Chapter 183: Chapter 183

In fact, it might really not work well.

Faced with the thunderous wrath of the supreme emperor, the officials below the throne were all speechless at this moment.

Great Zhou's current national strength was no accident; it naturally had its share of talented people.

Regarding the suddenly rising Great Qi, they had indeed studied and even tried to imitate it carefully over the past two years, but the actual results could only be described as...

Sigh, it was too difficult...

At the root, Great Qi's prosperity was based on its agriculture, and even the so-called "breeding farms." Other businesses and flourishing factories had mostly developed step by step on this foundation.

But in reality, without success in the first step, rashly copying their policies was an extremely exhausting and thankless task.

Not to mention the varying climates and soil conditions everywhere, which made it impossible to blindly follow the book, even the most critical part—the breeding—was guarded with extremely strict secrecy by Great Qi.

Putting Chu Zi’an aside for now, the Great Qi’s Chancellor Xie was already notorious for his cunning and deceitfulness. Over the years, the scouts they sent rarely brought back truly useful intelligence.

Amidst the silence, after a long while, a middle-aged man with a long beard and a lean face slowly stood up:

“Your Majesty, Great Qi has now become a serious threat to our Great Zhou. No matter what, we must not give them another chance to develop.”

“This Prime Minister Chu may be clever and capable, but as long as one is human, there will inevitably be weaknesses, Your Majesty...”

Unaware that some people were conducting an all-around, no-blind-spot study on her, and confidently delegating or passing down all her work to Chancellor Xie, An Ning was now happily enjoying the warm spring water in her newly built villa.

In short, after a series of rewards, the group of newcomers in officialdom were all competing to perform. Many things didn’t even require An Ning’s special instructions to be handled properly.

One could only say that newcomers were always the most useful anywhere, bursting with energy from head to toe.

Especially this time, besides the generals from various regions, there were many researchers from artisan backgrounds. Just like Bai Zhi, who had been granted official status before for creating a highly stimulating medicinal fragrance for horses, they had leapt from the bottom to the bureaucratic class. How could they not work themselves to the bone?

Judging by Chu’s constant hair loss, one could tell that crossing the boundaries of social classes among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants was always deeply tempting.

In the following days, without An Ning needing to do much more, capable artisans from Qi and even frustrated scholars from various places began flocking to the capital.

Leisurely lying in a rocking chair, lightly sipping freshly squeezed grape juice brought to her lips, An Ning then reached out to take the “Introduction to Geometry” book handed by a servant.

One had to admit, the wisdom of the ancients was always astonishing.

Just like in these past few years, many times An Ning had only provided a general direction, but the final results were already delightfully surprising.

After a quick skim, An Ning soon chose to receive the visitor.

After sending off a young man surnamed Sun, and pondering briefly, the next day, at Great Qi’s first imperial examination since its founding, the two characters for “Mathematics” were already listed among the subjects.

Not only that, a few days later, the Agricultural Ministry and Ministry of Works directly under An Ning’s jurisdiction, as well as the Medical Department currently led by Bai Zhi, all began recruiting examinees through exams.

In a short time, the originally prosperous Qi capital became even livelier. Many talented people or struggling commoners were willing to drag their families and move here just to obtain Qi household registration. After the war with Great Zhou, Qi’s prestige soared, and the small neighboring states increasingly chose to submit themselves.

In less than a year, the northern lands no longer resembled the sparsely populated, desolate wasteland they once were.

“Hah, Prime Minister... no, Young Master, I truly... never imagined that our Qizhou could have such a bustling day...”

Struggling through the crowd while holding a lantern, the young guard dressed as a servant standing beside An Ning showed a faint flush on his face, perhaps due to earlier breathing difficulties.

It was the Lantern Festival, and all the streets and alleys were crowded with people. In fact, the moment she stepped outside, An Ning already regretted it deeply.

Glancing sharply at Xie Heng beside her, An Ning raised her foot and headed upstairs.

In an elegantly decorated private room, a waiter soon attentively served various exquisite tea snacks:

“What’s this, Chancellor Xie, you seem unusually leisurely today. Have the matters in Chengde been resolved?”

Chengde Prefecture was one of the powers that had submitted to Great Qi a few days ago. Unlike others, this place had long suffered from serious banditry, with complex underground forces that even the authorities had to avoid.

Such obviously troublesome matters were naturally more suited to Chancellor Xie, who was as sharp as a sieve, than to An Ning herself.

Over the years, the two had developed a tacit understanding, especially regarding official business. Usually, the tedious and scheming dealings with various factions were handled by Xie Heng, while An Ning focused more on development and policy formulation.

Even Emperor Xiao Qi had gradually accepted this.

Sometimes, he would tease the two confidants about this.

But now, considering how “delicate and weak” the person opposite them was, combined with his usual laziness, it was already unusual for him to have gone out today...

Xie Heng showed no surprise at the scrutiny directed at him. He slowly stood, lightly brushed his sleeves to refill their teacups, and then smiled as he said:

“On this rare festival, I simply wish to listen to a very fateful play together with Zi’an!”

Just as he finished speaking, the young female actors on stage downstairs began to sing in soft tones.

Their private room was close to the street window, making it easy to hear the sounds from below.

Even An Ning, who knew nothing about theater, could tell that this play was clearly different from the usual melodious and gentle performances; it now carried a somewhat impassioned tone.

Inside the room, both quietly sipped their tea without speaking.

Only when the second segment of the singing began did An Ning’s gaze unconsciously tighten for a brief moment by the street window...