first minister

Once, Xue Wenlu thought that he would not be afraid of meeting anyone.

His fear of his father and His Majesty was only due to the overwhelming and dazzling aura of power on each other.

But the Southern Dynasty group, Xia Jingyun, the number one young generation of the Southern Dynasty whom they had only met once, completely defeated him with just one banquet, making him fearful and terrified;

As for Bai Yunbian, after being together for a long time, his initial disgust and powerlessness gradually turned into fear and avoidance after he was unable to resist.

At this moment, he looked at the white cloud standing in front of him with a smile on his face, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation in his heart, as though the world was huge, there was no way to escape.

"Prince?" Bai Yunbian tilted his head slightly, "Why don't you say anything? Are you too happy to see me?"

Yelu Wende and Yuan Wenjing stood behind, feeling pain for Xue Wenlu in their hearts.

Of course they don't think this is the retribution they deserve for bullying others before and now that the situation has reversed. They just feel that Baiyunbian is too much. What about the people in the Southern Dynasties who were promised to be humble, polite, and generous?
Even though I cut you with a knife, can't you forgive me generously after you gain power?How can it be cut back?
But they would never dare to let Xue Wenlu go to rescue Xue Wenlu.

They don't want to bear it anymore, and they can't bear it anymore.

Fortunately, if they don't dare, there will always be someone who dares.

Pei Bingchang couldn't help but feel a surge of pride in his heart when he saw that a young man from the Southern Dynasty was so overwhelmed that he didn't dare to breathe.

Immediately he coughed lightly and said, "Your Excellency."

Bai Yunbian glanced lightly, "Your Majesty, who are you?"

Pei Bingchang paused and said, "Down here."

"Under what? Since you are here, don't you see that I am talking to your superior? Is it your turn to interrupt?"

Although Xue Wenlu was a little confused, he was not stupid. At this moment, Pei Bingchang was willing to help him. He was overjoyed and said quickly: "Sir Bai, this is Mr. Pei Bingchang, a member of the military department of my court, and also my deputy of the mission. make."

"Deputy envoy! I have some qualifications even if I'm reluctant." Bai Yunbian nodded lightly, "Okay, you can say whatever you want."

Pei Bingchang opened his mouth and found that his thoughts had been completely disrupted by Bai Yunbian, who was not following the routine. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Master Bai, I am here to envoy an envoy to your country, but you are blocking the way here and deliberately humiliating me. What is your intention? Is this how your country, which claims to be a country of etiquette and righteousness, treats guests like this?"

As soon as these words came out, Yelu Wende and Yuan Wenjing both put their hands on their foreheads, and Xue Wenlu also lowered his head silently.

I thought you could come up with some good tricks, but now it turns out you’re not as good as the three of us!
Bai Yunbian looked at him calmly, "What nonsense are you talking about? I and the Crown Prince are old friends, and we meet each other on the same road. How come the last two sentences are deliberately humiliating? In your Daliang, is greeting someone humiliating? Ask the world Zi and the other two deputy envoys, do they think this is humiliating? Where are these rough people from the mountains? They don’t even understand basic etiquette, so they jump out and make nonsense. If I were you, I would hide in the carriage with my neck hunched. Come out and save yourself from embarrassment and laughter!"

Pei Bingchang looked angry, "How dare you insult me?"

"What? Are you not convinced?"

Bai Yunbian glanced at him and said, "Look at your crazy look. Are you the son of a big shot in some family? Or was your father also kicked out by Jiang Yuhu?"

Pei Bingchang snorted coldly, "Are all people in the Southern Dynasties such people who only use their words?"

"No, if you are really itchy, we can also fight you with real swords and guns. No"

Bai Yunbian smiled slightly, "You haven't forgotten why you came here, have you?"

Pei Bingchang's expression froze. Xue Wenlu couldn't stand Bai Yunbian's one-sided crushing. In order to leave a person with a heart that was not broken for him, he bit the bullet and said: "Master Bai, I am here to serve on your Majesty's orders." , come here to submit your credentials. Since Mr. Bai is here, why don't you pass the message on your behalf?"

Bai Yunbian waved his hand, "Let the people from Honglu Temple handle these things. Brother Gao Yang said it well. There are specialties in the art. Let's go and say goodbye!"

After saying that, Bai Yunbian got on his horse and rode away.

Looking at his back, Pei Bingchang finally found the right words to retaliate and snorted coldly: "You are just an arrogant villain who succeeded once! There is no need to care about people like this!"

Xue Wenlu sighed, not wanting to continue, "Let's go to Honglu Temple."

When they arrived at Honglu Temple, the reaction of the minister of Honglu Temple became much more normal. He went through the process in a formal manner and brought Xue Wenlu in front of the Queen Mother and the Emperor.

After many days, I saw the young Queen Mother of the Southern Dynasties again. She was still graceful, elegant and unparalleled, but Xue Wenlu was no longer as arrogant as when they first met in the court.

"Foreign Minister Xue Wenlu, pays homage to the Queen Mother, and pays homage to Your Majesty."

Concubine De said slowly: "Your envoy left and came back. What's the matter?"

Xue Wenlu took out the Daliang Certificate of Credence from his arms and raised it respectfully, "Returning to the Queen Mother, the two countries were fighting, and there were many casualties. The war was turbulent and detrimental to the people's livelihood. I express my gratitude to Your Majesty that God has the virtue of good life and that the emperor has the responsibility of peace and security for the people, so I send you The foreign ministers sent letters of credence in order to ask the two countries to stop fighting and make peace."

Jin Zhong walked down, took the certificate of credence and handed it to Concubine De.

Concubine De held it in her hand, but did not look at it directly, but smiled softly, "Your Majesty is interesting, he started this war, and now he can stop it if he wants. Why, do you think I, Daxia, am so easy to bully? "

At the end of her speech, her voice turned cold and her tone became solemn, not angry but authoritative.

Xue Wenlu hurriedly bowed and said: "Your Majesty knows that the military expenditure is huge, and I am willing to compensate your country's military expenditure of 20 taels."

Concubine De sneered, "20 taels? This is what your Majesty, who is known for his brilliance and strategy, can say? Do you want me to calculate the rations for the [-] prisoners for you?"

Of course Xue Wenlu knew that it was impossible to pay such a small price, but the specific matter had to wait for negotiation between the two parties. It was not his responsibility, and he could not make any more promises. He had no choice but to bear the ridicule of Concubine De and said: " I propose to His Majesty that both sides send an envoy to hold talks at Lieyang Pass first, and any specific requirements your country may have can be discussed at that time in order to achieve a ceasefire and peace talks."

Lieyang Pass is located on the border between the two countries and is now under the control of Daxia. It is indeed a fair choice for Daxia.

Only then did Concubine De open her credentials, and found the real point from the long list of hypocritical and polite nonsense.

After reading it, she handed the certificate of credence to Dongfang Bai, and then said to Xue Wenlu: "The Ai family will give you a reply after thinking about it. Your envoy should go down to rest first. Later, the Ai family will order Honglu Temple to hold a banquet in honor of you."

When Xue Wenlu heard about the banquet, he trembled and said quickly: "The Empress Dowager appreciates the kindness of the foreign minister. The foreign minister has been entertained by your country with deep friendship for a long time. Now that he has gone and returned, I dare not use your favor again. I only hope that I will be with you here." I am waiting for good news from your country in Honglu Temple."

Concubine De was also aware of Bai Yunbian's ridiculous-sounding words and deeds, so she suppressed a smile and nodded, "That's fine."

After Xue Wenlu left, Concubine De looked at Dongfang Bai with a smile, "Xie'er, can you tell what is written on this national letter?"

Dongfang Bai looked at the letter of credence and said, "Roughly speaking, the Emperor of Beiliang wants to negotiate peace and hopes that we can send envoys to Beiliang to discuss the matter in detail and make a final decision on the peace talks. He swore with the dignity of the emperor that he will Ensure the safety of the envoys.”

At the age of seven, it was not easy for him to extract such information from these complicated words, but Concubine De seemed not to be satisfied and asked: "Then why do you think he did this?"

Dongfang Bai tilted his head and thought for a while, "Just like what the ministers said, he wants to exchange Lieyang Pass and Phoenix City to preserve the defense of his border. If he goes to Beiliang at the same time, as the host, This will give you some negotiating advantages.”

Concubine De nodded and said proudly: "Yes, but it is absolutely impossible for the Queen Mother to agree to his little trick. If you want to talk, come to me, Daxia! Now the situation is mine, not him!"

Dongfang Bai hummed, deeply convinced.

Concubine De looked at Jin Zhong and said, "Go and summon the central officials, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, and the Honglu Temple to discuss matters."

She paused, "In addition, please invite Duke An, Duke Wei, and Prince Cheng."

Not long after, a dozen people stood in the court hall.

Under Concubine De's instructions, Jin Zhong read the State Letter of Beiliang once, and then Concubine De said slowly: "Dear ministers, the State Letter of Beiliang has arrived. What do you think?"

Everyone spoke one after another.

"Your Majesty, Queen Mother, although the people of Beiliang have cleverly whitewashed their credentials in their credentials, their timidity to beg for mercy has been clearly exposed. The imperial court should do everything it can to ask for, in order to maximize the results of the war." "Just like the original Jianning. Hou Suo guessed that the losses of Lieyang Pass and Phoenix City were closely related to the Beiliang people, so they did not hesitate to lower their usually arrogant heads and send envoys to sue for peace. However, the Beiliang people's previous trip also exposed their cunning and viciousness. , the imperial court should send people to remind the frontline soldiers not to let down their vigilance, in case the Beiliang people sneak attack, and lose the good situation."

"The political situation in Beiliang is different from that of our dynasty. The seven major surnames all have a high status and strong weight in the dynasty. Now Beiliang has suffered a great defeat. What's more important is that the Tiger Leopard Cavalry and Snow Dragon Cavalry directly under the Xue family were almost wiped out in one battle. The Xue family's rule among the seven surnames suddenly became rootless. The reason why Emperor Liang sent envoys to sue for peace was that tens of thousands of tigers, leopards and snow dragons were urgently needed to be captured and returned to the court to stabilize him. The Xue family wants to rule the overall situation, so given this good opportunity, the court can take action and take advantage of his illness to kill him, so as not to waste the bloody battles of the frontline soldiers!"

"The Emperor of Northern Liang fought throughout his life, and it is said that he conquered and annexed dozens of small countries. Now, if Emperor Liang mishandles the situation and all countries rebel, half of his achievements may be wasted. Therefore, he must be extremely frightened. We can send secret spies. To incite rebellion and gain leverage in negotiations.”

"Beiliang wants our court to send envoys to Liangdu to negotiate peace. This is a big mistake! There is no reason for a victorious country to enter a defeated country. It must be ordered to send envoys to our court again! At that time, our court, as the host, will once again Put pressure on him and teach him that the Beiliang envoy will be soft!"

Everyone was chattering, some were practical strategies, some were useless nonsense, but most of them were cheerful and impassioned.

"Your Majesty, Queen Mother, I have something to say."

Mr. Su, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.

"Mr. An Guo, please speak."

"The victory of Prince Anguo in Northern Xinjiang is indeed an unparalleled achievement. A mere 3 people, in a flash, defeated two great passes in Beiliang, and crippled more than [-] people in Beiliang. No praise can be exaggerated, and it was also thorough. The offensive and defensive momentum has been reversed. However, the Queen Mother, Your Majesty, and all ministers must not forget that this is just a reversal of the momentum, and it does not really capture the number of land and people in Beiliang. But Beiliang is actually controlled by Dongfang Ping. He has conquered the vast land of my country’s Yuyan State!”

He looked around and said, "Of course Emperor Liang wants to negotiate and exchange these two cities, but if our conditions are too harsh, Emperor Liang will not be able to give up the peace talks and turn around to attack Yuyan. After all, this piece of fat in Yuyan Prefecture is also important. It is enough to feed the tigers and wolves of Beiliang. Emperor Liang has been in power for more than 30 years, and his scheming skills cannot be underestimated. "

As soon as these words came out, it was like a bucket of cold water was poured down, causing the hot atmosphere in the palace to drop immediately.

Wei Yuanzhi frowned and asked, "What does Mr. An Guo mean, that we should give up as soon as we get along?"

Old Xianggong Su shook his head, "Negotiations must be strategic, and we can bluff. After all, the trend is indeed on our side now, but the court must also clarify the situation and determine the bottom line. It cannot really feel that it has defeated the other party. If there is a reasonable enough harvest, If you still refuse to stop in front of me, you may be extremely happy and sad, which will lead to bitter consequences."

Everyone nodded, this was indeed a mature and prudent statement.

Concubine De also nodded and said: "In that case, the central committee will come up with an idea later on this matter and let the Ai family think about it."

This was the implicit meaning of holding a small meeting to confirm, so naturally everyone stopped talking.

At this time, Wan Wenbi came out again and said, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, now that this negotiation has been confirmed, who should be sent as the chief envoy and who should be the deputy envoy? Has it also been decided?"

Concubine De's hands in her sleeves clenched slightly, "Wan Qing has something to recommend?"

Wan Wenbi cupped his hands and said: "I think that my servant Li Tianfeng has served in the Ministry of Rites for many years and is familiar with the etiquette system. Now he is also an important minister in the central government, so he is a good choice for the chief envoy. As for the deputy envoy, he can choose a young man in the court." , and an experienced and prudent official can be used."

Concubine De, who originally thought that the other party was going to recommend Xia Jingyun, was stunned, and many people in the other palaces were also stunned. They didn't know why he wanted to give this great credit to Li Tianfeng from the Jianning Hou family.

The old owner of the village, Zhao, turned to look at him and said nothing.

Li Tianfeng's heart was filled with excitement. With this peace negotiation, it is very likely that he could take back the Swift State. If he could preside over this matter as an envoy, he might be able to gain a name in Qingshi's future!
Concubine De said calmly: "Li Qing, what do you think?"

Li Tianfeng was about to say yes, but at this moment, his experience as a border official in Sishui Prefecture made his mind, shaken by joy and longing, suddenly react.

With such merit, why would Wan Wenbi recommend him?

If he accepted the other party's recommendation, would he arouse the suspicion of the Queen Mother and Marquis Jianning?

Does the Queen Mother have her own thoughts on this matter?
In just a short moment, his mind was racing, cold sweat broke out on his back, and he said: "I am not good at negotiations. This negotiation is no less than a war between the two countries. I am afraid that I will not be able to do it. But if it is the Queen Mother, If there is an order, I shall not hesitate even to the death."

Mr. Zhao, the owner of the village, sighed softly in his heart. With these words, didn't he throw the hot potato back to the Queen Mother?
He took the initiative and said: "What Mr. Li said makes sense. This negotiation is of great importance, no less than the war between the two countries. How about we first list the necessary abilities for the envoy, and then it will be easier to find this candidate!" Xiang, what do you think?"

When Wan Wenbi was told this, he was immediately a little embarrassed. His original intention was to use Li Tianfeng to feint a shot to find out the attitude of the Queen Mother and Xia Jingyun, and then push forward his own ideas. But when Mr. Zhao said these words, he Your answer is likely to reveal your purpose.

Of course, he could talk a lot about Cheluluan to get over it, but he had his own plans. Now that he was in the forefront, how could he shrink back again?

"What Duke Wei Guo said is true. If you want to achieve the goal of this negotiation, status, etiquette, magnanimity, quick wit, talent, and eloquence are all indispensable. Listing the conditions and choosing the best is indeed the most convenient way. .”

Wan Wenbi smiled and said, "With such a list, I think that although Mr. Li is a good choice, there is indeed someone else who is a perfect match!"

He saluted Concubine De and said, "The old minister recommends Jianning Marquis Xia Jingyun as the chief envoy, Huai'an Marquis Baiyunbian as the deputy envoy, and the minister of Honglu Temple as his partner. In this way, no matter what the Northern Liang people do, they will not be afraid."

After everyone thought about it for a moment, they realized that it was really the case. Xia Jingyun was the best choice in terms of identity, status, ability, style, and magnanimity. The only thing that might be slightly lacking in this matter was the verbal sparring and some of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. There is a lot of red tape, but both Baiyunbian and Honglu Temple Minister can help him make up for this shortcoming.

What's more important is that Xia Jingyun and Bai Yunbian are close friends, so there is no problem in their cooperation.

At the same time, Concubine De was naturally willing to give such a great achievement to her adopted brother who had helped her a lot.

Even Concubine De felt at this moment that Wan Wenbi was fair and upholding the country in important matters, and she had a good impression of him.

After all, she has decided now that she firmly disagrees with sending envoys to Beiliang.

If we talk at Lieyang Pass, Xia Jingyun's safety can be fully guaranteed. Without the risk, all that's left is credit.

She looked at Xia Jingyun and said, "Marquis Jianning, what do you think?"

Xia Jingyun rolled up his sleeves and bowed, "I am willing to take on this responsibility!"
-
In Honglu Temple, Pei Bingchang was still angry and unhappy about Baiyunbian's provocation today.

Xue Wenlu and others, who had long been numb, had already talked about other things calmly.

"Your Majesty, the people of the Southern Dynasties won't wait for a long time before replying, right?"

Xue Wenlu waved his hand, "Our two border passes fell into the hands of the Southern Dynasty, and so many soldiers were killed. Of course, we are a little worried, but the Southern Dynasty's Yuyan State is in our hands, how can they be better than us?"

He smiled and said, "In my estimation, they will give a final reply in two days at most."

Sure enough, the next day, the minister of Honglu Temple knocked on their courtyard door.

"Your Majesty, here is the certificate of credence of our dynasty. I would kindly ask your envoy to forward it to your Majesty."

As he spoke, the Minister of Honglu Temple handed over a solemn sealed box.

Xue Wenlu raised his eyebrows slightly in contentment at the deputy beside him, feeling in his heart that he and his party had finally won in this trivial place.

"Thank you for your help in contacting me, sir. We will take our leave now. Thank you for your hospitality. I look forward to seeing you again in the future."

Xue Wenlu was polite and courteous. Unexpectedly, the minister of Honglu Temple smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, the opportunity is here now. I am the deputy envoy for this peace negotiation. I think I will see you all again soon."

Xue Wenlu was surprised, "Has your country already decided on the candidates for the envoy's chief and deputy envoys?"

"Although the formal negotiation will have to wait for the deputy envoys from both sides of Lieyang Pass to meet and discuss first, but after all, we need to be prepared in advance. It would be better to make the decision earlier to reassure the ministers."

"Then may I ask who the chief and deputy envoys are?"

The minister of Honglu Temple smiled and said: "Don't worry, they are all acquaintances of the prince."

The smile on Xue Wenlu's face slowly froze, and an extremely bad suspicion came to his mind.

The Minister of Honglu Temple raised his hands in the air and said, "I have decided before the Queen Mother that Lord Xia, Marquis of Jianning, will be the chief envoy, and Lord Bai, Marquis of Huai'an, will be the deputy envoy."

Xue Wenlu felt like he was struck by lightning.

This is not fucking over, is it? ! (End of chapter)