Chapter 545 "Peaceful Negotiations!"

“Chen Yiyun was able to stay away from all these men so easily. There were so many young men with clean backgrounds willing to redeem her, but she refused. My father was 20 years older than her, but she fell in love with him at first sight. She was willing to use the private money she had saved for many years to redeem herself and even become my father’s concubine. Don’t you think this is very strange, Xiaohuan?”

"Besides, although my father dotes on her, she is just a concubine after all. Although my mother is far away in Sichuan and not in Dongning, how dare she act like the mistress of the mansion? In order to control the money and grain of the mansion, she even wants to control the housekeeper Wang and let the servants call her Madam. When my father is around, she pretends to be a white lotus, but when he is not around, her ambition is clearly revealed!"

Xiaohuan kept silent while listening to Murong Qingwu's story. She knew that this was the young lady's family affair and it was not something a maid like her could get involved in.

After pouring out her thoughts, Murong Qingwu felt a little relieved. She had also told the above to her father Murong Yuliang, but Murong Yuliang, who was immersed in Chen Yiyu's tenderness, was not able to listen to her words.

In addition, Chen Yiyu always pretended to be an innocent girl, with a submissive and lovable look, which made Murong Yuliang reluctant to punish her. Not only that, but under Chen Yiyu's sweet talk, Murong Yuliang even gave the financial power of the mansion to her, a concubine, a power that only the mistress could have. This was an absolute violation of the feudal etiquette, and anyone else would be punished by beating to death!

Because she couldn't stand Chen Yiyun's overstepping the boundaries, Murong Qingwu fought openly and secretly with Chen Yiyun in the mansion several times, causing Chen Yiyun to suffer several losses. However, Chen Yiyun was able to control Murong Yuliang, and with Murong Yuliang's favor, Chen Yiyun was invincible. This made Murong Qingwu helpless, and she also secretly worried about her mother who was gentle and generous.

About an incense stick later, it was time for lunch, so Xiaohuan got today’s lunch from the kitchen...

"Miss, the kitchen prepared sweet and sour fish today, and there are other side dishes that you like," Xiaohuan came back with the lunch box and reported:

Murong Qingwu, who was sitting in a chair thinking about something, said without hesitation:
"I'll eat it later. You can take half of the fish. I can't finish it!"

The food in the Murong family was very good, with a special chef preparing the food with great care and taste. However, as a girl, Murong Qingwu had a small appetite and could not finish every meal. She was kind-hearted and saw that Xiaohuan's food standard was very average. In order to save food, she often shared her extra food with her personal maid Xiaohuan.

Hearing Murong Qingwu's instructions, Xiaohuan nodded happily and said:

"Thank you, miss!"

After saying that, Xiao Huan opened the lunch box, took half of the sweet and sour fish and prepared to eat. Seeing this, Murong Qingwu smiled and reminded:
"You little greedy cat, wait a while before eating, and don't forget to try it with the silver needle!"

Hearing Murong Qingwu's reminder, Xiaohuan, who was about to pick up her chopsticks, reluctantly put them down, took out a silver needle from her bosom and put it into the sweet and sour fish, muttering softly:

"Miss, you are really worrying too much. What could be wrong with eating at our house?"

However, just as she finished speaking, the silver needle that was put into the sweet and sour fish turned black quietly. Seeing this, Xiao Huan was immediately shocked and said:

“It’s turned black... There’s poison inside the fish...”

Murong Qingwu, who was thinking, stood up immediately and looked at the silver needle that Xiaohuan put into the fish. Seeing the black tip of the silver needle, Murong Qingwu looked solemn, and a hint of complexity emerged in his eyes.

Now, it has been nearly two months since she was warned by the woman in white. During this period, she had secretly gone out disguised as a man, but she had always been safe. So she began to relax her vigilance. Unexpectedly, at this moment, danger came quietly. If she had not been so careful and had asked Xiaohuan to test for poison with a silver needle at every meal, she would probably have died by now.

Although the sweet and sour fish looked delicious, in Xiaohuan's eyes it was a deadly poison. She said to Murong Qingwu in a bewildered manner:

"Miss, what should we do now? Should we report to the master?"

Murong Qingwu's beautiful eyes flashed with coldness when she heard this, and she instructed Xiaohuan:

"Spread the news later and say that you accidentally knocked over your lunch box and left all the food and dishes uneaten. As for the rest, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it!"

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Yi Jing,

Since the battle strategy was determined at the combat meeting of the General Staff, the Fengwu Army, a huge and sophisticated war machine, started to move under the will of Ye Mingsheng. As Huo San judged, Zhao Fuqu soon swore an oath in Zhuo County and led the main force of 90,000 people to attack Shunping Xinle. At the oath-taking ceremony, Zhao Fuqu held high the flag of his hometown and vowed to drive the Fengwu Army out of Youyan.

On the night before the main force of the Yan army was about to arrive in Xinle, Gu Shouting, who received orders from Ye Mingsheng in a pigeon message, gave up guarding the weak Xinle City and led 3,000 troops to Shunping City to support Ma Zhongjun's defense in Shunping City.

At the same time, the Fengwu Army's rapid reaction force was also ready. The First Division and the Sixth Division, totaling 35,000 people, led by Yuan Song, served as the vanguard to support Shunping City. Their goal was to delay the main force of the Yan Army in Shunping and buy time for Ye Mingsheng to lead the main force to join the battle.

And at such a critical juncture, the Luobei people on the grassland sent an envoy to Youyan to meet Ye Mingsheng in the name of border peace.

Although Ye Mingsheng still did not believe that the Robe people would dare to launch another large-scale invasion to the south, for the sake of peace Ye Mingsheng still met with the envoy of the delegation - Batu, the cousin of the current Robe Khan Arsaleng and a member of the royal family!
Under the guidance of Gu Sansi, this tall, rugged and majestic Luobei man came to Ye Mingsheng's house...
"Batu, the special envoy of Luobei Khan, pays a visit to General Ye! The Khan sends you his most sincere greetings." Batu put his right hand on his chest and thought of Ye Mingsheng and said in a deep voice:
Ye Mingsheng said calmly:
"I'm fine, don't worry about me, Luo Bihan!"

It seemed that he noticed that Ye Mingsheng was not in a good mood, or maybe the Luobei people were straightforward and did not know how to make small talk. In any case, after a simple greeting, Batu went straight to the point, raised his head, stared at Ye Mingsheng and said:
"General Ye, I am here in the name of the Khan to promote peace between the two sides and to avoid the destruction of lives in war. I hope you will agree to a few conditions!"

Listening to Batu's tone, Ye Mingsheng knew in his heart that these Luobei barbarians would probably ask for too much. At this time, Batu said directly without waiting for Ye Mingsheng's reply:

"First, the battle of Yuyang was deliberately fought by the Fengwu Army to provoke our warriors and destroy peace on the border. So for the sake of peace, I ask you, General Ye, to order the exile of the Fengwu Army soldiers suspected of provoking and creating friction on the border, and to compensate our tribe for the losses in this battle!" "Second, the price of trade between the two sides should be more fair. Each sheep should be exchanged for at least three taels of silver, or grain, salt, cloth of equal value!"

"Third, in order to maintain peace on the border and avoid friction between the two sides, please reduce the garrison on the border and allow our merchants to trade freely in Yuyang, Shanggu and other Youyan cities!"

"fourth····················"

Batu was about to say his fourth point when Ye Mingsheng waved his hand to interrupt him, looking at him with amusement and said:

"General Batu, I have a question! Can you answer it for me?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Batu, not knowing what Ye Mingsheng meant, nodded and said:
"General Ye, please speak!"

Ye Mingsheng continued with a half-smile:

"General Batu, touch your forehead first!"

Batu was a little surprised when he heard this, but after hesitating for a while, he still did as Ye Mingsheng said. He touched his forehead and said to Ye Mingsheng:
"General Ye, do you have any questions?"

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng said jokingly:
"My question is very simple. It is to see if you, General Batu, are confused because of the fever..."

Batu was furious when he heard this, and pointed at Ye Mingsheng and said:
"you··········"

However, just as he opened his mouth, before he could finish the rest of his words, the guard beside him drew his sword. Feeling the guard's cold eyes and the cold light flashing on the sword, Batu did not dare to finish the rest of his words. He quietly put down the finger that was pointing at Ye Mingsheng. After a moment of silence, Batu straightened his chest and said to Ye Mingsheng:
General Ye, I am an envoy sent by the Khan, representing all the Luobei people. Please give me the respect I deserve!"

Listening to Batu talking about respect, Ye Mingsheng said with a smile:

"Respect? Do you know what respect means? Which of these conditions of yours reflects respect?"

"Don't forget that it was you who lost many soldiers and generals in Yuyang. I still have 3,000 prisoners in my hands. It's really a rare story for the defeated to make conditions to the victor!"

When Ye Mingsheng finished speaking, Batu's eyes flashed with shame and anger, but he still stared at Ye Mingsheng and said:
"General Ye, the battle of Yuyang was just a trap you designed. If we fight with real swords and guns, our warriors will surely win. Moreover, although we are in the grassland, we are well-informed. We know that your Governor Zhao Fuqu is leading a large army to attack Shunping!"

“General Ye, if you reject our clan’s peace terms at this time, you should be very clear about the consequences. Although the Fengwu Army under your command is powerful, if they are attacked from both the north and the south, how many days can they hold out? General Ye, please think twice and don’t make the mistake…”

Facing this strategic blackmail from the Robin people, Ye Mingsheng's smile deepened and he said:
"If that's the case, why don't you dare to go beyond the line? Are you afraid that the Cumans will destroy your royal court? Or are you afraid that your teeth will be broken in Youyan?"

In response to Ye Mingsheng's teasing, Batu completely suppressed his anger and said:

"General, please give me a reply, whether you agree or not!"

Seeing that Batu had given him an ultimatum, Ye Mingsheng continued to smile and said:
"Tell Arsalan that I will be waiting for him in Yuyang!"

After receiving Ye Mingsheng's reply, Batu fell silent again, then looked at Ye Mingsheng and said bitterly:

"Master Overseer, you will regret your decision!"

After saying that, Batu turned around and left without saying anything more. Seeing Batu's leaving figure, Ye Mingsheng's smile gradually faded, and then he knocked on the table lightly. Soon, a man in black clothes and an iron mask appeared in front of Ye Mingsheng, waiting for Ye Mingsheng's order. Ye Mingsheng said lightly:
"You lead the inner guards to disguise themselves as Kipchaks, wait for him to leave Yijing, kill him, and then send his guards back to report the incident!"

After receiving Ye Mingsheng's order, the iron-faced man bowed to Ye Mingsheng and then left quietly.
Although there is a principle that envoys should not be killed when two countries are at war, but Batu actually dared to openly threaten him. His crime is unforgivable. Ye Mingsheng will never allow him to leave the Great Zhou alive. He can just take the opportunity to put the blame on the Cumans to muddy the waters...
Not long after Batu left, Gu Sansi, who had received the news, came to pay a visit to Ye Mingsheng. As soon as he saw Ye Mingsheng, he apologized:
"Batu is arrogant and rude. I failed to supervise you. Please punish me, sir!"

Looking at the somewhat uneasy Gu Sansi, Ye Mingsheng asked calmly:

"Didn't you get any information about the conditions proposed by Batu in advance?"

Gu Sansi heard this and said bitterly:
"Batu only told us that he wanted to take back the 3,000 captives. He didn't tell us anything else. We didn't expect Batu to suddenly ask for such a huge amount of money!"

Listening to Gu Sansi's words, Ye Mingsheng didn't say anything. Batu's conditions were no longer an outrageous demand, but a declaration of war. Ye Mingsheng knew that Batu did this just to take advantage of the situation and extort benefits from him and Youyan. The Luo people were asking for an exorbitant price and waiting for him to pay them back!
But Ye Mingsheng would not agree to any of their demands. Whoever agreed to such humiliating conditions would be a traitor. Whether for his own reputation or for the interests of the people of Youyan, all Ye Mingsheng could do was to refuse without hesitation!

Although this will bring war to the border, if you want to survive in this world of great strife, you cannot show the slightest weakness in the face of ambitious people like the Robe people. If you take a step back, they will bully you to death. What you need to do is to be tough and make them feel fear and be filled with dread in their hearts...

(End of this chapter)