The north wind blew snowflakes onto the smooth cement roads of Qingzhou city.
The gray ground was covered with a layer of shimmering white, which meant the year-end was drawing closer by another day.
Since experiencing the lingerie launched by Fei Yue’er, Princess Pingyang had been spending her time in Qingzhou. Only after half a month did she choose to return to Chang’an, since she had to celebrate the New Year there.
Before leaving, Princess Pingyang repeatedly urged Xiao Ming not to forget the construction of the princess’s mansion.
Xiao Ming naturally promised wholeheartedly. Even modern countries rely on attracting wealthy residents to boost economic growth, so he wanted to make good use of this as well.
During these two weeks, Fei Yue’er stayed with Princess Pingyang. After becoming a princess consort, Fei Yue’er gradually took on the responsibilities fitting her position, especially handling diplomatic relations for the consort.
Xiao Ming was also busy. Qingzhou’s finances were tight, so he had to seize any opportunity to increase government income.
He had Lu Luo rush the production of a large batch of lingerie, and sent Li Kaiyuan to take the lingerie to Chang’an.
While Princess Pingyang was enjoying herself in Qingzhou, she also agreed to fully support promoting this intimate clothing in Chang’an. As the fashion trendsetter there, once she wore it, this product would quickly become popular in the city.
This added another source of income for the government. Naturally, Pang Yukun was pleased. Moreover, the textile workshop recruited three hundred workers, helping three hundred homeless families find livelihoods. They made money and also boosted the local economy.
After seeing off Princess Pingyang, Xiao Ming prepared to spend a peaceful New Year in Qingzhou with Fei Yue’er. But unexpectedly, an uninvited guest arrived in Qingzhou.
This person was none other than Rhodes, the man Xiao Ming had met in Dengzhou city, who claimed to be the Dutch ambassador.
“Ambassador Rhodes greets Prince Qi,”
In the main hall, Rhodes bowed respectfully to Xiao Ming. After receiving orders from Count Claire, he had come back into the heartland of the Great Yu Empire.
In Dengzhou, he expressed his desire to meet Prince Qi. Yang Chengye sent word to Xiao Ming, and with Xiao Ming’s approval, Yang Chengye arranged for Rhodes to be sent to Qingzhou.
“No need for formalities, Ambassador Rhodes. Since you have come to Qingzhou, I assume you have changed your original stance. I also do not wish to resolve the Ryukyu issue through war, but sometimes when negotiations fail, we must take action.”
Rhodes’s gaze was deep. Since arriving in Qingzhou, he had been observing the city. Seeing Qingzhou’s clean cement roads, orderly underground pipes, and soldiers armed with flintlock guns standing at the city gates made him feel a sense of defeat.
He did not know what this cement paving was. Though the locals called it “cement,” it seemed Europe had no such thing.
“Respected Prince Qi, Count Claire also does not want to solve our conflicts through war. That is why he sent me here to Qingzhou to discuss again about Ryukyu and the shipping routes.”
Xiao Ming nodded. “Then how does your Count Claire plan to handle this matter?”
To him, if it could be peacefully regained, he did not want to start a war, as every battle cost a great deal.
“Count Claire is willing to give up the main island of Ryukyu, but he hopes Your Highness will allow us Dutch to keep Fort Zeelandia. This is our last dignity,” Rhodes said with a bow.
“Fort Zeelandia?” Xiao Ming frowned. Fort Zeelandia was a city built on a small island off the east side of the Ryukyu main island. The Dutch port was located there.
At the same time, there was also a fortress called Menkse, facing Ryukyu across the sea. Wang Xuan had already informed him of this.
“That’s right. We still have the fort called Menkse facing the Ryukyu main island. We are willing to hand over Menkse together with the Ryukyu main island to Your Highness.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ming fell silent. One cannot allow others to rest peacefully beside his bed. The Dutch maintaining armed forces in Fort Zeelandia was an unstable factor.
He said, “No. Fort Zeelandia must also be returned.”
A flicker of anger showed in Rhodes’s eyes, but after understanding the power of this Prince Qi, he chose to suppress it. He said in a deep voice, “Prince Qi, this is our final bottom line. If Your Highness leaves no dignity for us Dutch, then we can only meet on the battlefield.”
Frowning, Xiao Ming said, “I haven’t finished. All territory of Ryukyu belongs to me. This is not open for negotiation. But after you acknowledge that Ryukyu belongs to me, I can transform Fort Zeelandia into a trading port. Your Dutch merchants can continue business as before, with one condition: your warships and garrison must withdraw, replaced by my soldiers and fleet.”
“Is this any different from returning Fort Zeelandia?” Rhodes’s heart grew cold.
“Of course it is. At least your Dutch merchant ships can still travel to Ryukyu. Otherwise, you will lose all of this forever,” Xiao Ming said bluntly. “Remember, you are the invader. You should feel lucky that you can still participate in East Asia trade.”
Regarding Ryukyu, Xiao Ming did not want to discuss much with the Dutch. There was no need to be polite with invaders.
Rhodes was silent. As he had guessed before coming, they faced a very strong prince, which pushed them almost to the edge.
After a long time, he said, “Sorry, Prince Qi. I think I need to discuss one last time with Count Claire. After that, we will decide whether to finally accept Your Highness’s terms.”
“Of course, but your time is limited. I hope you can make the decision soon,” according to the plan, the fleet would sail south in March after the New Year.
Rhodes nodded. He asked, “May I ask, what exactly is this cement? And would Your Highness allow me to visit Qingzhou’s factories? Perhaps this will help us understand each other better and deepen cooperation in the future.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ming smiled. The Dutch still wanted to see his true strength.
He said, “Cement is a fine building material, very common in Qingzhou. Since the ambassador is interested, I will take you on a tour.”
In reality, Europe’s first cement was produced only in 1796. According to the timeline, Europe truly did not have cement yet.
After speaking, Xiao Ming had horses prepared and led Rhodes onto Qingzhou’s streets.
A red-haired, blue-eyed foreigner suddenly appeared on the street, scaring the locals who fled in all directions. Some even shouted “monster,” which made Rhodes very upset.