Ruan Shihao, who originally planned to have lunch and take a short rest before going out to the street to inquire about the situation, was suddenly notified that Qinghe Bo was free in the afternoon and hoped to meet him.
Although the visitor looked large and burly, he spoke very politely. Ruan Shihao guessed that this person was one of Qinghe Bo's men: "I will definitely go to pay my respects to Qinghe Bo on time. I just wonder if Lord Lu You will be there too?"
"Lord Lu is busy with military affairs and is not in the city, but everything is decided by the Earl of Qinghe. Lord Lu has the final say, so you don't have to worry about it."
As a formal negotiation, Lin Hai chose the main hall of Magistrate Meng Yang as the venue. Only Ling Yang, Shi Zhener and Cheng Guorong accompanied him. The others all stayed in the side hall where they could eavesdrop on the conversation.
After the two sides exchanged greetings, Lin Hai first apologized for leaving Ruan Shihao out for three days: "Master Ruan, I'm really sorry. I've been too busy recently and wasted a lot of time. Hahahahaha..."
Ruan Shihao naturally couldn't just accept Lin Hai's apology, but the fact that he was willing to make up an excuse meant that he wasn't ready to turn hostile for the time being, so he could only accept it. "My Lord, you're very busy. I understand. I understand. I'm very lucky to be able to meet you today..."
In the following two hours, Lin Hai sincerely inquired about the health of the Khmer King, and greeted the royal family members one by one, even Xin Yuetu, the last of the side branches. Then, starting from Zuo Xiang, he expressed his concern to each of them and hoped that Ruan Shihao would bring his greetings to them one by one when he returned.
Since he was asked about going back, Ruan Shihao naturally couldn't refuse, so he agreed to everything.
Next, Lin Hai earnestly inquired about the customs and habits of various places in Cambodia. Well, it was not a secret, and he did not ask in detail. It was probably about the level that you could get after joining a group of old ladies eating melon seeds on the street. Ruan Shihao could only answer them one by one.
"Hahahahahaha, I didn't expect that I could hit it off with Lord Ruan at first sight and have such a pleasant chat. Someone, come, change another pot of tea, I want to talk to Lord Ruan in detail." Seeing that Ruan Shihao was talking until his mouth was dry, Lin Hai was very considerate and ordered another pot of tea. Well, this was the third pot this afternoon.
In order to ensure that he was in good spirits in front of Lin Hai, Ruan Shihao deliberately did not eat much lunch, for fear that eating too much would make him look bad. However, he did not expect that he could drink three pots of tea in two hours. Qinghe Bo kept asking questions continuously, and he could not find an excuse to go to the toilet. After a period of fermentation, he could already feel a little urge to urinate.
But it’s okay. At worst, I can just drink less tea and I can still hold on.
Seeing that the woman who was taking notes next to Qinghe Bo had filled another cup of tea for herself, Ruan Shihao decided not to drink it.
"Lord Ruan, do you think my Qinghe tea is not fragrant enough?" Seeing that Ruan Shihao did not touch the cup of tea, Lin Hai asked in a different tone.
"Qinghe tea is famous all over the world, so I naturally like it very much." Although Qinghe has never produced tea, and the best tea-producing area in Xichuan is not within the sphere of influence of Qinghe, Ruan Shihao naturally did not dare to tell the truth.
"Oh? Lord Ruan doesn't drink such good tea. Does he think that my tea-pouring skills as a clerk are not good enough?" Lin Hai continued to ask.
Ruan Shihao was a little confused. "Clerk?" Isn't this just a maid? Does a maid who writes and draws on the sidelines count as an official in Qinghe? Besides, he is the dignified Minister of Rites. I'm giving face to you, the Earl of Qinghe, but do I have to give face to your maid?
Seeing that Ruan Shihao didn't answer, Cheng Guorong couldn't stand it anymore: "My Lord, Miss Zhen'er is your wife-to-be. You only let Miss Zhen'er come forward for the sake of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Ruan Shihao actually disliked the tea Miss Zhen'er poured. I think we should just kill him and let Cambodia find a new imperial envoy."
Cheng Guorong's words coupled with Shi Zhener's aggrieved and tearful expression scared Ruan Shihao to death. Damn, he didn't even follow the routine. Did he have to use such an excuse?
"My Lord, please calm down. Miss Zhen'er, please forgive me. I... I am a humble official with limited knowledge. I didn't expect that it was Miss Zhen'er who was in person. I am really rude." Ruan Shihao quickly stood up and saluted.
Lin Hai said amiably, "That's alright. Although Zhen'er is my fiancée, she's not some vulgar woman who never leaves her house. She's also the one in charge of Qinghe's finances. Speaking of which, her job isn't much different from your Ministry of Revenue, so naturally she has to be present during this negotiation."
Well, Ruan Shihao gave up struggling. After all, Miss Zhen'er's position could barely be considered as the "Minister of Revenue" in Qinghe County. In addition, she was the fiancée of an earl. If he didn't drink the tea she poured for him, he would be really ungrateful.
Ruan Shihao's heart was set: "This humble official is blind and has offended Miss Zhen'er... This humble official will drink three cups as punishment."
After three cups of tea, the matter was over. Ruan Shihao was just about to talk about business when he heard Lin Hai ask, "Speaking of which, I have already set a date for our wedding and have petitioned the court to obtain an imperial decree for Zhen'er. However, marriage is a big deal, and I want to make it a grand occasion. I wonder if there are any Cambodian customs and etiquette I can refer to?"
"...This, I'm afraid Khmer customs are not suitable for you, my Lord."
"Well, that's fine. A good lesson can be learned from others. Tell me about it for reference. If you want to explain it in more detail, start with the Khmer King's wedding and work your way down. There's always something I can learn..."
...
After Ruan Shihao finished explaining the process of remarriage for Cambodian widows, an entire afternoon had passed. Six pots of tea were swirling in his stomach, and with the immense pressure on his bladder, Ruan Shihao no longer wanted to stand up. Just as he was deciding to interrupt Qinghebo, who would never get to the point, Lin Hai glanced at the sky outside the door and said in surprise, "
I didn't expect that Lord Ruan and I would hit it off right away. We actually chatted for an entire afternoon, completely forgetting our business. Alas, this is truly my mistake. However, as officials, we must complete our daily tasks and never betray the Emperor's grace.
Well, it's getting late. I've contracted an illness on the battlefield and can't stand starvation, so I'll go have dinner with Zhen'er first. Let's let the new Mengyang prefect, Ruan Buping, come and talk. Everything discussed later will be implemented in Mengyang anyway, so it's better if he comes directly to discuss it. Cheng Guorong, please bear with it for a while and stay to take notes."
After Lin Hai finished speaking, he turned to Ruan Shihao and said, "Master Ruan, please keep working for the country. I'm sure you won't refuse."
After saying that, Lin Hai pulled Shi Zhen'er to the back hall and ordered as he walked: "Change another pot of tea for Lord Ruan. They will have something to talk about tonight."
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