Emperor Jiang’s hand paused in midair, with a black piece between his fingers, as if he had been surprised.
“Then you go.”
After a moment, he lightly floated down the piece and said.
Jiang Lang was taken aback, unable to believe that Emperor Jiang would agree so easily. Liu Gong, who was standing by, was also taken aback.
Jiang Lang was overjoyed and exclaimed excitedly, “Emperor Father, rest assured, Erchen will fulfill the mission and complete this peace negotiation. Erchen will not let the Sui Empire take advantage of our Jiang Empire!”
Jiang Lang couldn’t help but shout and cry happily.
During this period, all the grievances and humiliations he suffered at Muyun Pass dissipated with just one word from Emperor Jiang. He knew that the Emperor’s agreement to let Jiang Yun take him northward on the same day was due to his own ulterior motives. Emperor Father only used Jiang Yun to guard the pass. Now that the crisis at Muyun Pass has been resolved, Jiang Yun has lost his value, and Emperor Father will no longer allow Jiang Yun to monopolize power.
His Emperor Father sent him here to endure hardships and wait in seclusion in order to elevate him to the top position at a critical moment and allow him to reap the fruits of victory.
He was still his Emperor Father’s favorite son.
As Jiang Lang retreated, Liu Gong couldn’t help but ask cautiously, “Why did Your Majesty agree to King Chu’s request?”
King Chu did not participate deeply in the war, and his talent in governing the country was simply incomparable to that of His Highness. His Majesty has always had a clear distinction between public and private affairs and will never delay national affairs due to personal matters. This is truly abnormal.
Emperor Jiang asked, “Liu Jiu, do you know what is the most deadly thing for a person to live in this world?”
Liu Gong was taken aback for a moment.
Emperor Jiang sneered coldly.
“It’s not dumb, but stupid.”
Liu Gong looked at the Emperor’s cold and ruthless eyes, pondering the meaning of this sentence. Suddenly, a chill penetrated through his bones, piercing from the soles of his feet to his spine.
Today is a cold and windy day.
But Jiang Lang’s heart was clear and serene for thousands of miles.
He bathed and changed his clothes, wearing the magnificent crown clothes exclusive to King Chu. He rode in a chariot bestowed by Emperor Jiang, leading a group of advisors and generals from Muyun Pass to the beacon tower.
The beacon tower is adjacent to the Sui army base, but since both sides have decided to negotiate pesce, there is no need to worry about security issues.
Jiang Lang was full of ambition and couldn’t wait to take this opportunity to make a great contribution. He once again showed the demeanor of being a courteous and virtuous servant, humbly inviting Fan Zhou and two other advisors to board the carriage. Politely ask for their specific details about this peace negotiation.
“This king heard that Master Fan enjoys desserts. This is a jujube paste cake that this King specially ordered for Master. Master try it?”
Jiang Lang respectfully ordered the palace attendant to present a plate of jujube cakes carved in the shape of lotus flowers.
Fan Zhou then said that he was ashamed to say that he recently suffered from a toothache and was afraid that he would have to let King Chu down.
It was not Jiang Lang’s first time dealing with Fan Zhou. He knew that this person was difficult to deal with, but Fan Zhou was the top advisor under Jiang Yun’s command, with outstanding talent and high prestige among the advisors. Only by dealing with Fan Zhou can he possibly deal with other advisors in the Lanxin Palace. Jiang Lang was determined to win over him no matter what.
Jiang Lang was not angry either, but humbly said, “It’s this king who didn’t consider it carefully. This king will have someone brew Yinhua tea for the Master to reduce the pain.”
Fan Zhou covered his cheeks and said, “This humble dare not trouble Your Highness King Chu. Your Highness doesn’t know, but this humble naturally allergic to Yinhua. When this humble touches this object, this humble will get small red bumps all over the body. For the sake of this peace negotiation, this humble won’t drink it.”
Jiang Lang’s patience was also limited.
He said, “Then plain water should be fine, right? Does Master refuse to touch this king’s things because you were afraid that this king will poison the water? Or is it because Master was unwilling to obey the king’s orders and does not want to assist this king in completing this peace negotiation?”
Fan Zhou could only let go and reluctantly took a sip of the plain water handed over by King Chu himself.
Jiang Lang sat forward and said, “Regarding today’s peace negotiations, what regulations has Master drafted? Could you please show this king first so that this king can prepare?”
Fan Zhou remembered Jiang Yun’s instructions and took out a notebook resembling a memorial from his sleeve, handing it to Jiang Lang.
“All of these have been personally reviewed and revised by His Highness. His Highness said, ‘Please remember the content above, and it’s best to memorize it word for word. Don’t make our Jiang Empire lose face’.”
Jiang Lang felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart.
What does he mean by losing the Jiang Empire’s face? Dare he say that only he, Jiang Yun, can represent the face of the Jiang Empire, but he, Jiang Lang, can’t?
Jiang Lang snorted coldly, “This king is the envoy of the peace negotiations appointed by Emperor Father. In this peace negotiation, how to negotiate, naturally, this king will have the final say, it is not his turn as a Crown Prince to teach this king how to do things.”
Fan Zhou and Jiang Lang spent the spring days together at Muyun Pass, engaging in a daily battle of wits and courage. He naturally knew that this King Chu appeared broad and magnanimous, but in reality, he had a narrow-mind and was eager for quick success and instant benefits. He was only concerned about personal gains and losses, he was not worthy of being chosen as the ruler.
Let him be loyal to such a ruler, he would rather throw himself into the river and die.
Although the dragon1Refers to the king.has nine sons, each with their own differences, but the difference between King Chu and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was still too far.
Fan Zhou said solemnly, “This peace negotiation is of great significance. This humble hope that Your Highness can prioritize the overall situation. It would be best for Your Highness to carefully read this proposal.”
Jiang Lang also knew that he still needed to rely on the advisors under Jiang Yun’s command to provide advice and complete the peace negotiations, and it was not advisable to go against Fan Zhou and others.
He took it over and said, “Master doesn’t need to worry. This king will carefully read it.”
Fan Zhou said again, “There is one more thing. The Crown Prince of Sui, with his violent temperament and cruel methods, is a down-to-earth, cold-faced King of Hell. When we meet later, Your Highness must pay attention to your words and actions and never provoke this person.”
Jiang Lang had heard of the infamous reputation of Sui Heng and knew that the Crown Prince of Sui was young and had achieved remarkable military achievements, which shook the countries in the north of the river. His iron cavalry was also known by the terrifying title Blood Slaughter.
Jiang Lang is naturally afraid of such a person.
But Jiang Lang thought of another thing, and his eyebrows rose. “This king heard that the Crown Prince of Sui hates our Crown Prince to the bone. Is there such a thing?”
Fan Zhou couldn’t stand Jiang Lang’s gloating behavior.
Fan Zhou said solemnly, “Your Highness is the Grand Prince of Jiang, His Majesty’s eldest son, His Highness’s elder brother. How can Your Highness believe such rumors?”
“Rumor?”
Jiang Lang smiled and said, “This matter is not a secret in the south and north of the Yangtze River. Master, there is no need to cover it up for our Crown Prince. In this king’s opinion, it’s a fortune that Emperor Father is wise and has sent this king to oversee the overall situation today. If our Crown Prince really comes over, it may directly anger the Crown Prince of Sui and once again lead to hostility between the two countries.”
Fan Zhou did not respond again.
Jiang Lang became more and more confident and began to carefully study the twists and turns in his hand.
On the day when the Sui army launched a massive attack on Muyun Pass, although Jiang Lang was trapped in the palace, but he heard the earth-shattering sound of horse hooves and the overwhelming killing intent that could not be concealed by the high walls.
The Sui army had the complete strength to attack the city, just like Jiang Yun had the complete strength to defend.
That should have been a bloody and brutal battle.
The ambitious Crown Prince of Sui agreed to shake hands and make peace with Jiang Yun through a chess match.
There must be some tricks involved.
Based on the rumored hatred of the Crown Prince of Sui towards Jiang Yun, Jiang Lang firmly believed that Jiang Yun must have promised many benefits to the Crown Prince of Sui in exchange for his withdrawal.
Jiang Lang hopes to find some evidence or clues from the manuscript in front of him.
But what is written in the manuscript are all specific measures for mutual benefit between the North and the South, detailed in the price and types of horse tea exchange. Before Jiang Lang could pinpoint the mistake, they arrived at the beacon tower.
Jiang Lang got out of the carriage and saw two rows of cavalry displayed outside the beacon tower at a glance.
These cavalry are all tall and fierce, with serious expressions. They stand with scimitars on their waists, expressionless like stone carvings, emitting a bloody and murderous aura that privileged royal children like Jiang Lang have never seen before.
This is a brave army that can only be polished out by the fierce battlefield in the northern region.
Jiang Lang walked among these soldiers, feeling as if countless invisible swords were hanging above his head. The blades were all facing downward, aimed at his neck. Even the air he breathed in was filled with chilling and murderous intent, making him want to tremble uncontrollably.
Fan Qi walked out with a sword on his shoulder. When he saw Jiang Lang, he immediately frowned and asked, “Who are you?”
He has a loud voice, and his eyes were as fierce as copper bells. Just by standing still, he was as unshakable as a door god.
Jiang Lang calmed his mind and said, “This king is King Chu, Jiang Lang.”
“King Chu.”
Fan Qi spat.
“Where did this little white face come from and dare to trespass on the Sui army camp?”
Fan Zhou took a step forward and introduced, “This is the Eldest Prince of our Jiang Empire. Today, he has been ordered by His Majesty to negotiate with His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of your country.”
Fan Qi glanced at Jiang Lang and saw his slightly trembling legs.
He spat again.
“Is that old Emperor Jiang having no more sons? Send such a coward over. What about your Highness Rongyu?”
And he’s the Eldest Prince of the Jiang Empire too, far different than the little vixen.
Fan Zhou said, “His Highness is feeling unwell and unable to come over, but he asked me to bring a letter to His Highness the Crown Prince. May I ask General Fan to deliver it on my behalf?”
Fan Zhou took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Fan Qi.
Fan Qi took it and asked them to wait outside, then turned around and went in.
Jiang Lang looked at Fan Zhou with dissatisfaction, “Why didn’t this king know about that letter?”
In Jiang Lang’s view, this is likely evidence of Jiang Yun’s ability to connect with external enemies!
Fan Zhou said calmly, “That’s a handwritten letter from His Highness to the Crown Prince of Sui. According to the rules, Your Highness is not qualified to access it.”
Jiang Lang was furious but helpless.
Xu Qiao didn’t expect that Emperor Jiang would suddenly change people. When he saw Sui Heng holding the letter in his hand and reading it with heavy eyebrows, he asked, “What did His Highness Rongyu say in the letter?”
Sui Heng said, “He asked Gu to be merciful and not to play him to death.”
Xu Qiao: “……”
Xu Qiao asked, “Then what does Your Highness intend to do?”
Sui Heng put the letter into his bosom, placed it properly, and then pulled the corners of his mouth, saying, “Gu is in a good mood today, so Gu naturally has to play with this King Chu.”
Jiang Lang stood in the wind, his attire disheveled by the strong wind. After waiting for almost a quarter of an hour and still couldn’t see Fan Qi coming out. He couldn’t help but feel restless and asked Fan Zhou, “What does the Crown Prince of Sui mean? He dares to treat this king to wait, is he not planning to negotiate?”
Fan Zhou said, “We are all at the disposal of Your Highness. If Your Highness feels that it’s not right, we can abandon the peace negotiation and return to our original position.”
Jiang Lang was naturally unwilling to return to their original position, which will make him seem so incompetent. He gritted his teeth and said, “Keep waiting, this king doesn’t believe that that Crown Prince of Sui dares to make this king stand here all day.”
Sui Heng did not make Jiang Lang wait for the whole day. After about a quarter hour, Sui Heng ordered someone to let Jiang Lang move into a temporary tent.
One side of the tent was already filled with generals and important advisors from the Sui Empire, while in the center of the tent stood a large pot filled with a strong meat aroma. Sui Heng held a wine cup and sat lazily behind the table, with the wolf head sword on top.
Although Jiang Lang was dissatisfied with the other party’s intentional neglect, upon seeing Sui Heng, his resentment was suppressed by the sharp and open eyes of the other party, as well as the strong and aggressive aura emanating from his body. That is an indescribable sharpness and beauty, like a blade that has been tempered in cold ice for thousands of years.
As those deep and cold eyes gazed at him with a smile on his face, it reminded Jiang Lang of the invisible blade hanging around his neck when he first stepped into this place.
Sui Heng asked Jiang Lang to sit casually.
Then he pointed to the large pot in the tent and said, “Someone, pick the fattest piece for His Highness King Chu to cut.”
Immediately, a soldier approached and tossed a machete in the pot for a moment, then pulled out a large piece of hot and steaming white fat and presented it to Jiang Lang.
Jiang Lang has been pampering himself since he was young, always indulged in delicacies. He has never seen such a large piece of fat, nor has he ever smelled such a strong aroma of meat. Jiang Lang may not be able to eat anything, but during today’s meeting between the two countries, how could he be looked down upon for just eating something? Jiang Lang picked up the small knife on one side, cut off a piece of fat, endured the greasiness, and put it in his mouth, also learning from the bold demeanor of a soldier, and swallowed it in one gulp.
Fat and grease burst between his teeth, and Jiang Lang almost spit it out.
Sui Heng asked, “How does it taste? Is it fragrant?”
“Very good, very-very fragrant.”
Jiang Lang endured his nausea and said.
Sui Heng smiled. “Fragrance is right. These are the complete leg bones that Gu especially asked people to cut off from those dead bodies. They are all fresh corpses that have not exceeded twelve hours old. When cooked, they are the most delicious and fragrant.”
Jiang Lang’s blood color on his face swished away, and he looked at Sui Heng like Sui Heng was a demon. He then looked at the Sui Empire’s generals across from him, who were devouring meat. He throws the knife away with a loud bang, rushed out of the tent and vomited violently before Sui Heng could finish speaking.
Only until he vomited out all the sour water in his stomach did Jiang Lang stumble in with a pale face.
Sui Heng pretended to be puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong? Was the temperature of this meat not enough and doesn’t suit King Chu’s taste? Someone, come serve King Chu a bowl of meat soup to warm his stomach.”
“No-no need.”
Jiang Lang immediately refused.
However, the soldier only listened to Sui Heng’s orders and still insisted on serving a bowl of white soup and putting it in front of Jiang Lang.
Jiang Lang only glanced at it and then ran out of the tent and vomiting heavily again.
On Muyun Pass.
They stood silently on the city gate tower, gazing out in the distance.
Yun Huai stood behind and said, “If Your Highness is not at ease, the subordinate can accompany Your Highness to the beacon tower.”
Jiang Yun looked for a while, then turned around and gently raised the corner of his mouth, saying, “Gu doesn’t have any worries. Gu has already explained all the precautions to Fan Zhou.”
“He will also prioritize the overall situation.”
On his way back, Jiang Yun met Emperor Jiang.
Jiang Yun kneeled down and saluted. Emperor Jiang waved back the crowd and asked, “Are you still blaming Emperor Father in your heart?”
The words were spoken endlessly, with an eerie silence trapped between the father and son.
Jiang Yun looked up at the Emperor Jiang and said, “Erchen has never blamed Emperor Father.”
Emperor Jiang looked down at this young son of his from a high position, trying to find the true answer in those eyes. However, those eyes were black and pure, as pure as spring rain.
He really can’t see any resentment.
It’s really similar to that person, but not similar at all.
He’s better at disguising and hiding than that person.
Emperor Jiang has always enjoyed understanding people’s hearts, and he does not like this feeling of not being able to see through him.
He snorted coldly and said, “You’re lying.”
Jiang Yun said, “If Emperor Father insists on thinking this way, there is nothing Erchen can do.”
Emperor Jiang’s anger was completely aroused. He reached out and pinched his young son’s chin, forcing his black eyes to look at him and saying, “Zhen got rid of that scourge for you today, shouldn’t you be grateful?”
Jiang Yun pursed the corners of his lips and didn’t say anything.
Emperor Jiang ordered, “Speak.”
Jiang Yun said, “Erchen won’t. Because Erchen knows that everything Emperor Father has imposed on Erchen was not for Erchen’s sake but to show him. Emperor Father wants to use Erchen to stimulate him, just like how Emperor Father uses King Chu to stimulate Erchen. So, Erchen won’t blame Emperor Father for favoring King Chu, nor will Erchen be grateful to Emperor Father for punishing King Chu this way.”
Emperor Jiang’s expression suddenly frozen.
Then he said, “You are becoming more and more presumptuous when talking to Zhen now.”
“But you are right. Zhen will still indulge you and let you be the Crown Prince well. In this world, no one can shake your Crown Prince position.”
“But you can’t expect Zhen’s love either. Zhen will always favor King Chu. Zhen wants him to know the price of leaving Zhen.”
After speaking, Emperor Jiang lowered his eyes and wanted to see a trace of injustice in the eyes of his young son, even if it was only a trace. But no, he didn’t see anything.
Jiang Yun took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and said, “This thing, Erchen thinks Emperor Father should be interested in seeing it.”
Emperor Jiang took it and opened it up, only to find a confession letter with Jiang Lang’s signature and inscription on it.
Jiang Yun said, “Collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country is a capital offense according to the law. As long as Erchen discloses this matter to the court and the public, King Chu will not escape death.”
Emperor Jiang’s palm trembled violently with anger.
After a while, with gloomy eyes, he asked, “What do you want?”
Jiang Yun said, “Use this piece of paper to exchange for something with Emperor Father.”
“What’s it?”
“A new capital.”
Emperor Jiang frowned.
Jiang Yun said, “Erchen will build a new capital within the Muyun Pass as an important stronghold for north-south communication. Starting today, Erchen will be stationed in the new capital and issue all political and military orders related to north-south exchanges. Erchen will not return to the old capital or be a pawn of Emperor Father’s torture.”
“You’re reckless!”
Emperor Jiang’s eyes burst out with a fierce electric shock, he raised his palm and struck hard.
“Your Majesty!” Liu Gong stood anxiously half a zhang away, his heart almost reaching his throat. Seeing this, he was startled and immediately ran over to kneel on the ground, stopping Emperor Jiang.
Emperor Jiang’s palm was still trembling.
Jiang Yun wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth expressionlessly and said, “Erchen would like to thank Emperor Father in advance for his fulfillment.”
After speaking, he stood up, picked up the confession that had fallen to the ground, bow respectfully, then turned around to leave.
“Your Highness.”
Yun Huai stood far away on one side of the city wall, waiting. When he saw Jiang Yun coming over, there was a palm imprint on his face, and there were still blood stains on his lips. He suddenly paled and said, “Is Your Highness… alright?”
Jiang Yun raised the corners of his mouth, standing in the wind, his green sleeves fluttering, his expression unprecedentedly relaxed.
He said, “Of course, Gu is alright.”
“From childhood to adulthood, this is Gu’s happiest day.”
In the evening, King Chu, Jiang Lang returned from the meeting, and the peace negotiation proceeded smoothly. However, while he was invited to race horses outside the pass with the Crown Prince of Sui, Jiang Lang accidentally broke a leg and was carried back.
Jiang Lang was in excruciating pain and fainted several times along the way.
