The Prodigal Son

Xi Ya already had the answer in her heart.

Taking a deep breath, Xi Ya gritted his teeth and growled, "Lord Qin, you've already robbed us of two hundred taels of gold, and you still want more? Don't you think you're utterly shameless?"

What is that?

Qin Yu was completely confused by Xi Ya's words.

When the hell did I steal two hundred taels of gold from you?

Am I such a spineless person?

Why would you only take this little bit if you're going to fight for it?

Who do you think you are!

If I were to make a move, it would cost at least three to five thousand taels of gold!

"Young Master, you can call me shameless, but we need to make things clear!"

Qin Yu glared at Xi Ya, displeased. "When did I, Qin Yu, ever steal two hundred taels of gold from you?"

"I knew you wouldn't admit it!"

Xi Ya was convinced that Qin Yu, that shameless scoundrel, was behind this. "We were too trusting. We're just not shameless enough. We admit defeat!"

Qin Yu's denial reassured Xi Ya once again, reinforcing her belief in her judgment.

They had expected Qin Yu to deny it.

What they themselves did wasn't exactly honorable either.

There is no other way but to accept the loss.

"I……"

Qin Yu's face twitched. Too lazy to argue with Xi Ya anymore, he said bluntly, "Just tell me straight, do you want to consider my suggestion?"

"Not considering it!"

Xi Ya refused without hesitation, "Lord Qin, I can see that your greatest skill is deception and fraud! I suspect that even if we offer you benefits, you still won't concede in negotiations, right?"

Although Xi Ya's thinking was completely wrong, the result was surprisingly correct.

Qin Yu had already decided that he would take the benefits but not do any service!

Now that Xi Ya has said this, Qin Yu is immediately disappointed.

That old man!

Don't they have any political awareness at all?

Didn't he realize that this was a good opportunity to deal with himself?

Regardless of whether you do anything after receiving a bribe, as long as you've taken a bribe, they can use that as an excuse to make trouble!

Then, they can secretly tell Ruan Zhi that they accepted their benefits and deliberately made concessions in the negotiations, and then they will be accused of a crime.

I fucking handed you the knife, and you wouldn't take it?

What a waste of expressions!

"Young Master, please reconsider!"

Qin Yu was unwilling to give up and continued to persuade Xi Ya, "People die for wealth, birds die for food! I, Qin Yu, am no exception! This is something that benefits both of us."

Xi Ya looked coldly at Qin Yu: "Lord Qin, nobody's a fool. Some tricks only need to be used once!"

Ah...

Shiba!

Qin Yu was truly at a loss with this clueless old man.

Should we tell him directly that he can use this trick to frame himself?

If I just told him directly, the old man would definitely believe me even less!

"Are you really not going to reconsider?"

Qin Yu was unwilling to give up and asked one last time.

"Lord Qin, I've already learned my lesson once, don't try to fool me again!"

Xi Ya glared angrily at Qin Yu. "Let's talk about serious matters!"

"Alright! If you want to talk about serious matters, then let's talk about them properly!"

Qin Yu completely gave up on the idea, quickly opened the door, and called Yan Li, who was sitting in the courtyard, back in. He secretly made up his mind to find that bastard who ruined his plans!

He'll squeeze the shit out of him!

What a disgraceful thing!

He ruined his plans for a mere two hundred taels of gold!

"Have you reached an agreement?"

Yan Li asked Qin Yu with a smile.

"That's good!"

Qin Yu looked displeased. "He calls himself Junior Tutor, yet he doesn't understand anything!"

"Oh?"

Yan Li scanned the two men with great interest. "Could you tell me what you talked about?"

"Lord Qin wanted me to bribe him, but I refused!"

Xi Ya interrupted, then looked at Yan Li meaningfully, "Your Highness, your country should be wary of such treacherous and cunning individuals!"

Want benefits?

Yan Li chuckled to herself.

Yes, that's definitely Qin Yu's style!

I wonder if they're putting on an act in front of me too!

However, none of that matters!

What they talk about in private is their business!

He reiterated that his only concern was protecting the interests of the Yan state!

"I've always been wary of him!"

Yan Li laughed and continued Xi Ya's words, "Just like he's definitely wary of me! I've said it before, neither of us are exactly gentlemanly!"

Xi Ya paused slightly, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Alright, stop trying to sow discord here!"

Qin Yu was too lazy to argue with Xi Ya anymore and went straight to the point: "Regarding supplies, just give us 40% of what I proposed! We don't need Gongzhou anymore, but the tariffs must be reduced by 40%!"

"impossible!"

Xi Ya refused without hesitation, "I've already said, our country simply can't produce that much right now! Unless you're willing to let us give it to you in installments over three to five years!"

"You can't even produce this much, and you still don't know how to bribe me?"

Qin Yu glared at Xi Ya with displeasure. "What's wrong? You've all been beaten to a pulp, and you still want to keep eating my food?"

If you give me a hundred or two hundred thousand taels of silver, and I lower my demands accordingly, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?

Stubborn!

The method has been clearly explained to you, but you still don't know how to use it!

"Lord Qin, let's get down to business! Stop with the nonsense! I don't trust your character!"

Xi Ya snorted coldly, "Let me tell you the truth, our dynasty can only offer 20% of what you've asked for! Any more than that, our dynasty has only two words: None!"

"Thirty percent! That's my bottom line!"

Qin Yu's attitude suddenly hardened, "If you won't even agree to this, then I'll lead my troops to seize it myself!"

"You can take this as a threat, or you can take it as my last bit of patience!"

"Besides, as I said, I'm a greedy and lustful person!"

"Since I can't get money, I'll just have to resort to sex!"

"I will return all your prisoners to me, but your seventh princess will stay and serve as my bed warmer!"

Seventh Princess!

A glint flashed in Xi Ya's eyes as he once again vehemently denounced Qin Yu as shameless.

He didn't believe that Qin Yu was truly lusting after the Seventh Princess's beauty.

He felt that Qin Yu was using the Seventh Princess incident to retaliate against him for refusing to bribe him.

All the prisoners from Chu were returned, except for the Seventh Princess, who was not released!

Although the Seventh Princess was not particularly favored, she was, after all, the daughter of the Chu Emperor, and it concerned the face of the royal family!

If we don't bring the Seventh Princess back, His Majesty will most likely take his anger out on us!

Xi Ya narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly: "Lord Qin, is there no room for negotiation on this matter?"

"there is none left!"

Qin Yu's expression was resolute, and his aura suddenly surged: "You have one day to consider, Junior Tutor. If I don't have the answer I want by this time tomorrow, then we'll meet on the battlefield!"

He has said everything that should be said and everything that shouldn't have been said.

There's not much point in continuing this discussion.

If the State of Chu refuses to agree, then they will really have to get serious.

If they want to agree again then, the price probably won't be the same!

Feeling Qin Yu's domineering presence, Xi Ya's body trembled uncontrollably.

It's not fear!

It's anger!

30%!

The loss of 30% of the supplies, plus the damage during transportation, nearly emptied the treasury of the Great Chu.

He wanted to refuse forcefully, but he sensed that Qin Yu's actions this time were more than just a threat.

This could very well be an ultimatum!

After struggling to suppress his urge to explode, Xi Ya gritted his teeth and said, "Give me three days. My promise is null and void. I must consult His Majesty!"

Too much!

Even if the Chu Emperor allowed him to make his own decision, he would still be unable to do so.

"good!"

Qin Yu didn't bother to argue further. "Please also convey a message to your country's emperor: this is your country's last chance!"

Xi Ya didn't say anything, but slowly turned around and walked out.

As he left, his back hunched uncontrollably, as if he had aged ten years in an instant…