Chapter 55 Surrender (Part 3) I Refusal

The hour of Xu (7-9 PM).

He Qinglan is back.

Cheng Hui led Xiao Yong and the others to the Goddess's Mansion to see her.

Xiao was filled with curiosity, wanting to know what kind of person this "goddess" was, why she could conjure up an unlimited amount of food, and why she could produce those books.

They walked through the corridor and entered the reception room of the Goddess's Palace.

I met He Qinglan.

The goddess's face was pale and bright, and she exuded a sharp chill, like an ice sculpture, cold and dangerous.

She was dressed in a strangely styled top and trousers, sitting upright in a grand chair, looking down at Xiao Yong and the others.

Xiao withdrew his probing gaze, thinking to himself, "She really doesn't seem easy to talk to."

No wonder he can govern more than a dozen counties.

He led a group of messengers to pay their respects to the goddess.

He Qinglan's face remained expressionless as she simply said, "Sit."

Cheng Hui led Xiao Yong and the others to sit down, and Qiu Tang served them tea.

Xiao presented Sun Yannan's handwritten letter and sincerely explained his purpose to He Qinglan.

He first praised Sun Yannan's background and status, introduced Sun Yannan's abilities and advantages, and revealed Sun Yannan's ambition to seize the world.

He then praised He Qinglan, indicating that Sun Yannan greatly admired He Qinglan and sincerely hoped that He Qinglan could join his camp.

Finally, he said, "My lord is very sincere, please consider it carefully."

He Qinglan folded the letter with her cool fingertips, put it back in the envelope, and gently pushed it. The envelope floated lightly to Xiao Yong's face.

Xiao Yong reached out and caught it. He stared intently, his gaze deep and unfathomable. "What is this...?"

He Qinglan calmly replied, "I refuse."

The other envoys below Xiao Yong's seat changed their expressions. One of them sincerely expressed his confusion, "May I ask why you refused? The conditions offered by my lord are already very generous."

Someone patiently advised, "In today's world, no one can offer better terms, nor can there be a better partner than my lord. Please consider this carefully!"

Someone bluntly mocked, "Your Excellency is not satisfied with the position of Imperial Concubine; perhaps you want to become Empress?"

Cheng Hui could not tolerate anyone offending the goddess. He slammed his hand on the table, and immediately someone entered the room, covered the mouth of the person who had made the mockery, and dragged him out.

Xiao Yong and the others: "!!!"

Xiao asked with a serious expression, "What do you mean by this, sir?"

Cheng Hui sneered and retorted, "Did Sun Yannan send you here to discuss cooperation, or to issue a challenge?"

These city folks never talk properly; they like to play the good cop/bad cop game, but I, Cheng, will not play along with your act.

Anyone who dares to speak rudely and offend the goddess will be thrown out!

The people in the administration office also made no attempt to hide their anger.

The young man from the propaganda department had anger blazing in his eyes. "Disrespecting the goddess in front of so many of us? Do they think we're dead?"

The middle-aged woman from the Ministry of Finance wore a kind smile as she sternly reminded them, "If I remember correctly, you came to us to discuss cooperation. Since it's about cooperation, then we should either reach an agreement or we should just let it go. But your attitude..."

The young woman from the secretariat sneered coldly, "In terms of strength, Anling is no match for Maozhou, but distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. I suppose you will already be celebrating your hundred-day memorial when Sun Yannan's army is pressing in!"

The middle-aged man from the Ministry of Justice stroked his beard and sneered, "Are you really here on Governor Sun's orders to discuss cooperation with our Goddess, or were you sent by Governor Sun's rivals?"

The envoys sitting opposite them: "..."

Someone glanced at Xiao Yong, but Xiao Yong's expression remained unchanged.

It would be abnormal if the other side didn't get angry or express their opinion after we attacked their lord.

He stood up, bowed respectfully to He Qinglan, and apologized on behalf of the man who had just been dragged out, "...When we return to Maozhou, we will definitely report this matter to my lord, and my lord will give you an explanation."

"Please believe me, my lord sincerely wants to cooperate with you."

"He, like you, hopes that all the people in the world can have enough to eat. Please take care of the people of Maozhou and Liangzhou and let them live."

He Qinglan's beautiful, indifferent face showed no emotion whatsoever, as if nothing Xiao Yong said could move her.

She spoke again, her voice icy, "I refuse."

"The goddess refused?"

Zhu Youchuan washed his hands, took the handkerchief handed to him by the middle-aged man, and slowly wiped the water off his fingers.

He laughed and said, "It's not surprising. Our goddesses aren't the type to obediently follow orders."

If you really surrender to Maozhou, you will have to listen to Sun Yannan from now on. You will have to give him as much food as he asks, and give him food to whomever he asks.

Given the goddess's personality, there is absolutely no way she could have done it.

The middle-aged man nodded, "But I'm worried... that Maozhou won't give up easily."

Zhu Youchuan put down the handkerchief. "Of course. Such a large piece of gold is here. If we don't grab it quickly, someone else might snatch it later."

For Sun Yannan, these goddesses are either to belong to him or to be destroyed.

Otherwise, it will definitely threaten him in the future.

A look of worry appeared on the middle-aged man's face. "Minister, then we..."

Zhu Youchuan frowned. "Prepare for battle. If I were Sun Yannan, I would join forces with Jinzhou to send troops."

He thought for a moment and said, "I'll send a letter to Yun Youning first, asking her to come back as soon as possible."

War is imminent, but the Minister of Finance is not in Anling.

Military camp.

Hu Dazhu went out to empty the water used for washing his feet, and saw his two strategists coming to find him.

He casually poured out the water, placed the basin in the corner, and asked with a smile, "Where's Huai'an?"

Fang Qin said, "Huai'an will be here soon."

Xiang Yuesheng said in a deep voice, "We also called all the battalion commanders, and they are all on their way."

Upon hearing this, Hu Dazhu adjusted his expression and said, "Let's go inside and wait."

Hu Dazhu's wife, Liu, looked at Xiang Yuesheng and Fang Qin in surprise. Hu Dazhu spoke softly to her, "We need to talk about something. There will be other people coming over later. Would you please take your parents and children to Yuesheng's house for a while?"

Liu didn't say much, she just nodded, "Shall I boil some water for you to make tea?"

Hu Dazhu shook his head, "I'll do it myself, anyway, they haven't arrived yet."

Liu then went inside to call the old man and the child.

Fang Qin suddenly thought of something and asked Hu Dazhu, "Are you sure you don't want to change your name? If you're going to go down in history, having 'Hu Dazhu' in the records might be a bit..."

Hu Dazhu laughed loudly, "No need. If I am strong enough, people will respect me even if I am called Hu Gou Dan. If I am not capable, no matter how nice the name sounds, it is useless."

Fang Qin laughed. "That's true."

Speaking of names, Hu Dazhu asked, "Is Huai'an about to be of age?"

Fang Qin replied, "Two more months."

Xiang Yuesheng suddenly asked curiously, "Have you thought about his handwriting yet?"

Fang Qin smiled and said, "I would like to ask the goddess to bestow a crown upon him and give him a courtesy name."

Hu Dazhu and Xiang Yuesheng were surprised.

Just then, Ning Huai'an and the vanguard battalion commander pushed open the gate and walked into the courtyard. Ning Huai'an asked, "Is everyone here?"

Hu Dazhu said, "Not yet, you all sit down first, I'll go boil water and make tea."

The Goddess's Palace.

Qiu Tang secretly glanced at He Qinglan while doing her homework.

He Qinglan propped her chin up with her left hand, tilted her head to look at Qiu Tang, and smiled faintly, "Say what you want to say, and then do your homework properly."

Qiu Tang: "..."

A blush crept onto her face.

"I want to tell you..."

Qiu Tang told He Qinglan about Ji Yuanheng and Liang Xingqi talking to her.

She hesitated before asking, "You rejected them, is that alright? They didn't seem very happy at the time."

He Qinglan didn't answer directly. Instead, she asked, "What do you think? Do you want me to agree?"

Qiu Tang was stunned. "Me?"

She didn't know how to start the conversation.

He Qinglan said, "Ji Yuanheng and Liang Xingqi are your classmates, and they have their own opinions. What about you? What's your opinion on this matter?"

My opinion?

Qiu Tang subconsciously clenched her teeth and raised her voice, "I don't want you to agree!"

Once she started speaking, her speech became fluent.

"Just as they both said, in this world, only you can shelter poor people like us."

"Please let us take control of our own lives!"

He Qinglan raised an eyebrow slightly, "I will give you this opportunity, so do your best."

Qiu Tang: "?"

She hesitated, "But that Sun Yannan seems very capable?"

He Qinglan said, "He is powerful, but not invincible. The northern court is not dead yet. If he dares to join forces with the governor of Jinzhou to attack our Anling, we can join forces with the court and Chaozhou to attack his Maozhou and Liangzhou."

Qiu Tang: "...Oh."

"Alright," He Qinglan said, "hurry up and do your homework."

"Adults will take on the responsibilities they should bear, and you children should do what children should do."

"The future of Anling depends on you."

Qiu Tang continued doing her homework, with He Qinglan occasionally offering pointers: "You made a mistake here," "You should use another word here," "You wrote the poem wrong"...

In He Qinglan's sea of ​​consciousness, the system "beep beep beep" went online.

System: [Why did you refuse to provide food to Maozhou and Liangzhou?]

System: [Host, don't forget, your ultimate goal is to be famous throughout the country.]

System: [First, go to Maozhou and Liangzhou, conquer the people of those two states with our delicious food, then use those states as a springboard to the capital!]

System: [You won't be able to complete the mission if you stay in this small place, Anling County.]

He pleaded and begged for her advice, but He Qinglan paid no heed. She calmly replied, "Don't worry about it. I have my own pace."

system:【……】

System: [Aa ...

He Qinglan said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I will definitely complete the mission and return to the world I came from."

I want to leave here as soon as possible even more than you do.

But since it's a task, I must get the highest score.

The system was helpless against its host. Seeing that He Qinglan insisted on her own ideas, it snorted and logged off.

He Qinglan's lips curled up slightly.

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Author's Note: 18000/20000

At 1000 km/h, I have such immense respect for those who can go 3000 km/h! [crying emoji]