Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 1130 Negotiation, Conditions, and Li Yunrui's Reaction!

"What do you want to say?" Li Yunrui's voice remained calm, but Gao Yao could detect a subtle change in it.

"What I want to say is that Your Highness may seem to have the upper hand, but in reality, danger lurks everywhere." Gao Yao put down the teapot and looked directly at Li Yunrui.

"Fan Xian is not just a simple figure like Fan Jian. What is the Supervisory Council? It's a supervisory agency directly under the imperial family. And who is Chen Pingping? Would he support the illegitimate son of a Vice Minister of Revenue for no reason?"

Li Yunrui was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Are you saying that Fan Xian is backed by His Majesty?"

"Not just His Majesty." Gao Yao shook his head. "Your Highness should be familiar with the name Ye Qingmei, shouldn't you?"

Upon hearing the name "Ye Qingmei," Li Yunrui's body visibly stiffened, and her eyes behind the black veil instantly sharpened like a knife. This woman, who had passed away many years ago, remained an indelible shadow in Emperor Qing's heart, and a thorn that would forever pierce Li Yunrui's soul.

Gao Yao observed this reaction and understood. He continued, "What Ye Qingmei left behind was not only the Imperial Treasury and the Supervisory Council, but also her mysterious son, Fan Xian. The reason why Fan Xian has been able to deal with His Highness in the capital until now is because all parties saw Ye Qingmei's shadow in him."

Li Yunrui finally reached out and gently lifted a corner of her veil, taking a sip of tea. This seemingly casual gesture actually signified that she was beginning to take this conversation seriously.

“Boss Gao seems to know quite a bit,” Li Yunrui said, setting down her teacup. “But what does this have to do with me?”

“Of course it’s related.” Gao Yao leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Because what Your Highness wants is not just control over the Imperial Treasury, nor just manipulation of the Crown Prince or the Second Prince. What Your Highness wants is for certain people to pay the price for their past mistakes, isn’t that right?”

The air in the room suddenly froze. The man in plain clothes behind Li Yunrui's eyes sharpened, as if he was ready to make a move at any moment.

Li Yunrui simply raised her hand slightly, stopping any possible movement. She stared at Gao Yao, as if trying to see right through him: "Who exactly are you?"

Li Yunrui's questions remained casual, but his words carried a murderous intent. Initially, Li Yunrui had assumed the merchant's invitation was related to the newly promoted Grandmaster, but now it sounded far more complex. The man before him seemed to know a great deal about what happened back then, even the relationship between Fan Xian and Emperor Qing—knowledge beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Who I am is not important." Gao Yao met Li Yunrui's gaze calmly. "What is important is what I can offer Your Highness."

"What can you give me?" Li Yunrui's tone was tinged with sarcasm. "Wealth? I control the Imperial Treasury, so I have no shortage of money. Power? I am already the Grand Princess, and my power over the court is immense."

"Grandmaster," Gao Yao uttered softly.

Li Yunrui's eyes finally showed a noticeable change. In this world, Grandmasters are beings who transcend ordinary martial artists, capable of fighting against thousands of troops single-handedly, and are strategic forces that influence the balance of power in a nation.

To date, Southern Qing only has one Grandmaster, Ye Liuyun, while Northern Qi has Ku He, and Eastern Yi has Si Gu Jian. If she could acquire a Grandmaster, the situation would be entirely different. Although legend has it that Southern Qing has another Grandmaster, and it's rumored to be Hong Si Yang, Li Yunrui actually suspects it's Emperor Qing himself.

"Is that newly promoted Grandmaster related to you?" Li Yunrui probed.

"You could say it's related, or you could say it's unrelated," Gao Yao deliberately said ambiguously. "The important thing is that I know how to find him, and even... how to make him work for His Highness."

Li Yunrui remained silent for a long time, then suddenly chuckled: "Boss Gao, words alone are not enough. How can I believe you?"

Gao Yao took out a token from his sleeve and placed it on the table. It was an ordinary-looking iron token with strange patterns engraved on it.

Li Yunrui's pupils contracted slightly when she saw the token. She recognized the pattern—it was the mark of Taiping Villa. Taiping Villa was Ye Qingmei's residence before her death, and it became a forbidden area after her death, one that even she, Li Yunrui, could not easily enter.

"This token..."

“This token allows free access to Taiping Villa,” Gao Yao said calmly. “Your Highness can send someone to verify its authenticity.”

Li Yunrui took a deep breath. If this token was genuine, then the man before him was definitely not simple. There were probably no more than five such tokens in the entire Southern Qing Dynasty.

"What do you want?" Li Yunrui asked directly. There's no such thing as a free lunch; the other party must have something in mind for offering such a bargaining chip.

Gao Yao sat up straight again, his expression becoming serious: "I wish to cooperate with Your Highness."

"Cooperation?" Li Yunrui raised an eyebrow. "How would we cooperate?"

“First, I need Your Highness’s support in the court,” Gao Yao said slowly. “Gao’s Restaurant is just the beginning. I plan to expand the business to all the states of Nanqing within a year, and to Beiqi and Dongyi within three years.”

Li Yunrui was slightly surprised to hear this. She had thought the other party would make political demands, but it turned out to be about business expansion.

“It’s not difficult,” Li Yunrui said, “but you should know that my support is not free.”

“Of course.” Gao Yao nodded. “Thirty percent of the profits from the Gao family’s businesses will go directly into Your Highness’s private treasury. In addition, I can provide Your Highness with a special service.”

"What service?"

“Intelligence.” A glint of light flashed in Gao Yao’s eyes. “Your Highness, why do you think Gao’s Restaurant has become the most popular place in the capital in such a short time? It’s not just because of the delicious food and wine, but also because it’s a hub of information. Officials, merchants, martial artists… when they’re in high spirits, they always reveal information that they wouldn’t normally say.”

Li Yunrui finally understood Gao Yao's value. The Internal Treasury controlled money, the Surveillance Bureau controlled official intelligence, while Gao Yao provided informal but potentially equally important information channels.

"Go on," Li Yunrui said, clearly showing interest.

"Secondly, I need Your Highness to help me resolve some... troubles at the appropriate time," Gao Yao continued, "such as Fan Xian."

Li Yunrui's eyes narrowed: "You also want to deal with Fan Xian?"

“Not entirely.” Gao Yao shook his head. “Fan Xian is both a pawn and a player. My goal is not to eliminate him, but… to change the rules of the game.”

"What do you mean?"

Gao Yao stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the bright moon in the night sky: "Your Highness, this world is too small. Southern Qing, Northern Qi, Eastern Yi, plus all sorts of tribes beyond the Great Wall, this is not good. If we could unify them, wouldn't that be the best thing?"

For the first time, Li Yunrui showed a look of surprise. She hadn't expected that a restaurant owner would have such ambition and vision.

“Fan Xian has the key to those secrets.” Gao Yao turned around, his gaze intense. “I don’t need to kill him. I just need to make him act according to our plan.”

After a long silence, Li Yunrui finally spoke: "What is your plan?"