Becoming a stepmother of three children gives me space

In the backyard of the Zhou residence, the drunk ladies were stumbling here and there, their bodies spread out, and they were still shouting:

"drink!"

"I want more!"

The quiet and gentle wife of the Yong'an Marquis boldly dragged others into a drinking contest, looking completely different from when she was sober. Shen Shumo was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. The fruit wine was not very strong, so how could she be so drunk?

The wife of Marquis Jingyang was a good drinker, and her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were blurry.

"I'm a little drunk and want to sleep."

"drink!"

"I think you have three heads, Shumo."

The fruit wine was not strong in alcohol but had a strong aftertaste. It was their first time drinking it and everyone toasted heartily. It would be strange if they didn't get drunk.

The yard was in chaos.

Some transformed into knights, holding branches and demonstrating their moves.

"You corrupt officials, give me your lives."

Some become supermen,

"I want to pick the moon."

Others looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle and composed poems:

"The waterfall carries the air of autumn, while the hanging vines bring coolness to the summer..."

Shen Shumo didn't expect that her sisters would be like this when they were drunk, so she arranged for someone to prepare sobering soup and sent those who were making a fuss to the guest rooms to rest.

The maids and their wives hurried away as if they were being chased by dogs.

If the lady got drunk and behaved uncontrollably, even if the news got out, it would at most be a topic of gossip after dinner. If the young ladies were not married yet, if the news got out that they were drunk and acted crazy,

Marriage will be affected.

Honglu Temple,

Li Zhibo sat slumped on the ground, his eyes sunken, his face covered with stubble, and he reeked of alcohol. It was as if he had aged 20 years overnight.

"Sir... the Dongyi envoy requests an audience."

He raised his head mechanically, his eyes unfocused. Seeing that he was not in a clear mind, the guard had to repeat himself.

"Sir... the Dongyi envoy requests an audience."

Li Zhibo's pupils focused, and his eyes gradually became clear.

"Bring her in! Bring her in now."

He looked like a madman, like a drowning man desperately trying to grab a life-saving straw. When Nanako saw him, contempt flashed in her eyes.

"Sir, why do you have to torture yourself... It's all Nanako's fault. Nanako shouldn't have invited you to participate in the competition..."

She covered her face and cried, her voice was soft and fragile, and a hot tear rolled down the corner of her eye. She looked so pitiful. Which man wouldn't be confused when seeing her?

Use this to test him?

"Since it's your fault, then you should pay me and help me plug the hole..."

All Li Zhibo has in his mind is...money.

“…”

Do you want to listen to what you are saying?

Thinking of her mission, Nanako had to endure the nausea and continue to pretend to be submissive.

"If you can convince the people at home, Dongyi is willing to compensate Yue for all losses and purchase 500 million dan of grain from Yue every year... Of course, your benefits will not be small, 50 taels of silver."

It sounds good at first, but when you think about it carefully you will find that it is just empty talk.

If it succeeds, then there will be nothing. If it fails, then there will be nothing. It is like an old cow running without being given the chance to eat grass in advance.

Li Zhibo is greedy, not stupid. Nanako's empty promises don't work on him.

"I don't see your sincerity, Nanako-sama. If that's the case, I will resolve this matter in my own way."

What can Li Zhibo do?

There is no other possibility except to surrender to Daxia, betray the Dongyi, and seek political asylum from Daxia.

Nanako had a lot of anger in her heart but nowhere to vent it.

It is impossible for the Emperor of Daxia to believe Li Zhibo's words. Without evidence, the Emperor of Daxia probably won't really kill her, but the plan will be affected.

If Daxia had to make her fulfill the bet, it would affect the court's plans.

"I can help you make up for your losses, but you must send a message home now and station troops on the border. When autumn comes, the war must be fought."

As long as Yue State deploys troops, Nanako will have a way to start a war.

"Give me one million taels first."

Li Zhibo would never do anything without seeing any benefits. Nanako had no choice but to agree. Silver was the least valuable thing to the Dongyi people.

After Nanako left, Li Zhibo called the guards in.

After the conversation just now, he regained consciousness.

It is impossible for Nanako to truly help him overcome his difficulties. Both sides are using each other. He cannot place all his hopes on Nanako.

He would not seek political asylum unless it was absolutely necessary. He wanted to implement Plan B.

The amount of goods shipped from Yue State had not yet been counted by Daxia's Ministry of Revenue. Half of the goods were transferred out, plus the 100 million taels given by Nanako.

His loss was 150 million taels of silver.

The family would not really kill him, but he did not believe that the Emperor of Daxia would really have the nerve to force him to pay back the money he owed.

Li Zhibo's idea is correct.

The cargo of one ship that passed by was worth a million, and half of it was secretly taken away. The cargo of the two ships was actually just one ship.

The 100 million taels that Nanako gave just made up for it.

That is, to transport the goods to other ships, one must come up with a good reason and excuse. When the Kingdom of Yue came, the number of ships reported to the Ministry of Revenue was two.

If there is suddenly an extra ship of cargo and it is not explained clearly, there will definitely be trouble.

He overlooked a key figure, Xiao Yunxi.

The emperor promised Xiao Yunxi that she would have priority in selecting 40% of the goods. If she found out that so much goods were missing, she would not care about her face like the emperor did.

Zhou Mansion,

Shen Shumo took Xiao Yunxi and sent the ladies who had regained consciousness to the gate, and the maids moved the gifts onto the carriage.

Fruit wine, perfume, soap, tomatoes, peppers, clothes, jewelry, snacks, all in generous portions.

"Sister Yunxi, you are so kind."

The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jingyang Mansion gave Xiao Yunxi a big hug. The young ladies lined up, and the ladies smiled like aunts:

"Yunxi, remember to send me an invitation."

"Zuixianju will open in a couple of days, I will definitely go to support it."

"Send me a few more invitations so I can bring more people over and make it more lively."

Eat the food and be grateful for the favor.

Everyone knew the purpose of Xiao Yunxi giving them gifts. In addition to giving Shen Shumo face, it was more of a two-way mutual benefit.

They were eating and taking things at the same time, and they couldn't just take advantage without giving anything in return. They all said that they would bring people over to Zuixianju to liven up the atmosphere when it opened.

After sending off the enthusiastic ladies, Xiao Yunxi took out the gift she had prepared for Shen Shumo.

The gifts for family members are naturally more exquisite. There are several more scents of perfume alone, all of which are new products prepared by Xiao Yunxi.

Even the variety and quantity of vegetables and fruits are much richer.

She heard that Shen Shumo liked to eat sweets, so when she came, she got some snacks like chocolate, macarons, chiffon cakes, and jelly from the space.

I rewrapped it in brown paper and gave it to Shen Shumo. She was the only one who had it.

Shen Shumo is not a scheming person, she just cares about her reputation. Xiao Yunxi gave her a lot of face and even prepared her favorite food with such care.

She is still very happy in her heart, but she still looks very arrogant. Anyway, I will try to like her in the future.

...