The Prodigal Son

For the next few days, Qin Yu and the others kept quiet about the negotiations.

Qin Yu, Yan Li, Xue Lie, Guo Su, and others met frequently every day, sometimes chatting for most of the day.

It looked exactly like they were discussing a plan to attack the State of Chu.

Qin Yu and his group's sudden coldness towards the negotiations also put enormous pressure on the Chu envoy.

In just a few days, Xi Ya's hair turned much whiter.

Just as the four-day deadline set by Qin Yu and his group was about to expire, Xi Ya finally received the imperial edict sent from the capital.

The contents of the imperial edict were very simple.

In general, it means the same thing.

No fighting!

As for the rest, make your own decisions!

Not fighting was exactly what Xi Ya had expected.

But the words "make your own decision" struck like a heavy blow, shattering Xi Ya's last hope.

He knew that he had been cruelly abandoned once again!

If the negotiations succeed, someone must be held accountable in order to quell the anger of the people and the court officials.

And this person can only be him!

His best outcome would be being dismissed from office.

If the situation in the court becomes unfavorable, the Chu emperor might even kill him, this "traitor" who has humiliated the country and lost its sovereignty, in order to quell the anger of the court officials and the people of Chu.

Xi Ya put down the imperial edict, his aged, sallow face filled with endless bitterness.

That's it!

Someone has to take the blame.

This might be the last thing I, in my old age, can do for the Great Chu!

After resting in the room for a while, Xi Ya finally left the room. Without calling anyone else, she went to find Qin Yu alone.

Upon learning that Xi Ya had come, Qin Yu smiled slightly. "Bring him in!"

Soon, Xi Ya was led into the room.

As soon as Xi Ya entered the room, she saw the sand table.

Three different colored flags were also planted on the sand table.

Xi Ya knew that this represented the deployment of troops by the three parties.

Xi Ya only glanced at it briefly before looking away.

Since this battle is not going to happen, it's useless for him to see Qin Yu's entire deployment clearly.

Qin Yu looked up at Xi Ya, "Is the Junior Tutor going to agree to our conditions, or is he here to issue a challenge?"

"Neither!"

Xi Ya shook her head slightly, trying her best to straighten her posture so that she wouldn't look so humble.

"So they're here to spy on military intelligence?"

Qin Yu joked with a smile.

"No, not at all!"

Xi Ya shook his head again, "Lord Qin, we all know that your country does not want to fight this war either! You don't need to be so aggressive, threatening me with war at every turn and putting pressure on me."

"This is not a threat, it's just being prepared in advance."

Qin Yu shook his head and smiled, then asked curiously, "Since the Junior Tutor neither agrees to my conditions, nor issues a challenge, nor does he gather intelligence, what is the Junior Tutor here for?"

"The conditions proposed by Lord Qin are absolutely unacceptable to our dynasty!"

Xi Ya looked at Qin Yu calmly, "Even if I agree, my dynasty cannot produce that many things!"

"No way?"

Qin Yu smirked, "You guys readily expand your army by 500,000, yet you can't even produce something this small?"

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, Xi Ya's face immediately turned bright red.

Qin Yu's words undoubtedly tore away their fig leaf.

Xi Ya realized that she couldn't keep rambling on with Qin Yu.

If he keeps rambling on like this, he'll probably be so angry with Qin Yu that he'll vomit blood and die.

"Lord Qin, let's get down to business!"

Xi Ya took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Our dynasty can provide your country with six million shi of grain, three million taels of silver, and three hundred thousand bolts of cloth, but we will not cede Gongzhou! As for trade, it will be entirely in accordance with Lord Qin's wishes, but the tariffs will remain unchanged!"

Xi Ya felt that she had already invested a great deal.

All he wanted now was to end this humiliating negotiation as soon as possible and restore peace to the State of Chu.

Only in this way can the State of Chu prepare for war in a down-to-earth manner and make preparations for the great battle to come.

"Young Master, even if I agree to the conditions you've set, His Highness will not agree."

Qin Yu glanced sideways at Yan Li, "Is that right, Your Highness?"

"really!"

Yan Li nodded slightly, "My Yan Kingdom can't get much of this! The Junior Tutor probably doesn't know that our dynasty paid a heavy price to restore trade with Da Ning. This little bit can't even make up for our previous losses."

What are you thinking about!

If Ningguo were to offer these things in exchange for their withdrawal from Guanzhou, he would be willing to accept it.

But he came all this way just to gain more benefits, didn't he?

Besides, do they expect to send troops to Guanzhou without spending money or supplies?

If we remove all of these, how much of them will be left?

"Gentlemen, this is all we can offer!"

Xi Ya looked at the two men with neither arrogance nor servility, "If you feel these things are too little, then we'll multiply them fivefold. However, our dynasty cannot produce that many things at once; we'll have to give them to the Qing dynasty over ten years! Are you two willing?"

Qin Yu and Yan Li exchanged a silent glance.

Of course not!

Even two or three years can be subject to change, let alone ten years.

This is clearly treating them like fools!

He and Yan Li had already reached a consensus: what they could get immediately was the most practical!

Only by getting their hands on the spoils immediately can they ensure that the "spoils" are divided evenly.

Qin Yu pondered for a moment, then looked at Yan Li, "Does Your Highness mind if I speak with the Junior Tutor alone?"

"Of course, no problem!"

Yan Li nodded and smiled, "Then you guys chat first, I'm going out for some fresh air."

After saying that, Yan Li left the room, but secretly wondered if Qin Yu was going to negotiate some terms with Xi Ya behind her back.

Based on his understanding of Qin Yu, Qin Yu was fully capable of doing such a thing.

Well, no matter what Qin Yu and the others say, I have to protect the interests of the Yan Kingdom!

If the interests of the Yan state cannot be guaranteed, Qin Yu should not blame himself for undermining him!

After Yan Li left, Qin Yu immediately looked at Xi Ya with a sly grin, "Young Master, what kind of person do you think I am?"

"You are a shameless scoundrel, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and treacherous and cunning!"

Xi Ya replied with deep resentment.

Qin Yu wasn't angry at Xi Ya's words. Instead, he smiled and said, "The Junior Tutor didn't finish his sentence. I'm still a profit-driven person!"

As Qin Yu spoke, he stretched out three fingers and gently twirled them.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

Driven solely by profit?

Xi Ya frowned slightly, looking at Qin Yu's hand with a puzzled expression.

What does Qin Yu mean by this?

Seeing that Xi Ya still hadn't grasped his meaning, Qin Yu couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Is this old man truly confused or just pretending?

He's made himself so clear, doesn't he even consider bribing him?

Should I write a book titled "The Self-Cultivation of Corrupt Officials" and give it to him?

Or, send him on a journey through time so he can study in his past life.

Please!

Can you at least show some respect for me, the one in charge of the negotiations?

Seeing that Xi Ya remained unmoved, Qin Yu was too lazy to beat around the bush anymore and said with a greedy look, "Actually, I'm a greedy and lustful person!"

Greedy and lustful?

Xi Ya's eyes flickered, and she finally understood Qin Yu's meaning.

He's trying to bribe him himself!

bribe!

In just a moment, Xi Ya thought of the two hundred taels of gold that had been stolen from them.

There's no doubt about it!

That must have been the work of that shameless scoundrel Qin Yu!

Only such a shameless person could do such a thing!