Chapter 97 I don’t know what tricks they are playing. Are they testing Nan Qiao’s sincerity?
Tianbao took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped Tyrant's tears: "Fat Uncle, can I really lift it?"
The tyrant nodded, stared at Tianbao, who looked like a porcelain doll, and suddenly held his breath nervously.
This little guy, wouldn't he take this opportunity to ask for her to be released back to Nanqiao? He was really dizzy just now. Is it too late to add more restrictions now?
"You can't..."
"Then Uncle Fatty, can you let my third brother come with me to study at your Imperial College in Daqi?"
They both spoke almost simultaneously, but the tyrant quickly shut his mouth and lowered his eyes in embarrassment. "That's it? Don't you have any other wishes?"
"No. Fat Uncle treated my third brother and me to delicious food and drinks, and also allowed us to go out for horseback riding and hunting. It was already very good. My mother often said that people should not be greedy and should be content with what they have." Tian Bao wanted to ask the tyrant to let her and Xu Laiqing return to Nanqiao for a moment, but she knew in her heart that the dispute between the two countries could not be resolved with just a few words.
If we release them today, they may come to the city again tomorrow for other reasons.
If the tyrant can keep Nanqiao peaceful forever as he promised, it will be enough.
The tyrant's eyes were softer than the wind and gentler than the water. He held the little girl in his arms and said, "I'm so jealous of your father. How could he have such a caring daughter? Don't worry about your studies. After this busy period is over, I will arrange for you to attend the Imperial College!"
"Fat Uncle, you are so nice! I think everyone has more or less misunderstandings about you. People love to spread rumors, and negative news is more likely to arouse everyone's curiosity, so... Fat Uncle, don't be sad. In my heart, you are a good emperor who stands tall and upright!" Tian Bao thought of the rumors in the palace, saying that the cruel and ruthless tyrant was the King of Hell on earth. Even a tiger would not eat its own cubs, but he killed his own son without even blinking an eye.
The indomitable tyrant glanced at Tianbao guiltily.
The envoy sent to Nanqiao seems to have arrived in Nanqiao. If Tianbao knew his dirty thoughts, would he still praise him so much...
Nan Qiao.
Nan Qiao, the plenipotentiary representative of Prince Jing, bargained with the envoys of Daqi in a eloquent and flamboyant manner.
After a day of arguing, Prince Jing went to the palace to report on the progress and found that the emperor and empress were hugging each other and crying bitterly again.
His heart was pounding, and he asked anxiously, "Is there any news from Tianbao? How is it?"
The tyrant emperor sniffed, tears welling in his eyes as he ran over to hold his hand. "Great news! That bastard Emperor Daqi finally found his conscience and arranged for Tianbao to move into a more respectable palace that night. He also treated her to good food and drinks. She's finally doing something useful!"
Prince Jing opened his mouth in a daze, "No wonder their envoys said..."
He looked at the queen, who immediately stepped back tactfully.
Prince Jing then said, "The envoys from Daqi have come to ask for money, saying that entertaining Tianbao and the Third Prince is a huge expense. The Daqi Palace has always been simple, and they can't afford it..."
"Bah! Who asked him to entertain us? Shameless!" The tyrant emperor spat immediately.
Prince Jing looked around. Fortunately, Zhang Fujin had had the foresight to dismiss the other palace maids and eunuchs. Prince Jing said helplessly, "The emperor's scolding won't help. The Daqi envoy wants this amount."
Prince Jing raised a finger.
The foolish emperor rolled his eyes and said, "What a shame! You sent an envoy all the way here, and you want one million taels? Gold, huh? Here!"
Over the years, Prince Guangjing has sent more than this amount of gold into the palace. Nan Qiao can afford this little bit of gold! As long as he doesn't treat his sweet little princess badly, it's fine!
Prince Jing shook his head, his expression a little strange: "It's not one million taels of gold, it's one hundred thousand taels of gold."
When he was bargaining with the envoy of Daqi, his heart was beating nervously. He always felt like he was dreaming, otherwise why would Daqi only ask for such a small amount?
"Ten... one hundred thousand?" The foolish emperor was dumbfounded. The maximum limit they had agreed upon before was 1.5 million taels of gold, but Daqi only wanted 100,000?
Prince Jing nodded bitterly: "I don't know what tricks they are playing. Are they testing Nan Qiao's sincerity?"
The foolish ruler was also confused: "Maybe... maybe... maybe... they are really just asking for Tianbao's food money?"
At this point, Prince Gong, who had arrived a little later, joined their brainstorming session, analyzing the current situation. After much deliberation, he scribbled a few large characters on a piece of paper: "Daqi has fought for decades, is poor, and petty."
The meticulous Prince Jing shook his head without hesitation. "Impossible! Daqi is so powerful! According to the envoys, they have captured as many as seventeen cities in recent years! How could they, with the combined financial resources of so many countries, be so poor and shabby?"
The emperor also disagreed with Prince Gong's idea: "Prince Gong, you are just a warrior. You should listen to Prince Jing when it comes to your brain. I also think that Daqi cannot be so poor. It must be testing our sincerity."
Prince Gong rolled his eyes. When he was guarding Xijing before, he and the Daqi reinforcements attacked the barbarians from both sides. He saw it clearly, didn't he? The weapons and equipment of the Daqi soldiers were quite worn out.
But seeing the foolish emperor and Prince Jing so confident, the mute Prince Gong also fell into deep self-doubt: Perhaps it was because the Daqi army had just attacked the barbarians? Some of the soldiers' spears were rusty... perhaps because they were stained with the blood of the barbarians?
Thinking of this, he felt that he had indeed underestimated Daqi's financial resources. He lowered his head in shame and wrote another line of words quickly: Listen to King Jing, how about adding some fine salt to show your sincerity?
After reading those words, Prince Jing and the foolish emperor looked at each other and began to ponder the feasibility of this matter...
Outside the palace, there is the Great Prayer Hall.
During the secret discussion among several envoys, a dispute arose.
The envoy flew into a rage. "I told you not to ask for so much! One hundred thousand taels of gold is equivalent to one million taels of silver! One million taels! Emperor Nanqiao's extravagance is well known. He's been on the throne for more than ten years and he's squandered all his wealth. How can he possibly give us so much silver? If they refuse to give us a penny, how can we report back?"
The second envoy was a little embarrassed. "Didn't I leave room for negotiation? I never thought Prince Jing would look so unhappy."
The envoy sighed three times, "Did you notice Prince Jing's carriage? The armrests are all rotten... Alas, a prince can't even afford a new carriage. It shows how hard up they are right now."
The envoy nodded slightly. "Isn't it? I heard that the little princess took many boxes with her when she went to Daqi. I'm afraid all the good things of Nanqiao have been taken to Daqi by the little princess. And we... well, we come here to ask for so much silver. It's simply banditry!"
He was so embarrassed and angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick. He covered his old face and sighed. It was really embarrassing!
The second envoy lowered his eyes in shame. "What should we do? Daqi sent reinforcements in the first place, so they should have shown some appreciation. They can't let us return empty-handed, right?"
The third envoy hesitated and said, "We took advantage of the situation. If it weren't for Nan Qiao holding Man Huang back, we wouldn't have been able to defeat those barbarians so quickly. That being said, we can't say that in front of Nan Qiao."
The envoy removed his hand from covering his face and said thoughtfully, "Then cut it in half. 50,000 taels of gold, what do you think?"
"That's 500,000 taels of silver... Isn't that a bit too little? Should we ask for some more food to take back?" The second envoy looked at the third envoy uncertainly.
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