Chapter 128

A week later.

Nanning, which was unwilling to contribute money and food, suddenly sent a letter.

They expressed their willingness to compensate Da Zhou for part of its losses, but on the condition that their Prince Yu Ruo of Nanning return to his country in accordance with the agreement in the alliance.

In other words, if Da Zhou releases the people, Nanning will pay compensation.

The incident was too sudden and too strange. Emperor Chongzhao discussed the matter in the court.

"What do you think, my dear ministers?"

The Minister of Revenue naturally agreed with both hands and feet: "Nanning should pay 30,000 taels of silver as compensation, as well as one season's old grain from Xianghe County. Although it is not much, it can ease the pressure on the national treasury. I just wonder if we can ask for more."

Emperor Chongzhao: "The other side's tone is very tough. We only have so much. We can change it if we want. If we don't want to change it, forget it."

Prince Yuruo's bloodline was impure, and he was not taken seriously in the past. Even when the time for the alliance came, Nanning had no intention of bringing him back. Now he was willing to pay money and food to bring him back.

The exchangeable conditions are dead.

An attitude of both caring and not caring.

"Perhaps he is the Nanning hostage. When he secretly went to Xianghe this time, he asked the Nanning Emperor for mercy?" The Minister of Rites pondered. "After all, he is a prince. He should have connections in the capital of Nanning. Now it's time to sign the alliance as a hostage. It's normal for him to want to go back."

Especially since Yu Ruo has the blood of the people of Northern Frontier in his body, it is impossible for him to inherit the throne of Nanning. If the two countries go to war in the future, his death will not affect the position of Nanning's crown prince.

Everyone knows the situation clearly, and it is more economical to let him go than to detain him.

Zuo Tianlang said: "It may be that the rumors we spread in Nanning, such as 'the Emperor of Nanning is a hypocrite who does not keep his word', forced him to pay some money. He let the hostage go back just to save face."

Emperor Chongzhao thought: "That makes sense."

Most of the ministers agreed to the exchange, and some who were unwilling just wanted more.

After Emperor Chongzhao returned, he sent someone to inquire about the happenings around Yu Ruo's mansion.

The response was the same as usual.

He then issued an imperial decree allowing Yu Ruo to return to his country.

The old grain for the first quarter from Xianghe County promised by Nanning is like timely rain for the disaster-stricken areas that have not yet resumed production. It will help them for a while.

In order to prevent the emperor of Nanning from playing tricks again, Emperor Chongzhao also selected a hundred people to accompany him to inspect the old grain, including whether it was edible and whether it was mixed with sand and stones.

The team set out three days later.

-

Nanning Hostage House.

After receiving the imperial edict, Yu Ruo returned to the study with a calm expression.

It's getting late.

There was no light in the study.

A dim shadow fell on him as Yu Ruo slowly walked to the desk. He did not look happy at all, but instead had a hint of suppressed anger.

"He actually came to exchange for me...so my guess is true."

Yu Ruo closed his eyes.

At that time in Le'an County, he saw the wooden box carried by Xia Fuyang's soldiers, which contained jewelry and gold and silver found on the corpses.

At first glance, he saw a small flower made of plain silver.

The small silver flower must have fallen from the hairpin. It looks ordinary, but it is a special craft of the Nanning court.

Ordinary people would never notice it.

The reason he could do this was because his mother used to be a slave in the palace's handicraft workshop, and was later taken into the harem as a maid, and would occasionally do this.

So he recognizes the inconspicuous little details on the flowers.

Why would a hairpin made with royal craftsmanship appear on the body of an ordinary citizen?

We only know that the plague was spread by the corpses in the river, but did the plague originate within the territory of Da Zhou?

He calmly analyzed other possibilities. Perhaps there was a Kyoto resident who happened to be near the Nanning dam and was washed into the territory of Da Zhou, which was why he picked up this little flower.

But that absurd thought could not be suppressed and appeared in my mind -

At that time, he actually thought that the plague in the Great Zhou might be the work of his father.

Prepare a corpse with an epidemic disease, dress it in gold and silver jewellery and throw it into the river to attract the people of the Great Zhou to steal the corpse.

Taking advantage of people's greed, the plague spreads.

So he wrote a secret letter to his father on his way back to Beijing:

[Having learned of the Great Zhou plague, I request to return home.]

A vague and tentative statement.

If it was done by the emperor, he would definitely be asked to go back to Nanning. After all, in the eyes of the emperor, this sentence was a threat to him. If he was not taken back to Nanning, he would spread the matter.

As a prince of Nanning, what he said that was unfavorable to his country's king was more credible than what others said.

If it wasn't done by my father, he would probably have ignored it and left him to fend for himself.

Now?

The order has been given and the situation is clear.

The plague in the three counties of Dazhou was really caused by my father.

Yu Ruo: "Using 30,000 taels and a county's worth of grain in exchange for my... this secret is really valuable," he whispered, "If you knew you were afraid, afraid of being labeled a cruel tyrant, why did you do it in the first place?"

In the dim study, he pounded on the table, his knuckles bleeding, his voice trembling and muffled, like a trapped animal.

"That's a living life!!"

"How dare he!"

With such a king, how can Nanning last long?

Gu Xin was worried: "You sent a secret letter to His Majesty to ask him to exchange you back, but you will definitely not have a good ending after you go back..."

Yu Ruo: "He won't kill me."

The emperor does not want to be charged with the crime of killing his own son.

It was nothing more than finding fault with you and giving you a beating.

Gu Xin: "Your Highness."

Yu Ruo: "Pack your things and return to Nanning in three days."

-

The night before Yu Ruo left.

Qu Watanabe received an invitation letter——

Yu Ruo invited him to dinner to make up for the meal he owed a few years ago.

Nothing happened, so I went to Watanabe to attend the appointment.

The moon is rising.

Pour half a cup of wine in the pavilion.

"Originally you should have treated me, but now I'm leaving, so I should treat you."

The atmosphere between the two was not as stiff as it was before they went to Xianghe River. Because of Yu Ruo's previous experience of asking for food for the people, Qu Dubian liked him more.

"It's all the same, isn't it all about eating?"

"Yes, yes, the same." Yu Ruo: "I gave you fruit wine because I know you don't like strong drinks."

Qu Watanabe: "So attentive."

Yu Ruo paused and smiled: "The last time I got sick, there were no sequelae."

Qu Dubian was surprised and said, "I've been well for so long, why are you asking this? Are you hoping something bad will happen to me?"

"Can't you even show some concern?"

"OK."

He was used to this guy being a jerk, so he was not used to it when he did that out of the blue.

Qu Watanabe: "Congratulations on returning home. Although we are enemies, you are a good person. Do a good job. This will be a good thing for the people of Nanning."

Yu Ruo smiled without saying anything and drank glass of wine one after another.

In the past few years since he came to Da Zhou, he has always been calm. He would have a few drinks occasionally, but he would never get drunk. After all, he was in an enemy country.

Qu Dubian guessed that he might have something on his mind, so he didn't disturb him.

He pinched the small wine glass with two fingers and turned it gently. The fruit wine shook and the wall of the glass was soaked with a light coolness from the night.

Qu Dubian occasionally took a sip and then picked up his chopsticks to eat the food.

Yu Ruo was holding a wine pot, looking outside the pavilion, and suddenly said, "I want to go to the roof and look at the moon."

Qu Watanabe: "Go, I won't stop you."

Yu Ruo looked over and said, "I don't know Qinggong."

Qu Watanabe: “…”

"You're the guard."

"I've given the order, but they're not here."

Qu Watanabe: "Oh, then you can climb up the ladder."

Yu Ruo looked at him for a few seconds.

Qu Watanabe: "Well, okay, since you're treating me."

He finished the rest of the fruit wine, picked up a plate of peanuts, then grabbed Yu Ruo's arm, tiptoed, and flew onto the roof.

Qu Watanabe is a professional roof climber. When he was a child, he often slept on the roof of Shunning Palace.

He found the most comfortable position, sat cross-legged, and put peanuts into his mouth.

The scenery up there is really nice.

The courtyard was filled with a lotus pond and the moonlight was bright enough that one could see the road without lighting a lamp.

Yu Ruo was lost in thought for a moment.

"If only my father could be like you."

Qu Dubian choked and looked at him as if he had seen a ghost.

"Uh... I don't mind if you call me daddy."

Yu Ruo: "Da Zhou, Nanning, and Northern Xinjiang. The three powers are divided into three parts, and the people who suffer are mostly innocent people. If there is a unified country and the disputes among the three countries are ended, wouldn't the people be much better off?"

Qu Dubian: "The general trend of the world is that long-term division will eventually bring together, and long-term unity will eventually divide."

He thought about it and said, "It's not as good as you think. Even in prosperous times, there are still many dark secrets and people who are so poor that they have difficulty in getting food and clothing. It can only be said that the environment is better and fewer people are suffering. This is true for hundreds or thousands of years, and the cycle of history. "

"The three-way division of the world has lasted for decades, and it has been like this since we were born," Yu Ruo shook his head. "The great unification only exists in history books. You are younger than me, but you speak as if you have witnessed that great era with your own eyes."

"How do you know I haven't seen it? I'm also known as a reincarnated fetus. I remember very clearly that I was born in a prosperous era in my previous life," Qu Du pointed at the edge of his sleeve, "This color, the red prosperous era that came out of the darkness."

Yu Ruo couldn't help but laugh.

"Anything else?"

Qu Watanabe: "Scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans, all classes, advocate equality for all."

Yu Ruo: "It is indeed a dream, unrealistic."

"Dream?"

Qu Du looked at the stars in the night sky, stuffed the peanuts into Yu Ruo's hands, and leaned back.

The moon waxes and wanes, unchanged from eternity.

People today cannot see the moon of the past, but this moon once shone on the ancients.

Qu Dubian looked at him for a while and said lazily, "Life is short, just a few decades. You and I are just a speck of dust in thousands of years of history."

“So just because you haven’t seen a scene doesn’t mean it can’t exist.”

Yu Ruo: "Then do you think we can meet?"

Qu Watanabe: "I can't see him. He's too far away."

Yu Ruo: "As expected, you still think I'm drunk and are lying to me. But... it sounds great. If it really exists, I want to go and see it."

Qu Watanabe felt that the longing expression on Yu Ruo's face did not seem fake.

This guy is quite rebellious in his heart. You know, the prince who yearns for equality for all belongs to the class that betrays itself. Because after everyone is equal, the imperial power will no longer exist, and the people will be the masters of the country.

If he was born in an ordinary family in modern times, with his enthusiasm for seeking food for the people, he might be able to pass the civil service exam and become a civil servant to contribute to the country.

It’s a pity that I was born in ancient times, in Nanning.

After thinking about it for a while, Qu Dubian said, "It would be better for Nanning to surrender voluntarily and be annexed by the Great Zhou to achieve a peaceful unification of the Central Plains."

Yu Ruo didn't respond, and after a while he said, "After I go back, if we meet again, we will be enemies, and I will not show mercy."

Qu Watanabe: "Find it out, it is. But tonight is an exception."

"Tonight is an exception," Yu Ruo smiled, then said seriously, "I will always pay attention to you and look forward to having a serious fight with you in the future."

Qu Watanabe: “…I don’t expect it.”

It would be fine if their interactions ended here, and he didn't want any favorability anymore, not even a year would matter.

Qu Watanabe: "I won't see you off tomorrow. I'm going to sleep in and can't get up. I wish you a safe journey in advance."

Yu Ruo nodded: "Thank you."

as well as.

sorry.

It was his father who caused the Seventh Prince to fall ill.

He felt guilty, but from Nanning's perspective, he couldn't tell anyone from the enemy country about the plague.

Qu Dubian pinched a few peanuts from him, threw them high up, and then accurately put them into his mouth.

"Drink quickly, and I'll take you downstairs after you finish drinking. If I come back late, you'll nag me."

"good."

The courtyard is filled with fresh breeze and is spacious and quiet.