A foreign minister is essentially just the leader of the Kaesong Yangban in the country, and at most a figure who divides the world into three parts with the king and the Seogyeong (Pyongyang) Yangban.
How can one compare to the minister of a great country? How can one compare to the general of a great country? Which of the great countries does not have a larger population and wealth than Goryeo?
Even from the perspective of Confucian pursuit, the internal system of the Song Dynasty was that the so-called Hanlin scholars served the emperor. Even today, Emperor Zhao is sincerely seeking talents, which has always been the inner dream of such people.
Even further, with the current situation between the Song and Jin countries, what will happen next is nothing more than the Jin Dynasty stabilizing the situation, or the Song Dynasty succeeding in the Northern Expedition... Then from a special perspective, for the sake of his homeland, becoming a close minister of the Song emperor and working hard to preserve his homeland in the latter situation, isn't this the key thing that Jin Bu Shi is pursuing now and in the future?
For a moment, Jin Bu Shi almost stepped forward - as long as he sat down, he would no longer have to worry about the party struggles in the country, no longer have to engage in intrigue with the king, no longer have to think about how to clean up the dirty monk forces in the country, and he could also better help his homeland avoid difficulties in the possible future without hindering his own success.
In fact, Kim Bu-sik actually stumbled forward.
But it was this step that made him sober up immediately, and then he bowed his hands seriously and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. I am grateful, but I have had an idea since I was studying decades ago. I want to imitate the history books of the Han Dynasty and compile a history book on the rebellion of the Three Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje, narrating the legal system of Goryeo and building a monument for the Goryeo clan. If I eat this bowl of mulberries, I am afraid it will be difficult to complete the book."
Upon hearing this, some people inside and outside the stone pavilion opposite felt relieved, some stood in awe, and some had no expression on their faces, but everyone followed the instructions of Emperor Zhao and said nothing.
Emperor Zhao was obviously disappointed, but he still nodded: "I will not force you, but you should know... since you want to talk about the legal system of Goryeo, you must bear the weight of Goryeo's national destiny."
"Of course, the foreign ministers are saved." Jin Bu Shi raised his voice proudly, as if he had completely recovered from his previous hesitation. "The foreign ministers are the prime ministers of Goryeo."
"Well then." Zhao Jiu also raised his voice and said sternly. "I know the purpose of your trip, and I also know your attitude towards Goryeo behind you. But Jin Qing, you must know that Song and Jin cannot coexist... Goryeo is wavering today. Although it is a small country, I will never have any sympathy for it. I only know that I have treated you with courtesy several times, but you just refuse to do so. What's more, you have betrayed the Song Dynasty and served the Jurchens before! Goryeo must provide enough things, otherwise one day, I can do whatever I want, and I will definitely do it to repay Goryeo's various acts of disloyalty so far!"
"Foreign officials thought that the emperor would have the demeanor of a superior state." Jin Bu Shi was silent for a moment before responding.
"If Zheng Zhichang said this, I would believe it. But if you said it, I would just treat it as bullshit!" Zhao Jiu responded more harshly. "Who was the one who heard about the Jingkang Incident in Mingzhou and immediately returned to the country, then suppressed the Goryeo people and made them submit to the Jurchens, and wrote a memorial praising the Jurchens for their great achievements in capturing the two saints?"
Upon hearing this, Li Guang, who was originally in awe, changed color immediately, and other civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty were also somewhat dissatisfied.
Jin Bushi, on the other hand, remained calm and said, "How can a small country with few people throw its entire nation into danger just to maintain the reputation of a big country? Besides, the Jingkang Incident was not caused by us Koreans."
"Then let's not talk nonsense... You must know exactly what I want." Zhao Jiulianqing was too lazy to even weigh it.
"I know." Jin Bu Shi sighed slightly, frowning. "But please forgive me for being helpless. Goryeo is so small. Even if we open up the market, it is still poor and small. How much profit can it give to the Song Dynasty? After all, it is useless for us Goryeo people to have so much silk and porcelain. They are not food. If Your Majesty is willing to sell some armor..."
"You can sell it to the Jurchens!" After hearing the last half of the sentence, Zhao Jiu suddenly interrupted the other party coldly.
There was complete silence inside and outside the stone pavilion.
Jin Fushi was stunned for a moment, obviously not believing his ears, but the next moment, he suddenly realized it, and Zhao Ding and others also suddenly realized it.
Zhao Jiu also repeated with a blank expression: "The Jurchens have plenty of gold and silver. They have almost robbed all the gold and silver in Tokyo and the Central Plains! There are also nobles in Liaodong who have received countless gold and silver! Of course, in addition to gold and silver, it would be even better if we could buy their war horses and food. Even their fur can be made into military uniforms to keep out the cold! We also want the best wood! But I only give you porcelain and silk! Don't you know how big the market is in the huge Jin Kingdom? And not only did I not force you to go to war with the Jurchens, I also gave you Koreans a way to make money for nothing. Don't you thank me for my grace?"
There was already a cold tone in his words at the end.
When Jin Bu Shi heard this, he knew that he could no longer bargain, but he bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I will try my best when I return!"
"Here is a private letter to Zheng Zhichang, asking him to help you, and a letter to your king, telling him that I made this concession for the sake of Zheng Xueshi... You can take them all." Zhao Jiu saw that the other party agreed, and waved his hand. "I am tired today, so you can return home early after you get the news!"
As he spoke, Liu Yan stepped forward and handed over two small wooden boxes. When Jin Fu Shi heard that disgusting name, his mood became more complicated.
But so what?
Firstly, the size of the country was there, and he was indeed afraid that Emperor Zhao, who had planted mulberry trees in his backyard for four years and had grown a large amount of mulberries, would retaliate against Goryeo after the Northern Expedition was successful in the future; secondly, he was constrained by internal party struggles. The two leaders of the Xijing Yangban opposite him, one was a crazy monk who thought all day long about fighting the Jurchens and making achievements, and the other was a stupid poet who was bewitched by Emperor Zhao and only regarded this cannibalistic official as a god... Kim Bu-sik was a self-proclaimed figure, so what could he do?
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