67 Negotiation (2/2)
”I told you to shut up, Newton.” Maxwell glared at him and he quieted down. But Maxwell’s head started to hurt.
This Princess was not as simple as she seemed. Whether someone placed obvious pressure on her, or said a sly insult, neither had any effect on her.
He sighed. ”To be honest, I was dragged back the manor last night and rushed here to to represent Anglo and speak with you. For public matters, I’d love it if Your Highness would marry our nation and form a long-lasting relationship. But privately…”
Maxwell’s eyes filled with sadness. ”To be honest, Your Highness may be young, but you are already so beautiful. You may be the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in my life. But our Prince has had many ailments since childhood. Uh, okay, he is an idiot who believes he’s a sheep. He-he-he…he isn’t good enough for you!”
He became visibly angry and slammed down on the table. ”Let’s just… let’s just let things go!”
Newton asked in panic, ”Hey, Maxwell! Whose side are you on?”
”Manners, beauty, and justice are the essence of humanity,” Maxwell stated. ”Since beauty equals justice, I stand on the side of justice, of course! And anyway, compared to the lifelong happiness of a girl, this is nothing!”
Newton was about to burst. The faces of the Yunlou officials darkened.
This guy may have just reduced Anglo royalty to nothing, but he was really moving forward by retreating. If they really did just let things be as he said, it would be even more awkward for Yunlou. Aurora Empire, riddled with inner problems for many years, was finally recovering. The emperor had already started turning his attention toward Yunlou City, alone overseas and full of riches. If they did not receive the West’s support, Yunlou City would be in a dire situation.
The officials stared at each other in silence. The lead ritual official opened his mouth to speak, but saw the white-haired girl lower her hand. His expression tightened, but he sat down without saying anything.
The princess’s voice shattered the silence. ”Mr. Maxwell, you’ve worried too much. Compared to the nation, my sacrifices are nothing. And furthermore, if our talk ended just like this, your country would be troubled too, would it not?”
”It’s okay. Yunlou is not the only nation with the Eastern purification technique. We can find someone else to ruin! There are so many people in the East, and it shouldn’t be a problem to find the right one. But King Yunlou might have to find another country to support his vision of an independent nation.”
”You may have misunderstood. Eastern nations are not very open to outsiders, and the Nine Families of the Dragon Bloodline fight constantly with each other. They don’t even follow the orders of the Emperor. Anglo, which is so far away from them, will find it hard to offer something that will move them,” the girl said lightly.
”And furthermore, other than Yunlou City, which often interacts with the West, who else would be willing to risk offending the heavens and use the blood of their ancestors to exchange with barbarians?”
”Oh?” Maxwell laughed. ”Does Yunlou not fear the wrath of the heavens and ancestors?”
Behind the long table, the Yunlou official’s faces turned stormy, no longer able to hide their anger. Indeed, using the blood of ancestors to exchange with barbarians would be a big humiliation if others discovered, but Yunlou had prepared to be criticized by all. But now, the first to mock them was not one of the other families of the Dragon Bloodline, but their supposed ”ally”! How humiliating was that?
The light tone pierced their skin like needles. Their faces reddened, eyes full of fury.
But as they glared in silence, the girl’s cool voice sounded. ”Everyone, please calm down. What Mr. Maxwell said isn’t without reason.” Just like that, the white-haired girl confirmed everything Maxwell had said. ”If the others hear of this, Yunlou City will be mocked by everyone. If the ancestors are angered and wish to punish us, it will be our own fault. Unexpectedly she said, ”But what of it?”
In the deathly silence, everyone gaped at the girl.
Maxwell raised his head in shock. Looking at the girl, he seemed to see something and the ”kind” smile on his face slowly froze. As if a fire had been ignited in her heart, the girl finally looked up. There seemed to be a blazing light in those cool eyes, forcing others to look away.
Subconsciously, Maxwell stood up, the mockery in his eyes gone. He said, ”I cannot understand the Princess’s words.”
”This is something my father told me before I departed. Now, I am only the messenger.” Lightly, the girl said, ”The hundred years of a lifetime is like a white stallion galloping. The glory of morning dies away quickly. If one wishes to be accomplished, one cannot follow all of the rules. If one dreams of the world, one must be revolutionary, and have no limits. A man’s words are insufficient to be pitied, the ancestors are insufficient to be law, and the changes of the world are insufficient to be feared!”
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After a long time, the talk finally came to an end. Maxwell remained in his seat, watching as the girl’s backside grew distant. He smoked a cigarette, his eyes full of fatigue.
”Hey, Maxwell.” Newton glanced at him, seeing how he was deep in thought. ”What’s wrong?”
”Nothing, just a little scared.” Maxwell thought of the girl’s eyes and sighed. ”The ancestors are insufficient to be law, the changes of the world are insufficient to be feared, and a man’s words are insufficient to be pitied? She stepped on ancestors, principles, and ethics so easily. How wildly ambitious must you be to make such things sound logical? I don’t think I can handle someone like this.”
”All these years, you’ve handled Royalty, the Congress, those elites, and even the budget. But now you’re worried you can’t handle a little girl?” Newton snorted. ”Have you gotten old?”
”To be honest, I’m still not sure who I’m negotiating with.” Maxwell scratched his head. ”Were those her words? Or Yunlou Qingshu? I feel like I’m not talking to her, but an evil and greedy soul. All these years, people said that Yunlou Qingshu had a good daughter. Now I understand that he had never seen her as a daughter, but a weapon and tool.” He sighed. ”What a pity.”
”What is there to pity?”
”That’s why you lunatics don’t understand the beauties in life!” Maxwell sighed, shaking his head. ”You stared at her for the entire afternoon, but could only imagine her tied to your surgery table like a white rat. Is there something wrong with your brain?” Maxwell was infuriated. ”Newton, she’s a girl. She’s only sixteen! Did you look at her eyes closely? They are pure black, like black pearls, shining with a lonely light. So beautiful, anyone would like her. Such a good girl should be living without worries in a garden, or in a fairytale like a lotus. But someone turned her into a tool and is willing to have her marry an idiot in three years to complete his vision. What a damn pity.” Putting out his cigarette, he turned to leave.