YM778.TV Chapter 425 - 425: Satisfied Solution
“Seeing you all so excited, even Guan Lao came over. It seems there’s really some good news!” Zhou Chao smiled as he sat next to Guan Ze.
“It’s indeed good news. The Duke of Somerset is willing to exchange one for two, but it’s limited to the Victoria Parliament Scepter and King John’s Crown. As for the two masterpieces, they are willing to trade one for one, and we can also bring along some other non-valuable artifacts.”
“One for two? What are they willing to exchange, the Eastern Zhou Golden Sword Hilt, Nine-Verse Women’s Maxims, and Liao Tricolor?” Zhou Chao’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
Zhou Chao’s words made everyone fall silent, but in the end, Guan Ze spoke, “They are not willing to bring out the Nine-Verse Women’s Maxims and Liao Tricolor. They are willing to exchange the Eastern Zhou Golden Sword Hilt, remnants of the Yongle Encyclopedia, Yongle Treasure Sword, and some precious porcelain!”
“In that case, let’s keep them waiting. Guan Lao, you can tell them that if they continue with this lack of sincerity, 1’11 just go back to our country and establish a museum!” Zhou Chao didn’t want to waste any more time. After all, this endless negotiation was going nowhere, and it was better to cut to the chase.
“Alright, I’ll call John Moses and convey your message to him!”
“Hmm, have you all had lunch?” Zhou Chao checked the time; it was already past noon.
“Not yet, we just got back not long ago,” Lin Wu chimed in.
“Guan Lao, you all should go have lunch first. You’ve been busy all morning, and you shouldn’t go on an empty stomach. Lin Wu, take Guan Lao and the others to the hotel for lunch.”
“Boss, aren’t you eating?”
“I’ve already had lunch. You all go ahead!”
Everyone nodded in response and left under Lin Wu’s guidance.
Once everyone had left, Zhou Chao leaned back on the sofa and began deep in thought.
“I need to take a more aggressive approach; otherwise, these negotiations might drag on forever. I have important things to do, and the deadline is approaching!” He furrowed his brow, realizing the urgency of the situation.
He had prepared for a long time in advance and didn’t want this matter to continue dragging on indefinitely.
“Air, it looks like 1’11 have to take matters into my own hands.” He got up and walked into the bedroom, locking the door behind him.
From the system’s storage, he retrieved his notebook and began his operation.
Zhou Chao’s goal was simple: to create a topic of discussion among the people in the Eagle Kingdom, to make them question why the royal family was unwilling to redeem the scepter and crown, and to put pressure on the Duke of Somerset and his associates.
His fingers moved swiftly, tapping away at the keyboard. The entire bedroom was filled with the rhythmic sound of his typing. He paused occasionally to think and then resumed his work.
The tapping continued for nearly 40 minutes before finally coming to a halt.
“Phew, I’m exhausted. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, and I almost forgot how!” Zhou Chao stretched and muttered to himself.
Just as he finished, he heard the sound of the door opening outside. Zhou Chao knew it was Lin Wu and the others returning from lunch. He quickly stowed away his computer in the storage and opened the door to greet them.
“Boss, I don’t know what happened, but just now, I noticed a sudden increase in online discussions about the Victoria Scepter and King John’s Crown. Multiple platforms are buzzing with related topics, and the interest doesn’t seem to be waning,” Miles said, puzzled, holding up his phone.
Zhou Chao smiled upon hearing the news; he didn’t expect developments to happen so quickly.
No problem, it’s not our concern anymore. The pressure is now squarely on their side. By the way, where’s Guan Lao? Did he go back?” Zhou Chao noticed that Guan Ze was not present.
“Ambassador Guan had some urgent matters to attend to, so he left before finishing his meal. It must be something important,” Lin Wu explained quickly.
“Alright, everyone, take a rest. You’ve all worked hard today!”
Lin Wu, Miles, and the others left the room at Zhou Chao’s suggestion.
“Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz!”
“Who’s calling?” Zhou Chao had barely laid down for a while when the ringing phone interrupted his rest. He answered the phone with irritation in his voice.
“Zhou, 1 apologize for disturbing your rest. This is John Moses,” a familiar voice came through the phone.
“The Duke of Somerset? What’s going on?” Zhou Chao sat up in bed, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Inside, Zhou Chao was actually delighted because this phone call indicated a new development in the situation.
“It’s like this, Zhou. His Royal Highness Edward would like to meet with you to discuss matters concerning the Parliament Scepter and King John’s Crown.”
“Edward? His Royal Highness?” Zhou Chao’s mind clicked, and he knew exactly who this was.
“Alright, where and when?”
“Right now, at the hotel where you’re staying. We’ve already arranged it. It’s in the Presidential Suite on the 1st floor. You can come over directly.”
Zhou Chao paused for a moment, then quickly replied, “Okay, I’ll be there shortly!”
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Chao sent a message to Lin Wu and then changed into slightly more formal attire before leaving the room.
As he opened the door, he found Lin Wu, Todd, and Todd’s men standing in the hallway.
He glanced at them and said, “Let’s go.”
Zhou Chao led the way to the elevator, with the Presidential Suite on the 1st floor.
When they exited the elevator, they saw about a dozen guards stationed in the corridor, and the Duke of Somerset was pacing back and forth, having secured the entire floor.
Seeing Zhou Chao and his group emerge from the elevator, the guards in the corridor instinctively reached for their waistbands, and Todd’s team did the same.
Zhou, you’re here!” John Moses walked over to Zhou Chao with a smile.
Zhou Chao approached as well, and the guards in the corridor all stood at attention.
“Zhou, your bodyguards will have to stay outside,” John Moses said, looking at the few people behind Zhou Chao.
“Understood.” Zhou Chao nodded and gestured to his companions with a hand signal before proceeding towards the Presidential Suite.
As he walked, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation for the upcoming meeting with His Royal Highness Edward and the Duke of Somerset.
In the room, a well-dressed middle-aged man was sitting alone on the sofa, sipping coffee with an aristocratic air.
“Hello, Zhou Chao!” The middle-aged man spoke fluent Huaxia, addressing him by his full name.
Hello, Your Royal Highness Edward!” Zhou Chao also shook hands with him naturally.
“Please have a seat!”
Zhou Chao didn’t waste any time and sat directly across from Edward, eagerly awaiting the next part of their conversation.
“I’ve briefly learned about Mr. Zhou’s entrepreneurial journey, which is truly a legendary story. You’ve built a business empire from scratch, and it’s truly admirable!”
“Haha, you’re too kind. I’m just lucky, and I don’t deserve the praise from Your Royal Highness. My achievements are nothing special!” Zhou Chao replied with a cheerful expression on his face, but inside, he thought, “Motherfucker,” as he didn’t expect Edward to start applying pressure so quickly.
“Mr. Zhou, you are one of the largest shareholders of Lifeng Group and the second-largest shareholder of Leidu Group, 1 must say I’m envious!”
Zhou Chao raised his hands, glanced at them, and then grinned. “These hands are the ones that allowed me to build everything from the ground up.”
Edward was momentarily surprised by Zhou Chao’s response, not expecting him to easily deflect the conversation away from the topic he wanted to discuss.
Just as Edward was about to continue, Zhou Chao spoke first, “Your Royal Highness Edward, I assume you didn’t invite me here to chat about these trivial matters. Let’s get straight to the point!”
Zhou Chao believed that Edward understood his intention. In plain terms, he didn’t want to engage in idle chitchat. If Edward didn’t start talking, he wasn’t going to entertain him either.
“All, haha, of course, I got a bit curious and forgot about the main issue!” Edward chuckled but then put on a serious expression.
“Your Royal Highness Edward, I don’t know what your decision is. Let’s be straightforward. Our time is quite valuable; every second could be worth hundreds of thousands, if not more. Even a minute could be worth tens of thousands,” Zhou Chao calmly looked at Edward and said.
“We agree to the exchange, but 1 hope that this transaction remains confidential, and this time, we’re not dealing with you personally; we’re dealing with your country.”
Zhou Chao immediately understood Edward’s meaning. Dealing with him personally would be an embarrassment for Edward’s side, but transacting with a country would give them a bit more face.
At the same time, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but sigh internally at how Xiao Yang had known the outcome of this negotiation from the beginning. He realized he owed Xiao Yang a few good meals when he got back; this hurdle was something he couldn’t have overcome without Xiao Yang’s guidance.
“How we’re going to exchange, you must have an idea in your mind, right?”
“Well, the proposal you mentioned earlier has been agreed upon. There are a total of six national treasures: the Eastern Zhou Golden Sword Hilt, the Nine Scrolls of Female Historians, the Liao Tri-color Pottery, the Dunhuang Scriptures, the Yongle Encyclopedia, and the Yongle Treasure Sword, along with some porcelains.”
Zhou Chao remained silent for a while before nodding and saying, “1 agree, but I want to increase the quantity.”
After contemplating for a moment, Edward replied, “You can increase the quantity, but it must be at the level of collectibles, not national treasures.”
“Alright.”
The two of them then began to discuss. After nearly twenty minutes of negotiation, they reached a consensus by adding 56 pieces of porcelain or scriptures to the exchange.
“Mr. Zhou, do you have a preference for the location of the exchange?”
“Any location works, but 1 would prefer it to be arranged in Huaxia’s capital, Jingdu,” Zhou Chao stated with a serious tone.
“Very well, no problem!” Edward had previously rehearsed such scenarios and believed that as long as they could exchange the Parliament Scepter and King John’s Crown, everything would be worth it.
After some discussion, they decided that the exchange should take place in the near future, and Zhou Chao agreed. They set the meeting date for one week later in Jingdu.
With a consensus reached, both of them had smiles on their faces. They continued to chat about various topics for about half an hour. However, Edward received a phone call and had to leave with his team.
“Boss, how did it go?” As Zhou Chao exited the Presidential Suite, Lin Wu and the others approached him.
“We’ll talk about it when we get back,” Zhou Chao said with a smile.
Back in the room, Lin Wu wore an expectant expression as he looked at Zhou Chao.
“It’s settled. Get ready; we’re going back to our country!”
On the side, Todd looked nervous as he watched Zhou Chao. He opened his mouth to say something but hesitated.
“Todd, when the time comes, bring your team back with me, but one thing: leave the weapons behind!” Zhou Chao said, addressing Todd’s unspoken concern.
Upon hearing this, Todd grinned and said, “Thankyou, Boss!”