readytorunbook Chapter 40: The Prime Minister is such a good man! I wanted to depose him, but he still helped me...
Chapter 40: The Prime Minister is such a good man! I wanted to depose him, but he still helped me...
"His Majesty!"
Tianshu suddenly hesitated and asked, "If the eldest prince is really such a fool, wouldn't everyone in Beili be able to detect it?"
Emperor Xia said silently, "Although Beili and Liyue belong to two different countries, their royal families are all descendants of the Xiao family. It's not surprising that some civil and military officials have evil intentions. After all, no matter who sits in that position, they are all members of the Xiao family..."
"But if there's something wrong with Wu Tianyao, then the Beili School Office must be in big trouble too!"
The School Affairs Office is an institution in Beili with the same functions as the Internal Guard Office of Daxia!
If something goes wrong with such an organization, it would be a disaster!
Upon hearing this, Tianshu immediately said, "I will immediately send a letter to the spies of the two countries to investigate this matter personally!"
"Well!"
Emperor Xia thought for a moment and said, "We should not only investigate the two countries' militaries, but also the school affairs office!"
"promise!"
Tianshu bowed and then left the imperial study!
……
The next day, summoned by Emperor Xia, Baili Gongshu and Xiao Li arrived at Wuying Palace one after another.
Since it was a matter of diplomatic relations, they could not be received at the same time. Baili Gongshu was the first to come to the palace, holding the letter of credence. After paying his respects, Baili Gongshu held the letter of credence in both hands:
"Your Majesty, the Emperor of Great Xia, I am here as an envoy to Great Xia to, firstly, renew the friendship between our two countries, and secondly, to form an alliance with Great Xia to forge a good relationship between our two countries. All the details are contained in the letter of credence. Please review it, Your Majesty, the Emperor of Great Xia!"
The eunuch attending Emperor Xia stepped forward excitedly, took the letter of credence with both hands and presented it to Emperor Xia.
Emperor Xia opened it and read it while saying, "It's been a while since our two countries have interacted. I wonder how your Emperor Li intends to establish friendly relations between our two countries?"
Before Baili Gongshu could reply, someone from the Great Xia court jumped out and said, "Your Majesty, I believe there is no need for our dynasty to form an alliance with Beili. Our dynasty borders the Liyue Kingdom, and our dynasty is a superior country that has always valued etiquette. There is no grudge between our dynasty and the Liyue Kingdom. If we send troops here, we will be doing so without any justification!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! Raising troops for no reason has led to widespread violence and countless sufferings. This is not what a sage ruler should do!"
"I second the proposal..."
"..."
Emperor Xia looked at the ministers swarming forward below, a look of surprise flashing across his face before he smiled and said, "Your Excellency, look... I haven't even said a word yet, and already all the officials in my court are unhappy! It seems that joining forces with you to attack Li Yue... is not a good idea!"
"Your Majesty, if our two countries form an alliance, we can open up border crossings and exchange what we have..."
Ever since Gu Jingzhi gave his reply yesterday, although he kept saying that it was just his personal opinion and did not represent the court.
But it also woke him up!
If we just give some dispensable things, or things that may happen in the future... such as Li Yue's wolfish ambitions, it is estimated that it will not impress the Xia Dynasty.
Especially after Gu Jingzhi left Xiao Li, he could smell the smell of alcohol from a long distance away. It was not difficult to see that the two of them were having a very pleasant conversation.
Otherwise, considering what happened at the city gate, it would have been polite not to drive Gu Jingzhi away directly!
only……
This is the actual benefit!
After much thought, what Daxia lacks most is war horses. If we open up trade and allow the Xia Dynasty to purchase war horses, I think they will be tempted!
Although this will increase Daha's strength in the long run, it is also a necessary measure.
Compared with the battle for national destiny, a mere war horse is not that important.
Besides, the trade involving war horses can be completely controlled! As long as they completely deal with Li Yue and resolve the border crisis, they can cancel the trade at that time.
Give Daxia some sweet benefits first. When we win the national war and the border between Beili and Daxia returns to normal, will they still have the ability to break into Beili?
Upon hearing about the trade, Emperor Xia's eyes lit up with a smile, and he calmly asked Song Pu, "Mr. Song, you are the Prime Minister of Great Xia. In your opinion...what do you think of this Beili trade?"
"Your Majesty! I don't think this is necessary!"
Song Pu said, "If we form an alliance with Li Yue and attack Bei Li together, we can then reclaim the northern territory and obtain this excellent horse breeding land. Why would we need to spend money to buy it?"
"This……"
Baili Gongshu's face changed drastically. He initially thought that a minor official like Gu Jingzhi couldn't see the situation clearly, but he never expected that the prime minister of Daxia was also like this!
He said: "Xia Xiang's words are absurd. I just heard your minister say that Daxia is a country of etiquette and rituals, and we don't want to raise unknown teachers..."
"But it is so!"
Song Pu said expressionlessly, "There is no grudge between our dynasty and Li Yue, nor any feud between us. However, you, Beili, are different. First, you occupied ten of our states, and then you provoked us on the border, leading to a war between our two countries! Remembering the past, you naturally have a legitimate reason to attack!"
"Those ten states belong to the Yun Kingdom's general, Zhao Zhongli, who surrendered to our dynasty..."
Song Pu snorted coldly, "The Zhao thief is a traitor. He murdered his father and slaughtered the royal family. Beili should expel him from the country. How can we accept him? On the contrary, the Yun Kingdom has submitted to my Great Xia. Its documents are stamped with the seal of the Yun Kingdom's king. The ten northern states should be my Great Xia territory!"
"My Great Xia follows the will of Heaven and responds to the will of the people. What's wrong with conquering Beili and recovering the lost territory?"
"..."
Baili Gongshu was dumbfounded!
Emperor Xia was also very happy when he saw this scene!
The more outrageous Song Pu's words were, the smoother the negotiations on Gu Jingzhi's side would go. What's more, Song Pu was the Prime Minister of Daxia, and his words... carried extraordinary weight!
Emperor Xia finally understood why Gu Jingzhi was wary of Song Pu.
If everything had been thrown out at the beginning, how could Song Pu cooperate so well?
However, as the Prime Minister of a country, Emperor Xia did not want to embarrass Baili Gongshu, so he spoke up to intervene, "Your Excellency, this matter is of great importance. As you can see, the ministers of our dynasty are very excited, and a few words will not do the trick!"
"Your Majesty the Emperor of Daxia..." Baili Gongshu bowed and wanted to fight for it again.
Emperor Xia waved his hand. "Your Excellency! I have already issued an edict appointing the Chief and Deputy Envoys to take full responsibility for this matter. If your Excellency has anything to say, you can discuss it with them! Come... summon the Chief Envoy of Liyue Country..."
"..."
Baili Gongshu opened his mouth, but in the end he could only sigh, bowed, and turned to leave.
Not long after he walked, he saw Xiao Li walking towards the hall. When he came to his side, he looked at him arrogantly.
Not long after they passed each other, they heard this guy shouting, "Xiao Li, the envoy of Liyue Nation, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of Daxia..."
Then, before the Emperor Xia could even open his mouth to call for them to rise, this fellow started blabbering, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of Great Xia, before I entered the palace, I was wondering how great a king it would be to be able to make good use of talents like Lord Gu Jingzhi of your dynasty. Now that I have seen the face of Your Majesty, the Emperor of Great Xia, I finally understand..."
Emperor Xia: “???”
Baili Gongshu: “???”
Song Pu: "..."
Song Pu suddenly felt like someone was stabbed in the back.
You're such a good fellow, you were scolding the little thief Gu to my face in my residence yesterday! And now you're here to flatter me!
good good!
You don’t talk about martial ethics, right?