King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 640 The whole room burst into laughter
Sitting south and facing north is the position of ministers and losers.

The Junggar people did not agree with these two identities, so they questioned the positions and expressed their attitude to the officials present.

The officials present were from the Ministry of Rites. They had anticipated this outcome before arranging the seats, so they asked their superiors in advance for instructions on how to deal with the situation.

In response to the Dzungar people's request, the officials from the Ministry of Rites present said very warmly that the door of the venue was open and everyone could come and go freely.

In the end, the Dzungars still stayed, but they all looked unhappy.

On the Ming side, there were five people participating in the negotiations. In addition to Zhu Jinghong, the finale figure, there were also Wang Xiu, the Vice Minister of War, and Liu Zhixian, the Vice Minister of Rites.

The remaining two are Hou Xiaokang, the Left General of the Front Military Governor's Office, and Liu Fang, the Left General of the Right Military Governor's Office. The latter also serves as the Deputy Governor-General of the Northwest Rebellion Suppression Office.

Zhu Jinghong was the last to arrive. The four who arrived first all went to the military camp gate to greet him, and the deputy captains and above of the Yulin Zuowei also came to greet him.

When Zhu Jinghong got off the sedan chair, he saw a large group of people bowing to him. He humbly gestured to everyone to please don't bow.

"General Hou, have all the Junggars arrived?"

Although Hou Xiaokang was nearly sixty years old, he still had a lot of energy and answered: "Your Highness, they arrived half an hour ago. We arranged for them to sit on the south side. These people are still very unconvinced. It seems that today's negotiations will not go smoothly!"

While Hou Xiaokang was speaking, Liu Fang also came over. This veteran general who had been on many battlefields was once a subordinate of Zhu Jinghong.

"Your Highness, whether we can succeed in today's negotiations depends on whether you can show your power again!" Liu Fang complimented.

Zhu Jinghong smiled, pointed at Wang Xiu and Liu Zhixian, and said, "You all know that I am good at wielding swords and guns, but I am far from being good at talking to people. I will have to rely on the two gentlemen Wang and Liu for the negotiations later!"

Zhu Jinghong's words actually have the meaning of insulting others. After all, Wang and Liu are well-read, so how can they say that the other person is good at talking?

The two people who were called knew Zhu Jinghong's character and had no intention of arguing with him at this time, so they simply ignored his words.

Then, the Minister of War Wang Xiu said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has ordered you to preside over the deliberations. You will have to take charge later..."

"I was ordered to preside over the meeting, but I was not asked to come in person to discuss the matter. Don't get me confused, the two of you!"

"It is said that courtesy comes before force. My father ordered you two to come here, and this must be his intention. So Lord Liu will speak first!"

Zhu Jinghong's words seemed to be fallacious, but upon closer thought, they made some sense, so Wang and Liu could not refute them.

But negotiations are a matter of great importance. If they go wrong, they may be punished, or at least the emperor will think they are incompetent. So Wang and Liu do not want to be used as a tool by Zhu Jinghong.

Seeing that the two of them were silent, Zhu Jinghong smiled and said, "The emperor ordered me to preside over the discussion. If we can't work together, and instead we have an internal conflict before the discussion, I think it's better not to discuss it!"

Obviously this was to force Wang and Liu, and this method was very effective.

Zhu Jinghong could do nothing but throw the jar into the ground, and he was really capable of doing such a thing, after all, the emperor favored him too much.

That’s right. Two days ago, Zhu Jinghong caused a big disturbance in the Censorate. Although he had been reprimanded and fined, in the eyes of the officials, he was still favored by the emperor.

Seeing that the situation was a bit stalemate, Liu Fang said: "I say, you two are from the right family and have your own strategies. Now is the time to display them!"

Liu Fang was already at the level of a governor, the highest level of military officer rank. His rank was one level higher than Wang and Liu, so he was certainly more than qualified to be a peacemaker.

With his help, Wang and Liu finally gave in and expressed their willingness to follow Zhu Jinghong's arrangements.

Thus, the little episode at the camp gate ended, and they continued to move forward.

The Yulin Left Guard was one of the Four Northern Guards and had previously participated in battles in the northwest. It was led by Zhu Jinghong himself and was rotated back to Beijing from the northwest last year.

Zhu Jinghong was well aware of how high his prestige was here and that this might cause some intense scenes, which would make the emperor even more suspicious of him if he found out.

Therefore, when he met the military generals of the garrison, Zhu Jinghong asked them to return to their posts immediately and strictly prohibited his subordinates from leaving their posts without permission.

Fortunately, Zhu Jinghong made proper arrangements and he was able to arrive at the meeting venue safely.

There were nine people in the Dzungar delegation, but only five of them were Dzungars, and the rest were Kazakhs, Rakshasas and some people from northern tribes.

There were five chairs on the Ming side. The seat in the middle was of course Zhu Jinghong, with Liu Fang and Hou Xiaokang on his left and right, and Wang Xiu and Liu Zhixian on his left and right.

With the arrival of Zhu Jinghong, the expressions of several Junggar people could be seen to change slightly. It was obvious that they were still in fear of Zhu Jinghong.

After everyone sat down, Zhu Jinghong wanted to take off the Yishan crown he was wearing, but he stopped because he thought this action was too sensitive.

"let's start!"

Zhu Jinghong's casual remark disrupted the ceremony prepared by the Ministry of Rites, but he was the boss here so naturally he had the final say.

At the beginning of the meeting, according to convention, the host spoke first, and then Liu Zhixian, the Minister of Rites, explained the attitude of the Ming Dynasty.

The king's teachings, the emperor's grace, the people's support...

Liu Zhixian said a lot, but in fact he only meant one thing, which was to urge Junggar to kneel down and become a dog.

Then the Dzungars spoke. They first talked about the grievances they had suffered over the years, then pointed out the damage that the development had caused to both countries, and finally said that they were willing to restore everything to the way it was before.

At this point, both sides initially did not see eye to eye.

Afterwards, Wang Xiu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, began to explain the pros and cons, emphasizing the advantages of the Ming Dynasty and the disadvantages of the Dzungars, and advised them to turn back as soon as possible.

Zhu Jinghong said nothing during the whole process, just listened quietly and drank tea.

He had to admit that Wang and Liu were indeed capable. Not only did they have a clear understanding of the situation in the Northwest, but they also spoke with reason and logic, making it difficult for people to refute them logically.

Unfortunately, things are often illogical. For example, the Dzungars were not convinced, and their bottom line was to return to the original situation.

Therefore, facing the Ming Dynasty's unyielding attitude, the head minister of the Junggar delegation, the current deputy minister Shili Xian, said angrily: "We are willing to withdraw our troops, and Hami is willing to cede, but you are still aggressive. Do you really think we are afraid of you?"

At this point, the tolerance of both sides seemed to have run out.

"You are indeed traitors. Now the emperor is magnanimous. As long as you surrender with courtesy, you will still retain your title of nobility..."

Before Wang Xiu finished speaking, he heard Shi Liting angrily say: "I have hundreds of thousands of Junggar soldiers. Now the morale of the army is high, and with the support of the powerful Luosha army, we have the power to sweep across the world..."

"My Lord feels that God has a benevolent heart, and remembers that our two countries were once brothers, and does not want to start a war that would cause loss of life, so he sent us to Beijing to discuss peace..."

"But you have no sense of etiquette and treat our Junggar as nothing. This is really too much. Aren't you afraid of attracting our army to invade?"

Shi Liting continued to speak, while Zhu Jinghong turned to Hou Xiaokang and asked in a low voice: "Is he threatening us?"

"Your Highness, they are too arrogant!" Hou Xiaokang replied.

Zhu Jinghong then turned to the other side and asked Xiang Liufang, "Are they really that strong?"

Liu Fang has been commanding operations in the northwest and has the deepest understanding of the situation on the front line. Of course, he knows what is going on.

Liu Fang replied: "As far as I know, they don't have any strong troops, otherwise we would have been pushed out of Turpan!" "I have hundreds of thousands of strong soldiers, ready to fight at any time. If the peace talks fail today, our army will definitely launch a thundering attack..."

Thunder strike? Do they know what they are talking about? Zhu Jinghong complained in his heart.

Liu Fang and Hou Xiaokang only thought that the deputy prime minister was very cute, as if he did not know the real situation on the front line.

"When we defeat your army and break through Yumen, occupy Shaanxi and Gansu, and threaten the capital, it will be too late for you to regret..."

Hearing this, not only Zhu Jinghong couldn't help laughing, but Liu Fang and Hou Xiaokang also broke down and laughed out loud.

Zhu Jinghong was a little better. He just smiled and even wanted to hear what Shili Ting had to say next.

He has encountered too many troubles these two days, and it is not easy to make him laugh. From this perspective, Shili Ting is a talented person.

"What are you laughing at?" Shliting couldn't help but slap the table.

His serious look of anger made Zhu Jinghong laugh out loud, and also made Wang Xiu and Liu Zhixian on his left and right laugh.

Zhu Jinghong suppressed his smile and said, "You...you...are very courageous!"

"How about this... since we can't come to an agreement, let's just stop here today!"

"Or you guys continue talking, I'll take my leave now!"

With a smile on his face, Zhu Jinghong stood up and left. Then Liu Fang and the other two also stood up, still laughing as they left.

Although Wang Xiu also felt that the talks had failed, he still asked, "Everyone, do you really want to go your own way?"

Shi Liting did not reply. He realized that he had been a little impulsive just now and did not fully explain his own strength.

That’s right, Shili Ting really believed that with the reinforcements from the Rakshasa Kingdom, he would not be at a disadvantage against the Ming Dynasty.

Shliting did not express his opinion. Today he did not perform well, so he thought he could take a break, go back and think about it before continuing the conversation.

This peace talk was not without benefits for them. For example, they also tested some of the Ming Dynasty's bottom line, allowing them to readjust their strategy.

The peace talks did not end immediately. The two sides continued to haggle for a while before finally parting ways on procedural grounds.

In fact, this situation is not uncommon. It is not uncommon to negotiate two, three or even more times.

As for Zhu Jinghong, he did not enter the palace after leaving, but took a walk with the two governors, discussing their views on the peace talks.

The three of them were silent just now. They were all observing and thinking carefully. This was the division of labor decided beforehand.

Even after leaving, Liu Fang and Hou Xiaokang were still smiling, and it was clear that they had not yet gotten over what had just happened.

In fact, these two highest-ranking generals usually have a serious image, and it is rare to see them like this today.

Back to the topic, after the three exchanged opinions, they all agreed with Zhu Jinghong's judgment that the Dzungars did not want to negotiate peace, but wanted to temporarily seek a respite.

The so-called return to the past is nothing but a smoke screen. After the next few rounds of peace talks, these people may change their minds and cede Hami and the eastern part of Turpan, eventually leading to a cessation of hostilities and peace between the two sides.

In fact, Zhu Jinghong had selfish motives in advocating this conclusion.

After all, only the Dzungars are restless and only the northwest always shows signs of instability, so he himself has greater value in utilization.

"I want to go to the palace to meet you, both of you..."

Hou Xiaokang quickly replied, "Your Highness, the Emperor has ordered you to preside over the meeting. Just go and see you!"

Yesterday, the emperor summoned the imperial guards and senior generals in the Beijing camp and excluded these senior generals. Although Liu Fang and the others did not know the details, they could guess something based on what had happened in recent days.

They knew very well that the scene of the emperor and Zhu Jinghong meeting was very dangerous for outsiders like them, so they naturally tried to avoid it if possible.

Wang Xiu and the other two also understood this principle, so when they appeared, they expressed the same meaning as Liu Fang and the other two.

Hence, Zhu Jinghong was able to go to see the emperor alone.

Zhu Jinghong had a solemn look on his face in the sedan chair. He didn't know whether he had done his job well, so the upcoming audience made him uneasy!
He had had the same experience before, and had gotten into worse trouble several times, but he had never been so uneasy.

The reason is that the mentality has changed... I can’t play the pig and eat the tiger anymore.

He must rebuild his image, reduce his threat, and reassure the old man... This was the question Zhu Jinghong began to ponder last night.

After all, the emperor came to power through the "Xuanwu Gate Succession" and he had led his armies to conquer everywhere, so his prestige was unparalleled.

Zhu Jinghong's so-called power was only compared with that of the crown prince and the sixth prince, but was far inferior to that of the emperor.

Therefore, he must maintain a good relationship with the emperor, and taking measures like the Xuanwu Gate Movement is something he can only consider when he is in desperate situation.

Besides, what I think should be correct. I am the best choice for the old man. He should be afraid of me and value me...

These messy thoughts kept running through Zhu Jinghong's mind. Since they both made him worried and relieved him, he was in a state of repeated struggle.

Back in the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Xianming had finished reading the memorials from the morning and was now sitting behind the desk in the warm room on the west side.

In front of him, two young eunuchs unfolded a painting that depicted a hunting scene in early spring.

In the scroll, Zhu Xianming is sitting on a tiger's head, holding an orange peeled by Zhu Jinghong, and looking at the lion carried by the guards in the distance with the latter.

Although Zhu Xianming was looking at the painting, he was thinking about what happened that day, which still made him feel happy.

But when he thought about what happened in the past two days, his good mood became sour.

Zhu Jinghong had a hard time these past two days, and Zhu Xianming was also unhappy.

Again, he admitted that Zhu Jinghong was very outstanding, but he was also extremely wary of him because of this.

How to continue getting along and how to re-establish the previous tacit understanding has become a headache for Zhu Xianming.

In a sense, the meeting between his father and son yesterday could be described as a lose-lose outcome.

So at this moment, looking at the scene on the scroll, Zhu Xianming only felt nostalgic.

It’s a pity that it’s hard to return to the past even if we miss each other. It seems to be normal.

While he was thinking, a young eunuch came from outside to report: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Xiang wants to see you!"

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming was thinking that Old Thirteen had never been so abiding by the rules in the past, and he should have appeared directly in front of him now.

Sighing inwardly, Zhu Xianming said, "Call him in!"

(End of this chapter)