Although the other party's words were unpleasant to hear, Niu Youdao understood that what he said was the truth. In the capital of the Kingdom of Qi, if the Emperor wanted him to live to see tomorrow's sunrise, he could do so with a single word.
Niu Youdao flipped through the item in his hands. "Peony, invite Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai over."
"Yes!" Black Peony acknowledged.
Pei Niangzi asked, "Is there a need for other people to participate in this matter?"
Black Peony stopped in her tracks and looked at Niu Youdao.
Niu Youdao dusted his hands. "This is the first time I've seen this item. How would I know if it's real or fake?"
Pei Niangzi chuckled. "Is there a need for me to give you a fake item? If His Majesty the Emperor really wanted to deal with you, would he need to go through such a roundabout way? "
This was what made Niu Youdao feel conflicted. This sudden benefit was hard to believe. He wanted to give it up, but he felt that His Majesty the Emperor didn't need to go through such a roundabout way to deal with him. He was in the Emperor's territory, so it would be too easy to deal with him.
If he was overthinking things, it would be a pity to give up on such a valuable item.
Niu Youdao waved his hand at Black Peony, indicating for her to invite the other two over.
Not long after, Linghu Qiu and Feng Entai arrived. When they saw Pei Niangzi, they looked at Niu Youdao with inquiring eyes.
Niu Youdao passed the item to them. "The Emperor of the Kingdom of Qi wants to fulfill his promise to the Princess. I've never seen this item before. Take a look and see if it's real or fake."
When the two of them saw the item in their hands, they were shocked. The one hundred thousand horses that the Princess had casually mentioned earlier in the day had really arrived!
Feng Entai looked at the item in his hands and was extremely excited. His eyes were already shining.
However, the two of them had never seen this item before. Under normal circumstances, the Kingdom of Qi's imperial court would only issue official documents for exiting the kingdom of warhorses. Most cultivators had never seen this item before.
Pei Niangzi looked at their bewildered expressions and shook his head. "There's really no need to doubt it. It's not fake, and there's no need for me to make a fake to fool you!"
Linghu Qiu asked Niu Youdao, "Brother, what's going on?"
"His Majesty wants to compromise between the money that the princess owes me and the things that she promised me …" Niu Youdao briefly explained the situation.
After listening, Feng Entai said, "It's a bit too much to ask the princess for two million gold coins and one hundred thousand warhorses. I think this compromise is fine."
Niu Youdao was in a dilemma. He asked, "Brother Feng, do you think it's okay?"
Feng Entai: "It doesn't matter if it's true or not. You can just find someone who can identify it. You won't lose anything if you agree now."
Niu Youdao had the same thought, but he was wary of this sudden benefit. He turned to ask Linghu Qiu, "What does Big Brother think?"
Linghu Qiu said hesitantly, "Brother, you'll have to reconsider this matter."
For such a big matter, he also had his doubts, so he did not dare to give a suggestion easily.
No one could figure out what the Emperor's intentions were. The few of them had never come into contact with a person of the Emperor's level. The room fell into a deathly silence.
Finally, it was Pei Niangzi who broke the silence. "Brother Niu, the palace doesn't have the patience. They're still waiting for my news."
Niu Youdao was hesitant.
Feng Entai said, "Brother, just agree. As long as you settle this matter, your mission in Qi Kingdom will be completed. The Heavenly Jade Sect will be responsible for the transportation outside Qi Kingdom."
He knew that Niu Youdao was afraid of the risk and would not easily agree.
Niu Youdao was stunned. He did not expect Feng Entai to say such words. He turned around and asked, "Can you represent the Heavenly Jade Sect?"
He had to clarify this. He needed to rely on the profits from the share of wine to satisfy the interests of the three sects. He also needed to support the intelligence network of Mount Five Liang.
"The sect sent me here to take charge. I have the authority to make decisions on behalf of the sect. You should know this, so there's no need to doubt it!" Feng Entai waved the official documents in his hand. "However, there are two prerequisites. First, these things must be real. Second, they must be handed over to the Heavenly Jade Sect to handle!"
As long as these official documents were real, he wanted to get his hands on all of them!
The Heavenly Jade Sect had sent him here to take charge of this matter. After spending so much time and resources, he had also lost a lot of manpower. When he returned, he would be too ashamed to face the sect. If he could get his hands on these things, the rest would be much easier.
Why would it be easier? The reason was simple! The official documents for the transportation of one hundred thousand warhorses were what they relied on. They could be used as a condition for passing through customs.
Once they left Qi Kingdom, they would arrive at Zhao Kingdom. All they needed to do was deal with the forces that transported the warhorses through. Would it be enough to send out fifty thousand official documents for the transportation of one hundred thousand warhorses? If they really couldn't, they could just send twenty thousand back. Would the remaining eighty thousand be given to others and used to clear their connections?
Everyone knew that the purchase of warhorses within Qi Kingdom's borders wasn't expensive. The key was that it was troublesome to transport them out of Qi Kingdom's borders. This was a barrier that was strictly controlled by the entire Qi Kingdom. Most of the warhorses were expensive because of this. The herdsmen who actually raised and sold the horses would only earn a small profit. The majority of the profit would be taken away by those with power and influence.
Therefore, these official documents for the transportation of one hundred thousand warhorses were their greatest trump card. They could use the Heavenly Jade Sect to negotiate with the forces along the way. There was no reason for the forces along the way to refuse such a free benefit.
As long as they controlled the number of warhorses transported in batches, they would let the forces along the way know that even if they went back on their word and seized the warhorses in front of them, it wouldn't be as good as the benefits offered by the Heavenly Jade Sect. Then, they would redeem the benefits after the warhorses had crossed the border. Naturally, their journey would be smooth.
This way, with the various forces along the way acting as guarantors, it would actually be much safer than traveling by sea. Although the price they had to pay was high, it was a free price.
Even if he could only bring back twenty thousand warhorses, it would still be better than the ten thousand that Shang Chaozong required. Moreover, it would save the Heavenly Jade Sect a great deal of money in Qi Kingdom and along the way. In this way, not only would he not be at fault, but he would also be rewarded.
How could he not be tempted by these official documents for the transportation of one hundred thousand warhorses?
Niu Youdao pondered for a moment before saying, "Since Old Brother Feng has said so, I have nothing else to say. However, Old Brother, don't blame me for my harsh words. After all, you aren't Sect Leader Peng. Your words don't carry much weight. I'm afraid you'll have to prove it on paper. Moreover, you and I will have to send word back at the same time. Let our families know of your decision. I don't want any wrangling after this! "
Feng Entai's expression was solemn as he slowly nodded his head. "Of course. Since I've made this decision, I naturally have to bear the responsibility!"
Since he was willing to take the risk, Niu Youdao was relieved. He turned to Pei Niangzi and nodded. "Good! It's decided then. Bring me the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. "
"Yes!" Hei Peony acknowledged and left.
The brush, ink, and paper were quickly brought over. Niu Youdao picked up the brush and wrote down the contents of their discussion. He wrote off his debt with Hao Qingqing and promised that he wouldn't count any of Hao Qingqing's promises in the future.
Feng Entai, who was watching from the side, interrupted, "You should add one more line. The premise is that this official document is real for it to count!"
Holding the brush, Niu Youdao looked at Pei Niangzi. Pei Niangzi nodded. "Alright!"
Thereupon, Niu Youdao added the contents of Feng Entai's statement.
After he was done, he signed his name. Following Pei Niangzi's instructions, he left his fingerprints and palm prints on the document.
Pei Niangzi checked the contract. After confirming that there were no mistakes, he put it away and took his leave. "Everyone, sorry for the disturbance. I still have to return to report. I will take my leave now!"
After sending off the guests, Niu Youdao signed a contract with Feng Entai. In the end, all ten official documents were handed over to Feng Entai.
To be honest, although the official documents for one hundred thousand warhorses weren't the real deal, they were still very valuable. To those who urgently needed them, it wasn't a matter of money. Niu Youdao felt it was a pity that he had given them to the Heavenly Jade Sect just like that.
However, he was optimistic. He didn't have to do anything to get his share of the wine. Moreover, he could save himself some trouble in the future. There was nothing wrong with being too greedy …
Outside the residence, Pei Niangzi and Chai Fei left the residence. Under the night sky, they flew over the capital.
They landed outside the palace. Just as they were about to enter the palace gates, Chai Fei couldn't help but ask, "Senior Apprentice Sister, these official documents for one hundred thousand warhorses aren't a small matter. What does His Majesty mean by doing this?"
Pei Niangzi sighed, "I don't know either. His Majesty's thoughts are hard to guess. Let's just do as he says."
The two walked to the palace gates, flashed their tokens, and entered …
Meanwhile, in another residence, Feng Entai and Niu Youdao had clarified the matter. Both of them released their Golden Wings to report back. Feng Entai took the ten official documents and took his leave. He was no longer in the mood to deal with this matter.
Linghu Qiu watched as Feng Entai left. She muttered, "He's probably going to send another message to the Heavenly Jade Sect, explaining his plans in detail so that they can cooperate."
She glanced at the frowning Niu Youdao and said, "You don't have to worry about anything. As long as the official documents for one hundred thousand warhorses are real, it will be a piece of cake to send ten thousand warhorses back to Qingshan County. As long as they leave Qi Kingdom's borders, there won't be any problems. Feng Entai must have understood this point and made this plan. "
"I hope so!" Niu Youdao sighed. No matter how he looked at it, something didn't feel right. However, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out why the Emperor of Qi would target him in such a roundabout way. He couldn't reach the level of the Emperor of Qi. He didn't know the cause and effect of the matter, nor did he have any information to refer to.
Thus, he was still worried and asked, "Elder Brother, what kind of person is the Emperor of Qi?"
Linghu Qiu knew what he meant. She chuckled and said, "I don't have the qualifications to befriend the Emperors of various countries. I haven't even seen the Vast Cloud Painting. At most, I've heard some rumors. How would I know what kind of person he is? However, I'm sure he's not an incapable ruler who does foolish things like you suspect. He won't act recklessly like that Princess Royal. Moreover, he's definitely stronger than the Yan Emperor. Look at the Yan Kingdom, which is plagued by internal and external troubles. Look at the peaceful situation in Qi Kingdom. How could an incapable ruler manage such a situation? "
Niu Youdao shook his head and said, "Aren't you making me even more worried?"
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