The porcelain bottle contained an antidote pill concocted by Medical Sage Zhang Zhongjing.
This detoxification pill's effect was incomparably domineering. Although it couldn't guarantee that it could cure all poisons, it could definitely suppress the spread of the poison and wait for the right time to treat it.
In May, Zhang Zhongjing took charge of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, and this antidote pill was one of his contributions. Because the herbs used to make the antidote pills were extremely precious and rare, there were only about a hundred pills in total.
Ouyang Shuo didn't keep all of them. All the civil and military officials of the imperial court, especially the generals of the corps commanders, were given one each in case of an emergency.
As an official of the Office of the Grand Herald, Zhang Yi often went on diplomatic missions and naturally had one.
Right now, Zhang Yi was hesitating about whether or not he should immediately take the antidote pill. Zhang Zhongjing had told him that the earlier the antidote pill was taken, the more obvious the effects would be.
If one were to consume it immediately after being poisoned, their life would be in no danger. However, if one delayed for too long, the illness might take root and corrode the body. If he waited for the poison to attack his heart, even the heavens would not be able to save him.
Zhang Yi hesitated because he could see further. If this poisoning was really not done by the Great Sui, then to the Great Xia, it would be an opportunity to control the Great Sui.
Zhang Yi thought it was worth it. "Trading one's personal loss for the benefit of the dynasty."
Thinking of this, Zhang Yi gritted his teeth and decided to gamble. He put away the porcelain bottle and calmly waited for the imperial physician to arrive.
After a while, the imperial physician hurried over and Gao Ying was able to enter the room. She saw that Zhang Yi was barely breathing and his face was filled with black air. Even the blood flowing out of his mouth and nose was black. She became even more worried.
The Emperor had already received the news and ordered, "Zhang Yi must be cured at all costs."
After the imperial physician finished his diagnosis, he stood up and went to the side room with a frown.
"How's the situation?" Gao Ying asked.
The imperial physician said, "It's hard to say. If I can survive tonight, I won't have to worry about my life. If I can't … "
"…"
Gao Ying's heart trembled. She seemed to have a premonition that a great storm was about to arrive.
Only after the imperial physician left did Zhang Yi take the antidote pill. Unfortunately, he was still a little late and missed the best time to take the pill. The poison had already invaded his spleen and kidneys, damaging his foundation. Fortunately, his life was not in danger.
…
Late at night, Great Sui Imperial Palace.
In the cold palace, Sui Wendi and Gao Ying were still having a secret conversation.
"Your Majesty, we must prepare for the worst." Gao Ying's voice was hoarse. Although the incident at night had been dealt with appropriately, it had still exhausted this old official.
A bright light flashed in Sui Wendi's eyes as he asked, "Do we have a chance of winning if we fight?"
"Less than thirty percent."
Gao Ying's deduction was reasonable. Although the Great Sui had millions of soldiers, it only had one city, and its strategic depth was only one county. If a war were to break out, the Great Xia army would immediately arrive at the city gates.
Quanzhou was an isolated city. Great Xia didn't even need to attack the city. As long as they surrounded Quanzhou City and trapped it for ten days to half a month, the city would have a shortage of resources and would immediately fall into chaos.
Great Sui's only chance was to take the initiative to attack and fight for that slim chance of survival. A million soldiers rushing out of the city to fight was also a difficult opponent for Great Xia.
Emperor Sui Wendi was disappointed. He didn't dare to bet on a thirty percent chance of winning.
In the flickering candlelight, Sui Wendi's face became blurry, making it impossible to see through him. After a long time, Emperor Sui Wendi's hoarse voice was heard, "Prepare the conditions for the peace talks."
Gao Ying didn't seem surprised and said, "The peace talks are nothing more than ceding land, reparations, marriage, and hostages. Ceding land is ruled out first. Great Sui has no land to cede. Reparations can be negotiated. Currently, the national treasury is still full. We can still take out a few million gold coins. "
After a pause, Gao Ying looked at the emperor expressionlessly and continued, "Marriage is also difficult. Legend has it that Emperor Xia is a devoted person. He only has one queen in his harem. As for hostages … "
At this point, Gao Ying didn't dare to continue.
There were a total of five princes who accompanied Emperor Wen in the wilderness. They were Crown Prince Yang Yong, Prince Jin Yang Guang, Prince Qin Yang Jun, Prince Shu Yang Xiu, and Prince Han Yang Qiong.
In terms of weight, Crown Prince Yang Yong and Prince Jin Yang Guang had the highest status.
In history, Yang Guang ordered Yang Yong's death not long after he ascended to the throne. Therefore, the two brothers who appeared in the wilderness had a deep grudge against each other.
What was even stranger was that Great Sui's empire was buried in Yang Guang's hands. What kind of attitude did Emperor Wen have towards his second son? Given the short period of time, it was hard to tell.
Sui Wendi said what Gao Ying didn't say and said, "As for the hostages, let's choose Prince Jin."
No matter what, Great Sui's empire was buried in Yang Guang's hands. Sui Wendi was extremely disappointed in his son. Thinking about what happened on the night before his death, Sui Wendi wanted to order his son to die.
To be able to contribute to Great Sui, take it as atonement. Sui Wendi thought to himself.
"Yes!"
Gao Ying tried her best to maintain a straight face, not revealing a shred of personal feelings or preferences.
"The heart of an emperor is unpredictable."
Sui Wendi lightly changed the topic of the peace talks and asked, "Is there any progress on the poisoning?"
Gao Ying said, "It has been investigated. It was a manager of the Four Quarters Embassy who poisoned him while the dishes were being served. We have already captured him and are interrogating him."
"We must interrogate him thoroughly and give Great Xia an explanation."
Sui Wendi was a little frustrated. Ever since he became the emperor, he had never lowered his head to any power. Who would have thought that he would have to lower his head to Great Xia the moment he entered the wilderness?
"Perhaps, I can get in touch with the [Yellow Emperor Alliance]," Sui Wendi thought to himself.
"Yes!"
Gao Ying nodded and the conversation between the emperor and subject came to an end.
After Gao Ying left, a handsome young man walked out from the curtain at the back of the hall. It was Crown Prince Yang Yong.
"Father!"
Sui Wendi glanced at Yang Yong and said, "Our Great Sui has just taken over Quanzhou. There must be many spies like the manager of the Four Quarters Embassy in the city. Your men must get rid of these rats."
No emperor would be willing to have spies from other powers in their own territory.
"Your son understands!"
Crown Prince Yang Yong, who had appeared in the wilderness, had lost a trace of gentleness and had gained a trace of coldness. Presumably, those unforgettable experiences in history had made this crown prince sigh endlessly.
Sui Wendi looked in the direction where Gao Ying had left and said faintly, "We can't slack off on the surveillance of the officials. The Great Sui is no longer the same as before. I'm afraid that there are people with impure intentions."
Yang Yong's heart trembled. He knew that his father was being paranoid again.
"Yes!"
Yang Yong respectfully acknowledged.
Within the hall, the figures of the father and son were shrouded in the dim candlelight, drifting about.
The next day, the news of the Great Xia envoy being poisoned in the Four Quarters Embassy spread like wildfire in Quanzhou City.
In just a morning, the entire China region knew about it.
There were those who rejoiced in the misfortune of the Great Xia Empire, while there were those who were bewildered. Every move made by the Great Xia Empire could affect the minds of the players in the China region.
If the two superpowers were to start a war because of this, it would be a huge matter for the China region.
Some players were even more worried that if Quanzhou City fell, the China region would have one less capital during the national war. That wouldn't be a good thing for the entire China region.
Thus, some players petitioned the Great Xia Empire on the forums to 'look at the big picture' and not to start a war. Needless to say, there were countless people who agreed with the petition. In just a morning, there were more than a hundred thousand replies.
Shanhai City, Xia Palace.
Ouyang Shuo naturally didn't pay attention to the petition on the forums. If something really happened that affected the dynasty, the Publicity Office led by Violet would handle it. There was no need for Ouyang Shuo to attend to it personally.
Early in the morning, Cui Tianqi came to seek an audience.
Upon hearing that Zhang Yi was poisoned, Ouyang Shuo was infuriated. He asked in a deep voice, "Was it done by the Great Sui?"
"Lord Zhang Yi said that it's hard to say. It's more likely that it wasn't."
Ouyang Shuo's eyes narrowed. "In that case, it's possible that a third party was involved?"
Cui Tianqi remained silent. He was only a shadow guard and couldn't interfere with the court's affairs.
Ouyang Shuo didn't expect Cui Tianqi to answer. He had a rough idea in his heart. If it was really done by an outsider, it was most likely someone from the [Yan Huang Alliance].
"How presumptuous!"
Ouyang Shuo's face was gloomy. Di Chen and the others kept playing dirty tricks and finally angered him. "If I don't teach you guys a lesson, you guys won't know why the flowers are so red."
Fortunately, this matter wasn't urgent. It wouldn't be too late to deal with it after the investigation.
Right now, the most important thing was the safety of Zhang Yi and the diplomatic group, as well as the series of diplomatic disturbances caused by this.
…
Around ten in the morning, more news came from Quanzhou.
Zhang Yi's poison was temporarily under control and his life wasn't in danger. He just needed to rest and recuperate. He was no longer able to bear the heavy responsibility of diplomatic affairs. At the same time, Gao Ying also sent a copy of the confession of the suspects to Shanhai City.
The contents of the confession made Ouyang Shuo very dissatisfied. They didn't even find the mastermind.
It seemed that Gao Ying and the others were also quite embarrassed. Along with the confession was a secret letter written by Gao Ying on behalf of Emperor Wen of Sui. It vaguely mentioned the matter of seeking peace.
"What conditions does Great Xia want? Just state them." Gao Ying said in the letter.
It was obvious that Great Sui was unwilling to start a war.
Ouyang Shuo also didn't have the intention to start a war with Great Sui. If they wanted to fight, winning would not be a problem. However, the battlefield was ever-changing. If they weren't careful, they might lose hundreds of thousands of soldiers of Great Xia.
If the [Yan Huang Alliance] interfered at that time, things would be difficult to deal with.
Also, the matter of the Mediterranean Sea hadn't been settled yet. The encirclement and suppression of the Somali pirate Farah hadn't started yet. Ouyang Shuo really didn't want to cause more trouble at this time.
Otherwise, Ouyang Shuo wouldn't have taken the initiative to send a diplomatic group to Great Sui.
However, not starting a war didn't mean that Ouyang Shuo didn't want anything.
Just as Zhang Yi had predicted, Ouyang Shuo wouldn't let go of this opportunity that was hard to come by.
This time, Great Xia held the initiative in the peace talks. From the looks of it, Emperor Wen of Sui was also prepared to be ripped off. Ouyang Shuo had to think carefully about what conditions he could propose to achieve his goal without touching Great Sui's bottom line.
Of course, the premise of the peace talks was to bring Zhang Yi back.
Ouyang Shuo ordered a team of imperial guards to bring Zhang Yi back to Shanhai City. The Imperial Hospital would be responsible for his treatment. At the same time, he ordered the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Di Renjie, to replace Zhang Yi and go to Quanzhou to take charge of the diplomatic group and the peace talks.
Ouyang Shuo also wanted to use Di Renjie to investigate the mastermind behind the poisoning.
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