King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 651 What the heck is a surprise?

The couple sat down again. Zhu Jinghong was about to talk about the current situation, but Baochai asked, "I heard... you are asking about Yingchun's marriage?"

This matter is not very private, so it is not surprising that Baochai knew about it.

Besides, Zhu Jinghong had no intention of hiding it from Baochai.

"It was Deng An who brought it up!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

Hearing Zhu Jinghong's intention to shirk, Baochai smiled and said, "Don't worry, what I mean is... if you really like her, I will tell the Crown Princess and the Jia family will send the girl to you!"

This option is indeed feasible, but after some thought, Zhu Jinghong shook his head, which was beyond Baochai's expectations.

"What's wrong?" Baochai asked puzzledly.

"The situation is different now. I will gradually cut ties with the prince and then set up my own faction!" Zhu Jinghong replied softly.

"So... if his connections make this happen, doesn't that mean we still need to unite?"

Picking up the teacup, Zhu Jinghong continued, "I have been suppressed by the old man one after another. I have been quiet in the mansion for such a long time. People think I have collapsed... If I unite with the fourth brother again, won't I be besieged again!"

After hearing this, Baochai didn't say anything more. After all, it was fine as long as her man had his own opinion.

Of course, she also knew that Zhu Jinghong said not to use his relationship as the crown prince to facilitate this matter, but he did not say not to marry Yingchun into the mansion.

Obviously, Zhu Jinghong was determined to win Yingchun.

At this moment, Baochai suddenly laughed again, which made Zhu Jinghong feel puzzled.

"Why is the princess laughing?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

“I’m laughing…”

Baochai kept it a secret, and seeing that Zhu Jinghong became more curious, she laughed even harder.

"According to what you said, wouldn't it mean that even I, the princess, should be deposed? After all, I am the cousin of the Crown Princess!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong stood up, walked towards Baochai and picked her up.

"You...what are you doing!" Baochai grabbed Zhu Jinghong's collar and asked in panic.

It was broad daylight now, and as a princess, it was indeed embarrassing for her to do this.

"I think you are a spy sent by the East Palace. I have to punish you!" Zhu Jinghong said seriously.

"not now……"

"As long as I say yes!"

Just as the two of them were flirting, a voice suddenly came from outside: "Sister... Brother-in-law, what are you doing..."

Few people in Zhu Jinghong's bedroom could enter without prior notice, not even Yang Jingting, the concubine. Baoqin was an exception.

At this moment, Baoqin saw something she shouldn't have seen, which made her very embarrassed, even more embarrassed than Zhu Jinghong and his wife.

Baochai struggled to get down, then pushed Zhu Jinghong away, straightened her clothes, and said seriously: "Baoqin, why are you here!"

"Sister, you forgot, we agreed to go enjoy the flowers, and it was you who told me to come over at 9:00 p.m." Baoqin felt extremely aggrieved.

"Well, let's go enjoy the flowers!" Baochai remained serious, as if what had just happened had not happened.

"Brother-in-law, then... let's go!" Baoqin looked at Zhu Jinghong standing aside. She was afraid of ruining other people's good deeds.

Baochai pulled Baoqin over and said as they walked out, "We are going to enjoy the flowers. What does he have to do with it?"

After the two left, Zhu Jinghong just smiled and chose to continue practicing calligraphy.

In a blink of an eye, two days passed and the scheduled negotiation time arrived. On that day, Zhu Jinghong received the news that Prince Rui Zhu Jingyuan also participated in the negotiations and was the main person in charge of the negotiations.

This actually made Zhu Jinghong unhappy, as he thought that his father, the emperor, did not trust him.

Although he was depressed, he still had to go, so Zhu Jinghong got up early in the morning.

Several eunuchs helped Zhu Jinghong to dress. When he was done, Deng An came over, so Yu Hai asked everyone to leave.

Sitting on the chair, Zhu Jinghong took off the Yishan crown on his head, handed it to Yu Hai and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Your Highness, the person has been caught, and Li Wenzhao is interrogating him now!"

Knowing what Deng An was talking about, Zhu Jinghong asked directly: "Is it done cleanly?"

"Li Wenzhao said it's absolutely foolproof!" Deng An replied.

It was Li Wenzhao who said it was foolproof, and it had nothing to do with Deng Anke. After all, he was just the person responsible for passing the message.

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong nodded.

Zhu Jingrun, the Prince of Guangyang, was a close eunuch who specialized in doing dirty work, so there was a high possibility that he would reveal something.

According to the professional methods of people like Li Wenzhao, it is likely that this eunuch will not survive the first day and will confess everything he knows.

"Pay close attention to this matter, but don't get involved!" Zhu Jinghong ordered.

"Yes!"

After Deng An bowed and left, Zhu Jinghong looked at Yu Hai again and asked, "The princess and the others should be here by now, right?"

"We set out at 7:00 a.m., and it's been almost an hour now. I think we'll be there soon!" Yu Hai replied.

As the saying goes, Zhu Jinghong was in high spirits. Feeling that he had lived in the palace for too long, he planned to move to a villa outside the city.

Yesterday, he asked the emperor for permission to leave the city for recuperation on the grounds of poor health, and the request was approved smoothly.

After taking a look at the sky outside, Zhu Jinghong stood up and said, "It's time to set off!"

The negotiation took place in the Ministry of Rites. When Zhu Jinghong arrived at the scene, Zhu Jingyuan and two officials from the Ministry of Rites were already there and were drinking tea in a side hall.

"Hey... Thirteenth Brother is here!"

After greeting Zhu Jingyuan, Zhu Jinghong said, "Sixth brother, what do you think Dad is thinking? With you in charge here, why does he need me to come and cause trouble?"

At this time, two officials from the Ministry of Rites also came to pay their respects, and Zhu Jinghong bowed in return.

Motioning Zhu Jinghong to sit down next to him, Zhu Jingyuan then asked, "I heard you are sick?"

"My old illness has come back. Maybe I've stayed in the mansion for too long, so I plan to live outside the city for a while!"

Nodding, Zhu Jingyuan sighed, "You have been fighting for the Ming Dynasty, which is why you have contracted these strange diseases. The court is ashamed of you!"

At this moment, Zhu Jingyuan was speaking on behalf of the court, which shows that he had changed his identity.

After all, now, Zhu Jingyuan can also participate in such military and national affairs and become the direct person in charge.

"As descendants of the Zhu family, we enjoy honorable status, so it is our duty to serve the country!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Jingyuan continued, "I heard that the Master Miaoyu who lives in the East Palace can cure your disease?"

When Lao Liu suddenly mentioned Miaoyu, Zhu Jinghong immediately became alert because he knew that Lao Liu himself knew Miaoyu's identity.

Seeing that Zhu Jinghong did not answer, Zhu Jingyuan turned around and asked, "Is the rumor wrong?"

"It does have some effect!" Zhu Jinghong replied with a smile.

At this time, Zhu Jingyuan also laughed, and after moving closer, he said, "In this case, we should invite Master Miaoyu over, so that you can recover faster!"

This guy knew that Miaoyu was a rebel of the White Lotus Sect, and he wanted to send her to his house. Zhu Jinghong knew very well what the Sixth Brother was thinking.

However, Zhu Jinghong was not worried about this. After all, it was the prince who made a mistake in judging people, and it had little to do with his younger brother.

Strictly speaking, he himself was also a victim! "Thank you, Sixth Brother, I know!" Zhu Jinghong also laughed.

Lao Liu was trying to bring trouble upon himself, which was immoral in itself, so Zhu Jinghong was going to plot against Lao Liu instead.

Next, the two brothers chatted for a while until the negotiations began before they went out together.

The negotiations were held in a hall, which was divided into north and south positions, and the Spaniards were arranged in the south.

The South is a guest and a follower, but these people don’t care much about these things, so they are sitting back and feeling at ease at the moment.

After everyone sat down and exchanged some simple courtesies, the negotiations officially began.

Zhu Jingyuan refuted the conditions previously proposed by the Spaniards, but these foreigners did not get angry. Instead, they used their own reasons to explain the matter.

The foreigners' arguments were all filled with evil intentions. After listening to them for a long time, Zhu Jinghong felt that they were meaningless.

As for Zhu Jingyuan, he, together with two officials from the Ministry of Rites, pointed out the Spanish people's evil intentions one by one.

"Well, since you still doubt our sincerity, we are willing to take another step back!"

The person who spoke was the Spanish envoy, who was translated as General Simon.

"How can we take another step back?" Zhu Jingyuan asked back.

He originally thought that the Spaniards would not make concessions, so he did not expect to achieve any results today. But now Simon's words surprised Zhu Jingyuan.

"First, we can just have a few ports in Luzon and not occupy a large area of ​​its territory!"

Of course, this is only temporary. Once the situation in Europe eases, the king can dispatch more fleets and the so-called agreement can be torn up directly.

This current situation also confirms the old saying that the Western powers will not be reasonable where there is no reason to be reasonable. If they are reasonable, it is basically because they are forced to do so.

The situation in the West is tense right now. The Spanish fleet in Luzon has an advantage but it is not great. It can be understood that it is forced to make concessions at the moment.

After hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan remained calm, but in his heart he felt that it was interesting. At least his side had made progress in the negotiations.

"Second, we can lease the small islands near the coast of Ming Dynasty. We can negotiate any price!"

If it was just a lease, even if it was not considered a loss of sovereignty and humiliation of the country, it could be negotiated... Zhu Jingyuan thought secretly.

"Third, we are willing to sell warships to Ming at 50% of the market price!"

The sale of warships can definitely be considered a large-scale transaction. Trading them at 50% of the market price is a huge concession for the Ming Dynasty.

"Moreover, we can send people to help the Ming Dynasty train its navy, form a joint fleet to fight pirates together, and maintain the smooth flow of maritime trade!"

Zhu Jingyuan was already tempted, and at this moment he was completely moved and even wanted to agree to it right away.

But he also knew that the only person who had the right to decide on this matter was his father, the emperor, and it was not his turn to make the decision now.

Old Simon saw that Zhu Jingyuan was moved, so his expression eased, and he smiled and said: "We in Spain love peace and are very willing to live in harmony with the Ming Dynasty..."

"We've made a lot of concessions on the conditions just now. These are all surprises we prepared for our friends!"

When the translator said the word "surprise", Zhu Jingyuan immediately laughed. He felt that this word was very appropriate.

It was a surprising surprise. He had exceeded his target today. The old man would definitely be happy with such an achievement.

However, at this moment, Zhu Jinghong, who had been sitting next to him without saying a word, finally couldn't help himself after hearing the word "surprise".

Just when Zhu Jingyuan was about to say something to ease the atmosphere, he saw Zhu Jinghong tapping the table with his fingers, then looked at the interpreter next to him and said, "Tell him..."

When saying the word "he", Zhu Jinghong pointed to Simon opposite him, who was also deeply surprised by the sudden change.

Of course, General Simon, or Marquis Simon, was actually no stranger to Zhu Jinghong.

He was stationed in the East for many years and had a lot of knowledge about the Ming Dynasty, so he knew about Zhu Jinghong who was rising to prominence.

When he came to the capital this time, Simon even thought about meeting Zhu Jinghong to discuss his views and opinions on the war.

However, Zhu Jinghong was under house arrest, and the negotiations were not going smoothly, so the visit he had planned could not take place.

But today, Zhu Jinghong arrived at the scene, which actually made Simon quite happy.

Although Zhu Jinghong didn't say anything throughout the whole process, Simon was paying attention to him from time to time.

Could it be that he saw something? Simon thought to himself.

While Simon was thinking, Zhu Jinghong instructed the interpreter: "Ask him to explain what a surprise is!"

This question is very strange. The meaning of surprise itself is obvious. Asking people to explain it would be like looking for trouble.

"Your Highness, the so-called surprise..."

The interpreter was about to explain, but heard Zhu Jinghong's angry tone: "Let him explain, what the hell is a surprise!"

"Thirteenth brother, don't be rude..." Zhu Jingyuan couldn't help but speak at this moment. He couldn't let Zhu Jinghong ruin the situation.

Zhu Jinghong simply ignored him and slammed the table, scolding: "Let this old guy tell me what a surprise is!"

Although the Ming Dynasty translator did not relay Zhu Jinghong's words, the Spanish translator had translated them, allowing Simon to know what Zhu Jinghong said.

"Your Highness, the so-called surprise is that our country, based on the principle of peaceful coexistence, is willing to work with the Ming Dynasty to stabilize the sea and jointly promote the prosperity of maritime trade..."

"For this reason, we are willing to help the Ming Dynasty guard its sea borders, help you train your army, and sell you warships at a very low price!"

Zhu Jinghong just wanted to laugh after hearing these sugar-coated bullets, thinking that this old guy is still lying.

After patting the table again, when Simon stopped, Zhu Jinghong stared at him and said, "General Simon, you have said so much, but you still haven't answered my question directly!"

Hearing Zhu Jinghong say this again, Zhu Jingyuan on the side thought that this guy was looking for trouble and intended to destroy the results of his negotiation.

We can’t let him do whatever he wants… Zhu Jingyuan thought secretly.

While he was thinking, Zhu Jinghong had already pointed out his doubts: "Just tell me directly, what do you mean by occupying only a few ports in Luzon, what do you mean by leasing our sea lanes, and what do you mean by helping us build a navy to fight pirates!"

Realizing that Zhu Jinghong had seen through the trick, Simon secretly praised him for being worthy of his reputation, but now was not the time to admire each other.

At this time, he ignored Zhu Jinghong and looked at Zhu Jingyuan on the side, and said very sincerely: "This is a great concession on our part, just to be able to live in harmony with the Ming Dynasty. We are all peace-loving people!"

"We also hope that His Royal Highness Prince Rui can convey our goodwill to His Majesty the Emperor. We are very much looking forward to being friends with the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Jingyuan smiled and replied, "Okay... I will convey your terms to Your Majesty, and I also look forward to living in harmony with you!"

"Very good, we have a pleasant cooperation!" Simon replied with a smile.

Zhu Jingyuan replied, "Well then... let's stop here today, and we'll discuss the next matter another day!"

Thus, the negotiation ended here, and everyone present was very happy except Zhu Jinghong.

After Simon and the others left, Zhu Jingyuan finally turned to Zhu Jinghong and said with dissatisfaction: "Thirteenth brother, you went too far just now!"

"Sixth brother, they have evil intentions!" Zhu Jinghong said calmly.

"They have already made concessions, and we have taken advantage of them. Why can't we let others take advantage of us? There is no such good thing in the world!"

"The best military operation is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to destroy their alliances, and the worst is to attack their cities... You are used to fighting wars, so it's normal that you don't know these principles!"

Seeing Zhu Jingyuan so proud, Zhu Jinghong didn't bother to argue with him, so he simply kept silent.

Watching Lao Liu leave, Zhu Jinghong could imagine how embarrassed this guy would be in a moment.

Lao Liu, Lao Liu, you are really asking for trouble… Looking at Zhu Jingyuan’s departing back, Zhu Jinghong sighed.

(End of this chapter)