novelaction Chapter 278: Disgraced
Chapter 278: Disgraced
The Beirong envoy's heart suddenly tightened. What did the Emperor of Dasheng mean by this?
Could it be possible that Dasheng could really produce the unique grain species of Beirong?
The third prince of Beirong's face changed slightly, and he was still praying in his heart that Emperor Jingzhao was just being mysterious and would not be able to produce his own unique grain species for Beirong.
On the other side, Eunuch De gave a few instructions to the palace maid, and the palace maid turned and left.
Soon, more than a dozen palace servants came into the hall, carrying baskets covered with red cloth.
The uneasiness in the heart of the Beirong envoy grew, but it was too late to back down.
The envoys from various countries watched this scene with great interest, especially those from Nanyue and Xiliang, who could not hide the gloating expressions on their faces.
The envoys from Nanyue and Xiliang arrived earlier than those from Beirong.
If you just ask around, you will find out that Dasheng conferred the title of princess on a commoner because of the discovery of new grain.
Although they have not had the opportunity to see the new grain yet, seeing how much importance Dasheng attaches to Qin Ruo, they know that the new grain is probably not simple.
Therefore, when the Third Prince of Beirong proposed a bet with Si Heng, no one spoke up to remind him, and everyone looked like they were waiting to see the show.
The people in the Hall of Supreme Harmony were very proud, and they all looked forward to seeing the expressions of the barbarians in the north after the red cloth was unveiled.
The envoys from Beirong State were all arrogant, otherwise they would not have made such a ridiculous request in the hall to exchange grain for cities.
Emperor Jing Zhao walked down from the high platform, stood in the middle of the hall, and personally uncovered the baskets of things.
"This is the grain that Dasheng is exchanging with your country. Please come and inspect it. I will have someone deliver it to the post house where you are staying."
When the Beirong envoy looked at the evenly sized and plump sweet potatoes in the basket, he wanted to die at that moment.
The third prince's face turned pale. He stood up tremblingly and pointed at Si Heng, already furious and humiliated.
"Ninth Prince, you are cheating! How did you get our Beirong grain seeds? You..."
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words. Before you signed the bet just now, our Majesty had advised you not to discuss the issue of exchanging grain for cities for the time being. Everyone present here can also testify that it was you, Beirong, who insisted on signing this bet." The Minister of Rites frowned and seriously corrected the words of the Third Prince of Beirong.
The envoys from Beirong Kingdom just arrived in the capital yesterday. They never imagined that the grain that their country was so proud of was actually grown in Dasheng.
These are ten cities!
The envoy from Beirong was now in tears. After returning to Beirong, he didn't know how to face the emperor's anger.
Before coming to Dasheng, the Beirong envoys wanted to exchange grain seeds for the city of Dasheng. Now, it is Beirong that has lost the city.
The gambling between the Third Prince and the Ninth Prince of Dasheng just now was witnessed by all the envoys from various countries present.
In front of everyone, there is no way to deny it.
If Beirong State goes back on its word and refuses to abide by the agreement, it will become a laughing stock among other countries in the future.
This would even more endanger the reputation of Beirong Country. Which country would dare to form an alliance with it?
Si Heng stood up slowly, saluted very perfunctorily to the Beirong envoys, and glanced at the position of the third prince.
"Cheating? You were the one who proposed the bet of exchanging grain for the city, and you signed the treaty yourself. How did I cheat? It's just that your Beirong has a unique grain variety, and we in Dasheng just happen to have it. I still say the same thing. If His Royal Highness the Third Prince is worried that he will have a hard time explaining to your Beirong Emperor and Crown Prince after returning, Dasheng can also write a letter to speak well of you."
"I have heard that the Crown Prince of Beirong is a man of great wisdom and wisdom, and is well-educated. He is also very humble and polite. You lost ten cities to our Dasheng today, so I believe the Crown Prince of Beirong will not go back on his word, right? So, I will make the decision today. In addition to the 1,000 kilograms of grain seeds originally exchanged, we at Dasheng will give you an additional 500 kilograms."
"According to your country's original proposal to exchange 500 kilograms of grain for the city, it is equivalent to our Dasheng giving you five cities in Beirong for free..."
Si Heng's words were quite satisfying, and the court officials of Dasheng applauded.
Five hundred kilograms of grain seeds equal five cities. There is nothing wrong with this statement! It was first proposed by the envoy of Beirong Country.
"Okay, I agree..."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I appreciate it. We, Beirong, have always been trustworthy and are willing to accept defeat today. We, Beirong, will send someone to deliver the deeds of the ten cities later." Without waiting for Emperor Jing Zhao to finish speaking, the envoy representative stood up and solemnly stated his attitude.
Today, Bei Rong has lost face in front of envoys from various countries.
If he accepted the additional 500 kilograms of grain seeds donated by Dasheng, wouldn't that be a pretext for Dasheng giving Beirong "five cities"?
"Your Majesty, since Beirong has rejected the additional five... no less than 500 kilograms of grain seeds given by Dasheng, could Your Majesty give these grain seeds to our Pingsha Kingdom. We have few types of staple food in Pingsha. If you can bring these grains back to our Pingsha, we Pingsha people will be very grateful." An envoy from the small country of Pingsha stood up and made a request.
Pingsha State was a vassal state of Dasheng, paying tribute and congratulating the emperor every year.
He chose to speak at this time, firstly, because he wanted to curry favor with Emperor Jing Zhao.
Secondly, he was really attracted by Dasheng’s new grain varieties that can be grown as long as there is soil and have a relatively high yield.
The envoy of Pingsha State spoke, and several other small vassal states came forward one after another, hoping that Dasheng could allocate some grain to their countries.
"This is the new grain that Dasheng has successfully planted, and the quantity is limited. Of course, all the countries have diplomatic relations with Dasheng and have always been friendly. Although there is not much of this grain at present, I have approved it. I will arrange for someone to give the envoys 200 kilograms to take back for trial planting. Don't think it's too little..."
Emperor Jing Zhao waved his hand and graciously approved the envoys from the small country who requested to donate grain seeds.
The five small countries weighed exactly one thousand pounds, which meant that Dasheng gave away ten cities without blinking an eye. This move undoubtedly humiliated Beirong.
They brought grain seeds from afar, hoping to use them to force Dasheng to cede five cities.
They turned around and directly donated a thousand kilograms of grain seeds to the small countries around Dasheng, and the difference in magnanimity between Dasheng and Beirong was immediately apparent.
The Beirong envoy was too embarrassed to stay at the banquet, so he found an excuse to leave in embarrassment.
Dasheng won a great victory today, and Emperor Jingzhao was in a very happy mood at the moment.
At this moment, the Sixth Prince stood up from his chair, walked to the middle of the hall and knelt down in front of Emperor Jing Zhao.
"Congratulations, father! Dasheng has added ten more cities to its territory, and our national prestige has grown even stronger. Taking advantage of this auspicious day, I, your son, would like to ask your father to grant me a marriage..."
“Yu’er, go back to your seat first. Envoys from various countries are all here today, and I hope you will focus on important matters. Let’s not discuss the matter of the marriage for now…” Emperor Jing Zhao looked at the Sixth Prince who was ready to make a move below the stage, his eyes full of warnings.