Chapter 148

The crowd cheered. Although both Ye Tao and Dai Qiuyan were indifferent people, they quite enjoyed this atmosphere. Ye Tao glanced around and spotted Tan Weishi smiling sweetly in the crowd, and Jiang Yan standing far away, outside the throng.

"I'll be right back. You go chat with Her Highness the Princess," Ye Tao said, squeezing Dai Qiuyan's hand.

Dai Qiuyan was visibly excited. Her face was flushed beyond what the temperature could account for, and now that she had finished her painting, no longer needing to restrain her emotions, her body was even trembling slightly with excitement. Ye Tao smiled at Dai Qiuyan, indulgently and with affection. Ye Tao also knew that this wife of his, who still called him "Brother Ye" and couldn't seem to break the habit, would repay him with such passion...

But, at least for now, Ye Tao had something he needed to do: figure out Jiang Yan's purpose. He wasn't so naive as to think Jiang Yan was here for a leisurely art gathering. This typical strategist, known for his political and tactical acumen, wasn't fond of such events.

"Mr. Jiang, what brings you here this time?" Ye Tao asked directly after walking with Jiang Yan to a secluded spot.

"Lord Ye is quite the man of leisure, actually having time to attend such a gathering," Jiang Yan said with a somewhat sarcastic smile. Ye Tao didn't mind, as Jiang Yan seemed to always be like this. A sarcastic smile was almost his trademark.

"Not really leisure. I took a stroll along Willow Embankment yesterday, but the scenery there isn't as good as here, after all. I heard there was a gathering here today, so I thought I'd join in. It wouldn't be appropriate to ask Duke Yan to open his villa just to entertain me, would it?" Ye Tao said casually.

"Lord, is your decision irrevocable?" Jiang Yan asked. He was naturally referring to Dongping's refusal to send troops to assist.

Ye Tao looked at Jiang Yan and said seriously, "You should know that Dongping's army is preparing to attack Liao. All preparations are focused on the north; the arrow is on the string, and there's no room for adjustment. Dongping is indeed proud of its strong military, but fighting on two fronts simultaneously? That wouldn't be confidence or pride, but having one's head stuck in a door."

Jiang Yan's expression didn't change. No matter what decision Ye Tao made, it wouldn't be entirely unexpected. Ye Tao's decision had been efficiently leaked by Feng Zi last night, and Jiang Yan had spent the entire morning in the royal palace discussing the matter with the Chunnan ruler and several key officials. What relieved Jiang Yan and the Chunnan ministers was that, at least it seemed, Ye Tao had made this decision after intense internal struggle, which meant Dongping still valued Chunnan as an ally. Whether it was a sigh of relief or a feeling that this could be further exploited, it was all good.

And Jiang Yan, after the broad outlines of their decision had been formed, became particularly interested in Ye Tao. What kind of person was Ye Tao, really? Was he a peerless artisan, a natural-born general brimming with strategy, a capable statesman with a wealth of knowledge, or the seemingly omnipotent figure pieced together from various intelligence reports? What kind of diligent study and accumulation could produce such a person? Or was this world truly blessed with someone born with innate knowledge?

The more Jiang Yan understood about governance and state affairs, the more he realized the significance of Ye Tao, and also of Ye Tao's wife, Tan Weixin, who seemed to be overturning many traditions and would continue to do so. And when such a person obtained sufficient power, implementing their ideas with careful, meticulous steps, gradually seeing results, without becoming arrogant due to their outstanding abilities, nor being constrained by opposition or hesitation... Such a person was truly terrifying. And the changes taking place in Dongping because of these two figures were increasingly shocking to Jiang Yan. He now understood why Ye Tao and Tan Weixin were both ranked in the top five on the Daoming Sect's highly instructive assassination list, while he himself couldn't even crack the top fifty.

Although he understood that Ye Tao's explanation was some kind of excuse, Jiang Yan had no intention of refuting it. It wouldn't have any effect.

"Lord," Jiang Yan said softly, bowing slightly. "This is truly a pity. I hope... my Chunnan's finest young men won't fall too many due to this situation. However, Lord, many of the implements we need, such as the fire oil bombs, as well as warhorses, weapons, armor, and so on, are produced by the Ye Family Workshops. In this regard, we still need your assistance."

Ye Tao said sincerely, "Please rest assured, Mr. Jiang, I will do what I can."

"It's a shame to trouble Lord Ye with such trivial matters," Jiang Yan said with apparent gratitude.

They leaned against a stone railing facing the sea. Jiang Yan suddenly asked, "Lord Ye, I presume you know that I was the one who proposed the marriage alliance between our two nations. Now it seems that Princess Lian's marriage into the Tan family may have been a miscalculation by His Majesty. Princess Lian's arrogance has caused you to harbor some ill feelings towards Chunnan. His Majesty was swayed by his fatherly affection for his daughter, but it seems to have created an irreversible consequence... Lord, you were one of the first people in Dongping to interact with Princess Lian. If Song Xiangjun, the Song beauty, had been the one to marry into the family, do you think the situation would be any different from now?"

In this era, it was common for one person to represent the image of an entire country, without any room for maneuver. Ye Tao pondered briefly and said, "Perhaps. However, such speculation is rather meaningless."

At that moment, Song Xiangjun happened to walk past them at a slight distance. No one would dispute that Song Xiangjun was a beauty, although Ye Tao didn't think she necessarily deserved the title of the most beautiful woman in Chunnan, although that delicate and refined temperament, and the gentle, understated elegance cultivated by a great aristocratic family like the Songs, was very attractive. But it was inevitable that the fact of her birth from the Song family was playing a stubborn role. But undeniably, compared to Princess Lian's domineering, willful, and arrogant temperament, if Song Xiangjun had been the one to marry Tan Xiaopei, the impression and feelings that many people had towards Chunnan might be completely different now. And now, an unsuitable person had become Princess Lian, and the suitable Song Xiangjun had a husband who, while said to be promising, was far more ordinary. This could not be said to be somewhat... somewhat disappointing. But from another point of view, compared to Song Xiangjun, Chang Ling, this beauty who wasn't particularly liked by anyone, was indeed more symbolic of the union of the two countries' forces. After all, Chang Ling was a princess.

"This is the tragedy of a strategist like myself. A misunderstood strategy is worse than no strategy at all," Jiang Yan said with emotion.

"Each has their own tragedies, I suppose. It's a pity that I, though able to relax here, still have to worry about the various affairs of Yunzhou, thousands of miles away. Even the executive officers have their troubles," Ye Tao said, in a timely echo of Jiang Yan's complaints.

"But you won't be idle for long, will you? I heard there's also a meeting of the Seven Seas Trading Company," Jiang Yan said, with a hint of inquiry in his voice.

"Yes. I didn't come to Chunnan for Princess Lian's sake in the first place; please excuse my lack of interest in Princess Lian's arrangements and feelings," Ye Tao said, shrugging his shoulders. The day of the Seven Seas Trading Company's meeting was the same day that Princess Lian concluded a series of courtly greetings and ceremonies, and in her name held a grand banquet in Yuhang for guests from all directions. Invitations and confirmations of attendance for such a grand banquet had started days ago, but Ye Tao had made it clear that he would be attending the Seven Seas Trading Company's meeting. It was too difficult for the senior executives of the Seven Seas Trading Company to gather from all over the world, and this meeting was to discuss the establishment of a new province in Nanyang, to cooperate with the Samir family's war of nation-building, and a series of other matters concerning future development plans. Due to Ye Tao's position and influence, the Seven Seas Trading Company also required Ye Tao to fully participate in the strategic planning and arbitration of major events between members, in addition to shouldering the related technology research and development. For several reasons combined, Ye Tao really had no reason to be absent. Moreover, in the end, the Seven Seas Trading Company wasn't very comfortable holding the meeting in Yuhang, and ultimately decided to hold it on a small island off Hangzhou Bay, so the round trip would take a little time.

The problem was that Ye Tao didn't feel there was anything wrong or embarrassing about not attending Princess Chang Ling's banquet. The date of the Seven Seas Trading Company's meeting had been decided long ago, and Chang Ling had no reason not to know. If she really wanted him to attend, then Chang Ling should have arranged the date so that it didn't coincide. If the date was arranged to test whether Ye Tao was willing to give face, then Princess Lian could only blame herself for making a fool of herself. Ye Tao was obviously not going to consider Princess Lian's face, even though he was now in Yuhang, the capital of Chunnan.

"Alas..." Jiang Yan sighed, saying, "Lord, you work hard."

"Lord," Liu Yong suddenly approached to report, saying, "How about going to show off your skills again? Your wife and the Song beauty are both in that building over there, discussing creating a portrait for the Song beauty. Your wife is having a hard time. She asked me to ask you if you're willing to do this portrait."

Ye Tao scratched his head and said, "Alright then. I'll go." Ye Tao then turned to Jiang Yan, cupped his fist in salute, and said, "Mr. Jiang, let's chat again later. After I've dealt with these matters, I'll be sure to visit you."

Jiang Yan quickly said, "As you wish, Lord."

After saying goodbye, Jiang Yan couldn't help but feel a bit more affection for Ye Tao. Perhaps he still didn't fully understand what Ye Tao was capable of, but Ye Tao's attitude and demeanor could be considered an outlier in the officialdom of any country. For a strategist like himself, the greater concern was whether Ye Tao would become the biggest obstacle to his future plans... That, perhaps, would depend on Ye Tao's own luck.