Chapter 395: Royal Merchant Privilege

All around was dead silent, and cold sweat suddenly formed on Xiao Ming’s back.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the inner door of the imperial study. That door led directly outside.

He had a strong feeling that if he refused to sign, soldiers might storm in and kill him on the spot. After all, this exact scene had played out many times throughout history — emperors forcing strong princes to swear loyalty to protect the heir.

Xiao Ming never expected that he would be part of such a moment — signing a blood oath to ensure the Crown Prince’s future.

It showed just how much Emperor Xiao Wenxuan favored the Crown Prince.

“I’ll sign it,” Xiao Ming said almost without hesitation.

Xiao Wenxuan smiled in satisfaction. “Ming’er, you’re the quickest to agree so far. I was right to trust you as the enforcer of the oath. Don’t worry — once the oath is signed, the Crown Prince will have to think twice before breaking it. I hope you stay true to your duty. If you do, the Great Yu Empire will remain peaceful.”

Xiao Ming almost wanted to say, ‘Oaths are made to be broken.’ Without a strong enforcer, this document was just a piece of paper.

As long as Xiao Wenxuan lived, the oath would have meaning. But once he was gone, it was hard to say what power it would have.

The emperor had chosen Xiao Ming as the enforcer partly because he had no powerful family background — and also because he held Shanhai Pass, giving him real leverage over the other princes.

“Father, I’ve always acted honestly. I only hope the empire can unite to resist the northern tribes. This blood oath should help my brothers let go of their grudges and focus on our true enemy. After all, I can only defend Shanhai Pass — wiping out the enemy completely is beyond me.”

Xiao Wenxuan nodded. “That’s exactly why I did this.”

After a moment, he added, “You’ve done so much. You came to Chang’an and were almost assassinated. Now I’ve asked you to sign the oath too. I owe you something. Tell me — what reward do you want? If it’s within my power, I’ll grant it.”

Xiao Ming didn’t actually care about signing the oath. In fact, it worked in his favor. What he truly wanted was a stable environment to grow — and to unite the empire’s strength to fight the northern tribes.

He had no desire to spend his days putting out fires like some emergency responder.

Holding Shanhai Pass gave him some security. If the princes could now settle down, that would be even better.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “Father, I do have a request. I hope the Qingzhou Chamber of Commerce can sell its goods freely in the royal territories, without paying any taxes. Would Your Majesty allow it?”

“That’s… royal merchant treatment,” Xiao Wenxuan said in surprise.

“Yes, Father. That’s exactly what I want,” Xiao Ming replied. In royal territories, only royal merchants were tax-exempt and protected from interference by local officials.

“That’s easy. You have it,” Xiao Wenxuan said without hesitation. “Is that all?”

“Thank you, Father.” Xiao Ming’s heart was racing — he hadn’t expected such a quick answer.

Xiao Wenxuan nodded. “That’s just a small matter. Frankly, for everything you’ve done, this reward is far too little.”

“I’m already grateful, Father.”

Xiao Ming declined further reward. He didn’t dare ask for more — this could have been a test. If he asked for too much, it might make the Emperor suspicious of his ambition.

Royal merchant privilege probably didn’t seem like much to the Emperor anyway. He had always prioritized farming over commerce, which was why merchants held such low status in the Great Yu Empire.

Xiao Ming’s humble response earned another approving look from Xiao Wenxuan. Then the Emperor asked, “I heard you used a new kind of weapon in Jizhou, and something called a hot air balloon. Is that true?”

“Yes, Father. The weapon is called a firearm — I brought some with me. I also brought hot air balloons. I can demonstrate them to Your Majesty any time.”

Xiao Wenxuan grew more excited. “Good! Then tomorrow, I’ll announce your rewards at morning court — and afterward, I want to see these things for myself.”

“Yes, Father,” Xiao Ming nodded. He didn’t care about anything else — he had already gotten what he came for.

After chatting a bit more, Xiao Wenxuan dismissed Xiao Ming and summoned the Eighth Prince.

Leaving the imperial study, Xiao Ming walked toward the palace gates with a bitter smile.

This trip to Chang’an had been full of absurd events — assassination, a forced oath — but none of it had derailed his plans.

As long as the trade routes were open, once he returned to his territory, it would be the beginning of Qingzhou’s rise.

Once he developed Youzhou and Qingzhou, he wouldn’t care about the oath anymore.

As he left the palace, Xiao Ming thought: Time to go visit Prince Yong.

Prince Wei’s territory was already locked down. Prince Yong wouldn’t be able to escape either. And now that royal territory had been handled, the next step was the regional lords.

That would be the hardest part — but no matter how difficult, he had to try. The rich lands of the south were too important.

As for what he would offer in exchange — he already had an idea.

Inside the imperial study, after the Eighth Prince unwillingly signed his name and left, Xiao Wenxuan turned to the man beside him. “Well? Did you see anything?”

The man was Yang Zhen, commander of Lijing Gate. He said, “Aside from Prince Qi signing so calmly, the other princes were full of resentment — especially the Second Prince. I sensed anger behind his frustration.”

“Second Prince…” Xiao Wenxuan narrowed his eyes. He had sensed the same. “Do you think he might be behind the assassination?”

Yang Zhen answered, “We’ve already investigated the origins of those northern tribesmen. Turns out they were brought in by a merchant from Jin. But the strange thing is, this merchant — who used to be very close to the Crown Prince — has now vanished.”

“Jin merchant?” Xiao Wenxuan was surprised.

Yang Zhen nodded. “The merchants from Prince Liang’s territory are known as Jin merchants. They have the closest ties to the northern tribes. No outsider could have smuggled in mixed-blood warriors like these.”

“But this alone doesn’t prove the Second Prince was behind it. Many of those Jin merchants are known allies of the tribes.”