bayedsolid Chapter 947 They'd only save her son if they got Zhao Bingyu's trade routes.
Chapter 947 They'd only save her son if they got Zhao Bingyu's trade routes.
That was me...
"That's the capital you worked so hard to accumulate, isn't it?"
Bai Lu coldly interrupted her, "So, in your heart, the capital you've accumulated is more important than your son's life?"
Zhao Bingyu staggered back a step, grabbed the edge of the bed, her face as pale as paper.
She looked at her son, who was dying on the bed, and then at her cold and resolute daughter in front of her. For the first time, pain and struggle showed in her eyes.
Bai Lu stood up, walked step by step to her, and looked down at her.
"Madam Zhao, did you hear that clearly?"
“I don’t care what you’ve been through all these years, or what grand ambitions you have. Now, I’m giving you a chance.”
"Either you trade 30% of the trade route for your son's life."
"Either you take him away now and find someone more capable. From now on, whether he lives or dies will have nothing to do with me, Bailu."
"You...you're forcing me!"
Zhao Bingyu's voice trembled.
"Yes."
Bai Lu admitted without hesitation, "I'm forcing you."
"Just like you did today, using a fake identity to deceive me..."
"I'll give you one night to consider it. Tomorrow morning, I want to see the contract at the Marquis's residence."
"otherwise......"
Bai Lu withdrew her hand, turned around and walked towards the door.
"...Just wait to collect his corpse."
The door was opened and then closed.
The cold night wind blew in, only to be shut out again.
In the room, only Zhao Bingyu remained, standing there blankly, her body ice-cold. Looking at her unconscious son on the bed, tears finally streamed down her face silently.
The next day, early in the morning.
Inside the study of the Marquis of Anguo's residence.
Peony knocked on the door and entered, bowing as she said, "My lord, someone outside the manor requests an audience. She says... she has brought what you requested."
Bai Lu didn't even raise her head, only giving a faint "hmm".
"Let her in."
A moment later, footsteps sounded.
Today, Zhao Bingyu had shed her servant's attire from yesterday and donned an elegant yet exquisitely crafted brocade dress. Her disguise had also been removed, revealing a well-maintained and still charming face. However, a deep weariness lingered in her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn't slept all night.
She entered the study, followed by a maid carrying a heavy sandalwood box.
"Marquis of Anguo".
Zhao Bingyu's voice returned to its original timbre, clear and aloof.
Bai Lu raised her eyelids as if looking at an insignificant stranger.
"Have you thought about it?"
Zhao Bingyu did not answer directly, but instead gestured to the maid behind her. The maid stepped forward, placed the wooden box on the desk, and gently opened it.
Inside the box were stacks of neatly arranged silver notes, each worth a thousand taels, from the largest bank in the Great Wu Dynasty, Sihai Bank, which could be redeemed on sight.
"Here are five hundred thousand taels of silver notes, not a penny less."
"Here is your consultation fee."
Bai Lu's gaze swept over the box full of silver notes, but she remained silent.
The atmosphere in the study instantly became stagnant.
Zhao Bingyu's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Bai Lu's unusually calm profile and said in a deep voice, "What do you mean by this? Five hundred thousand taels, that's the price you set yourself."
"I did offer a price."
Bai Lu put down her teacup with a soft click, and finally looked directly at Zhao Bingyu, her eyes carrying a hint of mockery. "But I also said that I don't want cash."
"you!"
Zhao Bingyu's face paled, suppressing her anger. "Five hundred thousand taels is no small sum; it's enough for you to do anything in the capital! Why are you so fixated on my trade routes?"
"Because trade routes are profitable, while banknotes are not."
Bai Lu's answer was blunt to the point of being cruel: "A secret trade route that can lead directly from the Western Regions to Da Wu can bring in far more than 500,000 taels of profit in a year. Madam Zhao, you can do the math, and so can I."
Zhao Bingyu's breath hitched, and she clenched her hands, which were hidden in her sleeves.
"Trade routes...are of vital importance to me, I cannot give them to you."
She said with difficulty. She was planning to save it for her son and daughter; how could she possibly give it to Bailu!
"Oh?"
Bai Lu raised an eyebrow, leaned forward slightly, and placed her hands clasped on the desk. "How important is it? More important than your son's life?"
That’s it again!
Zhao Bingyu's eyes reddened slightly, and her voice trembled slightly: "Zhen'er's life is of course more important!"
"But the trade route is the foundation of me... our family! It's the result of over a decade of hard work by countless people! I can't just hand it over like that!"
"Madam Zhao, are you joking?"
"What do your foundation have to do with me?!"
"Put your banknotes away."
Bai Lu's voice was as cold as ice, "My conditions will not change. Either give me what I want, or take your money and your son and get out of my sight."
She paused for a moment, looking at the pain and struggle that flashed in Zhao Bingyu's eyes.
"Just a heads up, Bai Ruzhen's time... is running out."
“His life force is draining away every day. Even I, if I drag this out for too long, may not be able to save him.”
"How...how could you be so heartless! He's your own brother too!"
Zhao Bingyu finally broke down, her voice trembling with sobs.
"heartless?"
Bai Lu laughed, a laugh filled with endless sorrow and self-mockery. "If I were truly ruthless, I wouldn't be wasting my breath talking to you here. I would have just had Young Master Xi throw you all out of the capital and leave you to fend for yourselves."
“It was you, it was all of you, who abandoned our family ties first... At that time, we also severed ties with each other.”
"Since it's a transaction,"
Bai Lu's eyes turned cold again. "Then let's talk less about feelings and only about bargaining chips."
After she finished speaking, she didn't look at Zhao Bingyu again, turned around and walked back behind her desk.
"Peony, see the guest off."
"Yes."
Peony appeared at the door and gestured for Zhao Bingyu to enter.
Zhao Bingyu stood there blankly, staring at the whole box on the table, a box of silver notes that others considered immense wealth but were worthless in her daughter's eyes. She then looked at her daughter, whose back view was filled with indifference and determination.
Zhao Bingyu walked out of the Marquis of Anguo's residence, looking utterly dejected.
The silver notes were returned untouched. Bai Lu's attitude was as firm as ice, leaving no room for negotiation.
Her son's life, her money... these two things were like two mountains, pressing down on her so much that she could hardly breathe.
With nowhere else to turn, a person who had been buried deep in her heart for over a decade, someone she thought she would never touch again, resurfaced in her mind.
—The current emperor of the Great Wu Dynasty.
He was also her childhood sweetheart.
An hour later, in the Imperial Palace, in the Imperial Study.
The emperor was reviewing memorials when he was quite surprised to hear from the chief eunuch, Li, that an old friend had come to see him with a token of his trust.
When he saw the woman, dressed in plain clothes, travel-worn yet still exuding elegance, walk in, his vermilion brush paused slightly.
"Zhao... Bingyu?"
The emperor's voice carried a hint of uncertainty, as well as a complex emotion that even he himself was unaware of.
"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, pay my respects."
Zhao Bingyu curtsied and performed a standard curtsy.
"Without courtesy, I will give you a seat."
The emperor quickly regained his imperial dignity. He put down his pen, leaned back on the dragon throne, and scrutinized the woman he hadn't seen for over a decade. Time seemed to have been exceptionally kind to her; apart from a few more signs of age in her brows, her appearance was almost identical to what it had been years ago.
"You... are still alive."
The emperor's tone revealed neither joy nor anger.
"Thanks to His Majesty's great blessings, I have survived until now."
Zhao Bingyu's voice was calm and even.
A brief silence fell over the Imperial Study. Steward Li quietly served tea and then quietly withdrew.
"What brings you to the palace today?"
The emperor broke the silence first. He didn't ask her where she had been or what she had experienced all these years.
Zhao Bingyu took a deep breath, raised her head, and pleaded in her eyes: "Your Majesty... has come for my daughter, Bailu."
"Oh?"
The emperor raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "For the Marquis of Anguo? What happened to her?"
"Your Majesty, I know that it is you who have secretly taken care of my daughter all these years, which has allowed her to grow up safely and even become a marquis and general. I will never forget this kindness."
Zhao Bingyu first lowered her stance, "It's just... my daughter seems to have some misunderstandings about me now, and her personality... has also become a bit stubborn."
She briefly recounted, downplaying the fact that Bai Ruzhen was seriously ill, yet Bai Lu demanded an exorbitant consultation fee, insisting on receiving a 30% cut from the Western Regions trade route before agreeing to treat her.
"Five hundred thousand taels...and you want 30% of the trade route?"
Upon hearing this, the emperor was not angry at all. Instead, he chuckled softly, his tone carrying an undisguised admiration. "As expected of my Marquis of Anguo, you have both courage and vision! You know what true value is."
"This girl takes after me!"
Zhao Bingyu's expression froze on her face.
She had anticipated that the emperor might be surprised, might think Bai Lu was greedy, or might even rebuke her, but she never expected him to have such an... honored attitude.
"His Majesty......"
She spoke with some disbelief.
“Bingyu,”
The emperor shifted to a more comfortable position, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of the dragon throne. "Do you know why I value Bailu so much?"
Zhao Bingyu shook her head blankly.
"Because she resembles me, and even more so, a qualified ruler."
The emperor's eyes gleamed. "She knows how to weigh the pros and cons, how to seize the other party's weaknesses, and how to maximize her own interests."
"Acting on emotions is a mistake only the weak make. My Marquis Anguo never makes such a mistake."
He looked at Zhao Bingyu, then changed the subject, his tone taking on a hint of imperial scrutiny: "As for you, since you're asking for a favor, you should show the sincerity you're asking for."
"Since your trade route is so important, it must be quite valuable."
"I know of Bai Lu's medical skills; she could bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded."
"I think it's a fair deal to trade 30% of your trade routes for your son's life."
"But...but she's my daughter!"
Zhao Bingyu finally couldn't hold back any longer and exclaimed, "We are mother and daughter, how could she treat me like this?"
"A biological mother and daughter?"
The emperor's smile vanished instantly, and his gaze sharpened. "When you abandoned her for over ten years, ignoring her completely and leaving her to struggle for survival alone in Dawu, did you never consider that you were mother and daughter?"
"Where were you, her own mother, when she stood alone, facing the doubts and difficulties of the entire court, step by step climbing to this position?"
The emperor stood up, walked up to her, and looked down at her.
"Zhao Bingyu, times have changed. I am no longer the impulsive young man who would act on a mere word for you."
His voice was cold and distant; the last vestiges of his moonlight filter shattered completely when it came to his most cherished child.
"Bailu is my Marquis of Anguo, and a pillar of the Great Wu Dynasty."
"Her decision is my decision."
"I will not interfere in the family affairs of an old friend who has disappeared for more than ten years, nor will I let her suffer the slightest grievance."
He paused for a moment, then issued his final ultimatum.
"I advise you to follow her rules. After all..."
He glanced meaningfully outside the hall, "...Only she can save your son."
"Even I am powerless to help."
After saying that, he turned around and walked back behind the desk, picked up the memorials again, and didn't look at her again.
"Manager Li, see the guests out."
The cold voice was so similar to the one I heard at the Marquis of Anguo's residence yesterday.
Zhao Bingyu felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She staggered to her feet and looked at the man who had once been so devoted to her, but now wouldn't even spare her a second glance.
She finally realized that what she thought was her last trump card had long since become a useless card.
In this vast capital city, in this cold palace, she had absolutely nothing to rely on.
But her seemingly helpless daughter actually has... the whole world standing behind her.
Zhao Bingyu's figure disappeared at the door of the Imperial Study, her steps unsteady, her back desolate, as if the last bit of strength had been drained away.
The Imperial Study has returned to its usual tranquility.
The emperor stared blankly at the memorial in his hand, but his deep eyes were unfocused. After a long while, he slammed the vermilion brush down into the brush washer, making a crisp clanging sound.
"Ah."
A very soft, cold laugh broke the silence.
Upon hearing the voice, Chief Steward Li, who had been standing silently in the corner, treating himself as if he were invisible, immediately slid forward quietly and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty?"
The emperor didn't look at him, but stared at the empty palace gate, his tone full of undisguised mockery and contempt.
"Steward Li, tell me, how can there be such a clueless and stupid person in this world?"
Chief Steward Li, keeping his eyes downcast and his mind at ease, replied cautiously, "This old servant is foolish and asks for Your Majesty's guidance."
"A gesture of respect? I'm almost laughing at her!"
As if he had found an outlet, the emperor leaned back in his dragon throne and spoke in rapid succession, "My son is almost dead, and she's still here complaining about being poor to me and haggling with Bailu over that 30% trade route!"