Song and dance continued without pause in the great hall, while princes and dignitaries exchanged toasts.
"Mister Fan, allow this junior to offer you a toast."
"You're too kind..."
Dressed in a white gown, Linghu Qingmo sat primly beside Xie Jinhuan, keeping one hand on Coal Ball, who wanted to peck at Emperor Qian's dragon robe.
Noticing Xie Jinhuan's tightly knitted brows, as though he were studying something, Linghu Qingmo leaned closer and asked curiously:
"What are you looking at?"
Xie Jinhuan was pondering how to deal with Li Gongpu. At the question, he picked up his wine cup and gestured with his eyes toward an official seated in the distance:
"That man isn't wearing Great Qian's official robes. Is he an envoy from Northern Zhou?"
"Yes. Guo Ziyan, an uncle of Northern Zhou's Empress Dowager Guo. He's here for negotiations."
"About what?"
Linghu Qingmo raised his cup and clinked it against Xie Jinhuan's:
"The Four Towns of Yunbei. After the Witch Cult Rebellion, both north and south suffered terrible casualties and negotiated peace. With the Various Sects and hundred schools mediating, Northern Zhou ceded the Four Towns of Yunbei to Great Qian, bringing the war to an end.
"Now, after a century of recovery, Northern Zhou isn't satisfied. They say the treaty was unfair and want the Four Towns of Yunzhou back."
The Four Towns of Yunzhou lay near the Great Qian Mountain River Pass. Their terrain was formidable, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and they were rich in mineral deposits, giving them great strategic significance. Xie Jinhuan asked in surprise:
"How could the court possibly give up a place like that?"
"Exactly."
Linghu Qingmo shielded his cup with his sleeve and drained it, his cheeks growing a little redder:
"What gets negotiated at the table