Chapter 218: Market Trade Office

All eyes turned to Li Rui.

Under invisible pressure, Li Rui remained unmoved, calmly rising and bowing in a circle: "Your Excellencies, may our future collaboration be smooth."

Yan Zhongxing scrutinized Li Rui.

His gaze was amused.

Introducing the Market Trade Captain is normal.

After all, Jiang Lin and Cao Wei could not personally oversee trade inspection, so they must assign an official.

But the next remark was worth pondering.

What did it mean that a subordinate's attitude represented the Peace Guard's stance?

"This is backing him."

The speaker was Jiang Lin; since entering, he had spoken only ten sentences, one of which was just now.

The fewer words, the heavier their weight.

With Jiang Lin's words, Li Rui would have far greater confidence when dealing with the Market Trade Office, and the office would have to weigh whether they dared to pressure him.

Look at Cao Wei—he showed no intention to object.

"This man has some ability. I heard Jiang Lin and Cao Wei are at odds, yet they've aligned on this."

Yan Zhongxing didn't believe it was due to their prioritizing the greater good.

They probably both favored this official.

Yan Zhongxing chuckled: "Captain Li, we'll rely on your diligence henceforth."

After introducing Li Rui,

Jiang Lin fell completely silent.

The official business was done; now came the idle chatter.

The old hands had already closed their eyes, pretending to nap.

At this moment,

a Market Trade Office official hurried in. Seeing so many people in the hall, he first looked to Yan Zhongxing.

Clearly,

he was asking whether to speak.

Yan Zhongxing said: "Speak. Everyone here is one of us."

Yet inwardly he was displeased.

No sense of decorum.

He could see it, and so could Cao Wei and Jiang Lin—if he didn't let the man speak, it would create rifts and unnecessarily offend two senior Peace Guard officers.

The Market Trade official then spoke: "Your Excellency Yan, the Wu Kingdom's envoy wishes to meet you. They'll arrive in fifteen minutes."

"Hmm."

Yan Zhongxing paused, then asked: "Captain Cao, shall we meet the Wu Kingdom envoy together?"

Cao Wei shook his head:

"We are Yu Kingdom soldiers. Even with mutual trade, our positions differ. Better not to meet."

Saying this,

he rose and bowed: "Since Your Excellency has matters to attend to, we won't overstay. We take our leave."

Yan Zhongxing offered no polite pleas to keep him; the Peace Guard truly had no place in what followed.

"Let's meet again another day."

Then Cao Wei led his party out of the Market Trade Office.

The coachman brought the reins.

They mounted their horses and galloped toward the Peace Guard barracks.

"Riding horses in the city—that must be the Peace Guard."

Wu Kingdom's deputy envoy, Dao Mo, watched a group gallop past.

"Big Brother Mo, how did you know that?"

"They're all dressed in official uniforms, military officers, and none are low-rank. If I'm not mistaken, that's Jiang Lin, Assistant Regional Commander of the Peace Guard, and Assistant Regional Commander Cao Wei."

The burly man beside him was utterly awed.

He'd only recognized they were Yu Kingdom people.

But Dao Mo, with one glance, deduced so much—even named them.

'No wonder the Grand Witch sent Big Brother Mo.'

Dao Mo was practically a Yu Kingdom expert, knowing its affairs inside out.

The smooth progress of these past days was thanks to his familiarity; anyone else would have been blind and stumbling at every turn.

"Big Brother Mo, you're amazing!"

The burly man gave a thumbs-up.

Dao Mo smiled faintly. To Wu Kingdom people, this was skill; to Yu Kingdom commoners, it was ordinary.

He merely benefited from long residence and familiarity with norms. Ultimately, Wu and Yu had been isolated too long—few knew the other's ways.

"If you stay long enough, you'll know too. Nothing special."

To other Wu Kingdom people, this sounded humble.

Someone skilled yet humble was respected everywhere.

As they spoke,

Dao Mo's peripheral vision caught Xia Xiaotang's pale face. He asked gently:

"Xiaotang, are you unwell?"

Only then did others notice Xia Xiaotang's condition.

"Xiaotang, what's wrong?"

Though of imperial blood, Xia Xiaotang was forthright and unpretentious, blending easily with the group.

The men all treated Xia Xiaotang like a younger sister, and couldn't help asking after them.

Xia Xiaotang's fingers trembled slightly; after a moment, they forced a smile:

"I'm… fine."

Dao Mo frowned: "Really fine?"

"Really."

Seeing Xia Xiaotang nod firmly, Dao Mo relaxed slightly.

"Let's go. We're almost late."

Seeing they still wanted to ask, Xia Xiaotang changed the subject and urged them on.

Hearing this,

Dao Mo led the group forward more quickly.

Moments later,

they arrived at the Market Trade Office's main hall.

Several Market Trade officials hadn't even risen from their seats; seeing the Wu Kingdom envoy, Yan Zhongxing and his staff stood to greet them:

"You've traveled far—thank you for your efforts."

Dao Mo bowed and smiled: "Your Excellency, you're too kind."

Yan Zhongxing's eyes flickered with surprise. In his mind, Wu Kingdom people were supposed to be naturalistic and defiant.

Yet this Wu Kingdom man, ignoring appearance, seemed like a Yu Kingdom official.

His expression remained unchanged:

"Please, be seated."

As he ordered tea brought, he added: "I departed from the capital. Grand Secretary Zhang specifically asked me to convey his greetings and look forward to meeting the Grand Witch."

At the mention of "Grand Secretary Zhang," the Wu Kingdom envoy stiffened.

The "Grand Secretary Zhang" Yan Zhongxing referred to could only be the Grand Secretary in the imperial court.

One Yuan Viceroy commanded battlefields in Wu; one Grand Secretary Zhang dominated court politics.

Both were as renowned in Wu as in Yu.

Who didn't know Grand Secretary Zhang possessed a mind of seven openings, outmaneuvering Wu at every turn until they were left humbled and convinced?

This mutual trade was the Emperor's will—but it was Grand Secretary Zhang who made it happen.

That's why he had personally instructed Yan Zhongxing before departure.

=9+ Shu _ Ba

"Certainly. The Grand Witch often speaks fondly of Grand Secretary Zhang."

After a few pleasantries,

Dao Mo began discussing the specifics of opening mutual trade.

"Your Excellency, the first Wu merchant caravan departs in fifteen days. We hope you'll arrange passage through the checkpoints along the route."

"Rest assured."

"Here is the list of goods for your review, Your Excellency."

Dao Mo pulled out a booklet, densely filled with characters.

Yan Zhongxing looked at the booklet.

A look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

Good job!

He had originally thought he would need to train these barbarians from Wu Country before they understood Yu Country's rules.

Unexpectedly, this Wu Country man named Dao Mo understood everything.

Besides overseeing trade between the two nations, the Weiheshimao Office had another extremely important duty: taking a cut.

The official cut was collecting customs duties; the unofficial one was gathering treasures for high officials in the capital, especially His Majesty.

Dao Mo carefully compiled a list of goods.

It was a clear signal to Yan Zhongxing: take whatever you want.

With this solid foundation, everything that followed went much smoother.

Since the other side had been so cooperative, Yan Zhongxing naturally wouldn't do anything improper—if he could turn a blind eye, he would let it pass.

When both sides benefit, that's the best outcome.

Even so, the two sides spent a full half-day negotiating the details.

Every aspect—entry across the border, transportation, lodging, personnel—was meticulously settled, naturally taking time.

But neither Dao Mo nor Yan Zhongxing felt the slightest fatigue.

Though these matters seemed small, they concerned matters of great importance between the two nations.

If the first mutual market encountered problems, neither of them could answer for it.

The main hall buzzed with lively discussion.

The girl Xia Xiaotang idly twirled her hair with her right index finger.

She chatted half-heartedly with the Yu Country official beside her.

"Something like Qi Ze?"

Qi Ze: "Miss Tang, Qinghe has many pleasant places to visit. Since you'll be staying in Qinghe for a while, I can be your guide."

He intended to befriend this Wu Country girl.

This Miss Tang from the Wu Country delegation, though her skin was a bit dark, had an excellent foundation—clearly a beauty—and exuded a wild charm absent in Yu Country women.

The more experienced one was in matters of the flesh, the more irresistible such exotic allure became.

Of course.

His intention to befriend her wasn't for that bit of lust in his pants, but to establish personal ties with the Wu Country people, making future dealings easier.

"Oh, that's nice."

Xia Xiaotang gave the classic read-and-ignoring reply.

"Tang" was the name she used for outsiders.

Though "Xia" was a common surname in Wu Country—given how prolific the royal family was—in Yu Country, it inevitably sparked speculation.

So she simply reversed her name—Tang Xiaoxia.

Just as Qi Ze was growing thirsty from talking and lifted his teacup to sip,

the girl Xia Xiaotang asked suddenly:

"Master Qi, did a group from the Anning Guard just visit the Weiheshimao Office?"

Qi Ze froze, puzzled why this Wu Country girl had suddenly brought up the Anning Guard, but finally nodded:

"Yes."

Xia Xiaotang's eyes instantly lit up: "Was there an old man, about seventy or eighty years old?"

Qi Ze blinked, then nodded:

"Yes."

Xia Xiaotang pressed quickly:

"Master Qi, what's his name?"

Though puzzled, Qi Ze thought for a moment and said two words:

"Li Rui."

"Hm?"

"Why are my ears burning?"

Li Rui rubbed his ears.

Then he looked again at the scroll in his hand—Fu Huan had sent him over a hundred handwritten records by senior astronomers from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau; enough to keep him reading for a long time.

He gained insights with every page.

After returning from the Weiheshimao Office, he locked himself in his room.

He began studying the records.

He gradually understood the joy that scholars of his past life felt when they forgot to eat or sleep, reading deep into the night.

Only then did he begin circulating his qi.

Finally, he fell into a deep sleep—and appeared again in his dream.

His daily productivity was maximized.

"Qi Ze, come out."

Ever since his battle with Qi Ze, Gao Zhen had been successfully abandoned.

Qi Ze became a daily target.

The Barrier Blade appeared in Li Rui's hand, his battle aura surging:

"Kill!"

(End of Chapter)