Just an Empress, How Could She Compare to My Love

The second list was written simply.

It did not list physical goods, but rather promises.

Eight hundred thousand taels of silver per month.

Ten thousand shi of grain.

Five thousand catties of copper ore, and eight thousand catties of iron ore.

Two thousand catties of medicinal herbs.

Three hundred warhorses.

Ren Tianye scanned it in a single glance and looked up at Su Hong.

Su Hong quickly said, "The Su family's industries are spread all over the Northern Frontier. We primarily deal in grain shops, salt businesses, copper mines, trade routes, tea, warhorses, processing workshops, banks, and more."

"Our monthly profits are quite substantial."

"These eight hundred thousand taels per month account for forty percent of our business profits in the Northern Frontier."

"The grain will be coordinated monthly from Huaiqing City and Yunji City. Minerals will be supplied directly from the mines outside Yunji City, medicinal herbs dispatched directly from Heiyan City, and warhorses collected from the black market in Shanhe City."

"I will personally oversee the dispatching to ensure everything is delivered to Yunji City on time every month."

Pausing for a moment, Su Hong added, "There are also a few things regarding this second dowry that are inconvenient to put in writing."

"I shall report them to the Great General one by one."

"The Su family's cross-border tea trade yields massive profits. I am willing to take thirty percent of our tea business in Yunji City and hand it over to the Great General."

"The rest of the Su family's shops will also pay a ten percent tax."

"This might seem a bit little at present, mainly because the Su family's estate is massive and our clansmen are scattered throughout the Northern Frontier. Before the Great General marries my niece, most of the clan members are adopting a wait-and-see attitude."

"Once the Great General and my niece Su Xiu are married, the Su clan members will undoubtedly support you with even greater effort."

Ren Tianye could not help but nod in satisfaction.

What Su Hong said closely matched his own investigations and estimates. For the Su family to possess such immense wealth in the Northern Frontier and be willing to offer so much showed considerable sincerity.

It even carried the implication of giving him their full, undivided support.

It seemed that Su Hong was not merely coerced by his army; the man himself harbored considerable ambitions.

This made Ren Tianye feel extremely pleased.

He did not fear ambition; ambition meant motivation. If he succeeded in his endeavors, he wouldn't mind granting the Su family the status of Imperial Merchants, as long as he could keep the Su estate firmly under his control.

And this was precisely why, among the three Su sisters, he had unhesitatingly chosen the second miss, Su Xiu.

Whether Su Xiu was beautiful or ugly, regardless of her temper or personality, none of that mattered.

What mattered was that Su Xiu held the status of the Su family's legitimate daughter.

The Great Yu Dynasty, after all, placed great importance on the patriarchal system and etiquette. By marrying Su Xiu, he could firmly bind the Su family to himself, ensuring that their clansmen in the Northern Frontier would fully support him.

They would provide him with a continuous stream of financial resources.

It could even be said that as long as he married Su Xiu, his current army of less than ten thousand men could be completely sustained by the Su family alone.

And this support would not just last for three to five months.

But rather for at least thirty to fifty years.

If the Su family did not fall into decline and continued to back him, thirty to fifty years was entirely possible.

Thinking of this, a wider smile appeared on his face.

He opened the third list.

This third list looked more like a genuine dowry.

One hundred thousand taels of gold, and countless jewels valued at roughly one million taels!

Simple and straightforward; it didn't even list the specific details of the jewelry.

It seemed that Su Hong understood him, Ren Tianye, quite deeply.

And such vast wealth had long surpassed the scope of a mere dowry. It was more like a reserve fund set aside for his army, for him to use in times of unexpected need.

Ren Tianye closed the list, the smile on his face growing even brighter.

He stood up and said, "Second Uncle has worked hard during this time. I will accept these three dowries exactly as listed. Since we are soon to be family, there is no need for overly polite words. If I achieve success, I will not forget Second Uncle."

Su Hong immediately let out a massive sigh of relief.

However, he still did not dare to be the slightest bit careless and said, "Just now, outside the door..."

"It was just a bit of a commotion, why pay it any mind!" Ren Tianye stated decisively. "Second Uncle can put his heart at ease."

"Next, you need only wait for me to marry your niece."

"Thank you, Great General!" Su Hong maintained his respectful demeanor, then said with a hint of helplessness, "Great General, my niece Su Xiu has been pampered since childhood and has a hot temper. If she causes any offense after marrying into the General's Manor, I hope the Great General will be magnanimous and forgive her."

As he said this, Su Hong's voice trembled slightly.

He had been raised by his elder brother since he was young, and their bond was deep. After his brother passed away, he naturally spared no effort in taking care of his brother's only legitimate daughter.

But he also knew what kind of temper Su Xiu had, so this was essentially apologizing in advance.

Ren Tianye smiled. "It's no matter. As long as Miss Su Xiu does not go too far, I will not hold it against her."

Ren Tianye meant these words sincerely.

There were countless beauties in the world. With his current status, if he wanted women, he only needed to crook a finger, and he could find countless of them just within Yunji City alone.

To him, Su Xiu's significance lay more in being a political tool.

If Su Xiu was obedient and docile after marrying into his General's Manor, he would naturally respect her. If she had a bad temper and acted recklessly, he would simply keep her locked away like a canary.

Marrying Su Xiu was for the guaranteed full meals provided by the Su family.

He had always been crystal clear about this point.

"Then I will thank the General on Xiu'er's behalf."

"The night is growing late, so I won't disturb the General any longer. I shall take my leave."

After Su Hong left the Great General's Manor, he let out a long breath.

Since he had managed to satisfy the Great General today, the Su estate's future was highly likely to be full of promising prospects.

However, there were still some unstable factors that had to be nipped in the bud.

He immediately hurried back to the Su estate.

And headed straight for Su Xiu's room.

Originally, he had planned to have someone call Su Xiu out to the main hall to speak with her. After all, Su Xiu was grown up now, and even though he was her uncle, he should still observe the boundaries between men and women.

But when he heard that the maidservant Xiaotao was currently chatting with Su Xiu, he flew into a rage. He marched up to the door and kicked Su Xiu's room door open.

Sure enough, he saw Xiaotao with her eyes red from crying, saying something to Su Xiu in a pitiful manner.

He shouted angrily, "Insolent! Have you forgotten what I told you?"

Xiaotao trembled in fear, but Su Xiu said in dissatisfaction, "Second Uncle, Xiaotao is my maid. How can you deal with her without my permission?"

"You..."

Su Hong pointed at his disappointing niece, trembling with anger. Then he let out a sigh, waved his hand to dismiss Xiaotao, and had the servants close the door.

Only then did he say earnestly, "Xiu'er, your uncle knows that you aren't very willing to marry the Great General, but I truly had no other choice."

"If I had a daughter of my own, I definitely wouldn't have made you go."

"I know," Su Xiu said, her tone full of impatience. Her older sister Su Jin and her Second Uncle had said these words to her countless times already.

"Now that the Chifeng Army has been massacred, the world is bound to fall into chaos. The barbarians have also occupied Shanhe City and most likely harbor malicious intentions. In these times of global turmoil, merchants like us are nothing but a piece of fat meat, the easiest targets to be despised, plundered, and devoured."

"The Su family's centuries of glory in the Northern Frontier all rest upon your shoulders at this critical moment of survival. You absolutely must not act foolishly."

Seeing Su Xiu fall silent, Su Hong quickly added, "Besides, the Great General is young and handsome, possesses extraordinary martial prowess, and governs his army strictly. He is bound to achieve great things in the future."

"Most importantly, the Great General is a very reasonable and humane man."

Speaking of this, Su Hong sighed softly, a fleeting look of reverie crossing his face before he continued, "The Great General always keeps the families of the Eight Hundred Army in his heart."

"He is willing to demand a safe passage from Lu Qing to bring everyone back safely. This act alone proves the Great General's noble character. If you marry him and just rein in your temper a little, he will surely treat you well."

"I know," Su Xiu replied, though her tone was noticeably heavier this time. "Eldest Sister has already told me. As long as I don't cross the line, Ren Tianye is actually a decent man."

"Phew!" Su Hong exhaled deeply. "By pledging our allegiance to the Great General so early on, and with your marriage to him, once he achieves his grand ambitions, a man of his character will never forget our loyalty. In all likelihood, he will crown you Empress."

"The supreme prestige of an Empress, the mother of the realm—it is a position countless women can only dream of."

"Xiu'er, you must seize this opportunity."

Su Hong rambled on for a while longer. Only when he felt that Su Xiu had truly grasped his painstaking intentions did he finally stand up to leave.

However, he paused upon reaching the door.

In the end, he still could not completely set his mind at ease regarding his niece.

Turning back, he bowed deeply to Su Xiu.

"Xiu'er, whether the Su family survives or perishes, whether we prosper or fall into ruin, it all rests upon your decisions. Please, do not let your Second Uncle down!"

With those parting words, he turned and walked away.

Gazing at Su Hong's receding figure, two silent tears slipped down Su Xiu's breathtakingly beautiful face.

She murmured to herself, "But how could the mere title of Empress ever be more important than my love!"

...