Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Hua Yunhong's chest heaved violently, like a trapped beast in chains.

The warnings from the interior ministers were like cold water poured over his head, instantly extinguishing the anger ignited by humiliation.

Fang Yuanjian's chariot.

Those two giant vehicles were cruising on the edge of the desert, exuding the breath of steel and death.

This is the huge stone hanging on his heart at this moment.

He could disregard his face, but he could not ignore the fundamental power that was enough to overthrow the throne.

"call……"

He let out a long breath and forced himself to suppress the surging blood.

The blood came out unconsciously when he clenched his teeth just now.

The hand that had slammed the table slowly moved away from the desk, its knuckles turning white and stiff from the excessive force.

"Your Majesty, calm down."

An old minister with white hair and beard keenly noticed the king's forced suppression of emotions and quickly bowed to offer advice.

Now Hua Yunhong is their most important hope.

However, after Hua Yunhong came to power, his health became worse day by day. This was mainly due to the disturbances caused by trivial matters, which made him upset every day.

"Tongbao Pavilion's move is vicious. They appear to be showing weakness, but in reality, they're pressing us forward. They've calculated that we're hesitant to act rashly, so they're brazenly using silver as a raft."

"But at this moment, Your Majesty must be as calm as a mountain. You must not give into their impulsiveness and play into their hands."

Another interior minister also chimed in.

"You are absolutely right, old man. Sun Jinshan's reply was so vague that it was intended to confuse us and keep us in a state of constant suspicion and panic. This is exactly the effect they want, to make us lose our composure or take drastic action, thus confirming our threat."

"It provides them with a pretext for subsequent actions, or even for seeking Daqian or Fang Yuanjian's intervention."

What they are most worried about now is Daqian, not Tongbao Pavilion.

Therefore, it is naturally necessary to make some arrangements to stabilize Tongbao Pavilion first.

And let them cut off the opportunity to communicate with Daqian, so that they can have more time to deal with the silver.

Hua Yunhong did not respond immediately. He walked to the window.

His eyes cast gloomily at the dimly lit city outside the palace.

In his eyes, those twinkling lights seemed to have turned into ingots of flowing silver.

It is slipping uncontrollably from the roots of his sacred tree kingdom and flowing into an unknown abyss.

After a long while, his low and hoarse voice finally sounded, with a sobriety that was almost exhausted:

"You're right. I... understand. This old thief Chu Ying has a good trick. He's tied my hands and feet with invisible ropes and used silver as bait, waiting for me to bite the hook."

He turned around, the irritability in his eyes still not completely gone.

But it has been replaced by something more sinister and cold.

"They want me to be worried? Fine, I'll do as they wish and think of them every day! Since they feel the letter of greeting is not enough, I'll give them another generous gift!"

The corners of Hua Yunhong's mouth formed a cold and stiff arc.

Instead of easing the atmosphere, this smile caused the temperature in the hall to drop sharply.

"Preach my will."

His voice was not loud, but every word hit the ground like a hammer.

"Tomorrow, in the name of the Royal Chamber of Commerce, we will organize a meeting to discuss the assistant manager of finances and grain. Send the most distinguished invitation to Sun Jinshan, the manager of Tongbao Pavilion's branch in southern Shenmu, and invite him to a seat of honor!"

"I will personally attend the reception!"

Several interior officials looked at each other in astonishment.

Let Sun Jinshan, the representative of Tongbao Pavilion who just gave His Majesty a cold shoulder, take his seat.

Do you want His Majesty to entertain us personally?

This is even more shameless than the last time I wrote a letter!

"Your Majesty, this is too much..."

A younger minister couldn't help but want to advise against it, thinking that this was too unfair and even a bit servile.

"Too much of what?"

Hua Yunhong turned his head abruptly, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the minister's face, and his voice suddenly rose.

"Too despicable? Too shameful? Ha!"

He sneered, "Aren't they trying to trade silver for peace? They want me to be at ease, but then I have to worry. Then I'll play along to the end! Let's make this drama even louder!"

"I want to use this earnest conversation to tell everyone in this city, tell Chu Ying, tell Fang Yuanjian in the Western Regions, and tell the Daqian court!"

He took a step forward, imposing:

"I care about Tongbao Pavilion! I value trade and circulation! I thank them for their contributions to the Shenmu Kingdom! I also want everyone to know that the Shenmu Kingdom's silver, whether it is collected or distributed, whether it is circulated or stored, its roots are here! Its life and death will ultimately be in my hands!"

He has now taken another step back, but this step back is also for the subsequent progress.

At this time, it seems a bit embarrassing even to outsiders.

But Hua Yunhong didn't react at all.

I even thought it was natural after I understood what he said.

All the ministers nodded immediately. They also felt that stabilizing Tongbao Pavilion through such a more extreme method would make the other party feel more at ease.

"In broad daylight, I will use the most gentle manner to firmly block Sun Jinshan's every step! Let him understand that within this territory, his every move is under my watchful eyes."

"He wants to use silver to restrain me? I will use him as a chess piece to stabilize that old fox Chu Ying! I also want to let Fang Yuanjian see clearly that my relationship with Tongbao Pavilion is still good. If he acts rashly, he may not be able to get what he wants!"

Hua Yunhong's thinking has changed, from angry confrontation to a deeper confrontation.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Several old ministers were the first to react and were deeply impressed.

They understood the far-reaching implications of this order.

Hold on to this breath, buy time, stabilize Fang Yuanjian who is in the most dangerous situation, and secretly find a way to eliminate the source of the problem.

"Do it immediately!"

Hua Yunhong waved his sleeves, and there was no hesitation in his eyes anymore, only a cold determination to achieve his goal by any means necessary.

"Spread this news, the wider the better! I want to see if Sun Jinshan can sit comfortably in the seat of honor at this table! I also want to see what expression Chu Ying has on his face when he receives the news!"

Orders were issued quickly.

The circle of powerful people in the capital of Shenmu Kingdom was instantly stirred by this sudden news.

Should we invite the person in charge of the Tongbao Pavilion branch, or Sun Jinshan, who had just been greeted by His Majesty, to the royal banquet?

His Majesty personally entertaining us? The wind was turning so strange that everyone sensed unease and danger.

In the secret room in the backyard of the Tongbao Pavilion branch, Sun Jinshan received the gold-plated invitation with words that were so humble that they were almost flattering.

For the first time, the smile on his face froze.

He read the words "discuss together the great plan of managing finances and grain", "listen to your wise advice", and "take the seat of honor" in the letter.

Thinking of my deliberately vague reply, a chill quietly rose from my back.

"Hua Yunhong... can you really be so shameless?"