My brother entrusted his child to me, and I livestreamed raising the baby, making the Empress cry wi

The China tribe was already a pleasant surprise to him, the greatest treasure unearthed during today's meeting.

Now someone is actually telling him that there might be two even bigger treasures hidden behind!

The beam of sunlight filtering through the roof moved right to his feet and landed on the toes of his boots.

The gold thread embroidery on the boots gleamed in the light, but his face remained hidden in shadow, revealing only a pair of golden-brown eyes that suddenly ignited with flames.

The damp air was inhaled and exhaled with his rapid breathing, and the bitter smell of frankincense mixed with the earthy smell filled his lungs, making him feel like he was on fire.

He felt his blood rushing through his veins several times faster than usual, and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, thump, thump, thump... like the beating of war drums.

Ashina couldn't help but speak again, his voice carrying a barely perceptible urgency.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in from outside the hall, causing the tapestry on the stone wall to sway slightly. The tapestry was embroidered with a picture of ten thousand horses galloping, and the horses seemed to come alive as they swayed.

"really!?"

Dashiman could sense the surprise in Ashina's eyes. He gritted his teeth and spoke again, trying his best to make his voice sound calm and steady.

"That's true. But—"

He glanced meaningfully at Fujiwara no Shūjin, a slight smile playing on his lips, launching a silent declaration of war.

He deliberately paused for a moment, allowing the air in the hall to settle, before slowly speaking, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

"I wonder if Prime Minister Chou Ren has any good ideas on how to get these two tribes to 'confirm' their cooperation with us?"

He emphasized the word "confirmed".

He secretly reminded Ashina that Fujiwara no Tsurugi had guaranteed that he could cooperate with these two tribes, and if the cooperation failed in the future, it would all be Fujiwara no Tsurugi's fault!

Ashina understood the implication in his words, but said nothing.

He glanced outside the hall. The stone steps under the corridor still bore the marks of yesterday's rain, and some fine pebbles had been carried down the steps, forming small lines.

The wind blew in from under the eaves, carrying the scent of earth warmed by the sun. Everything was so familiar, so real, calming him down a bit from the brief frenzy he had just experienced.

He was, after all, the king of the Western Regions. If Fujiwara no Shūjin truly could, as he claimed, establish direct cooperation between these two tribes and the Western Regions—

They didn't need to spend time screening and selecting, nor did they need to send envoys with gifts to explore the way; they could bring in two of the top five tribes of the grasslands as allies...

Why not give a prime minister position to such a talented and insightful person?

He has no shortage of chairs beneath his throne, but his empire lacks every capable person.

But if Fujiwara no Shujin makes a promise and then fails to deliver... then I am not someone he can entertain!

He is not an unreasonable person, but he is also not someone who can tolerate being fooled.

He remembered every single word Fujiwara no Shūjin said in the palace today.

If the cooperation fails, he will have to pay the price for his boastful words!

Ashina looked at Fujiwara no Shūjin with a calm expression.

The sunlight outside the hall had moved to midday, filtering through the gaps under the hall doors and cutting a bright white line across the stone slab.

The light fell precisely between Ashina and Fujiwara no Shūjin, like a boundary drawn by the sun.

He spoke casually, "Prime Minister Chou Ren, tell me your plan."

Despite his familiarity with Dashiman, he detected a loosening in his tone.

The king did not directly refute Fujiwara no Shūjin, nor did he follow his hints and ask "How do you guarantee this?", but instead let Fujiwara no Shūjin continue—

This in itself is a shift in attitude.

Dashi knows quite well that if Fujiwara no Shujin could really come up with a feasible solution...

After that, in the court of the Western Regions, there might actually be someone who can rival him.

Fujiwara no Shūjin, a surrendered official brought back from the beach, a man from the South China Sea who could barely speak a Western dialect, might be on equal footing with him...

How many years have I served the king?

From when the late king was still alive, from when this Western Region was still a scattered wasteland, from when the Devouring Flame had not yet been born!

He lost so much hair and put in so much effort to get to where he is today.

Now, Fujiwara no Shūjin has only made one suggestion, and he thinks he can catch up?!

Da Shiman's hands were clenched into fists under his sleeves, his rough fingertips pressing into the calluses on his palms, and his knuckles made a very slight creaking sound under the sleeve.

He expected that Fujiwara no Shūjin, as he had anticipated, was merely trying to gain popularity and had no real effective methods.

He hoped that Fujiwara no Shujin would slip up under Ashina's questioning—

Hesitant, evasive, and spouting a bunch of seemingly nice-sounding but ultimately meaningless nonsense.

He had even already imagined the scene in his mind:

Fujiwara no Shūjin blushed and lowered his head, a fine layer of sweat appearing on his forehead, his lips trembling as he stammered, unable to utter a coherent sentence.

Then Ashina waved his hand in disappointment and anger, saying, "This matter will be discussed later," and even locked him up so that he could never participate in the council again!

And then he never had the chance to stand in that position again...

As I was thinking about it, I got so carried away that I almost let out a silly grin.

Da Shiman quickly came to his senses, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and looked at Fujiwara no Shojin again.

Under the watchful eyes of the two men, Fujiwara no Shujin smiled slightly. The smile was faint and only lingered on the corner of his mouth for a moment, but it carried a composure that made Dashiman extremely uncomfortable.

He calmly replied, "There isn't a specific method yet; we'll discuss it after we get the grasslands."

Da Shiman almost burst out laughing. The corners of his mouth suddenly turned up, but he forcefully suppressed it. However, he couldn't hide the smugness and relaxation in his eyes.

Just as I expected!

This deposed king of the South China Sea is nothing but a paper tiger; his confident demeanor just now was all an act.

The claims that "there is a way to contact the Khorchin and Balin tribes" or "get them to cooperate with the Western Regions" are all empty talk and tricks to scare people!

Once the envoy arrives at the grasslands, will the blame for the failed cooperation be placed on the envoy?

He said that he had made good arrangements with the two tribes, but the envoy's poor communication skills angered them, which is why the negotiations failed.

Ashina frowned, leaned back on the throne, his anticipation cooled, and he also felt that Fujiwara no Shūjin was stalling for time—making promises first to buy himself time, and then finding an excuse later.

Fujiwara no Shūjin met their changing gazes, but his expression remained unchanged, still bearing a confident smile.

With hands clasped in front of him, ten fingers loosely resting on the back of the other hand, his shoulders slightly back, he stood even straighter than before.

He continued, his voice ringing out steadily in the empty hall.

"but--"