Chapter 942
Ungrateful
Seeing how anxious Cahill was, Aza hesitated again, fearing that his decision might be hasty.
"Yang Xia, let's talk about cooperation between our two countries later. I need to think it over carefully." A'Za did not make a decision on the spot.
"It's alright. Our Great Zhou Kingdom's door to trade cooperation is always open to the Claw Qi Kingdom. You can decide whenever you want; we welcome you anytime."
Yang Xia remained very magnanimous throughout, making no demands whatsoever. He believed that A'Za still possessed the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
And so, Yang Xia, accompanied by General Meng Yu, bid farewell to A Zha and returned to the Great Zhou Dynasty.
On the way, General Meng Yu could no longer help but complain.
"Your Majesty, I think we've wasted our time. That A'Zheng is a fool, completely manipulated by Cahill, and there's no way he'd cooperate with our Great Zhou Kingdom."
General Meng Yu felt that he shouldn't have bothered with them at all; these people didn't know what was good for them.
"Don't worry, it's only a matter of time before the Clawed Qi Kingdom and the Great Zhou Kingdom achieve trade cooperation. A'Zheng is already interested, but Cahill is just blocking him."
“Azhao will figure it out sooner or later. Cooperating with Da Zhou is entirely beneficial to them. The cooperation between Zhuaqi Kingdom and Da Zhou Kingdom is only a matter of time, so there is no need to worry about it.”
Yang Xia was very confident that their efforts had not been in vain and that they had completely won over A'Za, which was enough.
General Meng Yu could not fully understand Yang Xia's words and could not believe that the Clawed Qi Kingdom would really cooperate with the Great Zhou Kingdom.
Cahill and Yoo Ji-soo are hiding in the Kingdom of Nagi, and they will try every means to cause trouble, so this will probably be quite difficult.
After returning to the Great Zhou Kingdom, Yang Xia had already put the matter out of his mind.
Whatever you do, as long as you have a clear conscience, that's enough. He sincerely helped the Kingdom of Jaqi, and he believes that everything will be judged in its own time; there's no need to worry unnecessarily.
For the Great Zhou Kingdom, the situation in all aspects is now very favorable.
The problems in Yan Kingdom have been completely resolved, and cooperation with Da Zhou Kingdom is becoming increasingly close.
Kao Dong was indeed a very good ruler. He loved his people like his own children and implemented a series of policies that benefited the people, allowing them to live a peaceful and prosperous life.
Kao Dong was very grateful for Yang Xia's help, and his relationship with the Great Zhou Kingdom naturally improved. Moreover, he was not afraid of any malicious people trying to sabotage him.
In other words, the relationship between the Yan Kingdom and the Great Zhou Kingdom is now unbreakable.
The economy and trade of the Great Zhou Kingdom have developed very well, and there has been significant progress during this period. The living standards of the people have gradually improved.
The people of Yan and Zhou lived relatively happy lives and were sincerely grateful to their leaders.
The neighboring countries have also noticed the changes in these two countries and are genuinely envious.
Aza of the Clawed Qi Kingdom also noticed this and wanted to find an opportunity to cooperate with the Great Zhou Kingdom.
Yang Xia's sincerity deeply moved A'Zheng. Without any coercion, A'Zheng was willing to cooperate with the Great Zhou Kingdom.
However, Cahill's occasional interference made it difficult for Aza to make a decision, leaving him to continue observing.
Yang Xia focused on developing all aspects of the Great Zhou Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom, and achieved particularly good results in all of them.
As Shaoyao's belly grew bigger and bigger, Yang Xia prepared to take good care of her.
During the morning court session that day, Yang Xia made a special announcement regarding this matter to all civil and military officials.
"My ministers, the Queen Consort is about to give birth. During this period, state affairs will be handled by the Prime Minister. Unless there are particularly important state affairs, I will not personally intervene."
"The Great Zhou Kingdom is developing normally. I hope everyone will work together to contribute to the future of the Great Zhou Kingdom."
Yang Xia sincerely discussed the matter with these ministers, hoping that they would do their best so that he could feel more at ease.
The development of the Great Zhou Kingdom has become much easier now, and Yang Xia has made reforms in various fields with very obvious results.
As long as everyone puts their heart into it and follows his route carefully, there will be no abnormal situation, and Yang Xia can take care of Shaoyao with peace of mind.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will all do our utmost to fulfill our duties," the ministers quickly assured them.
Yang Xia nodded in satisfaction and then focused on taking care of Shaoyao's daily life.
Peony was taken care of meticulously by him, and her complexion looked particularly good.
After the previous poisoning incident, Yang Xia knew that there was a mastermind behind it all trying to frame them, so he certainly wouldn't let anything happen to Shaoyao.
“Your Majesty, the affairs of state should be the priority. The servants can take care of things.” Peony always felt that this was not quite right and would remind him from time to time.
"You don't need to worry about these things. I've arranged everything perfectly, and there won't be any problems. As for any particularly important matters of state, they will naturally come to me."
"Right now, the most important thing for our Great Zhou Kingdom is that you can safely give birth to the little prince."
Yang Xia looked at Shaoyao with a doting expression, assuring her that he wouldn't let her have any worries.
Hearing Yang Xia say this, Peony nodded sweetly, knowing that Yang Xia would arrange everything properly.
With such care, Peony naturally felt like the happiest woman in the world and looked forward to the arrival of this little life into the world as soon as possible.
The two lived happily together, waiting for the birth of their baby.
The idyllic life of Yang Xia and Shaoyao was the envy of the Chinese people and had long been a popular story in the Great Zhou Kingdom.
Kao Dong had, of course, heard about these things and knew that Yang Xia had been taking care of the Imperial Concubine during this time and would not personally participate unless there were major court matters.
Some time ago, having just ascended the throne, I humbly sought advice from Yang Xia in many aspects.
With Yang Xia's help, Kao Dong has made great progress in all aspects.
Now that he saw Yang Xia diligently caring for his queen, he felt embarrassed to disturb him further. Besides, as the ruler of a country, he should strive to achieve independence as soon as possible.
Kao Dong decided to rely on his own efforts to make Yan Kingdom stronger and try not to trouble Yang Xia.
With Fei's introduction, Jiafeier met with Ram. Although it took some effort, Ram finally got her wish.
"It is a great honor to meet you. I have been wanting to visit you for a long time."
Ram was incredibly enthusiastic when he met Jafiel, knowing that this person was very important to him.
“I am also very honored to meet the renowned General Ram.” As expected of a worldly person, Jiafeier saw through the other party’s purpose at a glance, but remained calm on the surface.
The two exchanged polite words, but they were already well aware of each other's true intentions.
Jiafeier was well aware that the Nebula Kingdom harbored ambitious plans and had long desired to wage war against the surrounding nations. Ram's seeking him out was clearly an attempt to win him over and then exploit him.
"Lord Jafiel is wise and brave, and is the most suitable person to be the king. If the two of us cooperate, I will definitely find a way to help you ascend the throne." After sitting down, Ram did not hide his thoughts and said these words to Jafiel directly, which was a blatant temptation.
He had long known that Jafiel was ambitious and wanted to become the king himself, and he believed that by using this as an excuse, he could definitely win Jafiel over to his side.
For Ram, as long as he can successfully win over Jiafeier, he can control the lifeline of Yan Kingdom.
As for what to do next, he had already figured out how to proceed.
Jiafeier was taken aback at first. Although he knew what Ram was thinking, he did not expect the other party to be so straightforward.
But on second thought, perhaps Ram's arrival wasn't such a bad thing after all.
He did indeed want to become king in Yan Kingdom, and having Xingyun Kingdom as his backing would be very advantageous.
"Thank you for your kindness, General Ram. It is my great honor to have met you."
Jiafeier tacitly agreed with Ram's statement, admitting that he did indeed want to become the new ruler of Yan Kingdom and needed Ram's assistance.
Having the Nebula Kingdom as a backer would be like adding wings to a tiger when vying for the throne.
Jiafeier understood this better than anyone, but he was even more aware of Ram's ambition. Ram's true goal was to seize control of the Yan Kingdom, not to place himself on the throne.
Even if he were incredibly foolish, he wouldn't be willing to work with a tiger for its skin, but given the current situation, he did indeed need to use Ram.
The two exchanged pleasantries without saying a word, each wanting to take advantage of the other.
Jiafeier secretly resolved that once Ram ascended the throne, he would kick him aside and give Nebula Kingdom no chance to take advantage of him.
But now they had to pretend to be very enthusiastic, and the two were getting along better and better.
"General Ram, please don't hesitate to ask me for anything. I will help you with anything I can."
"If I need anything in the future, I hope General Ram will not refuse."
Jiafeier greeted Ram warmly, exchanging pleasantries like old friends, and outsiders could not tell that they each harbored their own thoughts.
"Of course, I will definitely help you until you are put on the throne."
Ram readily agreed and then explained his next plan.
"Lord Jiafeier, I hope you can persuade Kaodong to change the salt monopoly to a private sale. This would be very beneficial to us. As for the rest, you don't need to worry about it; I will arrange everything."
Ram quickly stated his requirements and instructed Jafiel to carry them out.
"General Ram, this matter may be quite difficult. As we all know, Yan Kingdom has a monopoly on salt and iron, and it is impossible for it to be sold privately."
“Kao Dong is not someone who easily listens to slander; he certainly won’t agree.”
Jafiel listed out the difficulties of the matter to Ram, hoping he could think of another solution.
"Of course I know this is a difficult matter, otherwise I wouldn't have come to Lord Jiafeier."
"However, I believe that there is nothing in the entire Yan Kingdom that you, Lord Jiafeier, cannot do."
Ram insisted on following the plan, believing that anything was possible as long as Jafiel made the necessary arrangements.
Before coming to find Jiafeier, Ram had already figured out what to do next. Starting with salt would allow him to quickly seize control of Yan Kingdom's economic lifeline.
Faced with Jafiel's difficult performance, Ram had no intention of backing down in the slightest, believing that if he was pushed a little, he would be able to do it perfectly.
As long as the other party can complete the task as required and change the salt from a monopoly to a private sale, the rest will be much easier.
"Okay, I'll try my best."
Seeing Ram's resolute attitude, Jafiel knew that Ram was eager for him to complete this task.
In order to make use of Ram, Jafiel had no choice but to compromise. No matter how difficult it was, he would do his best to accomplish it.
After returning home, Jia Feier carefully considered the matter and realized that Kao Dong might not agree easily.
I need to do something to convince Kao Dong that turning the salt monopoly into a private sale is in line with public opinion. Only in this way can I be confident of persuading Kao Dong.
Kao Dong was a wise and virtuous ruler, but his greatest weakness was his kind nature and his prioritization of the people. He would do anything that aligned with the will of the people without hesitation.
This is supposed to be a good thing that benefits the people, but sometimes it can be exploited by others.
After considering Kao Dong's weaknesses, Jia Fei'er immediately ordered his men to make arrangements.
He knew that Kao Dong would not agree easily, but would conduct a series of investigations.
What needs to be done now is to find some people to deal with Kao Dong's inspection work, making him feel that this is the will of the people. Then the subsequent results will naturally be as they planned.
As Jia Feier gained more and more power, he became increasingly adept at carrying out these tasks.
He forged some documents and had many local officials sign them, claiming that the salt monopoly was very detrimental to the Yan Kingdom, causing widespread resentment among the people.
With the addition of Jiafeier's manipulations, these fabricated items became completely indistinguishable from the real thing.
Next, Jiafeier deliberately found some more evidence, making these preparations quite thorough.
After taking care of all the details, he then went to Kao Dong in a proper manner to discuss the matter of turning the salt monopoly into a private sale.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Jia Feier bowed respectfully to Kao Dong, but inwardly he was very disdainful.
“Your Majesty, I have important matters to discuss with you today, which is why I had to come and bother you.” Jia Fei’er appeared very sincere.
"You're too kind, Lord Jia. Please feel free to speak your mind."
Kao Dong was very polite to Jia Feier, knowing that he held a very important position in Yan Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, recently the people have been calling for a change in the salt monopoly system, hoping to turn it into a system where salt can be sold privately."
Jia Feier couldn't wait to reveal the purpose of his visit, hoping that Kao Dong would grant his request.
"No. Salt is the economic lifeline of Yan Kingdom. It must not be allowed to become a private sale system, otherwise it may be exploited by some people with ulterior motives."
Kao Dong refused without hesitation, of course he understood what salt meant to Yan Kingdom.
Jia Feier's heart skipped a beat; everything was just as they had predicted. Kao Dong wouldn't agree so easily. (End of Chapter)