Emperor Que Shaohua

In addition to the terms of the peace talks, Yelu Shibao and Wanyanchao brought their own experts to provoke each other, which is also an important matter that must be dealt with.Emperor Tianyi was quite annoyed at Yijin's actions and intentions of proclaiming martial arts competitions everywhere, which meant that he was forced to either marry Princess Danyang to Fan, or betrothed to some unknown martial artist in Yuzhou.

It must be known that Concubine Rong has already asked for grace, and in the future she will personally decide to choose a marriage match for her daughter among the noble children in her country, so that after marriage, she can also go to the palace to see each other from time to time, and enjoy the joy of reunion forever.

Emperor Tianyi only had such a daughter, although sometimes he felt a little lively and noisy, and she gave a few casual lessons, but she still loved her very much.But as the Son of Heaven, one cannot be dishonest. At that time, King Ning himself nodded in approval of what King Ning said to the envoys of Yi and Jin in the Zichen Hall.Now you can't break your promise to the world, and there is only Yun Ke to compete in martial arts, but Xue Ning has been wronged.

King Ning had already entered the palace to plead guilty for this matter, and blamed himself for not being cautious enough in his words at the beginning, so he asked for Ying again and again, and he must be thorough, so that the Liao and Jin warriors who dared to provoke him will return home, and Yuzhou's reputation will not be damaged at all. , let alone miss the life of the imperial sister.

Emperor Tianyi understood Luo Pingyuan's martial arts and abilities, and also knew that with his friendship with Luo Xuening, he would be more anxious than anyone else, and would definitely go all out.However, although Jingyuwei has improved somewhat in the past six months, if he wants to deal with Pinwutang and Jintiesi at the same time, his chances of winning are limited.Speaking of influence in the martial arts, it still needs to fall on Luo Yanhua and ask him to help.

It's just that King Jing hasn't seen any movement in the past few days, and he doesn't seem to have taken this matter into consideration. Looking at King Ning's comings and goings, they are all trying to assign tasks to Jing Yuwei, so he knows that it must be because of face and old grievances , It is not easy to ask the eldest son of the emperor for help.

Emperor Tianyi thought about it, in the past Jingyuwei and Langhuan joined hands several times, and the subordinates of both sides cooperated smoothly, but the leaders, King Ning and King Jing, were always in a relationship, and they needed their own mediation to cooperate before they were willing to cooperate.This time it is still necessary to mention it to King Jing in person.

"My son also heard about the martial arts competition to ask for marriage. Now the Liao and Jin Dynasties have the idea of ​​relying on force to force them. If they can't win on the battlefield, they want to win back a city with the help of Sou Luo's men. The imperial sister is the only princess in my dynasty. If Under such circumstances, being begged by a barbarian, what is the face of the court? Even if the father does not speak, it is the son's duty to try his best. But among them..." Luo Yanhua did not shirk, but there was a trace of expression on his face In a dilemma, after thinking for a while, I said: "Your servant can invite some young and handsome people from famous families to come to participate, as a support, but the martial arts competition is hosted by the younger brother of the fifth emperor, I don't want to intervene rashly and invite people to come, I wonder if the emperor can do it for you?" Let me know, so as not to cause him to misunderstand when he sees too many martial arts knights coming in and out of the mansion."

"Yes." Emperor Tianyi agreed immediately, thinking to himself that it was as expected, "Ping Yuan is young, sometimes he can't help being a bit arrogant, you just do it, and I will tell him."

In his heart, he was quite satisfied with Luo Yanhua's thoughtfulness. Martial arts is one aspect. If Yu Zhou and his party participated in the martial arts contest with crooked melons and cracked dates, it would be shameless in the eyes of the world. It would be best if they were all like Feng Jingyi. Generally speaking, one can see that he is from a famous family and has some talents.Moreover, this is an opportunity to win over the hearts of martial arts sects.

Thinking of this, his tone became gentler again: "How much silver do you plan to need, whoever you invite, you can report to me later, and I will issue an edict in a few days, and anyone who goes to Beijing to participate The imperial court will choose the best of Yu Zhou’s disciples who compete in martial arts, and they will be included in the Jingyu Guard or given other military positions as appropriate, as a token of encouragement.”

In fact, preparations were already underway, but the emperor didn't need to be polite if he wanted to pay money. After all, from the very beginning, recruiting martial arts talents for his own use through Langhuan was one of the emperor's most interested purposes.It's just that sometimes, the intention is really obvious.Luo Yanhua lowered his eyes, and said lightly: "I obey the order."

After the face-to-face ceremony, Prince Jing left the main hall and was led to Xinuan Pavilion, which has become a custom.Every time, Wu Yong personally walked into the palace with a jade lamp, and the setting sun cast a long shadow behind him.However, once or twice, it was already dark when the antidote of the month was delivered.

For matters related to the emperor, every detail has a deep meaning, whether Wu Yong came early or late, whether the glass is filled with wine or water.

Sometimes Luo Yanhua would think that in Emperor Tianyi's mind, probably one day in the future, what would be presented to him would be a glass of ordinary white water, or a little more kindly, a glass of poisonous wine that could kill directly, as the last destination.The reason may be that it is no longer useful, or the emperor feels that his health is not good, or it may be just a whim.

But now, there should be some time before that time.With the sound of footsteps, he saw that Wu Yong had stepped in carefully carrying a tray.

There was no shadow trailing behind the chief servant, because it was only noon now, so King Jing took the jade cup and drank it down, feeling the familiar bitter taste of medicine spread in his throat.

Today he specially entered the palace early. Luo Pingyuan went to meet the envoys of the Northern Liao Dynasty in the morning, and he left the palace after him. Because of Emperor Tianyi's character, he would not put on a show of face when he was employing someone. As long as he could get the antidote earlier, He can go back to the manor to recuperate before the emperor's younger brother finishes his work.King Ning had a lot of things to take care of, so he probably didn't realize that he even went to the palace.

How did it become like this?Every month, he had to deal with the emperor, and he had to take care not to let Luo Pingyuan notice the strange situation and give birth to doubts. Even Luo Yanhua himself couldn't tell which one was more difficult.

When Wanyanchao arrived in Beijing, King Ning's attitude was even colder than his reception of the Liao people, because in his eyes, even half of Yelu Shibao came for business, and the envoys sent by Yi and Jin were just maliciously causing trouble .

Wanyan Chao looked a little younger than the third prince of Beiliao, about 23 or [-] years old, and his appearance was still upright, with a somewhat arrogant demeanor.Luo Pingyuan especially hated this man's gloomy eyes, and when he saw that he was accompanied by two concubines with enchanting looks, he became even more disgusted.

Jin Tiesi also made an all-out effort this time, the leader was De Long'an, Luo Pingyuan had already found out the details, and knew that he was good at using Dusha Palm. Since he lived in seclusion and practiced dancing all the year round, he didn't enter the WTO until last year, and he is still famous in the martial arts world. Not visible.

Among the many Yijin subordinates, there was another one who kept staring in this direction with unkind eyes. It was not until the two parties announced their names that King Ning learned that his original name was Tuoba Shuo.He recalled that the golden envoy Tuoba Hong whose martial arts had been abolished by him had a vague resemblance, so he must be the brother of Cloud Piercer, nicknamed Jieyunzhang.

There are many subordinates from the Kunlun Mansion in Jin Tiesi, but it seems that Wan Yanchao and his party have learned the lesson of Yelu Shibao, at least they didn't show up during the short initial meeting, so as to avoid touching King Ning's bad luck.

A large number of warriors from the Liao and Jin Dynasties poured into Luocheng in the past few days, plus those foreigners who came by themselves, apart from the Jingyu Guards and the Gyeonggi Imperial Army, even the Ouchi Imperial Forest Guards and Jing Zhaoyin have entered a tense state of defense , lest there be any trouble at the end of the year when we are about to say goodbye to the old and usher in the new.

Yijin and his party were also arranged to live in the post house of Honglu Temple.Three days later, at the morning of the court, Emperor Tianyi announced to meet the envoys of the two countries in the Zichen Hall.

Yelu Shibao was first introduced into the palace by the officials of the Ministry of Rites. He bowed to meet the emperor of Yuzhou in accordance with the etiquette of the Northern Liao Dynasty, and then extended his greetings on behalf of Yelu Hongchou. , Stop fighting, and from then on, Qin and Jin will become good friends, and it is also a blessing for the people of the two countries.

Seeing that he did not kneel down, Emperor Tianyi frowned slightly. There was nothing wrong with his words, but they sounded arrogance.

Yelu Shibao's attitude was fairly decent, trying to keep neither humble nor overbearing, and then expressed his deep admiration for the princess.According to him, the reputation of Princess Danyang's beauty and dignity had already spread to Beiliao, and after seeing the portrait, she was shocked and yearned for her, so she traveled thousands of miles to propose marriage.If Yu Zhou can agree to the marriage, it will greatly promote the friendly exchanges between the two countries, and it will be a good talk.

King An also came to the court today. He has been displeased with anyone lately. Now, seeing this Prince of Beiliao, who is also ranked third like himself, talking eloquently, it seems like a temporary choice, so he said critically: "Although the words are nice "Looking at your age, why don't you have a concubine? In addition, there must be a lot of concubines around me, and my imperial sister is only 16 years old. If I promise you, how can I live a good life?"

Yelu Shibao heard the words, saw Luo Junping wearing the prince's clothes, and then looked at the position he was standing, it should be Yu Zhou's third prince.He had already prepared for such questions, and immediately answered: "The concubine passed away a few years ago, and now the concubine is vacant. Although there are a few people who take care of daily life, how can she compare with Princess Danyang. In the future, when the princess arrives in Beiliao, I can build a mansion just for her to live in, and I will never teach her to be wronged." Between the words, the meaning is very sincere.

Luo Pingyuan frowned when he heard that, there was nothing to say, and the two talked back and forth, as if they were already discussing marriage.

Emperor Tianyi was noncommittal, and said indifferently: "Since you have lived in Luocheng for a few days, you must have met Yijin's Wanyanchao. He brought his subordinates on a special trip to ask my princess for a martial arts competition. You are here on behalf of Beiliao Come, what can you say about this?"

Yelu Shibao expected that there would be such a question, and said calmly: "Your Majesty has also heard about the purpose of Prince Wanyan, but since you want to be married, how can you not be shaken by this twists and turns. I certainly hope that Your Majesty will see that the two countries are about to talk about peace. I agree to the marriage contract for good sake, but if the decision has to be made through a contest, I, Beiliao, are not afraid, as everyone competes fairly."

He already had a calculation in his mind, no matter how defeated the Northern Liao Dynasty, the national power would be far superior to that of Yi and Jin, plus his status was higher than that of Wan Yanchao, and he was not comparable to the martial arts disciples of Yuzhou. If you lose, you are sure of victory.And once the marriage proposal is successful, it will naturally be reported that Beiliao has defeated Yuzhou and Yijin, and the deterrent effect will be received.

Ever since Emperor Tianyi received Luo Yanhua's promise, he had increased his confidence in this contest, so he didn't say anything more at this time, and ordered the officials of the Ministry of Rites to read the list of ceremonies and peace documents presented by Beiliao in the hall.

Beiliao sent a lot of gifts, mainly mink fur, ginseng and other special products of the country. Some of them sounded expensive, but when they read the terms of the peace talks, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty couldn't help being dumbfounded.

The Liao people proposed that Yuzhou needs to supply 300 million taels of silver, 30 pieces of silk, and 80 stones of grain every year; in addition, there are conditions such as opening up the market and returning captives. In the end, he claimed that as long as the above content is met, the country's soldiers and horses will be kept away from Shao'an, and there will be no crimes from now on.

Even the courtiers who advocated kindness and gentleness were shocked by the Liao people's lion's mouth, and some people couldn't help but sneered: "This is not a peace negotiation. It is clear that they can't be robbed and replaced by blackmail. Look at their conditions. Maybe the third prince misremembered, thinking that I, Yu Zhou, just lost [-] generals."

Yelu Shibao smiled, and didn't care about the questioning eyes from all around: "My lords don't know something. In order to show my sincerity, this is a clause that my father and king made after careful consideration and concessions. You must know that the northern border is no better than your country's products. Feng Rao, if you want to persuade the subjects of the main battle in the country not to cause trouble at the border, there must always be a sufficient source of supply. The reason why iron cavalry went deep into the border of Youyun in the past ten years is also because they are used to being wild, and it is difficult for them to fight together. Control. Now the father feels that it is meaningless to draw the winner in vain, so he sent his subordinates to discuss how to appease the 18 cavalry in our country."

Everyone listened to him avoiding the serious and taking the light of the matter, and turned a fiasco into invisible. The more than [-] cavalry so clearly knew that there must be fabrications. Thinking of the situation of the frontier that has been in danger for many years, especially Yu Han, it is difficult to say that he is a false threat.The gentle and sincere third prince, not to mention arrogant in his bones, is really thick-skinned.

Amidst the low noise and commotion, a quiet voice said: "It's severe winter, Prince Yelu, has Prince Yelu ever considered that if your remaining [-] cavalrymen want to attack my border again, will there be enough supplies of food, grass and armor? If there is another battle, will the Murhan tribe in the country have any objections?"

Yelu Shibao's heart was shocked. He just said that there were still 18 troops in the Northern Liao Dynasty, which of course was an exaggeration. In fact, after the battle of Guiyan Summit, including the remnants who fled back, there were only [-] soldiers and horses left with combat power, of which three Wan Jingrui had to garrison Zhaolin to maintain stability, and the remaining cavalry that could be dispatched were exactly [-]. This was why Beiliao was eager to get back [-] prisoners of war.And because of the previous defeat, several tribes in the country who were originally obedient also became dissatisfied with Yelu Hongchou and opposed the continuation of the army. The Moerhan tribe is the most powerful one among them.If they want to send troops to attack Shao'an again, not to mention that Yi and Jin will never send troops to help again, and Beiliao has already been unable to do what it wants.There is no need for a battle, Shao'an will hold on for several months, and the Liao army will fall into chaos.

At this moment, the predicament of the middle school was broken with a single word, the other party's voice was not loud, but it sounded like thunder in his ears. How could these hidden secrets be grasped by the other party's court?

Looking at the reputation, the speaker stood above the third prince just now, and even before he saw the expression and appearance clearly, he knew that this must be Yu Zhou's King Jing.

Yelu Shibao just complained in his heart, the negotiation has not yet started, even the hole cards have been seen through, it is not known how many keys the other party has, how to talk about it next?He suddenly had an evil thought: How can such an opponent keep it? Even if the peace talks do not work out as expected, if this trip can get rid of the emperor's eldest son Luo Yanhua, it will be a great contribution to Beiliao.

While thinking about going back to the posthouse to discuss with Ji Wuya, he still managed to maintain a smile on his face, just pretending that he didn't hear King Jing's words: "My two countries are adjacent to each other, and we have known each other for many years. It's not easy, Beiliao has expressed great sincerity in all aspects, and I hope that your country will also cherish this opportunity." In the words, the tone has softened a lot.

Sitting on the throne, Emperor Tianyi saw the clue, and stopped bothering about the terms of the peace talks, and ordered: "Xuanyi Jin's envoys come in."

When Wanyan Chao entered the palace, it was a different situation. In terms of etiquette, it was better than that of Tuoba Hong, the former Jin envoy. Although he also did not kneel down, he followed the Yi Jin custom to meet the elders.But when the intention came out, the intention of provocation was fully revealed: "At the beginning of this year, I, Yijin, proposed to marry the Princess Danyang of your country on behalf of Uncle Wang. His Highness the Fifth Highness said with certainty that the marriage can only be done if the son of our country wins the martial arts competition with the people of Yuzhou. Therefore, the father The king specially sent me to come here to fulfill the contract, to seek advice from the masters of your country, and to conclude the marriage contract by the way. At that time, the words were still in my ears, and the great court of Yu and Zhou will not forget or go back on their word, right?"

Then he said: "Earlier when Yu Zhou fought with Northern Liao, although it had nothing to do with the contest, our country did not want to be said to be taking advantage of others' danger, and did not set off until the end of the battle. It is said that Prince Yelu also brought his subordinates to beg for marriage. , there is only one princess, I don’t know how your country will arrange it? Thinking about it, it shouldn’t favor one or the other, and it makes sense to let the warriors of Yu and Zhou also compete with Beiliao.”

Luo Pingyuan heard him mention Luo Xuening so lightly, and his heart was filled with anger. Yelu Shibao also knew to put on a posture of proposing. Liao competed head-on, provoking Yu and Zhou to fight against the two countries at the same time.

He said in a cold voice: "I don't understand the meaning of the envoy. If the people who participate in the competition are your subordinates, then no matter the outcome, what does it have to do with your courtship? Or is Prince Wanyan going to compete in person? Besides, Literary talent and martial arts are superior to human character, I see that you are traveling a long way and you bring a concubine with you, so self-cultivation is not prudent, do you still think that you are worthy of my imperial sister?"

"Since I can order my country's martial arts masters to compete in martial arts, their ability and status are naturally far above them. His Royal Highness King Ning usually leads Jingyu Guards, so does he have to do everything himself to do it himself? If Yuzhou is such a rule, I would rather betroth the princess of golden branches and jade leaves to my subordinates, and I will only admit it. But if so, I will treat Beiliao equally." Wanyan Chao spread his hands, but put away a little contempt, but more She made a little mockery, "Besides, it is common for you Yuzhou people to have three wives and four concubines. The position of my concubine is vacant, but it is just a few concubines. I heard that His Royal Highness is not yet married. It is hard to make a fuss like this. Not even a concubine? Tsk tsk."

Some words are plausible, and the fallacy is also proved to be correct, which is quite similar to that. The Chinese and military masters of the court have concubines, and they look at each other when they hear the words, and it seems that it is not easy to criticize.

Luo Pingyuan couldn't help being angry, not to mention that he is currently living in the imperial brother's mansion, with his temperament, the concubine has not yet married, so why talk about a concubine's room.Wanyan Chao's behavior was intentionally insulting, but if he argues with him again, he will be entangled and entangled, and reduced to the same level.

He said coldly: "In the past, I only knew that barbarians and gold had no sea, but now it seems that there is still a lack of etiquette and righteousness. How to compete in martial arts has its own court decision and father's ruling. I only advise Prince Wanyan, this is not for you to win the wind." The beam of the wind is in the city of Luo, Zichen Palace, so please be careful with your words."

Wanyan Chao's eyes became a little gloomy, but he still smiled and said, "It's easy to say, easy to say."

Emperor Tianyi was also unhappy when he saw the scoundrels of the Yijin envoys, but he didn't explode on the spot.It should be noted that the more small countries are caught in the middle, the more arrogant they act, just because they want to show their existence and want to have both sides.Yi Jin made it clear that he wanted to fan the flames between the two parties in the peace talks, and then take the opportunity to sell himself at a good price.The best way is to teach him that he can't calculate, that he has nothing to say when he loses.

He said in a deep voice: "Since Liao and Jin both want to marry Princess Danyang, I will keep my promise and allow the warriors of the two countries to compete with my Yuzhou disciples to decide whether to win or lose. Later, I will post the imperial list and announce it to the world."

Then he said: "Although martial arts competition is the main thing, Princess Yuzhou can't give it to people who are not virtuous or vulgar and ignorant. During the martial arts competition, personal conduct is inspected. If you find obvious defects in character and talent, you will lose the qualification to participate. If Xiaoxiao takes the opportunity to disturb the trouble, you will be expelled from Yu Zhou at the slightest, and punished by the criminal law at the worst!" At the end, It's already stern.

When Sanchao returned to the mansion, King Jing saw Luo Pingyuan's unhappy expression, and said, "Is Pingyuan still angry at Wan Yanchao's two words? Since you know he is a sinister villain, don't take it to heart." Or should I hurry up and ask my father to give me a marriage, or find a beautiful maid?"

"It's fine for others to talk about it, but the emperor came to tease me anyway." Luo Pingyuan's face was a little red, and he sat down at the table depressed, and then paid attention to see if the emperor's face was tired. One, even though he didn't have a fever, he still had to pay attention to rest, "I was thinking, both villains have ulterior motives, and I don't know which side needs to be more careful."

"One is thick-skinned and the other is shameless. If there is anything to say, just stare at it." Luo Yanhua said with a smile, "They came prepared, and they will inevitably have their own schemes. Although the situation will change from time to time, they are always in danger." It remains the same. If you want to compete in Luo City, you still have to follow our rules."

Luo Pingyuan thought of all the preparations that had been made, and nodded unconsciously: "Those in the Jingyu Guard who have no family members plan to participate. Chu Huan even said that this is an opportunity for private revenge. Wrote a letter, but haven't heard back yet.

"The Chinese New Year is about to come, whether it is a peace negotiation or a martial arts competition, it seems that we will have to wait until the new year." Luo Yuhua took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "It will take time to post the imperial list to recruit the children of the Quartet, but I think it is not necessary. When we get to Shangyuan, helpers should also arrive."