After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

The atmosphere in the main hall of the Honglu Temple was solemn.

The six ministers sat on either side, all with long faces.

Across from them, Turuborot and Akunda sat upright.

Turu wore a brand new Mongolian robe today, but for some reason, it faintly emitted a strange odor. Akunda remained as withered as ever, his eyes slightly closed, like an old monk in meditation.

"Gentlemen!"

Tulu spoke first: "It's getting late, shouldn't we use the seal now?"

Minister of Rites Zhang Sheng sat in the main seat, with two copies of the imperial edict on the table in front of him. The cinnabar inkpad box was already open, waiting only for the final stamping.

He looked around, and everyone instinctively lowered their heads.

The position in the Ministry of Personnel was vacant, as the Left Vice Minister Wang Ao was absent.

Zhang Sheng took a deep breath and slowly raised his hand...

"Wait a minute!"

A clear shout suddenly came from outside the hall.

Everyone turned their heads at once, and saw Zhu Houzhao striding in, followed by Yang Shen and Li Chun.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

Zhang Sheng hurriedly stood up and bowed, but his heart sank.

What's this little rascal doing here again?

Tulu's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and said calmly, "Your Highness Crown Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty, today is the day our two countries sign an agreement. Your esteemed presence has intruded..."

Zhu Houzhao ignored him completely, walked straight to the table, and grabbed the two official documents.

"Your Highness, you mustn't!"

Zhang Sheng's voice changed from anxiety.

With a tearing sound, the official letter was ripped to shreds by Zhu Houzhao.

The room fell silent!

All the Ming officials stared wide-eyed, mouths agape, but could not utter a word.

Tulu abruptly stood up, his face contorted with rage: "Is this how your Great Ming Dynasty handles state affairs? Going back on your word, playing games with your envoys! Is this the demeanor of a Celestial Empire?"

Zhang Sheng's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered, "Your Highness, what...what are you doing?!"

Zhu Houzhao threw the shredded paper in his hand, clapped his hands, and then turned around to look at Tulu.

"By imperial decree, I hereby order the signing of the treaty to be postponed. From this moment forward, I will represent the Great Ming Dynasty to renegotiate with you."

"Renegotiate?"

Tulu laughed angrily: "You think you can just sign whenever you want, and then not sign whenever you want? What do you take me for, a son of the grasslands? A clay figure you can mold at will?"

"I warn you, I know exactly how the troops are deployed in the Hetao region! From Huamachi, Heishan Camp, and the Willow Palisade to Zhenlubao, which area isn't vulnerable? If we really break off relations, you all know who will suffer!"

Zhu Houzhao tilted his head, suddenly leaned closer, and took a deep sniff.

"Wait... why do you smell so bad?"

Tulu's face changed drastically, and he instinctively took a half step back, angrily saying, "How dare you say that! This morning, the latrine of your Court of State Ceremonies exploded, spraying me all over!"

Zhu Houzhao took two steps back with disdain and said, "Forget it, let's talk about serious matters!"

As he spoke, he beckoned, and Yang Shen stepped forward, taking out a brand-new list from his pocket.

"This is the new plan proposed by His Highness the Crown Prince. Please take a look."

Tulu looked at him suspiciously before picking up the list and examining it closely.

His face darkened after just one glance.

"Three thousand catties of tea, five thousand catties of salt, eight hundred bolts of silk, three thousand bolts of cotton cloth, six hundred iron farm tools..."

He looked up, his eyes practically spitting fire: "Are you kidding me? How is this any different from the amount you initially promised? Going back on your word, are you just making fun of me?"

Zhu Houzhao, however, remained calm and composed, beckoning to Li Chun.

Li Chun understood, took out a file from his pocket, and threw it in front of Tulu.

"Your Highness, why don't you take a look at this first?"

Turu frowned: "What is this now?"

"You'll see when you see it."

Tulu opened the file with skepticism, but after reading only a few lines, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

His hands began to tremble, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

On that scroll was Manager Ma's confession!

It details how he used his business as a cover to bribe border town officers to obtain military intelligence, and how he passed the intelligence on to the Northern Yuan!

Even more frightening was that a list was attached at the end of the confession.

These are the border town officers he has bribed over the years!

"This...this is impossible..."

Tulu muttered to himself, his voice trembling.

Akunda sensed something was wrong, leaned over for a look, and a look of horror appeared on his withered face.

Li Chun said with a hint of sarcasm, "Caught red-handed, what else is there to say?"

Tulu took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. He tossed the file aside and said casually, "I can't read your Han Chinese writing, so who knows if this is true or false?"

Yang Shen said calmly, "It's truly astonishing that Your Highness can understand the goods traded in the border market, yet cannot decipher the testimonies!"

Turu had no choice but to ask, "What exactly do you want?"

Yang Shen said, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard has already left the city to arrest people according to this list. If you talk properly now, we can still have something to discuss. But if we wait until we have cleared the border towns and completed the redeployment of our troops, you probably won't even have the right to sit here anymore."

Tulu's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "So what if you've captured people? I don't believe you can mobilize your troops in just a few days! I already know the true situation in the Hetao region!"

"Yes, you've mastered it, so what?"

Yang Shen nodded, his tone suddenly hardening: "Our troops are right there, do you dare to attack?"

Upon hearing this, Tulu was taken aback.

Yang Shen continued, "If your people dare to start a war, you'll be the first to die!"

"you!"

Tulu flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "In times of war, envoys are not to be killed! This has been the rule for thousands of years! Aren't you Han people the most particular about etiquette and law?"

"What if I don't tell you?"

Yang Shen smiled, a smile that was calm and serene.

Tulu was so angry that he trembled all over, pointed at Yang Shen, and couldn't speak for a long time.

Akunda gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Your Highness, calm down."

Tulu took a few deep breaths before he could barely suppress his anger and sit down again.

"Good, good, you guys are awesome."

He gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "So how do you plan to negotiate? I absolutely will not agree to that previous proposal! There was too little stuff, the price was unfair, and you've made all the money!"

Yang Shen nodded: "If you really want to talk, His Highness the Crown Prince has specially added an agreement."

As he spoke, he took out another document and pushed it in front of Tulu.

Tulu took it suspiciously and examined it closely.

The new plan has only one clause: the Ming Dynasty will purchase wool produced on the grasslands at market price, with wool costing five wen per jin and cashmere costing fifty wen per jin.

Turu was stunned again, looked up at Yang Shen, then at Akunda, his face full of confusion.

"What...why do you need wool for?"

Not only him, but all the Ming Dynasty officials present also showed puzzled expressions.

Zhang Sheng couldn't help but step forward and whisper, "Your Highness, shouldn't we reconsider this matter? Wool is only good for making felt. Besides, grassland wool is coarse, and the felt made from it doesn't fetch a good price. Buying it without any limit every year is just a waste of money!"

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said, "Father's decree states that I am fully responsible for restarting the negotiations, so you don't need to worry about it."

Zhang Sheng opened his mouth, but seeing the Crown Prince's resolute attitude, he had no choice but to retreat dejectedly.

Turu and Akunda exchanged a glance and quickly began communicating in Mongolian.

"Imperial Advisor, what do they mean by this?"

"I don't understand either... On the grasslands, wool isn't really that useful except for making tents and felt blankets. What do the Han people need so much wool for?"

"Could it be a scam?"

"It doesn't seem like... it's written in black and white that there's no limit to the annual purchases. If it were fake, they wouldn't have bothered to add that clause."

"Why wasn't it written in the official letter?"

"Your Highness, have you noticed that the Han people want to buy wool, but there's no limit specified!"

Tulu scratched his head. The goods for trade in the official document all had a quantity limit, but this one was listed separately without an upper limit. Did it mean that it could be accepted indefinitely?

The two discussed it for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

Tulu turned to Yang Shen: "You need to be clear about how much you're charging?"

"Take as many as you have!"

"really?"

Yang Shen nodded: "It's all in black and white, I will never go back on my word."

After thinking for a while, Tulu asked in confusion, "What trick are you guys up to now?"

Yang Shen said somewhat impatiently, "If Your Highness is not satisfied, you can skip this item and we can proceed with the previous list."

Turu quickly waved his hand: "Yes! Of course I want it!"

He quickly began to calculate in his mind.

An adult sheep can yield three to four pounds of wool and about half a pound of cashmere per year.

There are countless cattle and sheep on the grassland. If all of them were sheared and their wool sold, it would be a considerable income!

And wool can grow back after being sheared!

More importantly, wool is considered waste on the grasslands.

Being able to exchange them for real copper coins is like a windfall!

Tulu became increasingly excited and immediately agreed, "Okay! I agree!"

Zhu Houzhao grinned: "Someone, print more!"

"Your Highness, please wait!"

Zhang Sheng stepped forward again to stop him, urgently saying, "Such matters of state must be reported to His Majesty and approved by imperial decree before they can be considered valid!"

Seeing this, Tulu said with a mocking tone, "Who exactly is talking here? One minute the Crown Prince is in charge, the next you want to consult him. Are you trying to make a fool of us?"

Zhu Houzhao glared at Zhang Sheng: "Minister Zhang, didn't you hear the Emperor's decree?"

Zhang Sheng glanced at Zhu Houzhao, then at Tulu, and finally sighed before stepping aside.

Turu and Akunda discussed it in hushed tones in Mongolian for a moment, and finally nodded.

"sign!"

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand dismissively: "Bring me the seal!"

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial had already prepared new official documents, and both sides exchanged them using their respective seals.

Holding the document stamped with the imperial seal of the Ming Dynasty, Tulu felt a mix of emotions.

Today's negotiations were full of twists and turns.

They thought victory was assured, but the situation reversed in the blink of an eye.

The spy network was wiped out, and their greatest asset collapsed instantly.

Fortunately, the last clause regarding the purchase of wool salvaged some of their reputation.

He just couldn't understand why the Han people wanted so much wool.

The same question lingered in the minds of all Ming Dynasty officials.

After everyone had left, Zhang Sheng approached Zhu Houzhao with a pained expression and said, "Your Highness, regarding the wool purchase... what are you really thinking? That stuff is really useless!"

Zhu Houzhao smiled mysteriously: "Minister Zhang, you don't understand."

Zhang Sheng could only say, "This subject truly cannot understand; I humbly request Your Highness's guidance!"

Zhu Houzhao tilted his head and said, "You'll understand later!"

Zhang Sheng was speechless for a moment and could only bow and take his leave.

Zhu Houzhao turned to Yang Shen: "Yang, what exactly do you need that wool for?"

Yang Shen smiled and said, "It's almost noon, Your Highness, are you hungry?"

Zhu Houzhao patted his belly and nodded vigorously, saying, "Then let's go eat first? The Court of State Ceremonial should have already prepared lunch."

Yang Shen suggested, "How about we go out to eat?"

Zhu Houzhao immediately perked up: "Great!"