Emperor Zhaoxing held a banquet in Jiying Hall to entertain Prince Tunu An Luofeng.
Jiying Hall represents the highest standard of Daxuan Palace banquets. Today, Emperor Zhaoxing made special preparations and prepared Feng Sheng's dishes on a large table.
According to the Daxuan tradition, royal banquets always implement separate meals.
But Tunu's tradition is different. They are used to eating at the same table.
Dining at a large table is not uncommon in Daxuan. To be precise, except for royal banquets, both officials and citizens usually dine together at a large table.
In order to show his respect for Prince Daxuan, Emperor Zhaoxing specially prepared a large table for a meal. He also called in the famous chefs of Tunu and cooked several special dishes of Tunu, which were paired with famous dishes from all over Daxuan.
Together.
Whether the Tunu delegation wants to eat local flavors or Daxuan delicacies, no matter what their needs are, they can be satisfied. This job is so good that people can’t fault it!
Ren Songde brought Luo Anfeng to the Jiying Palace and introduced him to Emperor Zhaoxing: "This is a prince who was born in a blizzard and swadled in deerskin. He is the master of the Great Icefield and the lord of eleven cities. Datu
The crown prince of the Nu Empire——An Luofeng."
Emperor Zhaoxing nodded towards An Luofeng. He was the emperor, and the other party was just a prince, so a nod was enough.
An Luofeng just nodded to Emperor Zhaoxing, which was not the right etiquette.
But Emperor Zhaoxing had a broad mind and didn't care.
Emperor Zhaoxing has not been introduced yet. When Emperor Zhaoxing is introduced, it will not be too late to ask An Luofeng to salute.
Ren Songde quickly introduced Emperor Zhaoxing: "This is the lord of my kingdom, the true dragon emperor with great power and virtue in all directions, the wise emperor who is once in a lifetime, creating a prosperous age unprecedented in ancient times, and being respected by all people..."
Before Ren Songde could finish his words, he was interrupted by the sound of eating.
An Luofeng is hungry.
He sat directly in a position he thought was most suitable, picked up a roast chicken and munched on it.
Where is the best place on the entire dining table?
Naturally, it was the position of Emperor Zhaoxing.
The chamberlain on the side thought it was inappropriate and wanted to remind An Luofeng, but was pushed away by An Luofeng's subordinates.
The thirty Tunu people each found a place to sit down and began to eat and drink, completely ignoring Emperor Zhaoxing who was standing aside.
Ren Songde was very embarrassed. He hadn't finished speaking the emperor's full name: "The Emperor Daxuan Zhaoxing, who is respected by all people..."
puff!
An Luofeng spit out a piece of chicken bone on the ground, picked up the mutton and gnawed on it.
Emperor Zhaoxing still didn't mind and chose a seat in the southwest corner to sit down.
This is obviously not the position of the guest of honor, this is the channel for serving food.
But the guard of honor behind Emperor Zhaoxing was still there. Ren Songde thought that Emperor Zhaoxing handled it very wisely, so he quickly wrote down the incident:
The emperor met with Tunu's envoy at the Jiying Hall. Tunu was rude and occupied the guest of honor's seat first. The emperor was smart and moved the guest's seat to the southwest, seizing it first. He did not lose the harmony between the two families and showed his majesty.
It doesn't matter that the Tunu people have occupied the position of guest of honor. Can't we just decide a new position of guest of honor? In the future, if this matter spreads, it will definitely be a good story!
As for how terrible the real situation at the scene was, those ordinary people couldn't see it anyway.
After Emperor Zhaoxing sat down, he first offered a glass of wine to An Luofeng: "The prince has come a long way and it has been a hard journey. Please drink this cup to the full and wish the two countries will be reconciled forever!"
An Luofeng only cared about eating meat and was indifferent.
Emperor Zhaoxing raised his wine glass, not knowing whether to drink it or put it down.
Ren Songde tried to smooth things over: "His Royal Highness the Prince doesn't understand our official language, please allow me to explain it to the Prince."
Ren Songde was about to translate it in Tunu language when he suddenly heard An Luofeng raise his head and say: "I understand what you are saying, but I just don't want to drink your wine, it's worse than urine!"
I’m here to negotiate a peace, and I don’t want to hear these useless words from you. Let’s just tell you, how do you want to negotiate a peace?”
Emperor Zhaoxing put down his wine glass and looked at An Luofeng with a smile: "The prince's temperament is really straightforward."
An Luofeng spit out another bone and landed it in front of Emperor Zhaoxing: "Emperor of Daxuan, can't you understand me?"
Emperor Zhaoxing was silent for a while, he couldn't help it anymore.
But An Luofeng still kept provoking.
Is this prince dissatisfied with his long life?
of course not.
He had a good grasp of Emperor Zhaoxing's temperament.
His father, King Tunu, once told him that the emperor of Xuan Kingdom did not care about loyal people or kind people. The only thing he cared about was those who had beaten him.
Among the neighboring countries, the one who beat Emperor Daxuan the most painfully was Tunu, but the one whom Emperor Daxuan respected the most was also Tunu.
An Luofeng kept his father's lessons in mind, and he was using another method to beat up Emperor Zhaoxing and shatter Emperor Zhaoxing's dignity.
Emperor Zhaoxing looked at Ren Songde. The conditions for peace proposed by Ren Songde were basically consistent with the plan he had drafted before. Xuanguo immediately withdrew his troops and returned all the land to Tunu.
This solution obviously did not satisfy An Luofeng: "You Xuan people took over our Nanyu Province and killed many of our soldiers. How to settle this account?"
Ren Songde looked at Emperor Zhaoxing, who also wanted him to cede territory.
Emperor Zhaoxing was speechless. If he ceded the territory, the reaction of the officials would be very fierce, and his situation would be extremely embarrassing.
Compensation of some money and food is not a problem.
An Luofeng smiled and put forward his idea.
He wants money, he wants all the official silver in the three states of Tuan, Xun and Lu.
He also wants food. He wants all the official food from the three states of Tuan, Xun and Lu.
He also wanted land. The entire territory of Yongzhou must be given to Tunu, and half of Luzhou must be ceded.
Emperor Zhaoxing did not respond. Ren Songde apologized and said with a smile: "Prince, our Majesty still has to discuss this matter with the ministers. Now your Majesty has a gift for all the envoys. Please accept it."
The chamberlain presented the gift, which was made of the most expensive Huazhou brocade from Daxuan and made for the thirty Tunu envoys.
In order to show Emperor Zhaoxing's sincerity, the clothes were specially colored yellow, indicating that these thirty envoys had the same status as the Daxuan royal family.
An Luofeng looked at these thirty pieces of brocade clothing and smiled.
"Huazhou brocade is very valuable, several times more expensive than gold." An Luofeng praised it.
Ren Songde repeatedly echoed: "The prince really knows the goods, Huazhou brocade is my famous product."
"This color can't be used by just anyone."
"The prince has good eyesight. In my opinion, only the royal family can wear yellow."
An Luofeng smiled and said: "Emperor Xuan Guo is really filial!"
This sentence stung Emperor Zhaoxing's nerves.
Emperor Zhaoxing looked at each other angrily, but An Luofeng didn't take it seriously. He put down the mutton in his hand, picked up the brocade clothes, wiped his mouth first, then wiped his hands, and threw it aside: "Emperor Xuanguo, since you don't
If you agree to negotiate for peace, we can just leave. There is no need to say more polite words."
Emperor Zhaoxing said nothing, and Ren Songde said: "Prince, please be patient and allow us to discuss it for a few days. It will take a few days."
"That's fine," An Luofeng nodded, "They say the capital of Xuan Kingdom is extremely prosperous, and we really want to see it."
Ren Songde smiled and said: "It's easy to say, I will send someone to accompany the prince to have a good time in the capital for a few days."
Emperor Zhaoxing frowned.
With this group of Tunu people showing off in the capital, he had to bear the pressure from his ministers.
"For fun?" The prince shook his head and said, "That's not necessary. I heard that there are several famous royal academies in the capital. I would like to take this opportunity to experience the high-ranking schools in your country."
Your country!
Go to state!
Hearing these two words, Emperor Zhaoxing smiled, and the young Prince Tunu finally showed the respect he deserved.
Ren Songde looked happy: "The prince wants to study? I wonder which academy the prince has chosen?"
"Confucianism is unique to the Xuan Kingdom, so I will go to Haoran Academy to study."
Haoran Academy is the royal academy of Daxuan, with orthodox Confucianism.
Emperor Zhaoxing immediately called the dean Zuo Chuxian and introduced An Luofeng to him.
An Luofeng looked at Zuo Chuxian, who looked to be in his thirties, thin and thin.
In fact, Zuo Chuxian is already over 50 years old. Because of his cultivation, he looks much younger.
An Luofeng said: "You are the dean, please tell me what kind of Confucianism you have?"
Zuo Chuxian said: "Confucianism is the way of sages, cultivating morality, cultivating arts, cultivating mind, and cultivating character."
An Luofeng sneered: "If you learn these, can you become a sage?"
Zuo Chuxian shook his head and said: "The realm of a sage is very within the reach of others. How far you can go in practice depends on your understanding. My understanding is not good, and I am far from the realm of a sage."
An Luofeng walked closer and said, "What do you think of my understanding?"
Zuo Chuxian still shook his head: "People in the world have different levels of understanding. You, like me, a Confucian sect, have no understanding at all."
An Luofeng frowned and said, "Why don't we have any understanding?"
Zuo Chuxian smiled and said: "The teachings of sages can be passed on to the world, but not to beasts!"
An Luofeng became furious and punched Zuo Chuxian.
A surge of awe-inspiring righteousness hit his face, and An Luofeng took a few steps back and almost fell down.
Zuo Chuxian has a fourth-level Confucian cultivation, and An Luofeng is an eighth-level Bear God cultivator. If Zuo Chuxian hadn't been merciful, An Luofeng could have been killed at this moment.
Ren Songde shouted sternly: "Zuo Chuxian, you dare to commit murder in the palace, what do you want to do?"
Emperor Zhaoxing looked calm, but was very surprised in his heart.
The deans of major academies all have a somewhat aloof temperament. They are full of superb cultivation, but they are unwilling to hold important positions, which shows that they have a low opinion of Lilu.
But Zuo Chuxian was a special case. He had the gentlest temperament among the deans of the various academies. He had always been obedient to Emperor Zhaoxing and had never had any conflict. I didn't expect that today would be so abnormal.
From him, we can see the extent of the officials' resistance to Tunu.
Negotiating peace requires some special means, otherwise there will be many obstacles.
An Luofeng stood firm and smiled at An Luofeng: "If you still have some ability, I will go to your academy."
Zuo Chuxian said seriously: "I just said it before, the learning of sages will not be passed on to beasts!"
Emperor Zhaoxing shouted: "Zuo Aiqing, don't be rude! Take the prince to Haoran Academy immediately."
Zuo Chuxian shook his head and said: "I'm sorry that this is a difficult matter!"
Emperor Zhaoxing said angrily: "Zuo Chuxian, you resist the decree? If you don't obey, I will remove you from the position of dean."
It is said that it is dismissal, but in fact it is not that easy. Zuo Chuxian is a fourth-grade official, and his dismissal has to go through the process and go through the cabinet.
Emperor Zhaoxing just wanted to scare Zuo Chuxian, but Zuo Chuxian unexpectedly took the black gauze hat in both hands and presented it to Emperor Zhaoxing: "Zuo is incompetent and cannot bear the heavy responsibility. Now I am willing to take off my hat and retire from office!"
Zuo Chuxian resigned!
Emperor Zhaoxing trembled, gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! I'm sure!"
Zuo Chuxian handed over his seal, ribbon and official hat on the spot, and left the palace in civilian clothes.
"Go and ask Wan Qiusheng to come!"
Emperor Zhaoxing called the second-in-command of Haoran Academy over.
Wan Qiusheng is also a great scholar. He is ten years older than Zuo Chuxian and is already over sixty years old. However, he has a fifth-level cultivation and does not look old.
He has always coveted the position of dean, and for this reason he sought refuge with Gongsun Wen and joined the Longnu Society.
It's a pity that Zuo Chuxian never made a big mistake and didn't give Wan Qiusheng a chance.
Now the opportunity came, Wan Qiusheng smiled apologetically and invited An Luofeng to Haoran Academy.
An Luofeng said: "Are you also a capable person?"
An Luofeng smiled and said: "I am old and incapable of talent. I have been practicing Confucianism for fifty years. I would like to discuss something with Your Highness."
"Okay, I'll go with you."
An Luofeng left, and Emperor Zhaoxing let out a sigh of relief.
There is no shortage of people in Daxuan, but Zuo Chuxian is ignorant, just tell him to get out.
The top priority is how to control the cabinet and decide on peace negotiations as soon as possible.
Even if Yongzhou and Luzhou are lost, the prince must be recalled.
…
An Luofeng took people to Haoran Academy, and Wan Qiusheng vacated his mansion to accommodate the Tunu delegation.
While packing his luggage, An Luofeng told a subordinate who was cultivating Yin and Yang: "Send a message to Mu Shujian in Qingge City immediately, asking him to send troops to attack the Xuan army as soon as possible, and strive to annihilate all the bandits and capture the prince alive."
"Your Highness, we are still in Xuanguo. If we send troops at this time, Your Highness may be in danger."
An Luofeng said with a smile: "If we show weakness, we will be in danger. Emperor Xuan Quan wholeheartedly seeks peace, but Xuan Quan's spine is not broken, just because their prince is a tough guy, but he props up their spine.
The man named Zuo is so arrogant today. If Xuan Quan’s ministers are so tough, we won’t have the slightest advantage in negotiating peace! We must break their backbone this time!”
The subordinates understood and immediately sent the letter.
An Luofeng led everyone to the school. Wan Qiusheng was about to give a lecture when he heard An Luofeng say: "In my big Tunu, I have to be accompanied by maids when I study. Don't you also have female disciples in your academy? Call them all.
."
Wan Qiusheng was stunned: "This..."
"Are you shouting or not?" An Luofeng's eyes flashed fiercely, "If you don't scream, I will go find you, the emperor of Xuanguo, right now!"
Wan Qiusheng had no choice but to call dozens of female disciples.
The female disciple huddled in a corner of the school, shivering.
"Why are you sitting so far away?" An Luofeng pointed to the futon beside him, "Come here, sit here and listen to the lesson with me!"
The female disciples didn't want to come over, so An Luofeng smiled and said, "I'm just listening together, I won't touch you."
The female disciples still refused to come. An Luofeng frowned and said, "Come or not? If you don't come, your academy will be overthrown!"
There was a lot of crying in the academy.
Outside the academy, Tao Huayuan intercepted a message.
A message sent by An Luofeng to Qingge City.
Tu Nu is going to send troops.
Tao Huayuan quickly forwarded the news to the prince.
She came from Huazhou to save Xu Zhiqiong.
Xu Zhiqiong was not found, but she only saw a letter left by Xu Zhiqiong to her.
Xu Zhiqiong asked her to wait in the capital.
There were constant cries in the academy, and Tao Huayuan gritted her teeth and said: "Thieves, let's see how long you can survive!"