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The former Jubao Gate has been officially renamed Zhonghua Gate by the King of Qin.
According to the custom of past dynasties, after the capital was established, all city gates would be renamed to herald the new dynasty and new atmosphere.
But the King of Qin didn't seem to care much about this. He just symbolically changed the Jubao Gate to Zhonghua Gate and left it at that.
Hesheli Xifu, Grand Secretary of the Hongwen Academy of the Qing Dynasty, led a delegation of more than 200 people and walked into the Zhonghua Gate under the escort of the Qin army. The prosperous scene that came into his face made him feel as if the temperature had suddenly risen a lot.
The crowds of people, the neatly decorated gatehouse, the dazzling array of goods, the sound of voices like waves, everything seems to be full of vitality;
The people's confident and optimistic mental outlook was in stark contrast to the cautious and timid people of Yanjing who walked with their backs hunched.
The capital of Yanjing was filled with ragged people, dishevelled beggars, and people selling their children everywhere.
However, these phenomena were not seen at all in Jinling City. Xifu looked around and searched the streets, but he could not find a single beggar. This alone made him feel deeply moved.
On the way south, Xifu heard a lot of new things about the Qin State. For example, he heard that Qin Mu was asking the scholars and civilians to discuss a pension policy together. It was said that ordinary people only had to pay a little money every month, and after they turned 55, they could receive a considerable pension every month.
Xifu was a well-read man. This kind of thing was unprecedented, and Qin Mu actually allowed all the scholars and common people to participate in the discussion.
From what he saw and heard along the way, he discovered that ordinary Qin people actually believed this matter, and very few people suspected that the Qin court was defrauding people of their money.
This shows how high Qin Mu's reputation was among the people of Qin.
In Xifu's opinion, this was obviously a trick used by Qin Mu to cheat money from ordinary people, but almost no one in Qin State doubted Qin Mu's motives. This alone was enough to show the people's support.
"Hey, look, it's Jiannu, it's Jiannu..."
Suddenly there was a cry of surprise from inside Zhonghua Gate, which caused a huge uproar. The street was in an uproar as countless people rushed over upon hearing the cry.
"Really? It's the Jiannu. What's going on? How dare this Jiannu come to the capital?"
"Whatever happens, kill them!"
"Kill them!"
"Don't get excited, don't get excited. Don't you see that these Jiannu are being held captive by our Qin soldiers?"
"Why should I care? The Jian Nu killed my father, and I will never reconcile with them."
"Yes, yes, kill them!"
The anger of the people in Jinling City was instantly ignited. They threw vegetables, bricks, stones, and some people even threw out the silver in their hands because they couldn't find anything else in a hurry.
Xifu and others were soon beaten black and blue. Many of the two hundred people fell off their horses, and some were even knocked unconscious. The scene was in chaos for a while.
The Qin soldiers who were in charge of escorting the soldiers did not expect such a scene to happen as soon as they entered the city. No one reacted at the first moment.
It was not until Xifu and his gang were beaten so badly that they fled in panic that the escorting soldiers woke up.
"Fellow villagers, stop it. Stop it. When two countries are at war, they don't kill envoys. How can we, the great Celestial Empire, do such a thing? Stop it now, folks!"
Cheng Fei, the captain sent by Li Chen to escort the Qing envoys, shouted hurriedly, but his voice was drowned out by the countless shouts of condemnation, and no one heard it. He did not dare to order the use of force, and was in a state of panic.
Fortunately, the yamen runners of Jiangshou County and the soldiers of Wucheng Bingsi arrived in time. They were not afraid of the county magistrate, but they were afraid of the current governor. The Qin army had strict discipline and was always close to the people. The people were not afraid of the Qin army soldiers, but they were still a little afraid of the yamen runners in the city.
The yamen runners used whips and water and fire sticks. Although they did not hit the common people directly, ordinary people became allergic to the sound of the whips and retreated one after another. The situation was only then brought under control.
"Lord Hesheli, are you okay?" Cheng Fei was sweating all over and ran to Hesheli Xifuma to ask, but his tone was obviously full of gloating.
Xi Fuqi pointed to his bruised face and asked, "What do you think? Are you okay?"
"Ha! You have so much internal energy, so you're fine. This little bruise is nothing. I get bruised every two or three days during training. It hurts after applying some medicine." It would have been better if Xifu hadn't blamed him. After this question, Cheng Fei took it even less seriously and laughed secretly.
"You..." Xifu was extremely angry, but suddenly he remembered his mission and quickly shut up.
As the saying goes, when you are under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. The Qing Dynasty is no longer the Qing Dynasty it once was, and Xifu can only blame himself for his bad luck. Cheng Fei took him to the post station and handed him over to the officials of the Honglu Temple for reception, and that was it.
The next day, when Xifu was brought to the palace, he glanced at Qin Mu from afar, a glance that he would never forget.
Qin Mu gave him a very special first impression. He looked very young at first glance, yet he inexplicably felt very mature. His temperament was as steady as a man in his thirties or forties, which instantly forced you to overturn your initial judgment of his age.
This perception makes Qin Mu look like a mystery, making it difficult to see clearly.
What surprised him even more was that Qin Mu was carrying a sword in the palace. This was perhaps a phenomenon that only existed in the pre-Qin period, but it actually happened to Qin Mu.
What he didn't expect was that some of the ministers in the hall were actually sitting.
Xifu came with a request, and he was very humble. As soon as he entered the hall, he paid homage: "Foreign minister, the Grand Secretary of the Hongwen Academy of the Qing Dynasty, Hesheli Xifu, pays homage to the King of Qin. Long live the King of Qin, long live the King of Qin, long, long live the King of Qin!"
The Qin ministers in the hall all looked at him. Seeing that the Qing envoy was so humble, some of them showed a satisfied smile, some showed a despicable look, and people like Sima An were thoughtful.
There was no change on Qin Mu's face, he remained calm.
To put it bluntly, Xifu is being too attentive without any reason, which means he is either a traitor or a thief. To use the words of a young literary man, when you are courteous to others, you must be asking for something. So no matter how humble Xifu is, there is nothing to be complacent about.
After Xifu bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, he did not hear any response from Qin Mu. He forced himself not to look up. After a moment, he heard a voice from the hall: "Stand up."
"Thank you, King Qin." Xifu kowtowed again before getting up.
"Xifu, why did Dorgon ask you to come to Daqin?" Qin Mu asked slowly.
"Your Majesty, I am sent by my lord to meet you in the hope that our two countries will stop fighting and live in harmony. This is a gift specially prepared by my lord. Please take a look..." Xifu said, bowed, and raised the gift list in his hand above his head.
In the hall, some ministers of the Qin State sneered, obviously disapproving of the Qing Dynasty's gift-giving and peace-seeking approach.
Xifu was afraid of being interrupted, so he quickly continued, "King Qin, in order to express the willingness of the two countries to live in harmony and to reduce the suffering of the people of the two countries, the Qing Dynasty is willing to send a princess to marry. At the same time, my master is willing to give up the title of emperor, regard the Qin Dynasty as the suzerain state, pay tribute every year, and come to the court every year."
After Xifu finished speaking, he quietly glanced at the Qin ministers in the hall and found that there was no discussion as he had expected.
The Qin ministers in the hall remained unmoved and looked at him coldly, as if they were watching a performer.
The Qing Dynasty was paying tribute and offering marriage to the Qin emperor, but this did not cause any disturbance in the Qin monarch and his ministers. Xifu felt very depressed at this situation.
The eunuch in the palace came down and took the gift list from Xifu. Qin Mu didn't even glance at it and said in an unusually calm tone: "Xifu, have you finished what you want to say?"
Xifu felt powerless. Qin Mu was very young, but his composure and majesty were no less than Dorgon's. The sword on his body seemed to be ready to be unsheathed at any time and pierce people's hearts.
Moreover, the unclear feeling on him made it even more difficult for you to figure out his true thoughts. He seemed to be hidden in the clouds. The invisible pressure forced Xifu to bow again and say: "If the King of Qin feels that the Qing Dynasty is not sincere enough, my lord is willing to cede the land of Huaibei to the King of Qin."
Qin Mu placed his right hand on the hilt of the sword, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said, "Xifu, go back and tell Dorgon that I understand his intentions. He doesn't need to give me the land north of the Huai River, or even inside and outside the Great Wall. These territories were never his, and he has no right to give them to me. I will lead my troops to take them!"
Xifu felt even more upset. As expected by the Regent, these conditions did not impress Qin Mu at all. The land of Huaibei might not be worth mentioning in his eyes. What he wanted was the whole world.
Xifu knelt down again and said loudly: "King of Qin, my lord sincerely wants to be on good terms with the Qin Empire and be a friendly country for generations. As long as the two countries form a Qin-Jin friendship, my lord is willing to give up his title of emperor, accept the title of the Qin Empire, and come to Jinling to serve the King of Qin. At the same time, my country is willing to withdraw from the border areas and hand over all the land within the Great Wall to the Qin Empire to show our sincerity in submission."
Buzz! Xifu's words caused an uproar in the hall. For a while, the sound of buzzing discussions continued. No one expected that they would take the emperor as a hostage and withdraw from the Great Wall. Qin Mu, included, was also stunned.
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ps: The competition for monthly tickets is getting more and more fierce. Every time it comes to this time, my number of votes seems to be insufficient, which makes me distressed. Brothers, can you give me some support so that I can concentrate on writing? I sincerely ask for monthly tickets, urgently ask for monthly tickets!
.(To be continued..)
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