"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."
Inside the Imperial Study, Xu Shi politely bowed to Dongfang Xiao, who had been waiting for him.
That's right, the seemingly unreasonable request to "meet the Queen alone" isn't actually that unreasonable.
At least in Cheng Gujian's opinion, it was still within an acceptable range.
In his eyes, Xu Shi alone was not a great threat—his combat strength was not high, and he had already witnessed his abilities. He was also restrained by the holy light inherited from the royal family. Even if he were allowed to talk to Dongfang Xiao, he would not do anything outrageous.
Moreover, this is just a face-to-face meeting, not an elopement. He himself will be outside keeping watch, so if he notices anything amiss, he can take immediate action.
Most importantly, this time the royal family and Xu Shi were negotiating, and they wanted to get him involved to minimize the negative impact of the Sea God Stone transaction. Their intention was not simply to have a chat.
To put it bluntly, this is called being asked for a favor... They were already acting unfairly when they attacked the Sea God, and Xu Shi's dissatisfaction was written all over his face. If they don't make some concessions, then they really don't understand the situation.
When he makes a fortune and goes home, the huge deficit will have to be filled by the royal family alone—after all, the Papacy can shirk all responsibility; we're not a governing body, are we?
If they then set up some soup kitchens or charity events, they can salvage a lot of their reputation and reduce the pressure considerably.
In comparison, the royal family is not so relaxed... However, since it is a private meeting, the location certainly cannot be the main palace hall, so the royal study is a good choice.
In fact, when Gu Jian and Dongfang Xiao reported on their situations, they usually chose this place for peace and quiet, without being disturbed.
But today, Xu Shi is sitting in his seat.
"Mr. Xu."
Dongfang Xiao smiled and stood up to return the greeting. Even the way she addressed him was no longer the stiff and distant "Envoy Xu" as before. The use of "Sir" subtly shortened the distance between them.
Even if it's just a mascot, for a ruler of a country, this gesture is quite substantial.
"I had only seen you from afar before and thought you were handsome and talented. Now that I have seen you up close, I am even more amazed."
She even said some nice things in an attempt to bring the two of them closer.
"Right?"
Xu Shi sat back down and nodded nonchalantly, "I think so too. Everyone around me has said I'm handsome since I was little."
"..."
It has to be said that such a shameless answer really put the little queen at a loss for words.
Logically speaking, shouldn't you also say a few nice words and flatter each other? Do you really think a few polite words are a tonic?
Even if you are indeed very handsome, you shouldn't act like this... Am I so ugly that I don't deserve your praise?
Tch, he really is a monster.
"Of course, it is my honor to receive praise from such a beauty as Her Majesty the Empress."
Just as she was feeling rather annoyed, Xu Shi slowly said what she wanted to hear.
To be honest, such words are hardly respectful to the ruler of a country; on the contrary, they carry a hint of mockery.
If it were any ordinary official who said such a thing, Dongfang Xiao had no doubt that he would severely punish them, at the very least by slapping them. How dare they speak to me like that? Don't they want to die?
But just moments ago she was complaining about why he didn't praise her, and since Xu Shi was from out of town, her displeasure had almost completely dissipated, and she even felt a sense of "that's more like it."
This shows that some people have truly mastered the art of language.
Human nature always prefers compromise—I really was torn between these conflicting emotions; you can see for yourself in the video.
"Ha ha."
With this thought in mind, the little empress couldn't help but cover her face and chuckle, adding a teasing remark, "You're quite the smooth talker; no wonder you have so many wives and concubines around you."
"However, I am even more amazed by your abilities... How did you come up with the idea of the Poseidon Stone trade?"
Joking aside, she didn't forget to get to the point, which was the real business she wanted to discuss with him today.
Is it difficult?
Xu Shi's playful expression faded somewhat, and he said seriously, "In my city-state, this is just a very basic operation."
That era is already over... For major conglomerates, if they really want to amass wealth, there are many more efficient ways than this.
And that's exactly what he meant: I have far more tricks up my sleeve than you can imagine; this is just the beginning.
"Is that so..."
Dongfang Xiao muttered to himself, his smile completely gone, "Then should I thank Mr. Xu for using only some basic tactics to disrupt the Empire's market?"
"Of course."
Xu Shi nodded, "In the end, it was you who were unjust first, almost completely erasing our achievements in defeating the sea god."
"I remember clearly that before setting sail to fight the sea god, His Majesty said that he wanted the two nations to be on good terms forever."
He cleared his throat and said, "But now I can't see any sincerity from them, so it's only natural to retaliate."
"After all, I'm a very petty person."
"..."
Hearing his blunt remarks, Dongfang Xiao was once again stunned.
What's wrong with this person... this person?
To be honest, through the previous negotiations, she had come to understand that Xu Shi's personality could definitely be described as assertive—if he didn't have such a personality, their city-state probably wouldn't have let him lead the expedition as an envoy.
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