The Eternal Beauty of the City of Wealth

After sitting down, Duke Ling of Qi went straight to the point and said to Zixuan: "City Lord Zixuan, today I will speak frankly with you."

"I want to ask you, regarding the land of Donglai County, I have issued an imperial decree prohibiting the construction of a city wall. Why are you still defying the king's order?"

Zixuan smiled softly, "Your Majesty, I received the imperial edict. I didn't want to build it at first, but after thinking it over, I decided to build it."

"I believe that building this section of the wall will bring two great benefits to the State of Qi."

"First, this can ensure the safety of the people in the northeast of Qi."

"Secondly, this wealthy city will become the rear fortress of our Great Qi in the future."

"If a major war breaks out and Qi is in trouble, Your Majesty can retreat to Fugui City to ensure the safety of Your Majesty and the royal family."

After hearing this, Duke Ling of Qi stood up in astonishment and looked at Zixuan in disbelief: "City Lord Zixuan, are you serious when you say this? Aren't you planning to restore your country and rebel?"

Zixuan smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, when did you ever say you wanted to restore the country and rebel?"

"Then why did you kill more than 20,000 of my soldiers?"

"Your Majesty, when did Zixuan kill over 20,000 of your soldiers? Didn't Your Majesty even check their wounds?"

"All the soldiers of the Qi army were shot in the arms and thighs."

“Those who died from arrows were also accidentally injured after being deflected by your shields.

"As for the more than 20,000 wounded soldiers who remained, they have almost all been treated by me and are now in Donglai County City."

"As for those who died in the river, they drowned themselves; we were not responsible for their deaths."

"From the beginning to the end, you were the ones attacking, and we were the ones defending. Zixuan never once gave the order for the soldiers to take the initiative to attack."

After hearing this, Duke Ling of Qi sat down on the chair like a deflated ball.

He said with a tone of deep guilt, "City Lord Zixuan, if that is the case, then I am being envious of you with a petty mind."

"Your Majesty, you can't say that. Zixuan believes that this matter is purely a misunderstanding."

"When Shuyi and Cui Zhu came to the city to speak with me, I said I would not rebel."

"They overestimated their own capabilities and insisted on attacking the city. Zixuan had no choice but to fight back in self-defense."

Duke Ling of Qi nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "City Lord Zixuan, it seems I have wronged you."

"Yes, Your Majesty has indeed wronged me."

Zixuan nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to discuss a few things with you."

"Speaking!"

"Your Majesty, Zixuan wishes to ask Your Majesty to allow Fugui City to govern itself. Your Majesty is not to appoint any officials to the court or the city. Fugui City will make the arrangements on its own."

Duke Ling of Qi thought about it and nodded gently: "Okay."

"Also, the minerals, land, and population of this wealthy city are all managed by me and are not under the control of the king."

Before Zixuan finished speaking, Yan Ruo behind Duke Ling of Qi could no longer bear it.

Just now he wanted to stop Duke Ling of Qi from agreeing to the autonomy of Fugui City.

Now my son Xuan has made such a request again, which is really a bit too much.

So, he stepped forward, bowed to Zixuan and said, "City Lord Zixuan, I'm afraid it's inappropriate for you to make such a request."

"Just now you said that Fugui City should govern itself, and now you say that everything in this city must be under your control, and the court is not allowed to interfere."

"What's the difference between this and establishing a separate country?"

Duke Ling of Qi nodded after hearing this. "City Lord Zixuan, you just said you wouldn't restore the country and rebel. What do you mean by that?"

Zixuan looked at Yan Ruo and said, "Your Majesty, this is..."

Duke Ling of Qi looked at Yan Ruo and hurriedly introduced him, "City Lord Zixuan, this is Yan Ruo, the Grand Marshal of Qi. The Yan Ying you met a few days ago is the Grand Marshal's son."

"Oh? It's you, Lord Taiwei. I've heard your name a lot before. I've heard of it for a long time."

After saying that, Zixuan stood up and bowed to Yan Ruo.

Yan Ruo quickly returned the greeting: "No, no, I have no virtue or ability to bother City Lord Zixuan with praise. I am ashamed, ashamed."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Zixuan returned to his seat. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I haven't finished what I was saying just now."

"What I mean is that the minerals, population, and land in Fugui City are under my control."

"But the annual taxes must still be paid. I also intend to pay an additional 20% on top of the annual taxes."

After hearing this, the two of them stood up.

Duke Ling of Qi grabbed Zixuan's wrist and said, "City Lord Zixuan, are you deceiving me? Are you really going to increase Fugui City's annual tax revenue by another 20%?"

Zixuan felt a pain in his wrist and said angrily, "My king, you hurt me!"

Oh? Oh, Duke Ling of Qi realized that he had lost his composure and quickly let go of his hand.

She rubbed her red wrist and nodded heavily: "A gentleman's word is as good as gold! Every word I say is absolutely true!"

Good, good. Duke Ling of Qi happily sat back in his chair, picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Then he continued, "City Lord Zixuan, I want to ask you, are salt, iron, and bronze also delivered to the court according to the annual delivery volume?"

"Of course, everything will continue as before. Nothing will change."

"Also, from now on, if any foreign forces dare to invade Qi, Zixuan will unconditionally send troops to help."

Duke Ling of Qi stood up again after hearing this and said excitedly, "If that's the case! That's fantastic!"

At this time, Yan Ruo also excitedly bowed to Zixuan and said, "Thank you, City Lord Zixuan. It seems that I, the State of Qi, have wronged you. I would like to apologize to you."

Duke Ling of Qi also nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I was wrong about you."

Zixuan immediately supported Yan Ruo and said, "Master Taiwei, there's no need to be so polite. Fugui City is originally the territory of Qi State. It's my duty to do this."

"Yes, yes, we are a family, and we shouldn't have different opinions! Haha."

Duke Ling of Qi laughed heartily and nodded in agreement.

Zixuan glanced at the two of them and continued, "However, I have one more request."

The two of them felt nervous and stopped laughing immediately. They subconsciously looked at Zixuan and asked nervously, "What's the request?"

"I request the king not to record Fugui City and all matters related to it in the history books."

"If the king violates this rule, Zixuan will mobilize all the troops in the city and destroy Qi!"

After hearing this, the two were shocked at first, but then breathed a sigh of relief. They had thought it was some difficult request, but this was it. It was too simple.

So the two of them nodded hurriedly: "Okay, okay, City Lord Zixuan, this is easy, I will issue an edict."

"Whoever dares to tell the history of Fugui City to future generations will be annihilated by me!"

After saying that, the two of them sat down again. Zixuan waved his hand, and Zichi walked up to them with two pieces of silk cloth.

"Your Majesty, this is the content of our discussion. I have drawn up a peace treaty. Please take a look."

"If there are no problems, we will stamp it and the matter will be settled. No one can regret it in the future."

After she finished speaking, she handed the peace treaty to the King of Qi.

Duke Ling of Qi read it once, nodded, and gave it to Yan Ruo to read again.

After the two confirmed that everything was correct, Duke Ling of Qi and Zixuan pressed their fingerprints and stamped the document.

This matter ends here, and the issue of Fugui City is resolved peacefully.