Chapter 311 Brainwashing
Many of the common people were mulberry farmers, growing mulberry trees and raising silkworms. They had personally touched the silk and knew how soft and smooth it was. The cotton silk they were touching now was just as soft and fluffy, and felt not much different from silk.
The former is a silk fabric that they will never be able to wear in their entire life, while the latter is cotton silk that they can wear to keep warm as long as they get seeds to plant it.
The people who were suffering from hunger and cold could not resist the temptation of food and clothing.
The Imperial Master saw the light in their eyes, which was a desire for food and clothing.
"Cotton silk is cheaper than silk, warmer and more comfortable than linen, and its yield is higher than both. Every household can afford it." The Imperial Tutor explained to the people who had grown cotton silk: "You haven't processed the cotton and are simply stuffing it into the lining of your clothes. It's bound to be uncomfortable. After it's picked, the cotton goes through several processes to soften it so that the silk can be pulled out. Only then can it be woven into cloth, used to fill clothes and quilts."
After hearing the Imperial Master's words, the people cleared up their doubts and asked hesitantly, "Are you really going to teach us the seeds and the technique for making cotton soft?"
The Imperial Master nodded slightly and said, "You must trust your emperor. Leading a weak country to become a powerful nation with strong military and military strength is enough to show his outstanding ability."
He continued, "The Emperor of the Great Zhou governs the country with benevolence. He cares about the people and the country. Naturally, he cannot bear to see you suffer from hunger and cold. He will do his utmost to ensure that you have enough food and clothing."
When the people heard the words "food and clothing", their eyes showed desire and were full of yearning.
Their eyes fell uncontrollably on the cotton-padded jacket in the Imperial Teacher's hand. They hugged their frozen arms with both hands, imagining themselves wearing the cotton-padded jacket.
At this moment, they seemed not to feel the biting cold of the wind, but only felt their bodies becoming warm.
"One day, the two countries will trade with each other, their cultures and customs will be exchanged, Northern Qi's goods will flow into Great Zhou, and its technology will be introduced to Great Zhou. Great Zhou, currently short of resources, will be peaceful and prosperous, with its people enjoying peace and prosperity. How could the other nations dare to invade?"
"Peace and prosperity reign over the land, and good times and good harvests." Seeing the people inspired by his words, the Imperial Preceptor said with a firm gaze, "This is the aspiration of the Emperor of the Great Zhou, and it is also the wish of the Northern Qi."
The people looked excited, as if they had seen a peaceful and prosperous era with good weather and no disasters.
They are spared from the suffering of war and have no worries about food and clothing.
When the people thought of what Emperor Jing'an had done for them, they had no doubt about what the imperial teacher said and believed from the bottom of their hearts that their emperor would realize his ambition of making the country prosperous and the people safe.
They relaxed their vigilance against Northern Qi, did not stay to cause trouble, and left with their families.
The imperial teacher's eyes fell on the departing people. They were ragged and huddled together due to the cold. They had none of the momentum they had just shown in resisting the envoys from Northern Qi.
But they had smiles on their faces and were full of beautiful expectations for the future.
The King of Qi and the envoys were stunned. They had never expected that the Imperial Preceptor could eliminate the anger of the people of the Great Zhou with just a few words.
"Imperial Master, why do you want to teach the cotton silk cultivation technique to Da Zhou?" The King of Qi hated the people of Da Zhou and was unwilling to show them any favors.
The Imperial Preceptor handed the cotton-padded jacket to Yan Yi, then looked at the King of Qi and asked, "Your Highness, have you forgotten the purpose of your visit to the Great Zhou?"
How could the King of Qi dare to forget? He said, "But they..."
The Imperial Preceptor raised his hand to interrupt the King of Qi: "The people of Great Zhou are filled with hostility towards Northern Qi due to national hatred and family feuds. If we want to resolve their hatred, we can only achieve our goal by letting them see the benefits."
Having said this, the Imperial Preceptor glanced at the King of Qi calmly and said, "Such a simple truth, can't Your Highness see it clearly?"
The people of the Great Zhou do not want to provoke another war, as that means they will lose more loved ones and their current stable life.
The reason why they hated Northern Qi and were unwilling to form an alliance with it was because Northern Qi wanted to split and annex the Great Zhou and disrupt their peace.
Northern Qi came to seek peace with sincerity, and the benefits it brought could be realized on their shoulders, which naturally resolved the resentment in their hearts.
Everyone will seek benefits and avoid harm. Compared with past grievances and future peace and food and clothing, which is more important, the people have their own choices in their hearts.
The King of Qi's face suddenly changed. The more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make. He was afraid that if he said something wrong again, the imperial teacher would be dissatisfied with him, so he shut his mouth.
Lord Gao had a gloomy look on his face. These cotton seeds were brought in from overseas by the imperial teacher and were promoted for planting throughout Northern Qi. Since then, very few people in Northern Qi had frozen to death in the winter.
The Imperial Preceptor brought cotton seeds with him on this trip, which shows that he really wants to make friends with the Great Zhou.
Everyone has different thoughts.
The wound on the imperial teacher's forehead was aching. He had no intention of guessing what they were thinking, so he went back to his room to rest.
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The next day, Emperor Jing'an summoned the Northern Qi envoys to the Taiji Hall.
The imperial teacher brought the Northern Qi envoys into the palace and waited outside the hall. Only when the eunuchs sang loudly to invite the envoys into the hall did they step into the hall.
"A foreign minister pays homage to His Majesty."
The imperial teacher bowed and saluted Emperor Jing'an.
Emperor Jing'an's gaze fell on the Imperial Teacher. After more than twenty years of separation, meeting him again felt like a lifetime ago.
If it weren't for the help of the imperial teacher, Duke Zhao would not have been able to bring Zhao Yi back to the Great Zhou.
He always felt that he owed the imperial teacher a favor.
Emperor Jing'an was thinking in his heart whether he should ask for repayment for the favor the imperial tutor had done him when he went on a diplomatic mission to the Great Zhou.
"No need to be so polite, Imperial Preceptor." Emperor Jing'an, withdrawing his thoughts, gazed at the Imperial Preceptor's forehead. The wound, unbandaged, was covered with a thin layer of blood scab. Thinking of the incident at the Siyi Pavilion yesterday, he frowned and ordered, "Please take a seat."
The imperial teacher and envoys from Northern Qi took their seats one after another.
Emperor Jing'an greeted him, "How is the Emperor Qi?"
"Your Majesty is well." The Imperial Preceptor changed the subject and said, "It's just that Your Majesty is concerned about the alliance between the two countries. Due to misunderstandings between the two countries, this matter has not been implemented yet."
The Imperial Preceptor stood up, took out a letter from the credential and presented it to Emperor Jing'an: "Your Majesty is troubled and has specially sent me to the Great Zhou to clarify the misunderstanding and resolve the past grievances with the Great Zhou."
Emperor Jing'an opened the letter in his hand, his eyes changed slightly, and he looked at the imperial teacher in surprise.
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