Seeing the Eighth Prince's actions, Jelier showed no fear of being in enemy territory, at least not losing in terms of momentum. The masked man was simply not qualified to speak with the Eighth Prince; if the Eighth Prince were to engage him, Jelier would be on par with Emperor Kangxi. How could the shrewd Eighth Prince make such a basic mistake?
"Alright, alright, Mr. Tong, you may leave now." Jellil gestured for the masked man to stop speaking.
"Khan Jeli, I have a peace treaty here, personally written by the Emperor of the Great Qing. Please take a look, Great Khan." The Eighth Prince took out a brown paper envelope from his pocket. This was the peace treaty between Emperor Kangxi and Jeli after discussions with his confidants and princes.
After the woman beside Jeril stepped forward, took the envelope from the Eighth Prince, and handed it to Jeril, the atmosphere inside the tent immediately fell silent. Everyone craned their necks, hoping to see what conditions the Qing Emperor had proposed.
Jeryl unfolded the letter and carefully read it twice against the light, his expression gradually becoming serious. After reading it, he passed the letter to the masked man.
Eighth Master picked up the butcher's knife and began cutting the mutton on his plate, taking a few slow bites. The others also started drinking and cutting meat.
After Jeril's men had all looked through the room, Eighth Master put down his knife and fork and picked up a towel to wipe his hands.
“Eighth Prince, the basic content here is acceptable, but I think it’s inappropriate to send a hostage to the capital. We grassland people are different from you people living in the capital. If we were locked up in a house, we would suffocate and die,” Jelier said.
"Great Khan," said the Eighth Prince, "why don't you discuss this with Mr. Tong? Sending a hostage to our Great Qing can allow him to learn etiquette and manners, as well as the skills of governing the country. Our Great Qing has far more learned and knowledgeable teachers than the grasslands. We can invite masters of Confucianism, Mohism, and Taoism. Wouldn't the Khan like his prince to learn these things that are beneficial to the grasslands?"
"We need to discuss this before we can decide," Jellil said, glancing at his strategist and several generals.
Eighth Prince cupped his hands and said, “I wonder if the Khan has any objections to anything else? If not, we will immediately discuss how to deploy our forces. If the Khan can find a way to contact the nobles on Galdan's side who no longer want to fight, and then oppose Galdan in one fell swoop, and if our Great Qing then approaches from the outside, he will inevitably be deserted by his people. At that time, the Khan can then raise an army to occupy the territory. You can continue to be your Khan, maintain lasting peace with the Great Qing, and then arrange a marriage alliance. The Emperor of our Great Qing will bestow upon the Khan the title of Prince or Marquis, which can be inherited indefinitely. In this way, there will be no more war on the grasslands, and everyone can peacefully herd sheep and cattle and enjoy a peaceful life.”
Jelier was quite moved by the Eighth Prince's words. He did not have Galdan's ambition to conquer cities and territories like Genghis Khan. He only hoped to hold onto the Khan's position and then live his noble life.
Eighth Prince and his entourage were led to rest in a tent. Seven or eight guards stood watch around the tent.
Inside King Jelier's tent, a heated argument was taking place. The strategist disagreed with sending the hostage. The other generals felt it was too aggrieved to pay tribute to the Qing court every year.
“Khan, we are all used to freedom. If we really send the prince over, then we will be at their mercy.” A burly man wearing a bearskin vest said.
“Yes, why not kidnap this Eighth Prince and take him to talk to the Qing Emperor?” another person suggested.
“No, this Eighth Prince is just one of Kangxi’s many sons. He is neither born of the principal wife nor has a prominent maternal family. He is merely the son of a noblewoman. Kangxi would never compromise for him. On the contrary, it would only provide an excuse for the Qing court to retaliate,” the masked man said.
“Mr. Tong, based on your understanding of the Central Plains, if I accept this condition, what will happen to my tribe? Will they be like Bandi of the Khorchin, forever the second master of this grassland?” Jelier asked.
“Great Khan, we have already discussed this. Accepting the Qing court’s conditions means submitting to them. If the Great Khan cannot accept this, then perhaps we should ask the Eighth Prince to return.” The masked man said.
“Mr. Tong is from the Central Plains, so naturally he wants the Qing government to rule our grasslands,” someone said. “Why not let Galdan fight them, and when they are both exhausted, we can clean up the mess and maybe get better terms.”
The masked man sneered, "The Left Wise King is truly naive. In your opinion, who has the greater chance of winning now? To wait and reap the benefits later? I'm afraid there won't even be such an opportunity. If Kangxi were to take down Galdan in one fell swoop, would he still sit down and talk to us? I'm afraid we'd be next."
Seeing that the Left Wise King was about to argue further, Jelier stopped him with a shout and said, "Look at the Eighth Prince today, their attitude is still quite tough. The legitimate son cannot be sent away, but the illegitimate son can."
Meanwhile, Eighth Master was leisurely drinking mare's milk tea in his tent.
The next day, Jelier sent men with the Eighth Prince and his entourage to inspect the grasslands, but still received no reply. On the third day, the Eighth Prince and his group were invited to Jelier's royal tent, where they were still the same guests as the previous day. Jelier essentially agreed to cooperate with Kangxi, but they argued for a long time over some details, and ultimately each side made a compromise.
Jellal personally escorted Eighth Master and his group for three miles, and after agreeing on how to contact each other, they went their separate ways.
When Emperor Kangxi learned that the Eighth Prince had completed his mission so quickly, he immediately held a banquet to celebrate. The Crown Prince sat awkwardly to the left of Emperor Kangxi, silently drinking his wine.
Everyone toasted the Eighth Prince, and even Emperor Kangxi praised him on the spot. He immediately announced that Consort Liang would be promoted to Imperial Concubine Liang, and issued a special decree to return to the palace, ordering the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department to hold a ceremony to confer the title upon Imperial Concubine Liang.
The Crown Prince was getting restless. He couldn't help but glance at the Eighth Prince a few more times, then at Emperor Kangxi, before finally falling silent and drinking his wine. Prince Zhi was also drinking alone, never expecting the Eighth Prince to gain such a huge advantage from this peace negotiation. From now on, his mother would be on equal footing with Consort Liang.
Emperor Kangxi glanced at the Crown Prince a few times and sighed inwardly. Why was this son, whom he had personally cultivated, not so outstanding?
That night, the Ninth, Tenth, and Fourteenth Princes drank with the Eighth Prince until very late, especially the Ninth Prince. On the surface, Kangxi was promoting Consort Liang, but in reality, he was elevating the Eighth Prince's status.
When this imperial decree was sent back to the Forbidden City, the harem was shocked. The four consorts each had a different reaction, and even the Imperial Household Department, which had often given Consort Liang a hard time, went to curry favor with her.
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