The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 204 Wool Business
Bayanbo sighed, seemingly disappointed.

"The Scout Command was established by Prince Ruyang. Now, after so much time has passed, only the prince's family members can command the Scout Command!"

"Besides the princess, no one else has this ability. The only one who came to the Ming Dynasty was the princess, but unfortunately, you still managed to discover her identity!"

Zhu Xiong Ying was clearly taken aback by Bayan Bo's expression.

“I have heard that King Kökö Temür of Qi has a daughter named Boyalunhaibie. Although she is young, she is intelligent and resourceful. Do you think he might be sent here?”

At this moment, Bayanbo was sweating profusely with fear. How could Zhu Xiong Ying even know this? Could it be that their Great Yuan Qi Prince's Mansion had been infiltrated by the Ming Dynasty like a sieve?

At this moment, he made up his mind that once he returned, he would thoroughly inspect the Qi Prince's mansion and eliminate all those spies.

"Your Highness is joking. Princess Haibie is still very young. How could Your Highness bear to let her go out alone? Princess Haibie is still on the grasslands!"

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Bayan Bo with a half-smile.

"If that's the case, it's a pity. I was hoping to meet this person if he were in the Ming Dynasty, but it seems I won't have that honor!"

At this moment, Bayanbo hurriedly spoke.

"Her Highness the Princess has unfortunately ended up in the Prince Qin's residence. But no matter what, she is still a relative of the Prince. I wonder how Your Highness will treat her?"

Zhu Xiong Ying patted Bayan Bo on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, we might even be family in the future. Recently, your Princess Minmin Timur and my second uncle, Prince Qin Zhu Shuang, have been getting along quite well!"

"Now that my second uncle Zhu Shuang has come of age, it's time for him to take a concubine. What do you think of taking Minmin Timur as a concubine?"

Uncle Ayan was furious when he heard this.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

“Princess Minmin is Prince Qi’s own sister. How could she possibly marry a prince of your Great Ming Dynasty as a concubine!”

"If you, the Great Sensitive Ones, are acting in this way, then you are challenging the King of Qi. If the King of Qi knew about this, he would surely lead his steppe warriors south to fight the Ming Dynasty to the death!"

Zhu Xiong Ying yawned, not taking the man's threat seriously.

"You should be very clear about the current situation on the grasslands. I probably know even more than you do!"

"Now, apart from Togus Temur, everyone else on the grasslands has their own territory!"

"Grand Commandant, Chancellor, Marshal, which one is willing to obey Kökö Temür's orders?"

"Moreover, after the previous great battle, Kökö Temür's troops suffered heavy losses. Do you think he still has enough troops to contend with our Great Ming?"

Bayanbo was taken aback.

It must be said that what Zhu Xing said was indeed the truth.

Over the years, battles have frequently broken out on the northern grasslands in order to compete for the limited resources available.

Meanwhile, the Ming army is growing stronger day by day. The capital garrison near Yingtian Prefecture alone is already so strong, not to mention the large number of border troops amassed in the nine important towns along the northern border.

If war were to break out now, it would be extremely disadvantageous for them.

Seeing that it was about time, Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile.

"Actually, it's not impossible for Princess Minmin to become my second uncle's legal wife!"

"My royal grandfather also highly praised your Prince Qi, even calling him a remarkable man in the world!"

"I believe that once Grandfather finds out, he will be willing to arrange a marriage between our children!"

"Our Great Ming is a land of etiquette. Since Princess Minmin has married into our Zhu family, we naturally cannot mistreat her. Therefore, our Great Ming has decided to purchase wool from the grasslands at a price of ten coins per dan!"

“Given our relationship with the King of Qi, it would be best to leave this matter to him!” Bayan Bo was somewhat surprised to hear this.

Wool is arguably the cheapest commodity on the grasslands.

After shearing their sheep, the herders on the grasslands would burn the wool in a concentrated manner. I've never heard of any use for the wool. Something's definitely amiss.

Why would the Ming Dynasty hoard wool? "As far as I know, wool is useless. Why would the Ming Dynasty spend money to buy these useless things?"

Zhu Xiong Ying waved his hand.

"As for its use, I cannot disclose that. This wool is useful to me, but it is of no use to you. Of course, you can also buy wool from other tribes. I will take as much as you can get!"

Bayanbo was calculating in his mind how much benefit they could gain from this matter.

Although ten coins per load is not considered expensive.

However, exchanging useless items from the grasslands for useful supplies is also a good option.

"I wonder if the Ming Dynasty could provide us with some salt and tea?"

There is a huge shortage of salt and tea on the grasslands.

If it weren't for some merchants from the Shanxi Provincial Administration Commission providing them with supplies, they probably wouldn't have been able to hold out on the grasslands until now.

However, the quantity of those supplies was far too small; if they could exchange them for some, it wouldn't be a big deal for them.

Zhu Xiong Ying said with some difficulty.

"You should know that I am only the Crown Prince Regent now, and there are many things that I cannot decide. Even if I wanted to give these things to the grasslands, I believe that the Ming Dynasty would absolutely not agree!"

"However, although we cannot give you salt and tea, we can exchange them for grain. I believe that your northern grasslands should not have enough grain right now!"

"Giving you some food is enough to save your lives!"

Bayanbo was extremely excited when he heard this.

Grain is now a hard currency across the entire grassland; even if you have money, you may not be able to buy grain.

As for the cattle and sheep on the grassland.

Originally, there were quite a few of them, but since the Ming Dynasty drove them back, they didn't have much with them.

The Ming Dynasty's border troops frequently raided the grasslands, so the amount they could keep was far too small.

If we could exchange it for some grain, that would be a good thing.

Thinking of this, Bayanbo nodded excitedly.

"I agree to this on behalf of the king, but we still need to discuss the matter concerning the princess carefully!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded.

“That is the natural course of action. Go back and report this matter to Kökö Temür. If he is willing, I will send someone to the grasslands to receive the wool and trade grain with you. However, this matter must be kept secret!”

"If other tribes find out that our Great Ming Dynasty has a cooperative relationship with your tribe, and they come looking for us, it will be very difficult for our Great Ming Dynasty!"

"After all, my grandfather said that every country and every tribe should be treated equally!"

"It's not something to be proud of to give such a good thing to your family all at once, is it?"

Bayanbo nodded; this matter naturally could not be discussed casually.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, this humble servant will keep this matter a secret!"

(End of this chapter)