Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 851 Someone Has Absolutely the Audacity
The Empress's temporary palace was located within the former Anxi Protectorate. Although it had been renovated and expanded, it still retained the ruggedness and solemnity characteristic of the frontier. The palace walls were high and thick, with numerous arrow towers, which was quite different from the grandeur and refinement of Chang'an. Instead, it highlighted the Empress's determination to be stationed at the front line.

Xia Lin arrived at the palace gate with only eight personal guards, traveling light and with minimal entourage.

He wasn't wearing military uniform today, but rather a dark blue casual outfit, with only a jade pendant hanging from his waist to signify his identity. He didn't look like a general who had quelled the rebellion in the Western Regions, but rather like a leisurely scholar traveling around the world.

The palace gate guards checked the credentials, their attitude respectful but with obvious nervousness.

A palace attendant stepped forward quickly, bowed, and said, "General Xia, His Majesty is waiting in the Xuanzheng Hall. Please follow me."

Passing through layers of palace restrictions, Xia Lin walked with ease, but her sharp eyes scanned the defenses along the way. The sentries, both visible and hidden, and the troop deployment, were all above the average level of the Li Tang dynasty. Clearly, Third Sister had come prepared for this trip and was not just bluffing.

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, candlelight blazed. Third Sister did not sit high on the dragon throne, but stood before a huge map of the Western Regions, her back to the entrance. She wore simple everyday clothes, her hair held back only by a single jade hairpin—a somewhat precarious hairstyle.

Hearing footsteps, she didn't turn around, but spoke calmly, her voice sounding somewhat cold in the empty hall: "You've arrived?"

Xia Lin stopped, cupped his hands slightly, and performed a simple greeting as a peer: "Since Your Majesty has summoned me, I dare not refuse."

Third Sister slowly turned around, her gaze falling on Xia Lin. After scrutinizing him for a moment, she pointed to the couch beside her and said, "Sit down. Have some tea."

The eunuch served fragrant tea and quietly withdrew. Only the two of them remained in the hall, along with a few trusted palace maids and eunuchs standing not far away, hands at their sides, eyes downcast.

"You've certainly lost weight." Third Sister picked up her teacup, her tone unreadable: "What's so torturous about the Western Regions?"

"Sigh! How could you slander someone's innocence so easily?" Xia Lin smiled, picked up his teacup, and smelled the aroma of the tea. "Let me tell you, I've saved up quite a bit, and I'm leaving it all for you."

"Stop talking nonsense! There are eyes and ears everywhere here!" Third Sister put down her teacup, then her gaze sharpened: "Xia Daosheng, you put on such a grand military exercise, scaring the Western Regions kingdoms so much that even Liu Min of the Northern Han retreated. Next, shouldn't you be besieging my Anxi Protectorate?"

Xia Lin calmly blew away the foam, took a leisurely sip of tea, and then looked up at Third Sister with a calm expression: "Your Majesty is joking. Martial arts exercises are just to urge the young men to practice diligently and avoid slacking off. As for scaring others... that's not my concern. If you're timid, don't come and stir things up in this big pot of the Western Regions."

"What a fine 'it's none of my business'!" Third Sister laughed angrily. "You showed off your world-destroying firearms in front of my observer, and your charging across the mountains and plains, what is that if not a deterrent? Do you think I'm blind or stupid?"

"Your Majesty is neither blind nor foolish." Xia Lin put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, his nonchalant expression vanishing, and his gaze deepened. "I'm telling everyone, including Your Majesty, that I, Xia Lin, have set my sights on the Western Regions. The old tricks of fighting and forming alliances won't work here. The new order I want to establish doesn't need so much noise. Our relationship speaks for itself; if it were anyone else, you wouldn't hear my honest words today."

He paused, his tone carrying an undeniable force: "Anyone who wants to be noise, I'll smash their loudspeaker."

San Niang's pupils contracted slightly, and her hands, resting on her knees, clenched unconsciously. Xia Lin's bluntness and domineering nature made her feel a suffocating pressure. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down: "Fine, even if you have the power, how do you plan to deal with the Tang Dynasty? Will you also eliminate it as noise?"

"That depends on His Majesty's choice." Xia Lin leaned back in his chair, his expression relaxing, as if his earlier sharpness was just an illusion: "Will you continue to cling to that unrealistic fantasy, colluding with the Northern Han and trying to trip me up? Or will you face reality, change your approach, and find a more secure path for yourself and for your Li Tang dynasty?"

"What do you mean?" Third Sister frowned.

"The meaning is simple." Xia Lin spread his hands: "The Western Regions are so vast that my family alone cannot handle them all. Trade routes need to be open, people's livelihoods need to be stable, and cultures need to be integrated. All of these require help. Rather than having more enemies who oppose us at every turn, it is better to have more partners who can achieve mutual benefit. His Majesty is a smart man and should understand that sometimes taking a step back is not necessarily a loss, but may be a way to jump further."

He looked at Third Sister with a meaningful gaze: "After all, we're practically 'old friends.' Fighting to the death would only damage our relationship. Wouldn't it be better to sit down, talk business, and split the profits?"

San Niang fell silent. She looked at Xia Lin, a man whose thoughts were as deep as the sea and whose methods were ruthless and decisive, yet who always managed to offer irresistible temptations at crucial moments.

A moment of silence fell over the hall, broken only by the soft crackling of the candlelight. The air seemed to freeze as the two most powerful men and women of the time engaged in a silent battle concerning the future of the nation within this palace on the western frontier.

After a long silence, Third Sister finally spoke, her voice tinged with barely perceptible weariness and mockery: "Talking business? Sharing profits? Xia Lin, do you think I and the Tang Dynasty are fish on your chopping block, or employees in your shop?" "Your Majesty flatters me," Xia Lin said calmly. "We are partners. Partners with capital, territory, and talent. I provide the technology, the business model, and military support. Your Majesty provides the influence, the channels, and some of your traditional networks of interests in the Western Regions. Together, we'll expand the pie in the Western Regions, and then we'll divide it according to our contributions. Isn't that what we did in Japan? The Tang Dynasty benefited quite a bit, didn't it? I've always been honest and fair in business, and once we sell those Japanese people to Persia, that'll be another source of income."

He shifted his body and sat down next to Third Sister, his hands naturally becoming restless: "Think about it, once the new Silk Road is fully open in our hands, wealth will flow like a river. At that time, will His Majesty still worry about not being able to support an elite Tang army? Will he still worry about not being able to suppress those noisy voices in the court? With enough money and grain, whether it is consolidating the throne or doing other things he wants to do, he will have much more confidence."

San Niang's heart skipped a beat. Xia Lin's words had precisely struck at her deepest desires and anxieties. The Li Tang dynasty was not a monolithic entity; she, a woman who ascended the throne, had failed to expand the territory like the Second Empress, and opposition had never ceased. If she could truly acquire vast wealth and stabilize the country through cooperation with Xia Lin, perhaps even…

But she immediately realized that this was like dealing with a tiger for its skin—extremely risky.

"You make it sound so easy," Third Sister sneered. "How can I guarantee you won't betray me after you've served your purpose? What if you become powerful and control the Western Regions, then turn around and annex the Tang Dynasty? Wouldn't I be letting a wolf into the house?"

"Your Majesty, do I really need to go through such a roundabout way to annex the Li Tang?" Xia Lin smiled, his smile carrying a hint of composure. "You saw it in the training ground. If we really tear off all pretenses, do you think the walls of Chang'an are much stronger than those of Shanshan? The reason I'm willing to talk is firstly because of our past friendship, secondly because I don't want to cause any more bloodshed, and thirdly... I think Your Majesty is a wise man who knows what choice is best for the people of the Li Tang."

He stood up, walked to the huge map of the Western Regions, and traced his finger across the Pamir Mountains and the land in the Yellow River, finally stopping at the hazy western region.

"Our vision shouldn't be limited to this small Western Regions, or that tiny patch of land in the Central Plains." Xia Lin's voice was now much more excited as he displayed his grand ambition: "The world is vast. There are still boundless lands to the west, with countless riches and opportunities. Instead of fighting tooth and nail at home for a few pieces of silver, why not join forces and go out to plunder... no, no, a slip of the tongue, I mean to explore... explore."

He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Third Sister: "Cooperation will lead to a bright future for both of us. Confrontation, Your Majesty, is something you cannot afford to waste."

San Niang followed his finger and looked towards the unknown west, her heart surging with emotion. The scene Xia Lin described was both alluring and terrifying. She had to admit that this man possessed a vision and courage that she could hardly match.

"This matter...is of great importance, and I need to discuss it with my court officials." Third Sister did not agree immediately; this was a matter of national importance, and she could not make a decision on her own.

“Of course.” Xia Lin nodded understandingly. “I can wait. But Your Majesty, time waits for no one. Although the Northern Han has been temporarily intimidated, a wolf cub will bite when it’s hungry. The Western Regions are now surrendering one after another. If the Tang Dynasty does not respond soon, once I have completely integrated the Western Regions, some benefits may not be available to you.”

He then added, “As a gesture of goodwill, I can first open some trade routes, allowing Li Tang merchants to enjoy the same taxation as Wei merchants within the areas I control. At the same time, some civilian technologies of the Western Regions Construction Corps, such as water conservancy, textiles, and medicine, can also be preferentially exported to Li Tang. Your Majesty can send people to learn and observe.”

This was a real benefit, and Third Sister couldn't help but be tempted. After a moment's hesitation, she finally relented: "I will seriously consider it."

"Very well then." Xia Lin knew the time was right and didn't press further. He cupped his hands in a respectful bow and asked, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Where would you like me to stay tonight?"

Third Sister was at a loss for words. She waved her hand and called for a eunuch to come over: "Take Prince Jinling to rest first."

Watching his retreating figure disappear through the palace gates, Third Sister stood there for a long time, her gaze complex. Xia Lin's words were like a stone thrown into a still lake, stirring up a tidal wave. Cooperation? Confrontation? The future of Li Tang seemed to hinge on the choice she made at this moment.

She took a deep breath and regained her composure as an emperor.

Whatever the final decision, she must first stabilize the court and build consensus.

That night, after finishing her work, Third Sister had other things to do. Although their children were already teenagers, they didn't see each other often. So, when she got the chance, she was eager to put the Demon Orb inside.

Moreover, as I get older, many of the things that used to be exciting are no longer novel, so doing some dirty and tiring work is nothing new. Anyway, the King of Jinling did not show up the next day, and Her Majesty the Empress also did not show up for some reason.

As for what gift Xia Lin brought for Third Sister, who has time to care about that stuff...

(End of this chapter)