"My mother has been worried about my little sister's marriage. If Prince Jing's son can treat her well, I will be happy to see it happen. This will also build friendship between our two countries. But I need my little sister's approval."
Prince Liu had long seen that Cao Jinyu was interested in the little imperial sister, otherwise he would not have stayed in the Nan Shu military camp to help him attack Canglan.
It’s just that the little princess was always thinking about the genius doctor Zeng, and she never opened her heart to Cao Jinyu.
When he came this time, the little princess complained to him about how badly she had been cheated.
Cao Jinyu would come to the embassy almost every day to pick her up to go out and play, and she would go with him every time.
He knew that the little princess's obsession with Yu Yuanzheng, a man dressed in men's clothes, was just a temporary one, and she was not determined to marry him.
"Haha..., okay, Jinyu, you heard me. As long as you can get Jiuyi to nod, I will hand over the letter to the Emperor of Southern Shu."
"Yes, nephew will try his best to get her to agree tomorrow." Cao Jinyu immediately stood up and bowed.
This made everyone laugh.
The meal was a pleasant one.
The two countries were already on good terms, and after the meal they had further communication on how the two countries could resolve the dispute.
Yu Yuanzheng just listened and did not add any comments.
Three days later, the emperor formally summoned the envoys from both countries in the Golden Palace.
In front of all the civil and military officials in the court, the Three Kingdoms Talks were held, and Yu Yuanzheng was allowed to enter the Golden Palace wearing men's clothes.
This was her first time entering the Golden Palace, and all the civil and military officials in the court did not dare to object to her entering the Golden Palace.
It has never happened since ancient times for a woman to attend court and govern the country.
Even the third generation Princess Rong, who had made great contributions, had never entered the Golden Palace.
Only the Empress Dowager, or Empress Zhu, would enter and leave the Golden Throne Hall under specific circumstances.
For example, if the emperor passed away and no new emperor was appointed, or if the emperor was young, the empress would need to assist in government affairs.
It can be seen how much the emperor favors Yu Yuanzheng, and he really treats her as a marquis of the country.
Prince Liu entered the palace with three envoys from Southern Shu.
Zhu Chenchen, the Prince of Beichen County of Canglan State, entered the palace with two envoys and a young boy who was only fourteen years old.
"Canglan's envoy Zhu Chenchen pays homage to His Majesty the Great Wei."
"Canglan's minister sends Wei Ziqi (Wei Zhongxian) to pay homage to His Majesty the Great Wei."
Everyone greeted each other politely.
The young boy didn't say anything, he just bowed like everyone else.
Everyone knows that he is the eldest son of the current emperor of Canglan, who was sent to Wei as a hostage.
Yu Yuanzheng saw that the Prince of Beiqi seemed different from before.
There is no arrogance or complacency, and he has already adopted the attitude of an envoy of a defeated country.
The two adults he brought with him were not the same two people he met in Nanshu last time. They looked more meticulous and younger, probably in their early thirties.
“No need for formalities.” Emperor Qiqihar waved his hand, showing the demeanor of a great country.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Well, today I will summon the envoys of both countries to discuss the peace talks among the three countries.
Our dynasty is headed by Prime Minister Zhao, assisted by the Crown Prince Cao Jinqi, the General Chen Yuzhong, and the Censor Cui Yuanfang.
Emperor Qiyi did not invite all the court officials to participate, but only called four people to participate in the negotiations.
However, he did not let the other court officials disperse, as he wanted everyone to witness this event.
Indeed, this was the most proud moment for Wei among the Three Kingdoms in a hundred years, so Emperor Qizhen asked all the court officials to witness this moment together.
"I obey your command." Prime Minister Zhao stepped out and bowed.
The sharp and wise look in his eyes made it clear at a glance that he was not easy to deal with.
Three others also came out.
The other court officials stepped aside to make room for the envoys from the three kingdoms, and then the eunuchs brought in tables and chairs and placed pens, ink, paper and inkstone.
All three parties took their seats.
Negotiations begin.
“Emissary Canglan, you should know that our Great Wei has never made any move to offend Canglan over the years, but the emperors of Canglan for several generations have never forgotten to invade our Great Wei.
Over the past few decades, countless men of our Great Wei have died at the border.
How many parents in Wei have lost their sons, how many wives have lost their husbands, and how many children have lost their fathers.
These losses, even if all of Canglan's property was given to me, would not be able to make up for their pain of losing their loved ones."
Prime Minister Zhao was the first to speak, and he described the grievances that the Wei Dynasty had suffered over the years in a moving way.
"The Prime Minister said so." Zhu Chen had nothing to say and could only accept his position.
There is nothing much to say about Prince Liu. He simply took advantage of the other person's illness to kill him.
Just wait to receive some benefits.
"We won't talk about the past, but from last year until the end of the war, a total of 17,132 soldiers of our Great Wei died in battle.
As the general of the Great Wei, I will ask for compensation for the dead soldiers, twenty taels per person."
Chen Yuzhong was a military general, so of course his first priority was to seek benefits for his soldiers.
Now that the Wei treasury is out of money, we have to ask the enemy for it.
But this request may not sound big, but if you calculate carefully, it is more than 1.3 million taels of silver.
"The deaths of our Great Wei are far more than just tens of thousands of soldiers. After Canglan's invasion, countless civilians were displaced, lost their homes, and lost their property.
Canglan also used the most despicable means to spread smallpox to our Wei Dynasty, and many people died of smallpox." The eldest prince spoke for the people.
“My Great Wei has spent all the money in the national treasury on the war, and has also borrowed money and grain from merchants across the country, and increased taxes on the people, causing them to complain.” Lord Cui was distressed that the national treasury was empty.
Recently, Chaoshang and I have been arguing about money every day.
Officials' salaries, royal nobles' support, repairs of several cities captured by Canglan, resettlement of civilians, water conservancy repairs in various places, monthly military expenses... and so on.
Money is needed everywhere, and the national treasury is burdened with huge expenses due to a war that has lasted for almost two years.
It's impossible to recover in a short time.
It would take at least five years to return to the pre-war state.
The Prince of Beiyi felt a headache as he listened to the accusations. He knew that he was the one being accused in today's negotiation.
But the emperor entrusted him with such an important task, so he had to bear it.
"Canglan, Dawei, and Nanshu were originally one country 180 years ago, but they fell apart due to the chaos in the world. According to historical records, countless people died at that time, and the war lasted for ten years.
War has been like this since ancient times.
In the end, it is the common people who suffer, and this prince knows it.
Prince Yuben came on behalf of Canglan to negotiate peace with the two countries, and of course he also had to fight for a way of survival for the people of Canglan.
If Canglan mobilizes the entire country to compensate Wei, then the people of Canglan will have no way to survive.
By then, they will become refugees due to lack of food and money. At that time, it is possible that a large number of Canglan people will flock to Dawei and Nanshu, which will bring greater trouble and burden to the two countries.
This prince was discovered when my emperor discussed this for a long time.
We can only try our best to bear it and not force the people to rebel.
Our emperor was also given the order in a time of crisis. He had no intention of conquering the country and only wanted to be a leisurely king of his fiefdom.
If the people cannot live in peace, he does not want to be the leader of this country, and he does not care if he hands it over to Wei or Southern Shu."
After listening to the words of several Wei officials, Zhu Yichen did not take all the responsibility because of the accusations of Wei.
Yu Yuanzheng raised her eyebrows at his words.
This guy is not stupid. He must be quite good at talking to be assigned to a diplomatic mission.
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