Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1525 Solution
"Lord Ao Zang, your daughter said that the Dragon Palace has a way to make people more perfect?"

Shangluo made the call, and without giving Ao Zang time, immediately mentioned what she wanted.

"When will these people finally learn not to tell others about their own affairs?!"

"Oh? Sorry, it's a bit windy here. What can I say, Old Dragon King?"

"Yes, yes, yes, whatever the immortal desires, the Dragon Palace has it all."

"how much?"

"If we don't want money, how can we ask the imperial court for money?"

"Yes, yes, you still have to pay. The Dragon Palace can't just not take your money, right?"

"No, no, no, I really don't need it."

When will you give it to me?

“I’m coming right now. Perfect timing, I should report what’s going on here to the imperial court; this is something that should be discussed in person.”

Although he said he didn't want any money, when Shangluo announced the start of the transaction, Ao Zang didn't bring up the "no money" part again, clearly just being polite.

Shangluo certainly wouldn't actually refuse to pay. The nature of the Dragon Palace is very clear: they are subjects of the imperial court, theoretically holding the same rank as Ryukyu, and the Dragon Palace and Ryukyu are indeed an inseparable whole, each serving as an extension of the other. Specifically, the Dragon Palace's business in the mortal world unfolds under the guise of Ryukyu, while Ryukyu, in turn, uses the Dragon Palace to maintain its own status.

This action is actually very much in line with the diplomatic tradition of Ryukyu. In the past, Ryukyu was granted three imperial titles by the three kingdoms of Zhongshan, Beishan, and Nanshan, who came to pay tribute to the country in a manner similar to the Three Pure Ones emerging from one breath.

Allowing Ryukyu to do this highlights the hasty nature of opening the country to foreign lands—the contemporary understanding of foreign countries was essentially similar to the worldview in *Flowers in the Mirror*. Overseas countries were located on small islands, each island like an exhibit in a zoo or a scenic area, showcasing unique characteristics. The imperial court believed these countries could pay tribute.

However, while these three places are indeed countries of the scale of the stereotypical Flower in the Mirror, they are actually located on an island. At least, their core area is on an island.

This makes the three kingdoms actually very similar; the differences between them are far less significant than those between the kingdoms in "Flowers in the Mirror." Furthermore, the King of Zhongshan was, to some extent, a de facto overlord. Military conflicts between the three parties were rare, but they competed for prestige through gifts and other means. In reality, these three kingdoms were essentially one country divided into three parts, and the three kingdoms combined only had a population of 150,000. It was only due to some cunning diplomatic choices and the rigid perceptions held by the court that these 150,000 people were split into three tributary states, each receiving a share of trade quotas.

This relationship is similar to the current alliance between Ryugu and Ryukyu. In reality, they are the same country, even their citizens are the same—Ryukyuans. Only at the higher levels, two branches emerge: Ryukyuans live on Naha Island while alive, and go to Ryugu after death; these are two separate entities. This gives Ryugu-Ryukyu considerable convenience, allowing them to cooperate with the Imperial Court on two fronts. And while the Imperial Court does treat them as two separate countries, in reality, they all go into the same account.

It can't be said that the Dragon Palace was deceiving or cheating. The Ryukyu King himself genuinely didn't know of the Dragon Palace's existence; the Dragon Palace merely sidelined the Ryukyu King and held a controlling stake in the Ryukyu Kingdom.

However, they both share a common characteristic: they were both vassals of the imperial court, and therefore had to fulfill the obligations of vassals.

When they come to pay tribute to a country, there must be a back-and-forth exchange between the imperial court and the tributary state; it's just a matter of polite formalities on both sides.

In terms of tributary trade, Ryukyu was professional—their professionalism lay in their understanding that tribute had both ceremonial and commercial aspects. Treating the imperial court as an ATM would only result in the court easily sending these people away with a few coins. Ryukyu, on the other hand, would send up things that the imperial court truly needed, based on its specific requirements, and would even send tributes of things that were inconceivable to an island nation.

For example, in the sixteenth year of the Hongwu reign (1389), Ryukyu began to pay tribute with strategic materials such as horses, sulfur, and copper.
Especially horses. Although it sounds like they were paying tribute with seahorses or something, Ryukyu was actually paying tribute with real land horses, and in considerable numbers. In the sixteenth year of the Hongwu reign alone, 1200 horses were imported from this small country with a population of only 15.

Although Ryukyu had only 15 people, it was remarkably responsive to the needs of the imperial court. They astutely recognized that horses could be raised on the islands. Moreover, horses couldn't climb mountains or swim, making horse-raising on the islands extremely inexpensive. Ryukyu precisely selected packhorses from Sichuan and Yunnan to raise. These horses could tolerate Ryukyu's hot and humid environment and didn't need to eat legumes; they could work simply by eating grass year-round.

To export horses to the imperial court, horse breeding began throughout Ryukyu. All nobles designated horse-breeding areas and distributed the responsibility of feeding horses to every household. Initially, the imperial court purchased horses from Ryukyu annually, but later changed to every other year. Each purchase consisted of over a thousand horses, with 40 designated as tribute and the remainder purchased at market price—a cheap and plentiful arrangement.

Ryukyu has a very deep tradition in this regard. The Ryukyu people have always been savvy; they knew what the imperial court wanted. Moreover, because the Ryukyu Kingdom was small, this practice not only stabilized the lives of the Ryukyu people but also allowed Ryukyu to develop as a model tributary state. It was also one of the few regions where the imperial court directly dispatched skilled immigrants to settle—this in itself was an affirmation of Ryukyu.

After the Dragon Palace surfaced, this relationship continued to this day. Moreover, Ryukyu's business grew larger and larger; they could procure anything and became a trading company masquerading as a nation.

However, for the first time now, there is some discord between the Dragon Palace and Ryukyu.

The Dragon Palace has grown larger.

The Dragon Palace retrieved Xu Fu's 3000 boys and girls, which means that the Dragon Palace's territory is no longer limited to Ryukyu, but has expanded to Japan.

Ao Zang himself knew that this issue needed to be discussed, which is why he decided to take this opportunity to discuss the future of the Dragon Palace with Shang Luo and Zhu Xianxi.

There must be give and take between the imperial court and the Dragon Palace, and nowadays, neither side usually measures the help they can provide for each other in terms of price, because this is often something that money cannot buy.

This time was no different. Shangluo wanted to obtain some technology from the Dragon Palace, while the Dragon Palace wanted to discuss and confirm the current situation.

This is why Shangluo had previously clearly stated that while the Dragon Palace could pursue the 3000 boys and girls from a debt perspective, they could not ultimately decide on the fate of these individuals; they could only come up with a plan acceptable to the imperial court. Now, Ao Zang's investigation has concluded, and his plan is ready.

In the afternoon, Ao Zang arrived at Xiyuan.

"Your ships from Penglai are really fast," Zhu Xianxi said, taking a sip of tea. Shang Luo had only just told him about the Dragon Palace's arrival, and the Dragon Palace had arrived almost immediately. "Hey, this tea is good. How did it get here?"

"The Dragon Palace recently acquired some excellent rootless water, so I brought it here as tea to offer."

"Hmm, that's thoughtful." Zhu Xianxi put down his teacup. "Shangluo, what do you think of this tea?"

"Huh? I can't taste it. But it tastes pretty good?"

"Even someone who doesn't drink tea can tell it tastes good; this tea is indeed excellent. How much water did you bring?"

“I brought half a river.” Ao Zang respectfully handed over a celadon bowl, which was filled with boundless water.

"Good heavens! Don't spill it here! What will happen if you spill it?"

"Oops!" Ao Zang slapped his forehead. "Sorry, sorry, we're used to being in the water, we didn't realize the water would spill." Obviously, if it spilled, it would mean the flood season had started early.

"Commander Lu, come in here for a moment. Take this bowl first, and then pour it into the beverage machine."

Although the water in this vessel is raging, the imperial court has plenty of other water-containing containers, so nothing bad will happen.

They're actually sparring, aren't they? They must be sparring, right?

"I guess so. This is probably the kind of fun that refined people have." Presenting and recognizing treasures is like appreciating each other's antiques. Zhu Xianxi accepted the magical treasures presented by the Dragon Palace.

But logically, this should still be a two-way street.

"By the way, Minister Ao. Here are two golden pills. Please accept them. It's good to have some pills with your tea."

"Oh dear!" Ao Zang stood up. "Thank you for the elixir, Your Majesty."

This is the beauty of Zhu Xianxi being a Dan cultivator. He can readily exchange these small gifts at such times.

The two laughed as they swallowed the pills with tea.

Upon consuming the elixir, Ao Zang was overjoyed: "Your Majesty's cultivation has improved once again today."

"It's thanks to the Dao Ancestor's excellent teachings. But more than that, I've been pondering something else lately. Your presence is a good thing."

"So, what exactly is it?"

"Shangluo should have told you before he came, but he probably didn't tell you everything. We have a girl here who is a disciple of Sazu. She has a toothache today and wants to ask the Dragon Palace if there is any prescription for tooth regeneration. I would like to ask for one for her."

Zhu Xianxi immediately downplayed the matter – he reduced the enormous requirement of “the method for dragons to transform” to “a prescription for treating teeth”.

Asking for an exorbitant price is the only way to negotiate a lower one. If you start with a fixed price, you can't possibly ask for an inflated one. Zhu Xianxi's plan is to negotiate a single price upfront, and then expand on that later.

Wow, masters sparring!

“Yes, yes.” Ao Zang immediately took out a small box. “There’s a tooth in here. Just put it in her.”

Ao Zang had come prepared. He seemed to have guessed that Zhu Xianxi would try to lower the price by mentioning "dental treatment prescriptions," but in reality, Zhu Xianxi wanted much more than just teeth; he wanted a complete solution. However, the final price is often related to the starting price.

So he directly offered a solution, ending the conversation with Zhu Xianxi—if you want dental treatment, there are treatment methods here; if you want to talk about anything else, you can continue the discussion on a different basis.

"How much is this?"

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Ao Zang handed over the small box. “I’ll also watch that movie. Consider this a small personal gift. No need to calculate the price.”

The most expensive things are those that have no price. If you start negotiating with no price, any price is possible.

"That's true." Zhu Xianxi accepted the small gift and then handed it to Shang Luo. "After we're done here, you can take it to Yanqiu. Tell her it's a small gift from the Dragon King, and that she doesn't need to worry about it and can accept it without any worries."

Zhu Xianxi skillfully deflected the question about the small gift formula, and then changed the subject:
"By the way, does Minister Ao still have any interest in meeting Xu Fu?"

"Huh????" Ao Zang was suddenly startled. This was the first time he had been moved since the start of the talks.

He immediately realized that he had given himself away—but the name Xu Fu was too deeply ingrained in his mind.

He took a sip of tea to calm himself down and said, "Xu Fu, our business with Xu Fu is not over yet. When I took over the Dragon Palace, all the previous kings told me that we must not let Xu Fu escape."

"Xu Fu, like you, was a celestial being from Penglai, wasn't he?"

"Although we are both immortals from Penglai, I am a loyal minister and Xu Fu is a treacherous minister. We are irreconcilable enemies with that traitor."

"Hey, you can't say that," Zhu Xianxi waved his hand. "I think he's a hero for daring to pull a tooth out of the First Emperor's mouth. The First Emperor was unrighteous and immoral, so he fled overseas to avoid disaster. It's like a wise bird choosing a tree to perch on, or a virtuous minister choosing a lord to serve. If everyone in the world were loyal to the First Emperor, wouldn't there be no worthy men left in the wilderness? If even the First Emperor could leave no worthy men in the wilderness, then what's the point of benevolence and righteousness?"

"But he is deceiving the emperor, Your Majesty."

"The small stick is met with the big stick. It's right for him to dodge the First Emperor's big stick. Look, the virtue of this dynasty can reach heaven and earth. Even Xu Fu, who fled to the moon, returned to the court. Look, this is a good bird, a virtuous minister."

Ao Zang took a sip of tea but didn't respond to that sentence.

[Isn't the level of their sparring a bit too high?] Apollonia was completely stunned. [Where did he learn that?]

"He must have learned it from the Dao Ancestor. The Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi is truly masterful. Indeed, it's better to let my senior brother handle this matter."

“But then again,” Zhu Xianxi suddenly said, “some things still need to be addressed separately. The score between Xu Fu and you still needs to be settled. Xu Fu owes you three thousand boys and girls? The court has approved it.”

"Ah... Your Majesty, is this really true?"

"It's true, it's true. A king's word is his bond; if I say I'll give it to you, I mean it. However, the laws of this dynasty currently prohibit the buying and selling of people. Therefore, according to the current laws, we need to discuss how to grant you this right. I think the Dragon Palace's territory can be expanded. But your relationship with Ryukyu needs to be renegotiated."

Zhu Xianxi's meaning is clear—the Dragon Palace cannot be established as a transnational political entity; they can only choose one of two options. Alternatively, the Dragon Palace can be divided in two, with two parts governing two sea territories.

(End of this chapter)