Chapter 271: The Brainless Empress in the Arrogant Stallion Novel (21)

Chapter 271: The Foolhardy Empress in the Arrogant Stallion Novel (21)

"I won’t be lending any grain."

The Empress said calmly, and her next words left Tian Yuanzhou completely floored...

She said, "I’ve got a way that will ensure your Chu State won’t ever need to beg for grain again from this day forward."

Impossible!

Tian Yuanzhou's first reaction was that the Empress must be lying!

He immediately frowned and said, "Your Majesty, don’t joke about this."

"Chu’s lands are barren, and we’ve had to borrow grain for ages..."

If there was really a fix, it should have been discovered decades ago. Why would Chu State still need to borrow grain to this day?

This Empress of Lin State had just became Empress, her position still unstable—how could she suddenly produce a solution?

"Censor Tian, check this out."

Placed before Tian Yuanzhou was one little seed...

With just a cursory glance, Tian Yuanzhou had no clue what it was at all.

He initially didn’t think much of it, but the Empress's subsequent explanation had him gaping in disbelief!

No way this is real!

It could be planted in the wild and produce tons of crops!

As she described it, Tian Yuanzhou's breathing grew rapid, and before the Empress could finish, he couldn't help but burst out, "Can this truly be cultivated in such quantities?"

The Empress affirmed, "Absolutely."

"Censor Tian, if your Chu State plants this now, the first batch of sweet potatoes can be harvested by June this year."

"A June harvest would perfectly resolve the major drought your Chu lands will face this year..."

In a year of severe drought, this crop could save thousands of lives in Chu State! Even for decades to come, they would never have to suffer from famine again!

At this thought, Tian Yuanzhou couldn’t hold back. He stood and took a step forward. "Your Majesty!"

"I need this seed!"

"Just name your price, Your Majesty—money’s no object!"

According to the Empress, once Chu State planted this, they would never again have to grovel for grain!

Such a seed—even if they had to sell everything they owned, they must acquire it!

"I can give it to you."

With these words, Tian Yuanzhou was completely dumbfounded.

What had the Empress just said?

"Give it to me?" He pointed at himself in disbelief, his expression utterly bewildered. "Just... give it to me?"

They're not even trying to squeeze us?

Since when are the Lin folks so generous?

"Just agree to three things from your Chu State." The voice from the high platform was steady as the female emperor spoke. "First, build trade routes, so Lin and Chu can trade freely."

"Second, all transactions must not be bartered but converted into our Lin State's silver notes."

"Converted into your Lin State's silver notes?" Tian Yuanzhou, a soldier through and through, instinctively thought this was a hassle and couldn't help but voice his concern. "Chu is mountainous, with bad roads everywhere. Where would we exchange for Lin State's silver notes?"

Ready for this objection, Tang Qing continued, "That leads to the third point. I need to set up trading posts within your Chu State."

"Silver note exchanges can be handled at the merchant association."

These terms didn't sound bad at all, and for Chu State, they actually sounded good...

Is the new Lin ruler really this generous?

Not only providing sweet potato seeds but also planning to help Chu build roads and establish a merchant association!

This sounds like pure charity!

After much deliberation, Tian Yuanzhou's smile grew increasingly sincere. He promptly said, "Your Majesty, regarding these matters you've mentioned, I'll leave right away to inform His Majesty."

"Any news, your humble servant will surely reply at the earliest opportunity."

Before leaving, Tian Yuanzhou bowed once more to Tang Qing, expressing heartfelt gratitude. "Your Majesty's generosity today, Tian Yuanzhou will never forget for the rest of his life!"

He never imagined such a great deal from this trip!

Holding the seeds in his hands, Tian Yuanzhou couldn't resist taking another look. This was the very thing that could completely solve Chu State's century-old livelihood problems!

What kind of miracle plant is this!

No sooner had Tian Yuanzhou left than Mu Zimo emerged from behind the curtain, clearly pissed off.

He had heard every word Tang Qing said. Like Tian Yuanzhou, Mu Zimo couldn't figure out what the empress was up to with these three requests...

What really burned him was...

From start to finish!

The female emperor didn't even mention that such a crucial seed!

Came from me!

They had clearly agreed beforehand—he'd swipe the seed from Chu State's royal palace, making him famous as a noble thief.

But now... from beginning to end, his name wasn't uttered once!

He looked so pissed that Tang Qing couldn't possibly ignore it. "What's eating you?"

Mu Zimo: "You lied to me."

"The seed I risked my neck to obtain, just now..."

His tone was full of discontent as he shot her a look brimming with accusation. "I heard every single word, but not once did I hear my name!"

What about my famous thief reputation?

You promised me eternal fame!

Imperial Censor Tian Yuanzhou doesn't even know where the seeds in his hands came from!

"So it's about this." The Empress fell silent. Standing before her, Mu Zimo looked like a child denied candy, hoping for his reward.

"I originally planned to inform Chu during the great drought in June that you got these sweet potato seeds out of compassion, breaking your principles..."

"Since you care so much, shall I write to Imperial Censor Tian Yuanzhou now?"

As she spoke, the Empress slightly raised her eyes to look at Mu Zimo.

"Or perhaps we could name the harvested sweet potatoes after your Mu family, calling them 'Mu Sweet Potatoes'?"

Her tone was so accommodating that it gave Mu Zimo an illusion...

As if the person before him was coaxing him?

He shook his head without thinking, immediately shaking off those wild thoughts from earlier!

"What kind of name is 'Mu Sweet Potatoes'..." Just saying it out loud made Mu Zimo feel embarrassed, and he muttered, "That's too forward."

The Empress: "If you don’t like it, we don’t have to call it that."

Right there before Mu Zimo, Tang Qing actually began drafting a letter to Imperial Censor Tian Yuanzhou, clearly stating the origin of the sweet potato seeds.

In the letter, the Empress particularly emphasized Mu Zimo's role, singing his praises!

Every word hit Mu Zimo right in the feels!

The more the thief read, the more satisfied he became. It was the first time in his life he had been given such glowing praise. He scratched his head and mumbled, "I'm not that great..."

The Empress: "Yes, you do."

"Mu Zimo, to me, you are very important."

When the Empress said this, her tone was completely even, devoid of any extra emotion.

Yet, when these words reached Mu Zimo's ears, they inexplicably made his heart flutter!

Even the Dark Iron Wire wrapped around his fingers suddenly felt scalding hot. Mu Zimo cleared his throat, "Ah, it's nothing really!"

"Your Majesty, you're my most important partner too!"

In his wide grin, Mu Zimo tried to brush off that strange moment, forcing himself to shift his focus away from the Empress's face. "But those seeds... are we really letting Chu have them that easily?"

The Empress replied, "It's not so simple."

"Mu Zimo... you must understand, there's no such thing as a truly easy deal in this world."

Among today's three demands, the most crucial one was the exchange of banknotes.

Once they accepted the exchange principle she set, she'd gain complete control over the monetary relationship between Lin State and Chu in the future...

System announcement: "Detected an increase in Mu Zimo's Love Points. Current Love Points: 30."