AWB Chapter 186 Cooperation
Chapter 186 Cooperation
Yelü Dan's concerns were not unfounded. This was inside the Dali Royal Palace, and the person before her was Xie Jinghan's most favored princess. While she certainly wanted to cooperate with Xie Jinghan, she also worried that Wen Shuyao would ignore her because of the previous rumors, or even...
Even in the Northern Di, Yelü Dan had heard many rumors about the jealousy and rivalry among the noblewomen of Dali.
Meeting Yelü Dan's suspicious gaze, Wen Shuyao smiled gently.
Wen Shuyao was indeed extremely beautiful. Even Yelü Dan, who was proud of his appearance, couldn't help but be momentarily distracted when he saw her smile.
After a moment, Yelü Dan came to his senses.
Then Wen Shuyao's gentle voice rang out: "The princess has come to see me this time, presumably to discuss the matter of cooperating with Prince Xin."
A single, casual remark was enough to make Yelü Dan's eyes widen in astonishment.
Yelü Dan never expected that her plan, which she considered extremely secretive, would be revealed by Wen Shuyao in such a casual tone.
Wen Shuyou felt that Yelü Dan's reaction was not strong enough, and continued, "The princess is a smart person. She probably realized that cooperating with Prince Xin was not a good idea, so she wanted to find a different partner."
"I wonder what the princess's plans are?" Wen Shuyao asked calmly, a smile in her eyes.
Clearly, she was already aware of the deals between Yelü Dan and Prince Xin.
After the initial shock, Yelü Dan calmed down.
Her expression hardened slightly, and she said, word by word, "Naturally, it's for what I'm after."
"Give me two hundred thousand taels of silver," Yelü Dan said in a deep voice. "I can guarantee that the Northern Di will not invade your Dali border for the next ten years."
Two hundred thousand taels of silver was nothing more than a drop in the ocean for the Prince Jing's mansion.
Sure enough, Wen Shuyao nodded slightly after hearing her words.
Seeing this, Yelü Dan was secretly delighted.
Two hundred thousand taels of silver is enough for her to do a lot of things; at the very least... she can completely take control of the Northern Di's finances and army...
After careful consideration, Yelü Dan's expression grew even happier.
To everyone's surprise, Wen Shuyao slowly shook her head: "This verbal promise is clearly not worth two hundred thousand taels of silver."
"I can……"
“Even if an alliance was signed…” Wen Shuyao smiled and calmly stated a fact, “The Northern Di also signed an alliance with our Great Li back then, but in the eyes of the Northern Di, this alliance seemed to be just a piece of waste paper.”
Upon hearing this, Yelü Dan's expression darkened.
She naturally disagreed with her father's treacherous actions, but she had no say in the Northern Di, and her father never listened to her opinions.
But how could she gain Wen Shuyao's trust?
As he pondered this in his heart, he heard Wen Shuyao slowly reply, "Prince Xin is already impatient."
Yelü Dan paused, her eyes filled with wariness as she looked at Wen Shuyao.
“The Prince Jing’s mansion is fully aware of Prince Xin’s situation,” Yelü Dan said with a hint of sarcasm. “How come they still allow him to cause trouble in the capital?”
“If we don’t give him the opportunity to cause trouble, it won’t be easy to catch him red-handed.” Wen Shuyao shook her head. “Princess, let’s talk about your plan.”
Now that she was at a disadvantage, Yelü Dan was a pragmatic person. She only pondered for a moment before silently enduring it.
“He gave me money, and I helped him disrupt the border and lure the enemy away from the mountain.”
This short sentence confirmed what Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan were thinking.
“However,” Wen Shuyao’s beautiful eyes widened as she stared directly at Yelü Dan, “it is clearly the easiest way to kill you through the Qianqiu Society and then frame the prince.”
“The princess has also figured this out, which is why she chose to come to me,” Wen Shuyao said slowly. “The 200,000 taels of silver that the princess wants can be provided by our Jingwang Mansion, but… your Northern Di will also have to pay some price.”
Upon hearing this, Yelü Danxin sensed something was wrong.
However, she now has no other choice.
Under Yelü Dan's wary gaze, Wen Shuyao softly uttered the conditions that Yelü Dan found deeply humiliating: "What we demand is that the border between the Northern Di and the Dali be moved back one hundred li to the north."
Yelü Dan stared wide-eyed at Wen Shuyao in disbelief.
Retreat a hundred li? That means the Northern Barbarians' territory has shrunk by a hundred li to the north! If you calculate it that way... wouldn't that be ceding territory and paying reparations?
"Impossible!" Yelü Dan glared at Wen Shuyao. "How could this be? If this agreement is signed, I will become the eternal sinner of the Northern Barbarians!"
"What about your posthumous reputation? By then you'll be nothing but dust. How will you know how future generations will judge you?" Wen Shuyao said slowly. "As for your reputation in life... you will hold great power in the Northern Di and become their queen. Even if they say the most hurtful things, they won't dare to say anything to your face."
“It’s only a hundred li.” Wen Shuyao’s tone was calm, as if she were talking about the weather today. “We can also return those two cities to you.”
"With two cities and two hundred thousand taels of silver, and with the princess's intelligence and talent, wouldn't it be a piece of cake to take down the Northern Di?" Wen Shuyao chuckled. "Princess, if I were you, I wouldn't hesitate any longer."
Yelü Dan was indeed hesitant. If he could obtain the two cities and this sum of money, the throne of the Northern Barbarians would be within his grasp, but the border line would be pushed back a hundred miles...
She slowly closed her eyes, her hands clenching tightly.
What should she do?
She was almost powerless to resist such a blatant scheme.
A moment later, Yelü Dan suddenly opened his eyes: "I promise you."
For her, the throne was more important.
As for the boundary line...
If the Northern Barbarians can become strong, they can take it back.
But if the throne falls into the hands of her useless brothers, the border will only recede further and further, and the very existence of the Northern Di will be in question.
After Yelü Dan understood this, he became very peaceful.
"I've agreed," she said softly. "I hope you'll keep your promise and deliver what I want to me."
"Here are the silver notes." Wen Shuyao immediately held out her hand and took out what she had prepared beforehand.
Yelü Dan was stunned; she clearly hadn't expected Wen Shuyao to act so quickly.
This thick stack of banknotes belongs to Sihai Money Exchange.
Sihai Money Exchange was an industry of the Yan Kingdom, with branches in both the Northern Di and the Dali regions.
The silver notes from Sihai Money Shop were genuine. Upon receiving the 200,000 taels of silver notes, Yelü Dan was still somewhat dazed, thinking he was dreaming.
She never expected that the banknotes would fall into her hands so easily.
Just a few days ago, Prince Xin was still arguing with her over this silver note, and even wanted to get rid of her in order to save the money.
Yelü Dan was in a daze, and carefully placed the silver notes in his bosom.