King Xiao Lin of Eastern Qi wanted to go and personally welcome his wife, but he was stopped by the old officials of Eastern Qi and his trusted aides.

"Your Majesty, you cannot go! The journey is fraught with danger. That new emperor of Li Chao slaughtered several of his brothers and forced the old emperor to abdicate. He is ruthless and cruel; we must not go there."

Xiao Lin looked at the minister who was about to be executed and laughed, "You're talking about Tang Xian?"

"It was him. That's what our scouts reported. The old emperor is nowhere to be found, and I fear he has been poisoned. Someone so ruthless and cruel likely wouldn't care about loyalty."

Xiao Lin leaned back with a smile, "Where did you get this spy? Tell him not to send such messages back again. Did he see Tang Xian himself or something?"

The ministers looked at each other in dismay. "Your Majesty, the people of Li Chao are notoriously cunning and deceitful, and... we old ministers feel this is inappropriate. The women of our Dong Qi kingdom are both intelligent and beautiful, skilled in both literature and martial arts. If you must choose a queen, you should select one from within our Dong Qi!"

Xiao Lin knew that his current position was still unstable. He had fought his way to this place, but many people were still resentful.

"Tang Xian, this king has seen him with his own eyes."

One sentence that made many people fall silent.

There will always be those stubborn ones. Xiao Lin has gained some insight this time. "Xiang, do you know why Dong Qi is becoming weaker and weaker? In the past, Dong Qi was considered evenly matched with Li Chao, occasional skirmishes were a 50/50 split, and we even managed to win sometimes. But now...Li Chao conquered Nan Yu and formed an alliance with Bei Mo, they have also made friends with Xi Lin. What about us in Dong Qi?"

The old man, despite his age, boldly stated: "Your Majesty is wise. With you in command, Eastern Qi will surely destroy the four nations."

Xiao Lin laughed, "Now that the Li Chao is considered one of the top powers, as far as I know, they are even developing maritime trade routes. I ask you, do our people know what the sea beyond is like?"

The ministers fell silent again.

"Ignorance leads to defeat. In warfare, knowing yourself and your enemy is crucial. Without any knowledge, how can you possibly win?"

Xiao Lin wasn't trying to belittle or diminish his own power, but he genuinely felt that the decline of Dong Qi had something to do with these stubborn old men.

If one has never been to the Li Chao dynasty, naturally they would also believe what they say.

But he had lived in Li Chao for so long, experiencing the lives of ordinary people, not those false prosperity and beauty that had been embellished.

He genuinely felt that the current Li Chao was really good.

But these ministers seemed still unwilling, eager to argue with him.

Xiao Lin sighed, "The women of our Dongqi are both literate and martial, as you said, right?"

"That's right! Our Dong Qi women are far superior to those from the Li dynasty. Your Majesty, do not be swayed by the schemes of the Li dynasty's beauties."

Xiang said.

"Let me tell you again, when I was in the Li dynasty, I lived in a small village, but there was a women's school thirty miles away in the county town. Poor girls could go to study there, learn arithmetic, and learn embroidery."

All the officials present were dumbfounded. Some called it absurd, while others were simply too astonished to speak.

"It's true that well-off families like ours in the Dongqi district have access to these things, but what about women from ordinary families? Ten or twenty years down the line, they might all be able to read and write, composing eloquent prose on the streets. How can we possibly compare?"

"Ling Xiang, this king saw it with his own eyes. Do you dare to say it's fake?"

Li Xiang fell silent, "Li Chao... Li Chao has become like this?"

Xiao Lin nodded slightly, "Now there is even better. There has long been a medical school specializing in teaching medicine, and this is just where I am."

What's the point of women reading so many books?

This statement wasn't made by Lian Xiang.

Needless to say, Li Xiang had already refuted the statement. "Whether a man or a woman, reading more books is always good. The claim that women's reading is useless is just a deception of the people. Some people want better control over women, so they spread this lie. If a woman reads, the sons she gives birth to can be educated well from a young age. If you don't believe me, how about this: when choosing a wife, wouldn't you rather marry an educated woman than an illiterate one?"

The man cleared his throat. "Silence," he said.

Xiao Lin was very satisfied. "Li Xiang is right, in the future, under the reign of Li Chao, women reading will not be useless. There may be exams for women, and there may be female officials. Now there are many women scholars, and they are highly valued by the court."

"Could it be that the Li Dynasty has come to this?" Lin Xiang was completely dumbfounded.

In fact, anyone who is not foolish would know that under such a government, the people are very happy.

"Lianxiang, let me tell you one more thing. Everything you just heard was orchestrated by the current empress of the Li Dynasty. Now that you know this, will you still say that women from Dongqi are more cultured and capable than those from the Li Dynasty?"

When Xiangru Li was struck by lightning, he took several steps back in shock. “This… this… Wasn’t Empress Li of the Chao Kingdom just a little girl? How… how… could she have such remarkable talent and wisdom?”

Xiao Lin nodded, "Indeed, Xiang Li, this king is going there this time. Would you be willing to accompany me and see the majesty of the Empress Dowager of the Li Dynasty?"

"I am willing," said Lian Xiang Gong, bowing. He really was going to see if Emperor Li Chao was truly like that?

Even if he were to die, he's already quite old anyway.

"Your Majesty, I am a minister of this state. It would be better if I took your place. You should stay in charge of Dong Qi to guard against any unforeseen circumstances."

Are you going? Are you going to be unable to return?

Xiao Lin knew this time, it was considered going to apologize with a thorny crown. How could others take his place?

Even if Suwen agrees, Fujujiao wouldn't agree either.

"I have once been acquainted with Tang Xian and Fu Jiujiu. Their integrity is far from the rumors, they are people of their word. Even though we are now enemies facing each other with swords, I cannot bear to hear anyone slander them like this."

Xiao Lin looked at the ministers below. "This matter of a marriage alliance, I will leave it to Xiang Lian."

"Yes, your servant obeys."

Xiao Lin raised an eyebrow, "It's not worth it to fight. Fighting all the time results in losing your wife and children."

Moreover, after several defeats, he also knew that he was no match for them.

The weaponry of the Li Dynasty constantly innovated, and its destructive power was immense. A single tank could equal a hundred soldiers, not to mention the endless variety of weapons and tactics that were overwhelming.

If I could be like the King of the North as well, that wouldn't be bad either.

Enjoying everything that Li Chao provided and nurturing his people, while also engaging in peaceful trade, isn't bad either.

……

"He agreed!" Fu Jiujiu immediately told Qin Suwen the good news.

Qin Suwen glared at her, "You're already pregnant, and you still personally come here? There's no one else like you who acts like an empress."

She said, hurriedly helping the person to sit down.

Fu Jiu Jiu beamed, "It's only been two months, shhh... Others don't know yet. I can't stand those old fellows constantly pressuring Tang Qi gege to marry and have children. They act like it's the end of the world if I can't give birth, so I won't tell him. When the child is born, we'll scare them half to death."

Qin Suwen was speechless. How could this be like talking to a child?

(Editor in charge:me before you a novel)