Qin Yu was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.
"Good, good! With this secret passage, it will be much easier for me to leave the palace!"
After leaving Qingyun Temple, Qin Yu walked with a brisk pace and seemed much more energetic.
However, his spies were unaware of the specific reason and only assumed that he had obtained the elixir from Qingyun Temple, which made them happy.
The next morning at court, Qin Yu, with dark circles under his eyes and yawning, lay languidly on the dragon throne, looking extremely sleepy.
"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court is adjourned!"
Seeing his appearance, Sima Lie felt disdain and raised his hand slightly before speaking loudly.
"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu have sent a letter stating that they will withdraw their troops immediately if we hand over Zhao Hu's head. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I urge Your Majesty to make a decision as soon as possible!"
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
If Zhao Hu's head is truly handed over, he will be the next to die.
That old scoundrel Sima really knows how to play his cards right.
Qin Yu cursed inwardly, but waved his hand dismissively and said arrogantly.
"Ignore them. The armies from all directions in Longxi have already gone to support us. The Xiongnu are only thinking of negotiating with us because they are afraid. In my opinion, this matter cannot be left like this. The Xiongnu dare to invade our Great Xia at will because they are sure that Great Xia is incompetent and easy to bully. This time, I will definitely teach them a lesson! They want to negotiate? No way!"
This foolish ruler is truly arrogant!
After his explanation, Sima Lie's contempt for him only grew stronger.
He raised his head, glanced at Qin Yu, snorted softly, and offered his advice.
"In my opinion, this move is inappropriate! The Xiongnu are incredibly powerful. Although Longxi has sent reinforcements, they are still slightly inferior to the brave and skilled Xiongnu!"
"Moreover, the Great Xia treasury is currently empty. Where will we get so much silver for military expenses? If we force a war with the Xiongnu, I'm afraid it will lead to widespread suffering and misery."
Most of those in the court were learned civil officials who had never even touched a sword or spear, let alone gone to the battlefield.
Upon hearing that war was imminent, they were all terrified, exchanged glances, and began to offer their advice in a flurry of voices.
"Your Majesty, I believe the Prime Minister is right. Even if Your Majesty doesn't care about the soldiers charging into battle, you must consider the innocent civilians!"
"Indeed, the Xiongnu are skilled in mounted archery, while the Xia cavalry is already weak. If we force a war against the Xiongnu, we will inevitably suffer losses!"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider and refrain from acting rashly!"
...
The ministers were in a state of chaos and hurriedly tried to persuade them.
But the people above remained silent.
When the officials finally realized what was happening and looked up, they found Qin Yu already lying on the dragon throne with his eyes closed, fast asleep.
Thunderous snoring filled the air, and all the officials fell silent for a moment.
Absurd, utterly absurd!
This foolish emperor's desire for women has reached such a point of emptiness; what a misfortune for the Great Xia Dynasty!
The ministers looked at each other, stunned and unsure of what to do.
After waiting for a moment, Qin Yu suddenly turned over, his arm hitting the dragon throne, and he woke up with a grimacing expression.
Seeing the officials standing below him blankly, staring at him, Qin Yu groggily sat up from the dragon throne, yawned, and stood up.
"Have you finished speaking? Since you have, then let's adjourn the court! I need to go back and catch up on some sleep!"
As they were talking, Qin Yu got up and walked out.
The bewildered officials and the gloomy-faced Sima Lie were left standing there.
Seeing that Qin Yu would not listen to advice at all, the officials were terrified and hurriedly gathered around Sima Lie to ask for a solution.
"Your Excellency, what should we do?"
Sima Lie gave an angry snort and waved his hand in response.
"Rest assured, everyone, I will make the decision on this matter. The Xiongnu have finally agreed to negotiate peace with us and live in harmony. How can we listen to that foolish ruler's nonsense and put the Great Xia in danger? We absolutely cannot listen to that foolish ruler!"
The Xiongnu weren't fools. Upon learning that Zhao Hu had sent reinforcements, they naturally withdrew their troops to avoid his advance.
In that case, they will inevitably pick on the weak.
The place where Zhao Hu was located was adjacent to Youzhou.
Without Zhao Hu as a shield, the Xiongnu will inevitably use Youzhou as a breakthrough point and launch a large-scale attack.
But Youzhou was an important area where his power was distributed. He had been making arrangements in Youzhou for a long time and even secretly kept two excellent iron mines.
If this foolish ruler angers the Xiongnu because of his momentary pleasure, wouldn't he be the one who suffers the loss in the end?
Thinking of this, Sima Lie's eyes flashed with even greater ruthlessness.
Hearing Sima Lie's words, the court officials couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although Qin Yu still holds the title of emperor, everyone knows that the Xia Dynasty is ruled by Prime Minister Sima.
Since Prime Minister Sima can take on this task, then it is almost certain that it will be accomplished.
Sima Lie glanced at Wang Ziru, the Vice Minister of Rites, stroked his beard, and gave the order.
"You can draft a reply yourself, informing the Xiongnu and the Great Xia that they are willing to negotiate peace, and then send the Xiongnu envoy to the capital!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Ziru hesitated, frowned, and stammered.
"Your Excellency, the Emperor has not yet given his approval. It would be inappropriate to draft an edict on your own!"
Sima Lie scoffed dismissively, flicked his sleeves with an air of arrogance, and revealed a sinister expression.
"Just do as I say, and that tyrant won't dare to do anything. I have my own ways to deal with him!"
Hearing this, Wang Ziru had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.
"yes!"
Anyway, this matter was ordered by the Prime Minister, so even if something goes wrong, the Prime Minister will take responsibility. Why should he worry?
Seeing Sima Lie's firm stance, the officials breathed a sigh of relief and became even more convinced of his abilities.
After a long string of compliments, the officials finally dispersed.
As they approached the palace gate, Jia Zhengjin saw Sima Lie and hurriedly bowed and scraped as he went to greet him.
"Your Excellency, I have completed all the tasks you assigned me!"
"You've done a great job, but I have another task for you today!"
Sima Lie glanced at him sideways and nodded slightly.
Upon hearing this, Jia Zhengjin's face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly pledged his loyalty.
"Please give your orders, Your Excellency, and I will do my utmost to carry them out!"
"I want you to send a message to Consort Jing, telling her to seize that tyrannical emperor and make him agree to peace talks with the Xiongnu!"
Sima Lie gave this order with a gloomy face.
Upon hearing this, Jia Zhengjin repeatedly assured him.
"Your Excellency, rest assured, I will take care of this matter!"
After seeing Sima Lie off, Jia Zhengjin used the pretext of patrolling to hurriedly head to the inner palace.
Upon seeing Ruyan, his eyes lit up, and he quickly called out to her.
Is Consort Jing here?
Why is he here again?
The Empress has always disliked this man and will certainly not want to see him.
Ruyan frowned unhappily and shook her head in response.
"Her Majesty has gone out to admire the flowers and has not yet returned. If General Jia has anything to say, please inform this servant! When Her Majesty returns, this servant will certainly pass on the message!"
Upon hearing this, Jia Zhengjin looked somewhat disappointed and absentmindedly peered inside.
Seeing his appearance, Ruyan felt even more annoyed and urged him again.
"If General Jia has nothing else, this servant will take her leave now!"
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