Joy of Life: Starting from Teacher Fan Xian

Chapter 74 Honglu Temple Meeting

After receiving the imperial edict and hearing Lord Fan complaining all morning, an official sedan chair from the Honglu Temple arrived in the afternoon.

Lin Ruo was happy to accept it at first, but when he heard that he was going to the border in the capacity of the chief envoy, he knew that something bad was going to happen and that the two old guys were setting a trap for him again.

"Lord Lin, when we go to the Honglu Temple later, you must not tell them that you know me. After all, I am the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple and have a long-standing relationship with Lord Lin. It would be easy for people to gossip about me." On the official sedan chair going to the Honglu Temple, Xin Qiwu spoke calmly to distance himself from the relationship, and his expression inevitably looked a little awkward.

From Xin Qiwu's words and actions, Lin Ruo immediately guessed the anger that all the officials in the Honglu Temple expressed towards him. After all, as an outsider, showing off his power by stepping on the heads of elites in the industry was just like a big company parachuting in a leader in his previous life. It was indeed very against the rules.

"The court appoints you as the chief negotiator, which shows its trust in Lord Lin. But when you go to the Honglu Temple, Lord Lin should be more humble and don't think about talking back or arguing." The weather in early summer was not too hot, but Xin Qiwu's face was already covered with sweat. For him, which side to support when a quarrel broke out later would be a question that needed to be considered.

"Master Xin, what do you think of Lin's comparison with the officials of the Honglu Temple?"

This question was very annoying, but Xin Qiwu still said shamelessly: "Lord Lin is a young talent, and the Honglu Temple is naturally not as bright as your future."

Hearing this, Lin Ruo smiled and immediately stopped expecting Xin Qiwu to say anything for him when he entered the Honglu Temple.

"This time we go north to negotiate, we're going to discuss some post-war work, boundary demarcation, compensation, and sending envoys to apologize. It's not too much trouble, but the requirements must be met." Xin Qiwu did not forget to explain the main content and related requirements of the negotiations to Lin Ruo in detail, mainly to deal with the difficulties of the Honglu Temple and not let Lin Ruo lose too much face.

It's funny to say that Lin Ruo, who was the envoy to the north, had to listen to an official from the Honglu Temple introduce the mission. From this, we can see how ridiculous and helpless the appointment of this envoy was.

Lin Ruo frowned, thinking that these things were indeed complicated, and began to think about how to deal with them.

Xin Qiwu said at the side: "Whatever they say, Lord Lin will just listen to it, there will be no problem."

That meant going to get scolded, but Lin Ruoke couldn't do that.

The sedan chair stopped outside the Honglu Temple Yamen. It was surrounded by cypress trees and lush greenery. It was worthy of being a diplomatic department and its image was fully up to standard.

Walking into the government office, Xin Qiwu maintained a serious expression, intentionally or unintentionally keeping a distance from Lin Ruo. When he arrived outside the quiet hall, Xin Qiwu changed even more, and his face almost said something like "I don't know you".

"Sir, Young Master Lin is here." Xin Qiwu led Lin Ruo into the hall, smiled, and sat back in his chair without even looking at him.

Lin Ruo clasped his fists around him and politely greeted the diplomats. Then he turned his gaze to the main seat in the hall and said politely, "Mr. Yunze, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, I have heard of your name for a long time."

He even knew that his last name was Yun and his given name was Ze... The Minister of the Ministry of Rites was startled and his eyes lit up.

"I have heard of your efforts to combat corruption since Master Yunze was the magistrate of Jingguo County. I have long admired you."

"You are so young, but you have heard of my story." The Minister of Honglu Temple could not help but smile. He thought that this kid was just being perfunctory, but he didn't expect that he actually knew about his heroic deeds in his early years, which most of the officials present did not know.

In a moment, the impression changed greatly. The Minister of the Ministry of Rites was satisfied, but when he looked at other officials around him, he found that he was almost rebelling, and he immediately became serious.

Without waiting for anything to happen, Lin Ruo visited several other important officials in the hall one by one.

These officials, like their temple ministers, initially either showed contempt and disdain or were unwilling to pay attention. But when Lin Ruo revealed their backgrounds one by one, they calmed down a little.

The faces of the officials changed drastically, and they all looked as if they had heard of my story, and their sense of self-identity reached a climax.

At this moment, even though the officials knew that this guy had done a background check in advance, they did not look at him strangely.

The fact that he could conduct such an in-depth investigation with preparation in advance is enough to show that this student is humble and sociable. He is definitely not the kind of spoiled brat who looks down on others and bullies others by taking advantage of his status. At least he has put himself in the right position in terms of attitude.

The atmosphere in the hall eased greatly, and Lin Ruo took a seat.

In fact, he had not investigated anything. The officials came from all over the world, so how could the detailed investigation be completed in one or two days? All this was thanks to Xin Qiwu's reminder on the road.

It is hard to imagine how much sacrifice Lord Xin made to maintain good relationships with his colleagues when he was promoted to the Honglu Temple. Lin Ruo was amazed in his heart.

Although Lord Xin did not speak for himself in the hall, he was extremely caring and hardworking outside the hall.

Xin Qiwu breathed a sigh of relief, and sighed that hard work pays off. However, he could not believe his eyes and remained silent.

He thought to himself that this kid had an incredible memory. He had only mentioned a few words on the way here, but he remembered every word and repeated them in class.

It's so unbelievable...

Sitting down, Lin Ruo did not dare to neglect and followed all the etiquette and looked at the diplomats of Qing Kingdom gently: "I am a new official, not as experienced and capable as you gentlemen. I am not worthy of the title of envoy, and I am ashamed. On my trip to the north, I will mainly follow your opinions. I hope you will give me some advice and do not look down on me as a beginner."

Lin Ruo's words were almost like saying that he was a good child who was obedient and would not seek death.

When all the officials heard this, they were naturally much happier. When dealing with people, what they like most is someone who speaks nicely and can clearly understand their position.

Even so, the officials still had some concerns in their hearts. It would be strange if they could let go of the fact that someone came in and took away half of the credit for no reason during the negotiation. Lin Ruo knew what these people were thinking. After thinking it over, he said, "Please rest assured, sirs. When we are successful in the north and return to the capital, I will personally tell your majesty about our strengths and reward everyone according to their merits. I will not leave out any sir."

After hearing these words, even the most thoughtful officials could not help but be overjoyed and put aside their differences. Who would not like someone who does not seek credit?

"You are very polite. You are the new number one scholar and respected by Your Majesty. How can we look down on you? Mr. Lin is a man of talent and you should be modest." The Minister of the Ministry of Rites finally spoke politely, and then many officials stood up to agree with him.

Xin Qiwu, who had remained silent, smiled slightly and interrupted with a bit of sinisterness, "In fact, Xin and Lord Lin have known each other for a long time and are close friends. Xin believes in Lord Lin's character and ability. The journey to the north will definitely be safe."

Didn’t you just say you were pretending not to know me? You’re really good at making jokes.

But the way of officialdom is that you praise me and I praise you.

At least on the way north, I avoided being bullied and looked down upon, so today's trip can be considered a success.

After the flattery, the officials from the Honglu Temple began to discuss the negotiations with Northern Qi in earnest.

But this argument is somewhat arrogant.

"Twenty thousand taels of gold is not enough. We need at least thirty thousand taels to start with."

"We are running low on silk and satin. We need at least another thousand rolls."

“There is also the issue of land demarcation…”

As Lin Ruo listened, it seemed that the officials were not discussing the details of the negotiations at all. Instead, they seemed to be discussing how to divide Northern Qi.

This is more than just not taking the Northern Qi negotiation team seriously...

In recent years, the Qing Kingdom has won battles one after another, sweeping away the haze and making Northern Qi feel anxious all day long. It is normal for it to be a little arrogant.

"The soldiers on the front line fought bravely, so we in the rear cannot treat them unfairly. We must demand every bit of the benefits we deserve. When we sit at the negotiation table, we must speak clearly!" The Minister of the Ministry of Rites looked at everyone with a stern expression and spoke very sternly. This was a negotiation in which there could be no loss.

In the past two years, Northern Qi has undergone great changes. The old emperor passed away, and the new emperor was only four years old. The power of Northern Qi was in the hands of the empress dowager who ruled the country from behind the curtain.

Therefore, the envoys sent for negotiations were naturally the Empress Dowager's confidants.

"Marquis Changning, the younger brother of the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi." The Minister of the Ministry of Rites mentioned this name.

A group of officials whispered to each other and shook their heads. The man was not well-known and had never been heard of before, so their confidence undoubtedly increased.

It seems that Northern Qi is so scared that it has even brought its own family members to the front. Is this negotiation just to make us ask for too much?
Looking at his own side, he was always inferior to a new number one scholar and was not even qualified to attend the court.

A group of Honglu Temple officials could not help but guess that the Emperor had made such arrangements in order to humiliate Northern Qi.

Lin Ruoke didn't know that she was affected for no reason, but she thought that the trick might not be that simple.

The Minister of the Honglu Temple slammed the table heavily and said in a cold voice: "Don't let your guard down. Northern Qi is insidious and cunning. You can't be sure that they have not used some secret tricks."

The officials nodded in unison.

Within ten days, a lot of intelligence will be sent back from the border to help them analyze the pros and cons in order to prepare for the next negotiations.

This negotiation does not seem to be an easy thing, but in the final analysis, the Qing Kingdom, with its large army approaching, has most of the say.

……

"Lord Lin, how come I didn't know that you are so eloquent?" After leaving the hall, Xin Qiwu resumed his usual signature smile and teased Lin Ruo's words and actions just now.

Uh, are you saying that I'm a flatterer... Xin Qiwu might not think so, but Lin Ruo definitely thinks so.

He only had the title of chief envoy, but other than that, he had nothing else that he should have. It was impossible for him to convince those officials in the Honglu Temple.

In this case, it is better to leave yourself aside as soon as possible. As for whether there will be a chance to show your talents and impress these officials after rushing to the border, Lin Ruo does not care.

It would be a good thing if this war, which hurts the country and the people, could end sooner.

The meeting at the Honglu Temple did not end until nightfall. Lin Ruo got on the sedan chair and returned to Fan Mansion along the same route.

Ten days later, he went to the border, and no one knew what was waiting for him...

(End of this chapter)