Border Cook

Chapter 704 Resignation
Two days later, the detailed terms and conditions of the peace talks appeared on the emperor's desk.

After looking at it for a long time, the emperor asked someone beside him to give it to Xiao Luoan.

"Your Highness, take a look too."

"Yes."

Xiao Luoan took it respectfully, and read it carefully word by word. At last, he said, "Reporting to the emperor, these are almost the same as what the emperor guessed before. It's nothing more than the amount of silver, money, cattle, sheep and horses."

"But even if there are slight discrepancies, it's not a big deal. On the contrary, the King of Jinwei is quite sincere and asks for very little in terms of rewards. It can be seen that he is not trying to haggle over these things, but the current life of Jinwei is really tight and he can't afford to give more."

The emperor smiled and said, "Li Juncheng may seem dull, but he is actually very cunning. I am afraid that he is doing this on purpose to make us think this way."

"Indeed." Xiao Luoan nodded. "Li Juncheng is showing weakness by doing this. He wants the Great Zhou Kingdom to relax its vigilance. It is also good for the reputation of the Jinwei Kingdom and helps him to stabilize the people's hearts."

"It's just that this reward is a little less, and the same is true for the Great Zhou Kingdom, so as to avoid further anger among those who oppose the peace talks."

"And in this peace talk, our Great Zhou Kingdom has gained a lot of advantages. A real man should not be fussy about trivial matters. This is what a great country should do."

indeed.

Once the peace talks began, in many cases, in order to show sincerity, the occupied land had to be returned. All the cities of Jinwei State occupied by the Great Zhou Kingdom were returned to the Great Zhou Kingdom, and not a single cent was returned. This was indeed a huge advantage, and it did not discourage the soldiers who had fought hard in the battles.

"That's right." The emperor nodded, "Then let it be so."

"Yes." Xiao Luoan responded and asked someone to draft a peace agreement and arrange personnel to escort the peace agreement.

Clean and crisp.

The emperor saw it and nodded slightly.

His vision was indeed good. This Xiao Luoan was quite talented and strategic, somewhat like him when he was young.

Such a person will probably be able to continue his ambitions in the future and make the entire Great Zhou Kingdom more prosperous.

After taking a sip of the tea brought by Ding Dahai, the emperor looked at Xiao Luoan, "The queen told me yesterday that she has arranged for you to marry the granddaughter of the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Academy. What do you think?"

"The Queen loves me so much, and I am deeply grateful." Xiao Luoan bowed to express his gratitude.

As a Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, his real power is undoubtedly equal to that of the Prime Minister. The purpose of arranging such a marriage for Xiao Luoan is to let the Prime Minister lead the ministers in the court to fully assist Xiao Luoan.

This is really paving the way for Xiao Luoan.

Xiao Luoan's gratitude came from the heart.

"I also think this marriage is very good." The emperor smiled, "The Qin family is a family of scholars, a family of farmers and scholars, and they are upright officials. Madam Qin is the eldest daughter of the family. She is well-educated, beautiful and intelligent, and praised by everyone. You and she are a perfect match made in heaven."

"I have already asked the Queen and the Ministry of Rites to arrange this matter. The wedding will be held in the spring of next year. If you have time, you can also participate in the banquet prepared by the Queen. It will also be beneficial to you."

When the Crown Prince gets married, if he has never met the Crown Princess and has never had any contact with her, it is inevitable that they will have some difficulties in getting along after the sudden marriage.

This young man and woman had some private contact with each other, and they had a general idea of ​​what was going on in their minds and knew how to get along with each other in the future.

"Yes, your son will obey." Xiao Luoan responded.

"In addition, I have one more thing to remind you." The emperor continued, "You are the crown prince, and you are a role model among the ministers. You must keep yourself clean and your husband and wife should live in harmony in the future."

"Yes, I will obey you. Please rest assured, Father."

"That's very good." The emperor nodded again, gave some instructions on other matters concerning Xiao Luoan, and went back to rest first.

Xiao Luoan handled affairs for the entire afternoon until the sun set and the western sky was filled with sunset glow, and then he returned to his palace.

Cen Ying brought over some tea.

It is the chrysanthemum tea that Xiao Luoan likes to drink.

It has a light taste, can relieve internal heat and calm the mind, and is very beneficial to the body.

Xiao Luoan sipped his tea, thinking of the words that the emperor had deliberately reminded him of in the palace today. After a pause, he said, "Today, the Ministry of Rites said that they have begun to build the Prince's Mansion, and it will be completed by autumn at the latest. By then, you can move out of the palace and live in the Prince's Mansion."

"My father and the Empress were concerned about my poor family background, so they gave me a lot of farms. I took a look today and found that they are all near the outskirts of Beijing, not too far away. However, these farms are quite large, so I need to find a reliable person to keep an eye on them."

"I don't have many people around me who can be used. You are the one I trust the most, so I plan to send you over to take care of it for a while. After all these farms and properties are in order, I will bring you to the Prince's Mansion to work."

"How do you...feel?"

When Xiao Luoan said these words, he kept his head down and was a little afraid to look at Cen Ying.

Cen Ying thought about it seriously for a while, "When it comes to managing the industry and running the business, Xu Chong is more suitable than me. Xu Chong doesn't have any other important tasks now, so why don't you send him there, Your Highness?"

She doesn't want to go?

"Alright." Xiao Luoan suddenly had an idea and put down the teacup in his hand. "It's better to send him. This way, he won't have anything to do and will always nag and urge me."

"But if this is the case, you will have to stay in the palace as a maid..."

"But don't worry, when the Prince's Mansion is completed, I will send you there to be the manager, so that you can always work by my side."

Xiao Luoan paused and asked tentatively, "Is it okay?"

Cen Ying pursed her lips and said, "Your Highness trusts me. I should have stayed by your side to work, but now that Your Highness has become the Crown Prince, there are more and more people around you who can be used. I feel more at ease. I am bold enough to bid farewell to Your Highness."

Farewell?

Xiao Luoan was startled and stood up suddenly, "Where are you going?"

"Cen Ying wants to go to Jinqiu County to look for Madam Xia." Cen Ying replied.

"You and Madam Xia have a deep friendship. We haven't seen each other for a long time. If you miss her, you can go and visit her..."

"Your Highness." Cen Ying interrupted Xiao Luoan, "Cen Ying wants to live in Jinqiu County from now on, please agree."

That means you don't plan to come back.

Xiao Luoan clenched his fingers in his sleeves and was silent for a long time before he asked, "You are willing to accompany Madam Xia, so I shouldn't interfere. But you have been with me for a long time, and I have long been accustomed to it. If you leave suddenly, I am afraid..."

"Next." Xiao Luoan's throat rolled, and he swallowed with some difficulty, "Next, since I am your master, I should also make some plans for you. You are a girl, and you are not young anymore. It is time for you to get married. I need to make some plans for you..." "Your Highness." Cen Ying interrupted Xiao Luoan again, "Your Highness now has the protection of the Emperor and the Empress, and there are many capable people around you. You will definitely not be short of manpower in the future. As for the marriage that Your Highness mentioned..."

"Forgive me for being so bold, but the reason I want to go to Jinqiu County is, firstly, because I am familiar with Madam Xia, and I will have someone to rely on in the future, and secondly..."

Cen Ying pursed her lips and whispered, "I have found someone I like in Jinqiu County."

The one?
Xiao Luoan was shocked again, his eyes wide open, "Who is he, what does he do, how did you get to know him, and when did you meet him?"

How come he knew nothing about this?
Xiao Luoan asked in a panic and anxious tone, and was a little out of control, which caused the little palace maid waiting for orders at the door to couldn't help but tilt her ear slightly.

Realizing that his behavior was inappropriate, Xiao Luoan coughed lightly and slowed down his tone. "I'm just a little surprised. After all, you were busy all day long when you were in Jinqiu County, and, and..."

Xiao Luoan swallowed the words "stay by my side all day" and replaced them with "You've never mentioned this before."

"Since I work for Your Highness, I naturally put Your Highness first in everything. Your Highness was in critical condition at the time, so I naturally focused on Your Highness's affairs. I had to suppress all my personal affairs in my heart, not wanting Your Highness to be distracted by my trivial matters."

Cen Ying paused and said, "I met that man when I was selling starch sausage with Xu Chong on the street. He is a scholar who studied at the county school in Jinqiu County. He is diligent and motivated, has good character, and is very fond of me. I also have a good impression of him."

"It's just that the situation in Jinqiu County is special, and I have never made my feelings clear to the other party. Now that the situation here is completely stable and your Highness is about to get married, I have also thought about my own private affairs, so I would like to ask for your grace and fulfill my wish."

After saying that, Cen Ying knelt on the ground and saluted properly.

Xiao Luoan pursed his lips again and again.

When Cen Ying spoke, her voice was steady, her tone was calm, and she spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly, without much emotion.

In particular, one can't hear any sadness or reluctance in the voice, but rather a strong sense of resoluteness.

Obviously, Cen Ying seemed to have had this plan for a long time, and she might have been thinking about these words for a long time.

I just don’t know…

Xiao Luoan thought for a long time and spoke again, "Are what you said true?"

"Every word I said is true." Cen Ying raised his head and looked at Xiao Luoan with a sharp gaze. He slowly raised his hand and said, "I swear to heaven that if I have deceived Your Highness in the slightest, I will definitely..."

His heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally fell down, causing him inexplicable pain.

Xiao Luoan's eyes dimmed, and he opened his mouth to stop Cen Ying from swearing, "You have always been honest and loyal, and what you said must be true. You don't need to swear anything."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness." Cen Ying thanked him, but begged again, "Please agree, Your Highness."

Having said that, Xiao Luoan had no room to refuse. After a moment of stunned silence, he pursed his lips and nodded, "Since you have already asked, I naturally have no reason to refuse."

"Since you are going back to Jinqiu County, I will give you the house over there for your convenience. Besides, you have been with me for many years, working diligently and loyally. Since you are going to Jinqiu County to prepare for your marriage, you will need a lot of money..."

Xiao Luoan took out a wooden box from the bookshelf next to him, opened it, took out a few pieces of paper, and handed them to Cen Ying one by one. "This is the house deed and land deed of the house, this is a silver note of one thousand taels, this is one hundred acres of good farmland, and this is..."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have a lot of savings, which is enough for my travel expenses. After arriving in Jinqiu County, I can continue to do the starch sausage business with Madam Xia and make a lot of money."

Cen Ying only took the house and land deeds, and declined the rest. "On the contrary, although Your Highness is now the crown prince, his foundation is still shallow, and there will be many places where you will need these things in the future. You don't need to spend so much money on your subordinates."

"Although Mr. Gu's family is ordinary, he has always been self-reliant and never relied on others. I think he is also the kind of person who hopes that the couple will work hard together to make money in the future."

"In short, I don't need these. Your Highness, there is no need to be so polite."

Mr. Gu?
Is that person’s surname Gu?
Xiao Luoan opened his mouth to ask more about the situation of this student named Gu, but after opening his mouth again and again, he finally did not ask anything. And under Cen Ying's insistence, he could only take back the banknotes and land for the time being.

Then he found another box on the shelf, opened it and took out a jade pendant, and handed it to Cen Ying, "This jade pendant is one of the relics of my mother. Although the quality is not top-notch, it is quite good. I will give it to you as a dowry for you."

It also leaves some thoughts.

Cen Ying paused, then took it and said, "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness. I will pack my things and leave early tomorrow morning. Your Highness will attend the morning court, so I will not disturb you any more. I will say goodbye now."

After saying that, Cen Ying still bowed respectfully to Xiao Luoan.

Without waiting for Xiao Luoan to react, he got up and left.

Xiao Luoan's raised hand froze in mid-air, and after a long time, he silently retracted it.

When night fell, Xiao Luoan called Xu Chong to his side and asked him about the scholar named Gu.

"This..." Xu Chong scratched his ear. "The starch sausage business was quite good at that time. I was very busy and didn't notice the details at the time. However, there were many people who came to buy starch sausage, including some scholars from the county school."

"And seeing how handsome Cen Yingsheng was, these scholars often came to show their support and talked to him in various ways. I think Mr. Gu was among them at that time."

"About that."

Xiao Luoan sighed.

The matter sounded reasonable. Cen Ying probably wasn't lying. She really had someone she liked.

And this favorite person is not him.

And if Cen Ying lied about this...

The purpose of lying about this matter is to completely block all avenues.

Since Cen Ying has made such a big decision, does it mean that he is not in her heart?

In this case, he no longer had any reason to get entangled.

I can only hope that Cen Ying will have a smooth life in the future, everything will go as planned, and that the couple...will live in harmony.

"Your Highness suddenly asked me this. Do you want me to do something?" Xu Chong asked in surprise.

"No, nothing, it's just that this happened suddenly, and I just wanted to confirm something." Xiao Luoan raised his hand, "Cen Ying is leaving tomorrow, I'll see her off when you get there."

"Yes." Xu Chong bowed, "I will take my leave."

Then, Xu Chong went to look for Cen Ying.

Watching Cen Ying put a few pieces of clothing into a bag and neatly tied it up, Xu Chong frowned, "Have you really decided?"