Chapter 131: But I Do Not Believe It

At this moment, Li Yi suddenly set down the items he had been examining, sighed, shook his head, and wore an expression of deep disappointment.

Upon seeing this, Inugami no Mitasuki and E-nichi frowned slightly and exchanged a silent, subconscious glance.

"Physician Li, why do you sigh?" E-nichi, slowly regaining his composure, asked with a sense of foreboding. "These items are treasures from our country of Wa!"

"Indeed," Inugami no Mitasuki nodded earnestly, then added with curiosity, "Could it be that Physician Li feels these items are unworthy, or perhaps beneath your notice?"

Li Yi turned around calmly, glanced at the two of them, and smiled with a gentle shake of his head.

"I will not deceive you, Ambassadors. In my view, these items are truly worthless," Li Yi stated calmly. He then turned to Shopkeeper Xu and asked with a smile, "I wonder, Shopkeeper Xu, do you find these items to be of any value?"

Hearing this, the faces of Inugami no Mitasuki and E-nichi turned incredibly unsightly. The luggage they had brought with them contained the very best of what their nation had managed to scrape together, exhausting almost all their national resources. Yet, Li Yi had the audacity to call their offerings worthless! This was clearly a slight against the nation of Wa.

Inugami no Mitasuki was furious. E-nichi was equally incensed. The other Japanese envoys were also boiling with suppressed rage.

However, before they could erupt, Shopkeeper Xu, having understood Li Yi's intent, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Physician Li has a discerning eye. Since you deem these items worthless, then I, naturally, must agree."

As he spoke, Shopkeeper Xu bowed deeply, his expression appearing remarkably sincere. "I implore Physician Li and the internal envoys to seek justice for me!"

Inugami no Mitasuki and his companions were so incensed they nearly resorted to violence. It was Li Yi who had suggested using their belongings as compensation, and it was Li Yi who had declared them worthless.

*Bastards! What is this physician trying to do? Is he intentionally mocking us?*

Inugami no Mitasuki, E-nichi, and the rest of the delegation were thoroughly bewildered and angered by Li Yi's actions, unable to fathom his true intentions.

After a long pause, Inugami no Mitasuki suppressed his displeasure and asked directly, "Physician Li, is there any other way to resolve this matter simply and minimize the conflict?"

Inugami no Mitasuki felt helpless. The Drunken Immortal Pavilion was protected by a plaque bestowed by the Tang Emperor. They knew that even if they escalated this to the Emperor, they would not fare well. After all, the ones who had started the trouble were not the Tang people, but the idiot Inugami Junji! That was why Inugami no Mitasuki had to take this approach.

Li Yi frowned slightly, glanced at Shopkeeper Xu, then looked back at Inugami no Mitasuki and the others. He sighed bitterly and asked, "Ambassador Inugami, tell me honestly, how much can you actually afford to pay?"

"This..." Inugami no Mitasuki was stunned. They did not have much silver to begin with. If they used all of it to compensate the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, they would be left destitute. Moreover, sixteen thousand taels was not a small sum; it was far beyond their means. This would be their ruin!

"Physician Li," Inugami no Mitasuki said with a bitter, helpless expression, "We do not have much silver left—only ten thousand taels."

*Ten thousand taels?* Li Yi sneered inwardly at the figure, but he turned to Shopkeeper Xu with a beaming smile and asked, "Shopkeeper Xu, what do you think?"

"Physician Li," Shopkeeper Xu replied with a pained expression, shaking his head solemnly, "Ten thousand taels only covers the loss of the Wuliangye liquor. What about the loss of the Orleans meal sets? To whom shall I turn for that?"

"But they are envoys from Wa, here to learn and engage in exchange with our Tang Dynasty," Li Yi said, furrowing his brow.

"Physician Li," Shopkeeper Xu insisted, his tone firm, "If you cannot provide me with justice, I shall take this matter to the Sage and request him to preside over it!"

Shopkeeper Xu’s stance was unyielding. Li Yi glared at him in mock anger, but the shopkeeper stood tall, projecting an air of "I am in the right and have no fear of death."

"Alas!" Li Yi sighed dramatically, waved his hand toward Inugami no Mitasuki, and said, "Ambassador Inugami, I am afraid I can no longer mediate this matter."

Inugami no Mitasuki and his group were left speechless. Meanwhile, Zhang Yuxuan and the other Tang officials watched the performance between Li Yi and the shopkeeper, their mouths twitching. They couldn't help but think: *As expected of Young Master Li, his methods of fleecing others are truly beyond our reach!*

Realizing that a single misstep would lead to a major incident, Inugami no Mitasuki deliberated for a long time. Finally, gritting his teeth in frustration, he said, "How about this, Shopkeeper Xu: I am willing to send three of my men to work as servants in your restaurant. How does that sound?"

Shopkeeper Xu did not immediately respond, looking at Inugami no Mitasuki with a thoughtful expression. Li Yi, however, waited a moment before smiling and saying, "Shopkeeper Xu, why not let it rest at this? Let them work as servants in your restaurant, and as for the remaining debt, they can pay it back later, how about that?"

Shopkeeper Xu hesitated, pretending to be confused by Li Yi’s suggestion. But upon seeing Li Yi wink, the shopkeeper suddenly understood and nodded. "That is acceptable, but I must have a written agreement so they do not renege on their word later."

Li Yi smiled and asked Inugami no Mitasuki, "Ambassador, what do you think?"

"Agreed!" Inugami no Mitasuki replied with a forced smile.

Shopkeeper Xu produced a pre-prepared document from his sleeve and showed it to Li Yi, who then handed it to Inugami no Mitasuki.

"Ambassador, please sign here, and the matter will be temporarily resolved," Li Yi said with a smile.

Inugami no Mitasuki signed the document with a heavy heart, checking it carefully for loopholes before affixing his name. Then, he selected three men from his group.

Shopkeeper Xu glanced at the three men and asked, "Physician Li, if these three do not behave in my restaurant, disrupt my business, or attempt to steal my trade secrets, what should I do?"

Li Yi paused for a moment, then nodded in realization. "That is indeed a troublesome problem."

Although he did not address Inugami no Mitasuki directly, he knew the ambassador was listening. Inugami no Mitasuki quickly nodded and said, "That is not an issue. Shopkeeper Xu may treat them as mere servants. I trust that our people from Wa would never do such a thing."

"But I do not trust them!" Shopkeeper Xu replied bluntly, giving Inugami no Mitasuki no face at all.

Inugami no Mitasuki felt an urge to kill the shopkeeper. Seeing this, Li Yi stepped in as the peacemaker. "How about this? To maintain harmony between our two nations, Shopkeeper Xu, why not add a clause to the agreement: if they commit any offense, they shall be dealt with according to Tang law. Do you both agree?"

Shopkeeper Xu nodded immediately. "I have no objections."

Inugami no Mitasuki, feeling as though his intentions had been exposed, forced a smile and nodded. "I have no objections either. I trust my people."

"Very well, Shopkeeper Xu, add that clause," Li Yi said with a mischievous smirk.

"As you command, Physician Li." The shopkeeper wrote it down in front of Inugami no Mitasuki, and the matter was settled.

Shopkeeper Xu left with the three Japanese men. Li Yi shivered, crossed his arms, and sighed, "Since this minor matter is resolved, I shall return to my manor. Internal Envoy Zhang, are you not going to lead the Ambassador and his party to their rest?"

"Ah, I almost forgot! How foolish of me..." Zhang Yuxuan patted his head and hurriedly gestured. "Ambassador Inugami, Ambassador E-nichi, shall we go?"

"Very well." Inugami no Mitasuki, E-nichi, and the others nodded stiffly and followed Zhang Yuxuan toward the Sifang Pavilion.

Only after their figures had faded into the distance did Li Yi smile. Yue'er, standing beside him, asked, "Young Master, do you intend to deal with these Japanese people?"

Li Yi turned, flicked Yue'er's chin, and smirked. "Yue'er, have you ever heard the saying, 'Those who are not of our kin will surely have different hearts'?"

"What does that mean, Young Master?" Yue'er asked.

"These Japanese are not of our kin. They come here to learn and exchange, but even if they harbor no ill intentions now, once they have learned our ways, they will surely develop ulterior motives later."

"Indeed, you are very clever, Yue'er," Li Yi praised her with a nod, then looked at her seriously. "However, your previous remark was incorrect."

"?" Yue'er looked confused, her eyes spinning. "Which part, Young Master?"

"Oh," Li Yi said with a mischievous grin.

"That doesn't seem to be a problem, Young Master," Yue'er said innocently.

Seeing her innocent and adorable expression, Li Yi burst into laughter, thinking to himself, *Am I being a bit too wicked?*