RPAGF Chapter 382 Silver Mine
Chapter 382 Silver Mine
“Your Highness, Qiling County is just an insignificant county in Dayong, and it is far away from your Dayong, making it difficult to manage. I think it is worthwhile to use it to exchange for grain. What do you think, Your Highness?” Xiao Qinian continued to persuade.
Nonsense! No matter how remote it is, it's still Da Yong's land. How can we give it away so easily?
However, these improved varieties are indeed very important, especially since Dayong suffered a natural disaster this year, resulting in crop failure in many places, the death of many people, and widespread poverty. If we do not act decisively, there is a high possibility of riots.
They've already had someone secretly investigate; the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn from Da Zhou have helped Da Zhou solve its food crisis, leading to a surge in population in recent years.
If we can obtain these, the crisis in Dayong can be resolved.
He naturally knew about Qiling County. It was a small place, extremely remote for Dayong, and the population was not large, so abandoning it was feasible.
However, he does not have that right.
Xiao Qinian was clearly moved when he saw Ouyang Ye deep in thought, and a smile flashed in his eyes.
After a while, Ouyang Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Lord Xiao, I still need to ask my father's opinion before I can decide on your request. I hope that the Great Zhou can give me some time. I will send a letter to Dayong immediately."
“Of course, we’re not in a hurry.” Xiao Qinian smiled and looked at Emperor Zhou.
The emperor and his minister understood each other without saying a word; it seemed there was hope.
"Thank you, Lord Xiao. But please tell me, if my father agrees to exchange Qiling County for it, how much grain will the Great Zhou give us?" This is something we must find out. What if they only give us a little bit when it comes time to exchange?
"Does the Crown Prince want all those grain seeds?"
"We need potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, and cotton," Ouyang Ye immediately stated his request. They needed all of these things right now; they were short of any kind of food.
"The Crown Prince seems to know a great deal about the grain varieties of our Great Zhou," Xiao Qinian said with a half-smile.
Ouyang Ye did not speak. They naturally had their own ways of finding out. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty attached great importance to these matters, it was not difficult to inquire about them.
Xiao Qinian didn't insist that Ouyang Ye give a reason. He turned his gaze to Emperor Zhou and saw that Emperor Zhou nodded, so he knew that Emperor Zhou wanted to make the decision himself.
After much deliberation, Xiao gave a number: "I can give Dayong five thousand catties of each."
"Isn't Lord Xiao going too far?" Ouyang Ye immediately glared at Xiao Qinian with a dark expression.
Don't be fooled by the fact that 5,000 jin of each item seems like a lot; that's an exchange of an entire county town. Is an entire county town really worth 5,000 jin?
"Is that so? Surely the Crown Prince knows how precious these superior breeds are. If the Crown Prince doesn't want them, there are others who will." Xiao Qinian's expression changed, his words filled with indifference.
Ouyang Ye panicked upon hearing this. Could it be that they wouldn't sell it to them? And who were these "some people" he mentioned? Did the other two countries share this idea? This wouldn't do. The four countries were currently only maintaining a superficial harmony. If they were in a weaker position, the consequences would be obvious.
Ouyang Ye suppressed his temper, which was about to explode: "I will write a letter to my father."
"Yes, we'll wait for the Crown Prince's news." Xiao Qinian's expression calmed down again.
Seeing that things were going well, Emperor Zhou smiled and said to everyone, "It's getting late, so let's end the banquet here. Everyone should go home and rest early."
"Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty." Everyone present bowed to Emperor Zhou in unison.
Ouyang Ye was furious today, and after Emperor Zhou left, he returned to his residence under the guidance of the workers.
The ministers here did not leave but went to the Xuanzheng Hall, where Emperor Zhou was already waiting.
"His Majesty."
"Rise, my subjects." Emperor Zhou raised his hand and turned his gaze to Xiao Qinian.
"Minister Xiao, why did you propose that Dayong exchange Qiling County for superior seeds?" Although this would be beneficial to the Great Zhou, he still had some doubts.
Xiao Qinian smiled and then bowed to Emperor Zhou: "I hope Your Majesty will forgive me. It was my presumptuous decision. Some time ago, one of my subordinates happened to be on business near Qiling County and inadvertently discovered a mine in Qiling County."
"A mineral vein? What mineral vein?" Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhou and his ministers all stared wide-eyed at Xiao Qinian.
"It's a silver mine."
"What? It's a silver mine! That's wonderful! We must take over Qiling County. Lord Xiao, do you know how big this mine is?" Shen Junru was overjoyed. A silver mine! Who wouldn't be tempted?
"I haven't been able to determine the exact size yet, but according to the information from our investigation, this mine is quite large."
"This tiny Qiling County actually has a silver mine, and the emperor of Dayong didn't even know about it." Everyone found it hard to believe; it was a silver mine!
“Qiling County is located in a remote area, too far from the capital of Dayong. Dayong does not pay much attention to it. In addition, this silver mine is hidden quite deep, so it is understandable that it has not been discovered.” Xiao Qinian explained that his subordinates discovered something amiss by chance and reported it to him. Otherwise, who would have thought that there would be a silver mine in such a place?
"I just don't know if Emperor Dayong will agree to give us Qiling County. If he doesn't, how can we possibly bring the silver mine into our possession?" the Minister of War said with some worry, mainly because the silver mine was too tempting.
"Yes, they will. Dayong is facing the greatest food shortage right now, so they will definitely agree." Xiao Qinian nodded firmly. He had been keeping a close eye on Dayong's movements during this period.
"Haha, Minister Xiao, you are indeed a good minister of my Great Zhou. You have done a very good job in this matter. If it is successfully completed, I will certainly reward you handsomely." Emperor Zhou laughed heartily, looking at Xiao Qinian with great affection.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. It is all I should do."
With the matter concluded, both the emperor and his ministers understood the reasons behind Xiao Qinian's actions and returned to their respective posts.
After the banquet ended, Xiao Siyue and her family waited for Xiao Qinian in the carriage after leaving the palace.
"Brother, Father was absolutely amazing today! He was so outspoken! Look, even the Crown Prince of Dayong is furious!" Xiao Siyue excitedly told Xiao Siyu about Xiao Qinian's actions at the banquet.
"Mmm." Xiao Siyu was also very excited. It was the first time he had seen a father like this. It was so cool. He wanted to be like this when he became an official.
The two siblings chattered excitedly, both expressing their pride in having a father like Xiao Qinian.
After waiting for a while and still not seeing Xiao Qinian come out, Lin Qin became a little worried: "Why hasn't your father come out yet? Has something happened?"
Lin Qin had just finished speaking when she heard Xiao Qinian's voice.