No Such Thing as Indecision

"Hmph, now you realize you can't manage without your son, so you come crawling back to curry favor? Where were you before?" Su Li sneered. "You spent the last twenty years thinking your son was yours to control, so you acted out however you pleased, knowing he couldn't escape. But now that you've driven him away and your own interests are hurt, suddenly you shamelessly come back, trying to win him over."

Belle looked at Su Li. "Princess Consort, so what do you plan to do?"

Su Li snorted. "Hmph, they tried to kill my mother. They're my mortal enemies. I won't bother with them, and neither will my children or grandchildren. No point letting them near us—they might get nasty again and hurt my family. As for the Prince, he can do whatever he wants. I won't interfere."

Belle nodded. That was really all they could do—after all, those were Xiao Zetian's biological parents. Unless things got truly irreparable, blood ties were hard to break.

Fortunately, Su Li was clear-headed and decisive, not fooled by Lady Lou's feigned weakness. Otherwise, getting tricked again in the future would be a real headache.

"Sigh, enough about those annoyances. How's the progress at the plantation?" Su Li asked Belle.

Belle flashed a bright smile, showing off her white teeth. "I was just about to tell you, Princess Consort. I've picked out two perfect locations—both have excellent conditions. One's deep in the mountains south of the capital, and the other's a bit farther, near the border with Shu. The two spots are half a day's journey apart. I wanted to ask you which one you think we should choose?"

As Belle spoke, she handed Su Li a booklet she'd prepared in advance. It detailed the locations, size, and surroundings of both sites.

Su Li read carefully. Both places were truly excellent—it was clear Belle had put a lot of thought into finding these gems.

"Princess Consort, which mountain should we buy?" Belle was struck by a bout of indecision.

Su Li looked at Belle and burst out laughing. "Why choose just one? If both are good, I'll take them both!"

Belle was startled at first, then broke into laughter herself. "Oh my, I was being petty! Princess Consort, if you like something, you just buy it—no need to pick and choose."

"Exactly! We've got money, we're bold, and indecision is not in our vocabulary!" Su Li laughed heartily, her mood instantly lifted.

The two women laughed together, the earlier tension completely forgotten.

Belle wiped away a tear of laughter. "Honestly, Princess Consort, with you leading the way, we'll have the best plantation in all of Jin!"

Su Li winked. "Of course! With me here, nothing is impossible!"

The room filled with cheerful laughter, echoing down the corridor, as the women started planning their next big venture.