My reborn husband and son are thinking about how to kill me every day.

After Ji Yunshuang shared her analysis, she concluded, "I think their next step is likely to be to provoke a conflict between Prince Rui and me."

Everyone showed admiration upon hearing Ji Yunshuang's words. They had only considered that King Qi Jing would unite with neighboring countries to launch a joint attack against them, but they had overlooked the crucial role of King Rui.

As far as they knew, many of the subordinates whom their emperor now valued were originally the Prince Rui's men.

Sometimes, the betrayal of someone you trust can be just as devastating as an army.

Compared to others, Song Yunjie understood that feeling even better.

Thinking about Ji Yunshuang's way of employing people, he was once again impressed by her magnanimity. She was truly unconventional in her approach to people management.

She doesn't consider background, gender, or which faction they once served; she judges positions based solely on ability.

Throughout history, no emperor has ever been able to achieve this.

By doing this, she greatly increased the risk of consolidating her power. He believed that His Majesty, with his intelligence, would not be unaware of this.

But that's what she did.

It is precisely because of her unconventional approach that Daqi has been able to achieve such a remarkable transformation and flourishing state in such a short time since its establishment!

It was precisely because Ji Yunshuang was unconventional in her use of people that he, and many of them, were able to step into the imperial court and discuss important matters together.

At this point, to solve the problem, we certainly can't change Ji Yunshuang's personnel management style. Instead, we must first put ourselves in her shoes and think about how to incite the two of them to take action immediately.

Because of his early experiences, Song Yunjie had witnessed too many dirty tricks. He quickly thought of several possibilities.

He rose from his chair, bowed to Ji Yunshuang as usual, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that if they want to sow discord between you and Prince Rui, they are very likely to start from these directions."

First, we will create the illusion that we are about to launch a military attack on Prince Rui. Our relationship with Prince Rui is already tense, and a major war is imminent. If Prince Rui receives news of our impending military action against him at this time, he will undoubtedly launch a full-scale counterattack.

Secondly, we'll create a blood feud between you and Prince Rui. When that happens, Prince Rui, blinded by hatred, will surely fight us to the death without regard for anything else.

Ji Yunshuang stroked her chin, lost in thought.

What Song Yunjie said was exactly what she was thinking.

Between creating the illusion that she was leading troops to attack Prince Rui and making her a mortal enemy of Prince Rui, she believed that the other side would definitely choose the latter.

If she were the other person, what would she do?

How can I make her and Prince Rui become mortal enemies, so irreconcilable that I wish I could kill her immediately?

There are only a few kinds of people who can become mortal enemies: the hatred of losing love, the hatred of killing relatives, and the resentment of betrayal.

In a sense, she has already betrayed Prince Rui. Prince Rui already harbors resentment towards her, so it's impossible for her to have made her move based on that.

And the hatred of having one's love stolen is also impossible.

The most likely explanation now is the blood feud over the killing of a family member.

Thinking of the rumors that were currently rampant in the Great Zhou, Ji Yunshuang suddenly felt a jolt of realization.

“They want to use the plague or monsters to harm the Prince Rui’s children and then frame me.”

Those who were slow to react upon hearing Ji Yunshuang's words didn't quite understand. But those who reacted quickly grasped the meaning instantly.

The rumors circulating about the Great Zhou right now are just preparations for a later conspiracy.

When the time comes, if Prince Rui's children die at the hands of plague and monsters, suspicion will immediately fall on Ji Yunshuang without any investigation.

Song Yun said anxiously, "Your Majesty, we must immediately send people to protect Prince Rui's children. We cannot let their evil scheme succeed."

Ji Yunshuang shook her head and said, "If the other party really intends to use underhanded tricks like plague, sending people back may not be effective and could cause unnecessary casualties. It would be better for me to go back myself."

Yesterday, she received another letter from Lu Yinheng. After defeating the Canglan Army, he immediately organized the soldiers of Beiguan to search the surrounding area.

He found and killed two monsters, and then planned to expand the search area.

Whether it's the message relayed back by Lu Yinheng or the message relayed by the people she sent out, it's clear that after the witch's death, she's not as strong as before.

But it's just not as strong as before.

Ordinary people are still no match for these monsters.

Lu Yinheng and her men were able to kill the monsters without harming their own personnel, largely thanks to their protective suits and weapons.

The monsters' shells were so tough that weapons of this era could not harm them at all.

She didn't believe they had the ability to catch the monster and then use it to frame her.

If monsters are ruled out, then it must be the plague.

The fact that the location of the witch clan has not yet been discovered has always been a source of great concern for her.

She wasn't sure if anyone else in the witch clan knew about the witch.

Among the witch clan, are there any other people who know that evil magic?

Could there be other people with ulterior motives...?

Therefore, she insisted on making time to go see it in person, no matter what.

No one knew what she was thinking, but they thought what she said made a lot of sense.

Indeed, if the other party had used some insidious method, such as creating a plague, to harm Prince Rui's children, then they would have been helpless.

This was truly embarrassing for them.

They are utterly incompetent; they cannot even share His Majesty's burdens. The ministers all knelt down, saying in unison, "We are incompetent, Your Majesty, and have caused you such trouble. We are ashamed!"

"My dear ministers, there's no need for such formalities. The current state of the Great Qi Dynasty is inseparable from your efforts. Everyone, please get up! During my absence from Qiongdu, there are still many things that require your attention."

As Ji Yunshuang spoke, she took out a lot of tea and snacks from her space, including milk tea, and said, "Everyone, please sit down. Let's eat and discuss things at the same time."

She had originally planned to go to Beiguan to deliver provisions to the soldiers there. Now, she can no longer go to Beiguan.

The problem of food shortage in Beiguan had to be solved by other means.

She immediately raised the issue of Beiguan, allowing everyone to express their opinions.

Seeing that there was finally a place where they could be of use, everyone tried their best to come up with a plan. Someone suggested that they raise money to buy grain from several small countries neighboring Canglan. Those countries were closer to Beiguan, so it would be faster to buy grain and send it to Beiguan.

Some people suggested offering medicine to the Cui family, the most powerful family in Canglan Kingdom, and using that opportunity to negotiate a deal with the head of the Cui family.

Cui Yang, the head of the Cui family, deeply loved his wife, Lady Lu.

Although Cui Yang was the highest-ranking man in the Cui family, he did not have multiple wives and concubines like other men.

He had only one woman in his life, his wife, Lady Lu.

However, in the past two years, news has emerged that his wife, Ms. Lu, has contracted an unknown and strange illness, and her condition is getting worse.

At first, Cui Yang sought medical help for his wife everywhere. It is said that he first sought help from the royal family of Canglan Kingdom and invited the imperial physician to examine her.

After the imperial physician failed to cure his wife's illness, he began to seek medical treatment and medicine from among the common people.

In addition to seeking medical treatment within the Canglan Kingdom, they also sent people to neighboring countries to find skilled doctors.

After failing to find a doctor to cure his beloved wife's illness, he turned to Buddhism and devoted himself to worshipping Buddha every day, hoping that his wife's illness would get better soon.

Ji Yunshuang didn't know how much truth there was in Cui Yang's story, but she thought it was worth a try.

If it can be accomplished, that would be wonderful.

If it doesn't work out, it's alright, since she's also sent people to the surrounding small countries. Trying from several directions simultaneously will prevent her from being so unlucky as to fail at everything.

The issue of grain supplies for Beiguan was thus settled.

Ji Yunshuang did not trouble the ministers with the medicine offered to Cui Yang or the money to buy grain from neighboring countries.

Although the ministers unanimously expressed their willingness to do their part for the court, Ji Yunshuang did not accept their offer.

She now treats the Great Qi Dynasty as a company, and the ministers in the court are all employees she hires from outside.

The workers worked hard at the company for a month, but the boss didn't pay them. Instead, he made them pay out of their own pockets to help the boss run the company.

Even if someone were to offer money, they would likely feel uncomfortable.

In her personal space, there are countless gold, silver, and jade artifacts, which can easily solve the problem of money to buy grain, so there is no need to oppress the employees.

However, this time when she sent people out to buy grain, in addition to the court officials, she also selected talented people who were skilled in gold mining.

Besides their task of buying grain, they also had the task of establishing trade routes and engaging in long-term business with the region.

Therefore, what she gave was not all gold and silver.

In addition to gold and silver, she also gave her some ointments, exquisite jewelry, and snacks.

These are the workshops she plans to build and produce. While completing the transactions and purchasing grain, she also wants to learn about the market conditions in several countries, what goods are selling well and what are not, and prepare for future export business.

Hearing Ji Yunshuang's arrangements, the court officials were both impressed and excited.

If they can successfully complete their mission this time, they will be able to stop collecting agricultural taxes and use other sources of revenue to maintain the government's expenses.