Chapter 160

A long silence filled the tent. Yang Yaozong and Aiyi looked at each other, neither willing to yield an inch.

"Can you tell me what deal you made with the Prince of Qin?" Yang Yaozong sighed and asked.

"There is no harm in letting you know. The Eastern Turks want to divide the river rule with the Prince of Qin, but what I want are iron-smelting techniques and artillery blueprints. Our Turkic lands are rich in iron ore, yet we cannot smelt good iron or forge superior weapons and artillery. With these blueprints, we can craft armaments capable of rivaling your Great Zhou. Add to that our fierce Turkic warriors, and how long do you suppose it will take for Western Turkic to grow supreme? How long before we step foot into the Central Plains?" Aiyi crossed her hands over her rising chest, raised her head, and smiled proudly.

"I must say, you are a very clever and ambitious woman! But why is your mind always set on aggression?" Yang Yaozong sighed.

"Naturally, to ensure my people live better lives!" Aiyi said dismissively.

"And have you seen your people living better lives because of it? Aggression brings nothing but suffering—suffering for the common folk on both sides!" Yang Yaozong frowned and said sternly.

"Then why should your Great Zhou alone enjoy the abundant produce of fertile lands and possess the beauty of mountains and rivers?" Aiyi stood up, leaned closer to Yang Yaozong, and asked angrily.

"The prosperity of Great Zhou that you see has been created, accumulated, and developed through the wisdom and toil of countless hardworking people. If you would stop thinking of aggression and instead focus wholeheartedly on developing the Turks, I believe your people would gradually grow strong and prosperous. If you only wish to reap without sowing, even if Great Zhou were handed over to you Turks, I fear you would plunge it into chaos and ruin the country!" Unfazed by Aiyi's anger, Yang Yaozong met her gaze and said.

"Turkic soil is barren; everywhere you look, there are only grasslands, gobi, and deserts. I would love to hear how you expect me to develop and grow?" Aiyi asked unconvinced.

"That seems to be a question you should be pondering!" Yang Yaozong shrugged fearlessly.

"You! I knew you would be at a loss as well! Yet you talk so... so brazenly!"

Yang Yaozong lowered his head in thought for a moment, chuckled softly, and said, "We could trade."

"We have always traded!" Seeing Yang Yaozong's carefree chuckle, Aiyi felt an urge to step forward and bite him as she said bitterly.

"I mean a different kind of trade. For instance, we could teach your Turkic people how to embroider and craft fine artisanal goods so that you can manufacture them yourselves. You could then sell your surplus products to us, or to neighboring nations like Tibet and the Arab lands. Alternatively, you could produce goods for us using the skills you learn, while we provide you with lodging and money." Feeling somewhat parched, Yang Yaozong picked up a teacup and took a sip.

"Your Great Zhou is so fiercely protective of its secrets; would you really impart these technologies to us?" Aiyi's tone softened, and she said somewhat bashfully. She noticed that the cup Yang Yaozong was drinking from was the very same one she had used while waiting for him.

"I naturally have my ways. Remember this: things acquired through your own hands and honest labor are the most precious things of all. They are far better than dreaming of sitting back and eating away your mountain of resources until it is gone." Yang Yaozong turned the teacup round and round in his fingers.

"What way do you have?" Aiyi asked with curiosity.

"Let us not stray too far off. I was merely helping you envision a better future than one won through aggression. Right now, what we need to discuss is whether to fight or not, and how to fight!"

"Hmph! You are always like this! You hook someone's curiosity and then just leave them hanging! Do you have any idea how agonizing it is for the person whose curiosity you've provoked?" Aiyi stared intently at Yang Yaozong and asked.

"Am I truly that devoid of virtue? Why don't you say it's because their curiosity is simply too strong?" Yang Yaozong said heartlessly.

Aiyi turned her back to him, and after a long silence, softly asked, "Once you and I join forces, will you help me recover the Eastern Turks?"

"I believe you can accomplish it on your own!" Yang Yaozong replied without hesitation.

"I am asking whether you will help me!" Aiyi spun around and glared fiercely at Yang Yaozong.

"I am a very busy man!" Yang Yaozong spread his hands.

"You! If you do not come to help me, I will not agree to join forces with you!" Aiyi gave a soft huff, cast a sidelong glance at Yang Yaozong, and said.

"I detest war above all else! I only wish to live a life with a wife, children, and a warm kang. I have so many wives at home waiting for me!" Yang Yaozong continued to put on a pitiful act.

"You can bring them to live in the Turkic lands! I can grant you supreme honor, wealth, and status!" Aiyi pressed on relentlessly.

"You may not know this, but aside from being a son-in-law of the Nangong family, I am also an imperial consort of Great Zhou. As for wealth, I lack nothing. Do I currently lack honor? As for status, I am the Grand Tutor of the Imperial Grandson. Would you say I am missing any of the things you mentioned? I now have elderly parents above and young children below; I only wish to live in peace and pursue happiness. If you truly need someone to help you, Great Zhou has many capable and ambitious men; we can dispatch one or two to assist you..." Yang Yaozong took a sip of tea, lowered his gaze to the liquid in the cup, and avoided Aiyi's burning stare.

"I want only you!" Aiyi leaned forward and said.

"I am not as capable as you think; everything is merely my good fortune! In truth, I am nothing more than a scholar who cannot carry burdens or lift heavy loads with his hands! My only usable skill is this glib tongue of mine, capable of drawing pictures of cakes to satisfy hunger for you," Yang Yaozong pleaded earnestly.

"Then I still want only you!" Aiyi suddenly lunged into Yang Yaozong's arms, embracing him tightly.

"What do you want from me? My body?" Yang Yaozong said, a trace of suppressed anger in his voice.

"I want all of you! Your body and your soul! Don't think I don't know what you did to me." Aiyi raised her head, staring defiantly at Yang Yaozong.

"What did I do to you?" Yang Yaozong asked, opening his eyes wide with a look of innocent bewilderment.

"You! My body was seen by you! Touched by you! Do you intend to deny it?" Aiyi said, flushed with shame and anger.

"I..." Yang Yaozong wanted to offer a helpless explanation.

"What 'I'? You did it knowing full well you shouldn't have! You took advantage of me openly and shamelessly!" Aiyi interrupted, refusing to let him off the hook.

"I did that to save your life! Besides, if you don't speak of it, and I don't speak of it, who else would ever know?" Yang Yaozong chuckled sheepishly.

"And now I need your help to save me—why won't you? I have already told my brother about what happened between us! He is the next Khan of Western Turks and dotes on me dearly! If you think you can refuse to take responsibility for me, guess what he will do? Besides, Khan Tuolie told my father to advance the wedding date. Do you really want me to marry Khan Tuolie?" Aiyi pressed aggressively.

"Didn't you say you had your own plans?" Yang Yaozong smiled bitterly.

"Those plans were made before I met you! I originally intended to provoke a war between the Turks and Great Zhou to weaken the Eastern Turks, and then slowly develop and strengthen our Western Turks. I would watch you two snipe at each other while I reaped the profits. But waiting that way takes far too long, and inevitably has flaws. Now I have decided to listen to you: cooperate with Great Zhou, first recover the Eastern Turks, and unify the Turkic lands!"

"And then what? Come and invade our Great Zhou again?"

"That will depend on your performance!" Aiyi traced circles on Yang Yaozong's chest with her finger.

"I... this matter is something I need to discuss with my wives."

"Don't try to scare me with your wives! I know perfectly well they will never agree to let you come and help me! But I am certain you can make the decisions in your household. I will also have my father write a memorial to your emperor. Which do you suppose your emperor would prefer: continuing to wage war with us, or trading you for peace?" Aiyi raised an eyebrow, her voice alluring. (To be continued.)