Chapter 118 Diplomatic Storm
At the hour of You, Emperor Shengyuan held a banquet in Weiyang Palace to entertain the envoys of the two countries. Jiang Yuyan also received the imperial edict to enter the palace.
This was the first time Jiang Yuyan had seen such a diplomatic occasion. She let her good husband Qin Shangyu tie her hair up and dressed up carefully. Then she hurried into the palace at sunset.
Officials below the third rank were not invited, and no one from the general's mansion was present. As luck would have it, she was arranged to sit next to Prince Xie.
At the top were still the princes, princesses, and royal relatives.
Master Xie was still as elegant and gentle as ever, and nodded slightly when he saw her coming. Jiang Yuyan's heart moved, and she nodded slightly.
When she looked up again, Jiang Yuyan saw a group of strangers on the opposite side. Leading the group were two handsome men who were looking straight at her.
Seeing her frown, Prince Xie explained in a low voice, "Those two are the eldest and ninth princes of the Great Yu Kingdom."
"She is indeed good-looking." Jiang Yuyan sighed. Then she calmly lowered her head to look at the table. The gilded crabapple hairpin on her head dangled lightly on the side of her face, which contrasted with her white jade-like face, creating a sense of beauty. The dark purple palace dress with dark patterns further highlighted her noble and cold temperament.
Dong Lingye, who was sitting opposite him, took a sip from the wine cup on the table, and a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "I didn't expect that there is such a beauty in Dayue..."
After a while, a eunuch announced loudly: "Your Majesty has arrived! The Queen and the Imperial Concubine have arrived!"
Emperor Sheng Yuan was seen wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, walking in from outside the palace with steady steps, followed by Empress Hua and Concubine Jia.
Everyone quickly stood up to greet him and shouted "Long live the emperor".
After Emperor Sheng Yuan sat down, he raised his glass and shook it in the direction of Dayu and the others.
"Welcome the two princes to my Dayue~"
Dong Lingchuan and Dong Lingye also stood up and returned the toast.
Dong Lingchuan said: "Thank you, His Majesty Emperor Dayue, may the friendship between our two countries last forever~"
Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled slightly and praised, "Your Highness is very impressive! Your father taught you well!"
Dong Lingchuan quickly said a few humble words.
Dong Lingye snorted disdainfully, pouted his lips and sat down.
Emperor Sheng Yuan watched the little action calmly, feeling unhappy, he looked around and asked again, "Why don't I see the princess and the imperial teacher of Fengxi Kingdom?"
Xie Yuan hurriedly stood up and replied, "Father, the princess only entered the city at 3 p.m., so she is a little late."
Emperor Sheng Yuan said nothing, but waved his hand and said, "You are welcome, please enjoy your meal first~"
Everyone in Dayu responded in unison.
Now that we've started drinking, it's time to get down to business.
Dong Lingchuan stood up and toasted Emperor Sheng Yuan again, smiling faintly, "Your Majesty, Emperor Dayue, I heard that the northern barbarian tribes dared to unite and cause trouble in the northern border. Dayue and I have been friendly for hundreds of years. My father was also very worried when he heard about it, so he asked me to bring a letter from the credibles. If Your Majesty needs it, Dayu is willing to help in a small way."
After that, he ordered someone to present the handwritten letter from Dong Lingzhu, the King of Dayu, to Emperor Sheng Yuan.
Jiang Yuyan looked up at the leader when he heard this. There is no such thing as a quick rise without profit. Why is the Great Yu Kingdom so friendly?
As expected, Emperor Sheng Yuan's face darkened visibly as he read the letter, with a hint of anger between his brows. He said, "Your father is so arrogant that he wants me, Dayue, to give the right to use Lingyan Lake to Dayu?"
Dong Lingchuan remained calm and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the war in the north is fierce and food and grass are scarce. If Your Majesty agrees with my father's proposal, we in Dayu are not only willing to send troops to help, but also provide 200,000 stones of food and grass. Besides, Dayue is close to the sea in the east and has no shortage of salt. Giving up a salt lake will not cause any loss to Dayu."
Jiang Yuyan was stunned. It turned out that the Lingyan Lake in the western border was a large salt lake! She didn't even notice it at the time!
Dayu is a landlocked country, and most of the salt comes from well salt and rock salt. In ancient times, salt production technology was backward, and there was no salt lake in the country, so Dayu's salt supply was very insufficient, and it had to barter with neighboring countries every year. It was common sense that they coveted Lingyan Lake.
But giving up Lingyan Lake doesn’t mean moving the border line of Dayue to the inside of Lingyan Lake?
Emperor Shengyuan: "Dayue has a wide salt route, but Lingyan Lake is also on our territory. How can we give up our ancestral heritage to others? If Dayu can lend a helping hand to us, we can promise to supply you with salt at a price 30% lower than the official price for the next ten years."
Dong Lingchuan smiled faintly, "Your Majesty, hundreds of years ago, the ownership of Lingyan Lake was not determined. How can it be determined that it belongs to Dayue hundreds of years later?"
When these words were spoken, everyone in the audience was shocked and began to whisper to each other.
Jiang Yuyan was also secretly shocked. Dong Lingchuan looked gentle as jade, but why was he so aggressive in diplomacy?
"What does this mean, Prince?" Emperor Sheng Yuan looked gloomy.
"Your Majesty, all the soldiers in my Great Yu are warlike, but my father is unwilling to learn the behavior of the barbarians and drag the people into the war. I also think that there is no need to resort to knives and guns for anything that can be resolved through negotiation. What do you think, Your Majesty?" Dong Lingchuan bowed again, still speaking calmly.
A stone stirs up a thousand-foot wave, and everyone in the field changes their expression. The war in the northern border has not yet subsided, and the western border now has only 60,000 to 70,000 troops. If Dayu takes this opportunity to attack, it may be difficult to resist.
Emperor Sheng Yuan swept his majestic gaze over Dong Lingchuan and said in a deep voice: "The eldest prince is so young, but he has learned your father's skill of taking advantage of others' misfortunes. However, he does not know that I, Dayue, have never been threatened."
Dong Lingchuan smiled slightly, "No, no, Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and I, Dayu, just hope for mutual benefit. Besides, Your Majesty, how could you know what Queen Feng Xi thinks about the Western Territory? I, Dayu, just want the salt lake, and I don't know what Feng Xi wants..."
Emperor Shengyuan's chest rose and fell slightly, and it was obvious that he was about to burst out in anger. Jiang Yuyan suspected that if the two countries had not been friendly and did not kill envoys, the eldest prince would not have been able to leave the Weiyang Palace.
Being pressed by a young man, Emperor Sheng Yuan couldn't hold back his face and said in a deep voice: "The war in my northern border does not need Dayu's concern. I believe that my Dayue soldiers will win soon. But if anyone dares to cause trouble in the western border, we will never let them off easily."
Dong Lingchuan raised his eyebrows and smiled faintly, without making any comment.
The situation was at a standstill when a eunuch's message was heard.
"The Fifth Princess of Fengxi Country, the Imperial Preceptor is here!"
I saw a middle-aged man accompanied by a charming woman slowly entering the hall.
The middle-aged man took the lead in paying respects and said, "Su He of Fengxi State and the Fifth Princess of our dynasty are here to see His Majesty the Emperor of Dayue!"
Emperor Sheng Yuan's expression eased, and he gestured with his hand, "No need to be polite! Princess and Imperial Master, please take a seat."
The ministers looked at each other, wondering why Feng Xi came. The two neighboring countries said they were friendly neighbors, but they also maintained a delicate balance among the three parties, fearing that the third party would benefit from the fight between the two parties. But now the situation of Dayue Kingdom is delicate. If these two countries join forces, the consequences will be disastrous.
Emperor Sheng Yuan obviously thought of this as well, and gave the Fifth Princess and Su He a slightly friendly smile.
"I wonder if the princess and the imperial teacher have had a smooth journey?"
The fifth princess of Fengxi, Feng Ling, smiled brightly and said, "Your Majesty, I hope everything goes well."
Emperor Sheng Yuan turned to Su He and said, "I have heard that the State Master of Fengxi is knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and well-versed in both ancient and modern times. Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary."
Na Suhe, with the demeanor of a famous official, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind! I am just a humble official. In comparison, Dayue is full of talented people, famous people all over the world, and even women are well-educated."
Everyone likes to hear good words, and Emperor Sheng Yuan looked obviously much happier.
Na Suhe continued, "My Queen has heard that there is a lady in your country who said that every citizen has a share of responsibility for the success or failure of a country. Later, I heard that this lady also founded the Jiang's Soap Industry, which is well-known in Dayue. I admire her very much and specially ordered us to come and learn from her. Moreover, my Queen Fengxi treats scholars, farmers, merchants and workers equally and sent us to investigate. If it is really beneficial to the people's livelihood, I Fengxi also welcome the sale of Jiang's Soap Industry in my dynasty."
After Su He finished speaking, everyone in the room had different expressions. Emperor Sheng Yuan frowned slightly, while Princess Bao Yue, who was sitting below him, looked as if she had eaten a fly.
Xie Yuan and Master Xie both fell into deep thought.
Jiang Yuyan was secretly delighted in disbelief. Jing Yu had actually developed Jiang's soap industry so well? It was even famous in neighboring countries. This sudden olive branch made her dizzy.
Monopoly of import and export trade, enormous wealth!
Prince Xie came back to his senses and looked at the beautiful princess who was obviously in a better mood. He was a little confused. Looking at her bright eyes, he felt familiar and felt lost.
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