Chapter 2316 What is this gift?
Zhu Feng opened it and took a look.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed.
No one knew what was written in his memorial, but recently, Zhu Feng's attitude of distancing himself from the Prime Minister of the Cabinet had become very obvious. Everyone was afraid that if he said something inappropriate, he would anger His Majesty the Emperor.
Everyone held their breath.
However, Zhu Feng did not get angry. Instead, he frowned and read the memorial again from the beginning.
After a moment's silence, he said, "Your memorial stated that you hope I will select an envoy to be sent to Parthia."
"yes."
“…”
Zhu Feng was silent for a moment, then closed the memorial and placed it back on the table. He then said, "I'm asking you to supervise the production of the Golden Jade Cloth because it will allow us to establish diplomatic relations with Parthia in the future. Just get this done first, and don't worry about anything else too soon."
He Yi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the King of Parthia has indeed requested this Jade Cloth from our Great Yan Dynasty. In the future, when it is delivered, our two countries will naturally establish diplomatic relations. However, before establishing diplomatic relations, we should also have some exchanges and contact with each other."
“…”
"Besides, the ruler of Parthia has already sent a special envoy to our Great Yan Dynasty. If we don't send an envoy, wouldn't that hand the initiative over to them?"
“…”
"They already have a good understanding of our country, but we still know almost nothing about them."
“…”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Feng's eyes flickered.
Hei continued, "Sending a special envoy can, firstly, strengthen the ties between our country and Parthia; secondly, it can also lay the foundation for the formal establishment of diplomatic relations."
“…”
"Besides, the Emperor originally wanted to exonerate the Western Regions."
“…”
"We should take advantage of this opportunity to send a team of envoys to travel the route shown on the map given by the King of Parthia. They can also observe the customs and people of the countries along the way. This will be beneficial for the future development of trade routes in the Western Regions."
Zhu Feng listened quietly.
He didn't say anything immediately, but just sat there motionless.
After a while, he waved to He Yi and said, "You, sit down."
He Yi immediately bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The other cabinet ministers breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and Zhu Feng said to them, "You all, sit down too."
Everyone said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
After saying that, they all walked to their seats and sat down. Gu Tingqiu glanced at Heyi and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Heyi turned around and saw him like this, and just smiled and nodded at him.
At this time, Zhu Feng said: "What you said is feasible, but——"
He Yi hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, is there anything else you're worried about?"
Zhu Feng said, "Even if we only send a small team of envoys, we cannot lose the prestige of the Great Yan Dynasty. Have you thought about how many men, envoys, warriors, horses, and attendants we need? What do we need to bring? "
He Yi said, "I have made a rough estimate of this in my mind. However, my own wisdom alone may not be comprehensive, so I would like to discuss it with you gentlemen."
Zhu Feng nodded and said, "You can discuss it."
“…”
"Go back and draft a detailed memorial and submit it."
"yes."
"besides,"
Zhu Feng seemed to recall something and said, "When the Parthian envoy came, he was accompanied by a guide who was very familiar with our country's customs and people. If our country were to send an envoy to the Parthian Kingdom, we must also select such a person. We can't let him go out and embarrass himself at a critical moment."
Hearing this, He Yi did not speak immediately.
On the contrary, Gu Tingqiu on the side seemed to have thought of something and was about to look up, but after thinking about it, he lowered his head again.
He Yi glanced at him.
He said calmly, "Your humble servants understand."
"And then—"
Zhu Feng looked at them and said, "Money."
When they heard this word, everyone's spirits were startled.
No one feels unhappy when hearing the word "money", but some people feel happy, while others feel worried. In the cabinet, the more money is mentioned, the more worried people become.
There are so many places in the Great Yan Dynasty where money needs to be spent.
The money spent on purchasing raw silk from the Kingdom of Yue every year alone was a headache for the Ministry of Revenue. Although a lot of raw silk was purchased and a lot of silk was produced, most of it was used by the emperor to reward his relatives and nobles, and was not exchanged for corresponding money.
In this case, it is difficult to settle the account.
In addition, every year, the construction of river embankments, the pacification of the people, the construction of city walls and palaces, and the casting of ships and weapons all cost money.
So, when this was mentioned, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Feng said, "Being on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions isn't just a casual stroll; it costs money."
“…”
“Where does the money come from?”
At this time, Chen Yiliu stood up and said softly: "Your Majesty, I have an idea."
Zhu Feng looked at him: "Go ahead."
Chen Yiliu said, "Although the imperial court is sending envoys abroad, not all of them require imperial troops and supplies. In fact, there are many merchants in China who hope to trade with the countries in the Western Regions. However, due to the previous national policy of closing the country's borders, they are unable to leave."
"oh?"
"Now, if the Emperor wishes to send envoys abroad, he might as well recruit merchants within the country who are willing to accompany the special envoys to the Western Regions."
"Caravan?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Feng's eyes lit up slightly.
Said: "You continue."
Chen Yiliu said, "Besides the bandits in Hot Moon Bay, whom the Emperor has already wiped out, there are actually many bandits along the way who rob passing merchants. However, they are not under our jurisdiction and are mostly in no-man's land. They are extremely dangerous and are the biggest obstacle for the caravans traveling west. Let them accompany the special envoys. They don't have to hire their own guards and can get the protection of the imperial army. Since they have this layer of protection, we can demand corresponding money from them."
“…”
"This is not extortion, but mutual benefit."
“…”
"In this way, they are protected, and the expenses of the special envoys will naturally be covered."
A hint of joy flashed across Zhu Feng's face.
Nodding, he said, "This is a good idea."
He said to Chen Yiliu, "You can go and look for some, but remember, they have to be big tycoons and big businessmen. Don't let those small families out for now."
"yes."
"besides,"
Seeing that his questions were endless, everyone secretly groaned in their hearts. They really didn't expect that this matter was just something He Yi brought up on the spur of the moment today, and at the beginning, Zhu Feng was not very happy about it.
But unexpectedly, he had thought of these very detailed details so quickly.
It can be seen that he attaches great importance to the affairs of the Western Regions.
Zhu Feng said, "There's one more important thing. Since we're on a diplomatic mission, we must bring a gift from our country. What is this gift?"
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