Song Tingfeng’s expression did not change as he said indifferently,
“This is the capital, not Yunzhou. If sir wants to make a complaint, go right ahead.
“If you really dare to do it, I’d actually admire you for being a true man. If you don’t dare, then you’re just a gutless coward.”
He rested one hand on his sabre, wearing a defiant look.
He was not intimidated by Ji Yuan in the slightest.
Is this guy just a reckless youth… Xu Yuanshuang glanced at Song Tingfeng in surprise. From the current situation, the Great Feng’s emperor and all the senior officials were desperately eager for peace talks and a ceasefire.
The whole top level of the Great Feng had been frightened out of their wits by the incident of the Jianzheng’s “fall”. At such a critical moment, anyone who still dared to stand up to the Yunzhou delegation with such toughness had to be either a hothead or someone with backing.
But even if he had the support of some court official, angering Ninth Brother might mean no one could protect him.
“Impudent!”
Before Ji Yuan could say anything, the Yunzhou officials behind him became enraged, pointing at Song Tingfeng and scolding:
“How dare you speak to the Ninth Young Master like that? How many heads do you think you have for us to chop off?”
“Insulting the delegation in public, this offence alone is enough to put you in prison.”
“Coarse martial artist who doesn’t know his place.”
Ji Yuan snapped open his folding fan with a “snap”, examined Song Tingfeng, and smiled:
“Oh, it seems you do have some backing. Go on, let’s hear it.
“This young master would rather like to know who instructed you to lurk in the courier station, trying to sabotage the peace talks and plotting mischief.”
What a blatant accusation. If Song Tingfeng really was just an ordinary man, or had no real backing, then just this accusation from the Yunzhou mission could see him thrown into prison.
Of all the Nightwatchers guarding the station, only this one dared give him such openly hostile stares. Yesterday, when they moved in, Ji Yuan had noticed him.
Though Ji Yuan would not go out of his way to intimidate a mere Silver Gong, neither would he tolerate insolence right under his nose.
Xu Yuanshuang frowned and glanced at the sky:
“Ninth Brother, let’s go. It’s almost time.”
An elder in scarlet robe behind Ji Yuan laughed and said,
“A few words aren’t going to matter. Besides, isn’t there a reason behind it? If the Great Feng court asks, we’ll just tell them the truth.”
This was both to make things difficult for this little Silver Gong, by deliberately arriving late, and to put pressure on the officials of the court.
That light remark brushed off the matter, and Xu Yuanshuang said nothing more.
Song Tingfeng sneered, keeping his hand on his sabre hilt, looking down on the others.
He did not threaten them, nor did he yield.
“Snap!”
Ji Yuan closed his folding fan, glanced at Song Tingfeng, and decided not to waste any more time on such a minor figure.
He held the bargaining chips to make the Great Feng’s emperor bow his head. A mere Silver Gong could be dealt with however he wished.
Watching the group leave the station, Song Tingfeng spat on the ground with a “pah”.
“Boss, you were amazing just now,”
A few of the Bronze Gongs on duty gathered round, faces full of admiration.
“But Boss, won’t you get into trouble for this?”
One Bronze Gong voiced his concern.
Given how well-informed the Nightwatchers were, they too knew the emperor and the officials’ current stance: after losing Qingzhou, with the state treasury empty, and even the godlike Jianzheng slain in Qingzhou, any sensible person could see that if the war continued, the imperial court would be finished.
It would obviously be best not to fight, so the peace talks had become the light at the end of the tunnel for the officials and the emperor.
For their Boss Song to offend the Yunzhou mission at this juncture was highly irrational.
Song Tingfeng sneered,
“What have I always said to you lot?
“It was me who brought Xu Ningyan up from nothing. Now he’s ascendant, but when he sees me, he still calls me Brother Song. Would I be afraid of such a trifling matter?
“What nonsense about the Yunzhou delegation, with that swagger once they reached the capital. If this was back in the day, when I was still in Yunzhou with Xu Ningyan and Zhu Guangxiao, the two young brothers, we wouldn’t even talk, we’d just lop his head off with a stroke.”
Some new Bronze Gongs were sceptical. Even though Boss Song always boasted of his deep friendship with Silver Gong Xu, and when they’d checked with their seniors in private, Silver Gong Xu was indeed close with Boss Song, and Silver Gong Zhu.
But everyone knew Boss Song liked to exaggerate, so it was probably blown out of proportion.
For instance, Boss Song often said,
“Xu Ningyan, you know, he had a habit, if he didn’t spend a day in the goulan, he felt uncomfortable, he especially liked to go while on duty. Zhu Guangxiao and I are so upright, we’d insist on patrolling the streets instead. But he’d still drag us to the brothel. If you ask why it had to be on duty, well, clearly because he’d go to the Jiaofangsi at night to enjoy Fuxiang for free, so he had no time for the goulan.”
What a joke. Everyone in the capital knew Silver Gong Xu stayed with the Oiran at the Jiaofangsi without ever paying a penny.
Would someone like him care for the common goulan?
So, the Bronze Gongs believed only about a third of what Boss Song said.
…
On the other side, in Jinluan Hall.
The discussion at court had finished, and Emperor Yongxing, suppressing his impatience, glanced discreetly at the head eunuch, Zhao Xuanzhen.
The latter caught his meaning and called out in a loud voice,
“Summon the Yunzhou delegation to an audience!”
They waited for the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, but outside the hall, there was not a sound.
“Summon the Yunzhou delegation to an audience,” the eunuch called again.
Still no movement.
Zhao Xuanzhen glanced at the emperor’s grave face, and sweat immediately broke out on his brow. He turned and bowed to the throne, then hurried out from the left side to find out what was going on.
Soon after, he returned at a jog, approached the throne, and said quietly,
“Your Majesty, the Yunzhou mission has not yet entered the palace.”
Emperor Yongxing’s face darkened as he stared at him frostily.
Zhao Xuanzhen did not offer an explanation, only said softly,
“I have already sent someone to invite them.”
Emperor Yongxing withdrew his gaze and said calmly,
“We will wait another quarter of an hour.”
“Yes!” Zhao Xuanzhen replied softly.
Although those present had not heard the exchange between ruler and servant, they could guess what was happening, nothing more than the Yunzhou mission “arriving late” and missing the appointed time.
All the senior court officials were veterans, showing no outward reaction but silently making their own judgements.
The leader of the Yunzhou mission was a young man called Ji Yuan, who called himself the Ninth Young Master and was the ninth son of the City Lord of Qianlong City.
By blood, he belonged to the royal family of the Great Feng.
These officials already had the measure of this Ninth Young Master’s style: sharp and domineering, arrogant and overbearing.
Fortunately, before a quarter of an hour had passed, Ji Yuan’s group, led by eunuchs, entered the Jinluan Hall.
All the officials turned round to gaze at the young man stepping into the hall.
He wore an ornate moon-white robe, embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns, his sleeves hung naturally by his sides, and the ornaments at his waist tinkled. His features were handsome, his appearance quite outstanding.
Behind him stood a pair of youths, a boy and a girl who bore some resemblance to each other, one indifferent, the other cold and aloof.
Further back, among six elderly men dressed in official robes, two wore scarlet robes embroidered with clouds and geese, and four wore azure robes, embroidered with silver pheasants and egrets.
The official robes they wore undoubtedly pricked at Emperor Yongxing’s and the ministers’ sensitive hearts. What was the meaning of a mere Yunzhou delegation dressing in full formal official attire?
“Ji Yuan, envoy from Yunzhou, greets Your Majesty.”
Ji Yuan smiled, giving a slight bow, naturally exuding an air of nobility and calm.
Emperor Yongxing nodded, his voice sonorous and steady:
“Sir Ji, you came to the capital on behalf of Yunzhou to negotiate peace. We have shown you the greatest courtesy, yet you are late.
“Is this the sincerity of Yunzhou’s intentions for peace talks?”
He looked sternly at Ji Yuan below the dais, glancing down.
Ji Yuan showed not the slightest sign of panic. Smiling, he cupped his hands and said,
“This truly was not my intention. It was just that, as we were about to set off today, I was delayed by the difficulties and insults of a Silver Gong at the post station.
“I have come with full sincerity. Who would have thought that a mere Silver Gong would dare glare at me, curse me, and treat me with contempt? I venture to ask Your Majesty: is this the sincerity with which the Great Feng conducts its peace talks?”
Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai, listening at the side, were both well aware of Ji Yuan’s eloquence. Even if he were an hour late, not just a quarter, he could argue himself entirely blameless.
He could turn any fault into a virtue.
Sure enough, he had gone on the counterattack, and even in front of the emperor and ministers, placed the blame on the reckless Silver Gong.
If Emperor Yongxing did not handle the matter, it would amount to tacitly admitting to discourtesy and leaving evidence against himself.
As expected, Emperor Yongxing’s brows knit. After a moment’s thought, he said,
“Who dared to act so rudely and insult Envoy Ji?”
Ji Yuan replied calmly,
“Silver Gong Song Tingfeng.”
Emperor Yongxing searched his memory for the name and could not recall it. His first instinct was that this ignorant Silver Gong must have had support from behind, was acting under orders to sabotage the peace talks.
To deal with a mere Silver Gong, there was no need to hesitate. Just as he was about to speak, Left Censor-in-Chief Liu Hong stepped forward and said,
“Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding here.”
An official in scarlet from behind Ji Yuan retorted,
“Does this sir mean to say that our Sir Ji is talking nonsense?”
Liu Hong ignored him and continued,
“Silver Gong Song is loyal and upright. When Yunzhou’s rebels were suppressed, he fought side by side with Xu Qi’an and rendered many meritorious deeds thereafter. He was Xu Qi’an’s right-hand man when Xu Qi’an served as Silver Gong. How could he deliberately insult and hinder the Yunzhou delegation?
“There must be a reason behind this incident. I ask that Your Majesty thoroughly investigate.”
Emperor Yongxing replied mildly, “Sir Liu speaks well. We shall ascertain the facts and give Envoy Ji an explanation.”
Investigate what? There was nothing to investigate!
Liu Hong’s words made it quite clear: this Silver Gong called Song belonged to Xu Qi’an.
With such a powerful backer, unless he committed great crimes like murder or arson, he could be quite at ease.
Emperor Yongxing himself would not, over such a trivial matter, make an enemy of Xu Qi’an. He could simply send someone to warn the Silver Gong, and then transfer him back to the Nightwatcher Constabulary.
Ji Yuan was momentarily taken aback, then suddenly saw the light, realising just why that fellow behaved so fearlessly.
So it was because he had the mightiest warrior in the Great Feng behind him.
“Then, we thank Your Majesty.”
He wisely let the matter go, not pressing it further.
It was obvious that the young emperor would not offend Xu Qi’an because of this petty matter. If Ji Yuan kept pushing, he would only court awkwardness for himself.
The six officials who came for the audience exchanged surprised glances. No wonder such a lowly Silver Gong could be so arrogant and overbearing.
They were still dissatisfied in their hearts, but as today’s business was the peace talks, they decided not to haggle over this with such a minor figure.
After some idle talk and wrangling, Ji Yuan said loudly,
“Since winter began, our Yunzhou and the Great Feng have fought for two months, bringing disaster to the populace and causing great loss of life. Many of our brave men on both sides have died or been wounded. By imperial command, this official has come to the capital to discuss peace, and am grateful that Your Majesty and the esteemed ministers have agreed to these talks…”
The procedure for the talks was to set the main tone first. Afterwards, the Department of State Ceremony would be responsible for the negotiations, confirming various details. If something especially important arose, the Ministry of Rites would also participate.
Throughout, the results of each day’s talks had to be submitted to the emperor for review.
The ultimate outcome could only be decided by the emperor and ministers after further discussion.
Today, they were settling the “main tone”, setting up the structure and framework for the negotiations.
After his long speech, Ji Yuan said,
“The Yunzhou army, overwhelming in might, has already occupied Qingzhou. The Jianzheng of the Great Feng died for his country half a month ago. However, father Emperor, out of compassion, cannot bear for the people to suffer any more from the ravages of war, and is therefore willing to negotiate peace with the Great Feng. The Great Feng must agree to four conditions.”
The Lord of Qianlong City had already declared himself emperor in Yunzhou.
Father emperor… The Jianzheng had perished… Emperor Yongxing glanced at the officials in Yunzhou robes behind Ji Yuan, took a deep breath, and said,
“Envoy Ji, please speak.”
Ji Yuan said,
“First: each year, the Great Feng must pay to Yunzhou five hundred thousand taels of silver and six hundred thousand bolts of silk as annual tribute. After the peace talks conclude, this will take effect immediately. This official must take this year’s tribute back with me.”
As soon as he finished, the Minister of Revenue jumped up and rebuked him,
“Insolent youth, uttering such brazen falsehoods.
“Five hundred thousand taels of silver? Six hundred thousand bolts of silk? Aren’t you afraid your tongue will be struck by wind for such big talk?”
The Minister of Revenue had reason to be upset. In an age of peace and prosperity, such sums would not have been much.
But as things stood, the treasury was empty. It was already difficult enough to keep the court running and pay for military expenses, there was no money or provisions even for disaster relief.
To hand over five hundred thousand taels at once, Yunzhou would not even need to fight; they could just wait for the court to collapse on its own.
This was no peace negotiation, this was harbouring malicious intent and driving the Great Feng to ruin.
The Minister of Revenue feared Emperor Yongxing did not grasp the “economics” and might rashly agree, so he jumped up to object first.
Ji Yuan snapped open his folded fan and shook his head,
“The Central Plains is land of plenty, a mere five hundred thousand taels is nothing.”
A glint suddenly flashed in his eye, and he said,
“Could it be the court cannot even raise five hundred thousand taels of silver?”
The Minister of Revenue felt a chill in his heart and snorted coldly,
“Our Great Feng has abundant national strength. Such matters are not for a mere boy like you to ponder.”
Ji Yuan pressed further,
“Oh? In that case, does the Great Feng have no real intention for peace talks?”
What a sharp-tongued fellow… The ministers secretly frowned.
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