Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

On his first day in the capital, Prince Lipp presented the Emperor with a formal letter of credence, which greatly pleased the Emperor!

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial were dispatched to provide excellent hospitality, and the delegation was allowed to rest at the post station for two days. On the third day, a grand and formal banquet was held in the palace.

"Your Majesty, I am Prince Lip of the Duchy of Mos. I have come here on behalf of our great Emperor Rhodes and our people to express our friendship towards your country, and we hope that we can become good friends."

At the banquet, Xia Yu, dressed in the robes of a local princess, stood behind the emperor as his translator. She was also the only woman present. At first, her presence inevitably drew frequent glances from the officials below.

"Very well, it is a pleasure to have friends coming from afar. Welcome, Your Highness, to our country. I hope this visit will be a good start to our friendly relations. Please take a seat!"

Emperor Da Huai said happily to Prince Lip, and then gestured for him to enter.

After listening to Xia Yu's translation, Prince Lip placed his right hand on his left chest and bowed to the Emperor before being led by palace attendants to his seat in order, facing the officials of Dahuai.

Prince Lip's seat was closest to the Emperor's throne, while Xia Yu's seat was in between, making translation easier.

Regarding Xia Yu's conferment of the title of Lady of the Township, only the members of the delegation felt that she deserved it. For most people in the capital, the honor was too unexpected. Although they had heard about her contributions during the talks with the Russians, most people still believed that those achievements were exaggerated and that it was done deliberately out of respect for the Grand Tutor.

But as soon as the banquet began, Xia Yu's performance amazed all the civil and military officials present. Her fluent language of the Duchy of Moss and her confident and stunning appearance made her shine like a beacon, attracting everyone's attention.

After taking his seat, Prince Lip carefully examined Xia Yu.

"Beautiful lady, you've become even more beautiful in the six months since I last saw you."

"Thank you for your compliment!" Xia Yu happily accepted his praise, because she also felt that she was indeed very beautiful.

Her answer made Prince Lip raise an eyebrow. He had felt from their first meeting that this woman was different from other women in Da Huai. If he had said such a thing to other women in Da Huai, they would have shyly admitted their unattractiveness, but Xia Yu had so readily admitted it, a trait somewhat similar to the women of his own country.

The Emperor raised his cup to the crowd and said...

"Let's raise a glass to the friendship between our two countries!"

Xia Yu translated promptly, and Prince Lip and his entourage followed the example of the officials and rose to raise their glasses together.

"Your Majesty, we have come not only with our sincerity, but also with the treasures of our nation to present to Your Majesty." After saying this, he took a list from the attendant beside him and handed it to the emperor with both hands.

Eunuch Li took the document and presented it to the emperor. The emperor opened it and, well, he couldn't recognize a single word.

But to save face, he still carefully looked it over from top to bottom, then closed it and handed it to Xia Yu beside him.

"Wenfu, read it aloud to the ministers."

"Yes, Wenfu obeys."

After Xia Yu bowed, she respectfully accepted the gift list, glanced at it briefly, and then began to read it aloud.

"One hundred mink pelts, two gold-plated walking sticks, ten bottles of perfume, two silver covered incense burners, five silver embroidered wind chimes, one clock..." The gifts were plentiful, enough to prove the other party's sincerity. Finally, Xia Yu also saw a pair of wolfhounds.

After Xia Yu finished reading the gift list, the emperor nodded with satisfaction and raised his glass to drink with the Russian delegation. The quantity of gifts represented the sincerity of the other party.

"I wonder if your emperor has anything else to say to Da Huai?"

“Your Majesty is wise. Our King wishes to purchase some fine salt from Dahuai every year. Your salt is better than ours.” Prince Lip quickly made his request when he heard that the Emperor had finally steered the conversation to this topic.

"Oh, I wonder how many you plan to buy each year?"

“About 300,000 catties of fine salt,” Prince Lip said, stating the quantity he had already decided on.

Upon hearing Xia Yu's translation, the Emperor turned his gaze to Shen Jingheng, who was sitting on the other side, and asked...

"Minister Shen, if we sell another 300,000 catties of fine salt to the Duchy of Moss every year, will it affect our own usage?"

Shen Jingheng thought for a moment and leaned closer to the Emperor, saying...

"If we remove Japan's share, then we can be satisfied."

Upon hearing his answer, the Emperor looked at Lipdo again.

"Unfortunately, our current output is insufficient. The Japanese envoy recently requested to purchase 200,000 catties of salt."

Prince Lip's face showed disappointment upon hearing the Emperor's words. He thought of the attempts to unite his country to invade Da Huai, but now was not the right time to bring it up. He needed to meet with the Da Huai Emperor alone to discuss the matter.

"I wonder how much they can sell to us now?" Prince Lip asked again.

"Only 100,000 catties," the Emperor replied.

Upon hearing this, Prince Lip's disappointment deepened; this amount wasn't even enough for the entire nation for four months. If he couldn't buy fine salt through legitimate channels in Dahuai, his people would have to pay exorbitant prices to buy it from those peddlers.

As the banquet drew to a close, Prince Lipp requested a private meeting with the Emperor, who granted his request, but the timing was uncertain, instructing him to spend a few days in the capital. Once the time was set, officials from the Court of State Ceremonial would relay the message.

In addition, he will send officials to discuss the other items in the transaction with Prince Lip in detail.

"Alright, then I'll wait for His Majesty's news at the post station." He then looked at Xia Yu and said to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, may this beautiful young lady serve as our guide when we tour the capital?"

Upon hearing his request, the Emperor laughed heartily.

“Prince Lip, if you all wish to tour the capital, you cannot do so by seeking out our Lord Wenfu.”

"Oh, why is that?" Prince Lip asked, puzzled.

"That's because my hometown isn't here," Xia Yu explained with a smile.

"Oh, I understand. In that case, Miss Wenfu, please join me in touring the beautiful capital. You can take this opportunity to appreciate its scenery." She then looked at the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, since Miss Wenfu is not familiar with the capital either, she can accompany us on this tour! She is most proficient in the language of our Duchy of Mos.”

After Xia Yu translated these words for the Emperor, the Emperor thought for a moment and asked Xia Yu a question in return.

"Wenfu, are you willing to take this task? If not, I can send someone else."

“Your Majesty, I am willing. As a subject of Da Huai and the head of Da Huai’s township, it is my duty to do anything for Da Huai. I am willing to take on this task.”

"Very well, then I'll entrust this matter to you." The Emperor looked at Xia Yu approvingly, never expecting that such a young woman would possess a patriotism that surpassed even that of many men.