bookrandom Chapter 255: Happy to miss Shu
Chapter 255: Happy to miss Shu
In order to make peace with Anguo this time, the Northern Barbarians made two preparations.
One of them was marriage alliance, and the men they brought this time were all carefully selected from the nobles.
Because he was worried that mentioning it directly would make Yun Zhi unhappy, the envoy asked those questions indirectly. If Yun Zhi was interested and showed the slightest willingness, the envoy would tell her everything.
As for the selection of the marriage partners, it will be decided by Yun Zhi. If she likes them all, they don't mind packing them all up and sending them to her harem.
In this way, the gifts they brought were directly given to Yun Zhi as dowry.
This ending is undoubtedly the best, and everyone is happy.
If the path of marriage is not feasible, then they can only rely on money to impress people's hearts and offer these gifts as their sincerity.
But it is very likely that in addition to these, a series of conditions will be put forward, such as requiring them to pay tribute every year.
In short, they may make more concessions, and such a relationship is not as stable as a marriage alliance.
But this is also a helpless measure. As long as it does not touch their bottom line, they will agree.
At this time, the envoys slowed down their breathing, clenched their hands in their sleeves into fists, and waited anxiously for Yunzhi Lion to make a request.
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it seemed like only a moment had passed.
Yun Zhi's voice reached their ears clearly.
"can."
can?
The envoys looked at each other, their eyes full of joy, which meant they agreed to be friends forever.
They stood there, waiting for Yun Zhi's next words, but they waited for a long time but didn't hear her next words.
After staring at each other for a moment, the leading envoy raised his head and looked at Yun Zhi, asking, "Your Majesty, have we reached a peace agreement? But what do we need to do?"
Yun Zhi nodded slightly, placing the wine glass in her hand on the table, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "The peace agreement has been preliminarily reached. I accept the gifts you brought this time. As for what I want you to do? Just allow trade between the two places and promote fair trade between the two sides. I will not make any further demands."
Gone? Just like that?
The envoys were all shocked. They had thought they would be harassed and asked to do something unreasonable, but they didn't expect it to be so simple.
Isn't it a scam?
He didn't even ask them to pay tribute, nor did he make any excessive demands, and he agreed so easily.
Although this means that we will have to buy everything in the future and can no longer plunder like before, it is more stable.
Moreover, in this way they can also sell goods to people in the Central Plains without having to produce and sell them themselves.
At the moment, it's a good deal.
It was precisely because it was so cost-effective that the envoys had to wonder if there was any conspiracy behind it.
But now they, the Northern Barbarians, are at a disadvantage and seem to have no choice.
The leading envoy pondered for a moment and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your magnanimity. We, the Northern Barbarians, will certainly keep our promise."
Yun Zhi smiled and nodded. "That's great. I hope we can coexist peacefully for a long time. As for the agreement on peaceful coexistence, I will work with the ministers to draft it in the next few days. For the time being, you will all stay at the inn. Lord Hu will take you around the city and show us how to be the host of Anguo."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The envoys hurriedly expressed their gratitude.
Until the end of the banquet, when they left, the envoys still looked confused.
They had thought that the peace talks would be a tough battle, so they discussed it until very late last night. They had imagined countless situations in which the An Kingdom would make things difficult for them, and how to deal with them if they encountered such situations.
As a result, as soon as they expressed their desire to establish friendly relations with An Guo, His Majesty An Guo agreed.
So what was the point of them discussing for so long last night?
Oh, never mind. As far as the current situation is concerned, the result of their mission is good.
Day two.
Hu Zhiyi stood in front of the inn as promised.
The envoys packed up and walked out of the hall, "Master Hu."
They originally thought that Yun Zhi's words about fulfilling her duty as host were just a polite remark, but they didn't expect Hu Zhiyi to actually come today.
Hu Zhiyi smiled and said, "Everyone, today I will take you to experience the customs of my Anguo."
The envoys nodded and followed Hu Zhiyi to start the day's journey.
As they gradually approached the main street, the noisy sounds of the market came into their ears and the aroma of various foods filled their noses.
"My lords, you haven't had breakfast yet, right? How about we have breakfast here?"
"The guest follows the host's wishes. It's up to you, Lord Hu."
"Okay, let's go to that noodle shop today."
The shop Hu Zhiyi mentioned is now crowded with people, and you can tell at a glance that its business is booming.
Led by Hu Zhiyi, several people walked into the store and found a seat by the window.
After they sat down, the waiter came over enthusiastically and asked, "What would you like to order, gentlemen?"
"Six bowls of your signature beef noodles, plus a few side dishes."
"Okay, sir, please wait a moment." The waiter shouted and went to the kitchen.
After a while, steaming beef noodles and a few side dishes were served.
"Sir, please use it slowly."
After saying that, the waiter ran off to greet other guests.
"I heard that you guys prefer noodles. Can you guys try it and see if there's any difference between ours and yours?"
As he spoke, Hu Zhiyi pushed the bowls of noodles in front of the messengers and said, "Try it."
The envoys looked at the delicious food in front of them and couldn't help but pick up the wooden chopsticks to taste it.
"Yes, compared to our Northern Barbarians, each has its own merits."
Another messenger nodded in agreement, "Indeed, this beef is stewed to perfection."
Everyone ate and talked, and soon their bowls were empty.
After breakfast, the group continued to wander the streets. Whenever they saw something new, the envoys would let out uncontrollable little exclamations.
"There's a cloth shop in front. Are you interested in going in and taking a look?" Hu Zhi said, pointing ahead.
The leading envoy looked in the direction Hu Zhi pointed, and saw the words "Lin's Cloth Shop" prominently written on the shop's signboard.
"Okay, let's go and have a look."
The group walked into the cloth shop, where a variety of fabrics of different colors and textures were displayed.
"These fabrics are so exquisite." An envoy picked up a piece of fabric, stroked it and admired it.
Hearing the sound, the owner of the cloth shop hurried over. When he saw Hu Zhiyi, he paused for a moment, then quickly walked forward.
Obviously he knew Hu Zhiyi.
"Why are you here, Master Hu?"
Hu Zhiyi smiled slightly and said, "Bring a few distinguished guests from the Northern Barbarians to see your fabrics. Shopkeeper Wen, please introduce them to them."
The shopkeeper nodded quickly and began to introduce the materials and advantages of these fabrics to the envoys.
The messengers listened and stroked the cloth, with love in their eyes.
"This silk is really beautiful, Lord Hu, can we take some back?"
"Of course you can."
Upon hearing this, the envoys' faces lit up with joy. Each of them selected several pieces of cloth and asked the shopkeeper to deliver them to the post station later.
After being satisfied, we went to visit various shops including handicraft shops and jade shops under the guidance of Hu Zhiyi.
They returned to the inn reluctantly only after they had spent all the money they had brought with them.
The next few days repeated the previous itinerary. Led by Hu Zhiyi, the envoys walked through almost all the streets and alleys around.
They witnessed the prosperity and wealth of Anguo, and felt the enthusiasm and friendliness of the people of Anguo.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
Today, when sending the envoys back to the post station, Hu Zhiyi did not turn around and leave as he did before.
"My Lords, His Majesty has drawn up an agreement and will summon you to the palace tomorrow to discuss it in detail."
After hearing what Hu Zhiyi said, they remembered the main reason they came here. They had been busy shopping and eating these days.
I was so happy that I almost forgot about this.
Upon hearing this, the envoys' expressions straightened. The leading envoy said, "Thank you, Lord Hu, for your advice. We will definitely enter the palace on time tomorrow."
Hu Zhiyi nodded slightly, turned and left.
This time, the envoys did not discuss again, but fell asleep directly.