Zhao Ping quickly reached out and took it, his face lighting up with joy as he turned to leave. Xu Yuehuai reminded him from behind, "You all share this five qian of silver, it's not just for you. I can turn a blind eye to the melon seed thing."
Zhao Ping, standing outside the door, stumbled, but there was nothing he could do. He called everyone over and said he wanted to divide the money. After dividing the money, he angrily ate a whole bag of sunflower seeds.
He still has the temperament of a child.
The next day, his voice became hoarse, which made Xu Yuehuai laugh uncontrollably.
The next day, Maimaiti got ready early to meet with the emperor. Xu Yuehuai's prediction was indeed correct; they had come to negotiate peace.
Originally, the advantage was on the side of the Mingyue Kingdom, but things are different now. The Mingyue Kingdom has been suffering from drought for months, and the people are living in misery. The soldiers can't even get enough to eat, so how can they fight? Originally, we wanted to wait for them to take the initiative to negotiate peace, but they learned about the drought in their territory a long time ago, so they simply surrounded the country without attacking and waited for us to come and negotiate peace. Anyway, they don't have to worry about the drought.
The king of the Mingyue Kingdom and his close advisors discussed the matter for two days and two nights, but could not come up with a better way than to negotiate peace. In the end, they could only send Maimai ahead of schedule to negotiate peace.
He hadn't come with high hopes of reaching an agreement, thinking that even if the negotiations fell apart, he would just die anyway.
He was originally a proponent of war and was naturally not afraid of death, but a meal he had yesterday changed his mind. He never expected that there would be such delicious food in Chang'an. Although he was a warrior, he also had a fondness for these delicacies. Now he was determined to bring these things back so that the people of Mingyue Kingdom could also taste them.
Therefore, he made up his mind that no matter what harsh demands were made by the other side, as long as they were not too excessive, he would accept them if he could, and he was determined to make this peace negotiation a success.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study within the palace, the current emperor was discussing the peace talks with Qi Guze.
"The Regent is truly a man of brilliant strategy; the Kingdom of Mingyue has indeed come to negotiate peace," the Emperor exclaimed in admiration.
Qi Guze cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty flatters me. It is truly because the Mingyue Kingdom has suffered from a drought for months and is unable to support the war. To put it bluntly, if it weren't for that disaster, I would already be on my way to the Mingyue Kingdom to negotiate peace."
The Emperor nodded slightly in agreement with Qi Guze's point of view. After considering it for a moment, he said, "This is what I think: our strength is not as good as theirs. If it weren't for the natural disasters they suffered, we would be the ones bowing and scraping."
Qi Guze nodded, listening to the Emperor continue: "Then we shouldn't kick them when they're down and make some harsh demands. Otherwise, once this natural disaster is over and they've recovered, they'll tear off their mask and show their fangs, and we'll still be the ones who lose."
"Your Majesty is wise, and you have the same idea as me. I advocate that whatever conditions they propose, as long as they are not too unreasonable, we should accept them and make this peace negotiation a success." Qi Guze bowed deeply and said.
The Emperor nodded in agreement.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Guze couldn't help but ask again, "Your Majesty, Ah Qi... how has the Crown Prince been these days?"
"Don't worry, he's doing well in the East Palace. He's been at Tianxiang Tower for so long, he must have developed feelings for those people. You should comfort them properly."
Just as the two finished speaking, a young eunuch rushed in from outside, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, Regent, the envoy from the Kingdom of Mingyue has arrived outside the palace."
"Summon them," the Emperor said, straightening his clothes.
"yes."
Before long, Maimaiti and his entourage entered the main hall, but instead of kneeling, they stood in the center of the hall and shouted in a loud voice, "Maimaiti, the envoy of the Mingyue Kingdom, greets His Majesty."
The surrounding guards immediately drew their swords with a whoosh and said to Maimaiti, "How dare you! What kind of decorum is it to stand before His Majesty without kneeling?"
The Emperor waved his hand, indicating that it was alright, and laughed heartily, "I have long heard of Maimaiti's bravery and fearlessness, and it is truly well-deserved. Come, have a seat."
The eunuch immediately brought a chair for Maimaiti, who sat down without ceremony and said, "Let's skip the formalities. I'm here on behalf of the Mingyue Kingdom and our king. According to etiquette, I don't need to kneel."
The Emperor glanced at Qi Guze and nodded slightly, indicating that what the man said was correct; according to etiquette, kneeling was indeed unnecessary.
Having received confirmation from Qi Guze, the current emperor finally felt relieved and replied, "In that case, tell me what conditions your king has."
"Two hundred thousand taels of silver, one hundred thousand taels of gold, and five hundred catties each of pearls and jade. These are the only gold and silver we can afford right now. Your Majesty, you know that we have suffered from drought for months, and we really can't produce cloth and grain for the time being." Maimaiti said this clearly.
Qi Guze looked at the Emperor and pointed to himself, indicating that he would speak. The Emperor nodded in agreement.
Qi Guze spoke up, "We have heard about the natural disasters you have suffered, and we are willing to discuss this peace negotiation with the utmost sincerity."
Maimaiti scoffed and laughed, saying, "Who are you? I am here on behalf of our king. You are not worthy to speak to me."
The Emperor said, "He can represent me fully, and I agree to all the conditions he proposes or agrees to."
Upon hearing this, Maimaiti abandoned his contempt. It seemed that the person in front of him held a high position of power, probably second only to the emperor, otherwise the emperor would not have acted that way.
Qi Guze continued, "Five hundred thousand taels of silver, three hundred thousand taels of gold, two thousand catties each of pearls and jade, and..."
Maimaiti jumped up and interrupted Qi Guze, saying, "Don't be too greedy. What I just said is our bottom line. We can't raise it any higher. If you insist on raising it, then it's a fight to the death! Let's go!" After saying that, he turned around and left.
Qi Guze said calmly, "Mr. Mai, don't you want to hear me finish?"
“My name is Mr. Maimaiti, not Mr. Maimaiti.” Maimaiti smiled and stopped, waiting for Qi Guze to continue.
"The conditions I just proposed remain the same, but this money is not for us; it's for the expenses of digging the canal," Qi Guze said.
"What canal?" Maimaiti asked with interest, then turned back and sat down in the chair.
“The Kingdom of Mingyue is currently suffering from a severe drought, while it happens to be the rainy season in the south, with frequent floods that have destroyed countless fertile fields. Our Emperor wants to dig a canal to divert the excess water from here to your land. This is a great thing that will benefit the present and future generations. Who knows how long the natural disasters will last in your land, or whether they will happen again? At least there will be a guarantee of survival,” Qi Guze explained.
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