Looking at the boxes and cages piled up in the courtyard, Qian Long felt a little dumbfounded.
It was true that he asked for compensation at the beginning, but his main purpose was to put pressure on Champa officials. In fact, he did not expect Champa to actually pay.
After all, it is a small country with a small city and it is estimated that it will not be able to make any profit. The dignified leader of the country does not care about this small profit.
It's like the master of the earth is plotting against the tenants' three melons and two dates. It won't sound good if word spreads...
Moreover, Qian Long's mission was to carry out the tasks assigned by King Yan and achieve important strategic goals. How could he focus on collecting money?
Now that Shili Hori actually sent the compensation, Qian Long was naturally surprised. Thinking about it more carefully, it happened at such a critical moment that he probably had bad intentions.
Haha, this Shili Hari is more insidious than I expected, so I have to be more careful.
He was thinking this in his heart, but Qian Long kept his expression calm and started teasing with a smile.
"Shangqing is really thoughtful. I am really impressed by Qian that he can cash in the compensation so quickly. It's a pity that although money is good, it can't be used for food and drink..."
As he said that, Qian Long pointed to the outside of the mansion, which was still filled with excitement, "Your country is really warm and hospitable, but it makes people a little unhappy."
Shili Hari apologized with an embarrassed smile, "I'm really sorry. It was a certain family's negligence. I will order someone to bring food and supplies later."
This guy pretended not to hear the implication of Qian Long's words, deliberately not talking about the substance and not continuing, trying to seize more initiative after Qian Long's mentality collapsed.
However, to his surprise, Qian Long didn't seem to be in a hurry at all, and opened the box on the ground to check it out as if he was wandering around.
As more boxes were opened, the corners of Qian Long's mouth lowered, and his look of disgust became stronger.
The boxes and cages contained all kinds of property, including money made from the Song Dynasty, metal coins from unknown countries, silks, spices, etc., but there was only one box each of gold and silver.
This seemingly huge wealth, based on estimates, is not really worth much.
Qian Long grabbed a bunch of shells from the basket and twitched his cheeks, "This stuff can also be used to recharge your account!? If I really bring it back to the Song Dynasty, I'm afraid no one will pick it up if it's thrown on the ground..."
That’s a bit too much. These shells are thin, small, and pretty good-looking. At least they’re good for children to play with.
In fact, Qian Long also knew that Champa did use these shells as currency, and China also used them during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, calling them shell coins, the ancestor of coins.
This currency, which was eliminated by China long ago, is still widely used in many places, such as India, the Indochina countries, and the Dali region, and will continue to be used for a long time.
Not just any seashells can be used, most of them come from India and spread through the Southern Silk Road starting from the Qin and Han Dynasties.
The value of shell coins is very low. At least four or five shell coins are worth a penny. However, the economy in the circulation area is relatively primitive and low, so it is enough for use.
But to the Song Dynasty, these shell coins are really no different from garbage. Of course, in the hands of Zhao Mengqi, they might be able to turn waste into treasure, but Qian Long can't think of this now.
Seeing Qian Long's disgust, Shili Hari made a wry smile and said, "It's really shameful that my country is so poor. All these properties are already in the official treasury, and some private individuals have made up part of them. They should be worth one hundred thousand guan. I think it will be enough to compensate for the losses suffered by the country."
Qian Long sneered in his heart, excluding the shell coins that accounted for the majority, the rest were only worth 30,000 to 50,000 coins. Is this all the official treasury of a country? Any wealthy gentry in the Song Dynasty probably had more property than this.
It's not that Champa is really that poor, it's just that the wealth is in the private pockets of the powerful.
It can also be seen from this that Shili Hari's sincerity towards the Song Dynasty was not as full as shown.
Qian Long didn't really worry about it and continued to check the property slowly.
As a result, Shili Hari frowned and became anxious. Is this kid really out of tune, or is he as stable as an old dog?
After observing Qian Long carefully for a while, he still couldn't see any clues. Shili Hari had to change his strategy, "General Qian, if you are not satisfied with the compensation, I will
We can still discuss it, but a certain family is here today and has important business to discuss with General Qian. "
Hey, I can’t hold it in any longer, I still want to play this trick with me...
Qian Long smiled secretly and said calmly, "As for compensation, it just depends on your attitude. It doesn't matter if you have more money or less. I don't lack anything like this. As for business matters, I'm not in a hurry. It's rare for me to be your guest." We have to have a banquet before we arrive, and it won’t be too late to talk about business in the afternoon.”
After hearing this, Shili Hari felt that he had been defeated by an entire army, and he couldn't help but have a headache.
"I also ask for your forgiveness, General Qian. The current situation is tense. If we can settle the business as soon as possible, we can get out of the siege earlier and put the mission out of danger."
Now that he has taken the initiative, Qian Long no longer takes advantage of Qiao, "The Lord is so eager, Qian can only be considerate."
Afterwards, the two went to the back hall, allowing everyone else to retreat for a private conversation.
The two sat across from each other on a tea table. Qian Long made tea by himself, but still had no intention of speaking first.
At this time, Shili Hari had confirmed that the young man opposite him was as powerful as himself, so he could only sigh secretly and take the initiative to open his mouth.
"General Qian, a certain family has almost investigated the Shiva Festival case. It is indeed the eldest prince Mokogui and three priests who jointly worked together..."
"Oh." Qian Long responded lightly.
Shili Hari frowned slightly and continued, "This is a great disrespect to the superior country. A certain family is deeply ashamed and decided to sentence the four masterminds and other related personnel to death to serve as a warning to others."
"Oh?" Qian Long's tone rose, expressing surprise, "Really? That's not only the eldest prince of your country, but also your cousin. Can the Shangqing really kill his relatives with justice? Besides, is there no one else behind the scenes?"
"No matter who you are, you must be responsible for the crimes you commit. Isn't there a saying in the Kingdom of China? A certain family deeply believes that princes who break the law are as guilty as the common people, let alone the heinous crime of murdering the envoys of the Kingdom of China... Of course, It’s not that one family can have the final say on this matter, it still needs the consent of both the king and the chief priest... Well, in addition, judging from the interrogation, there is no question about what other behind-the-scenes instructions are there, but..."
"But what? Could it be that your Majesty still has concerns and dare not tell the truth?" Qian Long raised his eyebrows.
Shili Hari straightened up and said in a solemn tone, "Of course I have concerns, that's all, let's just say it directly. A certain family suspects that the person behind the scenes should be the chief priest and the king."
Qian Long pretended to be confused, "No way, didn't your Majesty come to the rescue with the decree of the high priest? And why did your king set up a trap to murder us?"
"It was because of a certain family's strong request that he obtained the decree. On the surface, he had no legitimate reason to refuse." Shakri Hari looked serious and very frank, "As for the king's motive, it is actually because General Qian, please listen to me in detail about the power struggle in this country..."
