Five hundred thousand taels, compared with the court’s annual tax revenue, was not much, but even so, it depended on the timing.
Keeping the court running and supporting military expenditure required vast amounts of silver. The court was already “impoverished and destitute”, just waiting for the spring to resume farming and catch its breath.
The original intent of the peace negotiations was “to survive”. Yunzhou wanted to use the talks to drive the Great Feng onto a dead end, so the court would certainly not agree.
Emperor Yongxing said blandly,
“We are willing to negotiate peace with Yunzhou, but it seems that Yunzhou is the one unwilling to negotiate with the court.”
Ji Yuan frowned tightly.
“Your Majesty, this puts me in a difficult position. Our Yunzhou army is surging with momentum. If not for my father Emperor’s concern for the common people of the land, we would have been at the capital’s gates by now. Yunzhou is sincere in seeking peace, so why does the court see it as if we are giving alms to beggars?”
He again brought up Yunzhou’s superiority on the battlefield, subtly hinting at the unequal relationship between the two sides.
At these words, Emperor Yongxing and the officials all frowned.
At this moment, Ji Yuan suddenly changed tack and sighed.
“Enough, this official will take the liberty of making a concession. This year’s annual tribute can be halved, but next year it must be made up in full.
“Your Majesty, esteemed sirs, what do you think?”
Emperor Yongxing silently exhaled, smiling,
“The details can be left to the Department of State Ceremony and Envoy Ji to negotiate.”
So-called “details” meant prolonged bargaining and wrangling.
In the hall, only the main points were discussed, not the minutiae.
Xu Yuanshuang listened quietly, having nearly figured out Ji Yuan’s methods. Last night, Ji Yuan and Ge Wenxuan had discussed and analysed, via conch shell messaging, the mental state of the Great Feng emperor and his officials, as well as their general capacity to endure.
Their conclusion was that the upper limit was between 200,000 and 250,000 taels of silver (silk was calculated separately).
On the journey over, Xu Yuanshuang had thought that this first condition might turn into a “bitter battle”, but with Ninth Brother’s eloquence, it would probably not be a major issue.
Now, she realised she’d still underestimated Ji Yuan.
Why was his estimate so precise…? Xu Yuanshuang’s heart stirred. She guessed it was related to yesterday’s testing posturing outside the capital.
Once the first condition was roughly settled, Ji Yuan continued,
“The second condition: my father Emperor hopes Your Majesty will publicly post proclamations acknowledging that our Yunzhou line is also a legitimate orthodox line of the Central Plains.”
The officials remained composed in the face of this, with no-one jumping up to object angrily.
“Intolerable arrogance!”
King Qian, younger brother to Emperor Yuanjing, wearing ordinary court dress, strode forward, glared at Ji Yuan and shouted,
“You rebels, claim to be the legitimate orthodoxy of the Central Plains? Are you not just mountain bandits playing king?”
At once, several other princes and nobles stepped forward to echo his statement.
In stark contrast to the composed officials, the members of the royal family were extremely agitated. If the Yunzhou lineage was recognised as the orthodox power of the Central Plains, then what did that make them? Traitors?
If examined closely, they might indeed be, but precisely because of this, the Great Feng royal clan absolutely would not recognise or yield.
Ji Yuan’s expression turned cold. He swept his gaze over several princes and nobles and said blandly,
“How Emperor Wuzong won the realm back then, does everyone really not understand? We only wish to reclaim our identity and status, which is only human nature.”
The prince who had just spoken rebuked,
“Five hundred years ago, when a foolish and corrupt monarch alienated good ministers and promoted petty men, loyal subjects suffered. Emperor Wuzong only stepped forward to safeguard the ancestral inheritance. It was an act in keeping with the people’s will.”
Ji Yuan retorted sharply, raising his voice,
“The late Emperor Yuanjing was a muddled and incompetent ruler, obsessed with the beauty of the Human Sect’s Daoist Leader, neglecting state affairs for twenty years of cultivation and bringing misery to the people. My Yunzhou line could not bear to see the ancestral legacy ruined by a fool and rose in revolt. That too is ordained by Heaven and wins the people’s hearts!”
Several princes and nobles were furious,
“Such wild nonsense! Your Majesty, this brat should be executed!”
Had it been left to the officials, this would be a condition they could agree to without hesitation, as there was no substantial cost involved.
Of course, it was not without cost.
If the court acknowledged this matter, Yunzhou’s rebel clique would become “legitimate and justified”. Winning over the common people was one concern, but the real worry was that landlords, local gentry, and officials would feel emboldened to defect openly and join Yunzhou.
If Yunzhou was recognised as the orthodox power, it would no longer count as betrayal, and it would be hard for anyone to choose to die rather than surrender just for the sake of loyalty.
But these were minor issues, as under the current circumstances, the Great Feng could not win a war. Since defeat was inevitable, it was only a matter of time before officials began defecting.
So the officials did not feel too much resistance to this condition.
But in the eyes of the royal clan, acknowledging Yunzhou as the orthodox power of the Central Plains was even worse than losing 500,000 taels of silver, as it meant betraying their ancestors.
Emperor Yongxing frowned deeply and said slowly,
“Let us discuss this matter further at a later date.”
He did not intend to decide right then. The proceedings in the hall were to set the fundamental tone, negotiations between the “two countries” involved complicated details that could not be settled quickly.
However, Ji Yuan was particularly aggressive and shook his head,
“Before I came, my father Emperor specifically instructed that if Your Majesty does not agree to this, the peace negotiations will not continue.”
This essentially left no room for manoeuvre.
Emperor Yongxing could either agree or call off the negotiations. Yunzhou would not retreat an inch on this issue.
“Foolish yearning!”
King Yu also stepped out and said gravely,
“We can tell you now, on this matter, the court will never yield.”
Ji Yuan stood with hands behind his back and sighed,
“This official has already made such a big concession on the annual tribute, giving the court every chance for dignity, yet this is the reward we receive.”
His expression darkened and he said sternly,
“Are you truly unafraid of Yunzhou’s one hundred thousand ironclad cavalry?”
First presenting the logic, then the threat, he stood straight, making the princes and nobles seem unreasonable and ungrateful.
A duke shouted,
“Then we should start by killing you as a sacrifice to our flag!”
Ji Yuan sneered,
“If this official was afraid of death, I would not have come to the capital.”
In fact, the true aim of these negotiations was to force the Great Feng to cede territory and make peace without shedding blood. Seizing territory was Yunzhou’s core objective.
The more territory gained, the more fortune Xu Pingfeng, the National Teacher, could condense, hence the closer he would be to becoming a Master of Heaven’s Mandate.
Ji Yuan insisted on the second condition. At first glance, it seemed he was holding onto a triviality and letting go of the essential, but in truth, he had correctly judged that Emperor Yongxing would agree.
Compared to real interests and matters of life and death, clan reputation came second.
This was largely a contest between the two branches of the Great Feng royal family and did not touch core interests, so the officials were not strongly opposed.
No matter how outraged the royal family members grew, it was nothing but impotent fury.
Emperor Yongxing stared at Ji Yuan for a moment and said, word by word,
“Very well. We agree!”
At these words, the faces of the royal clan members changed dramatically, and they cried out,
“Your Majesty…”
Emperor Yongxing raised his hand, his piercing gaze forcing back all the princes and nobles.
“Our mind is made up!”
King Yu and the rest of the royal family looked at Emperor Yongxing with utter disappointment.
Emperor Yongxing turned to Ji Yuan and asked,
“What is the third condition?”
Ji Yuan extended his hand, spreading five fingers, and said loudly,
“Cede territory. The Great Feng must cede Yongzhou, Yuuzhou, and Zhangzhou to us.”
Within the Jinluan Hall, there was an instant of dead silence, followed by a sudden uproar of noisy discussion.
Although the officials and Emperor Yongxing had guessed in advance that Yunzhou was likely to make excessive demands for compensation and territory, they had not expected their appetite to be so huge.
After all the fighting, the Great Feng had only lost one Qīngzhou.
And now Yunzhou wanted, through peace talks and without a single casualty, to seize three whole provinces?
Prime Minister Qian Qingshu stepped forward, swept his icy gaze over Ji Yuan and the others, and said,
“Even though Qīngzhou has been lost, the Great Feng still controls territories of eleven provinces, with numerous troops. Do you really think we fear your tiny Yunzhou?
“His Majesty is willing to negotiate only out of pity for the people, wishing to spare them further suffering from war, not out of fear of Yunzhou.”
Ji Yuan burst into loud laughter and said,
“If I remember correctly, before the autumn harvest, Wei Yuan led a hundred thousand elite troops to conquer the Church of the Warlock God, and his army was nearly wiped out. That is the first.
“After winter set in, the imperial court gathered ninety thousand more troops and fought with my Yunzhou soldiers in Qingzhou, losing over half their number. That is the second.
“The troops stationed in the three northwestern provinces have to be used to fend off harassment from the Western Regions’ coalition forces, so none can be spared to reinforce the war in the south. That is the third.
‘So many troops and generals, truly, so many troops and generals indeed. May I ask, Prime Minister Qian, does the court even have the men left to fight my Yunzhou?”
With every sentence Ji Yuan uttered, the faces of the gathered nobility grew gloomier.
They would not admit it aloud, but in their hearts, they knew that every word Ji Yuan spoke was true and struck at the heart of the matter.
The fighting in Leizhou to the west was not particularly severe, with the allied armies of the Western Regions mostly resorting to harassment, small skirmishes happening often but no major battles. After all, the Buddhist sect was being held in check by the Yao clans of the Southern Marches.
But to protect against exceptional circumstances, they could not redeploy great numbers at will.
Qian Qingshu was momentarily lost for words. Naturally, he disdained to quibble, so he flicked his sleeve and snorted coldly.
Seeing the Prime Minister angrily silenced, the other dignitaries exchanged glances, each thinking how best to argue back.
At this point, the Vice Minister of Revenue stepped out and said slowly,
“If I recall correctly, in the 30th year of Emperor Yuanjing’s reign, Yunzhou had eighty-three thousand households on record. May I ask, Envoy Ji, are your soldiers raised at one per ten households, or one per twenty? Where did your hundred thousand cavalry come from?
“The number of elite troops in Yunzhou is altogether calculable. However thin a starved camel, it is still larger than a horse; yet, no matter how weak the Great Feng becomes, surely it could still exhaust your Yunzhou’s elites in a desperate fight.”
The Vice Minister of Revenue was most sensitive to matters of money, census records, and population data.
Liu Hong, Imperial Censor of the Left, immediately stepped forth and echoed:
“In the end, both sides would be left severely wounded. And do not forget, the Church of the Warlock God is watching from the sidelines like a hungry tiger. As for your Buddhist allies, are they truly willing to bare their hearts for your Yunzhou?”
Just as he was about to continue analysing the situation to persuade this young man from Yunzhou,
He was interrupted by loud laughter, and Ji Yuan said, full of ridicule,
“Sir Liu, such words might fool a three-year-old child, but making such sophistries before me and twisting the truth, do you not feel it’s too laughable?”
He turned to the Vice Minister of Revenue:
“This gentleman is not wrong, but so what? Now that we have control of Qingzhou, all the refugees can be turned into soldiers. If you want to exhaust Yunzhou’s elites, feel free to try.
“In addition, the Jianzheng has already been slain by our National Teacher in Qingzhou. Without this guardian spirit, whence comes your confidence to speak of exhausting Yunzhou’s elite troops?”
At last, the unavoidable topic had been broached.
It was precisely because they had lost the Jianzheng that Emperor Yongxing and the nobility had been scared out of their wits. For a while, none of them dared to sleep at night, terrified that those fearsome beyond-mortal powerhouses would storm into the capital and the imperial palace itself, and take their heads in their dreams.
Upon hearing this, Minister Sun of the Ministry of Law, retorted,
“Though the Jianzheng is dead, the Great Feng still has beyond-mortal expoerts. Sun Xuanji of the Sitianjian, National Teacher Luo Yuheng, and Zhao Shou, head of Cloud Deer Academy, and… Xu Qi’an!”
“That’s right, we still have Silver Gong Xu,” someone echoed, as if to bolster their own morale.
Ji Yuan merely smiled without answering, but a vermillion-robed official standing behind him sneered,
“Even the Jianzheng himself died at the hands of our National Teacher, yet you would pit Xu Qi’an, a mere third rank, against him? It seems that the Ninth Young Master has been too modest, making you lot think Yunzhou fears the Great Feng.
“If you wish to make peace, then agree to our terms. If not, Yunzhou’s experts will soon be upon your capital and finish you off first. After that, the Yunzhou army will be at your gates, ready to take the Central Plains.
“Do you have any other choice?”
When push comes to shove, a falling out was an essential stage of negotiations, the strong side always wielding its advantages to exert pressure.
Land would have to be ceded no matter what, the only details were how much to give.
Ji Yuan lightly folded his small silver fan and said languidly,
“Your Majesty, Sirs, perhaps are not yet aware of the details of the Jianzheng’s death. Speaking of which, the Jianzheng truly was powerful, if not for the National Teacher inviting the legendary divine beast, Baidi, of Yunzhou, as well as Daoist Heilian, Leader of the Earth Sect, it would have been nigh impossible to kill the Jianzheng.”
He slowly recounted the process of the experts besieging and killing the Jianzheng. Of course, it was all fabricated, but that was irrelevant; what mattered was that, through this so-called sequence of events, he made Emperor Yongxing and the other dignitaries realise just how terrifying Yunzhou’s beyond-mortal experts really were.
Within the hall, members of the royal family, civil and military officials, all looked extremely grim, faces darkening, fists clenched tightly, or else were left helpless and dispirited.
Humiliation!
Emperor Yongxing could not help but pinch his brow and said somberly,
“We will never surrender three entire provinces. This must be discussed later. What is your fourth demand?”
This meant that ceding territory was agreed to in principle, but the quantity would require further discussion.
A hint of satisfaction tugged at Ji Yuan’s lips, his goal had been achieved. For now, the negotiations were going entirely smoothly, with no major difficulties.
“Your Majesty need not worry. This fourth condition is nothing much at all, merely an extra request.”
At these words, Emperor Yongxing’s grave countenance eased slightly, and he said,
“Speak, if you please.”
Ji Yuan snapped shut his silver fan with a “pa”:
“This official asks Your Majesty to give me the Jianzheng’s notes on artefact forging.”
Compared to the previous three conditions, this really was just an add-on. Although a first rank arcanist’s notes on artefact forging would be immensely valuable. But such items, being too high in rank, did not weigh as much as actual, tangible interests.
…
A complete and utter defeat!
In the first clash between the court and the Yunzhou delegation, the former had lost overwhelmingly.
The negotiations themselves were never going to be fair, since the Great Feng wished for peace, it could hardly avoid the pain of carving up its own territory. Yet, the sense of powerlessness displayed by the dignitaries and Emperor Yongxing throughout the process left many mid-to-low-ranking officials of the capital chilled and disappointed.
As for the four conditions, some of the scholars saw them as outright acts of surrender and direct humiliation.
“Cede territory for peace, what an outrageous disgrace!”
The first to erupt were the Hanlin Academy scholars. These men, wielding little actual power, were nonetheless amongst the pure and noble scholar-gentry. Gathering at the Meridian Gate, they hurled curses and abuse.
“Incompetent ruler! Letting a single loss of Qingzhou scare you out of your wits?”
“All men must die. We scholars would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.”
“Is Yunzhou the rightful line? Then what is the current royal family? Where does our loyalty as scholars go? You unworthy monarch who forgets your own ancestors!”
One after another, these men were dragged out of court for a caning, left half-dead by the beating.
This did intimidate a portion of the populace, but it could not suppress the spread of rumours. Just after lunch, the students at the Imperial Academy went on strike. Young scholars had always had the sharpest edge: some wrote satirical essays, some gathered crowds in the market to criticise, some stormed the chief examiner’s office, demanding to submit blood petitions to the Emperor…
The events of morning court first spread within government and the city’s upper echelons, before gradually trickling down to the common people. By dusk, word was rife in the city streets that the court had given up lands for peace and recognised the rebel army as legitimate rulers of the Central Plains.
“I saw those bandit officials from Yunzhou enter the city yesterday, and I just knew the court would sue for peace.”
“Sigh, of course, it’s best if the fighting stops. The world has become such chaos… But it still feels hard to stomach. How could the court just admit defeat like that? Last year, when troops were sent against the Church of the Warlock God, how glorious things were!”
“I’ve even heard that the Jianzheng is dead now. He was the divine immortal of the Sitianjian! Sigh, the times are changing.”
“What about Silver Gong Xu? Could he really just stand by and watch the court cede land for peace?”
“Silver Gong Xu has done all he can. Didn’t the court only just recently post a notice saying Silver Gong Xu had allied with the Wanyao Kingdom and the shaman clans? Even if we lose the Buddhists as allies, we still have others.”
“Sigh, who could have predicted it? Qingzhou fell overnight, and now I see no hope left. In the past, whatever happened, Silver Gong Xu would always step up.”
…
Courier station.
Ji Yuan took out a magical artefact and set up a soundproof formation. After hearing his subordinate’s report, he smiled and said,
“Things are quite lively outside. These bookworms who do not know the immensity of heaven and earth… Forget it, they are unimportant nobodies. Our next goal is to probe Xu Qi’an.”
When Xu Yuanshuang heard it was related to Xu Qi’an, she asked,
“How will you probe him?”
Ji Yuan spun the little silver-bone fan in his hand and said,
“For example, just as the negotiations are about to end, I suddenly add another condition, demanding that there is a marriage alliance with the Great Feng, and the candidate must be one of the two princesses, Lin’an or Huaiqing.”
Xu Qi’an was engaged to Lin’an, he had learned this from people sent by Noble Consort Chen.
Xu Yuanshuang frowned and said,
“Do you have a death wish?”
If he really did this, whether or not the peace talks succeeded was one thing, but whether Xu Qi’an would let him leave the capital alive was another.
Ji Yuan burst out laughing:
“The two princesses are of the same family, so naturally the marriage alliance would not be for me, but Yuanhuai. What do you think Xu Qi’an’s reaction would be? Could he really lay a hand on his own younger brother?”
“He could!” Xu Yuanhuai’s face suddenly changed, this was pushing him towards a dead end.
“I’m just joking. Look how tense you all are.”
Ji Yuan laughed maliciously, then suddenly grew serious and sat upright:
“Xu Qi’an has yet to show himself. We still do not know what he is scheming in secret.
“Although the Jianzheng has been sealed, he is still the Jianzheng, who knows what trump cards he has left? Even the National Teacher doesn’t know, so he wants to probe Xu Qi’an and use the talks to feel out Xu Qi’an, to thereby understand what countermeasures the Jianzheng might have left behind.”
Xu Yuanshuang’s expression eased a little and she asked,
“Ninth Brother, what trump cards do you think he might have?”
Ji Yuan thought for a moment, then smiled:
“A dead end!
“For Xu Qi’an, this is a dead end. If I were him, I would ignore the talks as much as possible and use the time bought by the negotiations to desperately seek out help and draw beyond-mortal experts in as allies.
“So, this trip to the capital is simply an unearned achievement for us. There is no danger.”
The folding fan spun in Ji Yuan’s hand:
“No matter how capable he is, he can only accept things with his nose pinched. Ah, I really want to see how desperate he looks at the end of his rope, but this is not the time yet. We must wait until we break through the capital’s defences.”
…
Jingxiu Palace.
“Mother Consort, I heard from Huaiqing that if we cede land and seek peace, the Great Feng is thoroughly finished.”
Lin’an said anxiously, the bright radiance usually on her oval face clouded with a layer of gloom.
Noble Consort Chen responded irritably,
“There is no other way. If we do not seek peace, shall we continue to fight Yunzhou? If there was any chance of victory, would His Majesty and the ministers be so fixated on the peace talks?
“Negotiation is the only way out now. Or do you want to pin your hopes on your fiance?”
Lin’an bit her lip, on the verge of tears:
“Mother Consort, why do you dislike him so much?”
A white-robed figure flashed through Noble Consort Chen’s mind. She gritted her teeth and said,
“None of those surnamed Xu are good people.”
She immediately softened, took Lin’an’s hand, and said:
“You can’t trust a word from Huaiqing, she has always been sly. Lin’an, you don’t understand. Other than negotiating, no one can save the court now.”
…
Wang Manor.
Qian Qingshu, draped in a thick cloak, strode directly into Wang Zhenwen’s bedroom.
Seeing him enter, Wang Zhenwen waved away the maidservants and asked straight out,
“What are the terms?”
Qian Qingshu recounted Yunzhou’s four conditions in detail.
“Rebel clique! Rebel clique!!”
Wang Zhenwen cursed several times, then suddenly started coughing violently.
Qian Qingshu sat by the bed, gently rubbed his back to help him breathe, and sighed,
“Things have come to this. His Majesty has already agreed, though ceding three provinces is impossible. His bottom line is to cede only Yuuzhou.”
“Recognising the Qianlong City faction orthodox in the Central Plains, undermining the Great Feng’s morale, demanding wealth to drain us dry, ceding three provinces to greatly strengthen them…”
Wang Zhenwen murmured,
“It’s finished, there’s no saving the situation, it’s beyond help.”
Even if Wei Yuan were resurrected, he could not revive this chess game.
Qian Qingshu sighed,
“But who could persuade His Majesty? Besides, negotiating peace is in line with the general trend. Now the only one in the Great Feng who could go against the current is Xu Qi’an.
“But Brother Wang, forcing Xu Qi’an to break with the court, is that not Yunzhou’s real plot? He has not appeared all this time because he knows this.
“I have already found that he is at the Sitianjian, and sent people to deliver the message. If he wanted to come, he would have come long ago.”
…
Sitianjian, the master bedroom.
Xu Qi’an was soaking in a bath tub, leaning against the wooden rim, with the nearly forty-year-old Flower God sitting soft and boneless in his embrace, her delicate body seeming younger and softer than a maiden’s.
She lay weakly in Xu Qi’an’s arms, her head resting on his shoulder, cheeks flushed, eyes glazed, utterly drained of strength.
“Wha… what time is it…?”
Finally able to catch her breath during a mid-session break, Mu Nanzhi asked, voice feeble.
“Just after lunch.”
Xu Qi’an clutched Mu Nanzhi’s slim waist, not letting her leave his embrace for a moment, looking energetic.
The beauty in his arms was utterly soft, her skin like ivory, delicate yet springy.
Just after lunch… Mu Nanzhi, her voice quivering on the verge of tears, scolded him:
“Are you an animal? You’ve had your way with me for a day and a night. I… I won’t dual cultivate with you any more…”
Compared to Little Desire, your stamina is truly weak… Xu Qi’an said,
“The first dual cultivation session has the best effect. Currently, my Qi is still increasing, we’ll stop when I hit the limit. Your inner Qi is just as abundant. Nanzhi, do you know how many people dream of such fast cultivation?”
Around the rim of the tub, water had splashed everywhere. The clothes and undergarments from the screen had long since fallen to the floor, now soaked by the overflowing bath water.
The wide solid bed was in chaos, quilts on the floor, the sheets crumpled and twisted, marked with irregular, lingering traces.
Thanks to the rich spiritual essence of the Flower God, Xu Qi’an had been able to stabilise his foundation in just one night.
Normally, after advancement, it took about ten days to stabilise one’s realm and adapt to new power.
At this point, he felt a familiar lurch in his heart.
He gestured to summon the Earth Book fragment from the messy clothes.
【ONE: The Yunzhou diplomatic mission has already had an audience with Yongxing and gave four conditions.】
Huaiqing described at length what was discussed in this morning’s audience, writing out the details in the Earth Book chat group.
At the end, she simply commented:
【ONE: A crushing defeat. That Ji Yuan is a formidable figure. He uses his momentum to oppress others, and Yongxing and the ministers have no leverage to negotiate with him.】
【SEVEN: Useless!】
So commented the Holy Son.
After reading Huaiqing’s summary, even Li Lingsu felt indignant for the Great Feng, let alone the justice-loving Li Miaozhen.
【TWO: This useless emperor, if he really gives up three provinces, won’t Xu Pingfeng’s Yunzhou forces be as fierce as tigers, with no hope left for the Great Feng?
【Xu Ningyan, what on earth are we to do? Should we fight with everything we have? Say something!】
Xu Qi’an had not sent any messages for a while, appearing uncharacteristically passive, this made Lady Flying Swallow anxious to the point of losing sleep and appetite.
Other members of the Heaven and Earth Society were equally worried, watching helplessly as the Great Feng slid step by step towards the abyss.
【THREE: No need to worry, just continue doing your own tasks. I’ll handle the peace negotiations.】
After this brief assurance, he continued to cuddle the weak Mu Nanzhi in his arms while privately messaging the scholarly Princess Royal.
【THREE: Your Highness, is everything ready?】
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