"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I only just met them; they came to me," Li Yifeng said bitterly.
At this point, if he still didn't know that the Emperor disliked the Yamata Nation, then he would be a fool. Given the Emperor's stature, he wouldn't attack the Yamata Nation upon first meeting; it was clear that he loathed them to the extreme.
Having a relationship with them is practically suicidal—it's like lighting a lantern in a toilet!
In fact, he had only just met these people, who wanted to buy a large amount of supplies from him, but he hadn't agreed yet. He never expected such a big thing to happen.
Lin Yi remained calm and smiled, "Don't worry, as long as you don't violate the rules of my Great Liang, I naturally won't take action against you. I'm a reasonable person."
Forehead!
Upon hearing this, Li Yifeng's lips twitched.
Reasoning my ass! If we were truly reasonable, we wouldn't have attacked foreign envoys without a second thought. This "reasoning" probably reflects the Emperor's own feelings.
If I'm in a bad mood, I'll kill someone.
Especially his identity as a member of the Li Imperial Clan, which was a death warrant; if it hadn't been somewhat useful before, he would probably be dead already.
He glanced at Princess Shenle beside him, then smiled wryly and said, "Your Majesty is magnanimous. You even saved my life before. I am deeply grateful and would never dare to overstep my bounds."
"I am not one to bring up past grievances. If the Yamata Nation contacts you again, just agree. I will send the Net of Heaven) to take over." Lin Yi glanced at him and said in a deep voice.
The Yamata Nation, which was plotting to seize the potato seeds, was naturally not going to give up halfway.
However, it would be naive of them to think that they can rest easy simply because of the vast ocean.
Expansion of overseas territory is inevitable, so let's use the Yamata Nation as a sacrificial offering.
The original Yamata Nation was a major silver-producing country in Asia, with astonishing silver reserves. It remains to be seen whether this otherworldly version of Yamata Nation has sufficient resources.
Since Sun Jian was recently training for naval warfare, let him practice against the Yamata Nation and also increase the income of Great Liang.
Silver and gold have been international currencies since ancient times.
"This humble subject understands!"
Li Yifeng smiled wryly, but still accepted the task.
To be honest, he didn't want to get involved; it was far too dangerous, and could lead to utter ruin.
Lin Yi remained silent, leaving his seat to Princess Shenle, who was her only remaining family member.
Looking at her family member, Princess Shenle's expression was complex.
This was both his only relative and his enemy; his own father had killed his father.
She sighed deeply, "Cousin, I apologize to you on behalf of my father. Our family has wronged you. Don't worry from now on. As long as you don't have any wild thoughts, the Emperor won't do anything to you."
Hearing her words, Li Yifeng gave a bitter laugh, and finally said with a sour tone, "Being in the royal family means you have no choice in what you do. Your Majesty, you don't need to blame yourself. The grudges of the previous generation have been settled. I should be thanking Your Majesty for saving my life."
He knew in his heart that if it weren't for the Empress's sake, he and Li Siyuan might not have survived.
Besides, Princess Shenle was also schemed against by her father, the Emperor. To put it bluntly, she was a pitiful person just like me. She was just lucky to have met the Emperor.
The Great Liang Northwest Region!
At this moment, the delegation from the Frostwest Empire, after several days of travel, finally entered the Central Plains.
The envoy was Ashley, the chief minister of the Frostwest Empire. He came in person to see why his nephew had suffered such a crushing defeat.
After seeing the situation in Great Liang, his expression grew increasingly grave, and he sighed, "I also came to the Central Plains ten years ago, when it still belonged to the Great Ning Dynasty. I never imagined it would develop so quickly!"
"Minister, the reason this place has developed so rapidly is because after Great Liang took over, it vigorously promoted commercial circulation, making this place a transit hub, which is why it has risen so quickly," a waiter explained in a low voice.
" Great Liang!"
Hearing this, Ashley felt a pang of gloom. If all these changes were brought about by the Emperor of Great Liang, then it was truly terrifying.
If these remote western regions can improve so quickly, then the overall development of the Great Liang population must be even more remarkable. Compared to the ever-decreasing Frostwest Empire, this is nothing short of a nightmare.
As he traveled along, witnessing the gradual prosperity of Great Liang, he could clearly feel that Great Liang had indeed become stronger, and that this strengthening was visible to the naked eye.
Leaving aside the military, the living conditions and mental outlook of these ordinary people are vastly different.
Moreover, the constant celebrations along the way, coupled with the heartfelt support from the people, made it difficult for them to remain calm, which is definitely not a good sign.
The emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty was Zhenwu, which clearly indicates a powerful emperor.
If it still enjoys such popularity, then the Great Liang is essentially a living war machine, which is extremely dangerous for the Frostwest Empire.
He couldn't help but look at Princess Anne, and said with a wry smile, "Your Highness, the Frostwest Empire needs peace. I hope you can consider the bigger picture..."
He was well aware of the rules for his princess, but now was not the time for her to act willfully. If she displeased the Emperor of Great Liang, many, many people would die.
Princess Anne ignored him, resting her chin on her hands and gazing at the distant sky, a slender golden sword resting on her knees, lost in thought.
Why!
Ashley's lips twitched. These princesses and such, they all seem to have some issues.
Why bother with all these rules? They're so annoying! I'll probably have to resort to some unconventional methods, maybe even the imperial aphrodisiac.
Once the deed is done, no amount of swords will help.
Just as he was about to give up, Princess Anne spoke up.
She straightened up, stretched slowly, and sighed, "There's an old saying in the East: 'How can one allow another to sleep peacefully beside one's bed?' What's the use of this so-called marriage alliance? I'll do my best!"
"This..." Ashley was speechless upon hearing this, utterly speechless.
Two tigers cannot share one mountain, and the same is true for the Frostwest Empire and the Great Liang. There can be no lasting peace between the two sides. If either side harbors any ambition, war will likely break out.
Although Her Highness's words are unpleasant to hear, they make a lot of sense.
He couldn't help but sigh, " The Frostwest Empire is declining, while the Great Liang is thriving. This is indeed a very serious problem. I hope Your Majesty can reverse this situation."
"As difficult as ascending to heaven!"
Princess Anne gave a self-deprecating laugh.
She didn't look down on her father; if he could have turned things around, things wouldn't have come to this point.
He's almost sixty years old. He had decades of vigorous energy before he couldn't conquer the Great West Empire, let alone later. Now, the Frostwest Empire is sandwiched between several major powers, and it's too difficult to reverse this situation.