In Handan City, in Pingyuan Jun's mansion, on a small table in the backyard pavilion, a small red clay stove was slowly burning with blue flames, and clear spring water was bubbling in the small cauldron.
Mr. Pingyuan, who was sitting with his back to the beautiful scenery, seemed unaware. He scooped up half a ladle of water from the bowl beside him and slowly poured it into the small cauldron of boiling water.
"Jun Pingyuan." Just when the spring in the cauldron died down, a boy dressed as a servant appeared in front of Mr. Pingyuan.
"The guests have arrived." The waiter clasped his hands and bowed slightly, then stepped aside, and a man in a gorgeous robe appeared in front of Mr. Pingyuan.
Lord Pingyuan looked up and saw who he was if he wasn't Lord Xinling of Wei State!
"Mr. Pingyuan is so elegant!" Mr. Xinling looked at Mr. Pingyuan and smiled, then stepped forward to greet him and said, "Hot tea with beautiful scenery, the weather is cool and it's autumn!"
Hearing this, Lord Pingyuan also looked at Lord Xinling with a smile and said, "Even with all kinds of amorous feelings, they are not enough to be friends."
Without waiting for Lord Xinling's reaction, Lord Pingyuan immediately straightened up, bowed to Lord Xinling, and said, "Your Majesty, please take a seat."
Lord Xinling did not show up. After bowing slightly in return, he sat down opposite Lord Pingyuan.
When Lord Xinling took his seat, he realized that the place where he was sitting was the best place to view the scenery of the backyard pond, and what was placed in front of Lord Xinling was an empty, dry cup.
Obviously, this is a gesture of hospitality!
After contacting the concierge and handing over the name card, he was taken to the pavilion in the backyard, which deepened Lord Xinling's suspicion.
However, he abandoned most of the envoy and came all the way without contact with anyone except General Lian Po. How could Lord Pingyuan know that he was coming?
In the midst of surprise, the spring water beside him began to boil again.
Mr. Pingyuan calmly picked up the white silk beside him, held the handle of the small tripod, and then tilted his arm slightly. The clear spring water instantly fell like a waterfall, steaming and falling onto the teapot on the table.
The warm spring water dispersed the crumpled tea leaves in the teapot almost instantly.
While tumbling up and down, the shriveled tea leaves absorbed the taste of the spring water and stretched lazily, and wisps of spring-colored greenery immediately bloomed completely in that square inch.
Lord Xinling, who was still in shock and doubt, could not help but be attracted by this scene.
"My king ordered people to develop a new method of drinking tea." Lord Pingyuan looked at Lord Xinling and said with a smile: "It is much simpler than before." (There was already a saying about drinking tea in the Warring States Period. But I’m not very clear on how to soak it, so don’t worry about it.)
"This is the principle of simplicity." Lord Xinling sighed: "In the autumn, there are colors of spring and summer, how interesting it is!"
"The fun comes second." Mr. Pingyuan continued to smile. Seeing that the water in the pot was eighty percent full, Mr. Pingyuan immediately put the small cauldron back on the stove, added spring water to the small cauldron, and then picked up the teapot. After pouring a cup for Mr. Xinling, he continued: "This tea is the most enlightening, you must try it."
If the greeting just now was still a process of hello, me, hello, everyone, Mr. Pingyuan's words clearly meant something.
Bright-hearted and bright-eyed?
Between the eyes of the mind, that is what people see. Mr. Pingyuan's words are obviously asking Mr. Xinling to open his eyes and see the situation clearly!
What's the situation?
The situation of Zhao Qin fighting? The situation of the Wei-Zhao alliance? Or is it a situation where Zhao is strong and Wei is weak?
"Oh?" Lord Xinling was shocked again when he heard this. He immediately picked up the tea cup in front of him with both hands and said, "That's a must-try."
As he spoke, he blew the surface of the tea slightly. After the hot air dissipated slightly, Lord Xinling immediately covered his face with his sleeves and brought the tea cup to his lips. As his lips and teeth opened and closed, the tea slowly slid down his mouth and tongue, and a faint fragrance The bitterness instantly filled the mouth.
Frowning slightly, the slightly hot tea slid down his throat and into his stomach.
Immediately afterwards, the bitterness in the mouth disappeared almost instantly, and there was a sweetness
It exploded in the mouth along the tongue coating, and a unique breath from spring flowed down the nose and reached the top of the skull.
"Huh!" Mr. Xinling exhaled a long breath after feeling all the taste. I don't know whether the tea is really effective or it is a psychological effect. After drinking a cup of tea, Mr. Xinling actually felt relaxed and happy, and he was running around all day long. My fatigue has improved a lot.
"This is truly a divine drink." Lord Xinling sighed with emotion.
Of course, although tea is delicious, it cannot be regarded as a "god".
Of course, there are other things that are "gods", such as the land of Zhou Wangji that Lord Xinling wanted here.
"It's just some leaves, if you like it." Mr. Pingyuan said with a big wave of his hand, "It doesn't matter if I give you a few kilograms."
Lord Pingyuan knew the purpose of Lord Xinling's visit, but he could only pretend not to know.
Although Lord Xinling cannot be allowed to know that he already knows the specific purpose of his visit, everyone knows the general thoughts of Lord Xinling's visit without asking.
Therefore, Mr. Pingyuan used the word "gift" to clearly explain the relationship between host and guest.
In the pavilion, Lord Pingyuan is the master and Lord Xinling is the guest. Lord Pingyuan can give Lord Xinling good tea, but Lord Xinling cannot ask for it from Lord Pingyuan;
In today's world, the State of Zhao is the master and the State of Wei is the guest. The State of Zhao can give some soup and water to the State of Wei, but the State of Wei cannot ask for it.
This is etiquette and reason, and it is the status that hundreds of thousands of Zhao Kingdom's armored men strive for.
This is "the guest does as he pleases"!
In a word: What I give to you is yours. If I don’t give it to you, you can’t take it away!
"Your Majesty can cut off love." Lord Xinling also smiled, but then his face froze slightly, but he shook his head and said: "Forget it! If you are used to drinking this magical drink, it is Tianshan honey water, so what It can enter the throat."
At this point, Lord Xinling obviously understood that from the moment he stepped into Lord Pingyuan's residence, or even from the moment he set out from Daliang, Zhao Guo had already guessed that he was here to get benefits.
"It's a pity that Zhao Guo has underestimated my king's appetite." Lord Xinling couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.
Obviously, Lord Xinling also understood the meaning of the word "gift" - it's not impossible to want benefits, but don't think about the lion opening his mouth, giving you a mouthful of soup, and then that's it.
This is of course very different from the task assigned by the King of Wei. The State of Wei must not only eat meat, but also the fattest piece!
And as this word appeared, Lord Xinling also knew that it might not be so easy to achieve his goal during this trip.
In other words, from the beginning, Lord Xinling knew that the matter was not as simple as King Wei imagined.
However, there is no turning back when the bow is fired. Even if he knows that the road ahead is bleak, Lord Xinling can only keep his head down and move forward.
Now that Zhao Guo has set a price, Lord Xinling will naturally ask for a price in return.
After saying that, Lord Xinling did not forget to look at Lord Pingyuan, and said slowly and seriously: "I drink it every day, even if I drink a few kilograms, it is not enough!"
The meaning of this statement is also very simple and clear: Wei Guo doesn’t have enough soup, so he needs to eat meat! And it needs to be the kind that can produce meat.
Lord Xinling has almost put his demand for land on the table.
Mr. Pingyuan looked at Mr. Xinling deeply. He was the only one who could be so strong. Mr. Xinling. The good thing is that the two of them have always been aggressive. Although both sides understand what the other person means, it is still just a confrontation and they have not broken their faces yet.
Naturally, Mr. Pingyuan, who had already received Zhao Kuo's request, would not quarrel with him. However, in order to finally get the land in Dongjun, Mr. Pingyuan had to continue to "lower the price."
Immediately, Pingyuan Jun said with a smile: "What's the problem? Just ask your sister to send someone to send you off every year. As long as Zhao and Wei work together to fight against the Qin Dynasty, there will be no shortage of your drink."
Obviously, Mr. Pingyuan still refers to his country as a family.
Zhao and Wei were like relatives, and the tea could naturally be money, silk, or grain. It was just the word "send", but it blocked Lord Xinling's desire for land.
Not only that, Lord Pingyuan also set two rules for Lord Xinling:
Zhao and Wei cooperate with each other. Those who cooperate are the help of cooperation. Who cooperates with whom? It must be the State of Zhao cooperating with the State of Wei. Zhao is still the leader and Wei is the second. In other words, Wei State, you must be obedient.
The meaning of resisting Qin is even clearer. There is only one purpose for giving you benefits, and that is to resist Qin.
It should be said that Mr. Pingyuan's two rules seem a bit strong, but in fact they are not strict.
Article 1: Zhao dominates Wei, and based on the national strength of Zhao and Wei alone, even if Wei wants to dominate, it cannot withstand Qin!
As for the second item, not to mention uniting Zhao to resist Qin, these are basic requirements. You can't only benefit from Zhao here, and then turn around and ogle Qin.
Mr. Pingyuan is naturally able to accept such a request. But the price offered by Zhao Guo was not something he could accept. Tea was not what he wanted. Tea trees and the land where tea trees were grown were what Lord Xinling and King Wei wanted.
Immediately, Lord Xinling responded: "Sister, of course, I feel sorry for me, and I will always be my sister."
These words are equivalent to acknowledging the two conditions put forward by Pingyuan Jun.
But then, the conversation changed, and Lord Xinling continued: "But I am an adult after all, and it is always not good to have to rely on my sister to do everything. When you grow up, you will get married; if you get married, you will start a career."
After saying that, Lord Xinling looked at Lord Pingyuan again.
Lord Xinling's words could no longer be regarded as tactful, they were almost a naked expression of his intention.
What is the most important thing in "starting a family and establishing a business" is nothing more than land!
After hearing this, Mr. Pingyuan naturally knew that he could no longer act stupid.
However, Mr. Pingyuan still did not respond directly. He just sighed lightly, then looked at the boiling small cauldron, and added a ladle of cold spring into the small cauldron. Seeing that the boiling water gradually subsided, Mr. Pingyuan raised his head again. Got his head up.
"I'm getting old." Lord Pingyuan looked at Lord Xinling across from him and continued, "Although I know that raising the pot to stop the boiling water will not help, I can only leave it to you and other young people to draw out the fuel from the cauldron."
Lord Pingyuan also understood what he meant. He could only help so much. If he wanted more, he could only rely on Lord Xinling himself.
Of course Lord Xinling also knew what Lord Pingyuan meant, and of course he also knew that it was impossible to get the salary from the bottom of the cauldron with nothing.
Immediately, Lord Xinling took a pair of fire tongs from the table, handed it to Lord Pingyuan with both hands, and said solemnly: "If you use a million grains of grain as tongs, can you extract wood firewood?"
Obviously, Lord Xinling has already reached a semi-showdown - Wei is willing to exchange millions of dans of grain and grass for Zhao's land. Although they didn't explicitly say how much land they wanted, the two of them already had a tacit understanding.
"Hahaha..." Lord Pingyuan laughed out loud when he heard this. He wanted to exchange millions of tons of grain for the land of King Zhou. Lord Pingyuan could only say that King Wei was out of his mind.
Of course, Mr. Pingyuan was not in a position to directly deny it, and immediately continued: "Grain and fodder are also wood. How can it be used as a tongs? Putting grain into the bottom of the cauldron to draw out the fuel is the same as adding fuel to the bottom of the cauldron."
After hearing this, Lord Xinling seemed to have thought of something, but Lord Pingyuan was ready to end the conversation. After all, if he continued, Zhao Guo's trump card might be revealed.
"Okay, after drinking so much tea, I feel empty in my stomach. Your sister has prepared a meal. Let's go quickly! Your sister has been looking forward to you for a long time." As he said, he didn't care about returning anything. The stunned Lord Xinling stood up and was about to drag Lord Xinling to the back hall to eat.
Seeing this, Lord Xinling had no choice but to stand up. After all, sister, he hasn’t been seen for a long time.
However, Lord Xinling still had a question in his mind. Before seeing his sister, Lord Xinling immediately asked Lord Pingyuan again...
