It's the age of cyber, and you're still a traditional villain?

Chapter 258 I am the one who made the conditions, Your Majesty the Empress
"I have seen Her Majesty the Queen."

In the imperial study room, looking at Dongfang Xiao who had been waiting for a long time, Xu Shi politely saluted her as a gentleman.

That's right, the seemingly excessive request of "meeting the queen alone" is actually not that excessive.

At least according to Cheng Gujian's consideration, it was still within the acceptable range.

Because in his eyes, Xu Shi is not a big threat alone - his combat effectiveness is not high, and he has already experienced his abilities. He happens to be restrained by the Holy Light inherited from the royal family, even if he and Dongfang Xiao are let go. During the interview, he couldn't do anything out of the ordinary.

And this is just an interview, not an elopement. He will also be watching outside. If he really notices something is wrong, he can respond immediately.

The most important thing is that this time the royal family and Xu Shi are negotiating, and they want to pull him together to eliminate the adverse effects of the Sea God Stone transaction as much as possible. The intention is not just to chat.

To put it bluntly, this is called asking for help... They were already unreasonable when they attacked Poseidon before, and their dissatisfaction was already written on their faces. If they don't make some concessions, then it will really be seen. Unclear situation.

By then he will have made a lot of money and go back home, and the royal family will have to fill the huge shortfall alone - anyway, the Holy See can completely shirk the responsibility, and we are not a power organization.

By then, if they make some adjustments to the Congee Peng Shantang and other operations, they will be able to restore a lot of their reputation and the pressure will be much less.

In comparison, the royal family is really not that relaxed... But since it is a separate meeting, the location cannot be the main palace hall, and the imperial study room is a good choice.

The fact is that when Gu Jian himself and Dongfang Xiao report on the situation on weekdays, they usually choose this place, where it is quiet and undisturbed.

But today, Xu Shi was sitting in his seat.

"Mr. Xu."

Dongfang Xiao stood up with a smile and returned the greeting. Even the title was not the hard-nosed title of "Mr. Xu" before. The words "Mr." subtly narrowed the distance.

Even if it is a mascot, for the leader of a country, this gesture is enough.

"In the past few times, when I only looked at him from a distance, I felt that Mr. Fengshen was handsome and talented. Now, when I look up close, I am even more amazed."

She even took the initiative to say some nice words in an attempt to bring the two of them closer together.

"right?"

Xu Shi sat back and nodded nonchalantly, "I think so too. People around me have always said that I am handsome since I was a child."

"..."

I have to say that such a shameless answer really made the little queen a bit awkward.

According to common sense, shouldn't you also say a few nice words to compliment each other?To be polite, did you really take it as a tonic?
Even if you are indeed handsome, you shouldn't be like this... Do I look ugly?Isn't it worth your compliments?

Hey, he really is a monster.

"Of course, it is Xu's honor to be praised by such a beauty as Her Majesty the Queen."

Just when she felt quite unhappy, Xu Shi slowly said what she wanted to hear.

There is a saying that when facing the king of a country, such words are definitely not respectful, but rather a bit ridiculing.

If he were an ordinary minister and said such words, Dongfang Xiao would have no doubt that he would be severely punished, and at the end of the day, he would be given a slap in the face. If you dare to talk to me like this, will you risk your life?

But just now she was complaining about why he didn't praise her. In addition, Xu Shi was a foreigner, so there was not much dissatisfaction left in her heart. Instead, she felt like "this is not enough."

It can be seen from this that some people really use language skills to the point of proficiency.

"Human temperament always likes to be harmonious. I'm really pulling it. If you don't believe it, watch the video."

"Haha."

With this thought, the little queen couldn't help but hide her face and chuckle, and joked, "You are so glib. No wonder you have so many wives and concubines around you."

"But I am even more amazed at your ability... How did you come up with the idea of ​​trading the Poseidon Stone?"

Joking aside, she didn't forget to get to the point. This was the serious matter that she came to talk to him about today.

"Is it difficult?"

The joking on Xu Shi's face also subsided a bit, and he said seriously, "In my city-state, this is just a very basic operation."

This era has even passed... For major financial groups, if they really want to make money, there are many more efficient methods than this.

And this is exactly what he wants to express. I have far more back-ups than you think, so where is this?

"Is it……"

Dongfang Xiao muttered, the smile on his face was gone, "Then should I still thank Mr. Xu for using only some basic operations to disrupt the empire's market?"

"Should be."

Xu Shi nodded, "After all, it was you who were unjust and almost completely wiped out our achievements in conquering Poseidon."

"I still remember clearly that before going to sea to attack Poseidon, His Majesty once said that he wanted the two countries to be reconciled forever."

He cleared his throat and said, "But now I don't see any sincerity, so it is reasonable to take revenge."

"After all, I am a very cautious person."

"..."

Listening to his straightforward speech, Dongfang Xiao was stunned again.

This person... what's going on with this person?
To be honest, through the previous negotiation, she understood that Xu Shi's character could definitely be described as strong - if he didn't have such a character, I'm afraid their city-state wouldn't let him lead the team as an envoy. out to sea.

But isn’t this a bit too strong?

You really don’t turn corners at all when you talk to people, don’t you?

She even felt a little inexplicable frustration in her heart - saying nice words to you doesn't work, and using a kingly attitude can't calm you down, so what else do you want me to do?

In Dongfang Xiao's view, although the Queen felt aggrieved, she still had the basic qualities of a king. At least she could suppress ordinary ministers. It was not like "the world only knows the Grand Duke but not the Queen." a situation.

But when he faced Xu Shi, he felt like none of his tricks were effective.

Gee.

"...Since Mr. Xu said this, I can understand your feelings."

Feeling aggrieved, the conversation still had to go on, so she thought for a moment and said, "It's just that some things don't represent what I mean... I wonder if you feel better now, sir?" "Are you okay?"

Xu Shi's answer was ambiguous, "In the end, I didn't end up with anything good. It doesn't matter what the people of the empire think of me. I just poured in the real money."

"I don't think so."

The little queen shook her head and said, "I still know a little bit about what Mr. Xu has done... It seems that from the beginning, you have opened many sites to trade houses and livestock with my people?"

When the price of Poseidon Stone skyrockets, the prices of other goods will only become cheaper and cheaper. She still knows this. Previously, the market price of a farm cow was three silver coins, but later it can be bought for even one silver coin. From this, And then, the situation for other things is not much better.

but.

"Now that the Poseidon Stone is worthless, the prices of these things will naturally rise, even higher than before."

"So, you are actually definitely the biggest profiteer, right?"

If you buy it at a fair price or even a low price, and now sell it at a high price, the price difference will not be a small amount once you enter and exit. Don't pretend to be here, I understand!

Not to mention that this incident was originally caused by him. Dongfang Xiao didn't believe that he was a master who was willing to hurt others by a thousand and lose himself by eight hundred. Who would believe that he also suffered a loss?
"You can't say that."

Xu Shi didn't deny it, but of course he had to act well when he got a bargain, "I'm a foreigner, what's the use of having so many cattle and sheep on hand? I have to spend money to find someone to manage and clean... I don't know how to feed myself every day." How much will it cost? It’s not as easy as your Majesty said.”

"In that case, should Mr. Xu consider selling these things back to the royal family?"

The little queen curled her lips and said straightforwardly, "I want as much as you want. As for the price, we can negotiate. I can guarantee that you will never suffer a loss. In this way, you can breathe a sigh of relief, okay?"

When Xu Shi heard the words, he slightly raised his eyebrows.

Quite smart... After all, the royal family came to him to discuss today, essentially because they wanted to minimize the royal family's losses.

And this is indeed a good method - for the Hualan Empire, especially for the people of the empire, these are indeed indispensable parts, and they have not completely broken away from the scope of agricultural society.

In this case, using property as compensation to appease people's hearts is definitely better than using money to fill the hole directly.

If he thought about it from his perspective, he might be able to sell things back to the affected citizens at a cheaper price. This would not only reduce their losses, but the royal family's losses would also be smaller.

At the same time, you can earn a lot of prestige. It is the royal family who saved everyone from the fire and water. This is much more than the small favor of the Holy See.

Of course, if the products can be distributed directly back for free, everyone will naturally be more grateful.

They are all feasible methods, it just depends on how much flesh she is willing to cut off.

Therefore, this little queen Dongfang Xiao is not really just a mascot. At least she can quickly think of a way to deal with this unprecedented and difficult situation. This alone is very valuable.

This also made him appreciate the other person a little more. You are not just a vase.

only.

"Why?"

After thinking about it for a while, he just shook his head, "It would be better to sell it back to the royal family than sell it back myself. I think I can definitely make more money. The market is in short supply now. Someone may buy it at any price I offer."

"you!"

This sentence made Dongfang Xiao uneasy, it was almost over!
From the beginning of the conversation, she has been showing goodwill to Xu Shi, and her posture has always been very low. Even when facing Cheng Gujian, she has never done this.

All she got in exchange was "Why?", which she really couldn't help.

"Mr. Xu, don't forget, this is the Hualan Empire, not your city-state."

Her face was gloomy, and she tried her best not to let her tone get too angry, "And I am the queen of this empire, and I will never let you do whatever you want."

"But Your Majesty, didn't you say before that you can't make the decision on many things."

Xu Cai didn't accept her trick and responded with a smile, "Even if we really talk to the royal family, why don't I go directly to Grand Duke Gu Jian? Anyway, if I guessed right, no matter who I talk to, he wants the money." Give some of it."

This is already very euphemistic. To put it bluntly, I don’t regard you as a queen at all. Cheng Gujian is the real person in power, right?
We still have friendship before, why waste time on you?

"..."

This was already the third time in this short conversation that Dongfang Xiao was stunned.

And this time it can be said that it poked her lung tube, which was the most extreme one.

After all, how could anyone actually tell her outright that she was a mascot in front of her?No matter how polite the words were, they still sounded harsh to her.

But Xu Shi's words hit the mark. He wanted to talk about whether he could really bypass him and go directly to Cheng Gujian.

After all, what he said was absolutely right. This shortfall would not be borne by the royal family and the treasury. As the person in charge of promoting the Poseidon Stone transaction, Cheng Gujian would naturally have to pay some blood.

In this case, Cheng Gujian probably doesn't care whether he pays more or less - he won't care too much if the gap is not too big. If he can give Xu Shi a favor in this way, it will be more worthwhile for him.

After all, there was a gap between the two because of the crusade against Poseidon, and he could just take this opportunity to eliminate some of the discord between himself and Xu Shi.

"What do you want?"

The little queen bit her lip and asked with a tremor in her voice.

It seems that she realizes now that her previous thoughts seemed a bit naive, but it is undeniable that from the beginning, Xu Shi led her by the nose in this conversation, both emotionally and substantively.

But again, this may really be her only chance in this life, and even so, she can't give up easily.

"I don't want to do anything wrong, I just want His Majesty to understand something."

Looking at her slightly aggrieved but helpless look, Xu Shi's smile became brighter and brighter, "You are not the one who made the bid, I am."

"I know that Your Majesty is smart and smart. He may have seen the twists and turns behind the Poseidon Stone deal as early as the beginning."

He crossed his fingers and said calmly, "But you didn't stop it, but allowed it to develop to this point... I think you are just looking for an opportunity to cooperate with me?"

"To be honest, I quite admire your act of breaking off the wrist of a strong man. You are willing to gamble with the Hualan Empire's Guo Zuo... This is something that most people would not dare to think about."

"Of course, selfishness is really selfish. After all, you have long known that once the bubble bursts, I don't know how many people will be ruined, and even the entire empire will be in turmoil... But I can understand you. It's really uncomfortable to have a weak leader and a strong minister. It feels good, I’ve experienced something like this before.”

"So, based on this alone, I am actually quite willing to help you."

"It's just that I have conditions. It depends on how much you can accept."

(End of this chapter)