That "I'm sorry" instantly broke the defenses of all the cultural relics.
Their souls were silent, their bodies trembled; only they themselves knew the weight of this apology.
More than a hundred years ago, the country was shattered, and they were forced to leave their homes, wandering from place to place, becoming playthings for the invaders to flaunt their success.
Today, on the lands of those invaders, their descendants are paying a heavy price for their past atrocities, collectively kneeling in apology.
At this moment, the humiliation that had weighed on their hearts for over a hundred years gradually dissipated.
The young apprentice cried loudly, and the Taoist priest, with red eyes, patted his head.
Every Chinese person longs for this apology.
After apologizing, Qi An made his second request.
"Secondly, I do not accept returns without compensation; there must be compensation."
The Prime Minister asked in confusion, "Do you mean you want Country Z to pay for it? But didn't you say before..."
Didn't you say that only idiots would pay to buy back their own stuff?
Qi An smiled wickedly: "You misunderstood. What I meant was, if you want them to go back, you'll have to pay more."
curator:"……"
See? I knew it.
Prime Minister: "...More money?"
Qi An thought for a moment and corrected, "No, that's not right either. It's not adding money, it's returning the money."
"Pay back the money?"
The prime minister and cabinet ministers are even more confused.
When did they owe money to Country Z?
Qi An sneered: "It hasn't been that long, and you've already forgotten. Should I help you recall how much silver your ancestors robbed from Country Z back then with a few worthless treaties?"
"besides……"
Qi An pointed at the artifacts and said, "Your bandit ancestors burned down their homes back then. Where would they live if they went back? Doesn't it cost money to rebuild the Old Summer Palace?"
prime minister:"……"
I forgot about that.
Recalling the astronomical figures in the treaty and roughly estimating the historical value of the royal garden, the Prime Minister broke out in a cold sweat.
He swallowed hard. That...that's way too much.
If all of it were paid back, Y country's economy would regress by at least a hundred years.
"I...we, we don't have that much money," the prime minister cried out in desperation.
Qi An crossed his arms, looking indifferent: "That's a problem for you to consider. I only care about the results."
The prime minister was caught in a dilemma. The silver that his country Y had seized from country Z had played a crucial role in the country's rapid development.
The changes in Country Z in recent years had already made him feel a sense of threat. If he got this large sum of money, wouldn't he be over the moon?
Three seconds later, Qi An sneered and opened his right palm, with blue flames leaping in his palm.
She asked with a smile, "Are you pregnant now?"
The Prime Minister looked at the small blue flame with lingering fear. He had a premonition that if he shook his head, he would immediately go to see God.
He gritted his teeth: "Yes."
Regardless, preserving the empire is the priority.
Only when something exists can we talk about development.
Wang the Taoist priest slapped his thigh hard: "Serves them right! Back then, we robbed hundreds of millions of taels of silver from the national treasury from that spendthrift old woman, causing our national strength to regress by decades. Now let them taste that bitterness themselves."
The young apprentice grinned and said, "Master, can you slap your own thigh?"
Qi An clasped his hands together, and the blue flame disappeared: "Remember to replace them all with gold. People from Country Z like gold."
The Prime Minister gritted his teeth, his heart bleeding: "Fine."
Fu Gui clapped his hands and exclaimed, "The people of China have great taste! I also like gold, haha!"
Qi An coughed: "Ahem, the next request is the third one."
The Prime Minister couldn't help but ask, "There's more?"
Qi An glanced at him sideways: "Isn't this all learned from your ancestors?"
Everyone in Country Y: "..."
Damn your ancestors! You were so inhuman back then, you really ruined us!
Qi An smiled and said, "I'm very interested in the collection of your Y country's royal family. How about... we give half to Z country?"
"What?"
Not only the prime minister, but even the cabinet ministers are now unsettled.
Not to mention the Y country's royal family, who are gritting their teeth and trembling with fear in the distance.
As is well known, the throne of Y country is hereditary, and with so many generations of kings and queens passing it down, who knows how many treasures they have accumulated.
It can be said that the most valuable collections in Country Y are all in the royal family.
Their museum displays only other people's things, while their own valuable possessions are all kept hidden away and not shown to anyone.
The Prime Minister's face twitched: "This... I can't make that decision."
Qi An was easy to talk to: "Alright, then let the one who can make the decision do it. Fu Gui, invite His Majesty the King over, and remember to be polite."
"receive."
A green light streaked across the sky above everyone's heads and disappeared into the horizon.
A few seconds later, the air around Qi An rippled, and Fu Gui appeared beside her, politely grabbing the king by the collar.
"Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty..."
The Prime Minister exclaimed in surprise, and no one remained calm.
The king of country Y has no real power, but he is the spiritual leader of the country, enjoys the support of the entire nation, and holds a supreme position.
It can be said that the royal family is an ironclad entity, while the prime ministers come and go.
The king was being held by the collar and suspended a hundred meters in the air, his eyes rolling back in his head in terror.
The noise below displeased Qi Laoda, and she said coldly, "I'm old and can't stand noise. If I get startled and my hand trembles, your king will be dead."
Everyone: "..."
Silence reigned.
Qi An looked at the old king with a kind and amiable expression: "What does Your Majesty think about the third request?"
Fu Gui added sincerely, "We only took half, you still have half."
The king trembled and could not speak.
Ten seconds later, Qi An said calmly, "Very good, now I want two-thirds."
The king's teeth were chattering, and he dared not look down even once, trembling as he said:
"We will repay what we owe to Country Z, but the royal collection is our own cultural relics, so why give it to Country Z?"
The Prime Minister and cabinet ministers quickly chimed in, "Yes, those are our own cultural relics."
Qi An pointed to the museum below and said sarcastically, "Then why are all the artifacts displayed here belonging to other people?"
king:"……"
Everyone: "..."
"Furthermore, other countries have repeatedly demanded its return, and what did you say in response? Hmm?"
The Prime Minister's face burned with embarrassment; what they were saying was...
"Cultural relics are proof of human culture and art, and belong to all mankind. Our country Y is just helping to preserve them, which can also better promote cultural exchange."
A series of high-sounding words whitewashed the robbers into cultural ambassadors.
Qi An followed suit: "I'm not trying to steal your artifacts, it's just that you see..."
Pointing to the ruins that could be seen everywhere in Country Y, she said sincerely, "The conditions here are too poor; it's not suitable for preserving cultural relics."
"I'm just having Country Z hold onto it for you temporarily. Once you rebuild your homes and your national strength recovers, you can always take it back."
Even the prime minister is speechless at the number of flaws in this statement.
Who is to blame for their poor living conditions?
Do we have to go back?
They're all seasoned foxes, they know each other well. How could they possibly take it back?
Furthermore, when it comes to demanding the return of cultural relics, one must demonstrate their strength.
Country Y is in ruins, its military bases need to be rebuilt, and it has to pay back the exorbitant bill to Country Z. Where will they get the money to develop their national strength?
For the next few decades or even centuries, Country Y will have to behave like a subservient country to Country Z.
They dare to demand cultural relics back? Are they tired of living? Do they think people can't remember the national and personal grievances from a century ago?
Fu Gui looked on in astonishment: "This is for the sake of cultural exchange for all mankind. You wouldn't be so selfish, would you?"
Furthermore, you keep them hidden away and hardly ever display your artifacts. How can we exchange them?
king:"……"
Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers: "..."
Speechless.
Qi An smiled and reminded him, "It's three-quarters done."
Suddenly, Fu Gui loosened his grip, and the king's body plummeted, his screams echoing through the sky.
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