The border trades brought four of them together. Who didn't like more gold in their treasury to build up their shitty territories and make their lives a little easier?
"Trade, trade, trade. Can't we have a little fun?" Kelian grumbled.
The trade talk between the border princes was an excuse to escape his nagging advisors at his end of the Youyu borderlands.
He thought of the never ending piles of complaints and recommendations coming in stacks to his study. At least, he can throw the work onto his advisors under the pretext of discussing trade.
Kelian saw the trade talk as a chance to gossip and learn about the world beyond his state of Youyu.
Lieshan grinned and patted him on the back. "Now, now, how're you paying for the irrigation channels? Trade. No irrigation channels, no water for your farmers to grow the crops."
Kelian groaned and clutched his head.
He didn't need a reminder. In the borderlands near the Black Mountains, life was harsh, away from the resource-rich capital.
The land under him had too many problems — like failing defensive fortifications, bandits, underdeveloped and barren land, and a large impoverished population.
Health problems related to humans, livestock, and crops gave him a splitting headache. He cussed out the locust swarms, which ate half of their crops this year.
All the solutions to his problems cost a lot of gold and silver. He couldn't raise taxes in the borderlands. Only a few in his borderlands can pay the current taxes in full.
After the trade agreement with the other three, his regional treasury started to fill with some gold instead of collecting cobwebs. Not full, but not empty.
Kelian glanced at the masked Yinyue with a little envy and admiration for coming up with the idea.
That damn Grand Prince, the youngest of them, first entered their circles, accompanied by an older mentor two years ago.
Kelian remembered how serious Yinyue sounded on securing trade routes through cooperation. Yinyue spoke like an older, experienced person stuck in a youth's body.
They cooperated with Yinyue to please the Dayan Empire, but their actual intention was to uncover the Dayan Empire's motives. Previous border princes from the Dayan Empire never contacted them.
Besides, the trade agreement benefited them more.
Despite their lack of expectations, life started improving with the trade routes secured in their territories.
Along the trade routes, some enterprising locals found opportunities in opening rest-inns, food stalls, trading shops and even security escort services instead of depending on farming.
Small towns started springing up with the job opportunities. Soon, their territory collected more tax money from the flourishing businesses.
"There's a trader on my list, bringing a special type of millet seed to Youyu state. Drought resistant. If you're interested…," Halun said, distracting Kelian from his thoughts by waving a bamboo strip in the air.
What one state had as a natural resource, the others might not. Each cooperated to create trade routes through their territories for the exchange of valuable goods.
"Drought resistant?" Kelian asked with his eyes growing bigger.
Poor water supply, drought and the dry cracked land with its arid climates, worsened the crop production in his borderlands. He needed to boost his people's food source.
If he intercepted that trade before it went inland, his farmers could grow the drought resistant millet. He could sell the resulting harvests and seeds to other parts of Youyu at a higher price.
"Yeah, a special hybrid from crossbreeding our millet species," Halun replied.
Kelian's eyes lit up. He recognised the Taotang state's special insignia on the bamboo strip as a trade record of an export.
The bamboo strip contained etched or inked words about the export item, its amount, the trader's name, its origin and proposed destination. Unlike the more expensive paper, they could string the strips together to form a scroll for their border inspection guards.
Each export, like travel, needed the approval of the border princes to move out of the state. A border prince can redirect the trader to another friendly state with ease if necessary. Or block an export to an enemy state.
"Gimme!" Kelian squealed and reached out for the bamboo strip.
Halun pulled the strip away.
"GIMME—"
"Are both of you done playing monkey?" Lieshan interrupted them and gestured to the main table where Yinyue took her seat.
Lieshan pointed to the table where small four messy piles of bamboo strips laid. "Gotta clear the trade exports. Plus a proposed secured route coming through the western end from the Xirong side."
A small whine escaped from Kelian's mouth at the sight of the strips.
"Think of it as a game," Lieshan told him.
"That's work…lots of work…"
"Oh, shut up!" Halun brushed past him to sit in his usual seat. "Get to work if you want gold."
"If you guys are done with your banter, let's talk about the proposed secured route first," Yinyue said while fiddling with the bamboo strips. "From what I know, two underworld syndicates control the western passes."
Lieshan added "Black Peony and Xirong's Simoge, or was it Simage?"
"SimURG," Halun corrected his pronunciation.
The Xirong Simurg, a syndicate, acted as the Xirong Empire's underworld extension. They managed the networks of businesses, which also collected news and information across some states on behalf of the Xirong Empire.
Lieshan narrowed his eyes at him.
Halun shrugged and said, "My mother is Xirong."
"Whatever," Lieshan huffed. "That sounded like someone trying to clear phlegm from their throats."
"The Xirong Simurg won't work with anyone from the Central Plains or the Dayan Empire," Halun added, ignoring Lieshan's insult.
"They started talking with the Gaoyang state," Lieshan replied.
Halun spluttered the tea he sipped from the cup in his hand and started choking. "T-t-them?"
"I have spies there. We intercepted letters," Lieshan replied.
"You guys have spies everywhere and in my state too," Kelian said, and yawned. "We don't bother spying on everyone."
Talk of politics bored Kelian.
Halun chortled. "Not that you don't bother. Youyu is too poor to spy."
Yinyue frowned. Halun seemed too keen on starting a fight with Kelian. His behavior now differed from his docile behavior in their past meetings. Was he distracting them from something?
The possibility of Gaoyang allying with the Xirong Empire also made her uneasy. That never happened in her first life.
Not to her recollection.
Yinyue wanted to weaken Gaoyang, but she realized her choices in this second life might have changed the course of history.
If her former husband from her first life ascended the throne of Gaoyang, she wanted to drag him screaming down to hell in this second life.
"Your rival went to talk to Gaoyang. So…what can you offer us?" Lieshan said with a grin, breaking her chain of thought.
The atmosphere in the room thickened with tension. Halun furrowed his eyebrows while Kelian straightened his back and narrowed his eyes. Both of them didn't dare ask for any offer. Their small states had no power to request any benefits from a powerful empire.
Why was Lieshan speaking on their behalf?
"Why? Do you want my army to test all of your border defences?" She countered, flashing a smile at his fading grin.
Was Yinyue joking? No one wanted to test the Dayan Empire's strength. Halun lowered his head and said nothing. Lieshan blinked. Awkward silence followed.
"Damn you, Lieshan. Nothing nice ever comes out of your mouth." Kelian spoke up after a long silence.
Lieshan opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Kelian seldom scolded him.
Kelian desired a life of enjoyment, free from worries. He disliked the plentiful spies, plotters, and schemers in Youyu's capital. They scrambled his brains by talking to him about their side of their politics.
His brother-king used him to get rid of a troublesome concubine and her family. Kelian went along with it and thought the temporary banishment allowed him to laze around in the borderlands.
He thought he had escaped political scheming.
Wrong.
Kelian realised Lieshan was far worse than the ones back in the capital. Lieshan was arrogant. Nothing wrong with arrogance if Lieshan held enough power or backing to do or say as he liked. No, Lieshan never failed to drag them down when he stirred unwanted trouble with the Dayan Grand Prince.
Kelian turned to Yinyue and pointed to Lieshan. "He suggested the offer for himself. Not 'us'. He doesn't speak for me."
"Nor me," Halun added while Lieshan gnashed his teeth.
"Besides, if the Xirong Empire and Gaoyang allied to attack Lieshan's or my side, they need control of the Black Mountains, right?" Yinyue said.