Chapter 86
East Garden, school.
Siwuliuqi and Zhiyi sat around the small table.
Everyone was dressed very warmly.
The wind outside was too strong today and snow was still falling, so they did not return to the prince's residence at noon. Qu Dubian did not return to Shunning Palace either. He took Master Fang to eat hot pot in the side hall.
Wait until the wind dies down before going back.
Hotpot was called warm pot in the Great Zhou Dynasty because it made a "gulp gulp" sound when putting food into the pot, so it was given a homophonic name and was also called antique soup.
Each of them had a super small copper pot, in the middle of which were meat slices and slightly wilted vegetables - it is quite difficult to eat fresh vegetables in winter.
Master Fang looked at them and said with a smile, "The charcoal basin in the side hall was put out late. It will probably be warmer later."
"Master, please come here soon."
Qu Duan was preparing the seasoning with his hands tucked in.
There aren’t many ingredients, but the soup base is delicious.
He took out a bottle of pepper and sprinkled a lot of it into the seasoning bowl.
The fourth prince sniffed it, turned his head and covered his mouth with his hands and sneezed, "This is pepper, a spice, right? Why did you put this in there, Xiaoqi?"
Zhiyi: "He took the spices from his father, saying they can be used for seasoning. They taste pretty good, a bit unique."
"Let me try," the Sixth Prince stretched out his hand.
"Give."
Qu Watanabe: "Whoever wants more can add more. I'll go to the Purple Palace to get some more after you finish eating."
The fifth prince smiled.
Only Xiaoqi dares to say such things.
Qu Watanabe missed La Jiao a little, but it was a pity that he couldn't win a prize in the lottery.
Although the spicy taste created by using dogwood, green onion and ginger is also quite good, he felt that something was missing without the chili pepper.
The hot pot starts to bubble, and thin slices of meat are put into the pot. The meat is cooked in the rich bone broth and then dipped in the seasoning bowl.
Qu Watanabe sighed.
Snowy days and hotpot are a perfect match.
The Sixth Prince: "Hey, have you heard that the eldest brother and the third brother are arguing with each other?"
The fourth prince scooped a spoonful of soup from the pot and said, "Haven't they been at odds for a long time? Is there trouble in the court again?"
Qu Dubian: "I heard that the envoys from Nanning have entered the capital, led by the second son of the Emperor of Nanning."
"Well, the most important thing for envoys to enter the capital is negotiation," said Fang Taifu. "Their leader is Duke Lu, and the second prince who is accompanying the team is a hostage. He must negotiate with us before staying as a hostage, so we should also have a prince or a clan member on our side. This is a customary etiquette between countries."
"The eldest prince and the third prince both want to take this job. There has indeed been a lot of conflict in the past two days. Each of them has their own ministers recommending them in the court."
The fourth prince shook his head: "If we were defeated and went to Nanning for negotiations, the eldest brother and the third brother would probably become brothers and sisters."
Zhiyi complained: "Fourth brother, what you said is too straightforward."
Master Fang: "This negotiation task may seem simple, but there are many tricks involved. If you are not careful, you may fall into the other party's trap."
Qu Watanabe nodded.
Although the defeated country is in a weak position, now that the war has ceased and both sides are willing to negotiate, Nanning will definitely cede territory or pay silver as compensation. However, how much to cede, where to cede, and how much silver to pay will require careful discussion.
The Sixth Prince smiled proudly and said, "My mother said that in addition to Pingnan Hou Xia Hong, my grandfather and cousin made great contributions to the victory of Zhennan Pass." He touched Qu Watanabe with his shoulder, "When the time comes, my cousin and his younger cousin will represent my grandfather to return to the capital to receive the reward, and I will be able to go out of the palace to play like you!"
The only ones who returned to Beijing to receive their rewards were the Sixth Prince’s two cousins.
Xia Hong, who led the army in the raid, was granted the title of Marquis of Changping. After the war was settled, he immediately returned to the northern border.
At this point, thanks to his military achievements at Zhennan Pass, Xia Hong gained more prestige in the army, and the situation in the northern border that Emperor Chongzhao wanted was completely stabilized.
Qu Watanabe said disdainfully: "You knocked off the meat I sandwiched."
The fifth prince glanced at the happy sixth prince and said with a smile: "I really envy my sixth brother."
While eating, Qu Dubian stopped eating with his chopsticks. He felt a sore, tingling and pain in his meridians. He frowned and immediately used his mental skills to suppress the feeling.
Zhiyi was very familiar with his little expression, so she immediately tugged at his sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Brother, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Qu Duan smiled and said, "It's spicy."
His meridians have been feeling swollen lately, so he asked Xia Fuyang Xuanfei and Liu Liu what it felt like before the Dantian acupoint was opened. Their feelings were different from his.
He guessed that it was not the sequelae of his forced attack on Dantian Xue some time ago, but that he was about to reach a limit. He just didn't know when and what symptoms would appear at that time.
I hope the noise can be quieter.
-
The next day.
After some consideration, Emperor Chongzhao decided to give the task of negotiating with Nanning to the third prince.
Not long after.
The embassy where the Nanning envoys were located sorted out the personality and hobbies of the third prince and presented them to Duke Lu who was leading the team.
Duke Lu flipped through it casually, stroked his mustache, and snorted, "Nothing special."
"The Great Zhou actually sent the third prince to negotiate with us. Does he look down on us?"
A slender hand pressed down Duke Lu's wrist, snatched the paper analyzing the Third Prince, and said in a light voice: "Is it necessary to look down on it? We in Nanning are the losers."
The visitor had a calm expression as he scanned through line after line of analysis.
He was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with eyes of a rare light grey color. He was the hostage sent from Nanning this time, the second prince Yu Ruo.
Duke Lu said angrily: "The two sides should cease fire. If they fight again, the Great Zhou cannot afford it!"
Yu Ruo ignored him: "From the information we have so far, the eldest prince is reckless, the second prince is moderate, and the third prince is meticulous. If the Emperor of the Great Zhou sends the third prince, the other party will not be easily angered, nor will they fall into the language trap so easily."
"If we want to gain a slight advantage in the negotiations, we have to think of a way. And now the only thing we can do is to launch a public opinion offensive and make Da Zhou the party in the wrong—"
Duke Lu interrupted, "This is not the imperial city of Nanning, nor the imperial court. Do you still think you are a prince and can make decisions about government affairs?"
Yu Ruo said coldly: "Could it be that the uncle wants Nanning to give up more territory to the Great Zhou? Does the uncle think that Nanning has lost the war and the Great Zhou is strong, and he wants to use this as a token of his allegiance and directly surrender to the Great Zhou?"
Duke Lu said with an unpleasant expression, "You have an idea, then go and negotiate on your own! Try to sell yourself as cheaply as possible! I'm giving you face, you little bastard."
He threw away his sleeves and went out.
Yu Ruo suddenly clenched the paper in his hand, closed his eyes, supported his hands on the table, and took a deep breath.
Two guards appeared beside him like ghosts, "Master..."
Yu Ruo: "This idiot." The three words were squeezed out from between his teeth.
"One of you two, go over and keep an eye on him. Don't let him cause any trouble in the capital of the Great Zhou."
After calming down, Yu Ruo took out a packet of medicine powder from his arms and poured it directly into his mouth.
Gu Xin: "Master, what are you doing...?"
Yu Ruo: "It's a poison, a slight poison, which will make my pulse look much weaker. You and I have seen all kinds of scenes in negotiations between two countries. Pushing and shoving are the least of it. When I fall to the ground, even if Da Zhou is the victorious country, if it doesn't want to be written too embarrassingly in history books, it will have to spit out some flesh."
Gu Xin said with an "oh" sound, and after realizing what was happening, he said in shock: "Master, you are extorting——"
Yu Ruo stuffed his mouth with paper with an expressionless face.
-
Purple Palace.
"What?"
Emperor Chongzhao was surprised: "Duke Lu of Nanning did not go to the embassy to negotiate, but went to Chunfeng Tower?"
Commander Zuo: “Indeed.”
Emperor Chongzhao: "Sent such a person as the leader. I think the Emperor of Nanning may have been cursed by the previous emperor."
Commander Zuo: "This is also the first time I have seen a leader visit a brothel and a hostage go there to negotiate."
Whether it is placed in the history books of Da Zhou or Nanning, it is very explosive. Of course, this is good for Da Zhou, but it is like a joke for Nanning.
Emperor Chongzhao said happily: "The more absurd, the better. Don't pay any attention to it. God bless the Great Zhou."
Commander Zuo hesitated for a moment, "When I was on surveillance, I found two people near Chunfeng Tower..."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Who?"
Commander Zuo lowered his head and said, "It's... it's His Majesty the Seventh Prince. He, he also brought Princess Zhiyi with him."
Emperor Chongzhao’s smile froze on his face.
A second later, a roar was heard from the Purple Palace.
"You bastard! How old is he? What is he doing there? And with his sister?!"
-
Xu Mansion.
Xu Tingfeng: "If the Great Zhou wins, the southern border will certainly move forward. This is a good opportunity to expand business to Nanning."
Xue Letian said with a bitter face: "I won't have to go there again, will I?"
"No need. It will take at least a year to manage the border and it will be very chaotic. Let's open a few food shops and build trade routes first."
"Oh, that's fine," he glanced at Xu Tingfeng and said sarcastically, "Of course, it's fine. Anything is fine."
Xu Tingfeng: “…”
"After the Nanning envoy arrived in the capital, you asked me to keep an eye on your nephew," Xue Letian said, "Guess where your nephew is now?"
Xu Tingfeng: "It's just playing with the two young masters of the Xia and Xi families."
Xue Letian bent down and hooked his shoulder, "He is at Chunfeng Tower now, do you think we should consider buying one?"
Xu Tingfeng: “Yeah.”
Buy anything...
Half a second later, he stopped kneading the dough in his hands and asked, "Hmm?"
What to buy?
-
The small tea stall in front of Chunfeng Tower.
Qu Dubian wore a tattered bamboo hat, and wore warm clothes inside and coarse cloth outside. He was no different from the children of the surrounding people.
Xia Fuyang and Zhiyi beside him were also dressed like this.
Yesterday afternoon, Concubine Xuan's niece, Sister Xie's daughter Yuan Jie'er, followed Zhiyi to Zhang Chansi to learn etiquette, and told Zhiyi that she was going to get engaged.
Yuan Jie'er is two years older than Zhiyi. She is fourteen years old this year and is also old enough to get married.
Her mother took a fancy to the second son of the Tong family, who had just moved to the capital two years ago, while her father Xie Jingshan took a fancy to the eldest son of the Xiang family.
They had been arguing about this for several days, and Yuan Jie'er was also upset. Apart from sharing her girlish thoughts with her sisters at home, she could only talk to Zhiyi.
Yuan Jie'er and Concubine Xuan are aunt and niece, and her affairs are also their own affairs. It is not convenient for the Xie family to track and investigate the character of the two young masters of the Tong family and the Xiang family, but it is very convenient for Qu Dubian.
So he called Xia Fuyang and asked his sister to come along, and they formed a three-member investigation team and set up a stakeout in Chunfeng Tower.
Qu Dubian lowered the brim of his hat and said, "Xia Fuyang, did you really hear that the young master of the Xiang family would be here? It's been a long time, and there's no sign of him."
Now that Xia Hong has been conferred the title of marquis, those who flatter Xia Fuyang all call him "Young Marquis". He also gets to know more and more young dandies, and he knows exactly what each of them did today with just a little inquiry.
Zhiyi: "I heard that the Xiang family has strict family education. If the young master of the Xiang family goes to Chunfeng Tower, won't his legs be broken?"
Xia Fuyang snorted and laughed: "For children of aristocratic families, strict family education is sometimes just a rumor to the outside world. If one or two things are publicized, over time, they will naturally get a reputation for strict family education."
Zhiyi: "Is it still possible?"
Xia Fuyang: "Look, that's it."
Qu Watanabe and Zhiyi looked in the direction of his finger and saw a carriage parked outside Chunfeng Tower.
A young man in low-key and gorgeous clothes walked out. When he got off the carriage, he raised his hand and put on the hood of the cloak behind him, covering most of his face, looking like he was afraid of the cold.
Following the girls' lead, he walked into Chunfeng Tower skillfully.
Zhiyi was angry: "He is not a good guy! And he is a little old!"
In the little girl's mind, Yuan Jie'er was only fourteen, in her prime, so naturally she should marry someone of similar age. However, she just glanced and saw that Mr. Xiang who got off the carriage seemed to be twenty years old.
Qu Duanbian: "Brother Xiaoyuan, please keep an eye on my sister. Xia Fuyang and I will go in and take a look."
Ye Xiaoyuan nodded: "Okay."
Zhiyi knew the seriousness of the situation and didn't insist on following in. "Be careful."
"Don't worry, I'm here," Xia Fuyang and Qu Dubian went to Chunfeng Tower together.
The elder sister guarding the door covered her lips and smiled: "Oh, such a beautiful young man, come to a place like this?" She looked up and down at the two people's ordinary clothes, "Don't make a mistake."
Xia Fuyang said with a smile: "I came here without telling my family. This is my younger brother, but he insisted on coming with me to see the world."
Qu Watanabe also pretended to be curious: "Yes, there are many beautiful sisters here, I want to come in and take a look."
"Hahahaha, please come in, two young masters~"
"It's really fresh and beautiful. My sisters like it."
The two of them blended in a bit awkwardly amidst the fragrant mist.
-
at the same time.
The two countries negotiated.
At a long, spliced table, ministers from both countries sat opposite each other.
Everyone went through the process of exchanging pleasantries and then began to exchange passionate words. They asked each other politely and gently whether their 18 generations of ancestors were well and whether they could eat four dishes during festivals.
The third prince was a little uncomfortable with the situation. At the beginning, he could barely sit upright like the prince of Nanning sitting opposite him.
The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites whispered, "Your Highness, something is not right with the Nanning Kingdom. Why are they so angry? It's as if we are the defeated nation... We just want them to cede the six cities of Youyun and the twelve cities of Jiangzhou. Is it necessary to fight so hard?"
The Third Prince also whispered, "Didn't you tell me at the beginning that you were from the Six Cities of Youyun?"
The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites asked, "Your Highness, do you know how to bargain?"
The Third Prince: “…”
An envoy on the other side glared at them: "You, the Great Zhou, are simply going too far!"
After saying this, he stood up abruptly, grabbed the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites by the shoulder, and shook him back and forth: "You think we in Nanning are afraid of you, right?"
The left assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites had a blank expression on his face. He raised his hand to wipe the saliva off his face and cursed: "Yes, you are not afraid, you are so powerful that you even sent the prince here. Excuse me, is your prince here for fun?"
It seemed like a fight was about to break out.
Yu Ruo stood up worriedly and weakly pulled the two of them, "Okay, okay, let's discuss it properly..." He looked at the third prince and pleaded, "Your Highness, please give some advice as well."
The third prince sighed and felt a little sympathy for the fact that he would have to live under someone else's roof in the future.
He stood up and followed the Prince of Nanning to stop the fight. As a result, as soon as his hand touched the Prince of Nanning's hand, the latter screamed: "Ah! It hurts!"
Yu Ruo fell backwards hard, the back of his head hit the ground, and bleeding on the spot.
He looked at the Third Prince weakly and incredulously: "You pushed me!"
The third prince looked at his hands: "???"
Yu Ruo said angrily, "I... Although I am going to be taken hostage by your Great Zhou, I am also the prince of Nanning! Your country has humiliated me so much and proposed such an exaggerated peace agreement. What is the difference between this and a villain's success?"
"Could it be that the Great Zhou has no intention of negotiating at all, and just wants to humiliate Nanning?"
Both parties to the negotiation had their own doctors ready. When they saw someone injured, they came up to diagnose and treat him. After the doctor from Da Zhou finished his diagnosis, he whispered in his ear: "The pulse is weak, the heartbeat is disordered, the injury is serious."
The Left Vice Minister of Rites glanced at the blood on Yu Ruo's palm and his expression gradually became serious.
Even if you know you've been tricked, it's hard to talk about it now.
-
Inside Chunfeng Tower.
Qu Watanabe: "Didn't you say you were a regular customer?"
Xia Fuyang insisted: "I'm a regular customer of the restaurant next to Chunfeng Tower, so I'm a regular customer too." He was afraid that if he really became familiar with this kind of place, his mother would chase him across the streets with a stick.
The two of them stared at Master Xiang's back, bickering with him without losing sight of him.
They didn't stop until he reached a room at the corner of the second floor, where there was a servant guarding the door. When the servant looked over suspiciously, he turned around and leaned on the railing. Qu Dubian deliberately raised his voice a little louder, "Brother, look down from here. The red veil hanging below is so beautiful."
Xia Fuyang: "Isn't she beautiful? I didn't lie to you."
Qu Duan came closer and lowered his voice: "Are you still waiting for him to come out?"
Xia Fuyang: "That's not necessary. Just remember which room on the second floor it is. I'll ask someone to ask the girls here to see if he comes here often."
"The Xiang family also knew that the Xie family was interested in seeing their son, and the young master of the Xiang family even came to visit Chunfeng Tower," Qu Dubian said, "Luckily he followed them here to take a look."
Xia Fuyang: "We can't make a decision. Let's explain the matter to Lord Xie and Madam Xie. They are the ones who can make the decision."
Qu Watanabe: "What if they don't believe it?"
"What can you do?"
Qu Dubian thought about it, then pulled him out of Chunfeng Tower again, found the carriage of the young master of the Xiang family, avoided others, and carved a crooked five-petal flower in an inconspicuous place with a stone.
"This carriage of his doesn't have a family crest, so it's obviously a private carriage he prepared himself. Let's mark it. If you don't believe me, let them track the carriage themselves."
Xia Fuyang applauded: "This flower is really uniquely painted."
Qu Dubian glanced at him and didn't bother to pay attention to him.
When the two men finished their work and were about to leave, they suddenly heard a quarrel coming from the door of Chunfeng Tower, accompanied by angry shouting and the sound of a woman crying.
There was a large crowd of people gathered outside.
Qu Dubian and the other man squeezed in and saw a burly middle-aged man with triangular eyes and a moustache, who was grabbing a brothel girl's wrist and trying to drag her into the carriage.
Duke Lu: "It's your blessing that I bought you, don't be shameless! You're a whore, and you're pretending to be chaste? You don't even want to redeem yourself, do you think you'll be lonely with only one person in the future?!"
The girl in the brothel was named Yinlan. She struggled hard with tears in her eyes: "Even if I die in the Great Zhou, I will never go back to Nanning with you! I, Yinlan, am a Great Zhou person in life and a Great Zhou ghost in death!"
People around were talking about:
"Ah, he is the Nanning envoy's man?"
"I heard that the envoy from Nanning has arrived in Beijing..."
"They visited the Chunfeng Tower in Da Zhou?"
"A man can't be romantic wherever he goes. What's wrong with buying one person? She's a cheap woman. It won't hurt to give her a few more." Among the onlookers, there was a man who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, holding a hand warmer.
Qu Dubian turned his head and looked at the person who said this.
The hand warmer man was startled by the coldness in his eyes. He rubbed his arms, and after coming to his senses, he cursed himself for being scared by a little brat. He said angrily, "What are you looking at! Stay away from me! My clothes are expensive. Can you afford to pay for them if you damage them?"
Xia Fuyang pulled Qu Dubian to the other side and whispered, "His name is Xu Cheng. He is related to you, but you two have never met him."
Qu Dubian rubbed his arms in disgust: "They are from the second branch of the Xu family." No wonder grandparents also hate them.
What kind of teaching is this? It would be better to use it as fertilizer for his flowers and plants in the field.
Yinlan struggled, but Duke Lu smiled instead: "I've opened my eyes. This is the first time I've seen a woman with such a strong character. When we go back, you will be my thirty-sixth wife, and you will have everything you want."
He waved his hand to call over two of his strong men, and then looked at the thugs watching the fun outside Chunfeng Tower: "I bought a girl from your place, so why don't you send her to the carriage? Bring a rope, it's very strong."
The madam of Chunfeng Tower nodded, and the thugs came over with ropes.
Yinlan: "I won't go! I won't go! Let me go, I won't go even if I die!!"
Some people who couldn't stand it stood up and said, "Even if she is a girl from the brothel, she is from the Great Zhou. How can she be sold to the envoys from Nanning? Isn't this just stepping on our faces and hitting us?"
Duke Lu snorted and laughed: "I am the uncle of the King of Nanning, and my sister is the Queen of Nanning. I came to your Great Zhou to negotiate, but I am criticized even for buying a girl from a brothel? Where is the way to treat guests?"
"Besides, it's not like my duke didn't pay. I gave him more than that. It's a transaction, so what's wrong with that?"
The one who came forward was speechless.
Xia Fuyang's face became increasingly gloomy, and his fists gradually clenched.
Yinlan was tied up with ropes, and despair gradually filled her eyes. She suddenly stopped struggling and said to Duke Lu: "If we negotiate peace in Nanning once, there will be a second and third time! If you humiliate others like this, one day, your country will also be trampled and humiliated by others!"
"You tied me up today, and you will be tied up again tomorrow. Watch the Nanning Imperial City burn down and you will all turn into ashes!"
Duke Lu nodded, his eyes filled with coldness, and he looked at her for a moment with a gloomy look: "You are quite good at speaking, I wonder if you can still speak without teeth."
He pulled out the whip from his waist and swung it up.
Xia Fuyang's eyes focused and he was about to make a move when he saw a man rushing out from the side and firmly grasping the whip that Duke Lu had swung out.
He perked up. Good! You have guts!
When he looked again and saw who was holding the whip, his eyes almost popped out, "Oh my God!" When did Xiao Qi become so fast!
Xia Fuyang didn't care about anything else and took two or three steps over. "Is your palm okay?"
The whip was swung quite hard, and he saw the palm of Qu Dubian's left hand hanging by his side quickly became red and swollen, and bled slightly.
He suddenly became angry.
Qu Dubian stared into Duke Lu's eyes and swung his whip away, his voice completely cold for the first time.
"This is the territory of the Great Zhou. It is not the place for stray dogs on the roadside to run wild! Even the girl in the brothel is a citizen of the Great Zhou. Do you, a defeated country, have the right to interfere?!"
Damn it, just be reckless. After almost twenty years of patriotic education in his previous life, he really can’t tolerate this.
Xia Fuyang's eyes widened, as if he was meeting him for the first time. A subtle and strange look appeared in his eyes.
In the teahouse in the distance, Xu Tingfeng, who wanted to see what his nephew was doing, frowned slowly and said to Xue Letian beside him: "Push me down, quickly."
Duke Lu's eyes fell on Qu Dubian's tattered bamboo hat and ordinary coarse cloth clothes, and he said angrily: "You little brat, who are you? Do you know how to challenge the envoy? I can tell the emperor of your Great Zhou that you are rude!"
"I am going to take her away today. What do you want to do? Do you dare to beat me up to vent your anger on the brothel girl behind you? A commoner beating the Duke of Nanning is a capital crime!"
Qu Duanbian rolled up his sleeves and said, "Today, I'm going to beat you up!"
He used his mental skills, hid his inner strength in his fist, and punched out. Unexpectedly, halfway through the punch, the true energy that had been accumulated in his meridians quickly rushed to his Dantian acupoint at a terrifying and uncontrollable speed, and then with a bang -
Dantian acupoint is opened.
Qu Watanabe: “?!”
He froze in his tracks, and Duke Lu grabbed his wrist and pushed him backwards, causing him to fall.
He wondered, “That’s it?”
Xia Fuyang caught Qu Dubian's falling body and said angrily, "Xiao Qi?!"
The true energy was running wildly in his body and his blood was surging. Qu Dubian vaguely realized that this was not a bad thing, but a good thing. However, the moment the true energy flowed into his dantian, a strong yet gentle drowsiness came over him.
"Xiao Qi!"
Qu Dubian lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Xu Tingfeng hurriedly avoided everyone and came in, with only that glaring red left in his eyes.
The gentle smile on Xu Tingfeng's lips slowly flattened, and a dark storm quickly brewed in his eyes. He came to Xia Fuyang and gently patted Qu Watanabe's cheek with his palm: "Xiao Qi?"
At this time, Qu Dubian was already very unclear due to his sleepiness.
Even his sense of taste seemed to have slowed down a beat. He was supported by Xia Fuyang, and there was a buzzing sound in his ears.
Just before he was completely overcome by sleepiness and fell into a coma, he looked up and grinned at Duke Lu:
"You…you're done."
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