Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 164 The Good Don't Come

Xie Mansion.

"Master, young master, Prince Yi of Xichi Kingdom has come to pay his respects to the Lady."

The newly appointed butler, Liang Zhengde, carefully knocked on the study door.

Inside, Xie Mingshen and Xie Wei were discussing matters. Upon hearing this news, the father and son looked up and exchanged a glance.

Xie Mingshen then said in a deep voice, "Let them sit in the flower hall for a while, I'll be there in a bit."

"Yes," Butler Liang replied and left.

After he left, Xie Mingshen finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Those who come with ill intentions don't come with good intentions."

“Father doesn’t actually have to see them,” Xie Wei said calmly.

Just make up any excuse to get rid of them.

“No.” Xie Mingshen stood up. “They don’t come here without a reason. They must have something on their mind. We need to find out what they’re up to before we can deal with them.”

Even though Xie Mingshen has a thousand faults, he still has a keen political sense when it comes to being an official.

Xie Wei thought about it again and realized it made sense, so he didn't say anything more and followed him out to the front hall to meet the people.

The father and son deliberately arrived a little late, but when they arrived, they found that Gao Sui was not in a hurry at all. He was drinking tea with a smile and talking to Steward Liang.

Hearing footsteps, they looked over and immediately stood up upon seeing the person.

"Thank you, Chief Minister, young Master Xie." Gao Sui was very cheerful, and today he seemed to be acting in a way that suited his age. "I have come uninvited, and I apologize for disturbing you."

Shangguan Yi and Zhao Zaiyan, who were following behind him, also bowed.

"Your Highness is too kind. You have come from afar and are guests. It is not right to disturb guests. I, Xie, should certainly treat you well," Xie Mingshen said politely.

Xie Wei was too lazy to speak, and simply returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

He didn't like this group of people, so he didn't want to pretend to be enthusiastic, which was different from Xie Mingshen.

However, in Shangguan Yi's eyes, Xie Wei was a junior, and his cold face was really impolite, which made his impression of the Xie family even worse.

If both the daughter and son are like this, what kind of good person can the father be?

Although he had interacted with Xie Mingshen before, Shangguan Yi was always treated with courtesy when he came over, so he didn't think much of it. But now he sees that Xie Mingshen is not simple either.

However, Gao Sui had given him special instructions before he came, so no matter what Shangguan Yi was thinking, he didn't show it on his face today, so his visit to pay respects to Lady Yang went quite smoothly.

After offering incense to Yang's memorial tablet, Gao Sui suggested that he had something to discuss with Xie Mingshen. Seeing that they were about to get to the point, Xie Mingshen didn't waste any time and readily agreed, then led Gao Sui into the tea room.

They were not taken to the study.

The study is relatively more private, and Xie Mingshen is wary of it.

Gao Sui was clearly aware of this as well, and his gaze darkened as he lowered his eyes.

But since we're already here, we can't be careless about what needs to be done.

So after sitting down, Gao Sui got straight to the point.

"At yesterday's meeting in the palace, Chief Minister Xie must have been well aware that the taxes on medicinal herbs and porcelain in this treaty concerning trade between the two countries were indeed quite high."

"Your Highness said the same thing in the palace yesterday, but the tariff was set by the Emperor, and I really have no way to deal with it," Xie Mingshen said, not responding.

Gao Sui lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, “How could Chief Minister Xie not have a way? The Emperor values ​​you and Consort Jin in the palace. As long as you are willing to ask, it will surely be possible. I know that your Emperor was able to succeed because he had new technology in smelting weapons. But even with the technology, without iron ore, it’s like a skilled cook trying to make a meal without rice.”

The salt and iron ore resources of Xichi Kingdom are much richer than those of Dajing Kingdom, but Dajing surpasses them in medicinal herbs and timber resources, has superior porcelain-making technology, and more clay mines. Each has its own advantages, which necessitates complementarity and thus mutual trade.

This is normal.

Xie Mingshen listened to Gao Sui's words but remained unhurried.

"Your Highness is joking. How could I easily change the Emperor's decision, let alone Consort Jin? The saying that the harem should not interfere in politics is probably the same in Xichi Kingdom."

“My lord is a wise man, why beat around the bush with me?” Gao Sui looked at him steadily. “If the tariff can be reduced by 30%, I will repay you handsomely.”

Before Xie Mingshen could even open his mouth after he finished speaking, Xie Wei let out a cold laugh.

"Your Highness is quite ambitious. Thirty percent? That's practically the same as the treaty between our two countries in the past. His Majesty will definitely not agree to that. Your Highness, you should give up on that idea. We dare not speak for you."

Seeing this, Zhao Zaiyan quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Of course we can't let your country lower taxes for nothing. Our Xichi Kingdom will soon increase the share of iron ore that can be sold to Dajing by 20%."

After he offered this condition, Xie Mingshen's expression remained unchanged, polite yet distant.

"Since your country has this idea, why bother telling me? Just tell the Emperor directly."

“Lord Xie, we know that you discovered several new iron mines in Liaozhou in the north at the beginning of this year, so you want to be self-sufficient and not buy from us in Xichi,” Zhao Zaiyan said again.

This was essentially a proactive way of pointing out why Xie Mingshen wasn't very interested in what had just been said.

Xie Mingshen smiled and said, "Since Lord Zhao already knows, there's no need to say it again."

“Because I also know that your iron ore mining technology is not good enough, resulting in low mining efficiency and greater danger. So even if there are new mines, it has not solved the problem well. And your emperor is keen to strengthen the army, so the iron ore in your own country will still not be enough for forging weapons. At least for the next few years, you will still have to buy some from my Xichi,” Zhao Zaiyan replied in a deep voice.

Indeed, Emperor Hui's incompetence caused the country's development to be much slower than that of its neighbors, especially the Western Regions.

Previously, the two countries were equals, but during Emperor Hui's reign, the gap between them gradually widened.

Now Zhao Xingjin really wants to improve the country's strength in all aspects, and naturally, strengthening the army is the top priority. In addition to training soldiers, weapons are equally important.

Indeed, as Zhao Zaiyan said, in the next few years, the iron ore supply in Dajing will still not be able to keep up with the demand.

However, Xie Mingshen's thoughts were basically guessed, and his expression did not change.

“Lord Zhao, we need iron. Although mining is slow, we can still get the materials. We can take our time. However, your Xichi Kingdom is short of medicinal herbs, and the climate is not suitable for cultivation. Therefore, we have no choice but to purchase them from our Dajing.”

“We can also purchase from Dayu; they have what you have.”

Shangguan Yi couldn't help but speak up.

Upon hearing this, Xie Mingshen chuckled, picked up his teacup, and drank his tea without replying.

Xie Wei, who was watching from the side, said directly, "Then please go back home. There's no need to talk anymore. We will go to the palace tomorrow to report to the Emperor."

Seeing his attitude, Gao Sui frowned almost imperceptibly, and then immediately tried to persuade him to stay.

"Young Master Xie, why speak so definitively? We, Xichi and Dajing, have been trading for many years, and naturally we hope that our two countries can continue to coexist amicably."

"Your Highness, please return." Xie Mingshen put down his teacup and said in a deep voice, "Today's meeting was merely a casual chat with Your Highness, and whatever we said is meaningless. Your Highness should think it over carefully and discuss it with the Emperor another day."

This is an eviction order.

Gao Sui still wanted to try, but he was too embarrassed to keep lingering, so he had no choice but to leave.

After they left, Xie Weicai turned to look at Xie Mingshen.

"They will probably come again."