:

"Host, didn't Aunt Yunling's actions today serve as a warning to the other delegations? If those people were timid and didn't dare to follow Xiaowan's example and send people over, wouldn't they have escaped the disaster?"

The system was puzzled and turned its head to stare at her with blinking eyes.

Liang Chongyue looked at the tuft of hair on the comb that was pulled out because the system suddenly turned around, and hid it silently. It was better not to let the puppy know.

The fur is so fat that it is no longer attached to the bones. It is normal that the system cannot detect it.

Liang Chongyue put the comb back and rubbed the system's fat face.

"Do you think I indulged Yuchi Lan so I could take advantage of the opportunity to destroy all the vassal states?"

Liang Chongyue retracted her words that she thought the system would become smarter after being with her for a long time. She said that it may be a little clever, but great wisdom is not enough.

"Isn't it?"

The system carefully retracted its claws, fearing that it would hurt the host before sterilizing those men.

"I want them to die at three o'clock in the morning. They won't live to see five o'clock. Those small countries with scarce resources are not qualified to join the territory of Great Xia."

If they are really incorporated, they must be managed. The west has been suffering from drought for many years and the people are living a miserable life. It is easy to conquer them, but you also have to support those people. Liang Chongyue doesn't have the heart to bother with this.

Daxia's current territory is very good, with vast land and rich resources. It firmly grasps the northernmost and southernmost parts, separating other small countries and leaving them no chance to conspire or form alliances.

"I only want Xiaowan to pay 20% more tribute every year. Is that because I don't want more? It's because Xiaowan can't afford that much."

An increase of 20% in annual tribute is not good news for any country, but the extra 20% is still within the tolerable range. If it is 10% more, the lives of the people will be squeezed even harder.

When they have no way to make a living, they will rebel. Regardless of whether the rebellion is successful or not, the root cause is the extra annual tribute. If they cannot defeat Daxia, the people's lives will not improve.

Liang Chongyue didn't want the lives of those people, but being born in Xiaowan was a fate that those people could not escape.

"Yun Ling did this with my instructions. I certainly hope there are fewer cowards. Being cowardly and afraid of death is because you cherish your life. If you cherish your life, you can control it and have less worries in the future."

She locked Yuchi Lan in the post station under the pretext of recuperating, and even chose a good place for him to live just to make an example of him. If anyone still had illusions and wanted to give it a try, then it couldn't be her fault.

People are greedy, and few people can resist being tempted by absolute imperial power.

Thinking of this, the aura around Liang Chongyue obviously cooled down. If she set up this trap, someone would definitely take the bait. Originally, she just wanted to get an extra 20% of the annual tribute.

After listening to these people's heartfelt words tonight, she wanted more.

"Sharpen your claws and print out what these people said in classical Chinese. I'll need it tomorrow."

It would be boring if she did it herself given such a good opportunity to gain experience. It would be more interesting to see dogs fighting each other.

When the time comes, she will appear in person to help those small countries solve the big problems. Even if they are unwilling, they can only kneel down and thank the Lord for his grace.

In the Cining Palace, Minglang had just finished talking everything over with the Empress Dowager, and when he came out he received news from the post station.

After returning to the side hall, Minglang burned the letter after reading it. She knew everything. The Queen Mother should have known it a long time ago and started to take action.

Minglang sat in front of the desk, silent. She just thought that the 20% increase in annual tribute was a kind gesture from her mother. She understood that her mother wanted to leave some room for maneuver and not force people to death, lest these people fight to the death.

By then, the soldiers of Daxia will have to make many more unnecessary sacrifices.

But such greedy people are also the best at currying favor. Even if they are asked to pay 30% more in annual tribute, as long as the Queen Mother asks, they will definitely pay it. The western and eastern regions are poor in resources, and the relations between the countries are so bad that if it were not for the pressure from Da Xia, they would have fought to the death for resources.

If they don't pay it, it means they are voluntarily leaving the protection of Daxia. Once they leave Daxia, they will definitely be divided up by the surrounding countries as soon as possible.

As long as there is a precedent like this, no one will dare to leave the big umbrella of Daxia.

Minglang pondered for a moment and finally crossed out the 30% annual tribute written on the paper.

This was the decision made by the Queen Mother. She was never wrong, but after sitting on the throne for too long, she inevitably had too many concerns.

The Queen Mother has a compassionate heart, and she should protect her well.

Under the bright candlelight, Minglang picked up the pen, and after finishing writing, he sent it away through the secret passage.

After finishing these things, Minglang walked to the window and looked at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, waiting for the midnight snack to be served. She really had no appetite at the state banquet tonight, and she felt uncomfortable seeing Yuchi Lan doing something stupid.

Everything is fine in the palace. The undercurrents in the post station are nothing more than a growth game of the absolute controller of imperial power. Deliberate indulgence, tacit temptation, everything is profitable.

The fish in the water fantasize that they can cross the Dragon Gate, but they don’t know that the lake water is crystal clear and their fighting and clown-like tricks are all in the eyes of those in power.

It’s not the goal that can be easily crossed. Striving for first place may not necessarily get you to the top, but it will definitely get you to the table.

The next morning, Yuchi Lan sat at the table with black and blue eyes, and he couldn't sleep at all.

Bai Zhu called him back into the house but had no solution. He just tried to soothe him. Every breath he took was accompanied by the bitter taste of medicine. No matter how much Bai Zhu said, he couldn't calm down.

He put the broken porcelain pieces against Bai Zhu's neck to force him to find a solution. The cold man just said that he could not stay in the post station for long with his current status and he had to leave quickly.

Before leaving, she only left him one sentence: "We can't all be trapped here. I will find a way. You should control your emotions and don't let anyone catch you."

Then he left without any regrets. If his whole family was not in Xiaowan, he would have suspected that Bai Zhu wanted to abandon him and run away.

After sitting at the table and thinking for a whole night, Yuchi Lan couldn't think of any way to break the deadlock. He was the one Prince Bao loved. If Bai Zhu had any way outside, he should have told him last night.

Instead of leaving him trapped here alone, if he could get out, he would kill Bai Zhu first. The emperor is far away and he must have forgotten what his father said to him long ago.

It's just that like my second brother, I never took him seriously.

"Your Highness, why are you here?"