Xie Queshan clearly felt his tears running down his cheeks, piling up beside his ears, and seeping into the pillow. Because he couldn't reach out to wipe them away, the wet feeling became more obvious.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to think of something else.
Song Muchuan's warning to Jinling will have some effect.
If Wanyan Puruo found nothing in Jinling, would he be safe?
He usually doesn't like to think about the best and always prepares for the worst in everything, but at this moment he can't help imagining the best possibility.
But the traitor in Jinling is in the dark. What he can dig out and where his eyes can see are all unknown.
He thought he would be awake in pain all night, but he fell asleep peacefully with his quiet breathing.
It was a dreamless night, probably because he was already in a dream.
——
At this time, thousands of miles away in Jinling, singing and dancing were still going on all night long.
The banquet for Wan Yan Pu Ruo was placed in the Feixian Building, the largest in Jinling. Today happened to be the middle of the moon, and the market stayed late at night, with crowds of people surging, making it a bustling scene.
Before the banquet started, Shen Zhizhong and several ministers had already discussed in private how to deal with Wanyan Pu Ruo. The discussion was about to explode, and they were so anxious that they almost took action.
The situation remains tense.
Although Wanyan Puruo was detained as an envoy, his comings and goings were under the eyes of everyone, and his actions were extremely restricted. But this couldn't last for a few days. If Wanyan Pu wanted to leave, he found a reason to turn over the table and leave at any time. No one would know if she sneaked back in secret.
What's more, there is a traitor hiding secretly among his own people.
Everyone was arguing with each other, and everyone came up with their own ideas, but when they were rejected again and again, no one could think of a way to keep Wanyan Puruo.
——You can’t kill people.
——Why can’t I kill him?
Those who have a bad temper are really thinking about how to make Wanyan Pu Ruo die suddenly. You said something to me, and the scene became tense for a while.
But Shen Zhizhong sat on the Eight Immortals Chair and never said a word.
"Master Shen, what should I do now? You should say something!" Someone finally noticed Zhong Shuling's silence and anxiously pulled him into the battlefield.
Shen Zhizhong is over fifty years old, and when he lowers his eyes, the corners of his eyes are densely wrinkled, making him look a bit old. Suddenly he raises his eyes, his eyes are bright and lively, revealing a self-made character.
"Negotiation." He spat out two words.
Everyone looked at each other, not understanding what this meant.
At this moment, Wanyan Puruo had already taken a BMW car to the restaurant. He walked through the neighborhoods and saw the bustling streets. He recalled that there were not so many people in the past few days. He thought he was just in time for the market, and he felt more and more emotional. The Han people are still good at making money and living a good life. The front line is fiercely fought, but Jinling is still living a happy life.
But Jinling is not a place where she can stay for a long time. Those ministers tried every means to delay her time. Today it was finally time to talk about the "mission". She had already planned in her heart that no matter what those old immortals said, she would not buy it and would get angry and leave. She had to leave Jinling as soon as possible.
Yu Chao has long been in decline, and besides playing tricks like this to arouse public anger, she can't think of any other tricks they can play.
Everyone had already arrived, but Wanyan Pu Ruo arrived late and his attitude could be described as domineering.
"Since you want to talk to me, I have only one condition. The Yu Dynasty will surrender completely, become a vassal to our Daqi, and allow you to choose someone from the side clan to be a fief prince."
Wanyan Puruo paused for a moment, and the scene was silent for a moment. Some were angry and some were shocked, but no one made a sound.
Wanyan Puruo smiled upon seeing this, as if he was confident of winning: "If you have other thoughts today, then forgive me for not being able to accompany you."
After saying that, she was ready to leave.
Shen Zhizhong raised his glass and said slowly: "What about common trade?"
Wanyan Puruo was stunned, and her movement to stand up was paused. She suddenly understood why Shen Zhizhong chose today. He chose this place to show her the prosperity of Yu Dynasty's business.
And this is really Daqi's weakness.
Daqi made its fortune by fighting. The war was a waste of money, and all the strong men went to the front line. Not to mention commerce and trade, even farming was extremely backward. Looting alone could not fill the shortfall. However, the Yu Dynasty had a prosperous economy, which is why even if they were The reason why they were defeated steadily but still managed to hold on to a glimmer of hope.
After all, wealth is the foundation of a strong country. If you rob others, you are a robber. Even if you establish a new dynasty and cover the mouths of the people, there will still be voices to criticize.
The Daqi court was immersed in the false prosperity of being invincible on the battlefield and was complacent, but Wanyan Puruo understood clearly that it is easier to conquer a country than to defend it. The Han people must not be completely exterminated. They must rule rationally and integrate the two races to take advantage of each other's strengths. , is the long-term solution to governing the country.
Originally, it would not be that troublesome to conquer the Yangtze River and quickly unify the Central Plains in one go. Everything is waiting to be done, so we can just start from scratch, but now the Lidu Mansion is in a stalemate. It has been three months since the Qi army has captured King Ling'an. It seems that no one has won, but the resistance of the Yu Dynasty has become more and more intense. It has begun to tilt slightly.
If Yu Chao always maintains a posture of resisting to the death, it will be harmful to both parties but not beneficial.
But if the Yu Dynasty is willing to open up trade and become a vassal to Daqi, the two ethnic groups can peacefully integrate and make Daqi rich and powerful quickly. This is a good deal.
It has to be said that Shen Zhizhong is an extremely experienced politician. He pointed out the pros and cons in a few words, and Wanyan Puruo sat down at the negotiating table willingly.
Shen Zhizhong was a military general and his voice was as loud as a bell: "It is absolutely impossible for me, the Yu Dynasty, to become a minister from top to bottom, but if the eldest princess values commerce and is willing to prosper together, I have some compromises."
Wanyan Puruo's request was severely rejected. But she wasn't angry either, she was still smiling and relaxed.
"The battle is in full swing on the front lines, but I sit in the back and talk about compromises comfortably. Isn't this a bit sorry for our passionate men in Qi Ren?"
"Does Her Majesty the Princess want me, Yu Chao, to spend the last taels of silver in the treasury and fight off the last soldier? Then you can get nothing except exchanging heads for heads."
"Master Zhongshu Ling doesn't show any sincerity at all, how can we talk about it?"
"As long as His Highness agrees and orders the withdrawal of the troops from Lidu Prefecture, sends King Ling'an to Jinling, and allows the Yu Dynasty to establish the southern capital and rule by dividing the river, our Dynasty is willing to pay annual tribute, be exempted from taxes, and conduct in-depth trade with Daqi. Plunder. The wealth will eventually be squandered. Only if Daqi's own treasury is full and the wealth is stored among the people, is the long-term solution. We Han people have a saying that it is better to teach people to fish than to teach them to fish."
Wanyan Puruo was not in a hurry to answer. He drank a glass of wine slowly and lowered his eyes to cover his deep thoughts.
"Then what price is Master Zhongshu Ling willing to offer?"
After seeing that Yan Puruo had softened, Shen Zhizhong took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "The old minister is just managing the government on his behalf, and today is considered an act of overstepping. Naturally, these specific conditions will have to wait until the leader of a country ascends the throne. Make decisions.”
The words came around again, forcing Wanyan Puruo to release King Ling'an.
But Wanyan Puruo has a clear conscience and cannot be circumvented by Shen Zhizhong. King Ling'an is a bargaining chip. The reason why we can negotiate now is because it has not been caught yet and the situation is undecided. In fact, neither party can bear the outcome of the other party winning, so each side takes a step back and finds a compromise plan to gain some benefits. .
Seeing Wanyan Puruo's silence, Shen Zhizhong added, "Otherwise, Her Royal Highness the Princess can lay out your conditions and ask the Ministry of Household Affairs to calculate them first, so that we can have a basis for future decisions."
Shen Zhizhong kicked the ball to Wanyan Puruo.
She wanted to know how much money was left in the treasury so that she could weigh the price. Now Daqi's victory was obvious. Yu Chao could buy peace with money, so why not do it.
But precisely because she couldn't figure out what price the other party had in mind, she spoke rashly. If the price was quoted too high, the negotiation could not come to an agreement. If the price was quoted too low, she would suffer losses. The negotiation seemed to be deadlocked.
Wanyan Puruo waved to the female servant to come and pour her wine. The maid was in a hurry for some reason and accidentally got her dress wet. Wanyan Puruo didn't get angry for the first time, so he took the opportunity to get up and change clothes.
When she came back, she was confident.
"Three hundred thousand years of tribute, how about it?"
Shen Zhizhong slammed the wine bottle onto the table, like a stone that stirred up a thousand waves. Everyone agreed, some showed anger, some slammed the table, and some impulsively scolded Wan Yan Pu. If the lion opens its mouth wide.
"It seems that the eldest princess is not sincere in negotiating with us today. In that case, let's say goodbye."
Shen Zhizhong made a final decision and walked away resolutely, taking all the ministers with him.
Wanyan Puruo was stunned, why did Shen Zhizhong throw up his sleeves and leave? Shouldn't he be the one desperately trying to keep the negotiations going?
At this moment, she was a bit frustrated and couldn't leave easily. For the first time, she felt that this negotiation was not a loss-making business, but she couldn't be too aggressive, as if she would definitely accept the deal. She knew that she had fallen into Shen Zhizhong's trap and could only continue to wait in Jinling.
But other than that, she still felt a little strange.
……
It was a dark and windy night, and a man carrying a bulging baggage hurriedly left the backyard of his house. He carefully looked around to make sure no one saw him, and then he ran forward in a panic against the wall of the alley.
But as soon as he turned out of the alley, two people suddenly stood in front of him. The two men were tall and strong, and their faces were obscured by the darkness. He could only see a big knife in each hand.
The man was none other than Ding Xu, the Minister of Civil Affairs. He was feeling guilty. When he saw this scene, he was startled. He subconsciously stepped back, tripped over his own heels, and sat down on the ground.
"Master Ding, Her Royal Highness the Princess invites you to speak."
Two guards carried Ding Xu to a dark alley, where an inconspicuous carriage was already waiting.
A lantern hung outside the carriage, reflecting a vague figure in the carriage.
The anxious Ding Xu didn't dare to offend the noble woman in the car, so he knelt on the ground with a plop.
"Your Highness, you have to protect me! I stole information for you. Who would have thought that tonight was a trap set by Shen Zhizhong. He quoted different prices to everyone! Now I can't protect myself and have to escape. !”
The people in the carriage were silent for a long time.
Ding Xu glanced at him in panic, risked his life, and said: "Your Highness, I also got a piece of top-secret news - the Bingzhusi spy code-named Yan in the imperial court is Xie Queshan, who rebelled a few years ago! I also know There are many things, as long as you let me be safe, I will tell you them all!”
"Really?" A middle-aged man's voice came from the carriage, and he opened the curtain with one hand, "Ding Shangshu is so loyal, but I don't know it at all. Or should I call you, Daman?"
Ding Xu looked at the people in the carriage in surprise.
Several secret guards came over quietly and pierced Ding Xu's chest with a sword.
Xie Zhu stepped down from the carriage with a serious look on his face and stared at Ding Xu who fell on the ground. Shen Zhizhong's series of games tonight not only allowed Wanyan Puruo to stay on his own initiative, but also took the opportunity to uncover the details. He asked Xie Zhu to intercept Ding Xu halfway and extract the information he knew from him.
But what he just said... actually mentioned his nephew, Xie Queshan.
