Li Garden, inner courtyard.
Li Ziye sat in front of the door, leaning against the door, waiting for the results of the morning court.
No matter how smart and well-calculated a person is, it is impossible to predict the complexity of the human heart.
In the next room, Taotao got up early to check the accounts, her beautiful face not showing much disturbance.
"Xiao Ziye, I want to go out for a while. Do you want to come with me?"
At this time, Holy Lord Yunying walked out of the room, saw someone sitting under the porch, and asked.
"Not going."
Li Ziye simply refused, "I'm busy today and don't have time."
"Okay then, I'll go alone."
Holy Master Yunying responded, turned around and left Li Yuan.
Holy Lord Yunying had just left. Fu Tianxi also walked out of the room opposite and asked, "Brother Li, I'm going out for a walk, will you come with me?"
"You want to go out too?"
Li Ziye was stunned for a moment when he saw that this old homeboy was about to go out. He quickly came to his senses, shook his head and said, "I won't go, I'm too busy."
What's going on today? Everyone has to go out.
"Then I'll go by myself."
Fu Tianxi heard the former's answer and left alone.
After the two left Li Yuan, only Li Ziye, Yu Qingxuan, and Taotao were left in the courtyard, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little strange.
Just when the sun was shining brightly, a boy walked quickly outside the hospital and delivered the information.
Yu Qingxuan received the secret report, turned around and delivered it to Li Ziye in front of the room.
"finally come."
Li Ziye opened the secret report and read it carefully.
Gradually, Li Ziye's face became colder and colder, and the disappointment in his eyes could not be concealed.
Sure enough, as expected.
"Take a look."
Soon, Li Ziye read the secret report, handed it to the woman in front of him, and said calmly, "Tell me what you think."
Yu Qingxuan read the intelligence, looked slightly condensed, and said, "Two cities to return reinforcements, 50,000 soldiers. This is probably the compromise plan of Emperor Shang after considering the situation in the court."
If the capital is really in danger of being destroyed, fifty thousand reinforcements won't actually change anything.
"The Golden Mean and Balance."
Li Ziye sighed softly and said, "The ministers requested the troops from the surrounding cities to rush for reinforcements, and King Donglin strongly requested the cities to stay still and not send out troops. Obviously, the Shang Emperor chose to balance the two sides and use the lives of fifty thousand soldiers to calm this war. Disputes in the court.”
It was a matter of personal safety. The courtiers did not believe in King Donglin's ability to defend the city. Emperor Shang was unwilling to take the risk of offending the civil and military officials of the court and supported King Donglin against all opinions. So, he would mobilize some of the city's defenders to return. Aid seems to be the best option.
It is really cruel to give up the lives of 50,000 soldiers.
"Young Master."
At this moment, another servant walked quickly outside the courtyard and saluted respectfully, "The Queen is hosting a banquet at Prince Zhongwu's Mansion and invites the young master to the banquet."
"I know, let's go down first." Li Ziye came back to his senses and responded.
"Yes!" The boy accepted the order, turned and left.
"Qingxuan, come on, come with me to Prince Zhongwu's Mansion." Li Ziye ordered, got up and walked out of the courtyard.
Yu Qingxuan immediately followed, closely behind.
In the room at the back, Taotao looked at the two people leaving with a strange look on their face.
The empress summoned the young master now, probably on the orders of that old fox, Emperor Shang.
With the enemy now at hand, Emperor Shang wanted to make peace with the Li family.
I don’t know how the young master will respond.
Outside the mansion, Li Ziye and Yu Qingxuan got on the carriage one after another and rushed towards Prince Zhongwu's mansion together.
In the carriage, Li Ziye looked at the people coming and going outside through the curtains on the carriage, his eyes slightly focused.
Those 50,000 soldiers, including the sons, husbands and fathers of countless families, in the eyes of the imperial court, they gave up immediately.
The human heart is really more poisonous than the green bamboo snake.
Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of Prince Zhongwu's Mansion. Li Ziye and Yu Qingxuan got off the carriage and, led by servants from the mansion, came to the main hall of the mansion together.
In the main hall, Queen Changsun was already waiting. When she saw the two people arriving, a kind smile appeared on her graceful face.
She has always admired the extremely smart legitimate son of the Li family. Bai'er's success in reaching the position of crown prince was largely due to Professor Li.
"Li Ziye, a commoner, has met the Queen, Her Highness the Princess."
After the two of them entered the main hall, Li Ziye bowed respectfully, his attitude was correct, and his etiquette was quite thorough.
Except not kneeling.
National scholars are not allowed to kneel down, and Li Ziye has no interest in bending the knee to people outside his parents' court, so he will not kneel down even when facing the Empress of Shang.
"Teacher Li, there is no need to be polite, sit down!"
On the throne, Queen Changsun was not surprised by the behavior of the young man in front of her, and said calmly.
"Thank you, Queen."
Li Ziye responded, walked to the banquet and sat down.
Yu Qingxuan knelt and sat in the back, silent.
On either side of Empress Changsun, Murong and Changsun Nanqiao sat there quietly, one on the left and the other on the right, without saying a word.
Sun Fengyu, the eldest son of King Zhongwu, sat opposite Li Ziye, silently drinking tea from his cup, much more calm than usual.
The atmosphere in the hall was very quiet, and it was obviously much more formal than the previous few meetings.
"I am here today on the orders of His Majesty."
On the main seat, Empress Changsun did not mince words and said bluntly, "Mobei sent troops, the frontline war is tense, and the national treasury has been unable to make ends meet due to years of war. Your Majesty asked me to summon Li Jiaoxi and borrow some silver from the Li family to temporarily relieve the emptiness of the national treasury. Condition."
"How many?"
Li Ziye picked up the tea cup, took a sip and asked.
"Ten million taels." Queen Changsun responded.
When Li Ziye heard this number, he narrowed his eyes and said, "This is not a small number. Even the Li family can't come up with it for a while."
"Li Jiaoxi can tell you his request." Empress Changsun said sternly.
"My request is simple."
Li Ziye turned the teacup in his hand and replied, "The imperial court has granted the title of Imperial Merchant to the Li family."
When Empress Changsun heard this, her expression condensed slightly and she said, "Li Jiaoxi should know that Huang Shang wants to be awarded officials and titles."
"Know."
Li Ziye nodded and responded, "In the past generations of royal merchants, the heads of the family all had titles. The common people are not talented, so they also want to fight for a title for my father."
In fact, it doesn't matter whether you have a title or not.
The important thing is that imperial merchants can get involved in many areas that private merchants cannot touch.
For example, mining, salt, and even the supply of grain and grass for the military.
Once the Li family gets involved in these fields, if the royal family wants to touch the Li family, it will really break their muscles and bones.
On the main seat, Queen Changsun looked at the young man in front of her, opened her mouth, but swallowed the words that came to her lips.
It is not that easy for the Li family to become an imperial merchant.
Your Majesty is extremely fearful of the Li family, so how could he lead a wolf into the house and allow the Li family's power to continue to expand.
I never expected that when the royal family took the initiative to show goodwill and wanted to make peace, the Li family would make such harsh demands.
This time, it was His Majesty's turn to have a headache.
