Chapter 87

After Li Qi finished giving instructions, he invited Zhao Jing to Wu Furong's room. Since Wu Furong rarely stayed at the inn, his room had been converted into a lounge, essentially prepared for Lady Qin.

Upon entering the room, Li Qi poured a cup of tea for Zhao Jing, then sat opposite her. For the first time, he looked at her with the eyes of a man, noticing her fair skin and delicate features, her eyebrows like the mountains of spring, and her eyes like the waters of autumn. However, the flatness of her chest was somewhat lacking, but Li Qi knew that they were surely bound by something.

At this moment, Li Qi really wanted to tell her that such a practice was detrimental to development and very unhealthy.

Seeing Li Qi staring at her blankly, Zhao Jing's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger. She shouted, "What are you looking at?"

"Looking at you!" Li Qi said matter-of-factly. Looking at a beautiful woman was a natural thing, and he had never found anything wrong with it.

"You—!"

Zhao Jing placed her hand on the short sword on the table.

Sweat! She's trying to scare me again.

Li Qi quickly raised his hand to warn her, "Hey, didn't you say that as long as I don't say anything disrespectful, you wouldn't make things difficult for me? You have to keep your word."

Zhao Jing snorted, "I only said I wouldn't kill you. If you keep looking, I'll gouge out your eyes."

What a vicious woman!

"Alright, alright, you win. I won't look, I won't look. Some ugly creatures, I wouldn't even bother looking at them."

Li Qi laughed and stole a glance at her. Seeing her silent, he chuckled, "By the way, how did you find me?"

"Everyone in the city is talking about your Drunken Immortal Inn. Finding you wasn't that hard," Zhao Jing said disdainfully.

"I knew it would be like that."

Li Qi said with a helpless look, "There's a saying, 'People fear fame, pigs fear fat.' It's truly a profound truth."

Zhao Jing gave him a contemptuous look and snorted, "If not for that, wouldn't you be even more frustrated? You spent so much effort to make the Drunken Immortal Inn famous."

Hmm? This girl is smarter than I thought. Li Qi laughed, "That's true."

"However, you seem to have quite a few enemies," Zhao Jing said with a meaningful smile.

Li Qi was slightly taken aback, "Are you talking about that fisherman?"

Zhao Jing nodded, "Isn't that the case?"

"Of course not."

Li Qi shook his head, "That fisherman is at most an enemy, not a real enemy."

"Is there a difference?"

"Of course. Enemies can become friends, just like you and me. Who would have thought that a moment ago, you were ready to kill me. As for enemies, they are lifelong enemies, especially those who have killed your father or mother. It's hard to resolve such enmity. In business, there are no real enemies. Today's enemy might become tomorrow's friend. Even between countries, there are no eternal enemies. Everything is driven by interests."

Zhao Jing raised her eyebrows, "What are you trying to say?"

Li Qi was taken aback and shook his head, "I'm not trying to say anything. I just want to explain the difference between enemies and foes."

"Hmph, you're clearly hinting that our country betrayed the Chanyuan Alliance and allied with the Jin to attack the Liao," Zhao Jing said angrily.

Oh my. This girl's imagination is really something.

Li Qi rolled his eyes, "I didn't say that. Besides, I've always thought that these alliances and treaties are all nonsense. In the end, it all comes down to strength. If our country has the strength, why not fight them?"

Hearing this, Zhao Jing realized she had misunderstood Li Qi and asked in confusion, "From what you said, it seems you also agree with our country's alliance with the Jin to attack the Liao."

"If I say I don't agree, will you draw your sword?" Li Qi asked nervously.

Zhao Jing glared at him, "If your reasoning is sound, I'm not an unreasonable person."

"In that case, I don't agree," Li Qi said firmly, shaking his head.

Zhao Jing was surprised, "Why?"

"This question has been taught to us by history countless times."

Li Qi shook his head and continued, "In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao was the strongest, Sun Quan was second, and Liu Bei was the weakest. Initially, Cao Cao wanted to ally with Sun Quan to attack Liu Bei. If they had joined forces, even if Liu Bei had eight hundred lives and eight hundred Zhuge Liangs, he would still be doomed. However, Sun Quan did not agree with Cao Cao and instead allied with Liu Bei to resist Cao Cao. Why? It's simple. He knew that if Liu Bei fell, he would be next. Among the three, if one is the strongest, the other two must unite to resist the strongest. It makes no sense to ally with the strongest to attack the weakest. If only two remain, one strong and one weak, the outcome is obvious."

Zhao Jing's expression became serious, and after much thought, she said, "If what you say is true, we should help the Liao resist the Jin?"

Li Qi shook his head, "Not necessarily to help the Liao resist the Jin, but to consider our own interests. Among the three countries, the Jin is the strongest in terms of military power, and the Liao is—uh, about the same as our country. The Jin and our country are separated by the Liao. If the Liao falls, the Jin will directly face our country."

Zhao Jing frowned, "Your point is that if the Liao falls, the Jin army will take advantage of the situation to advance south and attack our country?"

Li Qi hesitated and sighed, "Perhaps. But since the Chanyuan Alliance, there has been no major conflict between Song and Liao for over a hundred years, and the people of the two countries have lived in harmony. However, the Jin people are barbarians, uncultured and uncivilized. They want to plunder anything good and solve problems with force, relying on their strong military to constantly provoke wars. If you had to choose a neighbor, which would you choose?"

Li Qi didn't dare to say for sure that the Jin would definitely attack the Song, as this event had not yet occurred in this space, and there was still a possibility of change.

Zhao Jing shook her head, "What you said makes sense, but the Liao has occupied the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun in our northern region. Our emperors have always aimed to reclaim lost territories. This is a heaven-sent opportunity. If we let it pass, wouldn't it be a waste?"

Why is this girl so interested in military and state affairs?

This time, Li Qi was more cautious, stopping at the right point and speaking ambiguously, "Uh, what you said also makes sense. I'm just a cook, I don't understand these things. What I said earlier was just random talk, not to be taken seriously. Since the Emperor chose to ally with the Jin to attack the Liao, there must be a reason. How could a simple man like me understand the Emperor's intentions?"

Zhao Jing, who was in the middle of her speech, was suddenly doused with cold water by Li Qi. She was slightly taken aback and quickly said, "I think what you said earlier was very insightful."

"Oh, really? That's all I learned from business. There might be some similarities between the two."

Li Qi laughed and quickly changed the subject, "Hey, what's An Nan doing? Why isn't he here yet? I think he doesn't want to work anymore." He then said to Zhao Jing, "Miss Zhao, please wait a moment. I'll go and urge him."

Zhao Jing seemed to still be thinking about what Li Qi had said and didn't pay attention to what Li Qi was saying, subconsciously replying, "Mm-hmm."

Seeing her serious expression, Li Qi found it amusing. You're a girl, thinking about military and state affairs all day. What's the point? No one will listen to you. You might as well think about how to enhance your figure and shape your curves. That's the way to go.

Just as he was about to leave, Chen An Nan's voice came from outside the door, "Brother Li, the mandarin duck hot pot you asked for has been delivered."

Damn! This kid always comes at the wrong time.

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Recommend. Recommend. Collect. Collect.

{Piaotian Literature}