I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

"Minister of Revenue Zheng Jiang, Vice Minister of War Wang Cheng, Minister of Rites Zhao Wen, and others," Li Mingde said truthfully. "They're worried that if they continue to fight, it will lead to war, which will cause even greater losses."

Zhou Qing heard these names and took note of them. The fact that these people wavered at a critical moment showed that they were either truly concerned for the country or had ulterior motives.

"Do they have any specific suggestions?" Xu Feihong asked.

"They suggested convening a court meeting to re-discuss South Vietnam's demands," Li Mingde said. "But I, an old minister, believe that we must not show weakness at this time."

"The Prime Minister is right." Xu Feihong nodded in agreement. "I have made up my mind. I will never compromise with South Vietnam."

"Your Majesty is wise," Li Mingde said with a bow. "But the ministers' concerns are not without reason. We do need a solution to break the deadlock."

"There will be a way." Zhou Qing suddenly said, "Prime Minister and Your Majesty, please give me some more time."

Li Mingde looked at Zhou Qing, a hint of doubt in his eyes. This young attendant had been acting very unusually lately, and he wondered what he was relying on.

In the afternoon, those ministers who advocated compromise submitted a joint petition, requesting the Empress to reconsider South Vietnam's request. Xu Feihong's face grew increasingly grim as he read the petition.

"It seems that someone in the court has really lost his patience." Xu Feihong sighed.

"Your Majesty, I request to meet with these ministers alone." Zhou Qing volunteered.

"You?" Xu Feihong was a little surprised. "What are you going to say to them?"

"I want to make them understand one thing: there are some bottom lines that absolutely cannot be compromised." A hint of determination flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes.

That evening, Zhou Qing arrived at the residence of Zheng Jiang, the Minister of Revenue, as agreed. Zheng Jiang's residence was large and luxuriously decorated, clearly indicating a wealthy family.

"Mr. Zhou Qishilang, I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person." Zheng Jiang greeted Zhou Qing politely, but there was a hint of disapproval in his eyes.

In Zheng Jiang's study, besides Zheng Jiang himself, there were also Wang Cheng, the Vice Minister of War, and Zhao Wen, the Minister of Rites. It seemed they had already discussed this matter.

"My Lords, I'm sorry to have come here today because I want to discuss the current situation with you." Zhou Qing went straight to the point.

"Zhou Qijulang is young and promising, and he must have a unique perspective on the situation," Wang Cheng said sarcastically, "but some things can't be solved by passion alone."

"Lord Wang, you are wrong." Zhou Qing said calmly, "Some things really can't be solved by passion, but neither can they be solved by compromise."

"Zhou Qijulang, you're still young and don't understand the seriousness of this." Zhao Wen shook his head and said, "The current situation is very clear. South Vietnam has joined forces with the countries of the Western Regions to impose economic sanctions on us. If they add military threats, we simply can't hold out."

"So you gentlemen think we should cede territory in exchange for peace?" Zhou Qing asked in return.

"This isn't ceding territory in exchange for peace; it's a temporary solution," Zheng Jiang argued. "Three small border towns are nothing compared to the entire Daqian. As long as the overall situation is preserved, this sacrifice is worth it."

"What a stopgap measure!" Zhou Qing sneered. "If we cede three cities today, what if they want ten cities tomorrow? What if they want half the country the day after tomorrow?"

"You're just making up stories." Wang Cheng was a little annoyed. "South Vietnam only wants three cities, not to destroy our country."

"You gentlemen are truly naive." Zhou Qing shook his head. "South Vietnam's ambitions extend far beyond just three cities. If they succeeded in their attempt this time, they will surely make even more outrageous demands next time."

The three ministers looked at each other, obviously Zhou Qing's words hit the nail on the head.

"Then in your opinion, what should we do?" Zhao Wen asked.

"It's simple. We will not compromise," Zhou Qing said firmly. "And I guarantee that within a month, South Vietnam will withdraw its troops."

"Just a mere attendant like you?" Wang Cheng sneered. "How can you force the South Vietnamese to withdraw their troops?"

"I can't reveal this for now, but you gentlemen can wait and see." Zhou Qing smiled mysteriously. "If South Vietnam really withdraws its troops in a month, would you gentlemen be willing to retract today's memorial?"

The three of them exchanged glances, and finally Zheng Jiang spoke: "If you can truly do it, we will naturally withdraw the petition. But if you can't, you will have to bear the corresponding responsibility."

"It's a deal." Zhou Qing stretched out his hand.

Zheng Jiang hesitated for a moment, but still shook hands with Zhou Qing.

After leaving Zheng Jiang's residence, Zhou Qing mentally calculated the time. The system's mission deadline was three months, and a few days had already passed, leaving him with just over two months left. If his plan went according to plan, the long-grain rice seeds would show results within a month. By then, not only would they solve their food problem, but they would also be able to counterattack South Vietnam economically.

After returning to the palace, Zhou Qing found that the empress was still in the imperial study handling government affairs. Seeing Zhou Qing come in, Xu Feihong raised her head and asked, "How is it?"

"I've already spoken with them, and have managed to stabilize them for the time being," Zhou Qing replied truthfully. "But to completely resolve the issue, we need to produce concrete results."

"Is your long-grain rice really that magical?" Xu Feihong asked with some concern.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will never let you down." Zhou Qing assured confidently.

At this moment, the system's voice sounded again: [Detecting that the host is under tremendous pressure, stimulating potential. Additional reward: 1 Poison Master points. Current total Poison Master points: 9.]

Zhou Qing was delighted. Although it was only 1 Poison Master Points, it was still a significant gain. He was still 38 points away from 29 Poison Master Points. He could get the full amount by completing the mission.

"Your Majesty, I have a suggestion." Zhou Qing suddenly said.

"What advice?"

"We can take the initiative and create some trouble for South Vietnam." Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with cunning. "The art of war says: attack when the enemy is unprepared and take them by surprise."

"What do you want to do?" Xu Feihong became interested.

"I suggest sending agents to infiltrate South Vietnam to gather intelligence, particularly on their military deployments and economic conditions," Zhou Qing elaborated. "Only by knowing both ourselves and the enemy can we win every battle."

Xu Feihong thought about it and nodded in agreement: "That's a good idea. I'll arrange for someone to do it right away."

Late at night, Zhou Qing returned to his room and began to make a detailed plan. He knew that the next month would be a critical period, and success or failure would depend on it.

The next morning, Zhang Yumo was sorting out yesterday's accounts in the room when he heard a noisy sound outside the door.

"Ma Zi, why is it so noisy outside?"

Huang Mazi rushed in from outside, with a nervous look on his face: "Boss, it's bad, there are a lot of people outside, and they seem to be coming for you."