I Built a Territory in Ancient Times Chapter 126

Chapter 126

“Then let it be so,” the Emperor concluded. He also reminded Ming Yu not to act recklessly—when it came to the people’s livelihood, nothing was more important. He must not be willful.

Ming Yu naturally nodded in agreement. The Emperor wasn’t too concerned about Liangzhou, as the local government was still in place to oversee everything. Ming Yu was not the sole authority. If any issues arose, they would be reported to the imperial court immediately, ensuring that no major problems would occur.

Liangzhou was already in ruins—no matter how much one tried to stir things up, it wouldn’t make things worse. The best they could hope for was that Ming Yu could truly improve Liangzhou and make it flourish.

With the ceremonial offerings completed, the banquet resumed. The melodies of music and song drifted through the air, and wine flowed freely. The Emperor was in a good mood and told everyone to relax and enjoy themselves.

As the night deepened and the wine flowed, the guests let go of formalities. Some recited poetry and prose, some sang to the rhythm of the music, and some even left their seats to drink and chat with others.

Ming Tao, holding his wine cup, walked straight to Ming Yu. Ming Yu, who had been focused on eating, looked up in confusion, wondering why his brother was seeking him out at this moment.

He had been busy all day and was exhausted. Now that he finally had some free time, of course, he wanted to eat and drink to his heart’s content.

Ming Tao suddenly came looking for him, so it could only be about the trade caravan. But hadn’t this matter already been settled? There was no urgency to rush it at this moment, was there?

A few days ago, he had already given Ming Tao the price and told him that the handover could proceed once everything was ready. However, with all the preparations for the Emperor’s Thousand Autumns Festival in the past days, he had pushed the matter to the back of his mind and hadn’t followed up on it. Now that Ming Tao had come looking for him, could it really be because of this? Was he perhaps dissatisfied with the price he had set? If that were the case, Ming Yu frowned—there was absolutely no room for compromise on this matter.

Ming Yu pondered Ming Tao’s intentions, his mind racing as he considered how to brush him off. But then he reconsidered—so what if the Third Prince thought the price was too high? If he didn’t want it, there were plenty of others who would. He freely admitted that he had set out to take advantage of him. If Ming Tao willingly jumped into the pit he had dug, then he had no one to blame but himself.

To put it simply, Ming Yu had no intention of budging. Everything else could be negotiated, but when it came to money, there was no room for sentiment—he wouldn’t lower the price by a single coin.

Ming Yu had already thought through his approach and considered various possibilities, but Ming Tao clearly didn’t follow the script he had expected. Instead, he smiled and said, “Why is fourteenth brother only eating and not drinking? Come, have a drink with your elder brother.”

Ming Yu relaxed. As long as they weren’t discussing price negotiations, they were still good brothers.

His crystal-clear, peach blossom-shaped eyes glanced over, naturally carrying a trace of warmth and amusement. The sight made Ming Tao momentarily dazed. He sighed inwardly—no wonder. The late Empress Yuan had indeed been a beauty, managing to hold the Emperor’s favor alone for so many years. Even now, the Emperor still kept the Empress’s position vacant, while his own mother, despite all her efforts, had never been able to take a step further.

Just looking at Ming Yu and the Crown Prince, these two brothers, it was obvious. They had inherited Empress Yuan’s features—bright eyes and delicate brows that left a lasting impression on anyone who saw them.

Ming Tao glanced at Ming Ye, who was seated at the head of the table. The flickering lamplight accentuated his handsome and well-defined features, making him appear even more refined, like a jade-carved beauty. Every movement exuded an air of elegance and composure.

Hypocrite, Ming Tao secretly cursed. Since childhood, he had despised this overly polished and pretentious demeanor of Ming Ye. Outwardly, he maintained a humble and benevolent facade, always appearing warm and courteous to everyone, but who knew what kind of person he was behind closed doors? As the heir to the throne, he lacked decisiveness and ruthlessness. Was someone like him even worthy of that position?

As if sensing the gaze directed at him, Ming Ye lifted his head and looked over. When he saw the Third Prince sitting beside Ming Yu, his brows furrowed slightly.

Ming Tao, noticing that Ming Ye had glanced over, responded with a provocative smirk before withdrawing his gaze.

Ming Yu remained oblivious to this undercurrent of tension. He wiped his mouth, then raised his cup with a smile. “It should be me offering a toast to Third Brother instead.”

They weren’t particularly close, so why had Ming Tao come to drink with him? Though he still didn’t know his true intentions, Ming Yu maintained his enthusiasm and downed the entire cup in one go.

Ming Tao was pleased with Ming Yu’s tact and, after finishing his drink, showed no intention of leaving immediately.

Ming Yu knew that Ming Tao wouldn’t have come to see him for such a simple reason, so he asked directly, “Does Third Brother have some matter to discuss with me?”

Ming Tao smiled, nodded, and started, “There’s something I’d like fourteenth brother’s help with. You absolutely cannot refuse me.”

Ming Yu’s mind worked quickly, but he kept his tone light, laughing heartily. “Third Brother, just say the word. As long as it’s something I can do, even if I have to climb mountains of swords or cross seas of fire, I won’t hesitate. You can count on me.”

Ming Tao burst into laughter. “It’s nothing so dramatic. Third Brother just wanted to ask if you could spare some of the watermelons in your hands.”

“Watermelons?” Ming Yu was completely caught off guard by the request. For a moment, he was stunned, unsure if he had misheard.

“Exactly. Last year, I was fortunate enough to receive a reward from Father—the watermelons you brought to the capital. Since then, your Third Sister-in-law has never stopped thinking about them…” Ming Tao trailed off, but the meaning was clear.

Ming Yu put on a regretful expression. “Ah! If I had known earlier that Third Sister-in-law liked them, I would have sent some over right away. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have someone deliver some to your residence.”

“Then I must thank fourteenth brother in advance.” Ming Tao made a show of offering polite gratitude before lowering his voice and leaning in to ask, “By the way, when will the trade caravan be handed over? I’ve already made all the necessary preparations.”

So this was the real reason for his visit. Ming Yu hadn’t sent word about the matter in days, leaving Ming Tao uncertain about his stance. Seeing this opportunity, he seized the chance to ask directly.

“Huh?” Ming Yu hadn’t expected him to be so eager to throw money at him. He was momentarily caught off guard. “What do you mean, ‘prepared’?”

“The money for taking over the trade caravan—the amount you quoted. I’ve already gathered it all. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of going back on the deal?”

Ming Tao was anxious. He was worried that Ming Yu might suddenly renege on their agreement, especially after hearing that Ming Yu had visited the Crown Prince’s residence a few days ago. He had even sent people to investigate and learned that Ming Yu had discussed the trade caravan with the Crown Prince, who seemed strongly opposed to the idea.

It made sense—the Crown Prince would never easily give up control of the caravan. If his interference caused Ming Yu to reconsider, then all of Ming Tao’s efforts would have been for nothing.

Initially, he had balked at the price Ming Yu had quoted. After all, how much silver did it really take to set up a caravan? Ming Yu’s price was at least ten times higher than it should have been. Did he really take him for a fool?

He had originally planned to sit down and renegotiate the price with Ming Yu, but after learning of the Crown Prince’s disapproval, he could no longer sit still. He didn’t dare delay any further. Instead, he had scrambled to gather the full amount as quickly as possible, hoping to finalize the deal before anything changed.

Ming Yu was surprised. He hadn’t expected Ming Tao to collect the silver so quickly. It seemed that anyone capable of competing with the Crown Prince truly had some skill.

But why was Ming Tao in such a rush? Bringing it up in this setting—was he really so impatient that he couldn’t even wait a short while?

Ming Yu stroked his chin in silence.

His attitude made Ming Tao even more anxious. “Fourteenth Brother, we had an agreement from the start. I didn’t argue about the price you set, not even by a single word. Since you’ve already made up your mind, you can’t just be swayed by what others say.”

These words suddenly made Ming Yu realize what Ming Tao was worried about. He found it amusing but didn’t expose it. Instead, he responded vaguely, “Third Brother, I’m in a difficult position too.”

As expected, if word reached the Crown Prince, nothing good would come of it. If not for his interference, how could Ming Yu be hesitating like this?

“Fourteenth Brother, a gentleman’s word is as solid as four galloping horses. I’ll add another half a percent to the price, and there will be no further changes. I’ll send someone over with the payment tomorrow—is that acceptable?” Ming Tao gritted his teeth and made his offer. He absolutely would not allow any unexpected changes to this deal.

Ming Yu was overjoyed inside but had to suppress it, pretending to be troubled as he sighed, “Alright, alright. Even if I have to endure the Crown Prince’s scolding, I’ll take the risk. Let’s do as you say, Third Brother.”

He hadn’t done anything, yet he gained an extra half percent for free. As expected, his third brother was wealthy and didn’t even hesitate to increase the price. His earlier worries had been completely unnecessary. Hmm, this was a good lesson—perhaps it would come in handy next time.

Seeing Ming Yu finally agree, Ming Tao felt half relieved. Worried that he might change his mind, he quickly finished a cup of wine and left in a hurry. He still needed to make arrangements to send the money as soon as possible. The longer it dragged on, the more risks there were. It was best to finalize things quickly for peace of mind.

Ming Yu was in an excellent mood—he had effortlessly gained more silver. If only there were more fools in the world like this.

After that, people came to build rapport with him, and some asked for his watermelons. Ming Yu happily agreed to all of them, feeling generous.

Prime Minister Wen found it unbelievable. Given Ming Yu’s personality, how could he be so straightforward? He had merely wanted to ask for a single watermelon, yet Ming Yu waved his hand and promised to send him an extra one.

In truth, he didn’t even need to ask—the emperor would have bestowed some as a reward. However, imperial rewards carried the weight of royal favor and were meant for personal use. They couldn’t be casually given away.

He had only hoped to get some from Ming Yu to share with his family and friends. Such rare delicacies made excellent gifts.

“These are grown in greenhouse sheds, and we don’t have many. This time, I couldn’t bring too many back to the capital. But next year, we should be able to cultivate them on a large scale. By then, they’ll be sold in the capital, and everyone will get a chance to enjoy them.”

This had always been Ming Yu’s plan—to create income for the people of Liangzhou and ensure they had enough to eat and wear. He believed that making watermelon a specialty of Liangzhou would be a great success. Before long, it would help improve the region’s conditions.

For now, watermelon and corn had only caused a stir among the high-ranking officials in court. Most common folk remained unaware of them.

However, the most dazzling moment of the emperor’s grand birthday banquet was when Ming Yu presented the “Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers” fireworks display. Many commoners who had been invited to witness the imperial celebrations had seen the spectacle with their own eyes. It was an astonishing sight, something they would talk about for years. In tea houses and around dinner tables, people kept discussing Duan Wang Ming Yu and the breathtaking fireworks display that had lit up the capital that night.

Yet, Ming Yu, at the center of all this attention, didn’t pay it any mind. In his view, fireworks were just a fleeting show—nothing compared to the upcoming bidding conference. The future of the Western Qi Corridor’s development hinged entirely on this event.

So, he devoted himself fully to the preparations, making sure everything was in place. In ten days, the bidding conference would determine everything. Success or failure—it had to go smoothly.

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