Chapter 233: Birthday Ceremony, Diplomatic Mission to Qu Qi
Shang Mingqi returned to Shang's house and searched everywhere.
Three years ago, he disliked Xiao Qingxu very much. After all, a prince who was not valued and did not know how to fight back was very cowardly in his eyes. He also asked his cousin who was spinning like a top all day to take time out to bring a bunch of toys to the palace to please people. How could Shang Mingqi like Xiao Qingxu?
When Lu Heying quietly put the letter and bracelet into the pile of gifts sent by the uncle and aunt of the Shang family, Shang Mingqi, relying on his small body, hid in the dark and saw it. At that time, he didn't know Lu Heying, and Lu Heying had her back to him. He didn't see Lu Heying's face, and just wanted to wait for everyone to leave before coming out to find the things and show them to his cousin.
After everyone left, Shang Mingqi sneaked out and opened the brocade box. He found a very delicate gold-inlaid jade bracelet. Under the bracelet was a letter with the word "Preface" specially written on the corner of the letter.
Little Shang Mingqi immediately realized who sent the letter: "..."
After a moment's silence, Shang Mingqi decisively put the letter into his arms and kept the bracelet - the bracelet was beautiful and worthy of his cousin.
After putting the brocade box back to its original place, Shang Mingqi pretended nothing had happened and climbed out of the window.
He had originally come to the storeroom to take a break while his cousin was busy dealing with others, but he hadn't expected to run into Xiao Qingxu's men sneaking in to put something away. The jade bracelet was intact, but the letter...
Although Shang Mingqi disliked Xiao Qingxu, he thought it was a thoughtful gift, so he didn't tear it up and slipped it into the Book of Shang that he was reading that day. Later, at Shang Yuwan's birthday party, Xiao Qingxu was also present. Someone mentioned their engagement. Shang Mingqi learned about the letter and the bracelet, and he became displeased on the spot, saying a few things he shouldn't have said.
Three years ago, Shang Mingqi was only five years old. While he might have been more resourceful than his father, a scholar, he was still a child, and his words sometimes slipped. On a more basic level, he simply felt that Xiao Qingxu wasn't worthy of Shang Yuwan. On a more general level, he was dissatisfied with Emperor Chengming's decree. The engagement between Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu had been personally arranged by Emperor Chengming.
If Shang Yuwan had not made amends in time, Shang Mingqi didn't know how much trouble that sentence would have brought to the Shang family.
"Where is it? Where did it go? It's clearly the Book of Shangshu. Did I remember it wrong? It shouldn't be..."
The Shang family has a lot of books. Shang Yuwan used to like to immerse himself in books when he had nothing to do. In addition, there were quite a few children in the family, so the Shang family had more than one copy of "The Book of Shang".
Shang Mingqi was now searching through the pile of books, wanting to cry but unable to, but he didn't dare ask for help. If anyone knew he had lost the letter from Prince Qi to the Prince Regent, he would be spitted all over.
Most importantly, that letter is very important to my cousin!
Shang Mingqi was exhausted from flipping through the pages, so he slumped down on the ground, his head drooping, "..."
He originally thought that without the letter, his cousin wouldn't have gotten together with Prince Qi, and later he put the matter behind him...
Shang Mingqi looked at the books piled up like a mountain, let out a breath, and started searching again.
That letter is very important to his cousin, he must find it!
When it was time for dinner, Shang Mingqi finally found the dusty letter.
“Found it!”
He immediately set off and headed straight for Prince Qi's Mansion.
After the vermilion lacquer door closed, Shang Mingqi shouted happily to Shang Yuwan, "Cousin! I found it! It's not lost!"
Shang Yuwan took the letter, smiled and patted his shoulder, "Twelve, give the thing to him."
Twelve, who was standing beside him, was holding a large wooden box. Upon hearing this, he handed the box to Shang Mingqi.
Shang Mingqi: “?”
He took it and opened it, asking, "What is this, cousin? Why are you so secretive?"
Looking down, Shang Mingqi's eyes suddenly lit up and he cried out "Wow".
Inside the box were three weapons: two long knives and a long sword. The blades of these three weapons were as black as ink, and were covered with dark silver-gray patterns, attracting attention like flashes of lightning in a sky covered with rolling black clouds.
"When I woke up, I had missed your birthday. It just so happened that Lu Heying brought back three pieces of extremely fine black iron from Quqi Country. After asking their opinions, I asked Ju Gongcheng to forge these three weapons for you." Shang Yuwan saw the child's joy and felt happy too.
The forging time was too tight, and Ju Gongcheng was still lying in bed catching up on his sleep.
"Aren't you going to Yanmen soon? These three things may help you in the future. If I'm not with you, you'll have more confidence with them."
After all, the glory and honor of a family are not physical objects. Only real abilities and weapons in one's hands can give Shang Yuwan real confidence. He can act freely without being afraid because of his own lack of ability.
Shang Mingqi nodded heavily, "Thank you, cousin!"
He will definitely live up to his cousin's expectations!
Shang Yuwan smiled softly and said, "Go ahead. At midnight, run around Kyoto by yourself."
"good!"
Shang Mingqi walked away happily holding the wooden box.
A guest walked towards Shang Yuwan with a visiting card.
"The Yue family refused."
Shang Yuwan's eyes dimmed. Although it was expected, she still felt a little disappointed.
She accepted the visiting card and turned to go to the study to find Xiao Qingxu.
"Rejected?"
Xiao Qingxu was handling some business. He looked up and saw Shang Yuwan coming in. He immediately understood why she came.
Shang Yuwan entered the study, but Twelve did not follow him in. Instead, he stood quietly outside the door.
Shang Yuwan slumped down on the desk, "...it's understandable that they don't want to see me."
Xiao Qingxu smiled lightly, moved the inkstone away from Shang Yuwan, and rubbed her head with his hand. "But they are willing to see Shang Mingqi."
Shang Yuwan said: "Maybe because he is just a child, you feel embarrassed to refuse him?"
"......" Xiao Qingxu recalled what Ji Suxian had said to Shang Yuwan before she woke up. A glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly hid it. "That should be it."
For Xiao Qingxu, it was a good thing that the Yue family refused to contact Shang Yuwan.
Wanwan's heart meridians were severely damaged by her mother-in-law's death. If she knew that Yue Zhu hadn't killed her in her previous life, her heart meridians would be damaged again. Call him selfish or dishonest, but Xiao Qingxu wouldn't let Shang Yuwan feel any more guilty because of Yue Zhu.
He had already arranged for Yue You's official position. As long as Yue You didn't harbor any evil thoughts, his future path would surely be smoother and more successful than Yue Zhu's. This was the best thing he could offer the Yue family.
The next morning, Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu went to the palace together to meet Xiao Qinggu.
At this time, Xiao Qinggu was completely overwhelmed by memorials, most of which spoke well of Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu.
Although Baili Pu and Yuan Ji, two people who knew the inside story, did not make any move, it was impossible not to think too much about Xiao Qinggu giving them a one-year wedding leave. Many people advised Xiao Qinggu, openly or secretly, not to follow the old path of the late emperor, so as not to disappoint the people of the world.
Xiao Qinggu had a headache because she couldn't tell anyone that Xiao Qingxu was dying. She gave the two of them a year of honeymoon so that they could spend their last moments together.
If the truth is told, wouldn't Kyoto and even Dayu be in chaos? Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu's status is not as low as before.
After finding excuses to deal with all these memorials, he heard a palace maid coming to report.
"Your Majesty, the Regent and the Prince of Qi request an audience."
Xiao Qinggu's eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "Let them in!"
Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu entered the imperial study and saluted Xiao Qinggu.
Halfway through the ceremony, Xiao Qinggu hurriedly helped them up and said, "No need for formalities, no need for formalities. You two came to the palace to see me, but what's the matter?"
It's time to show your abilities and talents in front of Shang Yuwan!
Xiao Qinggu offered him a seat and dismissed all the palace maids.
"We've been getting a lot of flak these past two days because of our wedding leave, haven't we?" Shang Yuwan's eyes curved slightly. "We've set a date and are going to Qu Qiguo the day after tomorrow. Why don't you give us a job?"
Xiao Qinggu shook his head upon hearing this. "How can this be possible? I gave you your wedding leave so that you could travel and enjoy the scenery happily. How can I let you take a vacation and handle official duties at the same time? If I tell anyone about this, people will laugh at me for being so hypocritical that I can't even let you take a break during your vacation."
Xiao Qingxu sat beside Shang Yuwan and said, "Qu Qiguo sent the letter of friendship, but Fifth Sister hasn't replied yet?"
"Yes, I was thinking about how to resolve it safely. It's not right to reply, and it's not right not to reply... It's not really a friendly letter, I just said something like congratulations on my ascension to the throne. I have some intention of making peace with both sides, but I didn't say it explicitly."
Xiao Qinggu continued, "Not long after the Second Prince ascended the throne, many people in Quqi were dissatisfied with him. Even if I didn't specifically inquire about it, I could hear rumors of political unrest in Quqi."
Yi Buyuan is different from Xiao Qinggu. Although they both ascended the throne not long ago, the civil and military officials of Qu Qiguo and the people still do not trust Yi Buyuan as much as the autocratic eldest prince.
Although the eldest prince Yi Busheng is arbitrary, at least he has the means and ability to intimidate certain people.
On the other hand, although the civil and military officials did not know whose help Yi Buyuan had, he was able to get rid of the eldest prince and even let the previous King Qu Qi personally issue an edict to pass the throne to him before his death. But judging from Yi Buyuan's performance during the days since he ascended the throne, he was simply forced to do something he was not prepared for. Whether it was the support of the people or the support of the court officials, he was not even half of Xiao Qinggu's.
Xiao Qinggu lowered his eyes, tapping the table lightly with his fingers. "We still need to carefully consider this matter. After all, we don't know his true character."
Xiao Qinggu and Yi Buyuan hadn't had much contact, and people's hearts were often hidden. If she were to take advantage of the turmoil in Qu Qiguo to befriend Yi Buyuan, what if the fire spread to Dayu? What if Yi Buyuan was a double-faced person?
Yi Buyuan had come all the way to deliver the document, hoping to leverage Xiao Qinggu's influence to bolster the confidence of the civil and military officials. Langjiang, under the empress's leadership, had grown increasingly powerful, but their stance towards Dayu had softened somewhat after the Dongchuang incident was exposed. The peace treaty from Youkou had also arrived on Xiao Qinggu's desk, and while Liman remained silent, all this was enough to demonstrate Xiao Qinggu's immense power.
If Yi Buyuan could take advantage of this favorable situation, he would have some time to breathe and would be able to handle all of Qu Qiguo's affairs calmly.
After receiving this document, Xiao Qinggu thought that she had been on the throne for less than three months. On the surface, she had the support of civil officials, military generals, and the people, but in fact, there were who knows how many waves of people waiting for her downfall. She herself had not even stood firmly on her feet, so how could she have the time to help Yi Buyuan.
But Yi Buyuan had helped Shang Yuwan a lot after all. Even if Baijialou helped him kill the eldest prince and helped him ascend the throne, the deal between them had been completed, but Xiao Qinggu still felt that it was wrong to respond with indifference.
Xiao Qinggu couldn't think of a solution for a moment, so he put it aside for the time being and went to deal with other matters first.
Now that Xiao Qingxu brought up this matter, Xiao Qinggu couldn't help but feel a headache.
This is not right, and that is not right either. What should I do?
Xiao Qinggu had never been a person with great power, so it was normal for him to not know how to deal with such a thing for the first time.
Shang Yuwan noticed Xiao Qinggu's hesitation and said, "Why not just agree to help him?"
Xiao Qinggu raised his eyes and asked, "Help him?"
She herself was already busy and dizzy, so was she really going to ignore the risks involved and help a foreign king who didn't understand or even knew how to govern a country?
Shang Yuwan nodded gently, "The person he's interested in won't be a villain."
"...Him?" Xiao Qinggu's eyes moved slightly, "Wen Qijun?"
Emperor Chengming's first move against the Shang family started with the Heavenly Master's prophecy.
Along the way, Xiao Qinggu always felt that there was a pair of hands pushing him from behind. Later, he accidentally heard the name Wen Qijun, and suddenly remembered the prophecy - a dragon will appear in the west, serving the country.
When the prophecy came to light, she happened to be in Yanmen. A heart for the country...was she referring to the Shang family, or was it Shang Yuwan? Before the imperial edict of succession reached them, when Emperor Chengming was in danger, Shang Yuwan was able to suppress her hatred and push him away, only to fall into the hands of the Gu master.
Everything started from that prophecy. Xiao Qinggu couldn't help but doubt Wen Qijun, the Taoist priest who disappeared after the prophecy came true.
Shang Yuwan nodded, "It's him."
Xiao Qinggu pondered for a moment and said, "Alright. Then I will appoint you two as diplomatic envoys and sign a twenty-year... no, thirty-year truce between Dayu and King Qu Qi."
As soon as she finished speaking, she added, "I heard that Qu Qiguo has a lot of frostbite cream. Find a chance to ask them for more and distribute it to the Zhenbei Army and the people."
She couldn't do this favor for nothing, she had to get some benefits for the Zhenbei soldiers guarding the north.
The northern borders were extremely cold, with crops failing to grow in winter, and food stored during spring, summer, and autumn quickly consumed. The winters were long, and by the end, soldiers and civilians had to eat crude and simple food, with many suffering from frostbite and pus. While traveling in Dayu, Xiao Qinggu once witnessed a man in the northern borders with both ears covered in frostbite, his entire face peeling, a sight unbearable to look at.
Quqi Country is located in the far north. Although most of it is desert, there is also snow in winter.
Frostbite cream wasn't a rare commodity, but it was a necessity if used in large quantities. Even a mosquito leg was worth a bite of meat to Xiao Qinggu. If he saved the money for frostbite cream, wouldn't he have more money to spend on other things for the Zhenbei Army and the people?
Xiao Qinggu thought for a moment and said, "We can also ask for some cattle and sheep. Just like in Langjiang, we can trade with each other."
The previous King Quqi's relationship with Dayu wasn't exactly good; while there was trade between the two sides, it wasn't nearly as smooth as the trade between Langjiang and Dayu. Now that Yi Buyan sat on the Quqi throne, Xiao Qinggu's mission to Quqi offered him more than just a moment of respite.
Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu agreed at the same time.
They are from Dayu, so naturally they are inclined towards Dayu.
Xiao Qinggu called the official in charge of diplomacy. After they discussed all matters related to the diplomatic mission to Qu Qi in the imperial study, the day after tomorrow, Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu led a large team to the direction of Qu Qi Kingdom.
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