latelenovela Chapter 370
Chapter 370
As long as she did not want to see Zhang Zifu, no one would dare let her in."Miss, I saw it with my own eyes. When Miss Zhang left, she looked entirely displeased. From what I could see, she came out empty-handed," Qiuyue shared excitedly.
"Who is the new family that moved in next door?" Wen Xiu felt that this new neighbor suited her tastes perfectly.
She really wanted to go over and ask how the new neighbor had managed it, considering Zhang Zifu was known to be an incredibly difficult person to deal with.
"Miss, I have asked around. The new neighbor is the newly appointed Vice Minister of Revenue. Their young lady is the one who was originally supposed to marry the heir of Marquis Ru'an, but was taken back by the heir of Prince An. Now, she is the Miss Li who has been granted a marriage to Prince An by His Majesty," Qiuyue quickly explained.
"Hmph, Zhang Zifu must have looked into it and thought the Li family would be easy to take advantage of, which is why she paid them a visit. She probably did not expect to be kicked out. How shameless of her." Even though Wen Xiu had an aloof temperament, she still felt a sense of disdain for Zhang Zifu's endless array of shameless antics.
"Miss, I have seen Miss Zhang lingering at the Li family's door several times already. The Li family is quite vigilant," Qiuyue said with a laugh.
"Later, go send a visiting card next door for me. We should also pay them a visit. Prepare a gift as well; we cannot go empty-handed on our first visit," Wen Xiu instructed carefully as she set down her book.
"Miss, I will go right away." Qiuyue was delighted to hear that her young lady was willing to go out.
After all, with their young master away from home, she truly hoped her miss could make some friends.
If the Miss Li next door had a good temperament, she hoped her miss could become friends with her.
Li Zhiwei was taken aback for a moment when she received a visiting card from another neighbor.
"Miss, next door is the residence of General Pingxi. The General is currently not in the capital. The person who sent this card should be his sister, Miss Wen Xiu," Qinghua quickly explained from the side.
"What kind of person is this Miss Wen?" Li Zhiwei looked at the card, feeling somewhat hesitant.
After all, considering someone like Miss Zhang, Li Zhiwei felt they would not be the same type of person.
She never wanted to see that Miss Zhang again.
"Miss Wen is just like her name, quiet and elegant. She does not have the martial skills typical of women from military families, but she is a good person," Qinghua said after thinking for a moment.
If Wen Xiu heard Qinghua's words, she would probably laugh out of sheer exasperation. After all, her martial skills were actually quite good; she just had a cool temperament and usually did not show off in front of others.
Otherwise, her elder brother would not have felt at ease leaving her alone in the capital.
"In that case, let us accept it. Invite Miss Wen to come tomorrow." Li Zhiwei felt that since she was having a guest, she ought to prepare a bit.
If she and Miss Wen got along well, it was entirely possible for them to become friends.
Besides, she planned to open a shop in the future. Meeting the noble young ladies of the capital would give her a better sense of direction and target audience.
"Miss, rest assured. You see, Miss Wen sent a card before visiting, unlike that Miss Zhang today. This shows that the Wen family are people who observe proper etiquette," Qinghua quickly added, seeming to see through Li Zhiwei's thoughts.
"Since an esteemed guest is coming, we should prepare some things tomorrow to entertain her properly," Li Zhiwei said with a smile.
After all, she planned to prepare some snacks for customers visiting her future shop. Right now, she was just short of a few taste testers.
Tomorrow would be a great opportunity.
In contrast to the joyous and harmonious atmosphere at the Li family's home, the imperial palace was shrouded in gloom.
"Your Majesty, our treaty with the Qinling Kingdom expired long ago, yet they still come to demand tributes just like before. Could it be that they forgot too?" Ye Qingyan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said in a low voice.
He had not expected that by submitting a memorial about paying tribute to the Qinling Kingdom as usual, he would prompt the Emperor to dig up the old treaty.
Now, the hundred-year term had long passed, and it was unreasonable for them to continue paying tribute.
However, the Qinling Kingdom was far stronger than their Lannuo Kingdom.
The thought that he might have to go negotiate this matter with an enemy nation made Ye Qingyan's heart race with panic.
Although it was a rule of diplomacy not to execute envoys, it was not an absolute guarantee.
After all, the Qinling Kingdom was used to being arrogant. What if he went and they decided to kill him as a show of force?
At this thought, Ye Qingyan's mind became a tangled mess.
"Your Majesty, although the hundred-year term has arrived, if we openly refuse the Qinling Kingdom now, will it not anger them?" Grand Tutor Wei asked hesitantly.
After all, they were no match for the Qinling Kingdom.
"Prince An, what are your thoughts?" Zhu Jingchen looked at Xu Heming with a face full of hope.
It seemed he wanted to hear something more advantageous for them from him.
Moreover, Xu Heming was the one most informed about the iron and gold mines.
Xu Heming frowned. He had not expected that just as they discovered the iron and gold mines, the Qinling Kingdom would come demanding tribute.
If they gave it, it would be highly irresponsible to the people of the Lannuo Kingdom. After all, if he kept that silver for the people, he could accomplish so much.
The best course of action was to stop paying tribute entirely.
However, he certainly could not be the one to say this out loud.
Otherwise, the Emperor might blame him for misunderstanding his intentions.
"Your Majesty, at this time, I believe we can negotiate," Xu Heming said impartially after some thought.
Right now, it was not something they could just unilaterally decide to stop doing.
At present, they still were not a match for the Qinling Kingdom.
"Who does Prince An think is suitable to go?" Zhu Jingchen nodded, also feeling that Xu Heming's words made sense; the two countries really needed to have a proper talk.
But who would be the one to go?
Hearing this, everyone stepped back. No one wanted to be the one to stick their neck out.
Grand Tutor Cheng frowned upon hearing this. He wanted to go, but he was old. The journey to the Qinling Kingdom was long, and while his heart was willing, he feared his old bones would not be able to endure it.
"Your Majesty, regarding this matter, why not let this old man go!"
Grand Tutor Wei stepped forward without a second thought.
He thought to himself that at his advanced age, even if he could not return, it would not be a great loss.
"Your Majesty, I will go too!" Grand Tutor Cheng saw that Grand Tutor Wei, who was older than him, was willing to go, so why shouldn't he?
He wanted to go and interrogate those scoundrels from the Qinling Kingdom about what right they had to demand tribute from them!
Zhu Jingchen rubbed his forehead. These two going?
Would that not just add to the chaos?
It was not as if there were no capable people in the court; did he really have to send these two old men?
When the time came, let alone negotiating, they might just get so angry that it would jeopardize their health.
"Your Majesty, I believe we do not need to do anything. The people from the Qinling Kingdom will naturally come to our door," Xu Heming stepped forward and said after a moment's consideration.
After all, as long as their tribute did not arrive, the Qinling Kingdom would definitely come knocking to demand it.