Killing the enemy's ministers to sue for peace sounds incredibly strange.
Even if the emperor were willing to agree, he would have to consider his own and Anchuan's reputation, and whether he still wanted to keep it.
If things were discussed openly, the two countries could not reach an agreement. Therefore, they had no choice but to come secretly and communicate with the emperor privately about this matter.
"I am also helpless. You have no idea how many people have died on the front lines. Anchuan Kingdom's military strength is insufficient, and it is simply no match for them. If we do not want to be destroyed, we have no choice but to negotiate peace!"
"Qikong Kingdom sent people here on their own initiative, requesting only this one person, but I didn't want to agree! I refused multiple times and almost killed that national advisor..."
The emperor tried his best to defend himself, but Su Wenyuan's eyes gradually filled with hatred.
"But you still agreed in the end. The whole family died, not even the maids and servants were left. What were you afraid of?" Su Wenyuan's voice trembled, it was hard to tell whether it was anger or sadness.
The Emperor turned his head away guiltily and said, "I don't want to agree, but that Imperial Advisor is full of tricks. I asked him what the conflict is between Qikong Kingdom and Marquis Anle."
There were civil and military officials in the court, but Qi Kongguo only had eyes for Marquis Anle and wanted to kill him; he had no interest in anyone else.
The Imperial Advisor said that the Yu family had opened many shops in Qikong Kingdom. Not only did they make money, they also squeezed out other merchants, some of whom had the backing of the royal family.
Later, a conflict broke out, and some princes suffered losses at the hands of these people.
Realizing they were in trouble, they left without warning, and by the time everyone tried to catch them, it was too late.
The Yu family's shop was confiscated, and its contents were confiscated and turned over to the national treasury.
Who knew those things were problematic? The emperor of Qikong bestowed them upon many people, causing them to become poisoned and ill.
...
The Emperor's recollection was of the cause of the conflict as explained by the Imperial Advisor. Su Wenyuan didn't want to listen anymore before the story was even finished.
After finally waiting for the Emperor to finish speaking, Su Wenyuan asked, "Do you believe what they said?"
"No!" The Emperor shook his head. "The grudge the Imperial Advisor mentioned is too far-fetched! It's not very credible. But there's one thing I think is right."
The Yu family has businesses in Qikong State, owning many shops, which are quite profitable.
Su Wenyuan immediately understood.
She once asked the emperor to thoroughly investigate the case of treason. At the time, she said that it was too hasty to convict the Marquis of Anle based on just a few letters, and she did not accept such evidence.
The Emperor solemnly told her that it wasn't just those few letters.
At the time, he didn't explain what else was going on, and Su Wenyuan couldn't figure it out either. She thought that Marquis Anle had left some kind of leverage in the Emperor's hands.
Now everything makes sense. The Emperor believed the Imperial Advisor's words and thought that the Yu family had other purposes in opening a shop in Qikong Kingdom, such as colluding with Qikong Kingdom.
"Because the Yu family has been in business for generations, it's possible that they expanded their business to Qikong Kingdom. But they didn't tell you about something so important, and instead did it behind your back. So you suspect that they have ulterior motives for opening the shop."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com