In addition to Liu Ye of Wei State, Jian Yong, Liu Yi and envoys from other parties united to hold talks with the Ministry of Rites.
Even during the imperial examination, an envoy from Bingzhou came - Xia Zhao.
This guy is Yuan Shao’s nephew Gao Gan, a general under his command!
In the name of representing a high-ranking governor of Bingzhou to present gifts to the Chu State and congratulate the King of Chu on his wedding, he hid his identity all the way and traveled an unknown distance to the Chu State.
When Bai Tu was at Jinling University, he received the news that the Bingzhou envoys had entered Shouchun, but... no matter how high-ranking the officials were, or Xia Zhao, they were obviously not important enough to let Bai Tu come out early.
In fact, it was indeed just a "casual lick" sent by high-ranking cadres to the state of Chu. After all, the people who decide the life and death of Bingzhou are Zhenghou Zhang Yan who is galloping east of the river, and Wei who is fighting for hegemony in the north.
Now the senior cadres have completely ignored his cousin Yuan Tan, and are brazenly trying to please Cao Cao and Fu Han, hoping to survive in the cracks.
This time he humbled himself in front of Bai Tu, which seemed very respectful, but it would be too pretentious to think that he really wanted to join the Chu State.
It's just that he played the emotional card well. As soon as Xia Zhao arrived in Jinling and knew that he would not see Bai Tu, he was not idle for a moment. He went to visit Lu Bu, the Privy Councilor, and then poured out his bitterness to Lu Bu. His purpose was to state -
It’s not that high-ranking cadres don’t work hard, but the aliens in Bingzhou are too cruel!
However, even if surrounded by a group of beasts, senior officials will inherit the will of the Bingzhou Army, protect the people of Bingzhou, and strive to regain the Hetao as soon as possible...
Believe him!
Lu Bu didn't believe it either, but as an old Bingzhou native, Lu Bu did accept this trick, and his impression of senior officials softened a lot.
When Xia Zhao came to Chu State, in addition to casually licking it, he also wanted to inquire about the plate armor. In Xia Zhao's words, it was because the high-ranking cadres had failed to catch up. He hoped that the Chu State would not hesitate to help and save Bingzhou for the sake of the friendship between his compatriots.
.
It doesn't matter if he can't get help. With a few sets of plate armor, he can beat the Southern Huns and Zhu Qiang!
After Jian Yong, Liu Ye and others finished the imperial examination and left Jinling University, they found out that the shameless high official had also sent someone here.
But no matter how unhappy he was in his heart, he always had a smile on his face, and Jian Yong even invited him to have a meeting with the Ministry of Rites.
As for Liu Ye, he was the only envoy who did not interfere...
After all, Bai Tu had already nodded in favor of the Wei-Chu plate armor deal, and considering the current friendship between the two parties, how could Wei get the lowest price? Why not just let Jian Yong and the others take the lead, and give Chu a feeling in his heart?
The feeling that "Wei is closer than them".
In the end, Jian Yong and others got their wish and obtained permission to trade plate armor, but... the Ministry of Rites repeatedly emphasized that the price would be very high and they needed to negotiate with the Ministry of Household Affairs themselves, which made them sweat a little.
…
After coming out of the official office of the Ministry of Rites in Jiangshan Garden, Jian Yong sighed with some emotion, with a mixture of appreciation and helplessness.
Upon seeing this, Liu Yi asked: "Brother Jian, why are you sighing? Isn't it because the Ministry of Rites said that you have a headache?" He and Jian Yong are relatively familiar, and there is no conflict of interest between Liaodong and Liu Bei, who is in charge of Qingxu Prefecture, so he can naturally open the door.
Worthy of a joke.
However, Jian Yong looked at Liu Yi seriously, and then asked, "Brother Liu, don't you think so?"
Liu Yi was stunned when he heard this - except for Xia Zhao who had no experience, everyone else actually felt this way!
Jian Yong used to feel that when he went on a diplomatic mission to the Chu State, it would be more difficult to deal with the King of Chu or the ministers. It was actually much easier to deal with the Ministry of Rites at the diplomatic level alone. It was equivalent to having passed the customs.
Just go through a process.
However, now even the Ministry of Rites is becoming more and more "unpopular".
In the past, it was difficult for the King of Chu and Lu Su, Jia Xu and others to go through it. As long as they spit and then contact the Ministry of Rites, it was actually a "routine", but now...the Ministry of Rites is becoming more and more professional!
Originally, the main authority of the Ministry of Rites was to promote education and engage in foreign affairs...
However, in terms of foreign negotiations, "rituals" are just the outer layer, and the Ministry of Rites has no decision-making power. It does not mean that as long as the "rituals" are met, the Ministry of Rites can decide what diplomatic conditions to agree to.
The real core is to strive for the best interests of Chu State in accordance with the national policy agreed upon by the six ministries!
Even the promotion of enlightenment is not only "enlightenment" such as township schools and county schools, but also includes the use of opera and other means to promote the mighty virtues of the Chu State internally and externally, which is also part of the promotion of enlightenment.
This is somewhat difficult for the old scholars of the Ministry of Rites, so the Ministry of Rites is also innovating.
Not only did a group of eloquent and eloquent people be promoted to make up for the diplomatic shortcomings of the Ministry of Rites, which was dominated by "great Confucians", but the original authority of Confucianism in the Ministry of Rites was also intentionally weakened!
Because what the Ministry of Rites wants to promote is "Chu", not "Confucianism"...
According to the academic classification of the pre-Qin Dynasty, eloquent people were close to politicians and strategists. According to the classification of later generations, they should be regarded as "yin and yang families" (dense fog). After all, they always speak in a yin and yang manner.
Such talents have not disappeared, but the Confucian scholars have always kept a distance from such talents. Now they are asked to work with them to run the Ministry of Rites to "maintain rituals and music" and "preach enlightenment", which makes them a little awkward.
I feel like my etiquette is dirty...
However, the effect is also very obvious. Now the Ministry of Rites has become more and more formal. In the past, it was the King of Chu, the "final decision-maker", and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Household Affairs and other departments to directly face the external envoys.
count".
After all, if the negotiation with the Ministry of Rites breaks down, there is still the King of Chu who can take care of it, but if the negotiation with the King of Chu breaks down, then it is a failure!
The one who directly faces foreign ministers should be the Ministry of Rites.
It's just that the Ministry of Rites was not very good at this in the past, and the dishes in the Yangzhou Mu and General's Mansion were not big enough, so they always made it "expedient".
And this time...
Jian Yong and others have been criticized in the Ministry of Etiquette one after another, and each one of them speaks impeccably, and they can no longer use the same routine as before - that is, using righteousness to suppress the other party's right to speak.
Whether it can be traded will be approved by the Ministry of Rites - yes.
How to deal, they need to talk to the stingy guys and skin-picking kings in the household department...
Although the Ministry of Rites had a small backlash against the reform, it was at least much easier than the reform of the Ministry of Punishment.
After all, Kong Rong, a die-hard "Chu sect", is now in charge of the Ministry of Rites. After so many years of packaging, Kong Rong's status as a scholar has also risen. Last year, after the great scholar Zheng Xuan, who was well-known throughout the country and was like a master of the sect, died of illness, Kong Rong has already faded away.
There is an image of a new generation of scholarly leaders.
Wang Lang's good son, Bai Tu's good minister, and the famous "inventor of classics and meanings" in ancient times, Wang Su, has also been cultivated by Bai Tu and Kong Rong. Now he is only sixteen or seventeen years old, and he has already embarked on the journey of
The road of "inventing the classics and meanings" is being discovered near Jiangling... no, it is the excavation of Confucian cultural sites.
It is well known that Confucius met two children arguing about the sun in the capital of the pre-Qin Chu state, which is now near Jiangling. Some scriptures and meanings that are different from modern Confucianism are about to be unearthed there.
Regardless of whether others believe it or not, Chu King Bai Tu and Confucian leader Kong Rong will all believe first and respect each other, and then naturally obtain the final right to interpret Confucianism, so that Confucianism can better serve Chuology...