No meeting is a good meeting
This is because this question has been on the minds of all the officials, and even Xie Lang, for a long time, but no one dares to ask it easily, as the consequences of such a test are unpredictable.
The arrival of envoys from the Northern Qiang at this juncture is inherently uncertain, and most likely harbor a probing intent. No one knows whether a single disagreement could escalate into a full-blown conflict at the Yangtze River.
Mo Yimingyue's deep eyes finally lit up again, as if she had seen a sharp blade emerge from the world.
He smiled and said, "The mandate of heaven changes, the sun and moon change, and there is no eternally unchanging patriarchal monarchy. Everything depends on the actual changes in the situation. Otherwise, it is like trying to find a sword by marking the boat. I wonder if Lord Si Le agrees?"
He neither categorically rejected A Qiu's statement nor admitted it, thus preserving sufficient sincerity and space for discussion. This also shows the attitude of the Northern Qiang, which was at least not one of provocation or hostility.
The bloodless struggle for political legitimacy and popular support between the Northern Qiang and the Dayan court was officially launched by A Qiu's fearless words.
Mo Yimingyue did not give A Qiu a chance to answer. She placed her hand on her chest and solemnly said to Xie Lang, "This envoy has not come here to negotiate specific terms of the alliance between our two countries. That will be discussed with His Majesty three months from now when our Prince Ning arrives. This envoy is merely here as a vanguard to see your country's willingness to negotiate and to what extent cooperation can be achieved, so as to decide on the selection of our envoy and the timing."
His words avoided addressing the question of whether the Northern Qiang and the Dayan were ruler and subject or host and guest, as he had already stated that this was a matter only the royal court's envoys had the authority to discuss. He was merely trying to ascertain whether the Southern Dynasty was willing to engage in peace talks and, within what scope, to open up cooperation, thus defining the boundaries and scale of this meeting.
Of course, Xie Lang's willingness to receive him in front of the court officials already indicated that the Southern Dynasty was at least not refusing this meeting.
Mo Yimingyue's words were actually a test of the Southern Dynasty's tolerance for the Northern Qiang's meeting, which was ostensibly an envoy's visit but in reality a test.
Xie Lang did not answer immediately, but looked at A Qiu and said, "Si Yue is the successor of the young master, so you can answer this question on behalf of the young master."
Mo Yimingyue's eyes lit up with surprise again. All the officials in the court, except for Zhao Lingying and the expressionless Gongyi Xiu, also showed surprise to varying degrees.
Everyone knows that A Qiu is the successor of the Junior Tutor, but based on the previous situation, most people thought that Xie Lang's expectations for A Qiu were to work on improving the system of rites and music, restoring the elegant music of the former king, and passing on the ancient music and dance. However, no one expected that Xie Lang would openly reveal A Qiu's identity as the successor of the Junior Tutor in front of the envoy representing the country, and designate her to be Gu Yi's spokesperson.
In this way, she was essentially thrust into the public eye, as it was tantamount to openly declaring that she could participate in discussions of national affairs and that her opinions carried significant weight.
A Qiu bluntly stated, "Since your esteemed envoy has taken the initiative to come to our country, you must have come with a purpose. It is certainly not a spur-of-the-moment or impulsive decision. Why don't you frankly state your demands so that we can consider them and respond accordingly? To be honest, the land south of the Yangtze River is rich and fertile, a land of plenty. We do not feel that we lack anything and have no reason to ask your country for anything. Therefore, we do not understand the purpose of this meeting."
These few sentences, however, were a combination of offense and defense, completely shifting the blame back to Mo Yimingyue, indicating that since they proposed the alliance, they should naturally draw the boundaries. What they wanted to uncover, however, was the other party's trump card and purpose.
Mo Yimingyue narrowed her eyes, shooting out a chilling light, and smiled, "Si Le's tongue is as sharp as your dagger."
A Qiu retorted without backing down, "Your Excellency's cunning is so great that even the squid in the sea would be ashamed of it." This was a sarcastic remark about Mo Yimingyue's scheming nature.
Mo Yimingyue almost couldn't help but laugh, but immediately composed herself and said seriously, "We have come here with the utmost sincerity, hoping for friendly exchanges between our two countries and a lasting brotherhood."
He continued, "It can be said that we have at least two good wishes. First, we hope to establish a marriage alliance with your country and remain kinsmen for all eternity. Second, we have heard that your country is currently experiencing a rebellion in the southeast, and our country is willing to send troops to quell it for Your Majesty and relieve your urgent crisis."
The moment Mo Yimingyue uttered these two "wishful thoughts," an uproar erupted almost immediately throughout the hall.
Even A-Qiu, who knew his temperament well and had fought with him since childhood, secretly frowned.
Second Senior Brother truly lived up to the legendary reputation of "winning people over with virtue." The reason was that no matter how immoral the words were, he could say them without batting an eye, and they were full of beautiful aspirations. If A Qiu hadn't known him so well, she would almost certainly have believed him without question.
The first of the two demands made by the Northern Qiang was a marriage alliance, which was nothing more than a request for a hostage.
However, since Shangguan Jin commanded the allied forces of Fan Ying, Pei Yuanli, and Li Mingyuan to win the battle against the Hu Ma's attempt to cross the river to the south, the Southern Dynasty had no contact with the Northern Qiang for twenty years. It was neither a subject of the Northern Qiang nor had it been defeated. Why should it suddenly hand over a hostage?
As for the second "wish," to send troops to quell the current unrest in Wu, that was simply unthinkable. No one in the court with a brain would accept the idea of bringing the fierce and powerful Northern Qiang army into Jiangnan.
The rebellion in Wu was indeed a headache for Xie Lang and the powerful families from the Central Plains in the court, as it represented a protest by the native southern clans against the Southern aristocratic families who had migrated south from the Central Plains. It was not so easy to suppress with troops, as a life-or-death struggle would only result in mutual destruction, benefiting the ever-watchful Northern Qiang. However, Xie Lang was not so short-sighted as to invite the Northern Qiang army, inviting endless trouble upon himself.
As expected, good wine is no good, and a good gathering is no good. The Northern Qiang envoy who came to negotiate was certainly not there to be trifled with.
These two demands are almost blatant provocations.
However, the difficulty lies in the fact that even knowing this, the people of Dayan could not simply walk away and expel the envoy, as this would be considered impolite and would give the Northern Qiang a reason to send troops.
Even Gongyi Xiu had to admire the tough stance that A Qiu displayed from the very beginning.
Mo Yimingyue initially adopts a policy of courtesy before resorting to force, appearing to be open to negotiation and lowering people's guard. In reality, however, he is full of provocations and traps, and any mishandling of a move will leave one vulnerable to attack.
If even a single advance envoy is so difficult to deal with, one can imagine that the arrival of the royal envoy three months later will inevitably be a tense and dangerous affair.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, A Qiu maintained her composure and smiled, saying, "Regarding the marriage alliance, everyone knows that our dynasty has no princess. So, does your country intend to send a princess to our country? That is certainly something to consider." She glanced at Zhao Lingying and smiled, "What does the Minister of the Imperial Library think?"
Zhao Lingying understood and immediately replied with a smile, "Of course. If the Great Khan is willing to marry his beloved daughter, Princess Rouge, we would be more than happy to do so."
A Qiu's move reversed the situation, deliberately misinterpreting the Northern Qiang's intentions, making it appear as if the Northern Qiang were voluntarily offering a hostage. Unlike Xie Lang, Huli Jin was not as strict and self-disciplined. His harem was filled with beauties from various tribes, resulting in numerous princesses. However, his most favored princess was Princess Rouge, the daughter of his empress. It was said that this princess was more beautiful than flowers, and also dazzlingly arrogant, much like her father. Therefore, she was deeply loved by Huli Jin. It was impossible for the Northern Qiang to send a princess for a marriage alliance, but given their initial rudeness, Zhao Lingying would not let go of this opportunity to gain a verbal advantage.
Mo Yimingyue smiled without speaking, and after a moment said, "The specific selection will be a matter for His Highness Prince Ning to discuss with everyone. As long as everyone does not reject the marriage proposal at this time, that's fine."
On the surface, he maintained an attitude of neither refusing nor promising, but everyone knew in reality that Princess Rouge's marriage was absolutely impossible. However, he had already achieved the basic goal of the initial stage of negotiations: that is, to get both sides to agree that this issue was at least possible to discuss.
After Mo Yimingyue answered, A Qiu looked around and found that all the officials showed surprise to varying degrees.
Then she realized why.
In the eyes of the aristocratic families of the Central Plains, the Northern Qiang people were previously essentially synonymous with bandits and barbarians who burned, killed, and plundered—untrustworthy and utterly unrelated to governance. However, Mo Yimingyue's performance this time was surprisingly admirable; he acted with propriety and decorum, befitting the negotiating etiquette and demeanor of a great power.
After this battle, at least most officials no longer considered the Northern Qiang to be an inhuman tribe that could only be dealt with by overwhelming the enemy with military force and completely driven out.
Based on this alone, it is difficult to judge whether it was good or bad for the Southern Dynasty.
On the bright side, as long as the other party is willing to engage in verbal sparring at the negotiating table, it is better than soldiers risking their lives to go to war, with hundreds of thousands of people dying on the battlefield.
On the downside, this might leave Southern officials and aristocratic families with the impression that the Northern Qiang regime was not a monster and not entirely unacceptable, thus weakening their will to fight to the death, and even leading them to consider surrendering to the enemy when the situation becomes critical.
Ultimately, as long as a regime treats these people well and continues to employ them with high-ranking positions and generous salaries, it doesn't matter which side it is, provided there is no deep-seated hatred.
Ambitious individuals with a long-term vision and unwavering determination would certainly not think this way. But true elites who hold ideals and can see the big picture are a minority in any regime.
After this series of tests and push-pull maneuvers, Aqiu gradually understood the general purpose of the Northern Qiang's mission.
At least one of the objectives was to curry favor with the ruling group of the Southern Dynasty and see if there was any possibility of dividing and winning them over, or creating a rift from within.
If given the opportunity to further display their civil and military achievements, as well as their wealth and honor, they would be even more able to subdue the enemy without a fight.
Judging from this insight and strategy alone, one can guess that there must be a sophisticated plan devised by the Han people behind it. It's just unknown whether it comes from Xiao Chang'an's clan or her master, Wan Qiqing.
It's likely that the Northern Qiang began plotting from the moment Li Chongyu left Jianzhang safely and the North-South Treaty was successfully concluded. At this point, using force would be both unjustified and hasty; a diplomatic breakthrough would be preferable. If they could skillfully utilize the situation and sow discord, they could still cause headaches for the originally united Dayan.
After answering the question, Mo Yimingyue smiled but remained silent, seemingly waiting for A Qiu to give an answer to the second question.
A Qiu's gaze seemed to fall unintentionally on Gongyi Xiu, the current Right Chancellor's senior brother, who was standing below Zhao Lingying's shoulder.
Gongyi Xiu had mastered his master's skills and was the foremost strategist in the sect. In truth, no matter how the envoy provoked him, Gongyi Xiu would never lose in a debate.
His strange silence from the very beginning can only be explained by one thing: he had received orders from Wan Qiqing not to interfere in this matter, but to ensure that Mo Yimingyue would gain the limelight and thus demoralize the people of the Southern Dynasty.
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