Zhao Defang stayed in the posthouse outside the Imperial City for a full four hours. After noon, he left the posthouse with his superior, Zuo Shaoqing and Li Guanyu of the Chamberlain of Dependencies, under the scorching sun hanging high in the sky. They were already starving. Instead of returning to their homes, they entered the Imperial Palace and headed straight for Funing Palace. Top novel, x.
Li Guanyu and the other two Vice Ministers of the Foreign Education Department of the Great Song arrived at the Funing Palace without delay. On the other side, the Zhao family had just finished their lunch in Funing Palace when they heard a servant report that His Highness the King of Qin and Li Zuoqing from the Honglu Temple had come to request an audience with the Emperor.
As for the officials in his court, they often asked to see the emperor. Normally, the Zhao family would order the inner servant to summon the officials who came to see him.
However, after reading the letter from the Liao Kingdom's Khan, Ye Lui Xian, yesterday, he had a stomach full of it. From yesterday's low tide to noon today, the King of Jin Zhao Guangyi and the King of Wei Zhao Dezhao had come to see him twice, but they were both rejected by the Zhao family without hesitation.
One had to know that the King of Qin was the brother of the Zhao family, and the King of Wei, Zhao Dezhao, was the second son of the Zhao family. Even so, he still could not see the shadow of the Zhao family. Even a relative of the royal family who was so close to the Zhao family could not be received by the Zhao family. As for the other ministers in the court, there was no need to say anything.
However, that was then. At first, when the Zhao family's chamberlain who had come to report had heard of Li Zuoqing of the Chamberlain of Dependencies, he had shook his head in disapproval.
However, when he heard from the chamberlain that besides Li Zuoqing of the Chamberlain of Dependencies 'yamen, there was also His Highness Zhao Defang, his eyes lit up, and he immediately called for the two of them to come in and have a chat.
The reason why the Zhao family didn't meet anyone these two days, but when he heard that the King of Qin, Zhao Defang, wanted to see him, he immediately summoned him for an audience was because in the Zhao family's opinion, his fourth prince, Zhao Defang, was specially appointed by him to inquire about the intentions of this diplomatic mission led by Xiao Chuo, the third daughter of Xiao Siwen, the regent of the Liao Kingdom, to the Song Kingdom. This was so that if the relationship between the Liao Kingdom and the Liao Kingdom really reached the point of war, he could make sufficient preparations in advance to achieve the purpose of preempting the attack.
As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. Before becoming the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, the Zhao family had been in the army, so they naturally understood the way of using troops.
"Your son greets Imperial Father!" Zhao Defang, who had entered the main hall of the Funing Palace, stopped only three feet away from the Zhao family's residence and cupped his hands in greeting.
"This lowly subject greets the official!" Li Guanyu, who had followed Zhao Defang into the main hall of Funing Palace, stood side by side with Zhao Defang. He quickly cupped his hands and bowed respectfully.
Before this, when Zhao Defang saw her Imperial Father, the Zhao family, she always called herself 'child'. That was because although he had a title of nobility, he was not allowed to participate in the government. Other than a bald title of nobility, he did not have any official positions. However, it was different now. He had already been appointed by the Zhao family as a junior third-grade official of the Honglu Temple's Yamen, the Right Shaoqing. This official position was equivalent to the executive vice minister of the foreign education department in his previous life's modern society, so he naturally referred to himself as "son's minister".
"My son Defang, Minister Li, you don't have to be so formal. Since you are so anxious to see me, I believe that the two of you must have something very important to report to me. Moreover, I have also sat in Funing Palace for half a day. My mind is constantly thinking about the movements of the Liao Kingdom's diplomatic mission, but I have no idea.
"I didn't expect that after thinking about it for half a day, I would be worried about this. The two of you, who were hand-picked by me to accompany the Liao Kingdom's diplomatic mission, have come to see me. Quickly tell me, what information did you get from the Liao Kingdom's diplomatic mission? Don't waste time on the details, just tell me the important ones.”Zhao Guanjia, who was sitting behind the imperial table in the hall of Funing Palace, first glanced at Zhao Defang and Li Guanyu who were standing three feet away from him with his fierce eyes. Seeing their anxious expressions, he guessed their intention of coming to see him. He immediately stood up and said in a clear voice.
"The officials are really divine! This humble subject and His Highness the King of Qin have come to seek an audience with the Emperor. Indeed, we have inquired about an extremely important piece of news from the Liao Kingdom's diplomatic mission that was settled in the posthouse outside the Imperial City.”Li Guanyu stood up straight after receiving the gift and reported respectfully. After saying this, he turned his face away and glanced at Zhao Defang who was standing beside him. Then, he turned around and continued to report to the Zhao family in front of him,"As for this information, I feel that Your Highness the King of Qin knows more about it than I do, because this matter was discussed by Your Highness the King of Qin and the princess of the Liao Kingdom.”
In front of the father and son, Li Guanyu had foresight. In his opinion, it was better for Zhao Defang, the King of Qin, to report the situation of the Liao Kingdom's diplomatic mission. If it was him, the head of the Chamberlain of Dependencies 'yamen, speaking, it was reasonable.
However, since he had spoken first, he was afraid that he would steal the limelight from His Highness the King of Qin. Now that His Highness the King of Qin was standing beside him, as an old man in the officialdom, he naturally had to be polite.
"Oh, so there's such a thing." When Zhao Guanjia heard this, his expression revealed a slight trace of surprise. After a moment, his expression returned to normal. Then, he turned his gaze to Zhao Defang, who was standing in front of him, and said in an expectant tone,"Son, is what Minister Li said true? Tell me quickly."
On the way here, Zhao Defang had been begging Li Guanyu, who had followed him here, to report this matter to the Zhao family. However, Li Guanyu had been smiling without saying a word throughout the journey. He had neither refused nor agreed. In Zhao Defang's opinion, Li Guanyu's attitude was a tacit agreement.
However, he had never expected that when they arrived at Fu Funing Palace and stood in front of Zhao Defang, Li Guanyu would take the initiative to ask him to report this matter. Zhao Defang was embarrassed. After all, boasting had never been his forte. This time, he could only brace himself and praise himself without batting an eyelid.
"Father, what Lord Li said just now is true. This matter was indeed discussed by me and the princess of the Liao Kingdom. However, I did not dare to make the decision on my own, so I came with Lord Li to report to Father and ask for Father's approval.”Zhao Defang lowered her head slightly and cupped her hands to ask for instructions. Then, after he paused and thought for a moment, she continued,"Your Majesty, after seven in the morning today, I rushed to the posthouse outside the Imperial City and saw Lord Li chatting with the princess of the Liao Kingdom's diplomatic mission about the customs of the Great Song. The young princess of the Liao Kingdom somehow found out that my son had created something strange and strange a few days ago, but it piqued her interest and she asked me for it. human fragrance, tea, shower, bathtub, and other things.
"Your son feels that the Liao Kingdom has never been on good terms with the Great Song. Decades ago, they even annexed the Sixteen Prefectures of the Tranquil Cloud in the north of the Central Plains. The Sixteen Prefectures are not only fertile land, but also a natural barrier to the north of Great Song. " Now, without the Sixteen Nether Cloud Prefectures as a natural barrier, the Khitans who invaded the Central Plains will not give up. After crossing the natural barrier, there will be no obstruction. They can drive south and invade the Central Plains of the Great Song.
"I hate the Khitans for not returning the land that didn't belong to them. If the emperor of the Liao Kingdom personally asked me for it, I would reject it without hesitation, let alone the princess of the Liao Kingdom. However, after I righteously rejected her unreasonable request, the princess did not give up. She actually thought of a method of three rounds of competition, which was divided into three rounds and two wins.
"After three rounds of competition, if the Liao Kingdom's diplomatic corps wins two or more rounds, Father will have to follow the requirements of the letter written by the Liao Emperor to Father. If our Great Song wins two or more of the matches, I will give the princess of Liao ten boxes of beauty. Human fragrance, 100 sets of shower facilities, 100 wooden bathtubs. Not only that, but the princess of Liao Kingdom also agreed to take back the contents of the letter that the Emperor of Liao Kingdom had written to his father. Within three years, the border would cease fire and they would not harass each other.
"After the princess of the Liao Kingdom and your son finished discussing this matter, how could your son dare to make a decision without permission? However, your son thinks that the envoy of Liao Kingdom is just a weak woman. How can she make the decision for the Liao Emperor? Regarding this, your son also has doubts and hopes that Imperial Father can clarify.”
Only Zhao Guanjia, Zhao Defang, and Zhao Pu knew about the contents of the letter that Ye Lui Xian wrote to Zhao Guanjia, the emperor of Great Song. The contents of the letter were top secret at that time. Zhao Defang did not dare to tell Li Guanyu about it, so she only mentioned it briefly.
However, after the Zhao family heard Zhao Defang's tirelessly recounting words, their tightly knitted brows immediately relaxed slowly, and their dragon faces were immediately overjoyed.
After all, for the Zhao family, who still could not find a solution after thinking for half a day, the news brought by Zhao Defang could be said to be charcoal in the snow. It solved his urgent need. For some reason, Zhao Guanjia felt that Zhao Defang, his fourth son, had now become a lucky general that he relied on.
"Son, the news you and Minister Li brought made me very happy.”The official Zhao walked out from behind the imperial table and quickly walked to Zhao Defang and Li Guanyu. He smiled at the two of them and patted Zhao Defang's tender shoulder, saying earnestly,""My son, you might not know this, but this time, she is the envoy of the diplomatic mission to Great Song. Her name is Xiao Chuo. Don't look at her as a woman, but she is the princess of the Liao Kingdom. Moreover, she is a princess of the opposite sex. This is the first time they have heard of this in the Khitan Liao Kingdom.
"Not only that, Xiao Chuo's father, Xiao Siwen, is now the regent of the Liao Kingdom, assisting the sick Emperor Ye Lui Xian. It could be said that Xiao Siwen was the actual controller of the Liao regime, and his third daughter, Xiao Chuo, was smart since she was young. She was good at riding and shooting, wielding knives and swords, and taught her the culture of the Central Plains. If she was a man, she could really replace Ye Lui Xian who was lying on the sickbed all day.
"It's a pity that Xiao Chuo is a woman, and now she's taking on the mission of an envoy to Great Song. She must have received the approval of her father, Xiao Siwen. Therefore, this Xiao Chuo must not be underestimated. Since she dared to discuss a competition with my Great Song, she must have made plans in advance to not consider the outcome. In my opinion, this Xiao Chuo is not simple. No matter if she wins or loses, her trip here will not be in vain. She will take a lot of benefits from Great Song and return to report.”
After listening to Zhao Guanjia's thoughtful words, Zhao Defang, who was stunned at the side, felt enlightened. Originally, he had thought that Xiao Chuo was just trying to force his father to agree to the unreasonable request of paying tribute in the Liao Emperor's letter.
After all, the Khitans of the Liao Kingdom were good at two of the three matches, and only one of them was good for the people of the Great Song. If the competition was based on the best of three, needless to say, the Khitans of the Liao Kingdom would have the highest chance of winning the competition. At that time, Zhao Defang wanted to reject it.
However, when he remembered that his father's original intention in appointing him as the Right Official of the Chamberlain of Dependencies was to spy on their every move, he did not reject Xiao Chuo's proposal on the spot, but instead hurried over to report to his father, the Zhao family.
Now, after Zhao Defang heard the analysis of his father, Zhao Guanjia, he felt that regardless of the outcome of the competition, Xiao Chuo's trip to the Song Country was not in vain. The best result would be that he had completed the mission that the Liao Emperor and his father had given him, allowing the Song Kingdom to pay tribute to the Liao Kingdom.
Even in the worst case scenario, Xiao Chuo could still take away Zhao Defang's invention from the Song Dynasty. Even if it was like " losing the watermelon and picking up the sesame seed ", it was better to have the sesame seed than to go back empty-handed. Wasn't there a saying that a mosquito's leg was still a piece of meat no matter how small it was?
"Through the three rounds of competition with the Liao Kingdom's diplomatic corps, we can decide whether the Great Song and Liao Kingdom will be at war or at peace. This is better than having the Great Song and Liao Kingdom each mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops to fight a war. This is also a good way to solve the problem in my heart.”After Zhao Guanjia pondered for a moment, he swept his tiger eyes over Zhao Defang, who was secretly in a daze, and asked with a serious expression,"What are the three matches that the princess of Liao Kingdom proposed to compete with our Great Song? If our Great Song is confident in winning two of them, then we might as well agree. Our Great Song has only been established for three to five years, and we've already expended a lot of our manpower, resources, and wealth in the southern expeditions.
"If we were to start a war with Liao Kingdom now, there would be Liao Kingdom and Northern Han in the north, and Southern Tang, Wu Yue, and Houshu in the south. If that's the case, our Great Song would be surrounded by enemies from both sides. It seemed that it would be best if they could resolve their relationship with the Liao Kingdom by sending troops to war. My son, quickly tell me what the three competition subjects that Xiao Chuo, the princess of Liao Kingdom, proposed are.”
"Reporting to Imperial Father, the subjects of these three rounds are: Round 1: Wrestling. Round 2: Archery. Third round: Couplet." Zhao Defang was jolted awake by her father's question. After hesitating for a moment, her face turned red and she could only bite the bullet and tell him one by one. After he paused for a moment, he changed the topic and advised bitterly,"Father, the princess of the Liao Kingdom proposed three competition subjects. Two of them are wrestling and archery, which the Khitans of the Liao Kingdom are best at. There must be many experts hidden in the diplomatic mission that she brought with her.
"For us Song people, only couplets can surpass them. These three matches are not good for Great Song. If we agree to this, your son doesn't think we have a 50% chance of winning. I hope that my father can think twice before making a decision. I can't be fooled by the Khitans of the Liao Kingdom.”
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