Crossing the Unknown Country

Chapter 296 The Emperor summoned the five wise kings to discuss matters

After the emperor left the court, he asked the chief eunuch Han Yong to find someone to notify the Five Sages to come to the Yangxin Palace. As soon as the Five Sages walked out of the palace, a young eunuch came over, bowed and saluted, and whispered, "Your Highness, the emperor invites you, please follow me."

The Fifth Sage King looked calm and said nothing more: "Please lead the way, eunuch."

Then he followed him to the Yangxin Palace. He knew that his brother was waiting for him to discuss the trade. In fact, he had already made up his mind in the court. Since the emperor brought this matter to the court to discuss, he must have his own ideas, otherwise he would just keep it secret.

He supports trade, win-win things, and should not be done just because of fear that the other party will benefit. In war, as long as there are ambitious people, they will find ways to get food from other countries to expand their troops. When people want to start a war, it is not necessarily the strong, but also those ambitious people.

It won't stop the war just because they don't give food. If the other party is strong through trade, it would be a good opportunity to strengthen the team if we can get good horses. As long as they practice diligently, he still believes in the strength of General Wang An. They have never lost to Dongjie State. Since he dared to make this suggestion, he must have considered it carefully before submitting it.

The hunched eunuch came to the door, bowed his head and stretched out his hand to invite the Five Sages King to enter the hall. The head eunuch Han Yong had been waiting at the door for a long time and quickly invited the Five Sages King to enter.

Emperor Zhang Qian heard the noise, looked up and saw the Five Wise Kings coming in, and said with a smile: "Brother, come and sit down quickly. I have something to discuss with you."

After kneeling down to pay respect, the Fifth Sage Prince sat on the chair beside him. He did not say much, but waited for his brother to speak about what they were discussing.

The emperor then asked, "What do you think of Wang An's memorial to the emperor today?"

The Five Wise Kings said calmly, "Brother, I think what Wang An wrote is feasible. Our country is short of horses and the army is under-supplied. It would be a good thing if we could trade for good horses. The enemy can grow stronger, and so can we. So why should we be afraid of war?"

"The Dongjie Kingdom is a warlike nation and will not stop its invasion just because of a lack of food. It would be better to open up trade so that both people can benefit and perhaps the war can be temporarily postponed."

The emperor nodded slightly. He also thought so in his heart. A country should not avoid something just because it is afraid of war. Wars are never launched because one side is weak. Many wars are launched because of desperate measures.

He thought for a while and then said, "Brother, who do you think would be the most suitable person to send to negotiate this time?"

The Five Wise Kings also thought about it carefully and said, "Brother, you can send an envoy and find a minister to lead it. This is more prudent and cautious."

Then he thought for a while and said, "It would be best to agree on what must be exchanged and what cannot be exchanged. For example, iron ore and other things."

The emperor nodded and said, "My dear brother, your consideration is very pertinent. We need to have some restrictions. At the very least, we cannot send weapons to the other side. As for the other side's horses, that is their most abundant item. It is impossible not to take them out for exchange."

The emperor knew that he had to decide the final candidate, so he asked the Five Wise Kings to leave. After the Five Wise Kings kowtowed, they slowly retreated from the hall. He knew that he had to be sensible. Even if the emperor asked him, he could make suggestions on some things, but he couldn't make decisions for him on some things. Only when he understood the ins and outs of it could the relationship between the two brothers last forever.

He knew clearly from the beginning that the supreme power belonged to his brother alone. He only needed to assist him and keep Ansheng country stable and peaceful, and he would have accomplished his mission.

After the emperor waited for the five wise kings to leave, he leaned back on his chair and thought about who would be the most suitable person to go. He reviewed the civil officials in the court one by one, and finally thought of Wu Qirui, the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue, whose father was the left prime minister Wu Chong. It happened that in the court today, the left prime minister had always supported trade, and Wu Qirui also stood on his father's side at the time.

Then let's temporarily decide on Wu Qirui, and he needs to think about the others. While he was thinking about other candidates, the night gradually fell.

Han Yong stepped forward, knelt down and asked, "Your Majesty, it's time for you to have dinner. You should rest today! Are you going to rest at Concubine Mei's place?"

Emperor Zhang Qian thought for a moment and said, "Let's move over there! Imperial Concubine Mei should have been ready by now, let's go!"