Ji Feng chuckled and said, "Things in this world aren't always like that. Some fish can escape unscathed even after catching the bait. At that point, they'll realize that the bait solved their immediate problem."
"The bait is followed by the hook. Even a small attempt could lead to utter ruin," Lu Qingyan refused. She dared not do something so risky.
“Princess,” Ji Feng advised, “there are fish in this world that are willing to take the bait, and there are fish that are not. If the water is too deep, some fish will not live long. Once they are caught and taken away from this deep water, what awaits them may be a pot of boiling water, or it may be a pool of clear water. But if they never leave, how will they know what awaits them? I have said all I have to say. I hope the princess will think it over carefully.”
As Ji Feng spoke, he stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left.
Lu Qingyan remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "Even if we eventually obtain a pool of clear water, this will not be the fate of all the fish."
Lu Qingyan gazed at the shimmering water of the river. The moon shone coolly, the midnight air crisp and clear. The lights on the distant mountains flickered, like a warmth she could never reach in her lifetime. Some things, she knew from the beginning were unbelievable; it was better not to believe them.
The next day, less than an hour after Lu Qingyan had breakfast, Ji Feng came over with a pot of tea: "There's nothing good on this ship, so we'll just have to make do for now. I didn't know if the princess was a tea lover, but we happen to have some fine tea leaves on board, so I brought them over for the princess to try."
Even before the tea was finished, Lu Qingyan could smell its delicate fragrance. After Ji Feng poured the tea, Lu Qingyan couldn't resist taking a sip.
Lu Qingyan's eyes lit up, and she said, "Good tea, good water!"
Ji Feng laughed and said, "This Da Hong Pao tea is naturally of high quality, not to mention that the water is from a sweet spring."
The water of Liquan? Lu Qingyan immediately thought of Pingcheng.
Even if she knew nothing else, she was absolutely familiar with this place. Liquan was located at the junction of the three kingdoms of Northern Qi, Jin, and Lu. It did not belong to any of these three kingdoms, but existed independently and was on equal footing with them.
Pingcheng was a small place, but it was like a small country, possessing everything one could need. Three countries coveted Pingcheng's excellent geographical location and the sweet spring water within its borders, each seeing it as a piece of fat meat they wanted to devour, but none succeeded. Gradually, they realized they couldn't take this place, so they had no choice but to negotiate.
In the end, they could only reach an agreement. Pingcheng would send twenty bolts of Ping brocade and ten jars of sweet spring water to the three countries every year. In return, the three countries would never attack Pingcheng or use force to flatten it.
The more difficult something is to obtain, the more precious it often is.
At first glance, the agreement between Pingcheng and the three countries seems to indicate that Pingcheng is at a disadvantage. After all, everyone knows that Pingcheng cannot be taken over so easily, but the things that Pingcheng possesses cannot be obtained so easily.
But from a long-term perspective, Pingcheng made a huge profit. No matter how precious the Ping brocade or the sweet spring water was, they were like cabbages to them, nothing special. But to those people, they were priceless treasures.
In order to obtain these priceless treasures, they would often go to great lengths to acquire them, spend high prices to buy them from Pingcheng, and then resell them at even higher prices.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
