Chapter 130: Compensation Is Negotiable

Inukami no Mitasuki, Enichi, and the rest of the Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty stared at Li Yi in utter astonishment upon hearing his words, finding them hard to believe.

"Can the business at the Zuixian Pavilion really be as booming as this Doctor Li claims? To lose tens of thousands of taels of silver in the span of just a single cup of tea?"

However, this thought had barely crossed their minds before they dismissed it. If a restaurant were truly that profitable, wouldn't everyone in Chang'an be rushing to open one? They certainly wouldn't buy into Li Yi's nonsense. It was clearly a trap.

Inukami no Mitasuki shook his head with a smile and bowed to Li Yi. "Doctor Li, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? It is just a small restaurant, after all. Could the business really be that good?"

"Indeed, Doctor Li," Enichi chimed in. "If the business at Zuixian Pavilion were truly that prosperous, wouldn't it outperform the imperial taverns? Please, do not try to hoodwink us."

By comparing the business of Zuixian Pavilion to the imperial purveyors, the two Japanese envoys clearly thought they had delivered a sharp, well-aimed retort. Inukami Junji, who had been on edge for so long, finally felt a sense of relief.

What they did not realize, however, was that while their words were sharp, they had struck in the wrong place and played right into Li Yi's hands. Li Yi grinned. Yue'er smiled too. Zhang Yuxuan and the other Tang imperial officials behind him burst into laughter.

The sudden laughter of the Tang people left the Japanese delegation bewildered. They had no idea why these people were laughing, and the sight of it made their skin crawl, as if they had fallen into some elaborate scheme.

"Ambassador Inukami, I suppose you are still unaware, aren't you?" Before Li Yi could speak, Zhang Yuxuan let out a scoff. He looked at Inukami no Mitasuki and said coldly, "Zuixian Pavilion is the only one of its kind in all of Chang'an, and it bears a plaque personally bestowed by the Sage himself!"

"That is correct," the deputy imperial envoy added, joining in with a laugh. "With a plaque from the Sage, Zuixian Pavilion is naturally on par with the imperial purveyors—perhaps even exceeding them!"

"Very well said," the other officials added. "Since Zuixian Pavilion has received such an honor from the Sage, did you truly think it was just a small restaurant? Heh... laughable, absolutely laughable!"

"Haha, they say those with long hair have short wits, but it seems that we, the long-haired, are quite the opposite! The taste of the Orleans set meal and the Wuliangye liquor is thousands, no, tens of thousands of times better than the food of the immortals!"

"Indeed, indeed. I have been fortunate enough to have tasted it once, and the flavor is simply unforgettable... I think I shall go wait in line to buy some to take home later!"

The group chattered on, dropping these shocking revelations that sent chills down the spines of Inukami no Mitasuki and his companions. They felt as though they had seen a ghost.

"A bestowed plaque?" "On par with imperial purveyors?" "Taste rivaling divine cuisine?"

"This..."

"Baka yaro!"

Inukami no Mitasuki and his team were reeling, feeling as if they had just been trampled by ten thousand wild horses. At that moment, they wished they were dead. They finally understood why Li Yi and the others were laughing. The origin of Zuixian Pavilion was no small matter; it actually possessed a plaque from the Emperor of Tang!

In that case, the restaurant truly was equivalent to an imperial merchant house! Though they had doubted Master Xu's words, they could not ignore what Li Yi and his entourage were saying. Inukami no Mitasuki and Enichi exchanged glances, nodded, and immediately dispatched a man to the entrance of Zuixian Pavilion to verify the situation.

Inukami's expression was grim. He forced a smile and bowed. "Honorable Tang officials, shall we wait until my man returns with a report?"

"Very well," Li Yi said with a shrug, appearing indifferent. He waved his hand and smiled. "If Ambassador Inukami is skeptical, then we shall wait a while longer."

As he spoke, Li Yi looked at Yue'er. She understood his intent immediately, opened a bottle of Wuliangye, and handed it to him. Li Yi nodded and took a hearty swig, then began gnawing on a chicken leg.

"..." The onlookers felt a sudden urge to hit him. Seeing this, the faces of Inukami and his team twitched so violently that their skin seemed ready to tear.

"Ambassador Inukami, why are you staring at me?" Li Yi asked, feigning surprise. "I had my men buy this; I won't be giving you any. Besides, my health is frail, unlike your steel-like constitutions, so I cannot endure the cold."

"..." Inukami’s mouth twitched even more. *Who the hell wants your food? I was just looking! Is looking forbidden now?*

*You claim to be sensitive to the cold, but I am a human being too—do you think I am immune to it? And who is made of steel?*

*Baka!*

Inukami gritted his teeth, cursed inwardly, then cleared his throat and waved his hand. "Ahem, Doctor Li, you misunderstand."

"You don't want any?" Li Yi laughed, grinning. "I was planning to gift you a bottle later, but since you don't want it, never mind. It saves me ten taels of silver."

"..." Inukami felt like punching him. *Baka yaro!*

The Tang officials watching nearby struggled to suppress their laughter. Amidst the awkward tension, the time of a cup of tea passed quickly. The Japanese man who had gone to investigate returned, gasping for air, his face a kaleidoscope of shock and terror.

"Well?" Inukami asked with a sinking heart.

The man gritted his teeth, his face pale, and whispered what he had seen into Inukami's ear. Inukami’s face turned from pale to ash-black. He opened his mouth in disbelief and let out a string of Japanese curses.

"Tawakemono!"

The Japanese man nodded earnestly, shrinking his head into his shoulders to show that he was not lying and that everything he said was the truth.

"..." Inukami wanted to cry.

"Baka yaro!" Inukami roared in frustration. His gaze snapped toward Inukami Junji, and he felt a burning urge to tear him apart. Knowing that Li Yi’s words were true, Inukami realized that if they did not pay the compensation, this matter would not end today. But sixteen thousand taels of silver was no small sum!

Inukami no Mitasuki looked toward Enichi, who wore an equally heavy expression, glaring at Inukami Junji with murderous intent.

Just then, Li Yi spoke up with a smile, pressing them for an answer. "Ambassador Inukami, Ambassador Enichi, please make a decision quickly. Will you pay or not? It is quite cold out here; you may be able to endure it, but my frail body cannot."

As he spoke, Li Yi took another sip of wine, exhaling a puff of cold air into the atmosphere.

"..." Inukami and Enichi rolled their eyes in frustration. After a long silence, they exchanged a few words in their native tongue, gritted their teeth, and looked at Li Yi. "Doctor Li, how about this?"

"How about what?" Li Yi asked with a smile.

"..." Inukami’s mouth twitched. "Why don't we offer Inukami Junji as collateral? He can become a waiter at Zuixian Pavilion and work off the debt."

Before Li Yi could respond, Master Xu spoke up with a dissatisfied glare. "No! My restaurant is not so short-handed that I need another waiter. If you do not pay the silver, I shall take this matter to the Sage himself!"

Li Yi gave Master Xu a score of ninety-nine for his reaction, keeping the last point for himself.

"Ambassador Inukami, you see, Master Xu does not accept this arrangement." Li Yi waved his hands in a show of helplessness. "If you pay the compensation, everything is negotiable. If you do not, I truly cannot make the decision for him."

"..." Inukami felt like cursing the heavens. Enichi and the others gritted their teeth, at a loss for what to do.

Seeing this, Li Yi pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Master Xu, how about this? The amount of compensation is quite large. These Japanese envoys are guests from afar and likely did not bring enough silver. Why not take a step back and let them pay with goods instead?"

Master Xu’s expression soured. He had thought Li Yi’s orchestrated drama was truly about money, but he realized now that Li Yi was interested in the items the Japanese had brought with them.

"This..." Master Xu frowned, remained silent for a long time, his face twisting in bitter struggle, before he finally spoke. "If that is the case, then I must ask Doctor Li to handle this on behalf of this humble commoner."

"Very well." Li Yi smiled and turned to Inukami no Mitasuki. "Ambassador Inukami, what do you think of this suggestion?"

"..." Inukami and Enichi exchanged several glances before nodding helplessly. "That would be for the best. We shall trouble Doctor Li with this."

"Haha, no trouble at all. It is my duty." Li Yi smiled, completely shameless, and gestured for them to proceed. "Then, Ambassador Inukami, please have your men open your luggage so I may select some items for Master Xu."

"Very well!" Inukami gritted his teeth and ordered the envoys to open their bags. They had no silver to pay, so they had no choice but to concede. After all, the Zuixian Pavilion had a plaque from the Sage; they were terrified that if this escalated to the Emperor of Tang, it would be detrimental to their stay and their studies.

Li Yi took Yue'er with him to the envoys' carriages and began to pick through their belongings. With every item selected, Inukami and his team felt as if their own flesh were being carved away. As they glared at Inukami Junji, they wished they could slaughter him right then and there.