Zhurou

Chapter 230 Reduction

Zhao Mingzhi was a little surprised, and looked down, but saw that there was no trace of tears on Zhao Hong's face, and he didn't speak in anger. Instead, his tone was solemn and decisive, as if he had made up his mind.

She suddenly had an indescribable feeling.

"Sister, you don't have to hide it from me anymore. I've heard today that the Di people came to negotiate peace. Not only did they ask for so many things, they also wanted your sister to marry that clan member - the two governments are stupid..." He cursed back at everyone again what Yang Ting, Zhang Yi and others had taught him during the imperial lecture, "How dare they discuss this? Why don't they let their own sisters and children marry? One day, the knife will cut into their own flesh, then they will know the pain!"

After he finished cursing, he raised his hand and grabbed Zhao Mingzhi's wrist, tilting his neck and said, "Sister, it is said that the emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty is the best at stirring up different opinions. I just thought about it for a long time. Yang Zhongting, Zhang Shumi and others, even Lu Canzheng, always told me to beware of Jingzhao Prefecture and be careful of Pei Jiedu. Jingzhao Prefecture has troops and Pei Yong has a strong army and power. Do you think it's okay for me to use him to stir up trouble?"

Zhao Mingzhi was shocked by his brother's wild idea. After a while, he asked, "If you want to use him, will he be willing to let you use him?"

"My sister taught me. How can I know if I don't try?" Zhao Hong said solemnly, "I went to Jingzhao Prefecture with my sister to ask him to send troops. He even came to Caizhou to see me. We talked together at that time. He agreed to everything I asked, without any difficulty. Later, he completed all the tasks one by one without any compromise. His words and actions really treated me as the emperor, not a child's trick."

"At that time, I thought, if you want silver, money, soldiers, food, official positions, rewards, I will give them all. Even if they really want my position, I would have given it to them in the situation I faced that day, as long as I could return to Beijing to see my elder sister again. Although this idea was wrong, I really didn't care at all at that time."

"But he clearly knew the current situation, but he didn't make any demands, and he didn't even ask for my consent. He didn't even care whether anyone would come to settle the score later."

"Although I don't know what he is after, didn't my elder sister say that we should judge by deeds rather than intentions? Although he has everything, who would complain about having too much? Since he has it, I will give him more. I will promote him and reward him, and invite him to return to the capital to be a high official. He will gain power, fame and wealth. In the past, everyone in the two governments said that he was not good. When he returns to the capital, let's see who will curse him the most. Anyway, if Pei Jiedu can't win, I will stand on his side. If he can win..."

Zhao Hong paused at this point, as if he was in great difficulty. After a while, he continued, "If he wins the fight, I will find new people to come over. I won't let him have the final say!"

Zhao Mingzhi really didn't know what to say. After a long while, he sighed and said, "Why do you have to take such an evil path?"

She said sternly, "You are young now, so your words naturally don't carry much weight, but you have the advantage of being young - how old are you? How old is Yang Ting? How old is Zhang Yi? How old is Sun Chong? Lu Xianzhang is the youngest, but he is much older than you. By the time you grow up, they will have already grown old."

"As long as you grow up steadily, you will naturally surpass them. The more you know and learn, and the more upright you are in doing things, the more weight your words will carry in the future, and the more people will be willing to listen to you. The Di bandits have retreated, and the court will be able to hold a special examination this year. All newcomers will be your students, and all promotions will have to go through your hands. This year, they can squeeze in nine out of ten, but next year they can only squeeze in eight..."

"But even if I choose the people, I still have to stand on their side in the end." Zhao Hong pouted.

"If we stand on their side today, will we always be on their side?" Zhao Mingzhi reminded, "Do you know who Zhang Shumi was a student of?"

Zhao Hong listened to what Zhao Mingzhi said that day, and indeed went back to carefully learn the resumes of the officials of the two governments. At this time, he answered immediately: "It is Mr. Peng..."

Although he had heard a lot in the past and had a rough idea of ​​what everyone had done, it was not until he was in a good mood to read it carefully that he realized that although it was caused by the times, at any time, all those who could enter the two governments were worthy of their reputation.

Even Zhang Yi, although he came from a martial arts background, had no weaknesses in governing affairs. He had served as governor of several places, established schools, and registered the household registration. He was even more well-known for his ability in judicial proceedings.

Zhao Hong specially sent someone to find several case files and read them carefully. It was like reading a legendary storybook. He could not connect the arrogant old man who took off his hat and tried to bang his head against the pillar the day before with the person in the book.

The reason why Zhang Yi was able to stand out, apart from his own ability, cannot be ruled out that the prime minister of the two dynasties at that time, Peng Xianggong, was instrumental in helping him.

"Zhang Shumi didn't submit to Lord Peng from the beginning." Zhao Mingzhi told his brother slowly about Zhang Yi's official career.

The so-called Mr. Peng was the family that Lu Xianzhang had attempted to marry in the past but failed. But before the Peng family was exterminated by the Di people, Mr. Peng valued Lu Xianzhang and wanted to recruit him as a son-in-law, so he allocated more resources to him. Zhang Yi had long been dissatisfied and had repeatedly submitted memorials to impeach his former boss, intending to sever the relationship between the two sides, on the one hand to establish a new faction, and on the other hand to express his position to the emperor at that time.

This man changed his job several times, but he rose higher and higher in his career. By the time the retired emperor went to Xiazhou, the old ministers who had followed the emperor north were either dead or could not return. When the new emperor ascended the throne, he had firmly established his foothold in the Privy Council and had become a powerful figure.

Although Zhao Hong had read many biographies and family scrolls, without anyone to explain to him, how could he discern the many secrets from the changes in the text? He was stunned for a moment.

"You are the emperor. You should be able to tolerate others, use them, and control them. You must know that there is no perfect person in the world. How can you be considered to have made mistakes in minor matters but not in major matters? How can you be considered to have ruined the atmosphere of the court? How can you use both kindness and power? I don't know how to do that. I want you to learn it by yourself in the future and weigh the measures."

"There is only one thing." She said seriously, "How the king acts, the ministers and the people will naturally follow suit. You are trying to stir up trouble with different opinions, but don't the people below know how to use them? There are checks and balances all the time, and fights all the time. When the government is in chaos, there will always be a day when it will be difficult to suppress you no matter which side you lead to..."

Zhao Hong had already heard everything in his heart, but he felt very aggrieved and said, "But I am completely incompetent now. Not only am I bullied by a group of people below, but I am also plotting against my sister..."

Zhao Mingzhi couldn't help but laugh and said, "What can they do? But they are just using the great principles to justify their actions. If they are really shameless, I can follow their example."

Zhao Hong was still uneasy, but he leaned against his elder sister's palm and muttered, "Whoever wants to marry can go by himself, anyway, elder sister is not allowed to go!"

Having said just this, he stayed with Zhao Mingzhi for a while and exchanged a few more words, but still refused to leave. He only reviewed his homework in the Chuigong Hall. After finally finishing it all, he picked up the memorials beside him and read them. If there were any that he did not understand, he took a pen and wrote them down one by one. During more than an hour, he hardly moved except for the necessary movements.

It was only after Zhao Mingzhi reminded him several times that he got up and walked around, but then he sat back down at his desk. After repeated persuasion, he finally went back to rest.

Seeing his brother behaving like this, Zhao Mingzhi had to call Wang Shu to ask him about it. Although he knew that his brother preferred quietness and did not like movement, he was frail and sickly since childhood, and now he was displaced and frightened. He used to practice archery and riding a horse, but he rarely did so after going to Caizhou.

He is now studying very hard and sitting all day long. This may be ok for a short time, but it is really harmful to his health in the long run.

Thinking about his brother having to take medicine all year round, Zhao Mingzhi had no choice but to invite Doctor Liu to ask for advice, and specially selected a suitable candidate from the imperial guards. Even if Zhao Hong could not learn martial arts, he did not care about riding and archery skills, as long as he could use them to regulate his body, it would be good.

However, Zhao Hong was short of breath and weak to begin with. He would become breathless after running only a short distance, and would break out in a sweat if he moved a little. Even if he was willing, the medical officer would still advise him to rest more and move less. So he froze for a while and had to walk a few more steps and eat more to recuperate.

Since then, the court has been quiet for a long time, like a building with leaks everywhere, but it has finally survived the storm, and everyone has survived the disaster. After being busy, they have no time to think about their suffering. No matter what happened in the past, life must go on. And inside and outside the court, countless people are waiting for the arrival of the Di people's envoys, as if they can only be truly safe after this final blow.

In the blink of an eye, it was already like summer. Construction was still going on everywhere inside and outside the capital. However, the Duting Posthouse west of Nanguan Street in Xiangfu County had already been renovated. Not only had the staff and water been replenished early, but the number of patrol soldiers and the frequency of patrols had also been increased a lot, for fear that any detail would be neglected and the guests would be neglected, which would affect the peace talks.

And in the streets and alleys, people were discussing everywhere how much tribute the Di people would demand this time.

Wool comes from sheep. If you give one more cent, the tax will naturally increase by one cent in the future. If you give one more piece of silk, the people will have to weave a hundred more feet of cloth in the future.

As the sun grew hotter and the days grew longer, the Di envoys finally arrived at Duting Posthouse.

According to past practice, after the Di delegation arrived in Beijing, they had to rest for many days at Duting Posthouse. However, this time, the delegation did not arrive until the evening of the same day, and did not even wait until the next day, but urged the accompanying envoy to confirm the time so that they could go to the palace to submit the letter of credence.

The messenger naturally did not dare to delay and returned to the palace at night. Although the palace gates had been closed, he did not dare to return home, but waited until dawn and hurried into the palace to report.

After much deliberation, the court finally set the date for the audience three days later. The meeting would first take place in the Zichen Hall, and then the banquet would be held in the Chuigong Hall. From then on, everyone made their own preparations and no one mentioned it again.

As soon as the Di people's delegation entered the capital, news spread everywhere, some of which were true and some were false, but the amount of annual tribute reported was getting higher day by day.

By the day before, the amount had reached a shocking level.

After finally winning the war, the people still had to pay tribute and cede land. This had happened before, but this time the emperor and generals had changed, and even the ministers of the two governments had changed a lot. If they were to continue to be as aggrieved as before, and had to take out the money they had saved for their lives, which was already empty, to support the bandits, the people would naturally be filled with resentment.

Seeing that the situation in the city was not right, some people even took stones to smash the doors and windows of Duting Posthouse. Lu Xianzhang was worried that this would cause a disaster, so he sent more people to patrol and guard.

During the days of waiting, the Di people did not show off in the city as they did in the past, but stayed quietly in the post station to discuss things behind closed doors.

Finally, the day of the audience arrived. The envoy Qi Yuan stepped into the hall first. After paying his respects, he presented a Chinese book and several simple gifts. While conveying the greetings from the successor emperor Zong Gu, he stood at the bottom of the steps and looked up at Zhao Hong who was sitting on the dragon throne.

Although this person called himself a vassal, his eyes were wanton and his movements were casual. After looking at Zhao Hong, he glanced around and suddenly caught sight of the screen beside him.

The Purple Palace was not small to begin with, and the steps were far apart and blocked by a screen, so naturally one could not see the specific situation from behind, and could only catch a glimpse of shadows and the swaying of pearl hairpins.

Qi Yuan stared at the screen for a long time.

Zhao Hong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was already wary, and he became even more displeased when he saw this man's behavior. However, he couldn't say much because of the other party's identity. He took the letter and flipped through it, but he paused and his face suddenly turned dark.

——The news previously received by the court was not false. As expected, the Di people wanted to increase the amount of annual tribute and cede several more states of land. It was much more than what we had known before.

Zhao Hong was annoyed, and even more annoyed that for the past few days, the two governments had been divided into two factions. One faction wanted to fight, but they were just shouting nonsense and it was obvious that they were not thinking at all. The other faction wanted peace, and they advocated that no matter what the Di people wanted, as long as they could afford it, the two countries should put down their weapons and discuss the matter later.

Now that we have received the letter from this diplomatic envoy, although there are many demands in it, I am afraid that according to the recent attitudes of the two governments, they will probably bargain for a few days and finally agree to it.

Doing so would naturally be like drinking poison to quench thirst, and would be equivalent to feeding a tiger with one's own flesh and blood, but Zhao Hongquan could not make the decision, and dared not make the decision.

He also knew that the Jin Dynasty was already in ruins and could not fight any further. He really did not want to read it anymore, so he put the letter back on the tray in the hands of the eunuch in front of him.

The latter took a few steps back without being told and passed it to Zhao Mingzhi who was behind the screen.

Zhao Mingzhi took it and was about to open it when he heard the beggar Yuan suddenly say, "In fact, our emperor has another proposal this time..."

This person spoke, but his eyes were still fixed on the screen.

"My emperor has just taken office. The emperors of the two countries have always been brothers. This time, we are equals and should take care of each other. I know that your majesty has a sister who is of marriageable age, and my emperor is in his prime. Why don't the two sides be closer? In this way, my emperor and your majesty will be brothers from now on. According to the Jin law, they are also relatives. It will be a great thing to maintain the friendship between the two countries. "

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was silent. Only Zhao Hong gritted his teeth and wanted to curse several times, but he suppressed it and said, "I remember that Brother Beichao seemed to have a wife already."

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "If we marry, based on the relationship between our two countries, our emperor will respect the Southern Dynasty princess as his wife and will not treat her any less favorably than others. Your Majesty does not need to worry."

His tone was so natural, as if it was natural for a princess of a country to share a husband with someone else. As he spoke, he took two steps forward and looked behind the screen again.

Finally, an official stepped out and asked, "The Northern Dynasty claims to be respected, but why is it so negligent? How can it demand annual tribute from its relatives?"

"If the two countries can really become friends, my emperor will consider it." Qi Yuan's smile was a bit cunning, "But it's like the Southern Dynasty's practice. Our country pays the betrothal gift, and the Southern Dynasty should also pay the dowry - no matter how much the dowry is, won't it all belong to the princess in the future?"

At this point, he raised his right hand and made a "two" gesture, saying, "However, our country has always been generous. If the marriage can be completed, our emperor is willing to reduce part of the annual tribute that was originally to be added this time, and ask for at least 100,000 silver taels and 100,000 silk as a betrothal gift. With such sincerity, please consider it carefully, Your Majesty and Her Royal Highness the Princess."