Shi Ju hurriedly replied, “The Great General sent us here to negotiate. He is willing to use…”
He suddenly remembered that Chu Qing and the Jinyang Army were still watching from nearby, and frowned. “We would like to speak privately. All of you, get out!”
Chu Qing tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You’ve misunderstood something. We aren’t afraid of a fight. My lord agreed to exchange him only out of pity for your Grand Chanyu.”
His gaze was mocking, his tone cold. “So say what you have to say in front of us. If you won’t, then get lost!”
Shi Ju shot to his feet and pointed at Chu Qing. “You—you—you…”
“Enough. Quickly tell me what Bian Huai said,” Ji Duoyan interrupted, proving far more sensible than him.
After all, he had already been facing the Jinyang Army for several days and knew exactly how tough they were.
Just now, he had been strung up over and over from every direction. It felt as though he had died several times already, and his entire body was still aching faintly.
If he had any choice in the matter, he never wanted to be hung out again. He never wanted to go hungry again, either—and even less did he want his hands and feet chopped off, along with the possibility that they might cut off his precious manhood.
Seeing Ji Duoyan in his current state, Shi Ju was overcome with sorrow once again. After a long while, he finally said, “The Great General’s meaning is that we can give Bi Tu’s territory. As for the rest…”
With the Jinyang soldiers standing nearby, he could not make himself too clear.
Ji Duoyan’s expression turned cold. “What does he mean? Is he planning to disregard all the civil and military officials in the city?”
“It wouldn’t matter much if I alone died, but there are still around twenty thousand nobles, military officers, and civil officials in the city. If they all die, half of our Ji clan will be wiped out.”
Shi Ju hurriedly explained, “No, that isn’t what the Great General meant. Naturally, he places your safety first. That is why he sent me here to negotiate.”
“Princess Jinyang’s meaning is that she wants Punan Commandery and Shangjing Commandery. Those are her bottom line.”
Only then did Ji Duoyan’s expression ease slightly. “I hope you will put the greater good first.”
Shi Ju asked hesitantly, “Grand Chanyu, what is your decision?”
Ji Duoyan closed his eyes, swallowing his humiliation, resentment, and fear. A moment later, he opened them again.
“Shangjing Commandery can be given to them. As for Punan Commandery, you’ll have to figure that out yourselves.”
That was as good as saying the matter was open to negotiation.
Shi Ju’s expression grew solemn, and he could not quite put his feelings into words.
Although the Grand Chanyu had spoken with such righteousness, Shi Ju knew the truth: the Grand Chanyu was afraid.
A quarter of an hour passed quickly, and Shi Ju withdrew in silence.
When he returned to the county office, Shi Ju looked at Jiang Jin, whose expression remained calm. “We agree to return Shangjing Commandery, but Punan Commandery is out of the question.”
Jiang Jin’s voice rang out firmly. “I’ve already said it. Both commanderies are my bottom line. If you refuse, then we go to war.”
Shi Ju suppressed his irritation. “Punan Commandery is the gateway to our Ji clan’s territory. How could we possibly give it to you? You can choose another commandery, such as Shouci Commandery.”
Jiang Jin smiled faintly. “You can detour through Lidan, which borders Fuping Commandery. Of course, you can also pass through my Punan Commandery. It will only cost you a toll.”
Shi Ju nearly ground his back teeth to powder. “Could we discuss this further?”
Jiang Jin shook her head. “No. If you refuse to yield but do not wish to go to war, we can settle the matter through a contest between our generals. Let the contest decide who Punan Commandery belongs to.”
She knew that taking Punan Commandery would be extremely difficult. Since that was the case, she might as well set a condition the other side could potentially accept.
If they agreed, she would not only be able to wear down some of their generals within certain limits, but also display the might of the Jinyang Army and damage the morale of the Ji forces. Why wouldn’t she take advantage of that?
“How did it go?”
The envoy delegation waiting outside the city gates hurried forward as soon as they saw Shi Ju emerge.
Shi Ju glanced back at the slowly rising drawbridge, his eyes deep and unreadable. “We’ll discuss it after we return.”
While the negotiations were taking place, Zuo Tong had followed Jiang Chun’s orders and disguised himself as an ordinary merchant. He had brought fifteen hundred jin of gold ingots to Gefeng.
As he looked at the bustling, prosperous streets—especially the glass windows lining nearly every shop—he fell even deeper into silence.
Ever since disembarking at Feng’an County’s docks and boarding a carriage to Gefeng, he had grown increasingly quiet along the way.
He was shaken by what he saw, but at the same time, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
The Sixth Princess, who had built such a prosperous Fengzhou, was far beyond anything the emperor could compare with.
For the first time, he found himself wondering: even if His Majesty ascended the throne and became emperor, would the people living in Fengzhou truly give him their allegiance?
If His Majesty obtained the blueprints for the repeating crossbow, could he really unite the world?
With complicated feelings weighing on him, Zuo Tong entered a courtyard.
Third Brother Li had already been waiting inside. When he saw Zuo Tong, he hurriedly rose and bowed. “Greetings, Lord Zuo.”
Zuo Tong nodded, then asked a question unrelated to their mission. “Why didn’t you report Gefeng’s prosperity to His Majesty?”
Third Brother Li was stunned. “Hasn’t someone already reported it?”
Jiang Chun had arranged for a group of people to infiltrate Fengzhou, with each person assigned a different task.
His own responsibility was limited to obtaining the repeating-crossbow blueprints. Gathering information about Fengzhou was not part of his duties.
Zuo Tong fell silent. Only then did he remember that the informants had indeed reported the prosperity of Fengzhou, especially Gefeng, to His Majesty.
It was just that neither His Majesty nor Zuo Tong himself had been able to imagine, without seeing it firsthand, how astonishing such unprecedented prosperity could be.
This prosperity permeated everything, from the inside out and from the lowest levels to the highest.
It was not like the prosperity of the dynasties of the past, which belonged only to imperial relatives, nobles, powerful clans, and wealthy merchants.
Here, even the humblest commoners lived with hope.
Along the way, he had seen promise in the faces of the farmers, and ambition in the workers and street vendors.
Seeing the dark expression on Zuo Tong’s face, Third Brother Li lowered his head and did not dare speak. Cold sweat soaked his back.
Lord Zuo was one of His Majesty’s most trusted aides. A single look from him could decide whether Third Brother Li lived or died.
“Have you arranged the place and time?” Zuo Tong finally asked.
The longer they stayed in the city, the greater the chance that they would be exposed. Obtaining the blueprints and sending them back to Sizhou was what mattered most.
Third Brother Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly replied, “Yes. We arranged to meet in a courtyard in the alley across the street.”
He had rented two courtyards nearby. The one they were currently in served as a temporary residence for Zuo Tong and the others, while the other was the meeting place for the exchange.
If anything went wrong at the meeting place, they would still have somewhere to hide.
Seeing that he had handled matters cautiously, Zuo Tong nodded in satisfaction. “Then make the preparations. We’ll head over soon.”
A quarter of an hour later, Third Brother Li led Zuo Tong and the others into the courtyard being used for the exchange. It was a very small place.
Even so, its windows were still made of glass, bright enough to reflect their figures in the courtyard.
Zuo Tong was reminded once again of the high price His Majesty charged for glass. The irony was almost unbearable.
A dark look flashed through his eyes. He could plainly feel the Sixth Princess’s mockery, contempt, and humiliation toward Sizhou—and toward His Majesty.
“How long until the other side arrives?” he asked.
Third Brother Li bent slightly at the waist. “They should be here soon.”
As he spoke, a disturbance came from beyond the courtyard wall. Then a soft knock sounded at the courtyard gate.
Zuo Tong turned toward it with a sharp gaze. “Who is it?”
