Dongfang Xiao wasn't too surprised by Xu Shi's words.
Because she actually saw things very clearly. Although Xu Shi went too far with the Sea God Stone incident, he left a lot of room for maneuver, clearly indicating that he didn't really intend to wipe them out completely.
For example, the trading of Poseidon Stones only remained in the main city of the empire and did not spread to other surrounding counties.
Furthermore, although he did open up trade and purchase goods from citizens, he could have gone even further, such as by simply offering loans.
If he had actually done that, it would have dealt a devastating blow to the empire's economy, but he didn't, which already suggests that he stopped short of causing serious damage.
Including the first point, I can't say that absolutely no one did these things, but there really weren't any of Xu Shi's people involved. In addition, this turmoil came and went quickly, and so far, the impact has been confined to the main city, which can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
In any case, Dongfang Xiao did not think that this was a momentary oversight by Xu Shi—after all, she had to admit that in terms of manipulating the economy, Xu Shi's methods were far superior to those of everyone in the Hualan Empire. So how could he not have thought of what she could think of?
And his meeting with me today... To be honest, although his aggressive attitude really annoyed Dongfang Xiao, Xu Shi's actions themselves already indicated that he wanted to negotiate.
Moreover, the negotiation was conducted with her alone, making her personal biases quite obvious.
Otherwise, he could have simply ignored everything and stayed on Silverpine Island, wouldn't he? No matter how much the royal family and the Papacy had to bleed, he would always be the undisputed beneficiary.
That's the advantage of being an outsider: you can attack or defend as you please... especially an outsider with considerable strength who can even handle a being like the Sea God. It's not so easy to force him to do anything by force.
So, after all that groundwork, the current situation is exactly the result he wanted... He had already made the stakes clear, and now all he wanted was Dongfang Xiao's attitude.
As for her own attitude... the little queen could easily confirm that.
The fact is, from the moment she said "What do you want to do?", she had already made her stance clear.
"Mr. Xu, please tell me your terms first."
So she didn't hesitate for long. After a moment's hesitation, she tentatively asked, "I... I can't possibly agree to everything you say unconditionally. I need to hear your opinion first."
"I understand. It's good that Her Majesty the Empress has this attitude."
Xu Shi nodded with satisfaction, "It's no wonder I've always admired you so much."
"I really admire you, Miss Dongfang."
He launched into the topic very seriously, saying, “As I said before, you are one of the few people who can see the situation clearly and seize opportunities accurately… Even if it comes at a great cost, in my opinion, it is still a very good quality.”
"Do you... really think that way?"
The little empress's eyes brightened, and she no longer cared about the change in his address. Instead, she asked with a hint of eagerness.
"Otherwise what? Do you want me to say you're a bad kid? Cold-blooded and ruthless, disregarding your subjects for your own benefit?"
Xu Shi laughed, "I don't deny that what you did was a bit much, but when you called me in for a meeting, didn't you also mention how to minimize the impact? It's just a matter of order. What's wrong with putting yourself first?"
"Even if you really wanted to be a good emperor who puts others before himself, it seems there's no platform for you to do so, is there?"
"More importantly, I'm a bad person too, so I'll only praise you for doing the right thing."
"...Sir, please state your conditions directly."
Hearing him say that, Dongfang Xiao's expression became somewhat strange, and her words carried a hint of urging, hoping that he would get to the point quickly.
She could tell that Xu Shi's compliments were genuine, which was quite rare... and she really needed to find some validation from others to ease the guilt in her heart.
The result was that they agreed, but it seems a bit excessive. Who can really say they are a bad person without batting an eye? Isn't that a bit much?
Anyway, the little queen herself was a little hesitant to continue. What else could she do but admit that she really was the bad child he was talking about?
Girls are shy, she couldn't bring herself to say such things.
However, this recognition made her feel much better. And to be honest, this guy's voice seemed to have a kind of magic, calm yet naturally carrying a seductive quality, whether it was innate or not, she didn't know.
Anyway, she felt that if she continued talking, she would be unable to keep up.
So stop with the compliments and let's get down to business!
"Okay, okay."
Xu Shi expressed his understanding, clapped his hands and chuckled, "However, before I state my conditions, Miss Dongfang, why don't you listen to what I can offer you?"
"First, regarding the negative impact of the Poseidon Stone transaction, the royal family doesn't need to offer any price to buy back the resources in my hands. To tell you the truth, your gold and silver are worthless in my eyes, so what's wrong with giving them to you for free?"
"As for whether you want Cheng Gujian to bleed, how much, and how to bleed, that's your business. If you need help, I can give you some advice. You can use the extra money to contribute to the national treasury or to supplement your own private coffers, I don't mind."
This single condition almost made Dongfang Xiao gasp in surprise.
It's important to understand that even for a single main city, the deficit that the royal family needs to cover is no small amount, since almost the entire city's population is involved. Just thinking about how much to allocate from the national treasury these days makes her feel incredibly pained.
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