EBE Chapter 472 Exchange Conditions
Chapter 472 Exchange Conditions
"Since it was taught by Your Majesty himself and Prince Duan took so much effort, I should appreciate it." Zhou Chang clasped his fists towards Prince Duan, not showing any real feelings at all.
"That's good..." Prince Duan nodded his chin with satisfaction, "What happened in the past was just a misunderstanding. You and I are brothers and we understand each other. I am not like some people who smile but hide a knife behind their smile, are sweet-mouthed but treacherous, are beasts in human clothing, are two-faced, and are hypocritical..."
Wow, he has used all the idioms he knows about to describe a hypocrite?
This is a lot of holding one's breath.
The reference is also very obvious.
Zhou Chang was just puzzled. He had never realized that Prince Duan had such knowledge before, and his insults were also different.
Prince Duan cursed for a while and had to take a break: "How is the repair of the palace going, ninth brother? Is the thirty thousand taels of silver enough?"
This is undoubtedly another reminder to "show grace".
Zhou Chang laughed and clasped his fists towards the other person: "Haha, thank you, Concubine Yi, thank you, Brother Duan. Although compared to the loss of one million taels of silver in my treasure house..."
"People don't speak in secret, so you don't have to brag." Prince Duan rolled his eyes and didn't give Zhou Chang another chance to cry poor. "Since I've given you the position of the head of the Prime Minister's Office, how much you want next depends on your own ability."
"Alas..." Zhou Chang sighed in his heart, but his smile became more genuine, "Yes, thank you for your kindness, Brother Duan."
The Gu family said that they could grant Prince Yi an "unprecedented" official position. In any case, they really have the ability to do so. She really can't afford to offend them, and neither can Prince Yi.
"Okay, I'm tired too. You guys can chat about the rest." Prince Duan seemed to be truly satisfied. He glanced at Gu Yan, the Duke of Xu, and then ordered the palace servants behind him, "Push me back."
The two palace maids immediately stepped forward and pushed Prince Duan back to the back hall through the other side of the screen.
Zhou Chang watched Prince Duan's departing back and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
People say that a real man is one who can bend and stretch.
With Prince Duan's previously arrogant character, he was able to make up his mind to lower himself in order to win over Prince Yi. Although the result was not satisfactory, he can still be regarded as a man of action.
If she were in a different position, she might not be able to do what Prince Duan did.
From this perspective, she may not be as good as Prince Duan.
Thinking of this, I actually felt a bit of sympathy for Prince Duan.
As soon as Prince Duan left, Duke Gu Yan of Xu couldn't wait to ask, "What do you think of my suggestion last time, Your Highness Prince Yi?"
"Is it okay if I don't agree?" Zhou Chang saw that Concubine Yi, Duke of Xi, and Prince Duan were all here today. The situation was like this, and if he didn't act in vain, it would probably be difficult to end it.
"Haha, His Royal Highness Prince Yi is a quick-witted person." Gu Yan laughed ostentatiously.
"However, the Duke hasn't said anything about the terms of exchange yet." Zhou Chang couldn't muster a single bit of joy on his face, as the climax was about to begin.
We need to cooperate and find out the other party's true bottom line so that we can take precautions in advance.
Gu Yan also put away his smile, glanced at Concubine Yi who was sitting in the seat above him, and then he straightened his face and asked, "How do you think I should repay you for supporting me?"
Zhou Chang did not look at Concubine Yi, knowing that she was just a decoration now. He only stared at Duke Gu Yan of Xu, with a slight arc on his lips: "If the Duke says so, then doesn't it mean that the only way is to use the world..."
"Hey..." Gu Yan quickly raised his injured arm to stop Zhou Chang from finishing his words, "Your Highness Prince Yi, please be careful with your words. If you say something like this in the future, we won't listen to you."
Humph, Zhou Chang sneered in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. He even pretended to be harmless: "Whatever the Duke says is what it is. As for me, you know that I am only interested in money, and I don't care about anything else."
Gu Yan kept his eagle eyes on Zhou Chang, and when he saw nothing unusual, he spoke again: "Since Your Highness is so straightforward, I will not beat around the bush."
Zhou Chang's expression was about to collapse, so he could only pretend to drink tea to cover it up: "Duke, please feel free to speak."
Gu Yan had a ready-made plan in mind. He bowed to Concubine Yi, but said to Zhou Chang, "Concubine Yi has been in charge of the harem for many years. Although she is not the queen, she is the head of the six palaces. If His Royal Highness Prince Yi is able to ascend to the throne in the future, Concubine Yi should be the only dowager concubine, and her honorific title cannot be lower than Concubine Lan's posthumous title. Isn't this too much?"
"Uh..." Zhou Chang didn't care about this.
She had made up her mind that no matter what the other party asked, she would agree to it first.
But the first one involved Prince Yi's biological mother, so she had to ask Prince Yi's opinion first.
For a long while, Prince Yi seemed to have no reaction at all. He didn't seem to be very interested in this matter, but in the whole thing.
"Okay, of course." Zhou Chang looked up and agreed.
Anyway, if one day she could ascend to that position as Prince Yi, she would only posthumously confer the title of Empress Dowager on Prince Yi's biological mother, Concubine Lan. As for others, they could forget about it.
But Gu Yan's move was definitely not simply to gain a title for his sister, but probably intended to maintain the harem.
Gu Yan didn't seem surprised to get the first promise, and continued with the second one: "Your Highness Prince Duan is the elder brother of His Highness Prince Yi. If he becomes the highest-ranking prince in the future, his fiefdom will also be in the eight states of Danlu south of Peishui."
The eight states of Danlu?
That is the richest place in Lin State.
Doesn’t Yuan Qi’s hometown, Danlu City, belong to the eight states of Danlu?
Prince Duan has a big appetite. With one touch, he touched the economic lifeline of the neighboring country.
Before Zhou Chang could say anything, Gu Yan added: "Of course, Prince Duan doesn't have to stay in his fiefdom, he can stay in Jindu all year round to take care of his mother. Of course, the taxes from the eight states of Danlu will still be paid to the national treasury according to the previous proportion."
They had such wishful thinking that they really thought that the country of Lin was already in their pocket.
Zhou Chang's heart was filled with a thousand horses, but he kept a calm smile on his face and nodded again: "My Lord, you know, as long as there is money, I don't care about anything else."
"Haha...yes, yes..." Gu Yan also laughed dryly, "The third one is about the Gu family in the previous dynasty..."
"The Duke is already the first-rank duke of the current dynasty, what's the next rank?" Zhou Chang even tried to make fun of it, but the muscles on his face felt stiff no matter how he smiled.
Gu Yan picked up the teacup and took a sip: "Although I am a duke, this title is not hereditary. Besides, my three sons are all loyal ministers and good generals who have served the country diligently."
Zhou Chang was able to learn from the combined memories of Shen Rui and Prince Yi that Gu Yan had three sons.
The eldest son, Gu Chong, practiced martial arts, but because he was suppressed by Prince Xian, he was still only a general of chariots and cavalry.
The second and third sons, Gu Feng and Gu Yu, are twins. Although they both work in the court, they are low-key and have not achieved much.