Under everyone's gaze, You Hun could only say, "This unusual stone, it-it isn't a question of whether it looks good. It really is the sort that's very, very rare..."
But he was dim-witted. Even after racking his brains, he could not come up with a description. This was just a damned rock from the roadside! He could pick up a cartload on his way home from the palace!
Fei Zhong, standing beside You Hun, suddenly understood. Fei never left You, and You never left Fei. The two occupied a peculiar position at court. Since You Hun knew about the rebellion, Fei Zhong naturally knew as well.
Fei Zhong thought that His Majesty was probably preparing to disclose the barbarian rebellion and seek the feudal lords' assistance. He had chosen the most ordinary stone from the Flower and Stone Transport precisely to lower the tribute standards to the absolute minimum.
This meant that, when presenting Flower and Stone Transport tribute in the future, they could even make up the numbers with ordinary roadside stones, without troubling themselves to search for rare treasures.
This...
Even Fei Zhong could not help bowing in sincere admiration. His Majesty was sacrificing the annual tribute expenditure and his own prestige to reduce casualties among Great Shang's soldiers, in exchange for the feudal lords sending troops against the barbarians.
His mind raced. He had to praise this ordinary stone until flowers rained from the heavens, preserving His Majesty's last shred of dignity. Thus, he said, "This stone is precisely that exceedingly rare sort of restrained stone. Ordinary though it appears, it has weathered countless storms, undergoing tempering, tempering, and still more tempering before attaining its present form. All its precious radiance is concealed within. It is truly a treasure seldom found in this world!"
Zi Shou was