As he spoke, the Western Liao official, who was obviously of Xi ethnic origin, picked and chose from the pile of gifts behind him, then took out a box and said respectfully: "To let the emperor know, my king sent troops last year, and in the first half of this year, he conquered the Karakhanid Khanate, ceded its north and annexed its south, and slightly opened up the Yellow River. The most precious tributes received this year are nothing more than three kinds, namely 84 catties of Persian safflower, 13 boxes of green jade, and 24 Persian carpets. My king did not dare to be tyrannical at all, and the tributes to the emperor were all top-quality, and he took half of them. He also gave all the green jade to the emperor as a token of respect... This box is exactly one catty."

As he spoke, the man carefully handed the wooden box in his hand to a eunuch, who turned out to be Shao Chengzhang, one of the three escorts of the Eunuch Department.

Shao Chengzhang took it and opened it in public in the hall. Sure enough, he saw a whole box of dried Persian safflower pistils, which were crystal red and had a spicy fragrance. He couldn't help but marvel at it.

Zhao Jiu laughed. "When the envoy returns, you can tell your Dashilin Ya that I appreciate his sincerity and know what he wants, but those things can never be bought with any treasures... On the other hand, as long as the two countries are in harmony and civilization is unified, the road to the west will be unobstructed, and silk will naturally go west to exchange for these treasures. Why should he search for them from all over the world? Of course, if Dashilin Ya sends more seeds and Persian skills next time, I will also be happy to see it happen."

The messenger was slightly moved, but it was not appropriate to directly talk about the formal topic when the gift was half delivered, so he immediately put down his hands, smiled, and agreed repeatedly.

Zhao Jiu didn't care and simply made the distribution: "How about this, twelve Persian carpets, the largest one will be sent to Zhang Jun of Qingzhou, then one to Lu Haowen, the Prime Minister of Tokyo, one to Han Shizhong, the Prince of Han, one to Lu Yihao, the Prime Minister of Fencheng across the Fen River, and the remaining eight will be placed in Wende Hall, Jiying Hall, Secret Pavilion, Public Pavilion, Capital Province, Privy Council... uh, one each to the Imperial College and the Military Academy."

The guard Shao Chengzhang was standing by and quickly took the box of red flowers and said yes.

"As for the 42 boxes of Persian safflower..." Zhao Jiu looked at the safflower in Shao Chengzhang's arms, thinking. "One box for each of the three queen mothers, the imperial concubine, and the virtuous concubine in the palace, one box for each of the ministers and generals, five boxes for each of the secret cabinet and the public cabinet, and five boxes for the ministers who are here to serve the emperor. The remaining boxes will be given to Wu Guozhang, who will sell them on his behalf to raise military funds." At this point, Zhao Jiu couldn't help but look at Fan Zongyin on the side, but couldn't help laughing. "This box is awarded to Mr. Fan... Although knowledge is far away, it should be learned even in Persia. There is nothing to be ashamed of. When it comes to knowledge, just try your best to learn it."

If he had given the reward directly, it would have been humiliating. But after he had said the last sentence, Fan Zongyin did not want to take it to heart and solemnly said yes in public. And when he really took the whole box of red flowers from the serious Shao Chengzhang, many people in the hall envied him. Smelling the strange and spicy fragrance, they felt that this was not a bad thing after all.

After the Persian safflower, the envoy showed the green jade. Sure enough, the unique color attracted a lot of admiration.

In fact, there is no need to say much about carpets, and both Persian safflower and emerald are truly godsends to mankind, because mankind’s pursuit of spices and medicines, and pursuit of gems, are basically rooted in the five most basic senses of mankind... The former is olfactory and physiological needs, and the latter is visual and aesthetic needs.

Before the Industrial Revolution, their value was unquestionable and they were destined to be hard currency and luxury goods. But now in China, on the Hedong front, they are even more scarce and valuable.

"Jade comes in pieces." Zhao Jiu was even more delighted when he saw thirteen boxes of emeralds. He immediately looked around and smiled. "This makes it easier to divide... Take the best carved pieces and give one to each of the Queen Mother, the Imperial Concubine, the Virtuous Concubine, the Prime Minister, and the General. For the rest, give one to each of the Secret Council members, one to each of the Commanding Officers, and one to each of the close ministers in the hall today, including the messengers and guards, who have worked hard. Take the rest and display them in the camp outside and on the other side of the river. Tell the army that I will use these treasures as rewards for the first landing in Taiyuan."

Having said that, the official finally stood up, walked around the carpet, and personally took out two Persian turquoises. He threw one into the box in Fan Zongyin's arms, and held the other in his hand to play with it.

Then, Yang Yizhong, Ren Baozhong, Mei Li and many other close civil and military officials came forward in order of rank, and each took a stone and put it in their sleeves.

However, when it was the envoy's turn, the envoy named Xiao hesitated for a moment, then bowed and saluted Emperor Zhao solemnly, and was not in a hurry to take the gem.

Zhao Jiu understood, but was not vague: "I know what Dashilin Ya means. What he wants is people, right? Khitans, Xi people, and even Han people, he wants them all. Those who want to surrender, those who are defeated and captured, or even those who are exiled for crimes, he doesn't care, right?"

The envoy remembered the king's instructions and knew that he had traveled thousands of miles just for these crucial words. He did not dare to neglect them at all and immediately responded solemnly: "Your Majesty, this is exactly what my king meant!"

"That's right." Zhao Jiu was no longer vague. "Human beings are priceless. It's not impossible to have people, but we shouldn't expect to exchange them for these treasures. Instead, we need Liao to abide by the Golden River Alliance and follow the principle of unity of civilization between the two countries."

The messenger hurriedly said, "Let the emperor know that we are thousands of miles away and my ruler has no time to send additional troops to help. But I have already told General Yelu in Yinshan to obey the emperor's orders."

"We both know the Yinshan issue very well." Zhao Jiu shook his head. "Even without your will, Yelu Yudu would not have disobeyed my will... The alliance I mentioned is within Liao!"

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