After the formal banquet was over, the emperor left with the empress and his consort so that the young people could enjoy themselves. The seats would be removed so that the guests could move around and chat with different people. Usually Lu Tong Xiao didn't stay in such entertainment banquets for a long time but before the emperor left, he called Lu Tong Xiao to his study to discuss some matters.
The Old Lu couple had already left. Lu Tong Xiao's eyes searched for Bai Yu Yan. Seeing that she was chatting with the 3rd princess, he instructed Xuyi to look after her and left for the emperor's study. The palace where he attended the daily morning court, he knew it like the back of his hand where he easily found the emperor's study.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lu is here.", the eunuch at the door informed of his arrival.
"Let him inside."
The emperor looked at the handsome young man coming inside at a calm pace. He was probably the only one in the entire nation who could face him, the emperor, like any other normal person. Even his own children, including the crown prince, couldn't do that. Apart from Tong Xiao's skills, it was the reason why the emperor was always confident while assigning him any task, no matter how difficult it is. The young Prime Minister was just like a lion, unafraid of anyone.
"Will you accompany this old man for tea?" The eunuch beside the emperor poured tea into two cups. He was already used to the emperor's relaxed way of speaking whenever he was alone with the Prime Minister.
Seeing a freshly brewed tea that was still emitting hot steam being set in front of him, he answered, "Your Majesty, does not seem to be asking a question."
His reply made the emperor chuckle in mirth. Shaking his head, he said, "Young man, only a foolish person would decline Da-Hong Pao Tea. Moreover, shouldn't you be happy that after what happened earlier in the banquet, you are still being served the most expensive tea instead of punishment?"
Lu Tong Xiao raised his brow and calmly blew on his tea like he was too lazy to repeat what he said at the banquet.
After making sure that he couldn't tease the man any more, he brought up the matter that he actually wanted to talk about, "You know that the young prince of Fan is in the palace, right?"
The serious matter finally caught his attention, "So he finally decided to come out? I had received the news that he had stopped by the northern border and spent a number of days inspecting it."
The emperor put down the teacup and replied, "Fan country sent the news of his arrival so he had to come out."
"That means even they didn't know that their prince had already arrived beforehand. But why didn't he attend today's banquet?"
"Maybe he didn't want too much attention. Take a look at this and tell me what you think about it.", The emperor took out a scroll from the drawer and handed it to Lu Tong Xiao.
Lu Tong Xiao shook his head as he opened the scroll, "It's more than just avoiding attention. He does not want to alert the enemies in the dark." Reading the content of the scroll, he added, " He was a weak prince, unfavoured by the Fan emperor. Even his brothers don't consider him their opponent for the throne. That's why they didn't guard against him when he came to Xin to visit Consort Ning's grave. But now, it seems he isn't the weak prince that he appears to be."
At the mention of Consort Ning, the emperor's eyes dimmed visibly. After a moment, he said, "The agreement that the prince has brought, no one knows about it. Not even the emperor of the Fan. Moreover, there is not much benefit for us in it. Zhen does not see any point in agreeing to this treaty."
Although Lu Tong Xiao knew that the emperor was checking him, still, he replied seriously, "A man who is capable of hiding himself so inconspicuously isn't an average man. The northern border has been terrorized by bandits which is making it difficult for us to open a trade route with the Fan country. The only reason why we are leaving its status quo is because even though the dry soil in the north is unsuitable for farming, our total production is sufficient to feed them. But if the Fan country allows us to build a canal from its Bei river, irrigation will be possible in the northern border, which in turn will make the soil fertile for production. Also, we can always export the excess crops if the trade route is established. From what I can see, this is what he actually wants. To feed his people."
Satisfied with his analysis, the emperor leaned back on his chair before speaking, "But the construction cost of the trade route will fall much heavier on our side than theirs."
Pausing for a moment he replied, "I didn't say we should agree with just this." He rolled the scroll and placed it on the table.
The emperor raised his brow with expectation. He knew the young man didn't make any deal that doesn't ensure profit.
Lu Tong Xiao's long fingers played with the teacup, "I think Your Majesty is forgetting something. Although the Fan nation's river Bei can be a blessing for us, it has also been a curse for us for many years. During the monsoon, the water level of Bai increases, flooding the villages in the north-east, making us suffer a huge loss. The only way it can be prevented is if Fan builds a dam."
Hearing what he said, the emperor straightened out his back. He understood what Tong Xiao was implying. Honestly, he hadn't thought about this. Their nation had to spend a lot of resources in order to recover the loss created by the flood. So, if they could add the condition of building a dam, then even if a major burden of the construction cost of the trade route fell on their shoulders, their total national expense would still be lowered as they wouldn't have to spend on flood prevention. Thinking about it, his eyes were filled with admiration for the young man as he nodded his head in laughter.