A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 530: The war is coming, Emperor Jing is undecided again

"Father, what happened?"

In the evening, Yuan Xin, the instructor of the imperial guards of Jingsong State, returned to the mansion in high spirits, carrying a bird cage. When passing by the garden, he saw his father Yuan Lin sighing and wandering back and forth under the pavilion from afar, so he hurried forward and asked with concern.

"Western Yue Kingdom has sent another letter, asking me to persuade the emperor to take the initiative to negotiate peace with Western Yue." Yuan Lin saw his son first looking around vigilantly, and then sighed in a low voice.

"What? Jing Song is letting the two countries take the initiative to negotiate peace before the war has even started? Isn't this a sincere humiliation to Jing Song? Now all the civil and military officials in the court are in favor of a war with Xiyue. Father, please don't be confused at this critical juncture!" Even Yuan Xin, who had always been idle, was shocked when he heard this, and then whispered in his father's ear to persuade him.

Yuan Lin frowned and glanced at his son. Heavy sighs escaped from his throat again and again, and he remained silent after that.

How could he not know that if he suggested to the emperor to negotiate peace with Xiyue under the current situation, it would surely arouse the indignation of the whole court. However, the Xiyue Kingdom had irrefutable evidence that he had accepted bribes and sold out his country for personal gain, and they were using this to threaten him. He was really in a dilemma!

The imperial palace in spring is beautiful, with red walls and yellow tiles hidden in the shade of flowers and green trees, colorful glazed tiles, and flying eaves and brackets, showing the majesty of the royal family. In the imperial garden, clusters of flowers compete with each other for beauty, attracting butterflies and bees to fly, rockery with rugged rocks, proud pines and cypresses, and pavilions and towers scattered over the green water, with carved beams and painted buildings, just like a beautiful painting.

In the green-tiled pavilion on the rockery, Duke Liangying of Jingdi looked down at the imperial garden below with a sad face. He slowly put down his brush. The Prime Minister Yuanlin, who had been waiting for a long time, walked forward quickly. When he saw the painting that the emperor had just finished, he immediately smiled flatteringly and praised:

"Your Majesty's paintings are truly divine and natural. The imperial garden you painted is so lifelike that even the goldfish in the lake seem to be about to jump out of the painting!"

"The jade buildings are adorned with fragrance...ah!" If it were in the past, Emperor Jing would have been delighted by the flattery of the Prime Minister, but today he couldn't even calm down and appreciate the beauty of the garden. He turned a deaf ear to Yuan Lin's words and just looked outside the palace wall with a sad face and sighed.

"Is Your Majesty worried about the war with the West Moon Kingdom?" Yuan Lin rolled his eyes and hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice.

"The war has not started yet, but I can't sleep or eat well every day because of it!" Emperor Jing stroked his sparse yellow beard with a few striking silver-white strands on his chest, nodded and sighed.

"Alas, this should be the busy farming season, but the people along the border have all left their homes and fled. The fields are abandoned, and there will definitely be no harvest in the autumn. I'm afraid there will be another famine at the end of the year!" Yuan Lin also sighed in worry, following the emperor's wishes.

"How can the Xiyue Kingdom be so ambitious? Can't the countries coexist peacefully?" After hearing the prime minister's words, Emperor Jing felt a splitting headache. He raised his hand to support his forehead, staggered to the window and sat down.

Once Jingsong goes to war with Xiyue, no one can predict what the situation will be like by the end of the year. If it is just a famine, it can still be remedied, but I am afraid that by then, there will be internal and external troubles, and the whole country will be in chaos! He, Gong Liangying, has been in power for decades and knows that he has been mediocre and has never made any achievements. If he wants to let Jingsong fall into a precarious situation again, how can he face the ancestors of the Gongliang family?

Yuan Lin rushed forward to support him, and said with concern: "Your Majesty, your body is worth a million gold, please take good care of yourself!" Seeing that Emperor Jing was still trembling with fear, he thought it was a good opportunity, so he continued: "I dare to ask, does Your Majesty want Jingsong and Xiyue to make peace or fight?"

"My dear minister! It's too late to say this now. Even if I don't want to fight, the situation is urgent now. The Xiyue Kingdom is so ambitious that they will definitely not give up easily!" Emperor Jing's expression darkened, and then he chuckled bitterly, shaking his head slowly and sighing.

"Your Majesty, I have a plan. You may as well select an eloquent envoy to go to the West Moon Kingdom to negotiate. If you can persuade the West Moon Emperor to stop the war, and promote peace between the two countries, we can turn hostility into friendship..."

"The two countries are negotiating peace? Lord Prime Minister, are you asking us, Jing Song, to lower ourselves and take the initiative to ask for peace from Xiyue Kingdom?" Before Yuan Lin could finish, an indignant voice suddenly came from outside. Soon, the handsome and gentle Prince Zhao strode in hurriedly, and in a few steps he stood in front of Emperor Jing, respectfully bowing and saying, "Your Highness, your son is here to pay his respects!"

"Sixth son, you are finally back. Did you gain anything from this trip to Yuhai Kingdom?" Emperor Jing was overjoyed to see his sixth son, whom he now relied on the most. He hurriedly stood up, helped him up, and asked with some anticipation.

Yuan Lin was surprised to see King Zhao coming, and his heart sank. He did not dare to speak again and just waited cautiously by the side.

"Don't worry, father. The Lord of Yuhai has personally promised to lend a helping hand to Jingsong! In addition, I have already communicated with Marquis Qi of Xuanmeng, and Xuanmeng is also willing to join forces with Jingsong to fight against Xiyue!" Gong Liangzhao said with certainty, and glanced with contempt at the prime minister who was lowering his head and dared not say another word.

"That's good! That's good!" Emperor Jing couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief, and a bit of joy appeared on his face, but he soon frowned in worry, turned his head to look at Yuan Lin, thought again and again, and continued: "Why don't we split our troops into two groups, secretly form an alliance with other countries, and send envoys to Xiyue to negotiate. Although we don't expect the ambitious Xiyue to withdraw easily, wouldn't it be better if we can temporarily stabilize Yan Qiao and buy us more time?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" As soon as Emperor Jing finished speaking, Yuan Lin was so happy that he couldn't help but agree. As long as Jing Song was willing to send an envoy to Xiyue Kingdom, his mission would be reasonably completed. As for whether the envoy's performance satisfied Xiyue, it was not his responsibility.

Hearing his father say this, Gong Liangzhao could not find a reason to refute for a moment. Even though he knew that his father kept saying that he sent someone to Xiyue to delay time, he was actually looking for an excuse for his indecision. But now that the prince was away, Gong Liangzhao had finally got his current position. He knew that he could not impulsively disobey the emperor's will and make his father unhappy and fall out of favor again.

Gong Liangzhao nodded slightly, suppressed his inner dissatisfaction, and bowed, saying: "Father is a man of foresight, and I will do my best to form an alliance with other countries. However, the selection of the envoy to Xiyue is of great importance and needs careful consideration."

"My dear Yuan, who do you think should be sent as an envoy?" Emperor Jing pondered for a moment and then turned to Yuan Lin and asked.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Rites Park Yi is a smart and eloquent person. I think he is the best choice for this mission to Xiyue." Yuan Lin's heart tightened, but he remained calm. After a little thought, he replied.

Gong Liangzhao sneered in his heart when he heard this. Yuan Lin was really cunning. Knowing that Park Yi was the prince's confidant, he actually passed this hot potato to the prince.

"Well, it would be appropriate to send the Minister of Rites." Emperor Jing nodded with satisfaction, then turned to his son and asked, "Sixth Brother, what do you think?"

"Minister Park has been in the Ministry of Rites for many years and is indeed quite talented. However, this matter is of great importance. I suggest that Lord Qi Guang go with us to ensure smooth negotiations."

Yuan Lin couldn't help but feel secretly resentful when he heard this. He had finally managed to pass this difficult task to the prince, but he didn't expect King Zhao to drag his people into it.

"Okay, let's do it!" Without waiting for Yuan Lin to say anything more, Emperor Jing had already spoken and decided the matter.