Chapter 2

Before long, the envoy from the Mo Kingdom entered the hall.

Bowing to Lin Beifan, the envoy from Mo Kingdom, Qimu, said, “Envoy Qimu from Mo Kingdom pays his respects to Your Majesty of Xia Kingdom. Wishing you health, longevity, and everlasting stability for your realm!”

Lin Beifan got straight to the point, “Thank you! Ambassador from Mo Kingdom, what brings you here on this visit?”

Envoy Qimu from the Mo Kingdom spoke up loudly, “Your Majesty of Xia Kingdom, I am here on the orders of my Emperor, bringing goodwill! Firstly, to celebrate your ascension to the throne; secondly, to forge a friendship treaty between our two nations; and thirdly, to propose a business transaction with Your Majesty!”

“The goodwill of the Emperor of Mo Kingdom has been received! Now, let’s discuss the third matter. What kind of business does the Emperor of Mo Kingdom wish to conduct with me?” Lin Beifan said.

The hall fell silent, everyone listening intently, as they all knew the third matter was their real intention.

The envoy from the Mo Kingdom spoke up loudly, “Your Majesty of Xia Kingdom, our Mo Kingdom has always been in short supply of iron. Thus, we have had to import weapons! This has been a great concern for our Emperor! Therefore, His Majesty hoped that the Xia Kingdom would be willing to cede the Huazhou iron mine and the surrounding three hundred li of land to the Mo Kingdom. In return, Mo Kingdom will offer a gesture of sincerity that will surely satisfy you!”

As these words were spoken, the expressions of all the civil and military officials in the court changed, and they rebuked in unison.

“How dare you! To actually suggest that our nation cede territory!?”

“Is this your so-called sincerity?”

“Go back where you came from! Our Xia Kingdom will never agree!”

The envoy from the Mo Kingdom remained unfazed, instead looking at Lin Beifan with an air of composure.

Lin Beifan narrowed his eyes.

The Huazhou iron mine is situated on the border between two nations, often leading to friction between them and even resulting in two minor wars.

In the end, it was seized by their Xia Kingdom, but the Mo Kingdom’s covetous intentions persisted.

Clearly, they aimed to take advantage of the instability within the Xia Kingdom to snatch the iron mine.

Lin Beifan spoke with a cold tone, “Envoy of the Mo Kingdom, your demand is quite impolite. What if I refuse?”

“Your Majesty of Xia Kingdom, Qimu advises you to agree. It would be beneficial for both sides! Otherwise, we will have no choice but to meet on the battlefield. Please reconsider, Your Majesty of Xia Kingdom!” The envoy of the Mo Kingdom wore a hint of arrogance and sternness on his face.

“How dare you!”

“To actually threaten His Majesty?”

The officials scolded once again.

Lin Beifan waved his hand and said with a composed expression, “My dear ministers, keep calm! Let us first hear what kind of sincerity the Mo Kingdom is prepared to offer in exchange for our country’s iron mine!”

“His Majesty of the Xia Kingdom is reasonable. Then I shall speak frankly!” the envoy from the Mo Kingdom said loudly. “Firstly, our Mo Kingdom is willing to pay 300,000 taels of silver!”

Lin Beifan sneered, “Although our Huazhou iron mine is not large, it produces iron ore worth 100,000 taels annually! The weapons produced each year can equip tens of thousands of men, greatly enhancing our nation’s military strength! You from the Mo Kingdom only want to spend a mere 300,000 taels to acquire the Huazhou iron mine; it is simply a pipe dream, the delusions of a madman!”

“His Majesty is absolutely right, to think of exchanging the iron mine for just 300,000 taels of silver is utterly preposterous!”

“It’s clear they want to take advantage of us during a crisis!”

“Even for one million taels of silver, we will never agree!”

“Your Majesty of Xia Kingdom, please don’t be hasty, we have more to offer!” Mo Kingdom’s envoy Qimu continued, “500,000 taels of silver! In addition to 500,000 taels of white silver, our Mo Kingdom is also willing to provide 2 million jin of grain!” (TLN: 1 jin = 0.6kg)

Lin Beifan’s expression remained unchanged: “Although our country’s land is barren and lacks grain, the idea of using 2 million jin of grain to exchange for our country’s iron mine is absolutely impossible!”

“That’s right! We must not trade!”

“This is the foundation of our nation, no amount of grain is worth exchanging for it!”

“Your Majesty is wise!”

“In addition, our Mo Kingdom is willing to present a pair of exquisite jade ruyi, twenty top-quality agates, one hundred dragon-eye pearls, and a thousand taels of gold, with a total value reaching 200,000 taels!” the Mo Kingdom envoy added.

Lin Beifan was somewhat angered: “Do you think I am a man who covets luxury? What use are these things you bring other than to corrupt my soul and tarnish my noble character? Therefore, I will never agree!”

“His Majesty is right, we will never agree!”

“No matter what they offer, we simply won’t agree!”

“Our territory cannot be ceded!”

The officials were in an uproar, refusing to compromise.

Under this imposing atmosphere, the envoy from Mo Kingdom felt a chill, his voice forceful yet with a hint of trepidation: “Your Majesty of Xia Kingdom, we have already demonstrated our sincerity by making such great concessions! If you still refuse to agree, are you not afraid of the prospect of war? Our nation’s army of 200,000 is already stationed at the border, ready to invade Xia Kingdom at any moment!”

“Are you actually resorting to threats?” Lin Beifan let out a cold laugh, his face showing no fear as he retorted: “Go tell the Emperor of Mo Kingdom, if it comes to war, then so be it. Does he really think I would be afraid of them?”

“Your Majesty is wise!” the officials exclaimed in unison.

At this moment, everyone’s perception of Lin Beifan had changed.

They had not expected that this young Emperor, who had just ascended the throne, would remain unflinching in the face of the Mo Kingdom envoy’s threats and temptations, displaying an unyielding and resolute character throughout.

Could it be that Xia Kingdom was about to witness the rise of a steadfast and enlightened ruler?

The Prime Minister and the Grand General looked at Lin Beifan on the high dragon throne with great satisfaction.

“Elder brother, the Xia Kingdom has hope now!”

Lin Beifan slammed his hand on the table and rose, his presence commanding as he declared, “Whatever tricks you have left, Mo Kingdom, bring them on! If I frown even slightly, then I am not a true man!”

“His Majesty is wise!” the officials bowed once more in admiration.

The envoy from the Mo Kingdom, with reluctance in his heart, spoke, “Originally, we had planned to present the most beautiful woman of Mo Kingdom to you! But now it seems unnecessary! Qimu will take his leave…”

“Wait!” Lin Beifan called out.

The envoy from the Mo Kingdom asked in confusion, “Your Majesty of the Xia Kingdom, is there anything else?”

Lin Beifan inquired, “The first beauty of the Mo Kingdom you mentioned, is it Wang Xiangjun, who is said to possess a beauty that can shut out the moon and put the flowers to shame?”

“Indeed, what about her?” The envoy from the Mo Kingdom was even more puzzled.

Lin Beifan sat down, pleased, “I never expected that your Mo Kingdom would truly show sincerity and be willing to part with such a treasure. I am very fond of this gift! It’s just an iron mine, let’s make the exchange!”

The civil and military officials exclaimed in shock, “F*ck!”

The envoy from the Mo Kingdom echoed, “F*ck”

Everyone was utterly dumbfounded!

After all that talk, I thought you were a man of iron and steel, a wise and valiant Emperor!

But to think you’d fall for beauty so easily, it’s so unexpected!

And you agreed so readily!

It completely baffled everyone!

The envoy from the Mo Kingdom is still in a daze, stuttering as he asks, “Your Majesty of the Xia Kingdom, are you serious? Are you willing to trade the Huazhou iron mine for our Mo Kingdom’s number one beauty, Wang Xiangjun?”

Lin Beifan furrowed his brow: “An emperor does not speak lightly. Do you think I would jest?”

“No, no, no…” The envoy from the Mo Kingdom waved his hands repeatedly and opened his mouth to say, “Then… we have an agreement!”

“Wait, you can’t leave out the things we agreed on before!” Lin Beifan shouted loudly, “I want the silver, I want the grain, the gold, and the jewels you’ve offered as well. I want it all, not a thing less!”

“Yes, yes, yes… Your Majesty of the Xia Kingdom!” The Mo Kingdom envoy hastily responded.

The officials finally came to their senses, anxiously saying, “Your Majesty, this must not be done!”

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