New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

As several basins of bright red charcoal were brought into the main hall, the previously drafty inn finally felt a bit warmer.

Seeing that Tang Qian's lips were turning slightly blue as he trembled, Vice Minister Li immediately ordered his servant to take away a basin of charcoal and offered him the best room in the inn: "Nephew, you have had a hard journey, enduring wind and rain. You should rest early today. As for the peace talks, we can discuss them tomorrow."

Faced with the special treatment from Vice Minister Li, Tang Qian did not stand on ceremony. He simply cupped his hands to the officials present, and then, guided by the attendant Jin Fang, left the main hall and walked towards his residence not far away, braving the wind and snow. The officials left behind a group of officials who tacitly revealed a faint smile full of disdain and contempt.

Although they disliked Tang Qian's repulsive rich young master behavior, they had all received money from the Tang family. For the sake of the money, they were willing to tolerate it as much as possible. As long as it didn't affect their careers, the delegation didn't need to take Tang Qian's preferential treatment to heart.

Tang Qian felt a prickling sensation from the disdainful glances his colleagues cast at him from behind, but he had no interest in scheming against these people. On the surface, the cooperation between the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty seemed like a case of using one tiger to devour another, but these powerful figures sitting comfortably in their high positions didn't seem to consider whether they could truly control the Jin Dynasty, this fierce tiger.

Although the initial cooperation was indeed beneficial to the Song Dynasty, the initiative subsequently fell entirely into the hands of the Jurchens. It's laughable that the people in the post station hall thought the other party was some kind of trustworthy gentleman. They were already in the tiger's den without realizing it, so why should they bother arguing with these dead men?

His only task right now is to survive in Youzhou City, a place fraught with danger where one wrong step could cost him his life.

Walking along the dilapidated corridor into the room, Tang Qian waved to the servant who had led the way to leave, and then ordered the servant who had come with him, Xiao Qi, to close the door. The two of them couldn't wait to sit down by the fire, finally feeling a bit of warmth.

"Although there are only a few Jin soldiers stationed inside the post station, there are at least three hidden sentries on the outside. It will be difficult to escape without anyone noticing."

Listening to Xiao Qi's deep report, Tang Qian simply nodded slightly without showing any unusual reaction. He had already anticipated the perilous journey when they set off. The entire Youzhou City was now a den of dragons and tigers, and it seemed that his prediction was correct. The Jin people had no intention of returning the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. Instead, they would hold them hostage as bargaining chips to coerce the Song Dynasty.

"Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. The most important thing right now is to save our lives. As for how to escape, we can talk about that later."

While the master and servant were resting in their room, the hall outside was in an uproar. A group of Jin soldiers had just delivered their dinner. The Jin soldiers were arrogant and showed no kindness to the officials. What's worse, the food boxes contained only hard steamed buns and leftovers, which enraged the members of the Song delegation who were used to being pampered.

"We arrived in Youzhou, and not only did they not host a banquet to welcome us, but they also sent us these unpalatable things. It's practically a provocation."

“That’s right. Even the pigs of my Great Song Dynasty might not be able to eat this kind of food. These barbarians actually used it to entertain us. This clearly shows that they do not take my Great Song Dynasty seriously.”

As the saying goes, a nation's dignity cannot be insulted. The Jin state's actions are a sign of disrespect for the Song Dynasty. There is no room for cooperation. The members felt they had been greatly insulted and decided that when the two sides met the next day, they would definitely have a clear argument with the other side.

"Please calm down, everyone." After everyone had vented their anger, Li Ye, who had been silent all along, coughed lightly. "The battle in Youzhou City has just ended, and the city's supplies have long been looted by the retreating Liao army. The fact that we still have this food to eat shows the sincerity of the Jin Kingdom in the peace talks. We are entrusted with a heavy responsibility by the Emperor and must retake the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. Right now, we should focus on the big picture. As for these trivial matters, it is best not to mention them for the time being, so as not to cause any trouble and delay the important matter."

As the leader of the delegation, Li Ye's words immediately silenced the surrounding discussions. Moreover, his words were not without reason. If a meal were to cause an unpleasant diplomatic incident at this crucial moment on the riverbank, that would not be the outcome the officials wanted to see.

A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan, and none of the officials present wanted to jeopardize their careers because of this.

After calming his subordinates down, Li Ye reached into a food box and took out a steamed bun. He squeezed it in his hand and found it to be as hard as a lump of iron. As he took a bite and chewed slowly, a hint of worry appeared in Li Ye's eyes as he looked out of the hall.

Could it be that my initial guess has come true, and the Jin Kingdom really is up to no good?

Without a welcoming banquet and having been neglected, the group lost their desire to gather and chat. As the sun began to set and the journey had been arduous, everyone was exhausted. They lit charcoal fires, picked up their braziers, and went their separate ways. After a brief commotion, the post station quickly returned to silence. Apart from the occasional wolf howl from the distant mountain valley, the only sounds were the crackling of dark red flames devouring charcoal.

Outside Youzhou City, where the night was already deep, the snowflakes falling from the sky began to fall even more heavily.

In the midst of the silence, a deafening clamor of gongs and drums from within the city jolted everyone in the post station awake. Tang Qian draped his snow-white fox fur over his shoulders, pulled open the wooden door—whose paper windows were already tattered—making a creaking sound that was unsettling to the ear, and jogged to the hall to meet his colleagues. His sleepy eyes were filled with confusion and fear: "What happened? Has the Liao army returned to Youzhou City?"

Li Ye glanced at Tang Qian with disdain on his face. He pointed in the direction of Youzhou City, indicating that everyone should check the situation first: "It's just a fire inexplicably breaking out in the city, why panic so much?"

Following the direction he pointed, everyone looked into the distance and indeed discovered something unusual. Although the night was dark, some things could still be seen against the backdrop of white snow. A column of smoke rising into the sky and occasional flickering red flames within the city confirmed that what Minister Li had said was true.

"It's probably just that some residents in the city misused fire, igniting their belongings and causing a fire. There's nothing to be alarmed about."

Li Ye's explanation was concise yet directly pointed out the crux of the matter. Nowadays, apart from city walls used for defense against foreign enemies, most buildings are constructed of wood. Coupled with charcoal braziers used for heating, it is not uncommon for them to catch fire and cause a fire. Not to mention Youzhou, which is located in the cold winter in the north, even in Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty in the Central Plains, fire prevention is a crucial official matter.

Since it wasn't Liao soldiers invading, everyone's mood calmed down considerably. As long as it wasn't their own post station that caught fire, even if the entire Youzhou city burned down, what did it have to do with them? Their colleagues yawned, looking indifferent, and all dispersed once again, leaving only Tang Qian, who seemed lost in thought, in the hall.

Seeing her young master stroking his smooth, beardless chin, staring blankly at the thick smoke that lingered in the night sky, Xiao Qi, as his servant, couldn't leave without permission. She could only shrink her neck and remind Tang Qian, "The weather is too cold. I'm afraid you'll catch a chill. It's more important for you to go back and rest as soon as possible, young master."

"That makes sense." Tang Shu recovered from his daze and felt a chill run down his spine. He shivered and turned to walk towards his room. Xiao Qi followed him back inside. Just as she was about to crawl back into bed, she saw Tang Qian staring at the charcoal brazier and chuckling for no reason. This strange behavior left Xiao Qi puzzled.

"Is the young master worried that our brazier might set the house on fire? Perhaps I should stay here and keep watch by the charcoal fire instead of sleeping?"

Tang Qian shook his head at Xiao Qi, but the joy on his face did not completely fade: "I always thought that our current situation was like being trapped in a dead end, but I didn't expect that we would find a way out so quickly. Isn't our chance for survival here?"