Princess Yunwu looked at Xiao Yunzhou with a sense of caution.
Had her identity been discovered?
But that was impossible; she hadn't mentioned anything about the imperial palace.
"Brother Yun, I mean no harm," Xiao Yunzhou said, narrowing his eyes. "It's just that as the head of a household, I'm well aware that the future well-being of those who depend on us is determined by the leader's ability, vision, and character."
Xiao Yunzhou chuckled, "The position of family head should be held by the capable. When it is, peace and prosperity reign. When it's held by the incompetent, everyone suffers."
Princess Yunwu's pupils constricted.
Indeed, her desire to become emperor wasn't born of inherent ambition.
Rather, it was after overhearing the royal tutor teaching her younger brother, the crown prince, about the ways of a wise ruler that she gradually came to understand what it meant to be an enlightened monarch.
She knew very well that her younger brother, born five years after her, lacked both virtue and ability.
Being the only legitimate prince and sickly since childhood, both the emperor and empress didn't dare to reprimand him harshly.
While she, as the emperor's first child, was seen as a good omen for her brother's birth and now enjoyed a life of luxury,
Her younger brother, the crown prince, had been spoiled and pampered to the point of uselessness!
She still knew the importance of studying, but her brother wasn't even pushed to read by the emperor, for fear of tiring or sickening him.
As time passed, the crown prince grew accustomed to play and refused to study diligently, even showing great disrespect to the royal tutor who taught the ways of kingship.
At the age of ten, he was caught by the empress and herself in the midst of a dirty act with a young eunuch!
But even then, the empress blamed the eunuch, covering up the crown prince's mistake, still unwilling to punish him.
As a result, years later, her crown prince brother was still secretly cavorting with young eunuchs!
Yunwu closed her eyes in pain at the thought.
Watching her brother grow up like this, she always wondered why she, clearly more intelligent and driven than him, couldn't be the ruler of Chu State.
She felt resentful, unwilling, and indignant!
Indignant for herself, for all the excellent women like her who had to give way, and for the people of Chu State.
"Brother Yun, I pity not only the unfulfilled women in your household but also the unfortunate people who depend on your family. I observe your extraordinary bearing, clearly from a noble family, and I worry for those poor souls who rely on you!" Xiao Yunzhou sighed, "When the nest falls, how can the eggs remain unbroken?"
Yunwu took a deep breath.
Although Jing Country and Chu State had been at odds for years, with no diplomatic relations,
Why did every word this Jing Country emperor said resonate so deeply with her?
Yunwu couldn't help but look at Xiao Yunzhou, "I am from Chu, and you are from Jing. You just asked me why I wanted to help the severely injured hunter from Jing Country. Now I want to ask you a question in return."
"If a noble family in Chu State falls, Chu State will surely be greatly weakened. You, as someone from Jing Country, why are you concerned about this? What does the fate of us Chu people have to do with you Jing people?"
Xiao Yunzhou almost blurted out that it had absolutely nothing to do with him!
Before today, he would have been happy if Chu State disappeared sooner!
Who cared about Chu State?
But now, after listening to the celestial voice of his daughter, his thinking had progressed!
Better to support a benevolent ruler than let a tyrant take the throne.
If the two countries opened up trade, his people in Jing Country could earn more silver from Chu State!
[Awoo, of course I hope the neighboring country is ruled by a wise monarch, one who is friendly to Jing and loves peace~]
Xiao Chuchu couldn't help but comment in her heart.
[After all, our Jing Country's military strength isn't that great right now, we really need to unite regional advantages and form a community of shared interests.]
[You should know that in the novel, it's the Yuan King, from Yuan Mu Country, who destroys Jing Country.]
[To attack Jing Country from their side, they need to pass through the western side of Chu State and the southern side of Sheng Country!]
Xiao Yunzhou inwardly cursed. Recently, various aspects of Jing Country's national power had been developing quite well.
He had almost forgotten about this catastrophic event.
It wasn't his fault; according to his daughter's celestial guidance, this would happen three years from now.
He had already been intensifying the training of his soldiers recently.
But Xiao Yunzhou hadn't expected that in the future, three years from now, the Yuan King would join forces with Chu State and Sheng Country to attack Jing Country!
If so... Xiao Yunzhou narrowed his eyes, looking at Princess Yunwu before him.
"Brother Yun, to be honest, I'm not some great philanthropist," he said.
"I just believe that in this world, the strong joining forces is better than standing alone."
"I don't want a group of people in this world to live in misery."
"Only when all citizens have money will my family's business grow bigger, and the people depending on my family will become increasingly prosperous."
Xiao Yunzhou looked at Princess Yunwu with a sincere expression.
Most importantly, he wanted to eliminate any possibility of Yuan Mu Country passing through Chu State!
If Chu State and his Jing Country were to form an alliance, they could turn the tables on Yuan Mu Country!
At this moment, Xiao Yunzhou was extremely eager to form an alliance with Yunwu, "I have my own goals as well."
"Of course," Xiao Yunzhou glanced at her, "It's true that I respect women, and I truly believe that some women are superior to men in this world."
The shock Princess Yunwu felt internally was no less than Xiao Yunzhou's.
She had always hesitated to take action, not only because she knew her father and the court officials would certainly oppose it, but also because of another concern.
She worried that if she succeeded in taking the throne, neighboring countries would look down on her as a female emperor, and by extension, look down on Chu State.
If that were the case, all her efforts would have been in vain.
But now, Yunwu discovered that she seemed to have already gained the support of an emperor from a neighboring country!
At the very least, Jing Country wouldn't look down on her as a female emperor!
"Is that true, Brother Xiao?" Yunwu's eyes flickered, and she finally closed them, "Actually, I have a secret to tell you."
She gave a look to her attendants on both sides, signaling them to clear the area, then lowered her voice so only Xiao Yunzhou and Liu Chaniang could hear.
"The truth is, I'm not a merchant from Chu State."
"I am the eldest princess of Chu State, Yunwu."
"Your Majesty of Jing Country, Consort Liu, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Xiao Yunzhou and Liu Chaniang stared in shock, putting on their best surprised expressions, using all their acting skills!
In fact, they had already known the princess's identity from their little princess's inner voice.
It was also normal for Yunwu to guess their identities; if she couldn't, they would have doubted her ability to be the next ruler of Chu State.
"I never expected..." Xiao Yunzhou struggled to maintain his act.
Liu Chaniang also followed suit, opening her mouth in surprise and nodding.
Seeing their reactions, Princess Yunwu's gaze held a hint of pride and also some emotion.
They hadn't known her identity, which proved that Xiao Yunzhou's words earlier were sincere, without any intention of deliberately cultivating a relationship with her.
"Brother Xiao, if what you just said is true..." Princess Yunwu lowered her voice, looking towards the Chu State across the river. "The Chu State is willing to become an ally of Jing Country."
"In the future, we will prioritize providing Jing Country with iron ore and other resources from our Chu territory."
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes flickered.
[The Chu State is rich in iron. Oh my, could the "Firearms and Musket Development" skill I acquired last time be put to use soon?]
Xiao Chuchu couldn't help but grin. [With a large number of muskets, our Jing Country's military power will surely advance by leaps and bounds!]
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded to Princess Yunwu, "We will support you with all our might!"
"Shall we go to the hot pot restaurant and find a private room to discuss the details?"