Zhao Gou was overjoyed and caressed the Golden Buddha. This was his imperial grandfather's most beloved object. He had seen it since he was a child and had always worshiped it sacredly. He would be scolded even if he came even close. Now this Golden Buddha belonged to him again.
"His Majesty!"
Lu Yihao said slowly from the side: "This shows that Chen Qing is indeed loyal to His Majesty. This golden Buddha can be sold for 10,000 yuan on the black market, but he is not moved at all."
"I understand!"
Zhao Gou happily said: "I will definitely reward him well and commend him for his loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. He defeated Wanyan Huonv and gained enough face for me!"
Lu Yihao stopped talking and didn't need to say too much. Seeing that the officials were still admiring the Golden Buddha, he smiled and said: "Your Majesty, please enjoy it! I will leave first."
Lu Yihao resigned and walked outside the Chui Gong Hall. He happened to encounter Qin Hui walking in a hurry. Qin Hui led a group of Song ministers to negotiate with the Jin envoys this morning. They had just been talking all morning.
"Mr. Qin, how are the negotiations going?"
"We can basically reach an agreement,"
Lu Yihao was startled, "Can we reach an agreement so soon?"
Qin Hui smiled bitterly, "This is not a formal peace, it is just a temporary truce between the two sides. The requirements of each other are not high, and it is easy to tear it up, so it is easier to reach an agreement."
"After reporting to the officials, we will take it to the political hall and discuss it with everyone!"
"Of course. Mr. Lu, please wait a moment. I'll be here soon."
Qin Hui bowed and quickly came to the imperial study. At this time, the emperor Zhao Gou had already ordered the eunuch to send the golden Buddha to his Zen room. Of course Chen Qing wanted to reward him, but he was not in a hurry.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Qin is here!"
"Let him in quickly."
Zhao Gou is waiting for the negotiation situation between Qin Hui and the Jin envoy!
He was overjoyed that the Kingdom of Jin actually wanted to cease war for a year. He couldn't ask for such a good thing, so how could he object?
"I am here to see you, Your Majesty!" Qin Hui came in and bowed.
"Without any ceremony, I will give you a seat!"
Qin Hui sat down, and Zhao Gou couldn't wait to ask: "What's going on with the negotiations?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the negotiations have been relatively smooth, and some consensus has been reached. For example, both sides have agreed that the temporary armistice will be for one year, and that the Yangtze River will be used as the boundary between the two sides in the east, and each side will withdraw its troops.
Jin Bing also promised not to attack the northwest?
"No, they only promised Jiangnan, not even Jingxiang."
Zhao Gou walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and asked again: "Xiangong Qin, what do you think the other party's intention is?"
"Wei Chen believes that the other party has two intentions. The first is to stabilize the north. There are too many rebels in the north and they are overwhelmed. The second is to support the puppet Qi and buy them a year."
Zhao Gou smiled and asked: "Isn't it to mobilize troops to Shaanxi?"
"Your Majesty, many people say that the Jin Bings are negotiating at this time to attack Shaanxi with all their strength. Wei Chen thinks this is not quite right!"
"Why?"
"Your Majesty! The Jin soldiers have assembled hundreds of thousands of troops along the Shaanxi Road, commanded by Wanyan Wushu, while the East Road front line is commanded by Wanyan Nianhan. They are two major strategic deployments of the Jin Kingdom. They are unrelated to each other.
I believe that the Jin soldiers on the Shaanxi Road are enough and there is no need to transfer troops from the east. The argument for transferring troops is not valid."
Zhao Gou nodded. He agreed with Qin Hui's view. The reason for moving troops was indeed a bit far-fetched.
Qin Hui added: "Your Majesty, we can completely use this year to wipe out the bandits from all over the country, including Cao Cheng in the south, Yang Yao in Dongting Lake, and the remnants of Li Cheng. Your Majesty, this is the other party's opportunity, and it is also our opportunity.
"
"Ai Qing is right, you must first settle the internal affairs before fighting against the outside world. If the thieves are not eliminated, the people will not be united, and the financial resources will be insufficient. These bandits are also a serious problem for me. Are there any conditions that are difficult for the two of you to achieve?"
"Your Majesty, the two main conditions are a bit difficult to achieve. First, the other party requires us to withdraw all the Jianghuai troops south to the Yangtze River. Second, they require that in your Majesty's name, they guarantee that the Song Army will not invade the north this year."
Zhao Gou is also in a bit of a dilemma. The second point is not a big problem. The key point is the first point. If all the Jianghuai troops are withdrawn southward, then all the previous efforts will be wasted.
Zhao Gou pondered for a while and said: "Let the political affairs hall discuss it! If necessary, we can discuss it at the court meeting."
"Wei Chen understands. In addition, there is another important thing Wei Chen wants to report."
"What's up?"
"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Jin is willing to conditionally release the Queen Mother and return to the court."
"What!"
Zhao Gou stood up suddenly and said with surprise and joy: "Is this true?"
"Wan Yanchang said it himself, but there are conditions."
"What conditions?"
"The other party proposed to exchange Chen Qing for the Queen Mother."
Zhao Gou's eyes widened suddenly. In exchange for Chen Qing?
"Why?"
"It's the intention of the Emperor of Jin. They want to use Chen Qing to sacrifice Wanyan Lou's family."
Zhao Gou sat down slumped, and the hope he had just raised was suddenly shattered. Even if he agreed, the officials and the military would not agree!
Qin Hui said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the ministers also feel that it is not good, but Chen Qing is only a low-level general after all, not a city commander with great influence. Besides, compared with the Queen Mother's life and safety, compared with His Majesty's filial piety, a
Small generals are not important."
"This...let me think about it again!"
The Zhao Gou Committee was really difficult to deal with. Of course he wanted his mother to come back, but he didn't want to offend the military, especially the Western Army.
Qin Hui then advised: "The officials who negotiated with Wei Chen all felt that the exchange of the Queen Mother was a matter of national importance. There is no reason why the Queen Mother of a country should be detained by an enemy country for a long time. This is a shame for the court, so Wei Chen believes that it is absolutely a matter of national importance."
Some courtiers will support His Majesty in welcoming back the Queen Mother. As for the military, I believe everyone will understand His Majesty's filial piety, and Zhang Jun will also put the overall situation first."
"I still have to think about it."
Seeing that the officials could not get an idea, Qin Hui changed his perspective and said: "Wei Chen knew that Chen Qing was about to return to the northwest. Wei Chen suggested that he be placed under house arrest for the time being. When the matter is concluded, it would not be too late to let him go."
.”
Zhao Gou took a few steps with his hands behind his back. He knew clearly that this was inappropriate, but he was still persuaded by Qin Hui.
"So be it!"
...........
Chen Qing completed the formalities at the Ministry of War and felt relaxed. He had asked Hu Yantong to hand over 1,500 yuan to Li Qingzhao as an advance payment for asking her to copy the book.
Of course, when it comes to copying books, the price is sky-high. This money is actually Chen Qing’s support for Li Qingzhao, which allows her to no longer worry about life and create more universal masterpieces.
Chen Qing had already booked a private room at Hukou Restaurant, and had a drink with Hu Yantong and Liu Qiong at noon. In the afternoon, he planned to leave Lin'an and return to the west.
Chen Qing was of course planning to go back by boat. His horse was borrowed from Han Shizhong and was to be handed over to Huyantong for return.
The boat has been booked. He will take the boat through the canal to the Yangtze River, then go upstream from the Yangtze River to Chengdu, and then from Chengdu to Hanzhong. It is estimated that the journey alone will take at least a month.
This time he won 4,500 guan in the pot betting. Most people might not be able to get such a lot of money, but because he defeated Wanyan Huonv, the Qian family happily exchanged the money to him.
This is also the largest gambling profit that Fengle House has made since it opened in Lin'an.
He deposited three thousand guan into Baoji Qianfang and could withdraw the money in Chengdu.
Chen Qing quickly arrived at Donghua Gate. He wanted to pick up the sword he had stored there, and then go to Hukou Restaurant.
Just as I walked to the door of Donghua, I suddenly heard a shout, "Do it!"
In an instant, hundreds of soldiers armed with spears and crossbows rushed out from both sides of the tower, surrounded him, and aimed dozens of cold arrows at Chen Qing.
"What are you doing?" Chen Qing asked angrily.
Yang Xizhong, the commander of the military camp in front of the palace, stepped forward, clasped his fists and said, "General Chen, I have been ordered to ask the general to rest for two days. Please do it!"
"I want to know the reason?" Chen Qing was unmoved.
"I don't know the specific reason. I was just following the order. But I promise that I am not imprisoning you. I am just asking the general to take a good rest for two days."
"Is it house arrest?" Chen Qing said coldly.
Yang Jizhong didn't say anything, which was regarded as acquiescence.
"Please wait!" someone shouted from behind.
Chen Qing turned around and saw Lu Yihao running towards him panting.
"Commander Yang, wait a moment and take action!"
Chen Qing rushed forward, but was stopped by soldiers with spears.
Lu Yihao smiled at Yang Xizhong and said: "Commander Yang, don't be nervous, I can guarantee that General Chen will not take the opportunity to escape, nor will he take me as a hostage."
Yang Jizhong pondered for a moment, then nodded, and then the soldiers moved away.
Lu Yihao stepped forward and whispered to Chen Qing: "I just heard that the envoy from the Kingdom of Jin proposed to exchange you for the Queen Mother. This incident aroused a strong reaction from the court. The officials were in a dilemma, so they had to ask you to stay in Lin'an first.
God, don't worry, I will definitely argue with you and let you leave safely."
Chen Qing couldn't believe his ears. He actually wanted to exchange himself for the Queen Mother. He sneered, "The Jurchens think too highly of me!"
"Hey! You killed Wanyan Loushi, and the Emperor of the Jin Dynasty regarded it as a great shame and humiliation, so he offered a reward of 100,000 yuan for your arrest. But we, the great Song Dynasty, could not use anti-Jin generals as a bargain. I believe that the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty would
Oppose this ridiculous deal."
Chen Qing suddenly thought of Yue Fei. Isn't this how Yue Fei was traded?
"Xiangong Lu, with all due respect, Wan Yanchang is much more important than Wan Yan Lou. Why doesn't the imperial court detain him and exchange him with the Jin Kingdom for the Queen Mother?"
"You can't say that. The two countries are at war. If you don't kill the envoy, the imperial court has given a guarantee, so Wan Yanchang dared to come to An'an."
Chen Qing snorted in his heart. He was really pedantic. If it were him, he would definitely trade Yan Chang for the Queen Mother or even the Second Emperor.
Chen Qing did not say much. He was silent for a moment and said: "I listen to the arrangements of the Prime Minister, but I remind the Prime Minister that Wanyan Huonv could have killed me with one arrow last night, but he did not do that, which shows the true purpose of the Jin people.
It's not Chen Qing's fault, but I want to use this incident to damage the morale of the Song Army, especially the morale of the Western Army, to prepare for the second attack on Dashanguan. This is obviously a rift between the Jin people.
If the imperial court is fooled, the road to Sichuan will not be saved."
After saying that, Chen Qing cupped his fists and saluted Lu Yihao, then turned to Yang Xizhong and said calmly: "Let's go!"
Lu Yihao stood there for a long time, then he sighed deeply and rushed to the imperial study room.
