Inside the inn, Ma Cheng stood beside Fang Zhengyi, appearing exceptionally silent.
Fang Zhengyi also said nothing. He had been feeling a little awkward since entering Pantai City.
Ma Cheng is a civil servant. He is usually well-mannered and kind to everyone.
But Fang Zhengyi is different. He is a complete gangster. What kind of bad things has he not done? His sensitivity is far higher than Ma Cheng.
But even Ma Chengdu felt that something was extremely wrong with what happened tonight. It was obvious that no one in the Jin Kingdom really cared about the delegation.
Maybe no one even cares about expanding trade, which is a bit scary... I don't know what these people are planning.
Seeing Fang Zhengyi remained silent for a long time, Ma Cheng asked carefully, "Master Fang, you are on good terms with Imperial Master Pa Ba, should we go to him tomorrow to test his opinion?"
Fang Zheng shook his head: "No, I can't say that I have a very good relationship with him. Maybe it's just that the Jin people are like this. I guess we are overthinking it."
"As long as no one in the Jin court notifies us, we should not take the initiative to meet the emperor. Also, send two groups of people tomorrow. One group will investigate the situation in the city. I feel that the people in the city are not in a good state. Ask them to pay attention to whether anyone is following them. The other group will prepare to return to the capital with my letter to His Majesty tomorrow to report."
"We'll make plans after we understand tomorrow."
"I will arrange it right away."
.....
The next morning, the delegation led by Ma Cheng left the posthouse.
Fang Zhengyi sat there, waiting for news.
Within half a day, Ma Cheng came back with his men, sweating profusely. He rushed into Fang Zheng's room and said in panic, "Master Fang, this is bad!"
Fang Zhengyi's heart skipped a beat and he quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Ma Cheng's face was grim: "The troops we sent out of the city were stopped, and the people who were spying in the market were also followed. But the locals of Pantai City can leave the city."
"What should we do, sir? They don't want us to leave."
Fang Zhengyi slowly closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
What bad luck! As expected, I have run into trouble again. The prince is such a bad-mouthed person.
Ma Cheng was still anxiously waiting for Fang Zhengyi's reply. After a long while, he finally heard him speak: "I see. You don't have to panic. Go and invite Master Pa Ba. I will ask him directly."
"I will do it right away."
After Ma Cheng finished speaking, he ran away in a panic.
Half an hour later, Paba appeared in Fang Zheng's room with a smile on his face: "Brother Fang, why did you call me here when you haven't rested for long? There's no need to rush to discuss matters. You can talk after you have rested enough."
Fang Zheng had turned his back to Paba and had been observing the sparsely populated street for half an hour.
At this time, he turned around and asked in a bad tone: "Grandmaster, let's stop talking nonsense. Some of our delegation members are here to escort us to Pantai City and then return to the capital to report. My people were stopped by your people just now. Why is that?"
Papa still kept smiling: "Brother Fang, you misunderstood. Bandits have appeared in and around the city recently. The delegation is unfamiliar with the place. His Majesty is afraid that something unexpected will happen to you and affect the friendship between the two countries, so he ordered people to protect you in the city. After the bandits are eliminated, you can travel without worries."
Bullshit! If there really are bandits, can’t you just find someone to escort them?
Fang Zheng cursed inwardly.
"So I have to go back to Beijing now?"
"Brother Fang, please don't worry. Is there any inconvenience in staying in the city? If you need anything, I can ask someone to provide it for you."
Fang Zhengyi sneered: "The Imperial Master is really an expert at pretending to be confused. Stop pretending and let's speak frankly."
"When my delegation arrived, we had to compete in a duel in the palace, but your people shouted at us to fight and kill us. Now you won't let the delegation leave the city. I don't think the Imperial Master really wants to do business."
"Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble and causing some diplomatic problems?"
"Brother Fang is indeed perceptive. It's a rare opportunity that I want you to have a good rest." Paba glanced at him, then sat down leisurely, poured himself a cup of tea, then looked at Fang Zhengyi and said with a smile.
"A diplomatic issue? So what if the two countries go to war?"
Fang Zhengyi's heart suddenly sank.
Going to war... this is the worst outcome.
He already had something in mind. After observing the street scene for such a long time, he found that there were very few young and strong laborers walking on the road.
In this case, in addition to recruiting workers for large-scale fortifications, it is also recruiting soldiers.
I didn’t expect that this trip would lead to such a dangerous situation?
Fang Zheng calmed himself down and said in a casual tone, "Master, do you know what you are talking about?"
Paba said with a smile: "I said the two countries went to war, and I stopped pretending to be confused, but Brother Fang started to pretend to be confused?"
"I wanted to treat Brother Fang with courtesy, but I didn't expect that Brother Fang was so perceptive and took the initiative to come to me. So I had no choice but to tell the truth."
"Brother Fang, do you have anything you want to ask? I will tell you everything I know."
"Who gave you the courage?" Fang Zhengyi asked with a sullen face after hearing Paba's blunt words, "My Dajing is at the peak of its power. It is unwise for you to take the initiative to provoke a war. I don't understand."
Paba took a sip of tea, tapped the table with one hand, and thought: "Brother Fang is right. Dajing is at its peak. It is not a good time to start a war."
"I have advised Your Majesty that it is not appropriate to start a war, but this matter is no longer something I can stop alone. This is the will of all the nobles. As a subject, I can only obey."
Fang Zhengyi said coldly: "Humph, are you the only smart person in the Jin Kingdom?"
Paba shook his head and said, "There is a hidden story behind this, which you don't know. Before the establishment of the Great Jin, the 26 tribes of the grassland were independent of each other, and only Your Majesty has accomplished the great cause today. The hardships involved are unimaginable, and unifying the 18 tribes has already consumed too much energy, although it is only a matter of time before the remaining eight tribes are unified. However, Your Majesty considers that if the civil war expands, it will not only weaken the overall strength, but also the external enemies are nearby, and the Great Jing may take advantage of the situation at any time."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
