Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 363 Trading

After the peace talks were suspended, Lu Chen and the officials of the Northern Kingdom briefly discussed some recent political affairs in the Northern Kingdom before concluding the small court meeting.

As Lu Chen had predicted, the small court assembly had just ended, and Lu Chen had just returned to the Prince's Mansion when a guard came to him and said that Wu Ming wanted to see him alone.

Lu Chen naturally knew why Wu Ming wanted to see him, so he had someone bring Wu Ming to his study.

After Wu Ming entered the study, Lu Chen said with a smile, "Your Highness Wu Ming, please have a seat."

As soon as Lu Chen finished speaking, he went to the study to rest and drink tea. Wu Ming then sat down at the tea table as well.

At this moment, Lu Chen said to the maid at the door of the study, "Xiaoqian, make tea."

At this point, Lu Chen's gaze fell on Wu Ming, and he looked at Wu Ming with a smile, saying, "I wonder what brings Your Highness Wu Ming to see me alone?"

Wu Ming asked directly, "I would like to ask the Northern King, is he truly planning to send me to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage?"

Previously in the council hall, Wu Ming referred to himself as "this king," but now in front of Lu Chen, he referred to himself as "I," and his posture immediately became more humble.

Hearing Wu Ming's tone, Lu Chen smiled faintly and then said, "His Highness Wu Ming is very important in Da Wu and is one of the candidates for Crown Prince. Since we are choosing a hostage, we should naturally choose someone who is important to Da Wu."

"In my opinion, you are the most suitable."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ming quickly replied, "The Northern King is giving me too much credit. Although there are some ministers in the Great Wu court who support me, compared to the Crown Prince, I am nothing."

"My father sent me to the Northern Kingdom this time, which is obviously because he doesn't want to tarnish the reputation of the eldest prince. This proves that in my father's heart, he is the most important person."

"If the Northern King is to choose a prince as a hostage, he should choose the eldest prince. If he chooses me, I am afraid I will not be able to serve as a hostage."

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Lu Chen said thoughtfully, "Oh? Is that so?"

"However, if I were to choose the eldest prince as a hostage, I'm afraid the Martial Emperor wouldn't agree, would he?"

"After all, you said that he is the most important person in your father's heart."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Wu Ming was slightly taken aback.

"this……"

After composing himself, Wu Ming said, "Now that the Northern army is pressing in, I believe my father will agree to any conditions proposed by you, the Northern King."

Lu Chen said, "So, does that mean your father will agree to the trade treaty?"

Wu Ming was stunned. What did this have to do with the trade treaty? Weren't they talking about the issue of the hostage?

Just as Wu Ming was puzzled, he suddenly realized something.

Wu Ming then said, "If the Northern King chooses another prince as a hostage, I believe my father will definitely agree to the trade treaty proposed by the Northern Kingdom."

Wu Ming was unaware of the impact the trade treaty would have on the Great Wu Kingdom. However, the Great Wu delegation had just reminded him that, among the terms of the peace talks, the trade treaty proposed by the Northern Kingdom did not seem to involve as obvious losses as ceding territory and paying reparations, but it was the most harmful and likely that the Emperor Wu would not agree to it.

No wonder when they first came to the Northern Kingdom, the newspapers said that the hostage chosen by the Northern Kingdom was Wu Yunwan, but then suddenly changed to him, the second prince. It turns out that the Northern King wanted to use his power to get his father to agree to the trade treaty.

This is essentially a transaction. If the trade treaty cannot be passed, the hostage will likely be himself; if the trade treaty is passed, the hostage will be someone else.

Upon hearing Wu Ming's reply, Lu Chen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "If Your Highness Wu Ming can persuade Emperor Wu to agree to the trade treaty, then I will choose your eldest princess as a hostage. If Your Highness Wu Ming fails, then please stay in the Northern Kingdom."

Wu Ming immediately said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will definitely persuade all the officials of the Great Wu and my father."

Lu Chen said with a smile, "Then I will wait for His Highness Wu Ming's good news. I hope His Highness Wu Ming can hurry up, after all, the families of the soldiers in the Northern Kingdom are still waiting for their compensation."

Wu Ming then said, "Please give me another month, Your Majesty. After a month, I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer."

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Alright, then I will give Prince Wu Ming a month. I hope Prince Wu Ming will not make me wait a month in vain."

Wu Ming smiled obsequiously and said, "Of course."

"If the Northern King has nothing else to attend to, I will head back today."

At this point, Wu Ming stood up from his chair, and Lu Chen immediately stood up as well, saying, "Alright, Your Highness Wu Ming, take care. I won't see you off."

Wu Ming didn't waste any more words and got up to leave.

……

a few days later.

The Great Wu Imperial Court.

When the trade treaty proposed by the Northern Kingdom was sent back to Da Wu, it immediately caused a stir in the Da Wu court.

Although most of the ministers in the Great Wu court were incompetent, they were not fools.

As seasoned veterans of officialdom, the ministers immediately saw through the Northern Kingdom's intentions. The Northern Kingdom not only allowed Da Wu to fully open up all its markets, but also allowed Da Wu to use the Northern Kingdom's currency to trade with the Northern Kingdom.

What a joke! If we use the Northern Kingdom's currency, and a large amount of goods from the Northern Kingdom flood into the Northern Kingdom, wouldn't all the merchants of Da Wu use the Northern Kingdom's currency to buy these goods? If the quantity of goods increases, people might very well abandon Da Wu's currency and switch to using the Northern Kingdom's currency instead.

At this moment, Chai Jiliang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Da Wu must not agree to the Northern Kingdom's conditions. Although the Northern Kingdom has not yet printed its own currency, the fact that they have mentioned this treaty proves that the Northern Kingdom will issue a new currency soon."

"Once a large amount of goods and currency from the Northern Kingdom floods into Da Wu, very few people will use the currency issued by Da Wu in the future."

Chai Jiliang has now been reinstated and has once again become the prime minister of Da Wu. The reason why the Empress Wu reinstated him was mainly to appease Wu Yunwan.

The Empress needs Wu Yunwan to go to the Northern Kingdom to infiltrate. In order to increase Wu Yunwan's enthusiasm, it is necessary to give her hope.

Empress Wu knew her daughter was very intelligent. If all the ministers in her faction were gone and she had no voice in the court, she might suspect that she was just making empty promises.

Therefore, he immediately reinstated Chai Jiliang, an important figure in Wu Yunwan's faction, to his original position.

As soon as Chai Jiliang finished speaking, another minister stood up and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, the Northern King is a wolf in sheep's clothing. This treaty will harm the long-term interests of our Great Wu. We must not agree to it."

Subsequently, many ministers stood up to oppose the trade treaty of the Northern Kingdom.

After the dissenting ministers had largely subsided, Emperor Wu glanced at the assembled officials in the hall and then asked, "Does any of you have other ideas, my dear ministers?"

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, a minister from the Second Prince's faction stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Lord Chai's statement is completely unfounded. In my opinion, this trade treaty will not only not harm Great Wu, but will actually benefit it."

"I believe that everyone here has used some of the goods from the Northern Kingdom. Take white paper for example. With white paper, the Great Wu will no longer need to use bamboo slips and sheepskin."

As soon as the minister finished speaking, the ministers from the Second Prince's faction stood up in unison, expressing their support for the trade treaty and believing that the Northern Kingdom's currency would not pose any threat to the Great Wu.

(End of this chapter)