Yunzhou's terms (I)

Song Tingfeng remained expressionless and coldly said:

"This is the capital, not Yunzhou. If you wish to file a complaint, go ahead."

"If you really dare to do that, I'll admire you for being someone special; if you don't, you're just a spineless coward."

He rested his hand on the knife, his expression defiant.

They were not intimidated by Ji Yuan in the slightest.

Is this a hothead? Xu Yuanshuang scrutinized Song Tingfeng with surprise. Given the current situation, the Emperor of Great Feng and the officials were all eager to negotiate peace and cease hostilities.

The entire Great Feng officials of Dafeng were terrified by the "fall" of the supervisor. At this critical juncture, anyone who dared to defy the Yunzhou delegation and act so boldly was either a hothead or had powerful backers.

Even with powerful officials in the court as his backers, angering Ninth Brother might not be enough to protect him.

"Presumptuous!"

Ji Yuan didn't speak, but the Yunzhou officials behind him were enraged, pointing at Song Tingfeng and reprimanding him:

"How dare you speak to Young Master Jiu like that? How many heads do you have to chop off?"

"Publicly insulting the peace envoy is a crime that could land you in jail."

"A crude and ignorant brute, utterly ignorant of his own limitations."

Ji Yuan snapped open his folding fan, examined Song Tingfeng, and smiled:

"Oh, it seems you have powerful backers. Tell me about it."

"I'd like to know who ordered you to infiltrate the post station, attempting to sabotage the peace talks and plotting something sinister."

A huge accusation could be leveled so easily. If Song Tingfeng had no powerful backing, or even no powerful backing at all, this accusation from the Yunzhou delegation alone would be enough to get him imprisoned and prosecuted.

Of all the watchmen Nightwatchers the post station, this was the only one who dared to look at him with such hostility without any restraint. Ji Yuan had noticed him when he checked in yesterday.

Although Ji Yuan wouldn't deliberately try to intimidate Yinluo, he wouldn't tolerate him acting recklessly under his nose.

Xu Yuanshuang frowned and glanced at the sky:

"Ninth Brother, let's go, the time is almost up."

An elderly man in a scarlet robe behind Ji Yuan laughed:

"It's just a few words, nothing serious. Besides, there's a reason for this. If the Great Feng court asks, we'll just tell the truth."

This was both to make things difficult for the junior official by deliberately arriving late and to put pressure on the officials in the court.

Xu Yuanshuang was silenced by a single, casual remark.

Song Tingfeng sneered, maintaining his posture with one hand on the hilt of his sword, looking down at the crowd with disdain.

They neither made any harsh statements nor gave in.

"Smack!"

Ji Yuan closed his folding fan, glanced at Song Tingfeng, and decided not to waste too much time on this insignificant figure.

He held the leverage to subdue the Emperor of Great Feng; a mere silver gong, which he could deal with however he pleased.

Watching the group leave the post station, Song Tingfeng turned his head and spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"Boss, you were really impressive just now."

Several gong-bearers on duty nearby gathered around, their faces full of admiration.

"But boss, won't you cause trouble by doing this?"

One of the gong-makers expressed concern.

Given the Nightwatchers's excellent information network, they knew the Emperor's and the officials' attitudes: Qingzhou had fallen, the national treasury was empty, and even the Imperial Supervisor, a figure of great talent, had died in battle in Qingzhou.

Anyone with eyes to see knows that if this fighting continues, the imperial court will surely be finished.

If we can avoid war, that would be the best outcome, so peace talks became the glimmer of hope in the eyes of the officials and His Majesty.

It is very unwise for Song to offend the Yunzhou delegation at this critical juncture.

Song Tingfeng sneered:

What did I tell you before?

"Xu Ningyan was someone I mentored. Now that he's achieved great success, he still calls me Brother Song when he sees me. It's such a small matter, why should I be afraid?"

"What kind of bullshit Yunzhou delegation is this? They come to the capital and act all high and mighty, what's with all the swagger? If this were back when I was still in Yunzhou, I would have just chopped them all down with my two little brothers, Xu Ningyan and Zhu Guangxiao, without saying a word."

The newly hired gongs were skeptical. Although Boss Song kept boasting that he and Xu Yinluo were close friends, they privately asked other seniors for confirmation, who also said that Xu Yinluo, Boss Song, and Zhu Yinluo were close friends back then.

But everyone knows that Song Tou'er likes to boast, and there must be some exaggeration in his words.

For example, Song Tou'er often said:

"Xu Ningyan has this one habit: he feels restless if he doesn't go to a brothel every day, especially when he's on duty. Zhu Guangxiao and I are such upright people, we told him we didn't want to go, that we had to patrol the streets. But he dragged us to the brothel. If you ask me why he insisted on going when he was on duty, it's because he goes to the Imperial Academy of Music at night to patronize Fuxiang girls for free, so he doesn't have time to go to the brothel."

This is no joke! Everyone in the capital knows that Xu Yinluo sleeps with the most beautiful Imperial Academy of Music without paying them.

He wouldn't even look at a mere brothel?

Therefore, the gong players only believed three-tenths of what Song Tingfeng said.

On the other side, the Golden Palace.

The meeting in front of the palace had ended. Emperor Yongxing suppressed his anxiety and glanced at the chief eunuch, Zhao Xuanzhen, without showing any emotion.

The latter understood immediately and said loudly:

"The delegation from Xuanyun Prefecture requests an audience!"

After waiting for about half a cup of tea's time, there was still no sound or movement outside the palace gate.

"The delegation from Xuanyun Prefecture has come to pay their respects."

Still no movement.

Zhao Xuanzhen glanced at the solemn-faced emperor, and a bead of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead. He turned and bowed to the throne, then strode out of the hall from the left to inquire about the situation.

A short while later, he jogged back, came to the throne, and whispered:

"Your Majesty, the Yunzhou delegation has not yet entered the palace."

Emperor Yongxing's face darkened, and he gave him a cold look.

Zhao Xuanzhen did not explain, but simply said:

"Someone has already been sent to invite them."

Emperor Yongxing withdrew his gaze and said calmly:

"Wait another fifteen minutes."

"Yes!" Zhao Xuanzhen replied in a low voice.

Although the officials in the hall did not hear the conversation between the emperor and his servants clearly, they could guess what was going on. It was nothing more than the Yunzhou delegation arriving "late" and missing the appointed time.

These gentlemen, all seasoned veterans, remained calm and collected, but secretly began to assess the situation.

The leader of the Yunzhou delegation was a young man named Ji Yuan, who called himself the Ninth Young Master and was the ninth son of the city lord of Qianlong City.

In terms of lineage, they belong to the Great Feng imperial family.

The gentlemen already knew the Ninth Prince's style of doing things: sharp and domineering.

Fortunately, less than a quarter of an hour later, Ji Yuan and his entourage, led by a eunuch, entered the Golden Palace.

All the officials turned around and stared at the young man who stepped into the hall.

He wore a moon-white robe embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns, his sleeves hanging down naturally, and his waist adorned with tinkling ornaments. He had handsome features and an exceptionally good appearance.

Behind him stood a boy and a girl who looked somewhat alike; one was indifferent, the other aloof.

Further on, among the six elderly men dressed in official robes, two wore scarlet robes embroidered with wild geese and clouds, while the other four wore blue robes embroidered with silver pheasants and egrets.

Their official robes undoubtedly stung the sensitive hearts of Emperor Yongxing and his officials. Why would a delegation from a mere Yunzhou wear such formal official robes?

"Ji Yuan, the envoy from Yunzhou, greets Your Majesty."

Ji Yuan smiled and bowed slightly, exuding an air of nobility and composure.

Emperor Yongxing nodded, his voice loud and calm:

"Lord Ji, representing Yunzhou, came to the capital to negotiate peace. I have given you the greatest courtesy, yet you are late."

"Is this the sincerity behind Yunzhou's peace negotiations?"

His expression was serious as he looked down at Ji Yuan, the prince.

Ji Yuan remained completely calm, smiling and bowing:

"It was not my intention, but before I set off today, I was harassed and insulted by a silver gong at the post station, which delayed me for a while."

"I came with sincerity, but I never expected that a mere silver gong would dare to treat me with such hostility and hurl insults. I dare to ask Your Majesty, is this the sincerity of the Great Feng in seeking peace?"

Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai listened from the side. The brother and sister knew Ji Yuan's eloquence very well. Even if he was an hour late, let alone a quarter of an hour, he could still make his point perfectly.

To make oneself appear reasonable when one is wrong.

This turned the tables on them, and in front of the emperor and the officials, they also pinned a label on that foolish silver gong.

If Emperor Yongxing does not take action, it will confirm his intention to neglect and obstruct, leaving a handle for future criticism.

As expected, Emperor Yongxing frowned, pondered for a moment, and said:

"Who dares to be so arrogant and insulting to Envoy Ji?"

Ji Yuan replied calmly:

"Song Tingfeng, the Silver Gongman."

Emperor Yongxing ran the name through his mind but couldn't recall it. His first thought was that the arrogant silver gong might have someone behind him, acting on orders to sabotage the peace talks.

Disposing of a mere silver gong was a no-brainer, and he was about to speak when Liu Hong, the Left Censor-in-Chief, stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding."

An official in a scarlet robe behind Ji Yuan retorted:

"Does this gentleman mean that our Lady Ji is spouting nonsense?"

Liu Hong ignored him and continued:

"Song Yinluo was loyal and courageous. He fought alongside Xu Qi'an when suppressing the rebels in Yunzhou and later made many merits. He was Xu Qi'an's capable assistant when he served as a Yinluo. How could he deliberately insult or make things difficult for the Yunzhou delegation?"

"There must be a reason for this; Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly."

Emperor Yongxing said calmly, "What Minister Liu says is quite right. I will certainly investigate the situation and give Envoy Ji an explanation."

What are you checking? No need to check!

Liu Hong's words were very clear: the man surnamed Song, who was working for Xu Qi'an.

With such a powerful backer, as long as they don't commit murder, arson, or other evil deeds, they can basically rest easy.

Emperor Yongxing would naturally not want to antagonize Xu Qi'an over such a trivial matter. He would simply send someone to warn the silver gongman and then transfer him back to the Nightwatchers watchman's office.

Ji Yuan was taken aback, then suddenly realized why that guy dared to be so unscrupulous.

It turns out he was backed by the number one warrior of the Great Feng.

"Then thank you, Your Majesty."

He knew when to stop and didn't hold on to the matter.

Clearly, the young emperor wouldn't offend Xu Qi'an over such a trivial matter; dwelling on it would only make things difficult for him.

The six officials who accompanied the emperor exchanged bewildered glances. No wonder a mere silver gong-wielder was so arrogant and domineering.

He was still dissatisfied, but since the peace negotiations were of utmost importance today, he decided not to bother with that insignificant person.

After some idle chatter and bickering, Ji Yuan said loudly:

"Since the beginning of winter, Yunzhou Great Feng for two months, resulting in widespread suffering and devastation for the people, as well as heavy casualties on both sides. I was ordered to go to the capital to negotiate peace, and thanks to the righteousness of His Majesty and the gentlemen, they agreed to the peace talks."

The specific process of the peace talks was to first set the main tone, then have the Court of State Ceremonial Affairs handle the negotiations and confirm some minor details. If the matter was particularly important, the Ministry of Rites would also be involved.

During this process, the daily negotiation procedures also had to be submitted to the emperor for review.

The final decision had to be made after discussions between the emperor and the officials.

Today, we've set the "main theme"—to first establish the framework for negotiations.

After Ji Yuan finished his long speech, he said:

"Our Yunzhou army has swept through Qingzhou with unstoppable momentum, and the Great Feng Supervisor of Dafeng died for his country half a month ago. However, my father, with his benevolent heart, cannot bear to see the people suffer from war again and is willing to Great Feng. Great Feng must agree to four conditions."

The Lord of Qianlong City had already declared himself emperor in Yunzhou.

After the death of the Imperial Censor, Emperor Yongxing glanced at the Yunzhou officials in their robes behind Ji Yuan, took a deep breath, and said:

"Please speak, Envoy Princess."

Ji Yuandao:

"First, the Great Feng shall pay Yunzhou an annual tribute of 500,000 taels of silver and 600,000 bolts of silk, effective immediately upon the conclusion of the peace talks. I must first bring back this year's tribute."

He had barely finished speaking when the Ministry of Revenue jumped out and rebuked him:

"You little brat, you're lying through your teeth."

"Five hundred thousand taels of silver? Six hundred thousand bolts of silk? Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"

The Minister of Ministry of Revenue had good reason to be furious; in times of peace and prosperity, this amount of money was not much.

However, the national treasury is currently empty. In order to maintain the operation of the court and military expenditures, it is already struggling to stay afloat, and there is not even enough money or food to provide relief to disaster victims.

If 500,000 taels of silver were to be taken away at once, Yunzhou wouldn't even need to fight; they could simply wait for the imperial court to collapse.

This is not peace negotiation; it is harboring malicious intentions and trying to force the Great Feng to its death.

The Minister of Ministry of Revenue, fearing that Emperor Yongxing might not understand "economics" and rashly agree, jumped out to criticize first.

Ji Yuan snapped open his folding fan and shook his head.

"The Central Plains are a rich land; what is a mere 500,000 taels of silver?"

His eyes suddenly lit up, and he said:

"Could it be that the imperial court can't even come up with 500,000 taels of silver?"

The Ministry of Revenue felt a chill run down his spine and coldly snorted:

"Our Great Feng Dynasty is powerful and prosperous; how could a mere brat like you possibly fathom its strength?"

Ji Yuan pressed him for an answer:

"Oh, if that's the case, then it means the Great Feng has no intention of making peace."

This boy has sharp teeth and a sharp tongue, which made the gentlemen frown inwardly.