My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Chapter 192 Discussing a Business Deal

The carriage sped towards the Prince Jing's residence, with only Wen Shuyao and Yelü Dan inside.

Yelü Dan was naturally arrogant and always believed that she was unique among women in the world. Therefore, before she met her match with Xie Jinghan, she believed that she could be invincible with her beauty and intelligence.

However, all of this vanished in Wen Shuyao's eyes.

She never imagined that a woman as seemingly delicate as Wen Shuyao could so easily expose Prince Xin's conspiracy in just a few words.

However, she still learned from her painful experience after being tricked by Prince Xin.

Yelü Dan looked at Wen Shuyao with a very complicated expression. Her eyes flickered a few times before she finally said, "Thank you for today's matter."

Even when she apologizes, her haughty demeanor is stiff and devoid of emotion.

Wen Shuyao didn't care at all.

"It was a transaction between us and the princess, so there's no need for thanks." Wen Shuyao's smile was polite but distant. "If it weren't for the princess's strong cooperation today, Prince Xin wouldn't have been so easily fooled."

Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Yelü Dan's eyes: "He betrayed me and plotted against me, I will make him pay the price."

Her relationship with Prince Xin was purely cooperative; there was no affection involved. All she ever wanted was profit.

Since Prince Xin betrayed her and almost caused her death in Dali, she naturally wouldn't let him off easily.

Thinking of this, her gaze fell directly on Wen Shuyao's face. Her intention was so obvious that Wen Shuyao could hardly ignore it.

"What does the princess want to do?" Wen Shuyao asked bluntly.

“I want his life.” Yelü Dan said in a low voice, “I know that you people of Dali have always liked to pretend. Even if your Dali emperor wanted to kill him, he would not do it openly.”

“I am different; I am a man of last resort,” Yelü Dan said in a deep voice. “Since he dared to harm me, I will take his life!”

Under Wen Shuyao's gaze, she lowered her voice: "He is a treacherous and cunning man, and he has countless hidden cards in his hand. Don't you want to eliminate any future troubles for your husband?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao's eyes flickered slightly.

In Yelü Dan's view, this was a sign of being attracted.

So Yelü Dan pressed on, continuing to persuade: "It's inconvenient for you Dali to do this yourself, so why not leave it to me?"

Under her gaze, Wen Shuyao smiled gently: "This is an internal matter of Dali, so there's no need for the princess to worry about it."

"As for his life..." A cold glint flashed in Wen Shuyao's eyes, "A coup d'état is inherently dangerous; who can guarantee that nothing will go wrong along the way?"

Yelü Dan paused, somewhat shocked and incredulous.

These words didn't sound like something a gentle and delicate noblewoman from Dali like Wen Shuyao would say.

However, considering Wen Shuyao's previous actions, she understood everything.

Wen Shuyao cannot be defined solely by her appearance.

“Since you all know the situation, I won’t say anything more.” Yelü Dan looked at the street scene rushing past the window and said in a low voice, “Right now, I just want to get that money as soon as possible.”

"When can you give it to me?" she asked, a hint of doubt inevitably appearing in her eyes.

She had known Prince Xin for over a decade, yet she still nearly lost her life due to his schemes. She had only known Wen Shuyao for a few days; could she truly trust Wen Shuyao?

Once this thought arose, Yelü Dan could no longer control the unease in his heart.

She stared intently at Wen Shuyao, a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.

"This is a deposit of fifty thousand taels." Wen Shuyao didn't say much, but simply took out a stack of silver notes. "I will send someone to deliver the rest of the silver to you once you enter the territory of the Northern Barbarians."

Yelü Dan wanted to say something more, but then he heard Wen Shuyao say, "Princess, you have no proof of your cooperation with Prince Xin. I am willing to give you a deposit of 50,000 taels of silver, which is enough to show our sincerity."

Fifty thousand taels of silver is indeed a lot.

Yelü Dan's rebuttal was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Finally, she glared at Wen Shuyao angrily and put the silver note into her pocket without a good look.

"I believe you," Yelü Dan said in a very harsh tone. "However, if you go back on your word, I will lead my troops to the border and make your Dali border unstable."

Wen Shuyao smiled and said gently, "Princess, you don't need to worry that I won't keep my promise. After all... I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with you."

Yelü Dan was stunned for a moment, then stared at Wen Shuyao with a suspicious look.

She had heard the same rhetoric from Prince Xin.

Wasn't this the very cooperation that Prince Xin reached with her back then?

The Dali people are the most treacherous and cunning. Wen Shuyao in front of her had even been deceived by someone like Prince Xin. How could she be trusted so easily?

Thinking about it this way, she became even more suspicious.

It wasn't until Wen Shuyao spoke up: "I want to open up a trade route."

As Yelü Dan was trying to figure out what Wen Shuyao meant by those words, he heard her whisper, "Princess, isn't the reason why the Northern Di are so poor and have no choice but to lead their troops to the border of Dali to plunder food precisely because they lack clothing and food?"

"What if I told you that the business I'm doing with you will provide your Northern Di with a steady stream of income every year?"

Upon hearing this, Yelü Dan was stunned.

Yelü Dan stared at Wen Shuyao with disbelief in her eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

“I want to open a trade route,” Wen Shuyao replied calmly. “As you know, gems and spices from the Western Regions are very popular in Dali, and Dali’s silk and porcelain are also widely sold in the Western Regions.”

Yelü Dan nodded upon hearing this; she naturally knew.

The silk and porcelain of Dali were highly sought after by many people in the Northern Di, let alone in the Western Regions.

“But in recent years, due to the war between the two countries, the trade route from Dali to the Western Regions has been blocked, and trade between the two countries has become increasingly scarce. If the Northern Di are willing to help stabilize this trade route, Dali is willing to share 10% of the profits with the Northern Di.”

Yelü Dan's eyes lit up, and she stared intently at Wen Shuyao.

Even a small percentage can be quite profitable!

Based on this calculation, the Northern Barbarians earned at least several hundred thousand taels of silver annually.

Her eyes darted around, and she already had her answer in her heart.

only……

"Can you make the decision?"

A look of doubt appeared in Yelü Dan's eyes.

Wen Shuyao smiled and said, "This has already been discussed with His Majesty and the Empress. This trade route is not only beneficial to the Northern Di, but also very important to our Great Li."

A country cannot remain stagnant if it wants to develop.

Moreover, if this trade route can be stabilized, Dali will benefit from it by several million taels of silver.