SFS Chapter 249 Is it just a false reputation?
Chapter 249 Is it just a false reputation?
"This is what our Shang Kingdom wants!" Pei Hongmiao glared at him coldly, "It was your Qi Kingdom that started the war, and it was your Qi Kingdom that asked for peace talks after the defeat. You have hurt our Shang Kingdom's people, destroyed our Shang Kingdom's cities, and injured our Shang Kingdom's soldiers. If you don't pay a price, you will think that the cost of war is really so low! Don't dream!"
After saying that, he flipped the table and pointed at Zhou Qiting: "If you want to fight, then fight! Do you think that I, a strong and righteous man of the Shang Kingdom, am afraid of you?"
Zhou Qiting's eyes turned and he understood.
Who is Pei Hongmiao? He is a scholar, a scholar with great achievements.
What do scholars value? They are unyielding and unyielding, and they stand tall and proud in the frost and snow. Therefore, even though the Shang Kingdom has lost its pillar of support and is no longer what it used to be, Pei Hongmiao, as a scholar, will not easily give in.
The first meeting ended in unpleasantness, the second meeting ended in unpleasantness, and the third meeting ended in unpleasantness again. Both sides were very firm in their own conditions and would never give in.
Zhou Qiting really didn't know where Pei Hongmiao's confidence came from.
However, Pei Hongmiao only reminded him: Opportunity waits for no one, and if he does not agree, Qi State may have to cede more cities in the future.
Of course Zhou Qiting sneered at this!
Since you can't convince Pei Hongmiao, then just go and see the Emperor of Shang directly!
Given the current situation of the Shang Kingdom, the emperor might agree to their conditions!
When his letter was handed to the emperor by someone else, the emperor actually agreed.
Three days later, at the next grand court meeting, Zhou Qiting will have a face-to-face conversation with the emperor.
The emperor was very dissatisfied with Pei Hongmiao.
It's just a matter of peace talks, but it hasn't been concluded for so long. The reason was that there was General Ghost-faced before, and he refused to make concessions, and Qiguo was not satisfied either.
It has been a month since the Ghost-faced General died. What is the reason why we still haven’t captured him?
He has to show up in person!
He was a little skeptical whether Pei Hongmiao was just getting his reputation in vain.
How could a great scholar fail to reach an agreement with the other party when the other party actively requested peace talks?
Isn’t it said that scholars are eloquent and eloquent?
Isn't it said that this great scholar is well-read and has a wealth of knowledge?
Bah, they are all lies!
If his people had not been keeping an eye on Pei Hongmiao, knowing that Pei Hongmiao had no friendship with the Ghost-faced General and Yuan Taifu and his people, and even that he did not attend the worship and funeral at the Ghost-faced General's mansion, he would have wanted to abandon those who were truly loyal to him.
During the grand court meeting, the peace talks must be concluded.
After that, he can rest easy.
After all, those who were more successful than their master died, those who were suspicious of him died, those who went against his wishes died, and those who he disliked also died.
As long as there is no foreign invasion, he will become more and more comfortable as an emperor.
The day of the grand court meeting is approaching in a blink of an eye.
All the civil and military officials in the court shouted "Long live the emperor" three times.
This was also the first grand court meeting after the death of General Ghost Face.
As the emperor stood up, all the civil and military officials retreated to their respective positions. Outside, a herald officer shouted, "The envoys of the Qi Kingdom request to see your majesty in person."
"Yes! Xuan!"
"The envoys from Xuanqi Kingdom are here to see you!"
"The envoys from Xuanqi Kingdom are here to see you!"
"The envoys from Xuanqi Kingdom are here to see you!"
The news was passed down layer by layer with great momentum and solemnity.
After a while, the Qi State envoys strode into the hall.
Pei Hongmiao's official rank was neither high nor low, and he stood near the front.
At this time, he held the sceptre in both hands and looked at it indifferently.
Zhou Qiting even smiled at him when he passed by him, and that smile was meaningful.
Pei Hongmiao also smiled, and that smile was also meaningful.
Sitting on the dragon throne, Emperor Jing Hengyan looked down at the court from above.
Zhou Qiting bowed: "Marquis Xuanping of Qi State pays homage to the Emperor of Shang State, and wishes the Emperor of Shang State a long life and good health!"
"No courtesy, stay on your own!"
"Thank you, Emperor Shang!"
After the process was completed, we started talking about business.
When Zhou Qiting stated his conditions, the whole court was in an uproar.
Even the emperor was stunned.
He really didn't expect that the envoy from Qi State would be so shameless.
They had met all the conditions earlier, but now the envoys from Qi State have changed their minds.
Zhou Qiting smiled and looked at the emperor on the dragon throne: "Your Majesty, if you agree to this condition, my Qi Kingdom promises that it will never provoke a war for fifty years! What do you think?"
Yuan Taifu immediately scolded: "Qiguo is so shameless, going back on his word and changing the conditions again and again. Is it because he heard that our ghost-faced general died for some reason? That's why he is so fearless."
Zhou Qiting smiled and shook his head: "No, no, your Shang State's Pei Shilang said that Shang State has many good warriors. If there is one Ghost-faced General missing, there will be thousands of Ghost-faced Generals! We believe it. How can it be because of the absence of the Ghost-faced General? It's just because we received the order of our emperor. The emperor of Qi State believes that since it is a peace talk, both countries must show sincerity. Our country can promise not to invade for fifty years, so it is reasonable for Shang State to give up forty-two counties and five million taels of silver."
"You are clearly the defeated nation. It is you who are begging for peace, not us. Get this straight!"
"Oh, really? Victory and defeat are common in the military. How can we become a defeated country just because we lost a war?" Zhou Qiting said with a smile, "Our country just doesn't want to start a war. After all, many people from Shang died in every war. God has the virtue of loving life, so our Qi country came up with this compromise. Doesn't Shang think that war doesn't require money? Doesn't it need human lives? Those lives, those blood, and the money consumed by war, no matter which one is shocking, in this case, why not take out the money directly and exchange it for fifty years of peace?"
All the ministers were very angry when they saw his shameless eloquence and smooth talk.
Obviously, they didn't have this attitude when the Ghost-faced General was here. They didn't dare to be so arrogant at all.
Earl Zhongyi sneered and looked at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne.
He has been conducting secret investigations these days, mobilizing almost all of his manpower and all of the resources of the Loyalty Marquis's Mansion. He is very sure that there are no bandits or personal grudges.
It was the emperor who bought the killer.
All the assassins from Blood Eagle Valley, a famous assassin organization in the underworld, were dispatched.
Not only the Blood Eagle Valley, but also the Hell Gate and the Skull Hall.
These forces, which are well-known in the martial arts world, have more than a thousand martial artists in total. Dozens of great martial artists work together to rob and kill people in a general's mansion. Who can escape?
Originally, it was difficult for him to find out, but there was another force, the Evil Wind Gang, who also received this business, but heard that it was to rob and kill the Ghost Face General, so they refused. This matter just spread in a small area in the martial arts world, and then the source of the information about the Loyal Earl was revealed.
He suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Zhou Qiting and slapped him in the face.
The whole audience was in uproar again.
This happened in the imperial court. Zhou Qiting was an envoy of the Qi State. This humiliating slap in the face almost stunned everyone.
"Lord Zhongyi, you are so bold!"
"presumptuous!"