vrcanaries Chapter 464 Peace Talks
Chapter 464 Peace Talks
Chapter 464 Peace Talks
After the banquet, Yongzheng took the sixth prince back to the Qinzheng Hall to discuss peace talks with important officials in the court.
After leaving Jiuzhou Qingyan, Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong walked together. Seeing that the summer heat had subsided a lot, they decided to take a walk to the small island at the back.
Just after taking a few steps, I suddenly heard a clear voice behind me: "Three ladies, please stay."
The three of them turned around and saw Prince Guo walking over quickly. He bowed and said, "My little prince greets the three ladies."
An Lingrong frowned, stepped forward and blocked Zhen Huan behind her, her tone carrying a hint of caution: "Is there something wrong with Prince Guo?"
Prince Guo's gaze passed over her and fell on Zhen Huan, his eyes seemed to contain a thousand words. But Zhen Huan's expression remained unchanged, and she still had a decent smile on her face.
An Lingrong felt a little impatient when she saw Prince Guo taking so long to speak, and her voice became a little louder: "Prince Guo?"
Prince Guo finally came to his senses, took a step back uncomfortably, and whispered, "Just now in the palace, thank you, Empress Wen, for rescuing me."
Zhen Huan smiled faintly, her tone calm: "Your Highness is too polite. If there is nothing else, we will leave first."
Upon seeing this, Prince Guo hurriedly stepped forward and said with a hint of pleading: "Your Majesty, I have something to say to the Imperial Concubine alone."
Hearing this, An Lingrong subconsciously looked around.
Although there were only a few of them and their personal maids present at the time, Yongzheng's spies were everywhere, and any carelessness might lead to unnecessary trouble.
Her tone suddenly hardened a bit: "Walls have ears, Your Majesty, please be careful with your words."
Zhen Huan stepped forward and said, "Prince Guo, the three of us are of one mind. If you have anything to say, just talk here."
Prince Guo hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke: "Yu Yin has been busy these days, and I've been to Yanming Pass. The affairs of Prince Guo's mansion have been left unattended and are in disarray. I hope the Imperial Concubine can persuade Yu Yin to return to the mansion to take charge of the situation."
"Why do you want to persuade her?"
Before Zhen Huan could speak, An Lingrong had already taken the lead, her tone full of sarcasm, "Why? You can't fulfill your responsibilities as a husband, but you want her to bear the responsibilities of a wife? Prince Guo, aren't you too hypocritical?"
Prince Guo didn't expect An Lingrong to accuse him so bluntly. His face flushed red and he stammered, "I...I didn't mean that."
"Then what do you mean?"
An Lingrong pressed forward step by step.
Prince Guo was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
Seeing this, Shen Meizhuang gently pulled An Lingrong's sleeve.
An Lingrong calmed down a little, but the dissatisfaction in her eyes still remained.
She knew that Prince Guo was a simple man. If he was good to someone, he would give his all; but for those who were not in his heart, he would completely ignore them. No matter how much the other person gave, it would not warm his heart.
In recent days, An Lingrong has become increasingly dissatisfied with Prince Guo's actions, fearing that he would do something out of line and implicate Zhen Huan and them.
Zhen Huan saw that the atmosphere was somewhat tense, so she spoke softly, "Prince Guo, Yu Yin has indeed been very busy lately, but she's busy with important matters. As her husband, you should be more considerate of her. Isn't Concubine Xian still responsible for the affairs of the mansion?"
Prince Guo lowered his head, his voice filled with helplessness: "She is weak and can't do it..."
An Lingrong sneered and interrupted him, "Since she's frail, she can be a noble lady enjoying flowers and drinking tea, leisurely and carefree all day long. Meanwhile, since Yu Yin is strong, she should be taking care of the chores of the inner chambers for you, keeping herself busy and unable to do even what she wants to do. Yu Yin is truly unlucky. One day I'll ask Wei Lin to prescribe some harmful medicine for her. Perhaps I'll earn a little sympathy from you, right?"
Prince Guo's face turned pale and blue at her words, his lips trembling slightly. He seemed to want to explain, but he couldn't find the words. He could only lower his head, avoiding An Lingrong's aggressive gaze, and defended himself weakly, "My little prince... My little prince didn't mean that..."
"That's not what I meant?" An Lingrong's sneer widened, a hint of sarcasm flashing in her eyes. "Then what do you mean? Yu Yin manages your household chores and runs the family estate, yet you've never appreciated her hard work. Instead, you take it for granted. Now you're feeling sorry for someone else, Prince Guo. Your biased nature is truly evident!"
Fine beads of sweat oozed from Prince Guo's forehead, and he whispered, "My little prince... My little prince knows his mistake."
An Lingrong was unyielding: "Who am I? Why are you admitting your mistake to me? Tsk~"
After saying that, he took Shen Meizhuang for a few steps, then turned back and said, "Prince Guo, I will give you four more words: be careful with your words and actions. I hope you will keep them in mind. I can't always help you out."
Although the two of them left Zhen Huan there, they did not dare to go far and only stayed a few feet away.
In just a quarter of an hour, Zhen Huan returned to them.
The three continued walking.
An Lingrong looked at Zhen Huan's face and saw that she was not in any doubt before she said, "Sister Zhen, it was my idea that Yu Yin go to the clinic. Now that Prince Guo is unwilling, I have been a little harsh in my words. Please don't mind it."
Zhen Huan looked at her without saying a word, holding her hand and continuing to walk forward.
The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the lake, rippling the waves and reflecting their figures. The willow branches by the lake swayed gently in the breeze, their reflections in the water intertwined with their figures, forming a quiet and beautiful picture.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhen Huan softly said, "Rong'er, thank you!"
"Sister Zhen, you're welcome."
The breeze blew gently along the lakeside, bringing with it a faint scent of flowers. In the distance, a few birds chirped, clear and melodious, adding a bit of vitality to the quiet evening.
The peace talks of the previous dynasty were progressing quite difficult. Yongzheng proposed to provide the Junggar army with prescriptions for treating epidemics and a large amount of medicinal materials to show the sincerity of the Qing Dynasty.
However, Celeng refused to give in and insisted on demanding that the Qing Dynasty reward him with three million taels of silver every year as a condition for peace talks.
The two sides went back and forth, and after several rounds of intense negotiations, they were still unable to reach an agreement, and the two sides were once deadlocked.
A few days later, news came from the border that General Yue Zhongqi led an elite team and raided the Junggar's food camp at night, burning all their food and grass. The Junggar army was immediately thrown into chaos.
Upon learning of this, Ce Ling's face turned pale. With their food supplies destroyed, the army was struggling to maintain its strength. If the stalemate continued, even self-preservation would be a problem. After careful consideration, he had no choice but to abandon his hardline stance and agree to resume peace talks with the Qing.
This time, Ce Ling's attitude softened considerably. After some negotiations, an agreement was finally reached. The two sides redefined the border, clarified their respective territorial boundaries, and agreed to regularly hold trade fairs in Gansu to promote border trade and exchanges in people's livelihoods.
But both sides understood that this was only a temporary measure, and that there would be a life-and-death battle between Junggar and the Qing Dynasty sooner or later.