The appearance of Zhou Siren added fuel to the already tense and dangerous atmosphere.
The fierce tiger, already restless, saw another person appear and let out a roar to the sky before pouncing towards Tu Shanjin once again.
This time, as it lunged ferociously, it opened its blood-red maw and began biting indiscriminately.
In a moment of carelessness, Tu Shanjin's arm was grazed by the tiger's sharp fangs, drawing blood.
"My love!" Yun Yaoyao cried out in distress. Oh, her fair and flawless hand!
"Zhou Siren, pick up the bow and arrow and help me kill this ferocious tiger!" A deep, cold voice of rebuke pulled Zhou Siren back from his fear.
He suppressed his terror, picked up the bow and arrow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at the tiger's back.
The arrow flew out, limply grazing the tiger's outline.
Yun Yaoyao was dumbfounded.
Good grief, his aim was even worse than hers!
Zhou Siren's face crumpled. "Your... Your Majesty, I'm just a civil official. I'm not skilled with a bow and arrow..."
Realizing Zhou Siren couldn't be relied upon, Yun Yaoyao patted her horse's back and whispered, "Fatso, I fed you well before we came. Whether you get one big meal or many small ones in the future depends on how you perform now."
Yun Yaoyao suddenly pulled the reins and tightened her legs around the horse's back. "Hiya!"
The steed galloped swiftly towards Tu Shanjin.
At the same time, Yun Yaoyao barked at Zhou Siren again, "Pull the bow with all your strength, aim at it, you must attract the tiger's attention!"
"If not, I'll execute your entire clan!"
Perhaps the words "entire clan" awakened some hidden potential in Zhou Siren. His second arrow actually grazed the tiger's behind as it flew past!
The tiger roared in pain, turned around, and fixed its fierce gaze on Zhou Siren.
It was at this moment that Yun Yaoyao rode past Tu Shanjin. She leaned down, extended her hand, her eyes cold and sharp. "Give me your hand!"
Tu Shanjin reached out, and as their palms touched, a powerful force pulled him onto the horse's back.
The movement happened in an instant. By the time the tiger reacted, the two had already put some distance between themselves and the beast.
Enraged, the tiger lunged directly towards Zhou Siren, intent on tearing him to shreds.
In his extreme fright, Zhou Siren felt his entire leg go numb, unable to react in any way.
He could only hear His Majesty's shout from afar.
"Minister Zhou, you have rendered great service in protecting me. After your death, I shall certainly reward you well, ensuring your Zhou family wants for nothing!"
Just as Zhou Siren thought his death was certain, an arrow whizzed by, striking the tiger's front leg.
The tiger roared in pain and anger, changing direction to charge towards Tu Shanjin.
Tu Shanjin nocked another arrow, his black hair flying, his gaze cold and sharp. Just as he was about to shoot the arrow through the tiger's heart, Yun Yaoyao whispered in his ear, "Don't kill it yet, I still have use for it."
Tu Shanjin understood her meaning. The arrow fell short, landing at the tiger's feet. Seeing this, Yun Yaoyao immediately spurred her horse to evade the tiger.
"Zhou Siren, stop dallying! Draw your bow and kill it, or I'll execute your entire clan!"
The power of threatening one's entire clan was immense. Zhou Siren immediately snapped back to his senses and shakily shot another arrow.
Surprisingly, this arrow hit its mark, grazing the tiger's behind and leaving a bloody gash.
So the tiger once again pounced towards Zhou Siren.
Zhou Siren closed his eyes, his lips trembling. This is the end of me!
Yun Yaoyao sighed, "Minister Zhou, I originally admired you greatly and intended to entrust you with the matter of the Grand Canal. Alas, you are about to die a miserable death in the jaws of this fierce tiger for the sake of saving me."
"Very well, I shall divulge some secrets to you, so you'll have something to talk about in the underworld. My persistence in improving water conservancy and opening the Grand Canal is not only for the people's livelihood but also for the eternal prosperity of the Yanchi Dynasty and the submission of all nations."
"First, once the Grand Canal is opened, it will become a true north-south transportation artery, driving commercial prosperity between north and south, developing the economy, and strengthening our Yanchi Dynasty's national power..."
Just as the tiger was about to pounce on Zhou Siren, Tu Shanjin quickly shot another arrow.
The tiger then charged towards Tu Shanjin's direction.
"Minister Zhou, as the Deputy Minister of the Treasury Department, you should know how great the economic benefits will be at that time. Not only that..."
"The tiger is coming again, Zhou Siren, shoot it quickly, or I'll execute your entire clan!"
Zhou Siren had barely recovered from his brush with death when he immediately shot another arrow.
This arrow hit its mark again. Just as Zhou Siren himself couldn't understand how his archery had suddenly improved so much, the tiger was charging towards him once more!
Yun Yaoyao seized the opportunity to continue painting her grand picture.
"The benefits of the Grand Canal, blah blah blah... At that time, neighboring countries will all trade with our Yanchi Dynasty, exchanging our silk for various rare treasures from their countries, blah blah blah..."
From then on, the scene became Tu Shanjin and Zhou Siren taking turns luring the tiger.
Tu Shanjin would first hit the tiger's ear, drawing it over, then Zhou Siren would hit its behind, enraging it and bringing it back.
Back and forth, they maintained a strange balance.
Yun Yaoyao took advantage of this precarious balance to fully exercise her eloquence, painting a desirable picture of a prosperous era.
Indeed, Yun Yaoyao's method of winning over Zhou Siren was precisely this "grand promises" approach.
Zhou Siren was a man who loved money above all else, willing to submit to Lou Jianshan because the Ministry of Revenue was lucrative enough, and Lou Jianshan paid well.
To win over a talent like Zhou Siren without offering anything tangible, one had to paint an even grander picture, one that was more enticing than what Lou Jianshan could offer.
After several near-death experiences, Zhou Siren wasn't as frightened anymore. Though he was somewhat moved by Yun Yaoyao's described scenario, he remained skeptical.
He tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, with the national treasury empty, there's simply not enough money and resources to support water conservancy improvements and the excavation of the Grand Canal. Wouldn't everything after that just be empty talk?"
Hearing this skepticism, Yun Yaoyao snorted coldly, her expression disdainful. "The National Master told me that as long as I put in my full effort, I will be blessed with heaven's timing, earth's advantages, and human harmony. I will surely succeed! You ministers, always so timid and short-sighted, will never accomplish anything!"
"Let me tell you more. The National Master also told me that far across the sea, there are countless other countries. Some are made entirely of gold mountains, some are rich in oil, and there are people of different skin colors – some with high noses and white skin, some with completely black skin that blends into the darkness."
"They use steam to generate electricity, and with just a single wire, they can light up an entire palace. They have iron boxes with four wheels that can travel fifty li in the time it takes to burn an incense stick, all powered by steam. They also have..."
"Zhou Siren, shoot it quickly!"
Yun Yaoyao continued painting her grand picture: "Then, when the Yanchi Dynasty becomes prosperous and powerful, I will develop sea transportation, build ships for long voyages, and engage in trade and exchanges with these kingdoms and nations..."
One novel concept after another spilled from Yun Yaoyao's lips. The more Zhou Siren heard, the more fascinated and yearning his eyes became. His mind was no longer on the fierce tiger before him.
Instead, based on Yun Yaoyao's words, he imagined a series of dazzling kingdoms and nations, different races of people, and those wondrous things that opened the door to a new world for him.
If they could truly trade with these kingdoms and introduce these marvelous inventions to the Yanchi Dynasty, Zhou Siren thought, how immense would the profits be!
He couldn't even begin to imagine!
Even Tu Shanjin was stunned for a few seconds by Yun Yaoyao's words: "Is what you say true?"
She had never even met this National Master who was revered as a god by the Yanchi Dynasty.
Judging by the level of productivity in the Yanchi Dynasty, the Steam Age in the West was probably still far off.
Yun Yaoyao smiled and said, "Half true, half false. Just take it as a joke."
Tu Shanjin: ...And here he had gotten all excited for nothing.
It was during Zhou Siren's moment of distraction that the tiger had pounced right in front of him, its blood-red maw gaping open horrifically, ready to swallow him whole.
When he came to his senses, in his extreme terror, Zhou Siren lost control of his bodily functions all at once.
This is truly the end of me!
Tu Shanjin caught sight of the Imperial Guards approaching in the distance. He drew his last arrow, quickly nocked it, and shot, piercing the tiger's heart.
The tiger's body grazed Zhou Siren's face as it crashed to the ground.
Seeing this scene, the arriving Imperial Guards trembled and fell to their knees, begging for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, please forgive us for arriving late to your rescue!"
As the crisis passed, Zhou Siren realized with horror that an indescribable odor was emanating from his own body. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and disappear.
Rolling his eyes, he decided to simply pretend he had fainted from fright, and collapsed next to the fierce tiger.
