The envoy opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
Elena walked over to the stone table and sat down, picking up the stack of returned lists on the right and examining them carefully.
"You were right to refuse." Elena spoke quickly. "This list looks generous, but seventy percent of the items bear royal markings. Accepting them would be the same as acknowledging the debt. After that, if they want to investigate your forging output, your material sources, or your cooperation with the city-states, they'll have evidence for everything."
Saina crouched beside her, flipping through the list that had been kept.
"Three hundred Purple Gold Coins... we can accept this, right?"
"We can," Su Li nodded.
"And the high-grade herbs? That... Seven-Star Grass?"
"The few plants without royal markings can be accepted."
Saina counted on her fingers for a long while.
"Then can the things we returned be converted into gold coins and have them make up the difference?"
Su Li glanced at her.
"No."
"Why?!" Saina grew anxious. "Those things are worth at least two thousand gold coins altogether. Isn't it such a waste to return them?"
"Because that money has hooks in it." Su Li leaned back in his chair. "Accept the clean things and return the dirty ones—that's making a statement. If you take hooked money, then whenever they tug the line, you'll have to move with it."
Saina's lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing more.
The envoy stood in the middle of the courtyard, unable to advance or retreat, his forehead covered in sweat.
"Mr. Su, then about His Highness sending the princess to marry you..."
"I haven't agreed." Su Li waved a hand. "Take the things away first. Keep what should be kept, return what should be returned. As for