Chapter 31

"Zhou Xuanqing, I saved you this time, but you can't give up easily in the future..."

Tang Mitang took out the silver needle as she spoke, but seeing that Zhou Xuanqing still had no reaction, she shook her head helplessly.

If it weren't for the pulse, she would have thought she was facing a corpse.

…

In the imperial palace, in the royal study, Zhou Erlan sat on a small chair to the right of the desk, looking at the ministers who were arguing fiercely below, and couldn't help but sigh.

The King of Quanrong submitted a letter of surrender, expressing his willingness to pay tribute to the Great Zhou every year and demanding the return of the captives, but all the captives had been killed by Lu Zehua.

Now the Prince of Quanrong is rushing towards the imperial city. It is indeed inhumane to kill all the captives, but an appropriate solution has not been discussed in the morning court.

General Lu was determined to fight to the end and was determined to destroy them.

However, the important officials in the court were thinking about how to turn hostility into friendship. After all, the Great Zhou must have the demeanor of a great country.

There are still nearly a thousand captives held at the border. The Quanrong are asking for peace, so I'm afraid they cannot be killed.

Zhou Erlan thought so, but these ministers had different ideas, so he could only listen to their arguments.

If it was the imperial sister, how would she handle it?

…

"Your Highness, the envoys from the Quanrong will arrive in three days. Their only demand is to release the prisoners of war! The war is endless and costly, so it's better to end it as soon as possible! Your Highness, I suggest sending a pigeon to ask General Lu to release the remaining people to show the style of a great country!" The Minister of Rites stroked his beard, his face flushed red, and his old face, which was not good-looking to begin with, looked even uglier.

"Your Highness, don't listen to the old man from the Ministry of Rites! The Quanrong just want to fight and then they surrender and want to negotiate terms! They totally disregard our Great Zhou! This matter..."

"You, you, you! You are simply a rogue!"

Before the Ministry of War could finish its words, the Ministry of Rites wrote a letter to criticize and scold it.

Zhou Erlan watched as the chaos below began to re-emerge, but she was no longer anxious.

"Mu Tou, go to the imperial kitchen and get some food."

Mu Tou nodded. He was already hungry! Listening to these scholars talking nonsense! They kept tinkering with trivial matters over and over again, and they couldn't even eat warm food.

Mu Tou walked out from the side and rushed to the imperial study with great fanfare.

"This... Your Majesty... What do you think?" The Minister of Rites looked at the wood supporting the table in the middle, and more than ten dishes were served. He swallowed his saliva and asked Zhou Erlan.

"Haha~ You gentlemen, thank you for your hard work in talking for such a long time today. My sister never eats in the Imperial Study, so let's set a precedent and continue the conversation after we're full. There's no rush. We're all paid and can't work on an empty stomach. Come eat first and sit down."

Zhou Erlan's words made these ministers feel a little embarrassed.

Of course! They are all paid and do nothing all day.

Zhou Erlan sat down first, Bingbu sat down reluctantly, and then the others sat down slowly.

"Thank you all for your hard work. I was just thinking about this! If my sister were here and listening to the adults discussing the lack of style in the Great Zhou, I'm sure she would feel the same way as I do."

Zhou Erlan spoke slowly and calmly.

The ministers looked at him, seeing that his temperament was very similar to Zhou Xuanqing's, and they all looked at him.

"The Quanrong negotiated peace four years ago, promising ten years of tribute. I was young at the time and not at court. Perhaps I misheard. Was the Quanrong referring to ten or four?"

"Your Highness, I see the number written on the paper is ten." Mu Tou looked up and said, silently grabbing a pastry and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Oh? Is it ten, Lord Minister of Rites?" Zhou Erlan glanced at Mu Tou, picked up the teapot and poured a glass of water. As he spoke, he looked at the Minister of Rites.

"This... is indeed ten years." The Minister of Rites nodded and said, his face flushed with anger from the argument just now disappeared.

Zhou Erlan nodded after receiving the answer, set the cup aside, and spoke again, "Then the king did not hear wrongly. The Quanrong are a small fiefdom and can go back on their word, but the Great Zhou cannot. Releasing the prisoners and obtaining a written contract from them is truly the demeanor of a great power."

"Yes, yes!" The Minister of Rites nodded in response.

"Yes! After the Quanrong have had a good rest, they can come and fight with our Great Zhou for fun. That way, our Great Zhou will never lack fun." After Mu Tou said this, he picked up the cup on the corner of the table and drank it in one gulp.

He almost choked to death on the pastry just now!

"This..." The Minister of Rites was completely speechless and didn't know what to say.

"Mu Tou is absolutely right. In order to allow our Great Zhou to train its troops every year, they should indeed be released. I hope that the Minister of Rites can go to the battlefield to train, and the civil servants in the court can also go and gain some experience. Then we can use the Quanrong to strengthen the Great Zhou national strength!"

Zhou Erlan said this, and seeing the Minister of Rites nod, a smile spread across his face. This smile was 90% Zhou Xuanqing's.

"How about? The Great Zhou should send some troops to the four fiefdoms. It would be great if we could have a lively time together!"

"Your Highness! I am an old minister who is ignorant! I failed to see the true nature of the Quanrong at that moment. The Minister of War is right. I have no objection to today's decision!" The Minister of Rites finally couldn't bear it anymore and knelt on the ground and said sincerely.

"Oh? Is that so? But I think what the Minister of Rites said is right..." Zhou Erlan raised the corners of his mouth, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

"I am an old minister who is extremely ignorant. Please don't make fun of me, Your Highness!" The Minister of Rites blushed, feeling ashamed.

It was because I couldn't stand the reckless behavior of the Ministry of War that I had to fight for this and wasted so much time.

"Oh no! Get up and eat quickly, the food is getting cold." Zhou Erlan said nonchalantly, picking up the chopsticks and taking a bite of food.

Seeing Zhou Erlan pick up his chopsticks, the ministers also picked up their chopsticks. The Minister of Rites raised his teacup with some shame and toasted the Minister of War. Although he didn't say anything, the meaning was clear to everyone.

Zhou Erlan looked at it with a knowing smile. The officials selected by the imperial sister were all good, but they had some bad tempers, and only the imperial sister could control them.

After such a long time, I still don’t know what happened to my sister...

When Mu Tou saw that he was suddenly upset, he knew that he was thinking about the emperor.

In the past, the prince had so much wanted to be the emperor! Now, with the imperial decree to abdicate, the throne is within his reach, but he is unwilling to accept it...

Mu Tou recalled the imperial edict Zhou Erlan had left behind by the late emperor two days ago, and sighed as he said, "In fact, my father never thought of leaving the throne to me. The edict stated that it was handed over to me by my sister, but there was actually no deadline... The Great Zhou was conquered by my sister. I have done nothing but bear the surname Zhou. Why should I be emperor?"

Is what you can't get the best? The ancients were right! Mu Tou sighed, his chopsticks not slowing down even a bit.

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The author has something to say:

PS:

Zhou Erlan: Just commit suicide, you piece of wood!

Wood: Why?

Zhou Erlan: Oh! You know so much!