Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Meng Shuping was astounded. "Is the Emperor's son just there to be exploited? How can he be so stingy?"

"Damn it! I refuse to believe I can't get money out of him! Sooner or later, I'll make him pay me!"

Emperor Qianyou sneered inwardly, "That's impossible!"

After handling this matter, Emperor Qianyou continued discussing the unfinished business with the other ministers. Seeing that Emperor Qianyou hadn't told him to leave nor asked him to stay, Meng Shuping felt torn. "Well, since everything has been cleared up, can I go now? Who wants to work unpaid overtime on New Year's Day?"

He quietly tugged at Jiang Cihe's sleeve and whispered, "If there's nothing else for us here, maybe we should just leave?"

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Qianyou looked at him. "You two stay as well. Since you're already here, you might as well listen."

Meng Shuping was shocked. He thought: "How are his ears so sharp? He could hear me even when I spoke so softly? Dammit! He just has to make me work overtime, doesn't he?"

Jiang Cihe smirked. If it were anyone else, they would probably feel honored. Only Meng Shuping couldn't care less about such things.

Emperor Qianyou was quite pleased. He thought: "Serves you right for trying to sneak out! If you didn’t attract my attention, who would?"

He raised an eyebrow and asked the Minister of Rites, "What are the gifts from the various countries?"

The Minister of Rites hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, Japan has offered about a hundred or two hundred swords, spears, armor, and a few gold-powdered boxes, twenty cypress fans, two folding fans, and some agate, crystal, and cowhide."

"Goryeo has offered three or four horses, sable and grey squirrel pelts, five or six ginseng roots, and some medicinal herbs, sulfur, yellow lacquer, pine nuts, and the like."

"Jiaozhi has offered frankincense, borneol, dyed leather, pearls..."

...

Though Meng Shuping didn’t recognize some of these items, he couldn’t help but remark, "How pathetic! Is this all they’re offering?"

Emperor Qianyou glanced at him, a hint of pride in his tone. "Not every country can be as prosperous as Great Chu. Look at these nations—they’re simply poor!"

Cao Jie added, "Exactly. But it’s not as if we’re after their paltry gifts. What doesn’t Great Chu have? They’ve traveled thousands of miles just to express their respect for Great Chu."

The Minister of Works also agreed. "I’ve heard that many people in these countries don’t even have enough clothes to cover themselves, let alone eat meat. Given their poverty, it’s already quite an effort for them to offer this much."

Although Meng Shuping wasn’t familiar with the development levels of other countries at this time, he couldn’t help but object, "That can’t be right. If Great Chu has everything, why would Prince Ning spend a fortune buying goods from foreign merchants? I doubt he’s the only one doing it!"

Emperor Qianyou, the Minister of Works, and the others fell silent.

He thought: "Could this kid stop nitpicking on purpose? Although Great Chu is vast and resource-rich, there are still a few things we don’t have!"

But thinking of Jiang Ciyi, Emperor Qianyou felt annoyed again. He thought: "Wasn’t the fourth son just unwilling to pay? Yet he’s willing to spend extravagantly on goods? What an unfilial son!"

Meng Shuping had no idea he’d just screwed over Jiang Ciyi again. He continued thinking to himself, "If we’re talking about good stuff, it definitely exists. Poverty and being lazy are two different things! Some countries are genuinely poor, while others are just half-assing it!"

"Take Japan, for example. They have so many silver mines in their country—why are they so reluctant to give any? Who are they trying to fool with this trash? No offense, but isn’t Great Chu having a silver shortage and experiencing copper coin outflow? If they offered silver as tribute, wouldn’t that solve the problem?"

Emperor Qianyou and the Minister of Revenue were stunned!

He thought: "Japan has abundant silver mines? How did they not know about this?" Just as they were about to listen more carefully, they realized Meng Shuping had already moved on. "Speaking of which, it’d be great if someone could offer sweet potatoes. Nothing else needs to be said—their yield is high, thousands of pounds per acre. And there’s corn and potatoes too. They’re easy to grow, can be planted in any patch of land, and their yield isn’t low either."

Emperor Qianyou and the Minister of Revenue were shocked again!

He thought: "Thousands of pounds per acre! And they’re not picky about soil! How have they never heard of these crops? Do crops with such high yields really exist?"

They listened further, only to find Meng Shuping had moved on to another topic. He thought: "Since glass cups have already made their way here, I wonder if any other inventions have arrived too. I’d really love a pocket watch—being able to tell time anytime would be so convenient. The way we tell time now is just too inconvenient."

Emperor Qianyou and the others were curious: what exactly was this "wristwatch"? Could it really be more convenient than the current way of telling time?

As he pondered, Meng Shuping suddenly realized that the hall had fallen silent. He couldn't help but sneak a peek, "Huh? Why is it so quiet? Where did they get to?"

Emperor Qianyou immediately averted his gaze and asked the Minister of Rites as if nothing had happened, "Is the list of reciprocal gifts prepared?"

The Minister of Rites couldn't hear Meng Shuping's inner thoughts, but just as he was about to speak earlier, he noticed Emperor Qianyou lost in thought, so he remained silent. Only when the emperor inquired did he speak up again, "Your Majesty, the gifts we are giving to Japan include a pair of six broad-sleeved robes, one purple gauze official garment... all made of gold, silver gilt, or silver, along with ten to twenty bolts of silk and satin... For the chief envoy, fifty taels of silverware; for the deputy envoy, thirty taels..."

"Gifts for Goryeo..."

"Jiaozhi..."

Meng Shuping was speechless, "The envoys get that much silver? No way, no way! I only got a little rice and wine, and they get silver? Doesn't His Majesty's conscience ache? I'm gonna complain!"

"Seriously, are they here to pay tribute or to mooch? And that Minister of Revenue, always saying there's no money, no money—why isn't he saying that now? Can't he stick to his principles a little? Where's the backbone?"

Emperor Qianyou: "..."

This is a matter of foreign relations—how can it be the same as domestic affairs?

The Minister of Revenue glanced at Meng Shuping and deliberately said, "Your Majesty is wise. Bestowing some gold and silver is enough to show off our country's power. This way, how would any small country dare disrespect us? Moreover, they are truly poor. Since we are a great nation, helping them a little is no trouble."

Meng Shuping couldn't help but retort inwardly, "Help what? Aren't you afraid of raising ungrateful jerks? You sincerely help them, but they’ll just see you as suckers with more money than sense!"

"Take Japan, for example—a tiny little country, yet they dream of occupying our vast lands. And Goryeo—today you give them porcelain, and tomorrow they’ll claim they invented it. Giving them things is just asking for trouble."

"Not to criticize His Majesty, but has he got money to burn?"

Emperor Qianyou and the Minister of Revenue were incredulous. With Japan's strength, they dare covet Great Chu? And Goryeo—are they really that shameless? How does Meng Shuping know all this?

To avoid being seen as foolish and wealthy by Meng Shuping, Emperor Qianyou tried to save face, "As I recall, I only allowed them to offer tribute once every three years?"

The Minister of Rites, picking up on the cue, said, "Yes. Even though our nation is powerful, we must not frivolously waste taxpayers' money. Therefore, we have restrictions on the frequency of their visits and the tribute they bring."

See? They’re not fools—they wouldn’t knowingly give money to those who only come for it.

No sooner had he finished than Meng Shuping's voice questioned, "You set restrictions, but did they follow them? What if they come three or five times a year? Will you give or not? Will you receive them or not? And if you receive them, that’s more money down the drain, right?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You talk about morals, but they won’t play by your rules. They’ll just show up shamelessly for cash. What, are you going to shamelessly send them away empty-handed? Wouldn’t that make you seem lacking in the generosity of a great nation?"

"Look, even I know how to handle this. They’ve come so many times, they’ve already figured you out. In my opinion, you can’t reason with shameless people—they’ll only take a mile if you give an inch."

Emperor Qianyou and the Minister of Revenue: "..."

It has to be said, Meng Shuping nailed it. There really are one or two countries that come repeatedly, and each time they must be treated like honored guests. This won’t do—they must reconsider and firmly prevent them from milking us dry.

Emperor Qianyou cleared his throat and said to the Minister of Rites, "I feel this gift list is still somewhat inappropriate. It’s late today; we’ll discuss it in detail tomorrow."

The Minister of Rites was surprised—wasn’t this list pretty much the same as before? Why is it inappropriate now? But since the emperor said so, he quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Emperor Qianyou glanced at Meng Shuping and Jiang Cihe, "You two, come as well."

Meng Shuping replied very reluctantly, "Yes."

"Why us? Trying to make me work overtime again? If you’ve got the nerve, pay me extra!"

Emperor Qianyou: "..."

How deeply resentful is this kid? Fine, fine, I’ll give you a bonus, alright? Makes me look stingy!

After leaving the palace, Meng Shuping noticed Jiang Cihe hadn't said anything and glanced at him curiously. "What's on your mind?"

Jiang Cihe stopped walking. "I feel like something isn't quite right about this matter. Although Jiang Zhiru can be a handful at times, it's not like you have some deadly feud. Why would she want to kill you?"

And she made it so obvious! She’s not usually this foolish.

Meng Shuping speculated, "Maybe she didn’t realize the consequences would be so severe?"

After a moment of thought, Jiang Cihe shook his head. "I don't think so."

Just then, Cao Jie, the Minister of Justice, passed by them, gave a quick greeting and started to walk away. Jiang Cihe called out to him, "Lord Cao."

Cao Jie quickly responded, "Your Highness, is there something you need?"

Jiang Cihe asked, "Lord Cao, have you determined when the needle was inserted into the horse?"

Cao Jie replied promptly, "Your Highness, the needle was inserted into the horse from the side while the carriage was moving. Strangely enough, Princess Le Ning has someone that skilled working for her?"

After all, hitting a moving horse with a needle is no easy feat—though it’s possible Prince Ning lent her the help.

This struck Jiang Cihe as even stranger. Noticing his expression, Cao Jie asked curiously, "What is it, Prince Zhao? Do you think something’s off?"

Truthfully, Cao Jie also felt something was amiss but couldn’t pinpoint what.

Jiang Cihe didn’t elaborate, shaking his head. "No."

However, once the two were inside Jiang Cihe’s carriage, Meng Shuping heard him say, "I suspect there might be two people behind the attempt on your life."

Meng Shuping was astonished. "What? No way! Seriously? Do I really have that big a target on my back? Two people targeting me at the same time?"

Jiang Cihe said gravely, "Whether it’s true or not, we’ll find out soon. I’ll have someone look into this under the radar. I expect we’ll have answers in a few days."

Meng Shuping nodded. "Right."

"Tch! Who the hell has it in for me this badly? If it’s personal, fine—but if this is official court business, can I at least file for workers' comp with the Emperor?"