flstandardbreds Chapter 174 Beirong
Chapter 174 Beirong
Zheng Luoqi first fed Yunze the newly developed medicine. Yunze didn't know what Zheng Luoqi had given him, but it certainly wasn't anything good.
Yunze was bound and had no way to escape, so he could only submit to... (ten thousand words omitted here)
"Ah!" Yunze cried out in pain.
Yunze's face showed an indescribable expression, and his body trembled slightly.
Under the influence of the drugs and the hallucinogenic fragrance, Yunze had no idea what he was doing.
...(Some details omitted here)
Zheng Luoqi, who was standing nearby, keenly noticed this subtle change in Yunze.
Zheng Luoqi watched Yunze gradually succumb to despair with cold eyes, her goal achieved.
If he keeps doing it every now and then, once Yunze gets addicted, he'll never be able to get rid of these things.
This method is more painful than direct torture.
One night passed...
When Yunze woke up in the morning, if it weren't for the pain in his body, he would have felt like he was dreaming about what happened last night.
When Yunze woke up, Zheng Luoqi was nowhere to be seen.
morning
Xue Huaiyu's expression was solemn as he slowly said, "My beloved ministers! The Northern Rong recently sent me a letter, saying that they will be sending envoys to our Great Xia Kingdom. The envoys will be the Second Princess and the Fifth Prince of the Northern Rong Kingdom!"
"Moreover, the purpose of the North Rong's envoys this time is mainly to negotiate peace and hope to sign a ceasefire agreement with us. In this way, both sides can stop fighting, let the border area return to peace, and let the people live and work in peace."
Upon hearing this, the officials present exchanged glances, their faces showing solemnity. North Rong had always been warlike and quite powerful, so it was truly puzzling that they had taken the initiative to seek peace, contrary to their usual practice.
"Your Majesty! The Northern Rong have repeatedly invaded our borders, yet now they have suddenly proposed peace talks. This matter is probably not so simple!" At this moment, a minister stepped forward and said with great concern. His brows were furrowed, and his face was full of worry.
Everyone nodded in agreement, indicating their approval of the minister's view.
Immediately, discussions arose in the imperial court, with various speculations and concerns emerging one after another.
Some believe that the North Rong might be experiencing internal problems and needs to recuperate temporarily, while others think they might be using this as a pretext to lull us into a false sense of security and then take advantage of our weakness...
Xue Huaiyu pondered to himself that what the minister said was indeed reasonable, but then he thought that these people had come all the way from Beirong. If they were turned away, wouldn't it make our great nation seem too petty?
This would not only give others ammunition to criticize, but could also trigger unnecessary disputes and conflicts.
Xue Huaiyu felt that regardless of whether the other party was genuinely seeking peace or not, this etiquette could not be abandoned. In any case, these guests should be treated with great hospitality to demonstrate the grandeur of the Great Xia Kingdom.
After a moment's thought, Xue Huaiyu frowned slightly, scanned the room, and said solemnly, "Then, do any of you ministers have a good plan? Who would be the most appropriate person to send to receive these envoys from the Rong tribe in the north?"
"Your Majesty, I believe that it is most appropriate for Lord Ye to handle this matter!"
In the imperial court, Lin Changsheng stepped forward from the ranks, bowed respectfully, and proclaimed loudly, "As everyone knows, Lord Ye is a man of both virtue and talent, with exceptional abilities. His talent and wisdom are truly admirable. With his abilities, he is certainly capable of shouldering this important responsibility and handling this matter perfectly, without disappointing His Majesty!"
In fact, ever since Lin Changsheng learned that the emperor intended to marry his beloved daughter Lin Qianning to Ye Chu, he had begun to pay special attention to this future son-in-law.
After a period of observation and understanding, Lin Changsheng grew to appreciate Ye Churan more and more, secretly rejoicing that his daughter had found such a good husband.
Therefore, he was overjoyed about this marriage that was not yet finalized, and naturally he took extra care of Ye Churan.
At this moment in the imperial court, Lin Changsheng's unhesitating recommendation of Ye Churan was to tell Ye Churan that he was very satisfied with him, and at the same time to express his attitude towards the matter to the emperor—that he was very satisfied with this marriage.
Xue Huaiyu was pleased to see Lin Changsheng recommend Ye Churan. After all, it was best if his subordinates could get along well. Moreover, both of them were from the imperial faction, and if the two families were to form a marriage alliance, the power of the imperial faction would be further consolidated.
At this moment, Zheng Yuxiang stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe there are still some issues with this matter. Although Lord Ye is virtuous and talented and has outstanding abilities, he has never had the experience of presiding over such an important task as receiving foreign envoys before."
"In my opinion, it would be better to send someone from the Ministry of Rites to assist us. Wouldn't that be a more reliable and secure approach?"
In fact, Zheng Yuxiang's words are not without merit. Generally speaking, matters such as entertaining foreign envoys should fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites.
However, the position of Minister of Rites was vacant. Although Zhang Yuanqing held the position of Vice Minister of Rites (note that the Minister of Rites and the Vice Minister of Rites are not the same official position; the latter is subordinate to the former), it should be noted that the Zhang family belonged to the Prime Minister's faction.
The emperor naturally did not want to see the prime minister's faction interfere too much in court affairs, lest it affect his ruling position and the balance of power. Xue Huaiyu was unwilling to accept that the prime minister's faction wanted to participate in every matter.
Moreover, since the death of Grand Commandant Wen, the power of the Prime Minister's faction has been growing day by day.
Xue Huaiyu intended to delegate power to the Lin and Chen families, but neither could keep up with the growing influence of the Prime Minister's faction.
Although the Lin and Chen families were backing him, it was far from enough, as there were many opportunists in the court.
Just as Xue Huaiyu opened his mouth to refuse, a court official belonging to the Prime Minister's faction stepped forward and spoke on behalf of the Prime Minister, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that what the Prime Minister said is reasonable!"
Then, another person stepped out from the crowd; this person was Zheng Luoqi.
He first bowed respectfully to the emperor, and then said, "Your Majesty, Lord Ye is exceptionally talented and capable, which is an indisputable fact."
"However, the matter of hosting foreign envoys this time is of utmost importance and cannot be taken lightly. After all, it concerns the nation's reputation and the overall diplomatic situation; if there is even the slightest carelessness..."
"Of course, I have no intention of belittling Lord Ye. I am merely adhering to the principle of acting cautiously. After all, Vice Minister Zhang has undertaken the important task of receiving envoys many times in the past and has accumulated a wealth of experience. If I could have Vice Minister Zhang's careful guidance, that would be the best possible outcome!"