The delegation entered the capital

The officials in the Golden Palace had already received the news and were not surprised to hear it. Grand Secretary Qian Qingshu, without hesitation, stepped forward to express his opinion:

"This plan is likely a delaying tactic by the rebels. Your Majesty, please reconsider."

Before Emperor Yongxing could speak, someone immediately stood up to refute him:

"When did Chief Minister Qian and Provincial Governor Yang become so in sync?"

The speaker was the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War, one of the leading figures among the trolls.

Qian Qingshu frowned, scrutinized the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War, and said calmly:

"What insightful opinion does Lord Yan have?"

The Ministry of War's Supervising Secretary loudly proclaimed:

"Your Majesty, since the autumn harvest, 100,000 troops have been lost to Wei Yuan in Jingshan City. After winter, nearly 60,000 elite troops were lost in Qingzhou. If this continues, the soldiers of our Great Feng will surely be wiped out."

"With widespread refugee crisis and a severe shortage of troops, the Ministry of War is unable to spare any more soldiers to support Yongzhou. I believe that negotiating peace is the right move and can alleviate the court's urgent crisis."

The Minister of War hesitated, then sighed and chose to remain silent.

"To solve the immediate crisis?"

Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Zhang Xingying sneered:

"If we want to negotiate peace, the rebels will definitely make exorbitant demands, and I'm afraid the court will be even less able to resist them afterward. Doesn't Lord Yan understand the principle of being cut with a dull knife?"

At this moment, the Minister of Ministry of Revenue stepped forward and said in a deep voice:

"With your keen insight and understanding of the situation, Imperial Censor Zhang is far more capable than me. I'd rather you take my position as Minister of Ministry of Revenue."

Having said that, he gave a cold laugh, bowed to Emperor Yongxing, and loudly proclaimed:

"Your Majesty, the national treasury is empty. If the court continues to fight the rebels in Yunzhou, it will be dragged down by the war sooner or later. The spring festival is approaching, and the earth is coming back to life. What we need is time. And negotiating peace can buy us time to weather the cold disaster."

The pro-war and pro-peace factions immediately started arguing and fighting.

Whenever the situation threatened to spiral out of control, Zhao Xuanzhen would crack his whip and shout, "Silence!"

Emperor Yongxing silently observed the debate among the officials until more and more people voiced their opinions, and the pro-peace faction gradually gained the upper hand over the pro-war faction. Only then did he look at Zhao Xuanzhen and signal with his eyes.

Snap!

Zhao Xuanzhen lashed his whip again, the crisp sound echoing on the gleaming floor, silencing the argument inside the hall.

Emperor Yongxing looked around at everyone and slowly said:

"I have compassion for the soldiers and the people, and cannot bear to wage war again. The peace talks are settled."

Imperial city, royal palace.

A luxurious carriage stopped outside the mansion. With the help of servants, Qian Qingshu stepped off the carriage onto a small stool. The guards outside the mansion knew his identity and did not stop him.

After entering the mansion, he waited a short while in the inner hall before the steward led him into the inner courtyard, to the chief minister's bedroom.

For a man as distinguished as Chief Minister Wang to receive guests not in his study, but in his bedroom, it shows how serious his illness must be.

The charcoal glowed brightly, radiating warmth. The bedroom doors and windows were tightly closed, and two maids stood in each of the outer and inner chambers.

The chief minister sat leaning back, with a soft pillow under his waist.

He was so thin he was practically skin and bones, and his face showed signs of age, but his eyes remained bright and spirited.

"Well!"

Qian Qingshu sighed, "Why isn't your illness getting better?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, signaling the maids to leave.

"Perhaps my time is coming to an end." Wang Zhenwen smiled.

"When people get old, illness strikes like a landslide, and even a god can't save them. The saying goes, 'At fifty, one knows one's destiny.' Since it is destiny, one should just accept it as it is."

Qian Qingshu pondered for a moment and said:

"I shouldn't have come to see you; it would have been more important for you to focus on getting better, but..."

Wang Zhenwen raised his hand to interrupt, pointing to the window, and said:

"Open the window for me first."

Qian Qingshu frowned:

"It's freezing cold, and the window's open. Can your body handle it?"

Wang Zhenwen waved his hand:

"This gloomy atmosphere in the room makes me feel unwell; won't it make me more susceptible to illness? Stop talking nonsense and open the window right now."

Qian Qingshu hesitated for a moment, then walked to the window and opened a small opening to let the cool but refreshing breeze into the room.

He returned to the bedside, sat down on the stool, considered his words for a moment, and said:

"Qingzhou has fallen."

Seeing that Wang Zhenwen didn't speak, he also fell silent. After a while, Wang Zhenwen's voice was low and deep:

"You continue."

"The supervisor died in battle in Qingzhou. The rebels now occupy Qingzhou and are facing off against Yang Gong on the border of Yongzhou. Yesterday, Yao Hong, the provincial governor of Yongzhou, submitted a memorial stating that Yunzhou intends to send a delegation to negotiate peace."

Wang Zhenwen listened silently, without moving an inch, her gaze seemingly frozen.

After Qian Qingshu finished speaking, his eyes flickered slightly, and he regained his composure:

"His Majesty has agreed?"

His tone was filled with deep disappointment.

Qian Qingshu nodded slightly:

"There is no other choice. The Great Feng has lost its supervisor, leaving a gap in its extraordinary combat power. It's like a flock of sheep without a leader; sooner or later, morale will collapse. What's the point of continuing the fight?"

"If I were in his shoes, I'm afraid I would have done the same thing."

Suddenly realizing the great disrespect he had shown, he sighed and changed his words:

"The same would have happened with any of the other princes."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhenwen slowly nodded and said:

"They were certain of this, which is why they sent a delegation to negotiate when victory was assured."

Qian Qingshu gave a bitter smile:

"There are many smart people, but they all pretend to be fools. Everyone knows this, but what can be done? Recently, the people of the capital are in a state of panic. The officials are trying to remain calm, but in reality, they are terrified and even believe that the demise of the Great Feng is only a matter of time."

"Not seeking another way out is already commendable in terms of loyalty."

"His Majesty himself knows that peace talks are like being slowly tortured, but what can he do? Peace talks are his only hope, and he will grasp at them at all costs, telling himself that all of this is to buy time, to wait for the cold disaster to pass."

Wang Zhenwen remained silent for a long time before saying:

"Let's not talk about that. Find a way to get Xu Qi'an to come see me."

"He?"

Qian Qingshu shook his head with a wry smile:

"Who can keep an eye on this old man? I don't even know where he is."

"He's in the capital, he must be in the capital right now." Wang Zhenwen coughed violently, covering his mouth. "The supervisor is dead, he'll definitely come back. Hey, the Yunzhou rebels want to negotiate peace, they'll have to see if he agrees."

Qian Qingshu stood up, strode to the window, closed it, and turned back to say:

Do you think Xu Yinluo can resolve this crisis?

Wang Zhenwen remained silent for a long time before whispering:

Even if Wei Yuan were to be resurrected, he wouldn't be able to turn this dead end into a winning game.

Bureau of Astronomy.

Xu Qi'an didn't even go home; he went straight to Song Qing in the seventh-floor alchemy chamber.

"I've gathered all the materials for the Soul-Summoning Banner, but there's still one auxiliary material left."

Xu Qi'an took out the fragments of the Earth Book, along with two jade bottles that emitted a chilling, Yin Qi, a stone covered with honeycomb-like holes, and a ball of pitch-black silk that emitted highly poisonous gas.

Song Qing quickly took the antidote pill, covered his mouth and nose with a silk cloth soaked in the medicine, and then uncorked the porcelain bottle to verify the materials.

The porcelain bottle contained the ancient corpse's fingernails and jet-black bodily fluid extracted from its carotid artery.

After confirming the presence of the gong stone and the silkworm emitting highly toxic gas, Song Qing said:

"The last piece of material was Wei Yuan's original body's hair, skin, and flesh, used for location tracking. But Wei Yuan's physical body was destroyed in Jingshan City, so it must have been retrieved."

In fact Wei Yuan's physical body was devoured by Joan of Arc, but Song Qing was unaware of the details.

"So?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"Offspring can be substituted," Song Qing said slowly.

"Duke Wei has long since died without an heir," Xu Qi'an sighed inwardly, his voice low and somber.

"There must be other methods to replace it, otherwise the Supervisor wouldn't have asked me to find the magical Law Artifact for crafting the Soul-Summoning Banner."

Song Qing stared at him:

"Wei Yuan has no children, but you advanced to the third rank thanks to his Blood Pill. In a sense, you are his offspring."

"So next, you need to refine a Blood Pill. You don't need many, just the size of a fingernail will do. This won't affect your cultivation."

"Then, you'll also have to help me remove the poison contained in the Netherworld Silkworm Silk. I can't remove the poison from the descendants of Gods and Devils."

Xu Qi'an's gaze swept over the Netherworld Silkworm Silk:

"It will take at least three days to refine the Blood Elixir to remove the poison."

"These aren't the real problems. The real problem is, can you handle such a powerful magical Law Artifact as the Soul-Summoning Banner?"

The Director of the Imperial Observatory was no longer there, Sun Xuanji was recuperating from her injuries, and Yang Qianhuan was also not in the capital at this time. The highest-ranking official in the Bureau of Astronomy was Song Qing.

But Song Qing was only a sixth-rank Alchemist.

As a leading figure in the field of Alchemy, Song Qing had a profound understanding of himself and held Alchemy in the highest esteem. He would never be presumptuous, and he decisively shook his head.

I can't do it!

"Metals like the Mingjin Stone cannot be melted by ordinary fire; they require a fire-elemental array to gather fire spirits in order to melt them."

"Well, I can use some combustion-aiding materials to increase the flame temperature, but I need to build a new furnace, and the combustion-aiding materials are my own invention, which the Bureau of Astronomy does not have in stock."

"This alone will take half a month."

Song Qing had been stuck at the level for many years, immersing himself in Alchemy and exploring many methods to replace formations, but these methods were certainly not as convenient as directly setting up a formation.

"Therefore, you need to use your Qi instead of combustion-supporting materials to melt the Melting Stone and forge the pole of the Soul-Summoning Banner. As for the banner cloth, we can only discuss that after Senior Brother Sun's injuries have healed. Because during the weaving process, it is necessary to continuously incorporate array formations."

Xu Qi'an listened patiently and said:

"If we refine the Soul-Summoning Banner, will we be able to awaken Duke Wei?"

Song Qing shook her head again:

"Then you will inscribe the Yin-gathering array, waiting for one of the three times of the year when Yin Qi is at its peak, to summon Wei Yuan's soul."

Xu Qi'an frowned:

When was the most recent one?

Without hesitation, Song Qing replied:

"Spring Festival Day!"

After about a month, Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief, finding the situation acceptable.

On this day, a long boat, riding the clouds and mist, broke through the sea of clouds and slowly landed in the capital city.

The Wind-Riding Boat, this Law Artifact originally belonged to Dongfang Wanrong, but fell into Ji Xuan's hands during the Battle of Jianzhou. This boat can travel a thousand miles a day and is an extremely rare large-scale transportation tool.

Three people stood at the bow of the boat. In the center was a young man in fine clothes, with handsome features and a gentle and refined demeanor, holding a small silver-ribbed fan in his hand.

His appearance was four or five parts similar to Ji Xuan's, but their temperaments were completely different. Ji Xuan was more masculine, but his sharpness was hidden.

This young man possessed a scholarly air and an arrogance born from his vast knowledge.

On the left and right sides are Xu Yuanhuai, a boy in black, and Xu Yuanshuang, a cool and aloof girl.

These three were the core figures of the mission. In addition to them, there was a negotiation team composed of sixteen mature and prudent scholars.

And one hundred elite guards with considerable cultivation.

"The capital city..."

Ji Yuan twirled the small silver-bone fan in his hand a few times and laughed:

"We've long admired you, Yuan Huai and Yuan Shuang, aren't you happy?"

Xu Yuanhuai and Xu Yuanshuang both have unapproachable personalities; one is indifferent, and the other is aloof. This is related to the environment they grew up in.

But they were certainly not happy. Anyone could see who their father was targeting when he sent them to Beijing for negotiations.

"I heard that Xu Qi'an showed you two mercy outside Yongzhou City, not killing you. Once we enter the capital, you two must protect me well," Ji Yuan said with a smile.

"That fellow wouldn't kill his younger siblings, but he probably wouldn't even blink an eye if he killed my cousin."

Seeing his younger cousins' indifferent expressions, he felt bored and sighed:

"My purpose in coming to the capital this time is twofold. First, to secure greater benefits for Qianlong City. Second, to earn merit. Seventh Brother is already an extraordinary expert, while I have yet to achieve anything. If we can handle this task well, Father will value us brothers more, and Seventh Brother's position will be more secure."

"The third thing is to test the strength of the Great Feng Dynasty. Your eldest brother is the first person I'm testing. Tsk tsk, do you think he's ever considered peace talks?"

Xu Yuanshuang said calmly:

He won't!

This person would rather break than bend.

Ji Yuan nodded, and then said:

"A strong temperament does not equate to being stubborn. If he agrees to peace talks, it's merely a delaying tactic, indicating that the Great Feng still has a backup plan."

As they spoke, the Wind-Riding Boat slowly came to a stop outside the capital.

The government offices responsible for welcoming the Yunzhou delegation were the Court of State Ceremonies and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, led by the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, a third- Subordinate Third Rank official, which was a tremendous honor for Yunzhou.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was a middle-aged man with a goatee, a thin face, and deep crow's feet, which he wore constantly with a smile.

They are adept at interpersonal relationships and handle matters smoothly.

He led his subordinates to greet the Imperial Wind Boat, waiting for the Yunzhou delegation to disembark.

But as they waited and waited, the wind-riding boat remained completely silent; there was no sign of anyone, nor did they see the footboard lowered.

A quarter of an hour later, a guard leaned over the side of the ship and shouted:

"May I ask who you are, sir?"

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, with a professional smile, bowed and said:

"I am the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial."

The guard gave an "Oh," and withdrew his head. After a dozen or so breaths, he poked his head out again and said calmly:

"My young master said you are not of sufficient status, please leave."