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On the Jinluan Hall of the Imperial Palace, when he saw Li Jiancheng, Yuming was also taken aback, because Li Jiancheng was obviously much older, his face was haggard, and he had a few gray hairs, and he didn't look like a person in his twenties at all, but like he was almost forty years old.

He was slightly surprised, but when he thought about it, he was relieved. Li Jiancheng was defeated under his own hands only last year, and the land of Longxing, which he had finally recaptured, was occupied by himself, and even lost his position because of this. It's no wonder that Li Jiancheng is not anxious.

At this time, Li Jiancheng and Liu Jing, the deputy envoy who came with him, bowed to Yuming and said: "The envoys of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jiancheng and Liu Jing, meet the Emperor of the Great Zhou!" May the two countries of Tang and Zhou be good-neighborly and friendly, and live in harmony for generations to come! ”

After hearing this, Yuming and the ministers of the Zhou Dynasty all showed a burst of disdain on their faces, and there were countless large and small wars between Tang and Zhou, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. This Li Jiancheng still sings about the good-neighborliness and friendship between the two countries, which is a great irony no matter how you listen to it.

However, the superficial effort must not be left out, after all, it is a matter of etiquette. So, Yu Ming immediately said: "His Royal Highness King Yan and Lord Liu, please get up!" Speaking of which, we are also old acquaintances and relatives! In terms of relationship, I should call His Royal Highness King Yan an uncle! ”

Yu Ming's polite words hit Li Jiancheng's heart, and he immediately hit the snake and said, "What Your Majesty said is exact!" Xiuning and I have been playing since childhood! The relationship between our brother and sister is deep, and now that Xiuning is Your Majesty's wife, I should also call Your Majesty's brother-in-law! ”

And Liu Jing also sang and said with him: "Your Majesty, since our Tang and Zhou families are relatives, and my Tang Emperor is His Majesty's father-in-law, the family also fought and killed each other, which really made others see the joke!" According to Liu, it is better for the two countries to make a truce from now on and be good-neighborly and friendly! ”

When the eldest grandson Wuji heard this, he couldn't help but sneer: "Lord Liu, it's okay if you Tang Dynasty want to be friendly!" As long as Li Yuan cuts off the emperor's title, he is willing to serve my Great Zhou Emperor as the lord of the world, and at the same time hand over the territory and army. He can naturally be his Tang King with peace of mind, and our Majesty will definitely treat him with the courtesy of the king! ”

After Liu Jing heard this, her face changed suddenly, and she asked Li Yuan to cut off the emperor's title and hand over the territory and army, which was equivalent to surrendering to Yuming. Even if Yu Mingnian gave him the title of the head of the country in Li Xiuning's relationship, it would never be possible to let the ministers and generals of the Li family take power again. It is estimated that they can only live the second half of their lives as a rich man with peace of mind, and this is definitely not the result they want.

Li Jiancheng was also so angry that his face was blue and white for a while: "Eldest grandson Wuji, you have also been rude!" You must know that Your Majesty is my brother-in-law, and you will ask us to surrender on our knees when you come, and you will underestimate my Datang! You know, we still have 500,000 soldiers......"

The eldest grandson Wuji sneered at this time: "Li Jiancheng, don't take your identity as Your Majesty's uncle seriously!" You must know that I am also His Majesty's uncle. But I am self-aware, and I will never use this status as a relative to threaten Your Majesty...... Besides, why am I not qualified to have an opinion? This official is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and if it is necessary to discuss matters of negotiation with other countries, this is the duty of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs! ”

Only then did Li Jiancheng remember that the eldest grandson Wuji's younger sister, the eldest grandson Wuji, was also Yuming's imperial concubine. And it seems that she is still Yuming's first wife, and her status should be above her sister Li Xiuning. And this guy seems to be the foreign minister of the Zhou Dynasty, and if he wants to negotiate, he has to deal with him. If you want to complete the negotiation task assigned by your father this time, you really can't offend him.

So, Li Jiancheng endured the unhappiness in his heart, and reluctantly squeezed out a smile and said: "Lord Eldest Sun, just now this king was speechless for a while, and I hope to forgive me...... However, the negotiation matter really has to be considered in the long run, and the conditions you have set are really harsh, and it is really ...... to ask me Datang to surrender as soon as you come."

"It's not harsh, it's tolerant!" The eldest grandson Wuji said unceremoniously at this time: "His Royal Highness King Yan, now that the strength of your two countries is comparable, you must also know very well that the so-called Tang Dynasty is now only related to Zhongzhong, Longxi, Hanzhong, Hetao and other places. Except for Guanzhong, which is relatively rich, the rest of these territories are very barren, and they are simply not enough to support large-scale war attrition. ”

"Moreover, your so-called 500,000 male soldiers, I'm afraid that the county soldiers, the soldiers of the Jiejia Prefecture, and the militia of each county are all included! How effective are these armies? You are also a person who has led soldiers, and I believe that you know the situation better than Du. If you want to fight our army again, you will definitely lose! Li Yuan must also know this, so he will let you come to negotiate with us! But if you want to sign an armistice without paying any price, it is simply impossible! The eldest grandson Wuji said categorically. did not save face for Li Jiancheng at all.

After Li Jiancheng and Liu Jing listened to his words, they glanced at each other, and they were both a little pale. Although they had expected that this negotiation would be difficult to negotiate before they came, they did not expect Zhou Chao to be so tough as soon as he came. Directly demanding that the Tang Dynasty surrender, how could they agree to such a condition?

"Your Highness, today I just came to meet Yuming in person, present my credentials, and start negotiations informally. Let's go find Princess Xiuning first, and then make a decision! Liu Jing's eyes rolled, and Fang whispered to Li Jiancheng.

Li Jiancheng also felt that it was inappropriate to negotiate and confront under this hall, so he nodded, stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I can't completely decide the conditions of the negotiation, and I need to return to my father." Before I am, why don't we start formal negotiations later? ”

Yu Ming also guessed at this time that due to the unusual toughness of his side, Li Jiancheng was a little confused. What he said about asking Li Yuan may be one of the reasons. On the other hand, it is possible to want to walk around the court and the palace, contact your ministers, and say good things to them.

"Alright! Then we'll talk about it later! He thought for a moment, then nodded, then turned to the eldest grandson Wuji and said, "Wuji, this matter of negotiation with other countries should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." In the future, you will be responsible for taking the lead in the implementation of the negotiation venue and the participants in the negotiation. If you feel the need to transfer personnel from outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you can do that! Even if I want to participate, I can't do it! ”

After hearing this, the eldest grandson Wuji hurriedly nodded and took over the job, saying that he would definitely be able to complete this task.

That night, Yuming also held a welcome banquet for Li Jiancheng's visit. However, Li Jiancheng was in no mood to eat, and kept looking for the ministers of the Zhou Dynasty during the banquet, especially the ministers who had some friendship with the Li family in the Sui Dynasty before, such as Wei Zheng, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, etc., in an attempt to let them say a few good words for themselves.

However, it was with great difficulty that these ministers climbed to such a high position. for fear that he would have too close a relationship with Li Jiancheng, which would lead to being reported as having fornicated with foreign enemies. Therefore, as soon as he saw Li Jiancheng come to toast, he lied that he was not in good health, or that he wanted to go to the toilet to avoid him.

This made Li Jiancheng so angry that he almost wanted to vomit blood, but he was helpless.

In desperation, he had no choice but to put his hope on his sister Li Xiuning.

After the banquet, Li Jiancheng proposed to Shumeng that he wanted to meet Li Xiuning.

According to the system of the Zhou Dynasty, the relatives of the concubines in the palace wanted to visit the concubine, and the queen had the final say, and they did not need to go through the emperor.

After hearing this, Shumeng was also stunned, because when she held a welcome banquet before, she asked Li Xiuning if she was willing to attend the banquet and meet her eldest brother.

But Li Xiuning said that he didn't want to participate in this kind of occasion, the brother and sister had already parted ways, and if they met again to talk about this kind of national event, it would only increase the embarrassment.

And Li Xiuning was reluctant to meet him, and Shu Meng had explained to Li Jiancheng in the middle of the banquet. But she didn't expect that this Li Jiancheng would not give up.

So, she found Yuming, told him about it, and asked if she wanted to agree to Li Jiancheng's request.

After Yu Ming heard this, he smiled slightly and said: "It seems that Li Jiancheng still doesn't give up, and wants to open a breakthrough here in Xiuning, hoping that she can come forward to say a few good words for him." ”

"Your Majesty, do you want the concubine to reject him?" Shumeng asked, blinking a pair of big beautiful eyes.

"No need! After all, they are brothers and sisters, if we don't answer that Li Jiancheng is not allowed to go to see Xiuning, it will be unkind! Yu Ming shook his head and said, "Moreover, Li Jiancheng is a person who does not see the Yellow River and does not die. has never been able to see Li Xiuning, so he always thinks that he still has a chance to talk about his sister. Let him see Xiuning, so that he can die of this heart, and he doesn't have to have any illusions. ”

"But...... Your Majesty, aren't you worried that Xiuning will be moved by her brother? Really proposed to you to let Li Yuan, Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin and others go? Shumeng said with some concern.

"Sister Shumeng, you can rest assured! At my most difficult time, Xiuning abandoned his father and brother with a bright future and chose to follow me, a fugitive wanted by Yang Guang at that time. It shows how much she loves me! Yu Ming said at this time: "In that difficult situation, she didn't turn her back on me, and in the current situation that is beneficial to us, it is even more impossible for her to do anything stupid!" Therefore, it is impossible for Xiuning to be moved by Li Jiancheng's words. For this, I have Jedi confidence! ”

Speaking of this, he paused for a moment, and then continued: "Of course, maybe in the future, when I destroy the Tang Dynasty and capture Li Yuan and those people of the Li family, she will come forward to intercede for Li Yuan, Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin and others, asking me not to kill them and give them a life." But now that Li Tang has not been destroyed, and our army is still fighting with the Tang army, it is impossible for Xiuning to help them! ”

After hearing about the dream, I was also deeply moved. She nodded and said, "Okay, the concubine will reply to Li Jiancheng and say that she agrees to let him meet Xiuning......

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