Chapter 269 This is simply robbery
"Your Highness Prince Ning is too polite."
Si Lianhua responded appropriately, then sat down with the two ministers behind him.
Outside the private room, Bai Zhu gestured towards the corridor entrance, and the waiters immediately came over in an orderly manner with trays and placed the drinks and dishes on the table.
After the waiters poured the wine and left, Song Yunchu spoke slowly, "Among the ten signature dishes of Shuiyunxuan, the exquisitely stewed Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and the premium seafood soup are the most famous. There is also this appetizer, the nectar and jade dew, which is sweet and not greasy. Come and try it, don't be shy."
While Song Yunchu was talking, Bai Zhu had already served a bowl of food in front of her. She naturally understood that the people opposite her were very suspicious as they had just arrived, so she took the lead in tasting a few bites so that they could enjoy their meal with peace of mind.
Seeing this, Si Lianhuan and others also moved their chopsticks in tacit understanding.
"By the way, there is something I need to discuss with the princess."
Song Yunchu spoke casually, "Not long ago, the Royal Hunting Grounds experienced a melee. The rebel was your majesty's uncle, Prince Yi. He joined forces with the remnants of the Rong Kingdom to rebel. Although he failed, he was very lucky and escaped from the Tianqi Kingdom. There are many bounties on him posted on the streets. Princess must have seen them on the way here, right?"
Song Yunchu suddenly mentioned Jun Tianyi, which surprised Si Lianhuan.
Although she was an envoy from a foreign country, King Ning mentioned the wanted criminal of Tianqi State to her. Could it be that he already knew that Jun Tianyi was saved by her?
Jun Tianyi told her that, except for his closest followers, the rest of his subordinates only knew that he had a friend in Xiling Country, and he did not tell them clearly who that friend was.
"I heard that he seems to have fled to Xiling State, and someone told me that the princess was in danger two years ago, and was fortunately rescued by Prince Yi. Now he is fleeing in a desperate situation, and he might use this favor to seek the princess's protection. So I want to remind the princess that although it is human nature to repay kindness, it is also important to distinguish between loyalty and treachery. If the princess encounters him, please hand him over to us."
"I did see the notice on my way here." Si Lianhuan continued with a normal expression, "If I hadn't come to Tianqi Country, I wouldn't have known that he had made such a big mistake."
"Then the princess knows now." Song Yunchu smiled faintly, "If he really comes to you for help, will you help us capture him?"
"Of course I will." Si Lianhuan responded without hesitation, "Although he saved me before, he did something unforgivable like this, so I can't help him anymore."
"Since the princess has said so, then this king has nothing to worry about."
How could Song Yunchu not know that Si Lianhuan was fooling him.
After talking with Si Lianhuan for a few sentences, she could already see that Si Lianhuan was still relatively calm, otherwise she wouldn't be able to lie without changing her expression or feeling guilty at all.
She knew that Si Lianhuan didn't believe her at all. After all, Jun Tianyi and Si Lianhuan had a long history, so Si Lianhuan would naturally trust Jun Tianyi a little more.
"It's true that things in the world are unpredictable and people's hearts are changeable."
Song Yunchu seemed to be sighing, "Prince Yi was once a contented man. He was not only tall and handsome, but also had a very good reputation. If he had always been content, he would have lived a life of glory and worry-free. But he chose to make such a huge mistake that he is now infamous. The noble ladies who admired him in the past now feel unlucky when they mention him."
She didn't expect Si Lianhuan to hand over Jun Tianyi, but she always emphasized Jun Tianyi's identity as a criminal in front of Si Lianhuan, so that Si Lianhuan would understand that things are different now, Jun Tianyi is no longer the glamorous prince, and his status does not match Si Lianhuan.
"People's hearts are indeed fickle." Si Lianhuan did not refute Song Yunchu at all, but just took over the conversation calmly, "I have promised His Royal Highness Prince Ning that I will not help him. Your Highness does not need to mention this person anymore, otherwise the food will not taste good."
"The princess is right. Let's not talk about him anymore. Let's talk about the purpose of the princess's trip."
As soon as Song Yunchu finished speaking, many footsteps were heard outside the private room. The waiters came in one after another and served the remaining dishes. After they all left, Bai Zhu also closed the door of the private room.
Seeing that they were about to talk about business, Si Lianhuan's expression became serious. "Regarding the matter of the treasure map fragments, my father sent a letter to your Majesty five days ago. I believe that your Majesty has made plans in the past few days. Does he have an accurate price for the treasure map fragments? Please let your Highness Prince Ning know clearly."
"The princess must have heard that there is a huge fortune hidden in the underground treasury. As for how much there is, no one knows. So the price of this treasure map fragment is naturally hard to say."
Song Yunchu smiled faintly, "What your majesty means is that instead of talking about price, it is better to talk about cooperation. Since both of us have treasure maps, then the two countries will send people to explore together. We can sign a clear agreement to divide the things in this treasure house. What do you think, Princess?"
Si Lianhua had already anticipated that Tianqi would give such an answer before coming here. Now that Song Yunchu said it himself, she was not surprised. "Your Majesty, do you mean 30% to 70%?"
"Princess, you don't seem to be very sincere when you say that." Song Yunchu still had a smile on his face, but his tone was a little cooler. "Tianqi and Xiling are both powerful countries. If the wealth in the treasury is extremely huge, this 30-70 split may affect the balance. I have heard that there is not only money in it, but also various weapons."
Si Lianhua's expression changed slightly when he heard this.
Judging from what Song Yunchu said, he's going to ask for too much.
Sure enough, the next moment, a calm voice sounded from the opposite side.
"Your Majesty means that it should be split fifty-fifty. Of course, we will also send a gift to your country. Our dynasty is rich in fine horses. In order to show our friendship to Xiling Country, we will send your country two thousand fine war horses. I hope you will accept it."
Si Lianhua almost slammed the table and stood up.
Fifty-fifty? This is simply robbery!
"Your Highness Prince Ning, are you joking?"
Si Lianhua suppressed her anger and said expressionlessly, "Tianqi Country only has one fragment of the treasure map, and my Xiling Country has two. If we really want to hunt for treasure together, then naturally we should take more. How can we share it equally with you? Your country's request is really unacceptable."
Si Lianhuan had just finished speaking when the envoy beside her took over the conversation.
"Xi Ling and Tian Qi have always been non-offensive to each other. This is the case now and will be the case in the future. We sincerely want to negotiate with you, but your country has made such an unreasonable request. Please forgive us for not agreeing to it."
"Please be patient, everyone. I know this request will make you unhappy, but you need to understand one thing. We are not sitting here for personal interests. You and I represent our respective countries. If I were doing business with the princess today, I would naturally accept a 30-70 split. But now it is Tianqi and Xiling that are going to divide the profits, and your majesty must always consider the country."
Song Yunchu said calmly, "I heard that the underground treasure house has existed for about three hundred years. It contains the wealth left over from the Fengyun Dynasty. If the rumors are true, the 30%-70% split will definitely give your country a great advantage. Will you still maintain the principle of non-interference? It's hard to say. This is related to the country, so we have to be cautious."
"That's not how it should be divided." The minister on Si Lianhuan's right spoke up, his facial muscles trembling with anger.
"Messenger, please calm down. This bowl of bitter melon soup in front of you can clear away heat and reduce internal heat. Please drink more."
Song Yunchu looked at the three people opposite him with ugly faces and sighed, "Didn't we just say this? People's hearts are fickle. When two forces cannot reach a balance, one side is bound to suffer. In fact, it doesn't matter if the princess disagrees. We can give up the idea of treasure hunting. What happened before will remain the same in the future. Why should we make both sides unhappy just to explore an unknown wealth?"
Song Yunchu paused and said, "However, we can also consider destroying the fragments of the treasure map, so that the wealth will be buried forever and no one in this world can get it anymore."
Si Lianhua: “…”
Knowing there is treasure but not looking for it is not what a normal person would think.
Song Yunchu didn't want to go treasure hunting at all, he just wanted to delay the matter. He deliberately wanted to make them anxious.
Could it be that he thought that as long as the stalemate lasted long enough, Xiling Kingdom would make concessions?
The Xiling Kingdom absolutely cannot afford to suffer this loss.
Although the war horses of Tianqi Kingdom are good, exchanging two thousand war horses for 20% of the treasure house's wealth is not worth it.
"If you think this topic is too boring, we can put it aside for now. Our Tianqi country is a country of etiquette, and you are guests from afar. His Majesty specifically instructed that even if the negotiations fail, we must still play the role of host. Even if the deal fails, there is still righteousness."
Song Yunchu looked at the three people opposite him, still maintaining a gentle smile, "The food is getting cold, let's hurry up and eat, don't waste the delicious food."
Song Yunchu spoke politely, so Si Lianhuan and the others naturally didn't want to offend him. Even though they were in a bad mood at the moment, they still picked up the chopsticks.
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Ning, for your hospitality."
Si Lianhuan drank the soup in the bowl, trying her best to keep her facial expression calm.
The treasure house must be found, and as for the division of the profits... she must find a way to make the Apocalypse Kingdom take a step back.
Tianqi claims to be a country of etiquette, and they, Xiling, cannot lose face. Even though they haven't reached an agreement yet, they still have to be polite. It's only her first day here, so there's no need to be too anxious.
Perhaps after the stalemate lasts for a long time, the Apocalypse Kingdom will give in.
She just didn't believe that they were not tempted by the treasure house at all.
After eating and drinking, Song Yunchu ordered people to send Si Lianhuan and others back to the inn.
Bai Zhu looked out the window at the people from Xiling Kingdom leaving. Si Lianhuan's expression was okay, but the envoy beside her still had a tense face.
"Your Highness, judging by their reactions, I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to compromise."
"It's reasonable not to compromise. How can we expect them to agree from the beginning? If I were them, I would be angry too. But I am a Tianqi countryman, so I won't consider their feelings. Call me a robber or a shameless person, I will accept it."
Song Yunchu turned the wine glass in his hand, "Tianqi and Xiling are not going to become enemies because of this. After all, no one has obtained the treasure house yet. If they insist on a 30-70 split, I would rather let the fragments of the treasure map rot in my hands than give in to them. Xiling can't expect to get any benefits that Tianqi can't get."
It's easy to imagine that the three of them must be cursing her at this moment.
Let them curse.
…
"This Prince Ning is really smiling but hiding a knife behind his smile."
After Si Lianhua and the others returned to the posthouse, an envoy could not help but curse, "They appear to be smiling and frivolous, but they act like bandits."
"We can only maintain a stalemate for now." Si Lanhua said coldly, "It's better to negotiate openly than to do bad things in secret."
"Having said that, their proposal is really excessive!"
"If it's really as Prince Ning said, even if the deal fails, we can still be kind and just. At worst, we can just put this matter aside for now. I'm afraid that if we keep the stalemate going, we'll annoy them and they'll secretly mess with us."
"It shouldn't be that serious." Si Lanhua shook her head. "We haven't even seen the treasure yet. It's not worth it to get into a fight over this. But it's always better to be careful."
"It's getting late. We've been traveling all day. Let's go back to the house and rest."
After Si Lianhua finished speaking, she turned around and went upstairs.
As soon as she sat down, the secret guard came to report: "Princess, I followed your instructions and went to the black market to inquire. In addition to the Thousand Faces Young Master, there is indeed another person who can disguise himself, but his skills are not as good as the Thousand Faces Young Master."
"It's fine as long as it works. Soldiers don't catch people close to their faces. Anyway, that Thousand Faces Young Master is unreliable."
As long as Jun Tianyi doesn't run around and meet anyone he knows, it will be fine. If someone is very familiar with his figure, there is still a possibility of him being exposed.
"The princess is right. After I bought a mask from another store, Prince Yi tried it on and could not find any flaws even from a distance of a fist. But the mask cannot be used for too long and needs to be replaced every two or three days."
Just as he finished speaking, another secret guard came to report, "Princess, Prince Yi just went to Yongchang Street and stood on the street opposite Ruihe Hall for a long time."
Si Lianhua's face darkened when she heard this. "Did he go near that clinic?"
"No, I was just watching from across the street."
"Got it, keep watching him."
"yes."
Near the hour of Hai, Jun Tianyi returned to the inn.
As he pushed open the door of his room, he caught a glimpse of a figure walking towards him. It was Du Zhong in disguise.
"Master, the princess has asked you to go find her when you return."
Jun Tianyi turned around and went to Si Lianhuan's residence. When he turned a corner, he saw Si Lianhuan sitting by a tree in the courtyard.
"It's a windy night. Why is the princess sitting here?"
Si Lianhua did not respond to his greeting, but only asked indifferently, "Where have you been?"
Jun Tianyi said: "Just going out for a walk."
"Yeah?"
Si Lianhuan raised her eyes and glanced at him. "But why did I hear that you were going to visit an old friend?"
Jun Tianyi's expression changed slightly, "You sent someone to follow me?"
Upon learning that his whereabouts were being monitored, Jun Tianyi instinctively spoke in a bad tone.
Si Lianhuan was already unhappy because the negotiation with Song Yunchu failed. Now facing Jun Tianyi's obviously reproachful look, she became even more angry.
This man now depends on her for all his expenses, but he treats her like this.
"What's wrong with following you? If I hadn't provided you with a human skin mask, do you think you could go around freely?"
Si Lianhuan stood up angrily and said coldly, "Did you see the notice posted on the street when you went out? I was wholeheartedly trying to protect you, but you were hanging around your old lover with a fake face. Did I allow you to see her? Don't tell me you're still dreaming of reconciling with her!"
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