After Fu Su and Li Lizhi's wedding, the Tang Empire's diplomatic mission had also completed the negotiations on the equipment trade with the Qin Empire.
The State of Qin wanted to buy 100,000 sets of armor and equipment from the State of Tang in one go. It was a huge number, and even Du Ruhui could not agree to it.
He needed to go through Li Shimin's decision after returning to the Tang Empire to decide whether to agree to this deal.
After all, a transaction of 100,000 pieces of equipment was not a small matter.
After these things were done, it was time for the Tang Empire's diplomatic mission to leave Xianyang. Fu Su personally went out of the city to see them off.
Outside Xianyang City.
"Shaoyang Jun, please send me here."
"If you have the time, why don't you come to our Great Tang with the princess as a guest? When the time comes, you must come to my palace. I would like to invite Shaoyang Jun to taste the tea of our Great Tang.”
Du Ruhui said to Fu Su with a smile in front of the carriage.
He was very impressed by Fu Su's tea theory. During this period of time, he often tasted tea with Fu Su and shared his experiences in drinking tea.
After the exchange, he admired Fu Su even more.
A gentle smile appeared on Fu Su's handsome face when he heard that. He said,""If I am fortunate enough to visit the Great Tang again, I will definitely pay a visit.”
However, he was just being polite.
Because as he gained Ying Zheng's trust and favor, and his status rose, he became busier and busier, and he could no longer have the free time to travel far away from the Great Tang.
Du Ruhui obviously understood this, but he did not say it out loud. He turned to look at Li Lizhi, who was beside Fu Su.
"Your Highness, is there anything you need me to tell His Majesty and the Queen?”
Du Ruhui asked.
Li Lizhi nodded and took out two exquisite safety talismans from her sleeves, then handed them to Du Ruhui.
"Lord Du, I personally made this for my father and mother. I hope you can pass it on for me.”
"Please tell father and the others that everything is fine here. Tell them to take care of their bodies and not worry about me.”
" Also, tell father not to stay up late to read the memorials. Mother has a lung disease, so she needs to drink more Muli Snow Lotus Soup…"
Li Lizhi said everything in detail.
Du Ruhui listened carefully and remembered everything she said. Then, he cupped his hands and said,"This subject will remember it and will definitely inform His Majesty and the Empress.”
"Your Highness…take care!"
Du Ruhui bowed deeply to Li Lizhi, then turned around and boarded the carriage.
The convoy of the Tang diplomatic mission officially set off.
Li Lizhi held onto Fu Su's arm and stared blankly at the convoy as it left. Her pretty face was filled with disappointment.
"I miss father and mother a little. Are they very useless, like children?”
Li Lizhi lowered her head, her beautiful eyes slightly dimmed.
Fu Su didn't say anything more. He just pressed her head into his arms and said with a smile,""Aren't you just a child? Did he really think that he was an adult?”
"So if you want to cry, cry. I won't laugh at you.”
In Fu Su's eyes, the sixteen-year-old Li Lizhi was indeed still a young girl who had not grown up.
Li Lizhi reached out and hugged Fu Su's waist. She raised her head from his arms and said with a straight face,"I won't!"
The two of them looked at each other and stared at each other.
A moment later, they all laughed out loud, then turned around and walked back to Xianyang City.
……
Song Country, Bianliang City.
Recently, the weather in Bianliang had been rainy.
The sky was shimmering, and there were not many pedestrians on the streets. They were all holding umbrellas or wearing straw raincoats as they hurried past.
The Song royal palace was shrouded in a dense fog after the rain. It was somewhat hazy, making it difficult for ordinary people to see a corner of its luxury and magnificence.
In the palace, in the meeting hall.
Today was a rare day of court. Many ministers were gathered together, but many of them looked at the palace door from time to time with worried expressions.
It had been a long time since they had attended court.
The person in the palace had changed the ancestral system of one day to one day for ten days.
But even so, that person still didn't come often.
Just like last time, the officials waited for two hours, but a eunuch came over and told them to disperse.
That was really infuriating!
"His Majesty isn't coming again, is he?"
"Sigh, I wonder which Empress Palace she is in. Beauty really misguides the country!”
"Humph! It was all that treacherous official's fault. He had been flattering His Majesty with his words, causing His Majesty to not think about political affairs!”
"Shh! Do you want to die?"
"I really hope that Duke Ou and Duke Fan can take a step in and at least advise His Majesty.”
"It's useless, sigh…"
........
The ministers discussed animatedly.
Just as they were whispering to each other, an old man with white hair and beard walked into the hall.
This old man was wearing a red and purple official robe with a kylin official robe. He had a purple ribbon and a jade waist. One look and one could tell that he was a high-ranking official.
In fact, that was indeed the case.
This old man was none other than Ouyang Xiu, the current Minister of State and Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!
After seeing Ouyang Xiu, all the officials in the hall showed respect and bowed to him.
Ouyang Xiu nodded at them one by one with a kind expression.
After Ouyang Xiu, the red and purple nobles entered the hall one after another.
Wang Anshi, Qin Hui, Pang Taishi
All of them were officials of the second rank and above in the court, and their statuses were extremely noble!
They represented the various factions in the court, and their arrival caused the atmosphere in the hall to become even more stagnant. The officials who had been discussing with each other earlier all lowered their heads.
Wang Anshi flicked the rainwater off his body and then glanced at Qin Hui beside him. A trace of disgust flashed in his eyes.
"Attendant Qin being able to participate in the court meeting today truly surprises this Wang. If there is anything, doesn't Attendant Qin directly report it to the heavens?”
Wang Anshi spoke with undisguised sarcasm.
Everyone knew that Qin Hui was a favored minister of the King of Song. He often stood beside Zhao Gou by virtue of his position. He formed cliques with the masses and flattered him. His reputation in the court was very bad.
Wang Anshi was especially disgusted with him, and he was never vague in his daily targeting.
"The court meeting is an ancestral system. How can I not come?”
"Moreover, we still need to discuss the state affairs with you.”
Qin Hui smiled.
It was as if he did not hear the deep sarcasm and disdain in Wang Anshi's words.
However, he changed the topic and continued,"However, I heard that Lord Wang's Qing Miao Law isn't going very smoothly.”
"The Ministry of Revenue must have lost a lot of money, right? His Majesty specifically mentioned this matter to me last time. Lord Wang must pay more attention.”
"Otherwise, if His Majesty were to abolish this method in a fit of anger, then you can't blame anyone.”
"How dare you!"
Wang Anshi's eyes suddenly became extremely sharp, and his expression was extremely cold.
Qin Hui had a smile on his face and was not afraid at all.
The two of them were at loggerheads, and the other ministers watched coldly as if they did not see this scene.
"Sigh!"
Ouyang Xiu, who was at the side, sighed. Just as he was about to go up and smooth things over, another person walked into the hall.
An ordinary-looking middle-aged man came in.
After he walked into the hall, he only raised his eyes to look at Qin Hui and Wang Anshi. Then, he said lightly,"Stop arguing. His Majesty is here."
After he finished speaking, he walked straight to the right and stood side by side with Ouyang Xiu.
Privy Council Envoy-Fan Zhongyan!
After hearing his words, Qin Hui and Wang Anshi naturally did not dare to argue anymore. The other ministers also lowered their heads and stood.
Not long after, a voice suddenly sounded in the hall.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Accompanied by the eunuch's sharp singing, a man wearing a bright yellow brocade robe with heavy eye bags walked into the hall. It was Zhao Gou.
He walked straight to the throne at the end of the hall and sat down. Then, he yawned and said indifferently,"Is everyone here?"
"Everyone is here, Your Majesty."
The eunuch at the side replied respectfully.
Zhao Gou's gaze swept across everyone in the hall. He held his chin and said,"Then let's discuss the matter. If there's anything, report it and if there's nothing, withdraw.”
Then, he yawned again.
After he finished speaking, Wang Anshi was the first to stand up and say,"Your Majesty, the initial implementation of the Qing Miao Law has been very effective. I believe that we can carry out the second phase and implement it in many places.”
"In addition, the trading method is also very feasible after testing. It should be vigorously promoted to prevent the rich and powerful from disrupting the market.”
The Green Crops Law and the Market Exchange Law were the two major reforms that Wang Anshi attached the most importance to.
Although the resistance in the court was not small, with his full support, they had achieved some results.
However, at the mention of this matter, a hint of impatience flashed across Zhao Gou's face. He said,"I have already said that you should think of a way to do these two methods yourself.”
"I have already given you my greatest support by not rejecting you. How else do you want me to support you?”
"Your Majesty, I…"
Wang Anshi still wanted to say something, but Zhao Gou didn't give him a chance to speak. He waved his hand and dismissed him.
Seeing this, Wang Anshi could only return to his original position unwillingly.
Qin Hui glanced at him, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes.
After Wang Anshi finished speaking, the other ministers also raised various matters. They had all been accumulating for such a long time.
They only dared to pick some very important things that only required Zhao Gou to make a decision. Otherwise, he wouldn't care at all.
After one of the officials finished, Fan Zhongyan suddenly said,"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Fan Zhongyan opened his mouth and everyone looked at him.
Everyone in the court was in awe of this military bigwig of the Bureau of Military Affairs.
Whether it was ability or experience, Fan Zhongyan was outstanding. The Song army was originally a pile of loose sand and rotten.
After Fan Zhongyan came to power, he used a thunderous method to completely eradicate corruption and reorganize the Song army.
He also promoted Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and other new generals, and created a few elite armies. The strength of the army was actually able to compete with the Qin State, which had become stronger and stronger after Ying Zheng ascended the throne.
Seeing Fan Zhongyan speak, Zhao Gou sat up straight and smiled at Fan Zhongyan: "If you have anything to say, just say it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Fan Zhongyan nodded and said,"I want to report the matter of Zhao.”
"Two months ago, Qin General Baiqi used the assassination of Qin Young Master Fusu as an excuse to lead his army into Zhao and quickly occupied several cities.”
"Currently, Yue Fei has already led his troops to stop the Qin country from continuing to invade and is currently confronting them. The conflict between the two countries intensified, and a war was imminent.”
Everyone was shocked.
With such a huge incident happening in Zhao, it should have been reported long ago. Why was it only announced now?
Everyone couldn't help but look at Qin Hui.
Menxia Province was responsible for handling the memorials of all officials, and Qin Hui was a servant under the door. All the memorials had to go through his hands before they could reach Zhao Gou.
However, everyone knew that Zhao Gou rarely read memorials, so these memorials were basically handled by Qin Hui.
"Qin Hui! How dare you hide the military information?"
Wang Anshi shouted with a stern expression.
"This is the crime of deceiving the emperor! Your entire clan will be exterminated!"
Qin Hui's face turned pale as he turned to Zhao Gou on the throne for help.
"I've actually heard of it, but I didn't expect it to be so serious…" Zhao Gou coughed lightly and said.
Everyone fell silent.
How could they not understand that it was actually Zhao Gou himself who did not take it to heart? Otherwise, even if Qin Hui had a hundred guts, he would not dare to hide such a thing.
Ouyang Xiu frowned and said,"Your Majesty, we must not let the Qin people enter Zhao. Otherwise, we will have no chance of taking it back!"”
"Furthermore, the matter of the assassin is absolutely non-existent. It's just an excuse that Bai Qi used to attack.”
"I think we should return the favor and send another army to garrison Zhao!”
Qin and Song had been fighting for Zhao for more than ten years.
No matter if it was the Qin Country or the Song Country, it was impossible for them to give up this place. This was a matter of face.
"You can't do this!"
But hearing Ouyang Xiu's words, Fan Zhongyan simply shook his head.
"Now that the Qin and Tang countries have formed an alliance, they are also trading warhorses and armaments to make up for each other's shortcomings.”
"With the equipment of the Tang Empire, the Qin army will definitely increase its combat effectiveness!”
"And that day, it wasn't only the Qin country's young master who was assassinated, but also the Tang Country's Eldest Princess who went to the marriage alliance.”
"So, regardless of whether the assassin is from our Song Dynasty or not, as long as we have this excuse, the Qin and Tang Dynasties will have the possibility of jointly attacking our Song Dynasty!”
Fan Zhongyan's military vision was extremely high.
After his analysis, everyone realized the danger and immediately felt a chill.
The Song army's combat strength was actually not bad. Because of the sufficient food and excellent equipment, they could also compete with the Qin army.
If the Qin army could make up for this and attack together with the Tang, it would be a nightmare!
However, he could not give up the land of Zhao.
However, they did not have the courage to start a war with the Qin Kingdom. They were still too afraid of the Tang Kingdom that was eyeing them covetously.
"Minister Fan, how many troops does the Qin army have stationed in Zhao?”
Zhao Gou narrowed his eyes and asked.
He played with a jade thumb ring in his hand and asked casually.
Fan Zhongyan cupped his hands and replied,"Your Majesty, there are about 100,000 people. Baiqi is leading them personally."”
"Ha, that old man really lived for a long time.”
Zhao Gou sneered, then glanced at Qin Hui and said indifferently,""It's time to use that chess piece buried in the State of Qin.”
"You don't need me to teach you what to do, right?”
Zhao Gou's words caused everyone's hearts to tremble.
A chess piece buried in the State of Qin?
His Majesty even planted spies in the State of Qin? When did this happen?
Most of the ministers were confused.
In their eyes, Zhao Gou never cared about political affairs and only cared about having fun. He was an out-and-out fatuous ruler.
But now, they realized that this was not the case…
Among the officials, only Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, and Fan Zhongyan remained calm, as if they were not surprised by Zhao Gou's new appearance.
"This subject will do as you say!"
Qin Hui respectfully cupped his hands.
Only then did Zhao Gou retract his gaze and yawn again. The sharpness in his eyes was no longer there, only laziness.
"If there's nothing else, then you can leave.”
"Retreat."
After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the hall. The officials bowed wherever he passed.
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