Zhu Yuanzhang, who commanded the wind and rain, lived a long and arduous life.

Zhu Changye thought for a moment and said, "Since they have already submitted to the Ming Dynasty, what need is there for them to have national strength? It would be more appropriate to send them three times the tribute."

Zhu Xiong Ying's lips twitched. Master, you really dare to think of such things!

"Ahem, Master, although what you said is very true, they have all submitted to the Ming Dynasty, so what use is their national strength? Are they saving their money to make weapons to rebel against the Ming Dynasty?"

"But isn't that too much? Would twice be enough? After all, their national strength is very weak."

Zhu Changye laughed and said, "Xiong Ying, you're being too audacious, even in your wildest dreams."

"Whether it's two times, three times, or five or ten times, it doesn't make much difference, because from the moment we mentioned increasing the tribute, we've already made them uncomfortable, or even displeased."

"They're uncomfortable with double the tribute, and they're equally uncomfortable with five or ten times it. Since we've decided to offend them, there's no need to hold back or consider their feelings."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes sparkled: "Master, you're right!"

"Yes, twice is offensive, five times is also offensive, why shouldn't we ask for more? Oh dear, look at my stupid brain."

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled broadly and couldn't help but tap her head.

Zhu Changye chuckled and continued, "However, we can only discuss raising the tribute requirements in private. If your grandfather were to propose it in court, it would certainly be opposed."

Zhu Xiong Ying asked in bewilderment, "Why? It's clearly beneficial to the country, so why is it being opposed?"

Zhu Changye smiled kindly, his gaze deep, and said, "Because the scholars will say that we are relying on our great power to bully weaker countries, which will cause us to lose face and dignity as a great power."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying clenched her fists in anger: "Damn it, these good-for-nothings!"

Zhu Changye comforted him, saying, "Xiong Ying, even an emperor cannot govern a country at will. Therefore, an emperor has to consider more and more comprehensively than others."

"What you're saying is something that the Ming Dynasty can't do unless Champa itself brings it up."

Zhu Changye sighed, looking rather helpless.

"Has your grandfather already agreed to the previous tribute terms from Champa?"

Zhu Changye asked again.

Zhu Xiong Ying shook his head: "No, Grandpa hasn't met with the Champa envoys yet. He just sent Huang Zicheng to host a banquet for them first. The next step is for the Court of State Ceremonial to talk to them. Envoys from these small countries are not qualified to meet Grandpa!"

Zhu Changye nodded: "Then there is still room for change."

Zhu Xiong Ying, however, was not so optimistic: "Master, the other side is not stupid. Do you think they would send a bunch of fools to negotiate with our Great Ming Empire if they could bring up the 'Three Lights Sun, Moon and Stars' at a banquet?"

The two were talking.

A disciple of Tianyun Temple cautiously approached: "Master, someone outside is requesting an audience, saying they want to discuss something important with you."

Zhu Xiong Ying asked in confusion, "Who? Who wants to talk to Master about something? And something important at that?"

Zhu Xiong Ying didn't understand, but Zhu Chang Ye didn't seem too surprised.

It seemed he knew about this matter even before the disciples of Tianyun Temple arrived.

Or rather, definitely.

In this land of Yingtian Prefecture, there was nothing that could be hidden from Zhu Changye.

This is not an exaggeration, but a fact.

now.

The Tianyun Temple disciple shook his head at Zhu Xiong Ying: "The other party did not give his name, only said that he had met him once at today's Deer Cry Banquet."

Zhu Xiong Ying thought about it for a while, but couldn't guess who it could be, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

soon.

The disciples of Tianyun Temple, under Zhu Changye's orders, went to bring the guests in.

Zhu Xiong Ying seemed to be deep in thought: "Master, do you know who the visitors are?"

Zhu Changye chuckled: "Xiong Ying, look at how curious you are. You'll find out when we get here."

Zhu Changye kept everyone in suspense.

It's not really a mystery, since the person will be here soon.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying had no choice but to suppress her intense curiosity.

Before long, a handsome young man came over, and upon seeing Zhu Changye, he bowed and said, "Greetings, old Taoist priest."

"Ok?"

Suddenly, he saw Zhu Xiong Ying and exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, you're here too!"

He was somewhat visibly pleased.

Zhu Xiong Ying scratched his head in confusion.

He stared at the other person curiously: "We don't seem to know each other."

The handsome young man introduced himself: "I am Hu Xueyan, an envoy from Champa."

"To be honest, I have met His Highness the Crown Prince and the Taoist priest before."

Hu Xueyan originally came to find Zhu Changye, but when she saw Zhu Xiong Ying there, her eyes and attention were all on Zhu Xiong Ying.

After all, no matter how powerful Zhu Changye was, he was just a Taoist priest, while Zhu Xiong Ying was a true member of the royal family with noble blood.

Zhu Changye asked, puzzled, "Oh?"

Hu Xueyan blinked: "The three lights: sun, moon, and stars."

Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly realized: "So it was you who suggested that couplet. Is there something you need from my master?"

Hu Xueyan nodded and got straight to the point: "Your Highness, the reason I came to see your master was to ask you to introduce me to Lord Zhan Hui or you, since we have seen that the old Taoist priest and Lord Zhan Hui have a close relationship. We are willing to give the old Taoist priest a reward."

"But now that you're here, if you don't mind, I'd like to go past the old Taoist priest and discuss something with you."

Zhu Xiong Ying said, "I mind."

"Then we... um?"

Hu Xueyan only realized halfway through her sentence that Zhu Xiong Ying meant "mind".

Her lips twitched slightly.

"What business do you have with my master?"

Zhu Xiong Ying asked.

Hu Xueyan paused for a moment before speaking, "We would like to talk to Lord Zhan about whether we can reduce the amount of tribute we pay each year."

Although she didn't know what the relationship was between Zhu Changye and Zhan Hui.

But at Yuhua Villa, she saw the Minister of Personnel of the Ming Dynasty treating the old Taoist priest with great respect, and even with a hint of ingratiation.

Furthermore, the fact that the grandson of the emperor called him "Master" further highlighted his extraordinary status.

With her high status and numerous affairs of state, and the fact that the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty was second only to the emperor, it was extremely difficult for an envoy from a small country like her to meet him.

So he was thinking of meeting them through Zhu Changye's introduction.

Hu Xueyan felt that Zhu Changye was important enough for her, the eldest princess of Champa, to personally visit him.

That's right, she deliberately dressed in men's clothing, with a bra and a black scarf, and looked no different from an ordinary man except for her handsome face.

After she finished speaking, Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Zhu Chang Ye, and saw a hint of helplessness in her master's eyes.

Zhu Xiong Ying coughed lightly and said, "No, did I hear that right? You want to reduce the gift list?"

Zhu Changye chuckled and said, "Miss Hu, why do you think that our Great Ming Dynasty needs to reduce your tribute list?"

Hu Xueyan bowed respectfully to Zhu Changye and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Because we can be subordinate to the Ming Dynasty, of course, we can also choose not to be subordinate."

“If your Great Ming accepts us, we will receive a fixed amount of wealth and resources every year. In return, we will remain loyal to the Great Ming and will never betray you. This mutual benefit is the way for both countries to survive.”

Zhu Changye said meaningfully, "Miss Hu, don't you think your words are a bit hypocritical?"

Hu Xueyan was taken aback, her expression changed slightly, and she forced herself to ask, "May I ask, venerable Taoist priest, what do you mean?"

Zhu Xiong Ying said, "If I remember correctly, you paid tribute to the Yuan Dynasty, right? Did you say that when you paid tribute?"

"So you're loyal to the Yuan Dynasty and would never betray it? But why is it that even in the Ming Dynasty, people still say the same thing? Don't you think... your words are contradictory?"

The words fell.

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled broadly, sat quietly to the side, and watched her master perform without saying a word.

Our master has a sharp tongue!

We need to learn this!

Zhu Xiong Ying became somewhat serious.

now.

Hu Xueyan's face was somewhat ferocious and uneasy. She calmed herself down and said, "Old Taoist priest, you are right. It is precisely because we have reverence for the Central Plains Dynasty that our loyalty to the Central Plains Dynasty has never changed, even though you have changed dynasties."

Zhu Changye didn't care whether he was changing the subject or not, and continued, "If you want to be affiliated with the Great Ming Kingdom, reducing the gift list is naturally not an option. If you triple the existing gift list, I can stand here on your behalf and help you persuade my disciple and his grandfather to advise the two countries to be on good terms."

Hu Xueyan's expression changed immediately, and she said with some anger, "Old Taoist priest, your joke is not funny."

Zhu Changye said seriously, "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Hu Xueyan asked, "May I ask, venerable Taoist priest, how much are the gifts we are offering? And how much would it be if we tripled them?"

Hu Xueyan stared intently at Zhu Changye.

They only told the Ming emperor about their tribute to the Ming Dynasty at noon today.

That amount of food was painful for them!

And this old Taoist priest, knowing nothing, just said it was several times more, haha... He's clearly trying to take advantage, isn't he?

nausea!

Hu Xueyan felt disgusted.

However, Zhu Changye's next words left her completely bewildered.

Zhu Changye said slowly and deliberately, "Three hundred ivory tusks, one thousand catties of jade, three hundred taels of gold, and ten thousand taels of silver. As for how much it would be if we tripled it, Miss Hu, you can calculate it yourself."

Hu Xueyan was completely dumbfounded.

She hadn't expected that the old Taoist priest in front of her actually knew the amount of their tribute.

This is a secret between the two countries.

Generally speaking, the list of tribute gifts between countries is only known to a very few high-ranking officials before the final amount is determined.

They only informed the Ming Emperor at noon today; in such a short time, some high-ranking officials might not even know.

But Zhu Changye knew...

Was it because the grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying, told him?

Upon discovering this, she valued Zhu Changye even more.

Regardless of how Zhu Changye learned of this, it signifies his extraordinary nature and the reliance placed on him by the Ming emperor and the crown prince.

But Hu Xueyan probably never imagined that the old Taoist priest in front of her would be the ancestor of those two.

“What I mean is to reduce the gift list. We will still pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty every year. This is a considerable amount of fiscal revenue for the Ming Dynasty, and it is readily available.”

"If we do not submit to the Ming Dynasty, then you will lose all this revenue. In that case, I don't know what you are thinking, old Taoist priest, that makes such a bold claim and asks us to triple our tribute. Are you so confident that we will definitely submit to the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Changye smiled and said, "Yes!"

Zhu Xiong Ying was somewhat taken aback by these words. She glanced at them briefly before closing her eyes again.

"I'm all ears!" Hu Xueyan said.

Zhu Changye said calmly, "You don't have much time left, because Annam is about to send troops."

"Heh, what a joke!" Hu Xueyan laughed angrily, "We have always maintained peaceful and respectful relations with Annam, so why would they attack us?"

Zhu Changye stared at her and said, "Then why do you want to submit to the Ming Dynasty at this time? Is it because the Hu family, relatives of the Annamese, murdered the emperor and rebelled?"

The current ruler of Annam is the Tran family, and the Ho family are Tran family relatives and officials. If Zhu Changye remembers correctly, this period in the early Ming Dynasty was the time when the Ho family father and son in Annam rebelled, and the Ho family father and son succeeded in their rebellion.