On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Lin Zhenxian nodded secretly.

According to normal logic, this would definitely be a good deal.

Exchanging wine for iron ore has only benefits and no disadvantages.

Minister of Justice Zhao Ming, Minister of Rites Du Wenxuan and Minister of Personnel Qian Shuheng looked at each other, all with confusion in their eyes.

Zhao Ming, the Minister of Justice, secretly complained, "The Ministry of Rites is in charge of etiquette and education, the Ministry of Personnel is in charge of appointments and dismissals of officials, and the Ministry of Justice is in charge of prisons and arrests. Why call them here to discuss trade matters?"

Could it be that we are really eating?

He shrank his neck, put his hands in his sleeves, and silently picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in his mouth to chew, trying to hide his embarrassment.

The maid behind him gently straightened his collar to prevent it from getting stained by food.

Minister of Rites Du Wenxuan coughed lightly, picked up the teacup, and drank the tea to cover up his panic. The scalding hot tea went into his throat, making him shiver slightly, but his eyes swept over everyone intentionally or unintentionally.

Minister of Personnel Qian Shuheng sat upright with his eyes lowered, pondering the deeper meaning of this. His feet unconsciously moved closer to the charcoal brazier, and the chopsticks in his hand fiddled with the food on the plate.

Lin Zhen saw all these actions.

He is indeed an official from our China.

Don’t take on things if you can avoid it, don’t talk if you can avoid talking, and never be the first to act crazy or stupid.

What a good idea: not seeking to achieve anything, but to avoid making any mistakes.

Minister of Revenue Chen Qinian was quite perceptive and quickly grasped the key point. He looked at Lin Zhen with a piercing gaze, "Sir, if we're simply talking about a trade, exchanging Erguotou for ore is truly a good deal. While the brewing process for Erguotou is demanding, judging by the taxes you've reported, the raw material cost isn't high. However, it's quite expensive on the market. If we can exchange this for a large amount of ore, it will be of great benefit to Daqian's finances, taxation, and military industry."

Lin Zhenxian, however, was not easily fooled. He pondered for a while, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, making a clattering sound. "I don't think this matter is that simple. Although the Han people are cowardly, their emperor, Han Tianhong, is no fool. Exchanging precious iron ore for alcohol is clearly a losing trade. There must be something hidden behind it."

Lin Zhen had been listening quietly to everyone's words. At this moment, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth and he nodded slightly: "Grandfather is right. This is a losing business, but South Korea has no choice but to do it."

"Why?" Lin Zhenxian and everyone else asked in unison, all eyes focused on Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen tapped his palm lightly with the jade pendant and said, "Because of Xuanhemen."

As soon as these three words came out, everyone looked shocked.

Everyone knows about this sect, and no one dares to underestimate it.

Lin Zhen continued, "Xuanhemen has a huge influence in South Korea. Even Han Tianhong is the younger brother of Han Tianxing, the current leader of Xuanhemen. I suspect they have long been colluding with the State of Chu. This exchange of ore for Erguotou was probably the idea of ​​Xuanhemen, or perhaps Han Tianxing."

"No, what exactly do these people want to do?" Lin Zhenxian asked, his eyes becoming increasingly profound.

Lin Zhen stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the snow-covered garden outside. Under the night sky, everything seemed quiet and mysterious. He slowly said, "They intend to reopen our Daqian's long-closed port. Our imperial examination is imminent, and now it's less than half a year away. They intend to take advantage of this opportunity to send spies into our dynasty, steal the imperial examination questions and become officials in our dynasty, disrupting our talent selection process, or spy on military and political secrets for future plans. Therefore, once this port is opened, there will be endless troubles."

His voice was steady and powerful, yet also revealed a hint of worry. The white breath he exhaled condensed into a small mist on the glass, blurring the snow scene outside the window.

When everyone heard this, they nodded, as if they understood a little.

Minister of Personnel Qian Shuheng frowned. He couldn't even imagine what punishment he would receive if spies from the State of Han or Chu appeared in the exam he was in charge of.

It seems that Lin Zhen’s calling him here was not without purpose.

"Your Highness is wise. If this is true, this imperial examination is a matter of great importance for the country, and it concerns the future foundation of the court. We must not allow spies to interfere."

Minister of Rites Du Wenxuan also nodded in agreement.

Lin Zhenxian's gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on Lin Zhen: "Zhen'er, since you already know the other party's conspiracy, why did you still discuss it with us? Can't you just do it directly?"

"Yes, Prince, it's such an obvious matter, we can just reject it directly, there is no need to discuss anything."

Lin Zhen shook his head helplessly. "Alas, why don't you understand? Rules! Rules! Rules! We need to emphasize the rules! I'm not the emperor, I can't have the final say. Besides, even Your Majesty has to listen to the ministers' opinions and can't do whatever he wants. Besides, I didn't intend to refuse him. In fact, I think this deal is really good."

"what?"

"Prince, what if the border city is opened and they sneak in?"

"That's right, Prince. We are now practically closed to the outside world. It's not easy for spies to sneak in, but once the ports are opened, it will be impossible to prevent them!"

"Please think twice, my lord!"

Lin Zhen turned around, walked back to the table, and ordered Huanbi to bring the map.

The cold wind of the cold night was howling outside the Jingxin Garden of the palace. The snow in the garden was shining coldly in the dim light. In the silence, only this lighted pavilion exuded popularity and warmth.

Huanbi, along with several nimble maids, carefully pushed over a huge map of China.

The map was drawn on thick sheepskin, with mountains, rivers, cities and passes outlined with delicate brushstrokes. The colors of the pigments were bright and clear. In the candlelight, it looked like a miniature mountain and river land spread out before the eyes.

The attention of the six ministers was instantly attracted and they all looked over, their eyes full of inquiry and concentration.

Lin Zhen stood tall in front of the map, his snow-white brocade robe making him look even more majestic.

He reached out and picked up a thin bamboo pole. The red tassel on the top of the pole swayed gently in the air. He slowly pointed to the border between South Korea and Qian Kingdom, his voice steady and powerful.

"My Lords, please look, Yingchuan, Chenliu and Yandong are three counties adjacent to Han. In my opinion, we should order Yingchuan to trade with Han." After saying this, he paused slightly, glanced at everyone, and a hint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

Instantly, the room fell into a brief silence, and everyone was quickly weighing the pros and cons of this proposal in their hearts.

After a moment, Lin Zhen smiled mischievously and broke the silence: "But..."

The drawn-out ending made everyone prick up their ears.

"Yingchuan is just a city for people to travel to and from, but it is not open to South Korea."

"I don't quite understand what the prince means. If we want to travel back and forth, we must open the city." asked the Minister of Revenue.

Lin Zhen explained: "Of course we can't open it. No one from any country is allowed to enter our country. This is the basic condition."

Minister of War Liu Kaiwen was stunned at first, then his eyes lit up, as if he understood Lin Zhen's meaning.

He slapped his thigh excitedly and stood up. "I understand! Hahahaha, what the prince means is that things can be exchanged, but the exchange will take place in South Korea. Our people will deliver the goods in and then bring them back. No one will be allowed to enter our country during the entire process! This not only allows us to exchange Erguotou for iron ore, but also keeps spies out of the country! Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

He spoke excitedly, his eyes full of admiration for this strategy, his burly figure trembling slightly with excitement.

Lin Zhen smiled and nodded, his eyes gleaming with confidence. "Yes, that's what I mean. Exchanging wine for ore is undoubtedly a very cost-effective deal for us. You know, Erguotou production only uses a small amount of grain. But since the defeat of Nanchu, we have no shortage of food at all! And South Korea's abundant ore resources are a huge boost to our Daqian military industry and construction. The temptation is huge. So we will use their tactics to take advantage of them."

As he spoke, he gently tapped the bamboo pole in his hand, the rhythm matching the cadence of his words, and each tap seemed to strike at everyone's heart.

Lin Zhenxian, who had been sitting silently in the main seat, now frowned, his face fierce, and said with a hint of anger: "Isn't this tantamount to being a rogue? Although we in Daqian have won the battle, we can't bully others by taking advantage of our power. This is a disgrace to our national prestige."