Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 342 My Empress Dowager, she still retains her charm~
"The Red Turban Army didn't enter the city?"

Inside the palace, the Iron Pot Emperor asked incredulously, "They really didn't enter the city?"

"Yes."

Hama bowed and said, “They have occupied the city walls, but they have not entered the city.”

The Emperor of the Iron Pot, relieved, asked in bewilderment, "Why is that?"

Yes, they captured the city walls, yet they didn't enter the city; it's truly incomprehensible.

"Perhaps, it's for peace talks?"

Even a dog wouldn't believe what Hama said.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince both shook their heads, saying, "Impossible."

For peace talks to be successful, there always needs to be something to offer.

What does the Yuan Dynasty have left now?

"besides."

Hama spoke slowly and deliberately: “The grasslands, the Western Regions, and the various khanates.”

“These are all places where we can talk.”

"Prime Minister, have you lost your mind?" The Crown Prince frowned in displeasure. "The tribes of the grasslands have already stated that the imperial court is not allowed to enter the grasslands."

"As for the Western Regions and the various khanates, if they could listen to the court, the Yuan Dynasty would not be in this state."

The internal strife among the Mongols was actually quite intense.

When Kublai Khan became the emperor of the Central Plains, his first act was not to attack the Southern Song Dynasty, but to attack his poor relatives on the grasslands and build the Great Wall for defense.

As for the various khanates, they had long since become localized.

When the Yuan Dynasty was powerful, it was acceptable to just give it a token gesture.

But now a phoenix with its feathers plucked is no better than a chicken. The only reason they don't kick someone when they're down is because they share the same bloodline as the Golden Family.

"We know all of this."

Hama, looking completely confident, said, "But the Red Turban Army doesn't know."

"The imperial court can use these as conditions to negotiate with the Red Turban Army in exchange for the imperial court's withdrawal to the grasslands."

"As long as it can return to the grasslands, it's like an eagle escaping its cage!"

"We will surely spread our wings and soar!"

The emperor, the crown prince, the empress, and their family of three put aside their previous prejudices and worked together to survive in the face of life and death.

After reaching an agreement, it was stated that the matter would be entirely left to Hama to handle.

"Sweat profusely."

Hama began to set conditions: "If you want to make peace talks, gifts are essential."

Queen Qi asked, "What gift would you like?"

"Gold, silver, jewelry, cattle, sheep, and horses are essential."

"Beautiful women are naturally indispensable as well."

"And another thing." Hama finally felt it was time for revenge. "Previously, Richard Khan and his son Wang Baobao strongly advocated for war, which resulted in the loss of a large army."

“Such pro-war faction members should have their heads cut off and presented to the Red Turban Army to show the sincerity of our Great Yuan in seeking peace.”

These words left the family of three looking at each other in bewilderment.

Something feels off.

“No.” The Iron Pot Emperor shook his head repeatedly. “The father and son have made outstanding military achievements and enjoy high prestige in the army.”

"This cannot be dealt with lightly, absolutely not!"

Hama, with her head down, flashed a hint of anger in her eyes.

The emperor won't listen to me?

You're going to be in trouble too!

"Without their heads," Hama bluntly declared, "peace talks will not succeed."

This~
The Emperor of the Iron Pot was in a great dilemma.

"Wow, that's a lot of sweat!"

Hama said coldly, "In order to quell the anger of the Red Turban Army, His Majesty must also make a gesture."

The Iron Pot Emperor never expected that things would turn out this way and affect him. "I've already abdicated, what else do you want in return? You can't just kill me, can you?"

"It's a true abdication."

Hama bowed to the Crown Prince and said, "I beseech the Crown Prince to ascend the throne!"

The Iron Pot Emperor had already issued an edict to take responsibility for the fall of the country and abdicate, but the Crown Prince had not officially ascended the throne, acting as regent.

In terms of status, the Iron Pot Emperor was still the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty.

He never expected that by defending Wang Baobao and his son, he would offend Hama.

Empress Qi and the Crown Prince both showed signs of excitement.

Although the crown prince has already taken power, he is not legitimate as he has not yet ascended the throne.

Now, after years of anticipation, there is finally a chance to realize it, and I am naturally overjoyed.

The Emperor of the Iron Pot was furious and roared that he forbade it.

But Hama insisted that there would be no peace talks until the Crown Prince ascended the throne.

Driven by a group of terrified members of the royal family and ministers, the Iron Pot Emperor was finally 'voluntarily' persuaded to allow the Crown Prince to formally ascend the throne.

"After all, there are still many troops of Richard Khan and his son inside the city."

Despite his ecstasy, the crown prince remained somewhat rational.

"Only one person needs to be dealt with."

Those who went out to fight before were all selected troops, mainly Mongol and Semu people.

Most of the landlord militia under the command of Li Chahan and Wang Baobao remained in the city.

If we were to kill both father and son, it's hard to imagine how these landlord militias would react.

Hama was very dissatisfied with this.

However, the same trick cannot be used twice.

The threat of peace talks can only be used once.

After thinking it over, he decided to eliminate Richard Khan, who posed the greatest threat, first.

After all, Richard Khan was the nominal commander of those landlord militias.

Moreover, only by killing Richard Khan could Wang Baobao become even angrier, more desperate, and more tormented.

"Wang Baobao".

Inside the imperial prison, Hama looked at Wang Baobao, who was chained up, with a smile on his face. "Back when you were stealing my thunder during the peace talks, did you ever think that this day would come?"

Seeing his father, covered in wounds, being dragged away, Wang Baobao, consumed by rage, roared, "You madman, just for this?!"

"Humph."

"Those who offend me will never have a good ending!"

Hama laughed with satisfaction and clapped his hands. Soon, the panicked Guanyin slave was brought in.

"Abu~"

"Aha~"

Upon seeing this, Wang Baobao and Richard Khan glared angrily, exclaiming, "Guanyin Slave?!"

"Hama!" Wang Baobao struggled desperately, the chains rattling. "You dare hurt my sister? I'll kill you!"

"Hmph." Hama scoffed at this and waved for someone to drag Richard Khan out and behead him.

"Over the years, countless people have tried to kill me, but who has succeeded?"

"Not only am I alive and well, but I've also become the Prime Minister of the Yuan Dynasty!"

“You fools who are devoted to the country are now imprisoned and about to die.”

"And I, the traitor in your eyes, will live on!"

"Hahahahaha~~~"

Hama smiled smugly; no one knew better than him how to navigate the Yuan Dynasty court.

"Your sister." Hama looked at Wang Baobao, whose eyes were red, through the iron bars. "I will give her to the Red Turban Army as a gift."

“I will cut off your godfather’s head and give it to the Red Turban Army as a gift.”

"So, do you still dare to steal my thunder now?"

This is not only because Hama is narrow-minded, but also because of the struggle for power.

Once the peace talks succeeded, they retreated back to the grasslands.

With military power in their hands, the father and son were bound to become the most important figures in the Yuan court.

Hama, this prime minister, probably won't be in office for long.

This is the real reason why he went to such lengths to kill.

He would not allow anyone to threaten his power, not even the Great Khan!

"King Ming~~~"

Hama entered the main tent in the forest again, this time without his deputy.

"You're quite good at coming to mealtimes." Lin Dao tore open a bag of individual rations and joked, "You always arrive just in time for a meal."

Following the normal procedure, the next step should be to say, "Since you're here, let's eat something together!"

Unfortunately, Lin Dao had no intention of inviting him to dinner.

Unfold the folding furnace and put the solid fuel inside.

After lighting it, place the canned food filled with broth on top.

The main dish is Kung Pao Chicken, heated using a heating bag via a chemical reaction.

Pour sweet orange powder into the cup and then add water.

After finishing all that, Lin Dao picked up a piece of fruit candy and popped it into his mouth before finally looking at Hama.

"Another peace talks session?"

While he was busy, Hama, with a smile on his face, was already fantasizing about how he would successfully lead the Yuan court back to the grasslands, then accumulate strength to march south again, defeat the Red Turban Army, and imagine capturing Lin Dao, who looked down on him, and preparing a good feast for him.

He will not let any of those who have offended Prime Minister Hama go unpunished!
"Yes~"

Hama respectfully gestured to the box he had brought.

"Chaghan Temur coerced the Great Khan into sending troops to fight against the Red Turban Army."

"Now that this thief has been brought to justice, please let Your Majesty take a look."

"Ha~" Lin Dao chuckled and shook his head at these words. "Richard Khan, who spent his whole life fighting thieves, was treated as a thief after he died. What an interesting lame joke."

Lan Yu stepped forward and opened the box, which had already been checked before being placed in the tent, to check it again.

Only then did he pick it up and present it to Lin Dao.

Lin Dao reached out and took the orange juice, took a couple of sips, and then looked over.

Richard Khan's head looked rather grotesque.

His face was contorted, his eyes wide open, clearly a man who died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

With a wave of his hand, Lan Yu closed the wooden box and withdrew.

The self-heating meal was ready. Lin Dao opened it, poured it onto a tray, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating.

"What are your conditions? Tell me."

“Your Majesty,” Hama bowed. “There is an old saying in China: ‘If the name is not correct, the words will not be proper.’”

"Now that you have gained the empire, you have naturally inherited the legal system of the Yuan Dynasty."

"This legal system is not limited to the Central Plains."

"There are also the vast grasslands, the Western Regions, and the various Khanates."

"The Great Yuan is willing to hand over this legal system, only asking that the Ming King allow us to return to the grasslands."

Lin Dao eats very quickly; by the time Hama finished speaking, he had already finished his Kung Pao Chicken.

Reaching out, he opened the soup pot and poured the tomato and beef soup into the tray. "That's all?"

With a beaming smile, Hama took out a gift list and handed it to Lanyu.

"The Great Yuan has prepared some gifts for the Ming King, and we hope that the Ming King will accept them with pleasure."

The gift list contained quite a few items.

They had everything: gold, silver, valuables, cattle, sheep, horses, and even an agreement that each tribe on the grassland would have to offer various items as tribute every year.

However, the longest one was a list of beauties.

"Your Majesty has come from afar and has had a long journey. We present you with beauties from the city to serve you."

After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Dao pushed aside the tray and carefully looked at the list.

The one ranked first was named Ningxiang'er.

Her identity was noted as a concubine in the imperial palace.

The second was Ge Xiao'e, also a woman from Emperor Yuan's palace.

Below them are Consort Shu, Long Ruijiao; Consort Li, Zhang Ayuan; Talented Woman Yingying; Cheng Yining, and others.

These palace women were all included in the gift list arranged by Empress Qi.

In particular, none of the so-called seven favored concubines were spared.

In Empress Qi’s view, the bandits would surely torture and humiliate the beautiful woman, which would be a way for her to vent her anger!
The struggles between women can be just as bloody and cruel.

The gift list went on and on; almost all the beautiful women from the wealthy and powerful families in the capital were sent over.

Lin Dao saw a familiar name among them.

Guanyin's slave.

After reading the long list of gifts, Lin Dao looked at Hama, nodded and smiled.

"Empress Dowager Yi still retains her charm!"

(End of this chapter)