Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 349 "National Scholar"

The guards outside the tent heard sounds of chaos coming from inside. It sounded like people were running around the tent and being chased by others, causing the tables and chairs inside to clang and bang.

The guards' expressions turned very strange.

Are you guys playing?

If His Majesty really wanted to arrest someone, would he let you run around the tent? Could you even touch you?
Wouldn't it be more meaningful to capture something in this way?

Clearly, even in this way, Lu Xingzhou couldn't outrun Long Qinghuang. Before long, he was pinned to the table, and the pig bristle brush was about to be used on him without a word.

Lu Xingzhou never expected that even after using his ultimate technique, he would still be subjected to a steel wool scrub. He struggled fiercely, saying, "I am an envoy! His Majesty is magnanimous and wouldn't mistreat an envoy, would he?"

"An envoy?" Long Qinghuang's bristle brush hovered less than an inch above his buttocks as she chuckled, "Don't you know that envoys from weak nations come to be humiliated?"

Lu Xingzhou struggled: "When did the Great Qian become a weak country! Whether the Tianyao Holy Land participates in the war is just a matter of a word. At that time, His Majesty might even have to retreat a hundred miles and send me a maid to farm!"

Long Qinghuang laughed in exasperation and immediately started swiping.

Lu Xingzhou convulsed, then lay there silently, utterly despondent.

"Why are you so stubborn about upholding your principles?" Long Qinghuang didn't actually brush him, just rubbed him a couple of times before tossing the brush aside, and then picked Lu Xingzhou up: "Can't you just flatter me a little, let me brush you willingly? Only through forbearance can you achieve wealth and status..."

Of course, it's because the more you resist, the more fun you have; if you just lie down, you'll quickly get bored.

Lu Xingzhou said with righteous indignation: "After all, I am here on behalf of the Great Qian Dynasty, representing the national system, not personal honor or disgrace."

Long Qinghuang squinted at him for a long while, then suddenly switched to telepathy: "When I first met you, you were very shrewd and flattered me. But now you're deliberately saying such righteous and offensive things to me. Who are you trying to talk to?"

Lu Xingzhou also narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

Suddenly, the two of them laughed at the same time.

Lu Xingzhou also switched to telepathy: "I'm telling this to all the civil and military officials of the Great Qian Dynasty to gain some fame. Please excuse my poor performance."

Long Qinghuang transmitted her voice, "Are you sure there's a traitor among us?"

"determine."

"But he didn't perform well this time, even though he had such a good opportunity."

"Perhaps you didn't let him realize it was a good opportunity. You were too aggressive, and you couldn't convincingly feign weakness. After so many years of patience, he wouldn't act rashly unless he was certain of a fatal blow."

"Can you help me find it?"

"I can only say that I'm willing to help you find one, but I don't have much hope under the current circumstances."

Upon hearing this, Long Qinghuang's gaze shifted slightly: "Why are you willing to help me?"

Lu Xingzhou said slowly, "I changed into this outfit specifically to see my girl."

Long Qinghuang's eyes flickered.

When he came in, he didn't comment on her attire. I thought he didn't care, but it turned out he did.

He had specifically urged her to change into this outfit, which caused quite a stir in Hanlan City. His original intention was simply for her to avoid such flashy gold and to be more low-key…

Ah Nuo said that men only care about the clothes their favorite girls wear to match their preferences. Otherwise, would ordinary people care about what clothes you wear?

Although she later learned that both the adult and the child were complete liars and that nothing was true at all—for example, A Nuo even called herself A Tuan back then, and not a single word of truth was spoken—Long Qinghuang still clearly understood that Lu Xingzhou genuinely disliked that glittering gold outfit and thought it was stupid.

So I deliberately chose a different time to meet him, so as not to make him think anything of me.

Could this be considered a woman dressing up for her lover? Perhaps not quite, so it doesn't count. But to say it was special to him is certainly plausible; otherwise, why would the Demon Emperor care who was gossiping about his attire? He'd chop off anyone who did.

And this is, after all, an old garment, representing the past when the two met.

Whether this special treatment will receive a response will vary from person to person. After hearing Lu Xingzhou's words, Long Qinghuang felt a little complicated. She finally said nothing more and instead stopped using telepathy, raising her voice: "Very good. I didn't expect that the Great Qian would still have a man of integrity like you."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Your Majesty, this acting is a bit fake.

"Speak," Long Qinghuang finally sat back in her seat, and said lazily, "What did Gu Zhanting want to say when he sent you on this mission?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Now that His Majesty has reclaimed the old territory, what else does he hope to gain by continuing the attack?"

Long Qinghuang's eyes were filled with a smile. "You don't know what I want to get?"
Lu Xingzhou turned his head away somewhat resentfully.

Seeing this, Long Qinghuang was overjoyed and leisurely replied, "I want to resist the demons, is that not allowed?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Your Majesty should know that this is very difficult to accomplish."

Long Qinghuang said leisurely, "Whether it's difficult or not, we'll only know after we fight it."

"When war breaks out, countless lives are lost; even demons are born of demon mothers..."

Long Qinghuang: "?"

"If Your Majesty is willing to end the war, you can propose conditions, which may lead to a happy ending for all and avert this calamity of war."

Long Qinghuang rested her rosy cheeks on her hand and said lazily, "The territory outside the Demon-Repelling Pass originally belonged to our Demon Realm. It has been occupied by the Qian Kingdom in recent years, and I want to take it back. If the Qian Emperor is willing to sign an agreement to redraw the national border, still using the existing Demon-Repelling Pass as the boundary, and no longer covet the land outside the pass, then we can discuss it."

Lu Xingzhou shrugged. Gu Zhanting was still hoping to take back those cities... The demon race had already occupied them all, how could they possibly let them return them, especially since those were originally demon territory? Long Qinghuang simply made Gu Zhanting sign a treaty to demarcate the border, so that even if they wanted to fight again in the future, they wouldn't have any grounds to stand on.

Since he had something to say to Gu Zhanting, Lu Xingzhou could only put on a righteous front and forcefully say, "But a large part of these cities were built by Grand Tutor Huo and Marquis Zhenyuan over many years of hard work, and they did not originally belong to the demon race."

Long Qinghuang smiled enigmatically: "So what do you intend to do? Do you expect me to hand over these cities to you? Do you think I'm here to do charity?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Perhaps there is room for negotiation?"

"Ok?"

"For example, turning these areas into trading grounds for both sides, establishing border markets." Long Qinghuang laughed out loud: "You've proposed something like this without my permission... Will Emperor Qian agree?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "This is just my immature idea. Anyway, this area has always been inhabited by both humans and demons, so we have that premise. After returning, I will try to explain the pros and cons to His Majesty. Maybe it will really work. If it can promote peaceful trade between the two sides, wouldn't that be good for everyone?"

In fact, Long Qinghuang knew that Lu Xingzhou was ultimately speaking for Daqian. Regardless of his sense of belonging to Daqian, Shen Tang was a princess after all. To him, the vast Qian Kingdom might be his future wife's dowry.

Unfortunately, Lu Xingzhou's proposal was somewhat original, and the demon race had a need for it.

While humans often secretly practice demonic arts, the demon race also lacks many things from humans. Cultivation methods are one aspect, but the demon race also appreciates various cultural and craft activities unrelated to cultivation.

Long Qinghuang infiltrates the demons and traitors of the Qian Kingdom, often stealing things, but it's not a systematic operation.

Especially the alchemist system. The demon race lacks alchemists, a fact that Lu Xingzhou had been told during the Battle of Frozen Moon and Cold River. You can steal alchemist manuals and capture low-grade alchemists, but to systematically cultivate alchemists and establish an alchemy system more suitable for the demon race is not so simple.

Establishing trade between the two sides would benefit them on many levels. Of course, what exactly can be exchanged, such as the alchemist system that Long Qinghuang desires, is not something Lu Xingzhou can decide; it depends on Gu Zhanting's thoughts.

What was originally a negotiation for show turned into a real conversation for Long Qinghuang. After a long while, she said, "The ownership of the territory belongs to me. I can consider opening it to trade. But since you, Lu Xingzhou, cannot make a decision, there is no point in talking further."

Only after saying that did he realize that Lu Xingzhou was using the excuse of needing to go back and persuade Gu Zhanting to get away!
Realizing this, Long Qinghuang was both annoyed and amused, and lowered her voice: "You really want to go back that much?"

Lu Xingzhou said nothing.

"Even when you staged negotiations to extricate yourself, you were able to genuinely propose policies that benefit both countries and provoke my thought. With such talent, do you think I would be willing to let you go?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Forced relationships are never sweet."

"But it quenches your thirst." Long Qinghuang leaned back comfortably in her chair. "Useless Lu Xingzhou, even if I let you go back to report to Gu Zhanting, he will still send you here for a detailed discussion in the end."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

"If you have any other ideas, just say them all," Long Qinghuang said leisurely. "As for other random thoughts, be honest and don't think about them."

"...Many soldiers of the Great Qian are still trapped in the border city. I hope Your Majesty will stop the search and let them return."

"Did Gu Zhanting ask you to say this too?" Long Qinghuang chuckled. "Shouldn't he be hoping those people would cause trouble in the rear?"

“If Your Majesty were to attack the pass, perhaps you would have no choice but to rely on this, but they would be no match for Your Majesty. It would be sacrificing their lives just to give the pass a sliver of hope. These are the pillars of the Great Qian Dynasty, and they should not be wasted in this way.”

Long Qinghuang stared at him for a long time. You really think a lot about Shen Tang.

"You saved the pillars of the Great Qian Dynasty... but what will I get in return?"

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment: "How about we use lots of sparkling jewels to ransom them?"

Long Qinghuang blinked and then chuckled.

Suddenly, he snapped his fingers: "Was everything recorded?"

Lu Xingzhou turned his head and saw a goat demon emerge from behind the tent, holding paper and pen with a smile: "I've already memorized it."

Lu Xingzhou glanced at it and saw that it was the negotiation record from earlier, of course omitting some ambiguous details between the two of them, making it look very formal.

Long Qinghuang laughed and said, "This is my personal secretary, modeled after your human system. What do you think?"

Lu Xingzhou: "...Not easy, very civilized."

"Negotiations between two armies on the battlefield should naturally be recorded in writing... Now is the perfect time to make a copy of this record and send it to Gu Zhanting so he can consider and decide. You don't need to go back for now, so you don't have to come back again."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Long Qinghuang turned to the old goat: "Add my opinion: First, if the two sides are to trade, there needs to be technical exchange, and I will appoint a relevant team from the Great Qian Dynasty to go to the Demon Realm for the exchange; second, if the ransom is to be paid with treasure, it must not only be shiny, but also have enough power. Don't take me for a fool. If Gu Zhanting agrees to the general direction, we can continue to discuss the details. Hmm... send Long Zheng to deliver the message, he loves delivering messages anyway."

Lu Xingzhou rubbed his forehead.

Long Zheng was naturally the demon general he had sent back to deliver the message. Now he had become a professional messenger, which made him both amused and exasperated. He headed to the pass with the negotiation records in his arms.

It was already early morning, and Gu Zhanting and his generals were discussing matters.

Long Zheng strode in and handed the record to Gu Zhanting: "This is the negotiation between your envoy and His Majesty. His Majesty has said that he has never seen an envoy make demands without offering any bargaining chips. Do you have any sincerity at all?"

These words made Gu Zhanting realize that it was indeed his mistake. The main reason was that Long Qinghuang had already sent the envoy back, and he wasn't sure what Lu Xingzhou could discuss there, so he hadn't given him much authority, and now he was in a situation where things had to continue.

But as he unfolded the records and looked at them, a look of surprise and delight appeared on Gu Zhanting's face.

The information was almost identical to the message secretly passed to him by the mole, and this record was even more complete, so it was definitely true.

Judging from these negotiations, Lu Xingzhou seems very reliable... He's a rare talent among young people.

Gu Zhanting first asked Long Zheng to step aside, and then showed the negotiation records to all the generals: "You can also discuss it."

Huo Xingyuan took a scan, and the first few sentences made him lose his composure:
The Emperor said, "Weak nations should be subjected to humiliation."

Xingzhou replied, “The Great Qian is not a weak country. The sacred land hangs like a sword beside the demons. Your Majesty should be aware of this.”

The Emperor said, "Why don't you bend your knees and avoid the pain of skin and flesh?"

Xingzhou replied, “I came for the sake of the Great Qian Dynasty, for honor and disgrace are for the country, not for myself.”

The Emperor praised him, saying, "The Great Qian Dynasty has men of integrity and character."

"Um... Your Majesty," Huo Xingyuan asked cautiously, "Is this reliable?"

Gu Zhanting nodded: "I have my own channels...that's pretty much it."

When Xiang An and the others passed it around, they all looked very impressed.

According to this record, he not only possessed integrity but also had insightful ideas. He spoke eloquently in front of the Emperor, upholding his responsibilities as an envoy, striving to secure peace and benefits for the Great Qian Dynasty, and even taking care of rescuing border generals like Zhao Jiayong from the rear—something His Majesty hadn't even ordered.

This is not just a man of integrity, this is a national hero!
(End of this chapter)