Chapter 707 Negotiations Begin
The place where the Dali envoys stayed was not far from the provincial government office, so they walked there.
When I passed by a stall selling wontons, I saw a customer paying the bill.
Zhou Chengzhong and others noticed that the other party was using Pingzhou treasure notes. The customer handed the stall owner ten cents, and the stall owner gave him five cents in change.
A big bowl of wontons for five cents?
Zhou Chengzhong and other Dali officials all knew the exchange rate between Pingzhou Baochao and silver and copper coins. One dime in Pingzhou was equal to ten coins, and one cent was equal to one coin.
"A bowl of meat wontons is only five cents, so cheap." The official traveling with us whispered.
Nowadays in Dali, meat wontons cost at least ten cents.
"Don't think it's cheap. They're paying with Pingzhou Treasure Notes. Why don't you try paying with silver or copper coins?"
Right now, three taels of silver can be exchanged for one yuan of Pingzhou treasure notes. If it were copper coins, would it be fifteen wen per bowl? Oh, that's expensive.
As we were talking, another customer came to pay the bill. This time he was paying for several of his companions. They ordered wontons in large and small bowls, with both meat and vegetarian options, at different prices.
But the stall owner quickly calculated the cost after he reported the order amount and gave him the change.
The guest, speaking with a southern accent, exclaimed, "Hey, big brother, you're pretty good at math."
The stall owner replied with a smile, "I only know some simple arithmetic, which I learned from my children."
"Does your child attend the county school?"
"No, my child is still young and attends the school at the entrance of our village."
"The school at the entrance of the village? Are there many schools like yours?"
"There are many schools like this. There is one school for every three villages."
"Do you teach arithmetic as well?"
“I taught you.”
Even after Zhou Chengzhong and his group had walked away, the conversation between the two could still be heard.
Wang Heyu's face looked very unhappy.
A wonton stall, a glimpse of the whole situation, shows that the people of Pingzhou are living a really good life. Just as Zhou Chengzhong was feeling emotionally turbulent, they arrived at their destination.
From a distance, he saw an adult in crimson official uniform standing in front of the government office gate. When he got closer, Zhou Chengzhong recognized that this person was none other than his old acquaintance Lu Desheng.
When Zhou Chengzhong saw Lu Desheng, he was in a trance for a moment. Thinking of the deceased Prince Gong, he felt that things had changed and people had changed.
Seeing his old friend, Lu Desheng smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, long time no see."
Zhou Chengzhong cupped his hands, "Lord Lu, long time no see."
The usher smiled and said, "Master Lu, may I take them in to see the governor first?"
"Go ahead." Lu Desheng waved his hand, then said to Zhou Chengzhong, "Business is more important. After we finish business, we can have a good reunion."
Zhou Chengzhong:...How come he doesn’t know that he and Lu Desheng have such a good relationship?
Thinking of the turmoil he had felt for him when he was in the Censorate, Zhou Chengzhong just thought it was his joy to meet an old friend in a foreign land.
Zhou Chengzhong and his party waited outside the council hall for a while, and then they heard the guards at the door calling out their names and asking them to go in to meet the governor.
This time, only the three people leading the delegation entered. They were the Minister and Junior Minister of the Honglu Temple, and Zhou Chengzhong.
"Meet Governor Lu."
"No need to be so polite." A gentle and powerful female voice came from above.
Zhou Chengzhong stood up respectfully.
Wang Heyu is the person in charge of this team, and he will be the one to deal with it.
Zhou Chengzhong pretended to glance upwards unintentionally and saw Lu Songli sitting at the top. When he withdrew his gaze, he glanced to both sides and took in the entire Pingzhou team.
Zhou Chengzhong thought to himself that Pingzhou's makeshift team looked quite respectable and was not much different from the civil and military officials in the Dali court.
When he looked again, he saw Lu Desheng standing on the left, very close to the front. Zhou Chengzhong thought, damn, this guy Lu Desheng will not become the emperor or the father-in-law of the emperor in the future, right?
Just when Zhou Chengzhong was distracted, Lu Songli and Wang Heyu had finished their conversation.
After some diplomatic words, Lu Songli asked them to go to the conference room next door to negotiate.
Zhou Chengzhong quickly calmed his mind.
He could also understand that as the highest official in Pingzhou, it was good enough for Lu Songli to meet with them, and it was impossible for her to personally participate in the subsequent peace talks.
That would be a huge loss of points.
Then, they moved one after another to the meeting room next door.
As soon as he entered, he saw a rectangular table in the middle of the conference room. In addition, there were some short tables and chairs on both sides.
Lu Desheng was sitting in the main seat opposite with his horse and sword, and the other Pingzhou officials or chief clerks were sitting beside or behind him.
Seeing the full-throated Lu Desheng, Zhou Chengzhong couldn't help but recall the scene when the late emperor was still alive and Lu Desheng battled against the scholars in the court. The feeling of being dominated came back to him.
Yes, how could Lu Desheng be absent from the negotiations, quarrels and disputes over interests?
Lu Wei smiled and said, "Master Wang, Master Li, Master Zhou, please take a seat."
They had just sat down, barely settled down when Lu Desheng said, "It's getting late, let's hurry up and get started."
Zhou Chengzhong looked at Wang Heyu, the newly appointed young and ignorant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, with sympathy.
After sitting down, he estimated it with his eyes and thought to himself, this negotiation table is quite wide. If the person opposite him gets excited and pounces on him, he shouldn't be able to hit him, right?
In the meeting hall, Lu Songli saw her father take the lead and go to the next room without recognizing any relatives, and she was silent.
After everyone left the meeting room, she said to Guo Chong, "Military Advisor Guo, you should go next door as well."
Qin Heng's troops are stationed in Shangdang, and General Dali is in a standoff with Dali's heavy troops. Both sides are currently keeping their troops on hold.
Therefore, after Xue Xu returned to the South, Qin Heng asked Guo Chong to return to Changli.
At this moment, Guo Chong was a little surprised when he heard the governor ask him to go next door. After all, in addition to Lord Lu, there were also Lord Lu Wei and Lord Chen Yue from Pingzhou attending the negotiations. As Pingzhou was the advantaged party, this standard was already sufficient.
Lu Songli coughed lightly and said, "Please keep an eye on my father."
Guo Chong understood the governor's concerns, but at the same time, he felt they were unnecessary. "The Minister and Vice Minister of the Honglu Temple of Dali both come from aristocratic families. Lord Lu, Lord Lu, Lord Chen, and the others are not unreasonable people. Both sides should be magnanimous in the negotiations."
Lu Songli didn't know what to say, so she waved her hand and let him go.
When Guo Chong entered, the situation was already tense.
He paused, nothing happened, everything was still under control.
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