Chapter 104: Negotiation

The Imperial Palace, Phoenix Hall.

Luo Wushuang had just given the order to announce the upcoming Flower Viewing Banquet when Lou Yanhui knocked on the doors of the Phoenix Hall.

Lou Yanhui understood Luo Wushuang’s ambitions and had a faint inkling of why she chose this moment to host such a banquet. Under any other circumstances, she would have done everything in her power to stop her. Even if she couldn’t prevent it, she would have bided her time, preserved her strength, and plotted a slow, deliberate counter-offensive.

But now…

The person she loved with every fiber of her being, the one she had spent so much effort trying to protect, was deteriorating by the day.

A rotating door of Imperial Physicians had entered her manor, yet the results they provided were never satisfactory. Lou Yanhui no longer had the time or the energy to waste on these power struggles.

She had sought power for the sake of Luo Yunjin, for the promise they had made to grow old together after their brief separation. But now… even with power, she couldn’t get what she truly wanted. In that case, power had lost all meaning to her.

She might as well use it as a bargaining chip to trade for a few years of peace and stability for the two of them.

As for what came after…

Without Little Jin, what “after” could there possibly be for her?

Lou Yanhui let out a bitter laugh. Thinking of Luo Yunjin’s current condition made her heart ache with a piercing intensity. Her Little Jin was suffering; even while alive, she was tormented daily by the agony of her illness.

Yet, at the thought of death…

She still couldn’t let go. She was terrified that if Little Jin died, she would never see her again.

***

Phoenix Hall, Side Hall.

Seeing Lou Yanhui again, Luo Wushuang noticed a hint of exhaustion and despondency on the woman’s usually icy face.

Just as Lou Yanhui knew her goals, Luo Wushuang had a vague idea of what the Princess was thinking the moment she requested an audience at this hour.

Sure enough, as soon as they met, Lou Yanhui got straight to the point:

“I want to marry Little Jin.”

Her suspicions confirmed, Luo Wushuang slightly arched her elegant phoenix eyes, quietly observing the person before her. Even in her state of dejection, Lou Yanhui’s pride remained unbroken. Her back was ramrod straight, and she did not flinch when meeting Luo Wushuang’s gaze.

“With the Western Regions as my dowry!”

Lou Yanhui’s voice was firm, carrying a weight that resonated through the room, yet a keen ear could detect the underlying urgency.

Seeing the emotions hidden beneath Lou Yanhui’s cold eyes, Luo Wushuang understood. It seemed her Imperial Sister’s condition was truly dire; otherwise, this woman wouldn’t be acting so decisively.

However, given Lou Yanhui’s influence in the Western Regions, things would be much simpler if she cooperated. Rather than going through the trouble of propping up some eccentric Prince or dealing with a strange ornamental figurehead in the future, it was far better to continue working with this capable and calculating Western Regions Princess.

This had been her original plan. Now that the Princess was proposing it herself, it was naturally for the best.

Luo Wushuang leaned back in her broad chair, lazily lifting her eyes to look at Lou Yanhui. She asked, “And what else does the Princess of the Western Regions desire?”

She didn’t believe for a second that Lou Yanhui was being purely altruistic. Nor did she believe that a woman capable of manipulating the entire Western Regions in the palm of her hand would completely relinquish all her power.

Hearing the prompt, Lou Yanhui didn’t stand on ceremony. she stated her conditions directly.

“I want thirty thousand Western Regions soldiers as my private guard. Additionally, I ask Your Majesty to issue a decree seeking the most renowned physicians from across the realm.”

Luo Wushuang didn’t care much about the latter—it was just a single Imperial Edict. As for the former…

Luo Wushuang gave the Princess a cool, sideways glance and spoke flatly:

“Ten thousand.”

If the plan proceeded smoothly, this Princess—as the future King of the Western Regions—would certainly be kept in the capital. What would she need so many troops for? Did she think the Empress’s throne was too stable?

Luo Wushuang wasn’t a fool; she wouldn’t leave such a massive liability for the future.

Lou Yanhui had expected Luo Wushuang to bargain, but she hadn’t expected such a ruthless cut. Just as Lou Yanhui was considering how much to push back, Luo Wushuang gently turned the White Jade Thumb Ring on her hand and continued at a leisurely pace:

“Ten thousand private soldiers, stationed eight hundred li outside the city. They are not to enter the capital without an Imperial Edict.”

Lou Yanhui: “…”

Little Jin was right. If her Imperial Sister weren’t the Empress, she would have been a legendary skin-flint landlord. Truly ruthless! Lou Yanhui hadn’t even agreed yet, and the restrictions were already being laid down.

Lou Yanhui sighed, losing the will to argue further. Ultimately, keeping a private force was just a fallback for herself and Little Jin—a form of deterrence. Having risen from being an unloved princess to her current position, she understood that people only feared those with actual power. Otherwise, the title “King of the Western Regions” would carry little weight in the capital.

Since she intended to marry Little Jin, she would naturally do her best to give her the best of everything. A King with only a title walked differently in the capital than a King with a private army. She refused to let Little Jin be slighted.

Therefore, in addition to the soldiers, Lou Yanhui fought for other benefits.

“I want my own manor in the capital. The largest one!”

Her Little Jin deserved only the best.

Luo Wushuang didn’t mind this. She waved her hand, granting the request easily.

“Fine. Before your wedding, I will bestow the Yu Prince’s Manor, which sits next to the Princess Manor, upon you as your residence.”

Prince Yu was her youngest Imperial Brother. After she had tossed him into a pack of wolves, the Yu Prince’s Manor had sat empty. Now, it was time for it to welcome a new owner.

As for whether Lou Yanhui and Luo Yunjin would merge the two manors into one, that wasn’t her concern. However, the Yu Prince’s Manor was indeed the largest estate in the capital. Back then, the Father Emperor had favored that son the most, naturally giving him the best of everything.

It was a pity Prince Yu’s luck was thin, and he couldn’t enjoy it.

Thinking of that Imperial Brother who had been pampered since childhood, the expression in Luo Wushuang’s eyes didn’t flicker. So what if he was favored? He was still defeated by her hand.

Lou Yanhui wasn’t surprised by the quick agreement and continued her demands.

“In addition to the ten thousand troops, I want to keep eight hundred elite soldiers within my manor.”

Luo Wushuang raised an eyebrow. This woman certainly knew the laws of the Kingdom of Luo well. In their land, a first-rank Prince was typically allowed eight hundred guards, a Prince of a different surname six hundred, a Commandery Prince five hundred, and a Duke three hundred. Others were assigned guards based on their rank.

These eight hundred elites sat exactly at the edge of Luo Wushuang’s limit. She wouldn’t give a single extra man, nor would she break the rules for Lou Yanhui alone.

However, these eight hundred guards were the ultimate symbol of the Emperor’s attitude. If she agreed, it was as good as telling the world that although the King of the Western Regions was a king of a different surname, she held the Empress’s absolute favor. Given that stance, no one in the capital would dare to treat the King of the Western Regions with anything less than total respect.

Lou Yanhui’s mind was deep indeed…

“Granted!” After a moment of thought, Luo Wushuang agreed. While it was a bit like giving an inch and taking a mile, it was within her tolerable limits. Furthermore, if the Western Regions Princess truly surrendered, the benefits she would bring would far outweigh this. This grace could be given.

Just when she thought Lou Yanhui was finished, the woman looked up, appearing slightly embarrassed as she spoke:

“I also want three Death-Exemption Gold Medals.”

Luo Wushuang’s brow furrowed as she looked at her. What is she doing? Preparing for a rebellion?

Seeing the misunderstanding, Lou Yanhui quickly explained, “Little Jin’s health is poor. If she goes out and encounters someone blind to her status…”

Luo Wushuang realized that Lou Yanhui was essentially asking for the right to execute first and report later three times.

This, however, she could not grant. To do so would not be showing grace, but hand-delivering power to a faction with unclear motives.

After a period of silent contemplation, Luo Wushuang said, “I will grant you the Right of City Patrol. If you encounter lawbreakers, you may whip them in the street as a deterrent. However, they must be handed over to the Court of Judicial Review for interrogation and sentencing afterward.”

Luo Wushuang paused, then added, “You are not to cause any deaths in the streets.”

Lou Yanhui thought about it and decided this was acceptable. Those likely to cause trouble for her and Little Jin were mostly the sons of the capital’s noble and influential families—people who cared about “face” above all else. Being whipped in public was a fate worse than death for them. To save their own reputations, no one would dare provoke them on purpose.

Meeting Luo Wushuang’s phoenix eyes, which were now showing clear signs of displeasure, Lou Yanhui knew the Empress’s patience had reached its limit. Even if she asked for more, she wouldn’t get it.

Knowing she would soon be working under this woman, Lou Yanhui knew when to stop. She immediately dropped to both knees, performing the formal salutation of a Luo official to their sovereign, and spoke respectfully.

“I thank Your Majesty for your profound grace!”

Looking at Lou Yanhui’s bowed head, Luo Wushuang knew that the woman had temporarily submitted. After this, it would be up to Lou Yanhui to prove she had the skill to keep the benefits she had just negotiated.

Lou Yanhui also knew that everything she had asked for came with a price tag. If the results she provided didn’t satisfy this “Imperial Skin-flinter,” her own end would be incredibly bitter.

However, she didn’t care. Since she dared to make demands, she had absolute confidence. In the entire Western Regions, aside from her loyal subordinates, there was no one she cared about.

And besides… since the Western Regions had been targeted by this woman, it was only a matter of time before it became part of her legacy. If that was the case, she might as well hand it over as a favor and secure some benefits for herself in the process.