Chapter 349: Hush

~~~

“This is outrageous.”

“I sincerely believe it is the best path going forward.”

“It is abuse. Blatant abuse.”

“Think of your citizens! Surely, you can see the benefits for them?”

“Now you try to use my citizens against me?”

“I am only saying what is obvious, Your Majesty!”

Deep within the Storm Dragon Palace, Liu Jin and Song Daiyu glare at each other across a table. Menacing red wars against vibrant green, neither side willing to budge an inch.

“This,” Liu Jin says, taking the contract and waving it in front of Song Daiyu’s face, “is a monopoly. You are asking me to give you a monopoly. And you’re trying to charge me for it! Why is your first move always so unreasonable?”

“Well,” she says, smiling without shame. “You cannot blame a merchant for seeking the best possible deal.”

“I can blame you for thinking I am stupid enough not to notice what is written on a piece of paper,” Liu Jin counters. “Duke Gong raising the price of grapes in his territory was your doing, wasn’t it?”

Song Daiyu has the decency to look away.

“I never said anything of the sort to him,” she says. “Anything he might have misinterpreted from my words is not really my fault.”

“I can throw you out,” Liu Jin points out, his eyebrow twitching. “It would literally only take a thought. It’d be a very pleasant thought.”

“You would abuse me so? After all we have been through?” Song Daiyu asks, putting her hands over her chest. “After so many joyful moments? You truly are a tyrant.”

Liu Jin’s glare darkens.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Song Daiyu says, raising her hands in panic. “I have tea with your wives after this!”

Liu Jin sighs.

“You…you wouldn’t have really thrown me out, would you?” Song Daiyu asks him.

“You’re still not getting a monopoly over those grapes,” Liu Jin says instead of replying to her question. “I’m not going to deliberately hamper my country for the sake of our friendship. At best, I can give first refusal to the Five Blessings Group.”

Song Daiyu frowns and crosses her legs as she considers this. Since her dress has twin slits running down its sides, the motion shows off her calves, which are quite shapely.

“What about the forest?” she asks. “Surely, if we were allowed to harvest from-”

“Denied,” Liu Jin says. “Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, the Division of Exploration has the rights to that place for the next two decades.”

It is part of the deal Liu Jin made with Elder Ju years ago. In exchange for his support, Liu Jin gave the Division of Exploration access to several ruins and areas that they believed could be of archeological importance. Some had criticized this decision, but the state of the Storm Dragon Empire after the civil war was too poor to consider wasting resources investigating old buildings.

From what Fan Bingbing has told him via correspondence, the excavations have gone quite well. She seemed very excited about some of the discoveries they made, claiming they might shed light on the continent’s history. That might explain why the Death Fashioning Scripture had some of their creatures guarding those places.

“Damn them!” Song Daiyu says, making a fist. “Do you have any idea how many times we have tried to do business with that lot! They just dig up old treasures and let them gather dust! It is criminal!”

Liu Jin thinks back to his visit to the Division of Exploration. He very much doubts that any relic there is gathering dust unless it is the dust caused by the constant explosions. Well, to a merchant like Song Daiyu, it probably all amounts to the same thing, a bunch of valuables that are not generating any value.

“Not everything needs to be for sale,” Liu Jin says, taking a moment to enjoy the outrage on Song Daiyu’s face. “However, if we are to talk of things that are, how goes my order?”

“Ah. That.” Song Daiyu purses her lips. “Gathering the supplies was child’s play for the Five Blessings Group. I do not see why you needed help. You have an entire country of resources at your disposal.”

“My country’s resources are needed to maintain my country, especially now,” Liu Jin replies. “I’d rather not take more than necessary from our reserves.”

“I don’t know. Those reserves seem mighty large by my estimates, enough to survive a famine or a large war,” Song Daiyu says. “How long exactly have you been planning this?”

“Not as long as you think.”

“You have been building the reserves since the day you took over,” Song Daiyu counters.

“That was just good sense,” Liu Jin says. “Making everyone angry at me was an idea that came later.”

“Shall I congratulate you on not being divorced?” Song Daiyu asks him seriously. “It seems rude, but considering everything that happened…”

Liu Jin thinks back to his fight with Xiao Shuang. Rather than divorce, that was dangerously close to him becoming the sort of husband whose wife never allows him to leave her sight.

“Things are good,” Liu Jin says, knowing that’s what Song Daiyu is really asking. She will probably have a different version of this conversation with Lu Mei and Xiao Shuang after this. “Considering everything that happened, it is amazing.”

“You do have a talent for getting away with being a scoundrel,” Song Daiyu says.

Liu Jin glares at her. She refuses to budge.

“That might be true,” Liu Jin admits. “I know I went too far in some of my actions, so I want to make it up to them.”

“Oh! That’s great!” Song Daiyu leans forward. Her green eyes shine with excitement. “Have you taken any steps so far?”

“I… invited them to watch an interrogation and included them in the planning process that happened after,” Liu Jin says, trying to pick his words carefully to make it all sound less bad than it actually is.

It doesn’t work. He can see as the light dies in Song Daiyu’s green eyes.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Why are you like this?” Song Daiyu asks him, visibly despairing. She reaches out to touch his face. “You are so handsome. So brilliant. So gifted. Did the Heavens make you like this only to make us suffer?”

“I am open to suggestions.”

“Forget about your war for a moment,” Song Daiyu immediately says. “Not that I don’t approve of you trying to include them in your decisions instead of shutting everyone out like a selfish cad, but there are other things you can do. Spend time with them. It is not like you are going anywhere.” Her look turns suspicious. “You are not going anywhere, right? This isn’t a trick where we find out the real you went to the Dead Plains and the copy is the one that stayed behind, right?”

“Of course not! What do you take me for?”

Song Daiyu does not answer him. She merely gestures at him from head to toe.

Liu Jin has no counter to that.

~~~

With the supplies for the trip to the Dead Plains secured, the last of the preparations is complete. A few days later, everyone is gathered in the palace’s courtyard, ready to board the Flame-Wheeled Wagons that Feng Zhuo has procured for the occasion. Though the Storm Dragon Empire has access to several flying items thanks to their dealings with the Red Sky Pavilion, the speed of the Eternal Flame Clan’s signature vehicles cannot be surpassed.

“This is goodbye for now, Little Sister,” Bai Wen says, stepping back after hugging Xiao Shuang. “Practice what we talked about while I am away. It is important that you refine your Dao. We will review your progress when I return.”

“I understand, Senior Sister,” Xiao Shuang says, nodding seriously. “I wish you safe travels.”

The Imperial Courtyard is nearly empty. Despite Minister Chu’s wishes, there was no need to make a large ceremony out of this. Liu Jin rather prefers it this way. It gives everyone space to say their personal goodbyes.

“Take care,” Liu Jin says, ignoring all the odd looks thrown at him.