Chapter 87
"I just pushed him!"
Duke Lu asked, "And who are you?"
The people from the Great Zhou were simply endless. After one left, another came back, like locusts.
Xu Tingfeng didn't even look at him. After checking Qu Dubian's pulse, he handed him over to Xia Fuyang: "Master Xia, please take Xiaoqi with you and go to the palace to find the imperial physician."
“Get out of the way!!”
Zhiyi pushed through the crowd, "Brother!"
Xia Fuyang immediately carried Qu Dubian on his back and rushed out, saying to Zhiyi, "Follow me!"
As soon as the words "imperial physician" and "return to the palace" were uttered, even the dumbest person would have realized that the child just now had another identity.
Duke Lu's eyelids twitched inexplicably, and he had a bad feeling in his heart.
Xu Tingfeng did not follow them. He stayed and asked Xue Letian to buy out the property deed of Yinlan, the girl in the brothel, and asked the madam to return Duke Lu's money.
"According to the rules of Chunfeng Tower, only after purchasing the deed of ownership can you be considered to have truly purchased the girl. Duke Lu, all the money has been returned now. From now on, Miss Yinlan's affairs have nothing to do with you."
Duke Lu: "There is a sequence in buying and selling, who are you--"
"Now, let's talk about another matter," Xu Tingfeng interrupted him directly, his calm words containing a sharp chill, "Duke Lu is an envoy. Your country was defeated in the war and came to my Great Zhou to negotiate peace. However, Duke Lu attacked and severely injured my Great Zhou's Seventh Prince. Is this your way of negotiating peace?"
Xu Cheng, who was watching the excitement nearby, was dumbfounded and asked, "Was that the Seventh Prince?"
The Seventh Prince is also a relative of the Second Branch of the Xu Family! But who can recognize him when he is dressed like a commoner?
He immediately beat his chest and stamped his feet. Damn it, he really missed a good opportunity. If he could curry favor with the Seventh Prince, his father would look at him more, right?
Duke Lu's eyes widened, suspecting that there was something wrong with his ears: "Who did you say he was?"
Not far away, a team of well-trained soldiers dispersed the crowd.
Ye Xiaoyuan led Commander Zuo Tianlang and pointed at Duke Lu and said, "That's the man!"
Zuo Tianlang put his left hand on the scabbard at his waist. He originally came to Chunfeng Tower to capture the Seventh Prince, but he didn't expect to run into Ye Xiaoyuan who was about to go to Jingzhao Prefecture to call for help, so he brought his men here directly.
In terms of oppressive power, the prefect cannot compare to the imperial guards.
Zuo Tianlang gestured to Duke Lu, "Duke Lu, please move to the embassy. We will report this matter to His Majesty and wait for the Holy Judgement!"
No matter how stupid he was, Duke Lu knew that he seemed to be in trouble.
He glanced at the imperial guards behind Zuo Tianlang, then looked at the disabled man in the wheelchair who had just scared him, and forced himself to save face before walking away.
He didn't put in much effort, how can you blame him?
-
Purple Palace.
Emperor Chongzhao had just received news that the negotiations between Nanning and Da Zhou had been suspended.
He paid close attention to the embassy and soon learned that Prince Yu Ruo had been pushed and had injured the back of his head and had a weak pulse.
Today, Grand Tutor Fang and the six ministers are all in the Purple Palace with the Emperor, so that no matter what happens at the negotiation table, they can respond quickly.
The atmosphere in the hall was a little silent at this time.
The Minister of Rites said: "I think it was probably the envoy from Nanning who did it on purpose."
Master Fang stroked his beard and said, "The purpose is simple. He wants the Great Zhou to make concessions for the sake of dignity. For example, he wants them to pay less silver and cede less land."
Emperor Chongzhao: "This method is simple and crude, but it works."
Master Fang: "Whether it is useful or not depends entirely on the Great Zhou. They are the defeated country after all."
If His Majesty decides to be shameless and just refuses to respond, and embarrasses the Nanning delegation, the other party will have no choice. However, in his opinion, His Majesty himself is sometimes shameless, but he still cares about the face of the Great Zhou.
The Minister of War said: "It is winter now, and the tribes in the northern border are short of food, so it is easy for them to go south to plunder. General Xia Hongxia has already returned to the northern border. If the war breaks out again, Nanning will definitely fight hard. By then, the situation will be tense and the people will be uneasy."
The Minister of Revenue also said: "Indeed, it is the strategy of the Great Zhou to gradually nibble away at Nanning. We can't really break off relations with them."
Emperor Chongzhao thought for a moment and asked, "During the negotiation, where was the territory that we asked the other party to cede?"
The Minister of Revenue said: "Your Majesty, it is the six cities of Youyun and the twelve cities of Jiangzhou."
The highest compensation they had expected was the six cities of Youyun and the six cities of Jiangzhou. The extra six cities were just to give the other party room to bargain.
Emperor Chongzhao pondered for a moment and said, "Let the two cities leave."
Master Fang nodded: "It's almost done."
Several ministers from the six ministries also nodded and agreed that it was a good idea, but they couldn't help feeling a little sad - although the land had not been formally ceded, wasn't it a matter of negotiation?
They have long regarded it as their own territory, and now it is like ceding their own land to others.
Two words: uncomfortable.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Eunuch Bao came crawling in, "It's bad! It's bad!!"
Eunuch Yu behind Emperor Chongzhao scolded him, "You bastard, speak properly."
Emperor Chongzhao: "What is it?"
Eunuch Bao didn't even have time to catch his breath: "The imperial physicians and imperial doctors have all gone to Shunning Palace! The Seventh Prince just came back from outside, and Young Marquis Xia said that the Seventh Prince was beaten so badly by Duke Lu that he fainted!"
Bang!
Emperor Chongzhao stood up suddenly, and the chair behind him fell to the ground with a clang.
Master Fang's hand trembled, and the lid of the teapot fell to the edge of the bowl. "What happened? Please tell me in detail."
Xia Fuyang told Bao Youfu what happened in front of Chunfeng Tower. Bao Youfu recounted everything in detail, and he was crying as if he had seen with his own eyes how their seventh prince was bullied by the vicious Duke Lu:
"Just now the Seventh Prince was taken to Shunning Palace. I took a look and saw blood all over his body! It was so horrifying!"
Emperor Chongzhao slammed his palm on the table and was furious: "You despicable little country! Are you bullying me, the Great Zhou, because I have no one!!"
"Where's Zuo Tianlang?!"
Bao Gong said: "Your Majesty, Commander Zuo has taken Duke Lu back to the embassy."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Let the East Factory surround the embassy, and the chief of the Inspection and Transportation Department should also keep an eye on it. Check all the belongings of the Nanning envoys carefully. Tell them that the East Factory will surround the embassy as long as the Seventh Prince is unconscious. Since they have no shame, I will not give them face!"
Eunuch Bao: "Yes! I will do it right away."
He wiped the sweat off from running in the middle of winter and trotted out of the Zi Chen Palace again.
The charcoal basin in the hall crackled.
Fang Taifu put down the teacup, his face indifferent, and wiped the tea from his fingers with his sleeve without leaving a trace, "Your Majesty, do you still plan to give up the two cities?"
Emperor Chongzhao sneered: "Give in?"
Minister of Rites: "Not only can the Great Zhou not give in this time, but we must make them spit out even more."
What's wrong? We are all emotional people. During the negotiation, real emotions arise. It is normal to have some small quarrels.
Your prince of Nanning was accidentally pushed and injured during the negotiation. How old is the Seventh Prince of our Great Zhou? How shameless is Duke Lu to bully a child like this!
Emperor Chongzhao could not help but clench his palms, and finally said: "My dear ministers, please stay here. I will go to Shunning Palace to take a look."
After saying this, he left in a hurry.
That kid has been sick since he was young, and I don’t know how he is now.
-
North city gate.
Inspection and transportation department.
Wen Xiaochun changed into the dark blue steward's uniform and was adjusting his collar. After a moment, he pushed open the door.
Ten experts from the Inspection and Transportation Department were standing outside.
Eunuch Bao was also beside him: "Chief Executive Xiaochun, have you packed? Then go ahead. The Eastern Depot is probably on the way. If you go, the two parties can just go together."
Wen Xiaochun nodded and glanced over: "You guys just take this set of inspection tools?"
The Inspection and Transportation Department has several sets of inspection tools. The most sophisticated one is to dismantle and crush almost everything for inspection. It is the most meticulous and the least humiliating.
The deputy steward said carefully: "Steward, we feel that, after all, he is an envoy..."
Wen Xiaochun said calmly, "Change to the thinnest one. I'll count to fifty. If you don't change, get out of the inspection office."
The ten people immediately ran to change the tools. Everyone in the inspection and transportation department knew that Xiaochun was easy to talk to, but when he had no expression on his face, you must never disobey him, as that would be the same as seeking death.
Change tools at the specified time.
Wen Xiaochun tilted his head and said, "Excuse me."
Eunuch Bao: "No, please go and do your work. It's hard work."
Wen Xiaochun: "Can I ask you something? How is the Seventh Prince now?"
Eunuch Bao: "Ah... I don't know, but when he was brought here, he couldn't be woken up no matter how hard we called him."
Wen Xiaochun nodded and stopped asking.
-
embassy.
Yu Ruo sat on the bed, covered with a quilt, pressing against his throbbing temples.
He was pretending to be sick. He had a bleeding back of his head after falling, and it was just dizziness, which was not a big deal. But now he really felt like he was going crazy with the headache.
When a person is extremely suppressing his anger, he will laugh out loud: "You went to visit Chunfeng Tower and injured the Seventh Prince of Da Zhou?"
Duke Lu sat on a stool and poured himself a cup of hot water.
"I told you! I didn't hit him. I just pushed him. And before I pushed him, I didn't know he was the prince of the Great Zhou. He was dressed just like the common people around him, and he didn't even have a name on his head."
The more he spoke, the more confident he became. "Besides, didn't they beat you up too? This makes us even."
"Can the Great Zhou still hold on to the fact that the two parties are even?"
“………”
Yu Ruo closed his eyes, his body trembling. After a while, he suddenly threw back the quilt, walked barefoot to Duke Lu, grabbed his collar, his eyes faintly red:
"You idiot, have you forgotten that Nanning is the loser this time? Only two parties with equal status can talk about fairness. What do you think we are doing here? To receive gifts?"
"Why do you think I performed this? I did it so that Nanning could give away less land and make some Nanning residents feel less that Nanning had abandoned them!"
“You, you…”
Duke Lu broke free from his hand: "Let me go!"
"Why are you so anxious? I really didn't do anything to him. I heard on the way here that the Seventh Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty has been weak and sickly since childhood. He might be dying soon. They want to take the opportunity to frame us."
"You can pretend, and so can they. Just tell the people of Da Zhou to let the doctor we brought into the palace to see the Seventh Prince."
Yu Ruo looked at Duke Lu's somewhat panicked but not so panicked face and felt suffocated.
He leaned on the table and took a deep breath.
The defeat in Nanning was not only due to the mistakes of the generals. He had already smelled the stench of decay emanating faintly from the roots of the dynasty.
Looking back at the Great Zhou, a nine-year-old prince was able to block the enemy’s whip in the street for the people of the Great Zhou.
The gap is really too big.
The room fell silent.
However, soon the sound of soldiers lining up was heard outside.
A sharp and thin voice came in coldly:
"I wonder if Duke Lu and His Highness Yu Ruo are here? I am here with the East Factory under orders. I have something to ask you. Would you mind coming out to see me?"
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