Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 727 Cooperation
Puheluo was taken aback when he heard Xie Niangzi's words, and stared at her intently.

Xie Yuyan said, "If the two of them don't stay in Daliang, how can Envoy Pu control the waterway?"

Suddenly struck by a revelation, Puhara instinctively straightened his back. If he had been somewhat hesitant before, after meeting the merchants in Jianyi, he suddenly made up his mind.

If we don't seize control of the shipping route while Li Bodi is captured, we might never have another chance. Li Bodi will definitely clash with Lady Xie upon returning to Srivijaya. If the Liang merchant ships are blocked in Srivijaya, Liang can simply avoid this route and instead purchase spices from Champa and Bonifacio, and sell porcelain, silk, and tea to these countries as well.

Then Srivijaya will be the one to suffer the loss.

The bowls are all smashed, how is he supposed to eat?
He had been bullied by that idiot Li Bodi for many years, and the Li family had long had Datu as their backer. Unless he wanted things to continue like this, he had no choice but to use this power to get rid of Li Bodi.

Xie Yuyan said, "The sea is not peaceful. The merchants of Daliang have gathered together and agreed to train a guard fleet to jointly protect this trade route."

Puhaluo's eyelids twitched again.

Xie Yuyan said, "Daliang is different from Sanfoqi. It does not rely solely on maritime trade. If the shipping route goes wrong in the future, Sanfoqi will suffer greater losses than Daliang. I wonder if the Datu of Sanfoqi can bear such a result?"

Datu couldn't handle it and would only blame his subordinates for their poor performance. Puhara would also be punished. On the contrary, although Liboti was gone, the trade between the two countries was preserved, and more money was earned for Srivijaya. So he was actually doing good and not wrong.

Once this calculation is clear, Puhara will know what to do.

Xie Yuyan looked at Pu Heluo: "The punishment of the Srivijaya envoy by the Great Liang for colluding with criminal officials is a good thing for both countries. If we work together to eradicate the poison at sea, I believe we can soon become an unbreakable alliance. What do you think, Envoy Pu?"

Pu Heluo immediately understood what Lady Xie meant. Without giving, how could one expect a return? The relationship between those who had fought together would naturally be different. With the change of power in the Great Liang, there might be risks in joining one side, but once these people had established themselves, it would be useless for him to try to curry favor with them.

Lady Xie is not capable enough to say such things, so he should think it over carefully.

Puheluo stood up, his expression becoming more respectful: "I have remembered what you said, Madam, but I cannot make a decision on my own. I need to go back and discuss it with everyone..."

Xie Yuyan said, "Then I will wait for Envoy Pu's good news."

Puhara responded, turned around and walked out of the house. His steps looked crisp and neat, without the slightest hesitation.

As Madam Yu entered the room, she whispered, "It seems that this Envoy Pu has made up his mind."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "Being able to secretly associate with Cao Yu under Li Bodi's nose shows that he has long been dissatisfied with Li Bodi. I have seen the accounts in Cao Yu's hands. The prices that Puheluo sold to Cao Yu were extremely fair. This man also once rescued slaves who were being sold at sea. At least he seems to be more benevolent than Li Bodi."

"As for what kind of person he really is, we will gradually be able to see his true colors."

Xie Yuyan knew about the events of the future and could glean some truths from clues.

The demonic cult wasn't always rampant at sea; there's a record of the imperial court once launching a campaign against it, but it didn't escalate, and she couldn't recall the exact time.

In her previous life, without her and Wang Yan's interference, why did Xie Yizhi fail to bring Xu Shu into the Xie family as she wished, and why did the fake Xie Wenjing die so early? It's not hard to guess who was behind this.

Prince Huai must have realized that Xie Wenjing's identity was extraordinary. Xie Chengrang helped him, and the two of them joined forces to suppress Xie Yizhi. It was because of this past that Prince Huai promoted Xie Chengrang after he ascended the throne.

After Xie Chengrang took over the family business, even though he took over the maritime trade from Xie Yizhi, he would not continue to use Xie Yizhi's people. He would cultivate other confidants to work for him, and that person was Cao Yu, her maternal grandfather.

If Cao Yu had private dealings with Puhara, it's not hard to deduce that Puhara had opened up the road to Srivijaya for him. This shows that Puhara had the power to stabilize the situation at sea in Srivijaya after eliminating Li Bodi.

It was precisely because of this that Xie Yuyan decisively took action against Li Bo. Sure enough, after these two were gone, Pu Heluo came to Daliang as an envoy.

As long as Puhara can arrange the following matters properly, their cooperation can be achieved. Xie Yuyan picked up his tea and took a sip.

She said that merchants pursue profit, and she doesn't need to bribe anyone. As long as they establish common interests, they will naturally stand together.

Xie Yuyan put down his teacup and pondered some things.

Xie Chengrang's friendship with Prince Huai during their time as princes was a double-edged sword. Prince Huai had witnessed Xie Chengrang's cunning and was wary of him, so he did not make him a trusted advisor. As a result, Xie Chengrang had to keep a low profile and only used his female relatives to establish a marriage alliance with the royal family many years later.

By now, almost all the secrets have been answered.

Only one...

If the Prince of Huai knew about Xie Yizhi's actions, how could he allow Xie Chengrang to continue to line his own pockets through maritime trade?
Xie Yuyan tapped the table lightly.

Unless the Prince of Huai believes that everything will be completely resolved once the demonic sect is defeated.

Just like now, as long as Wang Yan and she don't continue to investigate, the court will naturally consider the case closed, and then the master can make his appearance.

So when did Xie Chengrang meet his employer? Does his employer still use Xie Chengrang to do anything now?

Madam Yu turned on the lamp on the table, and Xie Yuyan began to look through the accounts. As each expenditure passed by, his mind kept wandering to matters related to his employer.

Just as my eyes started to sting and I was about to lift my head to rest, everything went black as a warm hand gently covered my vision.

The familiar temperature and the familiar embrace brought Xie Yuyan a sense of peace.

Wang Yan's voice rang in my ears: "How long did you sleep last night? Your eyes are bloodshot."

She blinked gently, her eyelashes brushing against his palm, deliberately tickling him—a strangely intimate and amusing moment.

After a moment, he slowly removed his hand.

Xie Yuyan raised her eyes and met Wang Yan's gaze. Naturally, they both smiled. They hadn't seen each other for several days, and Wang Yan had come to Quanzhou at this time because he was worried about things in Srivijaya and wanted to support her.

When Wang Yan sits in the yamen tomorrow, Pu Heluo will work even harder.

Xie Yuyan said, "Once this matter is settled, things will be peaceful at sea for the time being, and we should go back to Bianjing." She missed Zhang Niangzi, Qin Ge, her grandmaster, and her master, and wanted to go back to their little courtyard.

Wang Yan's smile deepened.

"What's wrong?" Xie Yuyan could tell that he had something to say but didn't.

Wang Yan said, "Everyone will be happy, except for Zheng Ge'er."

Xie Yuyan couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Why?"

Wang Yan's gaze then turned towards the courtyard.

Xie Yuyan realized something: "Zheng-ge'er has come to Quanzhou?"

(End of this chapter)