Chapter 639: Black Contract

After the weapons were organized, the Great King summoned the Wusun envoy again, directly taking them to the armory; rows of cold weapons gleamed with a cold light, and the Wusun people felt a moment of greed.

They had to admit that the Wusun's weapons were inferior to those of Great Jin.

Wusun nobles would adorn their personal daggers and precious swords with brilliant gems, but they lacked such large-scale, high-quality weapons. At this point, the Wusun people were doubtful—these weapons were identical in pattern to the Xuanjia cavalry's standard issue; were they really being sold to them just like that?

They didn't realize it was only similar in style, different in material—a blatant knockoff.

The Great King picked up a straight blade and said, 'A fine blade made of top‑grade materials—look at the craftsmanship, look at the quality, same as the Xuanjia cavalry's. As long as you point the tip forward, you will be invincible!'

'What is that Guishuang? Can they produce such a good blade?'

Seeing the Wusun envoy's eyes light up, the Great King handed him the sword: 'Take it! Lead the Wusun warriors to protect your homeland; I will always stand behind you.'

The Wusun envoy held the heavy, solid‑made brand‑new straight blade, his heart fired up by the Great King's persuasion. 'Exactly,' he thought, 'those big‑bearded weapons are nothing compared to the one in my hand!'

The Great King said, 'Forty taels each, ally price only twenty‑five taels per blade.' The Wusun envoy's little spark of hope instantly went out.

'Your Majesty, for us… this is too expensive.'

'It's not expensive; it's cost price. We have fuel deposits outside Youzhou City—otherwise you Wusun couldn't forge a blade of this grade even if you spent a hundred taels of silver. Compared to protecting your homeland and kin, what are twenty‑five taels of silver?'

The Wusun people still looked devastated; the Great King added with regret: 'Actually I don't want to sell either, but selling this weapon to neighboring states, even the ministers aren't fully in favor… if it weren't for the empty treasury after this year's universal pardon… forget it! Let me think of other ways to help you. Please stay in Youzhou for the New Year before you leave—I'll consider further.'

Upon hearing this, the envoy party exclaimed, 'This won't do! The mission is urgent; they're still waiting for us to return and give an account to the Wusun King!'

Those Guishuang bandit gangs won't wait until after the New Year to act!

'Your Majesty, this blade is well suited for mounted combat, but we came in a hurry and didn't bring that much wealth.'

'That's simple—leave a token and an IOU. Wusun is a friend of Great Jin; I trust them completely. How many would you like to buy?'

The other side hesitated for half a day, then gritted their teeth and offered two thousand. The Great King felt a slight disappointment—only fifty thousand taels, not even enough for one year's R&D expenses at the Bureau of Armaments. But it's fine; there's more than one Wusun in the Western Regions.

After the Great King sold the goods, the Chief Steward took over the follow‑up matters.

As soon as the Chief Steward arrived, the abacus clacked: 'Two thousand straight blades total fifty thousand taels—honored guest, how much of the payment will you pay up front?'

Under the gaze of the Great Beauty, the Wusun envoy's face flushed black then red—no money, what a surprise? Zero down payment.

The Chief Steward, accustomed to big scenes, nodded calmly. 'Then let's draft a purchase contract, with the Chief Envoy personally writing it. We'll stipulate that the fifty‑thousand‑taels silver payment be cleared within six months; if silver is insufficient, other goods may offset the debt.'

The Wusun people had just relaxed, thinking other goods could suffice, when the Beauty added: 'But this material must be worth twice the payment—i. e., goods valued at one hundred thousand taels of silver. Moreover, for each day of delay, a penalty of three per thousand must be paid. This is industry standard; we follow precedent.'

The Wusun people were dumbfounded—how could such an unequal treaty come from those beautiful lips!

They protested in all directions, but to no avail. In the Great King's market, the handsome Chief Steward glared and shouted: 'Don't tell me you're just looking for trouble if you don't want to buy! You think your valuable goods might be worth only half or three‑tenths here in Youzhou. Our Majesty looks after allies, yet you don't seem grateful—are you trying to get weapons from Youzhou without paying a cent?!' The guards behind her stared in unison, their looks unfriendly, as if they would draw their blades and cut down everyone in the next instant.

Before the Great King could finish writing a single character, the Chief Steward rushed in and slapped down a black contract: 'All done, I'm off work.'

For the sake of the Great King, the Xie clan suddenly took a fancy to Xie Tu, so they specially convened a family meeting; Xie Che, just recovered from a cold, happened to come down the mountain.

According to Xie Che's thinking, he did not want to agree to his son marrying Princess Shang. The Xie clan's century‑long reputation meant that Princess Shang would not merely be an added bonus.

He looked at Xie Yuan and asked, 'What are the chances of calling this off?'

Xie Yuan frankly told his brother and sister‑in‑law, 'The princess hasn't taken a liking to Xie Tu, to begin with. If she agreed, this matter couldn't be called off just by wishing. You know the Majesty's temperament—if he could be dissuaded from what he wants, you wouldn't be studying at the Northern Border Academy.'

Xie Che couldn't help retorting, 'I myself am quite eager to take on the role of Grand Libationer; the Northern Border Academy is a treasure trove.' Xie Yuan knew he was referring to the books in the library; otherwise the eldest brother couldn't be so ambitious, sticking to the academy even when ill.

Xie Yuan looked at the silent Xie Tu and said, 'Besides informing the Chen Commandery, this really comes down to A Tu, since it's his lifelong matter. The Dowager Consort's banquet simply must be held—go see the princess; if after meeting her you still don't want to marry Princess Shang, uncle… I'll do my best to help you work things out.'

His feeble remark made Xie Tu want to laugh. When had Xie Yuan of Chen Commandery ever spoken without being firm and resonant? Yet whenever he met the Great King, his uncle never noticed how his tone grew more and more helpless.

'Let uncle worry.' He knew that once the Great King had made up his mind, opposition within the clan was useless.

'Old in years'—the rare and lively banquet hosted by the Dowager Consort quickly stirred up waves in Youzhou, spreading far and wide. Though the Great King spoke euphemistically, the gossip already had it that this was to select a husband for the Princess Chang of Ning.

Otherwise, in the deep winter with the year's end approaching, what flowers are there to admire? Besides, does anything bloom this season?

Many officials who had come from Chang'an bought property in Youzhou, letting the Chief Steward reap a tidy profit. These days, numerous households have been moving out of the Office of Diplomacy in succession, relocating to new homes and exchanging banquet invitations; this news spreads even faster.

Some households had invitations, others didn't; the discussion was heated, and the Great King had heard of it. Originally everyone was just accompanying Xie Tu as a runner, but now the atmosphere is unprecedented, and the Great King has begun to take notice.

For this reason he specially summoned Xie Tu; as soon as the latter arrived, the Great King had him walk around in a circle.

'Senior Brother~ you are my personally chosen one; now that the flower‑viewing event has been blown up this big, you'd better shine! If in the end your internally selected candidate loses to a dark horse, where will I put my face?!'

Xie Tu showed a strange expression, and the Great King felt frustrated, wishing he could forge steel from iron.

'You don't seem very enthusiastic! The Imperial Elder Sister is beautiful and smart; since marriage between close cousins is forbidden, what chance do you have as a senior brother?!'

Xie Tu had never heard this before, but he didn't have time to ask—there was a more pressing question.

'I am deeply honored.'

'…Does the Elder Princess have the same temperament as Your Majesty?'

The Great King instantly became wary, 'What do you mean?!'

'…Just asking casually.' If they turned out the same, he would call his family's Grand Elder to object.