The matter of bringing the Four Great Families under her control? She had tossed it clear out of her mind!
At that moment, all she could think about was the little vixen in front of her, who was maddeningly good at getting under her skin!
Why did she always have to provoke her like this? What had she done wrong? Couldn't Ye Yunxi just treat her nicely for once?
Seeing this, Ye Yunxi wasn't afraid at all. If anything, she laughed even harder:
"What? Your Highness the Crown Prince is getting mad from embarrassment? Wasn't what I said the truth?"
She leaned closer and deliberately lowered her voice, her breath soft and fragrant:
"Look at you. The moment you can't win an argument, you lose your temper like a child. Where's the dignity of a Crown Prince? Even a well-brought-up child wouldn't get this angry. As the future emperor, you need to keep your temper under control."
"If Your Highness the Crown Prince can't control yourself, why not hand the throne over to me? I'll become the first empress of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"You!"
Qian Renxue's chest heaved with anger, and even the finger she pointed at Ye Yunxi trembled. Yet when she looked into Ye Yunxi's watery, alluring eyes, her fury simply wouldn't come out.
She understood now. This little vixen was doing it on purpose! Deliberately steering the conversation off course, deliberately provoking her!
Just then, a crisp system notification suddenly rang in Ye Yunxi's mind.
[ Ding! The entertaining drinking game task has been successfully completed! ]
[ Task objective achieved: Successfully angered Qian Renxue, who lost her temper, without cheating by using Soul Power! ]
[ Rewards issued: Soul Power increased to level 68, Soul Emperor! Sober-as-a-Judge Constitution permanently activated! ]
A mighty surge of warmth swept through her body. Her stagnant Soul Power surged, and her bottleneck broke as easily as paper.
The pressure of a level-68 Soul Emperor spread faintly around her. Ye Yunxi felt so refreshed she nearly hummed with delight.
She forced back a laugh as she looked at Qian Renxue's livid face, her heart bursting with joy.
Seeing Ye Yunxi's shoulders trembling as she tried to hold back her laughter, Qian Renxue knew she'd been played. She took a deep breath and ground out through clenched teeth:
"Ye Yunxi, you're really something! You did that on purpose!"
"What did I do on purpose?" Ye Yunxi blinked, looking utterly innocent. "I was only telling the truth. Your Highness the Crown Prince isn't so petty that you can't even stand to hear the truth, are you?"
Qian Renxue: "..."
She'd been had! Completely and utterly outplayed by that little vixen!
Seeing Qian Renxue's frustrated, helpless expression, Ye Yunxi finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. The sly glint in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"Ye Yunxi, stop laughing!"
Qian Renxue's face flushed red. She felt utterly humiliated, mocked by someone as insignificant as Ye Yunxi.
"Do you think I wouldn't dare hit you? Even if you told someone, this is just a private family matter. Don't forget, when you're out there, you're my woman, and I'm your husband!"
Furious, Qian Renxue picked up a branch from beside her.
"Now, now, Your Highness, don't lose your temper. Ye Yunxi was only telling the truth. Besides, I have a way to bring the Four Great Families under your control. But if you keep bullying me like this, I'll have to keep my mouth shut."
Ye Yunxi put on a pitiful act, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at Qian Renxue.
Under the dim, yellow candlelight, a tear slid from the corner of Ye Yunxi's eye. Qian Renxue was so enraged that she threw away the branch in her hand.
"Ye Yunxi, stop pretending! If you have a plan, tell me already. You're going to make me so angry I'll die!"
Qian Renxue snapped. The alcohol had already made her cheeks flush, and now she felt even dizzier.
"Your Highness~"
"Sometimes you really don't know your own limits. Did you honestly think you could outdrink me?"
Looking at Ye Yunxi's alluring, captivating appearance, Qian Renxue's ears turned red. She could only swallow her grievance and sit back down to ask:
"Then tell me, Imperial Concubine. What should I do to bring the Four Great Families under my control?"
Ye Yunxi dropped her pitiful act and replied with a faint, knowing smile:
"The Four Great Families are the Strength Clan, the Speed Clan, the Breaking Clan, and the Defense Clan."
Ye Yunxi lifted her wine bowl, took a sip, and spoke unhurriedly, her voice brimming with confidence:
"The Four Great Families may seem tough to win over, but each has a weakness. Just give them what they need, and you can bring them all in."
"First, there's Tai Tan of the Strength Clan. That old man is an out-and-out forging fanatic. He's hearty and loyal, prefers persuasion to force, and respects real skill."
Ye Yunxi set down her wine bowl, leaned forward slightly, and lowered her voice:
"Don't show up with the Crown Prince's entourage. It's too ostentatious, and he'll only resist.
"Go in disguise as a wealthy young man who knows forging, and bring two fine ingots of black iron as a gift. Just say, 'I've long admired you and came to discuss the art of forging with the clan leader.'"
Qian Renxue furrowed her brows and couldn't help interrupting:
"Discuss forging? I don't know anything about that."
"You idiot!"
Ye Yunxi rolled her eyes at her.
"Can't you study up beforehand? Talk about how a weapon should be 'both hard and supple.' Use that as your starting point, then tell Tai Tan that the weapons he forges have enough hardness but not enough flexibility.
"Then mention that smelting metal with subterranean fire can make a weapon more spiritual. You're the Crown Prince. Surely it wouldn't be hard to use the imperial family's resources to find a place with similar fire?"
After a pause, she continued, "Once he sees you in a new light, wait until he's short on iron ore, then quietly send him a batch of refined iron from the imperial armory. Just say, 'I ask for no allegiance. I only hope the weapons you forge don't end up in Spirit Hall's hands.'
"After a few rounds of drinks, sigh and tell him, 'It'd be a shame for your craft to go to waste. Let's join forces against Spirit Hall and bring the art of forging to new heights.' Give him all the respect he deserves, and he'll surely be willing to work with you."
A flicker of shock crossed Qian Renxue's eyes. She said nothing, merely gesturing for Ye Yunxi to continue.
She needed to understand the plan in greater depth and didn't want to interrupt Ye Yunxi just yet.
"Next, there's Niu Gao of the Defense Clan. He's very straightforward. His clan makes its living building defensive fortifications, so their biggest worry is having no work and no reputation."
"Put the work up for public bidding. Say you need border defenses and imperial villas built, and let them compete on merit.
"Don't rig the process. Let him win the contract openly and fairly, and give him a fifty-percent advance to solve his immediate cash-flow problem."
"During construction, send troops to guard the worksite and keep Spirit Hall from causing trouble.
"When the work is done, go inspect it in person. Praise them in front of everyone: 'The Defense Clan's craftsmanship is ten times better than the imperial Ministry of Works.' Let him bask in the glory.
"Then clap him on the shoulder and say, 'From now on, all Heaven Dou's defensive fortifications are yours. We'll establish the Imperial Defense Engineering Bureau, and you'll be its director. The post will be hereditary.'
"He'll have steady work by your side and bring honor to his clan. How could he refuse?"
She blinked, and a faint blush appeared on her charming face.
Qian Renxue's breathing quickened slightly. She hadn't expected winning the clans over to be so simple and direct, with every suggestion striking right at their weaknesses.
And when she looked up and saw the faint blush on Ye Yunxi's cheeks, her heart stirred even more.
"The main problem is Spirit Hall..."
"We can just make Spirit Hall take the blame for some of the things we do."
After hearing her out, Qian Renxue agreed with Ye Yunxi's idea.
Then she asked, "There are two clans left. Why haven't you said anything about them?"
"Xue Qinghe, don't be greedy. I've explained two of them to you, and you're still not satisfied?"