After making up his mind, Lu Xingzhou went to the commander-in-chief's camp in the afternoon to gather all the generals.
When Lu Xingzhou expressed his desire to establish trade relations with the Kingdom of Jin, all the generals agreed.
The world is bustling with people, all for the sake of profit; the world is in turmoil, all for the sake of profit.
There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests.
As long as the interests between Jin and Chu remain, there is no need to worry about the peace talks failing.
Wang Wentian nodded repeatedly after hearing this. "This is a very good plan. Even the Jin Kingdom will do its best to maintain peace in the northern border for the sake of this trade relationship. But what is your idea?"
Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips and smiled: "This plan was not thought of by me, but proposed by my princess."
Lu Xingzhou's face was filled with pride and he didn't show any displeasure at all because the idea was proposed by Shen Liyue.
All the generals were surprised when they heard this. They didn't expect that Princess Zhenbei had such insight.
Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "I just mentioned this matter by chance when I was chatting with the princess yesterday. The princess was able to grasp the key point immediately. It is really a blessing for me."
Wang Wentian exclaimed in admiration, "The princess is truly a talented woman. Not only is she profoundly righteous, she is also incredibly intelligent. With the princess's help, Your Majesty will have no worries about accomplishing great things."
Lu Xingzhou was secretly proud in his heart, but he had a humble smile on his face.
He decided that when he returned later, he would definitely reward his princess.
When Fang Zhiran heard Lu Xingzhou say this, he felt even more sour in his heart.
Lu Xingzhou has taken all the good things in the world. His identity as a prince is fine, but Chen Liyue was originally supposed to be his.
Fang Zhiran suppressed the bitterness in his heart and said with a cupped hand, "The princess is indeed extremely intelligent. It is a great honor for Great Chu to have such a princess."
Hearing this, Lu Xingzhou gave Fang Zhiran an ambiguous look, then smiled and said, "Of course."
On the second day, Lu Xingzhou warmly entertained the envoys from the Kingdom of Jin and showed the great sincerity of the Great Chu.
When the Crown Prince Hezan of the Jin Dynasty saw the exquisite porcelain in front of him, he couldn't help but show a hint of admiration.
Da Chu not only has exquisite porcelain, but also various dishes that are quite refined.
These dishes almost never appeared in the Jin Dynasty. The people of Jin were tough and lived a simple life. From high-ranking officials to ordinary people, everyone ate with their hands.
Eating meat with big mouthfuls and drinking wine with big bowls is very enjoyable, but compared with the Great Chu, it seems too rough.
He Zan looked at the various exquisite dishes and even cakes in front of him and couldn't help but exclaimed: "The Great Chu is indeed rich in products. These are not available in our Jin Kingdom."
Lu Xingzhou laughed out loud, "Your Highness, there's no need to be so modest. The beef, mutton, fruits, and vegetables of the Jin Kingdom are also not available in the Great Chu. I, the King, am also very envious!"
He Zan knew that King Yi was trying to save his face, so he raised his glass to toast Lu Xingzhou.
Lu Xingzhou didn't hesitate and picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
He Zan drank the wine, but said with a feeling of unsatisfied satisfaction: "Although the wine of the Great Chu is gentle and beautiful, it is not as refreshing as that of the Jin Kingdom. We never drink with wine glasses, but with large bowls, and we also drink strong liquor."
Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "What's so difficult about this?"
So Lu Xingzhou ordered his men to remove the wine glasses and replace them with large bowls, and also ordered his men to bring the strongest wine in the northern border.
After the lunch, both the host and the guests had a great time. He Zan was drunk and had to be helped down the stairs.
Lu Xingzhou restrained his expression and asked Wang Wentian to go back to the commander's tent with him.
"What do you think about what happened today?" Lu Xingzhou asked Wang Wentian.
Wang Wentian thought for a moment and said, "Judging from the expression on the Jin Crown Prince's face today, he is indeed sincere in his willingness to negotiate. I just don't know what conditions the Jin Kingdom will propose."
Lu Xingzhou said, "Today's purpose is to welcome the Jin delegation, so it's not surprising that we haven't mentioned peace talks. However, we can't always follow the Jin's lead; that would put Great Chu in a passive position. Tomorrow we must take the initiative to arrange peace talks. Let's send someone to notify them later today."
"Okay." Wang Wentian agreed in a deep voice.
On the second day, the peace envoys from the Jin Kingdom and the Great Chu finally sat face to face at the negotiation table.
Lu Xingzhou spoke first and seized the initiative.
"The fact that we're sitting here today shows that both sides are sincere. Recovering the northern border is a must for Great Chu, and I'm sure the Crown Prince has anticipated this. Now that we're in peace talks, we'd like to ask what the Jin Kingdom's conditions are."
He Zan's face was completely devoid of the hangover from yesterday. He straightened his body and smiled, "Our Jin Kingdom's condition is, of course, to marry Princess Anle."
Lu Xingzhou's face darkened. If this was still the condition, then there was nothing to discuss.
If the Great Chu could agree to marry Princess Anle to the Jin Kingdom, Lu Xingzhou would not have come to the Northern Frontier at this time.
He Zan continued, "To be honest with Prince Yi, I have not yet married. If the Great Chu is willing to marry Princess Anle to me, I promise to treat her well."
Lu Xingzhou frowned. He Zan was the crown prince. Even if he could make Lu Yun the crown princess, he would never make a woman from the Great Chu the queen when he ascended the throne in the future.
So this condition sounds good, but it is actually impossible to achieve.
Seeing that Lu Xingzhou didn't say anything, He Zan didn't rush either. He drank a sip of tea and continued to wait.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xingzhou spoke, but the question he asked was completely unrelated.
"What does the prince think of this tea?" Lu Xingzhou asked.
He Zan was stunned. He didn't expect Lu Xingzhou to suddenly bring up the topic of tea.
He had only taken a sip just now because he was thirsty, and hadn't had time to savor it properly. Hearing Lu Xingzhou's question, He Zan took another sip.
He Zan didn't know what kind of tea this was. He only saw a delicate porcelain cup filled with light yellow tea. When he smelled it carefully, he could smell the fragrance of flowers and fruits. The tea soup was clear and bright. He took a sip and found it soft, mellow and sweet.
He Zan smiled and said, "I may be a rough man, but I can tell that this is good tea."
Lu Xingzhou nodded. "This is the Junshan Yinzhen tea that my wife loves to drink the most. There are many teas like this in Da Chu."
He Zan didn't know what Lu Xingzhou meant by suddenly bringing this up.
Lu Xingzhou continued, "The tea, silk, and porcelain produced by Great Chu are not available in the Jin Kingdom. Similarly, many fruits and vegetables produced by the Jin Kingdom cannot be grown in Great Chu. Therefore, I have an idea to sign an alliance with the Jin Kingdom, allowing Great Chu and Jin to trade with each other, so that everyone can take what they need and share what they have. What do you think, Prince?"
He Zan looked at Lu Xingzhou in surprise. He had thought about this before. It was for this purpose that they had been holding back and refusing to return the Northern Frontier to Da Chu.
After all, Northern Xinjiang is the middle area between Great Chu and the Jin Kingdom. Every year, many merchants from Great Chu bring their goods to Northern Xinjiang to sell. Since the Jin Kingdom does not produce these things itself, merchants from the Jin Kingdom will come to Northern Xinjiang to buy them.
This was originally a private transaction. The Jin Kingdom thought that it would no longer be able to buy goods from the Chu Kingdom after the Chu Kingdom took back the northern border. However, they did not expect that King Yi would take the initiative to propose trade between the two countries. This was considered an official move, and future trade would only become more prosperous and more legal and compliant.
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