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Never mind whether he's a puppet or not, he thought, I might as well enjoy what I can now and worry about the rest later.

Although that's what he thought, Lu Chen didn't let this mindset completely derail him. He still reviewed official documents as necessary, and lately, they had been negotiating terms of a trade agreement with envoys from Great Wu.

Perhaps because Lu Chen had not agreed to cooperate with Wu Junwan, the conditions she proposed were mostly quite stringent, hardly appearing to be intended for partnership.

North Country, Hall of Political Affairs.

Today marked another round of negotiation. The trade agreement had been discussed for over ten days, but neither party was satisfied with the terms proposed by the other.

Lu Chen sat on his throne, looking at Wu Junwan in the grand hall, and said with a smile, "Princess Junwan, after all, it was you who came to my feudal state of your own accord. Shouldn't you make some concessions? Wanting to have it all seems rather excessive, doesn't it?"

Hearing this, Wu Junwan's expression did not change as she responded indifferently, "It is true that Great Wu proposed the cooperation, but as it involves the interests of Great Wu, I naturally cannot make concessions lightly. If I were to do so easily wouldn't that amount to betraying Great Wu?"

Wu Ming, sitting to the side, looked somewhat displeased. He had thought the terms proposed by North Country were fairly reasonable and entirely sufficient for a signature, but Wu Junwan staunchly disagreed.

Wu Ming had considered bypassing Wu Junwan by simply reaching an agreement with Lu Chen on his own since it was his signature on the trade agreement. However, at that moment, Wu Ming realized his words carried no weight within the delegation as the entire party from Great Wu was loyal to Wu Junwan.

As long as Wu Junwan did not yield, no one else in the delegation would either. If Wu Ming were to agree to Lu Chen's terms behind the backs of the entire delegation, he would be betraying Great Wu, and Wu Ming certainly dared not take such action.

He also understood why Wu Junwan insisted on dragging things out, always dissatisfied with the terms proposed by North Country. It was clear that Wu Junwan didn't want to concede the credit for this mission to him, thus she kept finding faults.

With this in mind, Wu Ming clenched his fists. Then he spoke up, "Why don't we each make a concession? The trading caravans of North Country can pass through Great Wu unhindered, and similarly, Great Wu's trading caravans can also conduct business in North Country."

Hearing this, Wu Junwan said, "The matter of the caravans is a trivial one, the crux of the issue is the trade tax and business scope."

"I have heard that although commerce is rather developed in North Country, many goods are under direct price control by the North Prince Mansion, and there are also things that cannot be sold at all."

"I believe this is unfair to the trading caravans of Great Wu. The caravans of North Country can operate any business in Great Wu, but when Great Wu's trading caravans come to North Country, they face various restrictions. This is obviously unfair. Since we are to sign a trade agreement, certain commercial projects in North Country should also be opened up to Great Wu."

Hearing this, Lu Chen smiled. It seemed that if Wu Junwan couldn't achieve the merit from this mission, then she didn't want Wu Ming to have it either. Wu Junwan must be well aware that some of the conditions North Country would not concede to.

North Country was currently undergoing reforms and development and therefore naturally had stricter management; not everything could be opened up.

Wu Junwan was banking on him not agreeing to those terms, so she deliberately proposed to incorporate them into the trade agreement.

Just as everyone was at an impasse, a Jinyiwei Guard entered the grand hall. Today was the day for receiving the Great Wu delegation, and the Jinyiwei Guards would not intrude upon the grand hall without important cause.

Coming before Lu Chen, the Jinyiwei Guard whispered in his ear, "Prince, urgent news from the Capital City. Both Commanders are waiting in your study!"

Hearing this, Lu Chen furrowed his brow. Liang Zong and Qin Yushan would not be unaware that he was currently discussing the trade agreement with the Great Wu delegation. For them to send a Jinyiwei Guard to fetch him now, it must mean something significant had occurred, likely stirring in the direction of the Capital City.

With that thought, Lu Chen immediately stood up and said to Wu Junwan, "Princess Junwan, I sincerely apologize, but I must attend to an urgent matter. Let us conclude today's discussions here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chen flung his sleeves and turned to leave the Hall of Political Affairs. Witnessing this, Wu Ming thought Lu Chen was acting out of anger, and he said to the side, "Junwan, our father sent you on this mission to North Country not to rile up the North Prince."

"You say you're doing this for the sake of North Country, but why do I feel like you have other motives?"

Upon hearing Wu Ming's words, Wu Junwan's face remained expressionless as she coolly replied, "Little brother, some interests cannot be compromised so easily. As a Prince and a contender for the position of Crown Prince, if you so readily betray the interests of Great Wu, what right do you have to vie for that seat?"

After Wu Junwan finished speaking, Wu Ming snorted coldly and said no more. He rose to his feet, his sleeves swished as he, too, left the grand hall.