Chapter 53: Tribute Abolished, No Longer a Subservient State – Ancestor, You Should Quickly Return to the Later Han Dynasty!

During this period, the Liao emperor dispatched many people.

They searched far and wide for capable people and extraordinary individuals to find a way to deal with Liu Fu, this plague god, but there was still no news.

When Liu Fu met his elder brothers, he felt a warm feeling in his heart, even though he was in a foreign land.

"Old Eight, the wind and sand are so strong on the grassland, your skin has become so rough!"

"Quick, here are the persimmon cakes you loved to eat when you were little. Dad froze them himself this winter and told us to bring them over for you to try."

The elder brother was worried that Liu Fu wouldn't be used to the food here, so he specially selected several chefs to cook for Liu Fu.

The second brother was worried that Liu Fu wouldn't sleep well here, so he gathered skilled craftsmen to make a detachable bed and sent it to Liu Fu from afar.

Liu Fu was quite moved.

Speaking of Liu Laowu, his father, the emperor, he was quite conscientious in his role.

The eight sons were named according to the eight characters: "Treat the people well and never increase taxes."

So the eldest son was named Liu Shan, the second son Liu Dai, the third son Liu Bai, the fourth son surnamed Liu... Liu Fu happened to be the eighth character in the family.

Liu Shan recounted his experience of going into the city that day, and then asked Liu Fu incredulously:

"The Liao emperor actually came out of the city to greet us today. Could he be plotting something against us?"

The Liao Kingdom treated you badly in the past, and you got used to it. Now, their attitude has suddenly turned completely around, so everyone has to be wary.

In fact, the Liao emperor's intentions were very simple: he was showing goodwill to the Later Han delegation, but secretly he just wanted to curry favor with Liu Fu.

Liu Fu told his eldest and second eldest brothers:

"Never mind their schemes. The Liao Emperor will definitely receive our Han delegation tomorrow. When you meet the Liao Emperor, you can state your terms."

Second Brother Liu was taken aback:

"Brother, Father sent us here to beg them to show mercy, and you're telling us to meet the Liao Emperor tomorrow and make demands?"

"Yes, Lao Ba, we're here to ask for their help, how could we dare to make demands?"

"If we mess this up, won't Dad give us a good beating when we get back?"

"It's alright, it's alright."

Liu Fu told his eldest and second eldest brothers:

"I'll go with you tomorrow, just do as I say."

The next morning, in the imperial court.

Today, Liu Fu, representing the Later Han delegation, actually came to court in person.

The Liao emperor was as happy as a 200-pound child.

Previously, Liu Fu's refusal to communicate had caused the Liao emperor a great deal of worry.

So, his voluntary attendance at court today can be seen as a way of showing goodwill towards me, right?

In the imperial court, the Liao emperor gave the Later Han delegation a great deal of face, receiving them warmly throughout the visit, thinking that as long as the conditions proposed by the Later Han were not too unreasonable, he would agree to them.

But in the imperial court, Liu Fu didn't mention a single request.

However, after the court session ended, Liu Fu proposed to discuss some matters with the Liao emperor in the imperial study.

Inside the Imperial Study.

The Liao emperor and the three Liu brothers sat at a table. Since there were no outsiders present, Liu Fu laid his cards on the table:

"Your Majesty seems eager for me to return to the Later Han Dynasty. I can go back, but Your Majesty must grant a few small requests of the Later Han Dynasty."

The Liao emperor felt a pang of anxiety, but then breathed a sigh of relief.

This old man finally started to negotiate!

He knew Liu Fu's demands would be outrageous, but as long as he could get rid of this plague, he was willing to make some sacrifices.

Liu Fu immediately brought up the issues of pledging allegiance and paying tribute.

"First of all, our Great Han Dynasty can never become a vassal state of the Liao Dynasty. Does Your Majesty have any objection to this?"

The Liao emperor naturally had no objections. As long as the Liao Dynasty was powerful enough, it could simply annex the Later Han Dynasty. Asking him to submit was merely for the sake of face.

Seeing that the Liao emperor did not object, Liu Fu brought up the second matter:

"Your Majesty knows that the Later Han Dynasty is very poor. It simply cannot afford to pay more than ten million taels of silver in annual tribute to the Liao Dynasty."

The Liao emperor did not respond, waiting for Liu Fu to continue.

Liu Fu's next words terrified his elder brother Liu Shan and his second elder brother Liu Dai.

"Your Majesty, could the annual tribute be postponed?"

“The annual tribute is more than ten million taels of silver. Your Majesty has given us a 100-year grace period. During these 100 years, the Later Han will not pay a single penny. After 100 years, we will repay all the debts to the Liao Kingdom.”

As soon as Liu Fugang finished speaking, his two older brothers kicked him under the table at the same time.

When Liu Fu proposed such outrageous conditions, the two men thought that the Liao emperor would be furious, overturn the table, and throw them out.

Unexpectedly, the Liao emperor was in such a good mood today; not only did he not lose his temper, but he also appeared very polite.

"It is so. I am in a very difficult position regarding what the Eighth Prince is asking for. May I consider it?"

The Liao emperor cursed inwardly, thinking that he would be dead long ago in 100 years, not to mention that it was unknown whether the Later Han would even exist in 100 years.

You want me to pay you back in 100 years?

It was obvious that he didn't want to pay it back, but Liu Fu gave him face and didn't say it directly.

As a modern person, Liu Fu's arrival in ancient times was a complete reversal of fortune. He could understand the profound imperial power struggles that the ancients considered sophisticated by reading history books and watching political dramas since childhood.

His single sentence pinpointed the Liao emperor's weakness:

"Your Majesty, only Heaven, Earth, and we know the truth about this matter. The Later Han Dynasty is only temporarily ceasing to pay tribute to the Liao Dynasty, but externally I am still a hostage of the Liao Dynasty, and the Later Han Dynasty will still pay tribute to the Liao Dynasty every year. How about this?"

Liu Fu understood the Liao emperor's thoughts all too well.

The Liao Dynasty is currently the most powerful empire in the world, and the Liao emperor is the undisputed ruler of the land.

However, if the annual tribute from the Later Han Dynasty were reduced without any reason, others would know that the so-called Great Liao Dynasty was nothing but a facade.

If the Liao Kingdom really did this, all the countries in the world would know that the Liao Kingdom's strength had weakened, and they would no longer submit to it. Internal strife and external troubles would easily break out.

Therefore, knowing that the Liao emperor would not publicly agree to this, Liu Fu secretly reached a pact with the Liao emperor.

In the end, the Liao emperor was tempted.

Liu Fu is someone you can't afford to offend right now. His strength is unknown, and he could wipe out me at any time, or even the entire Yelü royal family.

If Liu Fu asked him to publicly announce to the world that the Later Han Dynasty would be exempt from paying annual tribute, he would certainly not agree, since it would affect the face of the Liao Dynasty.

However, if an agreement is reached in secret, the Later Han will no longer need to pay tribute, but will still pretend to do so on the surface. This would save face for the Liao Dynasty, allowing the Liao Dynasty to maintain its status as the hegemon of the world, and would also send Liu Fu, this plague god, back to the Later Han.

Why not?

The Liao emperor had actually realized that if Liu Fu continued to develop in this way, the Liao Dynasty would be weakened sooner or later, and the annual tribute would definitely not be paid. If things went wrong, he might even destroy the Liao Dynasty.

Now it's up to the Liao emperor to turn the tables, delay Liu Fu's time, and then find a solution.

Regardless, we should agree to Liu Fu's request first to buy some time.

Then find a way to deal with Liu Fu and wipe him out of the world. When this threat is gone, the Liao Dynasty can continue to be the hegemon of the world. The Later Han, the Later Jin, and the Japanese are nothing but ants in the eyes of the Liao emperor.

Having considered this, the Liao emperor agreed:

“I can make a deal with you and send the Eighth Prince back to the Later Han. However, according to you, the 100-year extension of the tribute to the Later Han is a secret agreement that can only be known to me and you. No one else can know about it.”

Upon seeing that an agreement had been reached, Liu Fu nodded in agreement:

"No problem, happy transaction."

Holy crap?!

Liu Shan and Liu Dai, the two elder brothers, were completely dumbfounded when they saw Liu Fu make a deal with the Liao Emperor.

This is ridiculous!

Damn, are we dreaming? Are we still dreaming?

How could that be?

How could the Liao emperor agree to such harsh conditions? Did Liu Fu have some kind of leverage over the Liao emperor? Otherwise, why would he agree so readily?

The two brothers were completely dumbfounded, and at this moment, the Liao Emperor also made a request to Liu Fu:

"Eighth Prince, I have granted your request, but now I have a request as well."

"What exactly were those giant beast footprints on the ancient riverbed that night? Could you let me take a look?"