Cui Wangshu’s eyes revealed surprise as she raised an eyebrow. “I really thought you had no feelings for her.”
Xun An lowered her gaze to the tip of her shoe. “She has no feelings for me.”
Cui Wangshu tilted her head slightly to look at the moon, her tone meaningful. “Cater to her interests. Even if she has no feelings for you now, she might in the future.”
A puzzled look appeared in Xun An’s eyes. “When did you learn about these things?”
Cui Wangshu thought of someone on Qingcang Mountain and curved her lips. “Those who have a heart don’t need to be taught.” With that, she glanced faintly at Xun An.
Xun An: “…”
Who’s the one without a heart?
Seeing that she was even more obtuse than she herself had been back then, Cui Wangshu offered a rare piece of advice. “Throw money at it.”
That money-grubbing Jiang Ci…
A dawning realization gradually lit up Xun An’s bewildered eyes. She looked at Cui Wangshu with a hint of admiration and sincerely smiled. “I never expected a blockhead like you to understand romance. I’ve learned something.”
Cui Wangshu: “…”
“If you can’t pay back the thirty thousand taels, I’ll chop you up and feed you to the dogs.” Cui Wangshu narrowed her eyes as she spoke.
The smile that had just barely appeared on Xun An’s face froze instantly. This woman really holds a grudge.
Cui Wangshu flicked her sleeve and glanced sideways at her. “What are you waiting for? I’ve been waiting for you all evening. Any longer in this cold wind, and I’ll freeze stiff.”
Xun An’s mouth twitched slightly. “Let’s go.”
With that, she lightly tapped the edge of the courtyard’s water jar with her toe, leaped onto the rooftop using the momentum, and vanished in an instant.
Cui Wangshu watched the direction in which she left, narrowed her eyes, bent down to pick up the lock of her own hair that Xun An had cut off, and turned to leave the courtyard.
The next day at noon.
The grand Myriad Nations Conference began as the sun rose. Luzhou City was adorned with lanterns and decorations everywhere, gongs and drums resounding, the bustle and importance rivaling the New Year celebrations.
City guards patrolled the main road from Yunyu Fang to the Temporary Palace in Luzhou City, but the lively atmosphere along the way remained undisturbed. Carriages and horses flowed like water, everything orderly.
Street performers by the roadside held torches aloft and sprayed oil from their mouths toward the sky, drawing gasps and applause from the surrounding crowd. As one walked along the street, laughter drifted from teahouses, where storytellers stroked their long beards and recounted amusing tales from the folk exchanges between Great Zhao and neighboring countries in recent years. The audience below listened with rapt attention.
In nearby restaurants, Hu dancers twirled gracefully while passing tourists drank and made merry. The sounds of silk strings and bamboo flutes rang out like heavenly music, captivating the foreign visitors.
Inside the Temporary Palace.
The Emperor raised his wine cup and laughed. “My honored guests have traveled far to attend this conference. Come, raise a cup with me, enjoy Luzhou’s beauty, and Great Zhao’s splendor.”
The envoys from various countries raised their cups in response.
Cui Wangshu sat at her seat, curved her lips, raised her cup for a light sip, and turned her gaze to the bustling crowd below the palace building.
This time, the Yuan Kingdom envoy had brought a rare night-luminescent pearl. Though it was daytime, the pearl’s faint glow was still visible.
Li Cong curved his lips into a smile and brought up the newly proposed diplomatic strategy with Yuan Kingdom. The envoy’s face lit up with joy as he eagerly introduced the cattle, sheep, and silk trade mentioned in the strategy.
Li Cong listened with an indifferent expression, covering his mouth as he coughed lightly. His deep gaze fell on Cui Wangshu. She met his eyes from afar, calmly taking over the conversation. “The envoy speaks reason. Yuan Kingdom’s cattle and sheep are indeed of top quality, and in recent years, with the ethnic mingling between Great Zhao and Yuan Kingdom, the demand for mutton has grown ever larger.”
“However…”
Tension appeared on the Yuan Kingdom envoy’s face. Cui Wangshu looked at him and smiled down at her cup. “However, Great Zhao’s silk has always been in high demand abroad, with very low tax rates from various countries…”
If they could settle the silk trade from Great Zhao with Yuan Kingdom’s cattle and sheep this time, it would undoubtedly bring substantial profits to her country.
Yuan Kingdom was a nomadic people, not skilled in sericulture, so they had no interest in protecting their own industry. Since Great Zhao was willing to take on Yuan Kingdom’s livestock market, it was reasonable to demand lower tax rates.
After all, Great Zhao was vast, with an enormous market.
“Rest assured on that front. Yuan Kingdom will surely provide a satisfactory answer,” the envoy stood and said respectfully.
Cui Wangshu’s eyes curved as she raised her cup. “A toast to the envoy.”
Great Zhao’s diplomacy with Yuan Kingdom this time did not prioritize trade agreements; the main goal was to secure mining resources on Yuan Kingdom’s borders.
In previous dealings with Kang Kingdom, Great Zhao had relied heavily on their mines. Now, they needed alternatives, and Yuan Kingdom was the best choice.
Cui Wangshu set down her cup and spoke pointedly. “Earlier, His Majesty admired the exceptional quality of the night-luminescent pearl the envoy presented. Does Yuan Kingdom have any interest in cooperating with Great Zhao on jewelry?”
This had not been mentioned in the prior strategy. The Yuan Kingdom envoy paused and glanced at Li Cong’s expression.
Li Cong looked steadily at him, amusement in his eyes.
“This…” The envoy hesitated.
Cui Wangshu smiled. “The envoy surely knows that Great Zhao’s craftsmanship is currently the finest. Raw stones can’t fetch the price of finished products. Since Yuan Kingdom has the resources and Great Zhao the skills, wouldn’t cooperation benefit us both immensely?”
The envoy pondered with lowered eyes. In recent years, Yuan Kingdom had exported raw stones to Kang Kingdom for processing, but Kang Kingdom’s taxes were exorbitantly high.
Cui Wangshu added unhurriedly, “We’re discussing these matters here for the good of our people, aren’t we? If it’s for the people, then the tax rates should be negotiable…”
The envoy’s eyes brightened. Negotiating lower taxes on raw stones with Great Zhao would certainly be more profitable than exporting to Kang Kingdom.
“Your Majesty, Lord Minister, our delegation needs to deliberate further on this,” the envoy said cautiously.
Cui Wangshu lowered her gaze and chuckled softly. “Of course. But the Myriad Nations Conference only happens once a year. If we settle it now, by this time next year, our cooperation will already be yielding profits. Don’t you agree?”
The envoy met Cui Wangshu’s gaze. Her dark eyes gleamed especially brightly in the light, their unusually deep black hue drawing one in profoundly.
Seeing that Cui Wangshu had steered the talks sufficiently, Li Cong said, “Very well. Let the envoys consider these matters. Among you are first-time visitors to Great Zhao—why not enjoy our scenery?”
As he spoke, everyone’s eyes followed his gaze downward to the street, where a throng had gathered around a Jiangnan opera troupe.
In the moment the crowd’s attention shifted to the performers below, Li Cong locked eyes with Cui Wangshu again. She curved her lips slightly; he narrowed his eyes and looked away.
The midday banquet was merely an opener. The detailed agendas would be handled by the Ministry of Rites and the envoys. The Myriad Nations Conference lasted three days: the Emperor attended two banquets on the first day, Cui Wangshu presided over the entire second day, and by the third day, matters were largely settled. Barring changes, the envoys would soon return home to report, enabling swift implementation of trade or other strategies between nations.
On the evening of the third day, the Emperor naturally attended.
The venue was the pre-arranged Auspicious Palace Merchant Guild. The pavilion’s interior was tastefully luxurious, showcasing Great Zhao’s cultural soft power without ostentation.
With deals concluded and goals met, the final banquet was utterly relaxed.
In the center of the banquet, Jiangnan women sang in soft Wu dialect, their voices lilting. Their fingers, white as spring onions, lightly plucked, slowly twisted, wiped, and picked at the pipa strings, captivating the envoys’ eyes.
Over these days, Great Zhao had demonstrated cultural diversity in every aspect, from performances to programs, presenting a vibrant image of a thriving great power.
Cooperating with such a nation was both fortunate and cautionary.
The envoys harbored their own thoughts. From Yunyu Fang’s scenery in Luzhou City to the majestic mountains and rivers beyond, everything reminded them of Great Zhao’s prosperity and might.
The third day’s banquet ended early, allowing ample rest.
Cui Wangshu stood, raised her wine cup, her voice clear and steady. “Honored guests, all banquets must end. Green mountains endure, clear waters flow eternally. Great Zhao welcomes all nations to collaborate, forging this prosperous era together. Tonight, let us share this cup to celebrate the successful conclusion of the Myriad Nations Conference.”
She set down her cup, and the grand Myriad Nations Conference officially came to a close. Relations between Great Zhao and its neighbors shifted subtly: some close allies were quietly sidelined, while others with looser ties forged unexpected partnerships.
Between nations, there were no eternal allies, only eternal interests. The law of the jungle decreed that weak states would be carved up by the strong. Thus, developing one’s country was not just the rulers’ concern but every citizen’s worry.
The world changed daily; no hegemony was eternal. Only harmonious, sustainable rules could ensure good lives for all. Once-weak nations might accumulate strength and reverse fortunes; once-mighty ones could succumb to internal strife and decline.
Atop the Auspicious Palace Merchant Guild pavilion, Cui Wangshu gazed distantly at prosperous Luzhou City, her hand unconsciously tightening on the railing.
She understood this deeply and knew the world held more than Great Zhao’s people. For the realm’s stability, she would safeguard Great Zhao’s interests to the utmost. Within her power, for the happiness of all peoples, she opposed exploitation and oppression of other nations.
The world’s progress should not rest on oppression. She advocated distant alliances and nearby defenses—for Great Zhao’s rivers and mountains, and for the world’s peoples. As the current power, Great Zhao bore responsibility to maintain peace among nations.
Thus, balancing Kang and Yuan Kingdoms served not only Great Zhao but the peoples of three nations and surrounding smaller states.
When lips were lost, teeth grew cold; when the hare died, the hound was cooked. No independently developing nation deserved such a fate.
Her gaze shifted from far to near, settling on the nearby railing. Cui Wangshu lightly traced the huanghuali wood railing, its fine texture under her fingertips making Great Zhao’s prosperity tangible.
Da Yong had once been this prosperous, even stronger before its dynastic fall.
Why had such a mighty, clear-governed state suddenly fallen to eunuch dominance, internal woes, and external threats in its final years?
Shadowy hands pulled strings, usurping the throne and deceiving the people, while Da Yong crumbled like a toppling tower, unstoppable.
Modern Great Zhao inherited many of Da Yong’s systems. The world knew only of Great Zhao’s recent sweeping reforms improving lives, unaware that in its founding days, absolute imperial power had led to the innocent slaughter of countless Da Yong citizens, their bones unburied, many starving and freezing.
Cui Wangshu’s eyes dimmed slightly. She withdrew her hand behind her back and turned to leave.
