The officials in the Throne Room had already received the news, so they were not surprised. Qian Qingshu, the Cabinet Secretary, stood up and expressed his opinion.
"I'm afraid this plan is a delaying tactic of the rebels. Your Majesty, please reconsider."
Without waiting for the Yongxing Emperor to speak, someone immediately stood up to refute.
"When did Cabinet Secretary Qian and Minister Yang have such a tacit understanding?"
The one who spoke was the Minister of War, one of the leaders of the haters.
Qian Qingshu frowned and scrutinized the Imperial Censor of the Ministry of War.
"What do you think, Lord Yan?"
The Imperial Censor of the Ministry of War shouted,
"Your Majesty, since the autumn harvest, a hundred thousand soldiers have been buried by Wei Yuan in Jingshan City. After winter, nearly sixty thousand elites have died in Qingzhou. If we continue to fight like this, our Great Feng's soldiers will definitely be completely exhausted.
"Refugees are everywhere, and there is a shortage of troops. The Ministry of War can no longer send troops to support Yongzhou. I believe that peace talks are the right thing to do and can solve the urgent situation of the court. "
The Minister of War wanted to say something, but he sighed and chose to remain silent.
"Solve the urgent situation?"
The Right Imperial Censor Zhang Xingying snorted.
"If we want peace talks, the rebels will definitely demand an exorbitant price. I'm afraid that the court will not have the strength to contend with them. Don't you understand the logic of cutting flesh with a blunt knife? "
At this time, the Minister of Revenue stepped forward and said in a deep voice,
"Censor Zhang, you are so perceptive and understand the situation. Why don't you take my position as the Minister of Revenue?"
After saying that, he sneered and bowed to the Yongxing Emperor.
"Your Majesty, the national treasury is empty. If the court continues to fight with the rebels of Yunzhou, it will collapse sooner or later. The Spring Sacrifice is approaching, and spring is coming. What we need is time. Peace negotiations can buy us more time to get through the cold. "
The pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction immediately began to quarrel, arguing endlessly.
Every time the situation was out of control, Cho Hyun-jin would whip and shout, "Silence."
The Yongxing Emperor silently watched the arguments until more and more people expressed their opinions. The pro-peace faction gradually overwhelmed the pro-war faction. Then, he looked at Cho Hyun-jin and signaled with his eyes.
Crack!
Zhao Xuanzhen lashed out with his whip once more. A crisp sound rang out from the shiny floor, silencing the arguments in the hall.
The Yongxing Emperor looked around and said slowly,
"I sympathize with the soldiers and the people. I cannot bear to fight recklessly. The peace talks are decided."
…
The palace of the Wang.
The luxurious carriage stopped outside the mansion. With the help of a servant, Qian Qingshu stepped off the carriage on a small stool. The guards outside the mansion knew his identity and did not stop him.
He entered the mansion and waited for a moment in the inner hall. The steward led him into the inner courtyard, arriving at Grand Secretary Wang's bedroom.
For a person as dignified as Grand Secretary Wang to not meet guests in his study, but in his bedroom, it could be seen how serious his illness was.
The beast metal coals burned fiercely, emitting warmth. The doors and windows of the bedroom were tightly shut, and there were two servant girls standing in the outer room and inner room.
Grand Secretary Wang sat back, a soft pillow cushioned his back.
He was so thin that his bones stood on end. His face was pale, but his eyes were still bright and full of spirit.
"Sigh!"
Qian Qingshu sighed. "Why don't you get better?"
As he spoke, he waved his hand, signaling for the maids to leave.
"Maybe it's because I'm about to die." Wang Zhenwen smiled.
"When a person is old, his illness is like a landslide. Even the gods can't save him. As the saying goes, you know your destiny at fifty. Since it's destiny, let nature take its course. "
Qian Qingshu thought for a while and said,
"I shouldn't have come to you. It's more important to let you rest, but …"
Wang Zhenwen raised his hand and interrupted him. He pointed at the window and said,
"Help me open the window first."
Qian Qingshu frowned.
"It's so cold. Can your body withstand the cold if you open the window?"
Wang Zhenwen waved his hand.
"The lethargy in this room makes me uncomfortable. Won't I get sick more easily? Don't talk nonsense. Open the window quickly. "
Qian Qingshu hesitated for a moment, then walked to the window and opened a small opening, allowing the cold but fresh wind to blow into the room.
He returned to the bed and sat down on the stool. He thought for a while and said,
"We've lost Qingzhou."
Seeing that Wang Zhenwen didn't speak, he fell silent. After a while, Wang Zhenwen said in a low voice,
"Continue …"
"The Supervisor died in Qingzhou. The rebels now occupy Qingzhou and are confronting Yang Gong at the border of Yongzhou … Yesterday, Yao Hong, the governor of Yongzhou, submitted a memorial. Yunzhou wants to send a diplomatic mission to negotiate peace …"
Wang Zhenwen listened without saying a word. He didn't move and his eyes seemed to be frozen.
When Qian Qingshu finished, his eyes flickered and he regained his vitality.
"His Majesty agreed?"
His tone was full of disappointment.
Qian Qingshu nodded slightly.
"There was no other choice. Daibun lost the Supervisor. There was a gap in the extraordinary fighting power. It was like a flock of sheep without a leader. Sooner or later, the people would fall apart. What's the use of continuing the war?
"If I were in his shoes, I'm afraid I would be like him …"
He suddenly realized that his words were disrespectful. He sighed and changed his words.
"If it were any other prince, it would be the same."
Hearing this, Wang Zhenwen nodded slowly and said,
"They knew this. That's why they took the initiative to send a diplomatic mission to negotiate peace when victory was in their grasp."
Qian Qingshu smiled bitterly.
"There are many smart people, but they're just pretending to be stupid. Who doesn't know this? But what can they do? Recently, the people in the capital were in a panic. The dukes forced themselves to be calm, but in fact, they were scared out of their wits. They even thought that the destruction of Daibun was only a matter of time.
"It's already praiseworthy that they didn't find another way out.
"His Majesty knows that the peace talks are like cutting flesh with a blunt knife. But what can he do? The peace talks are his only hope. He will seize it at all costs and tell himself that it's all to buy time and wait for the cold disaster to pass. "
Wang Zhenwen was silent for a while and said,
"Let's not talk about this. Find a way to get Xu Qi'an to see me."
"Him?"
Qian Qingshu smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"Who can keep an eye on him? I don't even know where he is."
"He's in the capital. He must be in the capital now." Wang Zhenwen covered his mouth and coughed violently. "The Supervisor is dead. He will definitely come back. Heh, if the rebels of Yunzhou want to negotiate peace, it depends on whether he agrees or not."
Qian Qingshu got up and strode to the window. He closed the window and turned back.
"Do you think that Xu Yinluo can solve this crisis?"
Wang Zhenwen was silent. After a long time, he said in a low voice,
"Even if Wei Yuan comes back to life, he can't save this chess game."
…
The Celestial Commissioner.
In the Pill Room on the seventh floor. Xu Qi'an didn't even return home. He went straight to Song Qing.
"I've gathered all the materials for the Spirit-summoning Banner, but there's still one more supplementary material."
Xu Qi'an took out the fragments of the Book of the Underworld. There were two jade bottles that emitted cold Yin energy, a stone covered with honeycomb-like holes, and a mass of black silk that emitted a highly toxic gas.
Song Qing quickly took a Poison Dispelling Pill and covered his mouth and nose with a silk cloth soaked in medicine. He then pulled out the cork of the porcelain bottle to confirm the materials.
Inside the porcelain bottle were the nails of an ancient corpse and the dark corpse fluid extracted from the carotid artery.
After confirming the Resonating Gold Stone and the silk that emitted the highly toxic gas, Senior Song said,
"The last material is the hair, skin, and flesh of Wei Yuan's original body. It's used to locate the location. But Wei Yuan's body was destroyed in Jing Shan City. He must have found it. "
In fact, Wei Yuan's body was swallowed by Jeanne d 'Arc. Song Qing didn't know the details.
"So?" Xu Qi'an asked.
"The bloodline of an heir can be substituted." Song Qing said slowly.
Duke Wei's bloodline is long gone … Xu Qi'an sighed inwardly and said in a low voice, "There must be other ways to substitute it.
Otherwise, the Supervisor wouldn't have asked me to find a Dharma artifact to refine the Spirit-summoning Banner. "
Song Qing stared at him.
"Wei Yuan doesn't have any children, but you relied on his Blood Pill to advance to the third grade. In a sense, you are his son.
"So next, you have to refine a Blood Pill. It doesn't need to be much. Just a fingernail will suffice. It won't affect your cultivation.
"Then, you have to help me get rid of the poison contained in the Netherworld Silk. I can't get rid of the poison of a Godfiend descendant."
Xu Qi'an's gaze swept across the Netherworld Silk.
"Refining a Blood Pill to get rid of the poison will take at least three days.
"These are not the problems. The real problem is, can you do it with a powerful Dharma artifact like the Spirit-summoning Banner?"
The Supervisor was no longer around, Sun Xuanji was recuperating, and Yang Qianhuan was not in the capital at this time. Song Qing had the highest status in the Celestial Commissioner.
However, Song Qing was just a sixth-grade alchemist.
As a big shot in the field of alchemy, Song Qing had a deep understanding of himself. He had great respect for alchemy and would never show off. He shook his head decisively.
"I can't!
"Ordinary fire can't melt a metal like the Resonating Gold Stone. It needs a fire spirit to be condensed by a fire element array to melt it.
"Well, I can use some combustion-supporting materials to increase the temperature of the flame, but I need to build a new furnace. The combustion-supporting materials are my own creation, and the Celestial Commissioner doesn't have any in reserve.
"Just this alone will take half a month's time."
Song Qing had been a card level for many years and had immersed himself in alchemy. He had explored many ways to replace arrays, but these methods were certainly not as convenient as setting up an array directly.
"Therefore, you need to replace the combustion-supporting materials with your Qi, melt the Resonating Gold Stone, and refine the pole of the Spirit-summoning Banner. As for the cloth of the Spirit-summoning Banner, you can only wait until Senior Brother Sun recovers. This is because during the weaving process, you need to constantly integrate into the array. "
Xu Qi'an listened patiently and said,
"After refining the Spirit-summoning Banner, I can awaken Duke Wei?"
Song Qing still shook his head.
"After that, you need to carve the Yin-gathering Array and wait for one of the three times of the year when the Yin energy is the most abundant. Then, you will summon Wei Yuan's soul."
Xu Qi'an frowned.
"When is the most recent time?"
Song Qing didn't think and replied,
"Spring Sacrifice Day!"
"About a month …" Xu Qi'an exhaled, feeling that this was acceptable.
…
On this day, a long boat riding on the clouds broke through the sea of clouds and slowly landed in the territory of the capital.
The Wind-Riding Boat originally belonged to Dongfang Wanrong. During the battle in Sword State, it fell into the hands of Ji Xuan. This boat could travel thousands of miles in a day and was an extremely rare large-scale transportation tool.
There were three people standing at the bow of the boat. The one in the middle was a young man in fine clothes. He had handsome features and a gentle temperament. He held a small silver fan in his hand.
His appearance was similar to Ji Xuan's, but his temperament was completely different. Ji Xuan leaned towards masculinity, but his sharpness was hidden.
This young man had the spirit of a scholar and an air of arrogance that came from being knowledgeable.
On his left and right were the young man in black, Xu Yuanhuai, and the cold girl, Xu Yuanshuang.
These three were the core members of the mission. Apart from them, there were also 16 old and prudent scholars who formed a negotiation team.
There were also a hundred elite guards with good cultivation.
"The capital …"
The small silver fan in Ji Yuan's hand spun a few times and said with a smile,
"I've heard of you for a long time and admired you for a long time. Yuanhuai and Yuanshuang, aren't you happy?"
Xu Yuanhuai and Xu Yuanshuang both had a cold personality. One was indifferent, and the other was cold. This was related to the environment they grew up in.
But they really couldn't be happy. Anyone could see who their father wanted them to come to the capital to negotiate.
"I heard that outside Yongzhou City, Xu Qi'an showed mercy to you two and didn't kill you. When we enter the capital, you two must protect me. "Ji Yuan said with a smile,
"That guy can't bear to kill his younger brother and sister. I'm afraid he won't even blink if he wants to kill me, his cousin."
Seeing the indifferent expressions of his cousins, he felt bored and sighed with emotion.
"This time, I came to the capital. First, I want to get more benefits for Hidden Dragon City. Second, I want to make contributions. Seventh brother is already an extraordinary strong man, but I haven't made any contributions. If we can do this job well, our father will think better of us. Seventh brother's position will be more stable.
"Third, I want to test Daibun's current strength. Your eldest brother is the first person I want to test. Tsk, tsk. Do you think he has ever thought of negotiating? "
Xu Yuanshuang said calmly,
"He won't!
"He would rather break than bend."
Ji Yuan nodded, then said,
"Just because he has an unyielding temperament doesn't mean he's inflexible. If he agrees to the peace talks, then it's a delaying tactic. It means that Da Feng has a backup plan.
As they spoke, the Wind Boat slowly docked outside the capital.
The yamen responsible for welcoming the Yun State's diplomatic mission was the Office of the Chamberlain of Honglu and the Messenger Office. The leader was the Office of the Chamberlain of Honglu, a third-rank official, which showed great respect to Yun State.
The Office of the Chamberlain of Honglu was a middle-aged man with a goatee and a thin face. His wrinkles were deep and he always smiled.
He was sophisticated and tactful.
He led his subordinates to the Wind Boat and waited for the Yun State's diplomatic mission.
But as they waited and waited, the Wind Boat was quiet. No one was in sight, and no steps were put down.
After a quarter of an hour, a guard poked his head out from the side of the boat and said loudly,
"May I ask who you are?"
The Office of the Chamberlain of Honglu put on a professional smile and bowed.
"I am the Office of the Chamberlain of Honglu."
The guard said, "Oh." He retracted his head. After a dozen breaths, he poked his head out again and said calmly,
"My young master said that your status is not enough. Please return."
