Chapter 19: Yuanfang, What Do You Think?

Chapter 19: Li Yuanfang, What's Your Take?

Chang Chun was still trapped in a nightmare when, outside the sedan chair,

the young maidservant Yuanyang covered her mouth, staring blankly at the big group of riders approaching in the distance.

It was just before dawn, the sky barely light.

In the endless desert, she could see banners swaying among the approaching riders.

Scattered torches seemed to light up the vast, uncertain road ahead across the desert.

As the rolling dust and hoofbeats drew nearer, Yuanyang shielded her eyes with her hand, squinting to make them out.

"That's Yanchi's banner!"

The Yanchi soldiers escorting Chang Chun were all jolted awake, exchanging bewildered glances.

"Brother, what do you make of this? Why is the Chang Family Army here?"

"I don't understand either—could they be trying to snatch Miss Chang back?"

The moment he said that, the guy next to him quickly covered his mouth.

"Are you crazy! The Beixiang folks are still here!"

Outside the tent, all hell broke loose—voices shouting, footsteps scrambling everywhere.

Chang Chun finally snapped awake too.

In the last second of her dream, she heard Yuanyang's voice calling out in the distance,

"Miss, wake up! The oldest and second young masters are here, and the master too—they've come to take you home!"

Hearing this, Chang Chun woke up with a start.

She saw the torchlight receding, and felt herself being pulled into a warm darkness.

Chang Chun sat dazed in the sedan chair, clutching her racing heart, then looked around at her surroundings.

It was still the same familiar sedan chair.

Chang Chun couldn't help it—she burst into tears.

So it had all been a dream after all—I didn't die in some foreign place.

My brother and father never came to get me either.

...

"Miss! Come out quick! The master and the young masters are really here!"

Yuanyang pounded on the tent urgently.

Chang Chun's head shot up, her voice hoarse and trembling.

"They're really here?!"

Yuanyang slipped inside the tent, helping her mistress get dressed while nodding.

The mistress and servant scrambled frantically to tidy up, Chang Chun firing off questions left and right.

"Are oldest brother and second brother here too? What have they come for? Do they want to see me?"

"Does Mother miss me that much? Where is she? Is she sick?"

Chang Chun had a thousand questions, her heart in her throat, afraid the news might be bad.

She completely forgot what she'd just overheard.

"Stop overthinking! Come out with me now!"

Meanwhile, over with Yun Ran,

Wan Miao, the Beixiang envoy, frowned and shouted angrily.

"Ridiculous! A marriage alliance is a big deal in diplomacy between two nations—how can you treat it like a joke!"

Chang Chun's second brother, Chang Jiu, got anxious and wanted to rush forward to see his sister, but Chang Qing grabbed his brother's arm.

"Take it easy."

Yun Ran, on horseback, shot a glance at Yuan Bao.

Yuan Bao quickly signaled a nearby soldier to bring up a small box and hand it over.

"Master Wan, in diplomacy between two nations, you don't kill the messenger. I know you're anxious, but there's no need to get angry just yet."

Wan Miao took the box, keeping a straight face, and opened it.

He almost broke into a happy grin, then quickly and quietly stuffed the banknotes from the box into his sleeve, and the box too.

"Ahem—this needs some serious thought!"

Yuan Bao saw this and cursed inwardly.

Bah! You old scoundrel—just as the master predicted, you can be bought with cash!

Judging by that expression and those movements, five hundred taels was probably too much...

Eunuch Yuan's heart ached a little.

Seeing that Wan Miao's expression had improved, Li Yuanfang, the head of the Court of State Ceremonial, approached with his mounted officers.

The two sides started haggling fiercely.

"Five million taels of silver, plus the western city gates..."

"Absolutely not—that's insane! Two hundred thousand taels..."

"Are you dreaming! Five million taels is already a favor..."

The two sides went at each other, spit flying everywhere as they argued.

The Great Yan troops nearby quickly backed off.

The soldiers muttered among themselves.

Damn—these civil officials actually fight with their mouths.

Truly no manners, no hygiene at all!

In Yun Ran's view, besides saving face,

it's all about haggling and cutting deals.

And when push comes to shove, some outside help might be needed.

"Yuan Bao, did I bring my outside help?"

"Got it, got it, hehe. Don't you worry, Your Majesty."

Eunuch Yuan glanced back at Grand General Chang. Chang Yuan nodded in understanding, patted his chest, and gave a look that said, "No problem."

Speaking of this outside help, Eunuch Yuan was still puzzled. It was something the Emperor had come up with himself—sort of like a blade, but not really. It was a long, slender, round tube that could shoot projectiles,

a tiny pellet that could instantly kill a rabbit a hundred meters away, or even fleeing criminals, or huge cattle and sheep. Truly terrifying.

Since time was short, they hadn't been mass-produced. Yun Ran brought the two firelocks they'd just made, keeping one for herself and giving the other to Chang Yuan.

If things went south, they'd fire a shot at the Beixiang folks to scare them off.

His Majesty called it "showing force"—combining brains and brawn...

Yuan Bao didn't understand the Emperor's rogue diplomatic tactics. He only knew that the Emperor occasionally went crazy and acted erratically.

To get what he wanted, he'd sometimes get into shouting matches with ministers in court, not caring if they threatened to die in protest, even offering them a three-foot white silk to hang themselves with...

And so, the ministers were all scared stiff of him and did whatever he said.

Otherwise, the Ministry of Rites would never have agreed to the Emperor's plan to stop the marriage alliance—something that could cause chaos across the nation...

He was just blindly devoted to the Emperor!

Li Yuanfang came over with his head hanging low, looking like a beaten dog. He knelt on one knee, bowing with his hands folded,

"Your Majesty, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Wan Miao is a total scumbag—he wants three of our Yanchi cities and three hundred thousand taels of silver before he'll even go back to Beixiang to plead for us and cancel the marriage alliance."

"Plead? That wretch isn't pleading—he's trying to score himself some glory. Cities that even our generals couldn't conquer, and he dreams of carving up our Yanchi territory with just his mouth? Dream on!"

Yuan Bao spat, full of venom.

Having spent so long by the Emperor's side, he'd picked up such coarseness himself.

Yun Ran listened, then shot Wan Miao a glare as sharp as a knife. From a distance, Wan Miao instantly felt a chill down his spine.

She clapped Li Yuanfang on the shoulder and shouted,

"Yuan Bao, go tell Chang Yuan to give him a shot! Don't hit anyone—just knock the Beixiang down a peg."

"Also, has the palace weapons workshop started production yet?"

Yuan Bao quickly nodded, saying proudly,

"Yes, yes. The Ministry of Works folks have gone mad since getting the blueprints—skipping meals, skipping sleep, holed up in the foundry all day tinkering away."

Yun Ran nodded. In that case, they'd have to play dirty.

This time, they'd pay up, but they'd never give up an inch of land.

With countless weapons and gadgets at her disposal, how could Yun Ran swallow her pride?

Paying up was just a way to buy time; Yanchi still needed time to grow.

"General Chang, here's the plan..."

After a few whispered words, Chang Yuan understood, dismounted in one swift motion, and strode to the front.

Li Yuanfang also got his whispered orders, and his confidence soared. His eyes lit up, and he looked at Yun Ran with pure admiration.

"Yuan Fang, what's your take?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty! With all these aces up our sleeve, Beixiang has no choice—they'll have to agree!"

The court historian shook his head nearby, scribbling constantly in his little notebook,

muttering to himself,

"Reckless, reckless! He's stopped the previous emperor's marriage alliance plan. Diplomatic relations between nations are already difficult—this will throw the whole country into chaos."

Lord Jiang, the Minister of Rites, also shook his head in disbelief.

The Emperor's actions were absolutely outrageous—nothing like this had ever been seen.

Eunuch Yuan gritted his teeth, glaring daggers.

Those damn scribes, always bad-mouthing His Majesty!

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!