Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Li Jin continued, “The Crown Princess is highly respected in our Great Zhao and deeply loved by the people. If she cannot return because the exchange conditions are too harsh, the people of Great Zhao will surely feel resentful. After all, the relations between the two countries are based on friendship and mutual benefit. Moreover, our Great Zhao’s silk, tea, porcelain and other products are popular in all countries. If trade is frequent, Northern Li can also obtain substantial profits from it.”

After hearing this, the envoy cleared his throat and asked, "How much gold and silver can your Great Zhao Dynasty offer?"

Li Jin held up three fingers: "Thirty percent. We are willing to exchange thirty percent of our gold and silver jewelry, plus the promise of opening trade ports, for the Crown Princess."

Upon hearing this, the envoy's expression immediately changed, and he replied, "Thirty percent is too little, at least sixty percent."

Upon hearing this, Li Jin shook his head: "My lord, 60% is far beyond the capabilities of our Great Zhao. How about this, we increase the supply of some local specialties and assist the Northern Li in building water conservancy facilities on the border to improve people's livelihoods."

And so the two sides went back and forth, arguing endlessly.

Li Jin remained calm and rational throughout, continuously explaining the position and advantages of the Great Zhao.

The Northern Li envoys, on the other hand, tried to uphold the original conditions and strive for more benefits.

As the negotiations progressed, the topic shifted to the issue of the city.

Li Jin said, "The matter of cities concerns the foundation of the nation. Twenty cities are far too many; eight would be better."

The envoys were about to object immediately.

Li Jin continued, "If Bei Li does not agree, and our Great Zhao starts a war, Bei Li may not necessarily gain any advantage. Moreover, the soldiers of our Great Zhao are brave and fearless, and the people are united. The Crown Princess holds a position in the hearts of the people of Great Zhao as bright as the sun, moon, and stars. If anything happens to her, the entire Great Zhao will be united in hatred and fight Bei Li to the death."

Upon hearing this, the Northern Li envoy narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you threatening me?"

Li Jin raised his voice: "No, I am just stating the facts. Da Zhao is willing to exchange some of its gold, silver and special products for the Crown Princess, and will also give Bei Li many preferential treatments in trade. This is a win-win situation for both sides."

The envoy waved his hand: "No, those conditions are far from enough. The Great Zhao must cede twenty border cities, plus 80% of its gold and silver treasures, otherwise there is no point in talking."

Upon hearing this, Li Jin snorted coldly: "Eighty percent? Your Excellency is trying to drive Da Zhao to the brink of destruction. Cities are the foundation of a nation. Da Zhao will never cede twenty of them. As for gold and silver, fifty percent is already the limit."

The envoy from the Northern Li still disagreed after hearing this.

Li Jin sneered upon seeing this: "It seems that Bei Li has no intention of resolving this matter peacefully. In that case, Da Zhao has no choice but to fight. Even if it means mutual destruction, we will never yield to such unreasonable demands."

These words immediately created a tense atmosphere in the reception room, with both sides deadlocked and neither willing to back down.

After several rounds of intense exchanges and lengthy discussions, both sides gradually grew tired, but the negotiations continued.

The matter has been dragging on for more than half a month, and it has not yet been settled.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the reception room of the post station remained tense and oppressive.

Li Jin and the envoy from Bei Li sat facing each other, their eyes filled with weariness and stubbornness.

Today, time slipped away again amidst the heated debate, with both sides exchanging blows and remaining deadlocked.

Li Jin repeatedly emphasized the difficulties and sincerity of the Great Zhao, attempting to persuade the Northern Li envoy to lower his demands.

The Northern Li envoy, however, clung tightly to his conditions and refused to budge.

By this time, after such a long negotiation, Li Jin had reduced the number of cities from twenty to thirteen.

As for other items such as gold, silver, jewelry, tea, and porcelain, they also mentioned that they would only receive 40% of what they had previously requested.

As for the other conditions, they remain unchanged.

But this was already the best he could do.

"Your Excellency, the Great Zhao has already made tremendous concessions, which is our bottom line. If you continue to push us, the Great Zhao will have no choice but to fight."

Li Jin's voice was a little hoarse, but her tone was extremely firm.

Upon hearing this, the envoy from the Northern Li frowned and fell into deep thought.

He knew of Da Zhao's determination, but he was unwilling to give up his own interests so easily: "Thirteen cities, that's no small number. Is Da Zhao really willing to pay such a price?"

Li Jin nodded slightly: "His Majesty has made up his mind to welcome back the Crown Princess. The importance of the Crown Princess to the Great Zhao is self-evident."

The envoy from the Northern Li also felt that thirteen cities were indeed a lot.

In addition, there were some gold, silver and jade artifacts, although they were 60% less than before, but that was still enough.

In addition, the special products and trade incentives offered by Dazhao also bring them many benefits.

Moreover, if they can take this opportunity to maintain a relatively stable relationship with Da Zhao, it would not be a bad thing for them.

And most importantly, if they keep sticking to their terms and won't budge.

With the immense power of the Great Zhao, if they didn't want to negotiate and simply launched a military campaign, taking over the Northern Li would be a piece of cake.

At that point, they won't care about the Crown Princess's life anymore.

They will only annex all of them, the Northern Li.

Therefore, since we have gained so many benefits, we should know when to stop, otherwise we will suffer losses.

After much hesitation, the Northern Li envoy finally nodded slowly: "Alright, since the Great Zhao is so sincere, I will not insist any further. As you say, the thirteen cities and everything else will be 40% of the original price. But the Great Zhao must guarantee that it will not go back on its word in the future."

Li Jin was secretly delighted, but his face remained solemn: "Your Excellency, rest assured, the Great Zhao is a man of its word, and we will certainly keep our promise in this exchange."

After the two sides reached an agreement, the tense atmosphere in the meeting room finally eased.

Li Jin stood up and bowed slightly to the envoy from Bei Li: "Although this negotiation has been fraught with twists and turns, it is truly remarkable that it has finally yielded a result. I hope that the two countries can take this exchange as an opportunity to maintain friendly relations in the future."

The envoy from Beili also stood up and returned the greeting: "I hope so. I hope Dazhao can fulfill its promise as soon as possible, and we will also send the Crown Princess back safely."

As the negotiations concluded, the sky outside the inn gradually brightened.

This seemed to foreshadow a glimmer of hope in this difficult negotiation.

Finally, after both parties signed a formal agreement, the matter was truly settled.

The envoy from Beili quickly relayed the news to the King of Beili.

After Da Zhao has finished preparing everything, they will take the exchanged items back to Bei Li.

As for the handover of the thirteen cities and other matters, those will need to be arranged by His Majesty.

Once both parties formally agreed to the matter and signed the agreement, the matter was no longer kept secret, nor was there any need to keep it secret.

After all, with such a huge commotion, how could people in other countries not see it or get any news about it?

Therefore, by this time, the matter between Da Zhao and Bei Li had already spread, and almost everyone in the world knew about it.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the country, whether in towns and villages or in taverns and teahouses.

In the streets and alleys, people gathered together, whispering to each other, their expressions filled with astonishment and disbelief.

"Have you heard? The Crown Princess is being held hostage in Bei Li. In exchange for her, Da Zhao gave Bei Li thirteen cities, as well as countless gold, silver, jewels, silks, satins, tea, porcelain, and local specialties!" An old man's eyes widened, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

The young man beside him gaped, "How is this possible? Thirteen cities! What a huge price that would have to pay! The Crown Princess may be noble, but this..."

"What do you know!" A scholar-like man waved his fan, but could not hide the panic on his face: "The Crown Princess is exceptionally talented and has made countless contributions to the Great Zhao, but such a high-priced transaction is truly shocking!"