Chapter 394: Instead of having awkward conversations, it’s better to take a bath (two in one)
As soon as the delegation arrived, Shen Zhong and the Jinyiwei quietly stepped aside, leaving the stage to the Qing Kingdom delegation at the rear of the convoy.
Solemn and elegant ceremonial music sounded slowly. The dancers on both sides of the city gate were arranged into two square formations. They danced to the ritual Nuo dance in a solemn and dignified manner.
Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian got off the carriage, and after the Northern Qi officials finished singing the salute, they came forward with their envoys, and both sides exchanged greetings.
The clothes of Northern Qi officials are bright, mainly red with dark gold embellishments. Compared with the gray official uniforms of Qing Kingdom, many of them look brighter and more luxurious.
Although the Qing Kingdom delegation was exhausted from the long journey and the officials looked a little tired, they were led by two handsome young men with tall stature, full of energy and noble demeanor. In terms of their appearance, the two groups were not inferior at all.
Mei Cheng'an greeted them with a smile and then stepped aside to quietly watch both parties go through the rather complicated reception ceremony.
In fact, he also wanted to be like Fan Xian, hiding away early in the morning and not doing anything, just nodding slightly when his name was introduced.
However, several officials from the Honglu Temple of the Northern Qi Dynasty on the opposite side were familiar faces. They had communicated with each other during the negotiations in Kyoto and even had a drink together.
It's a bit inappropriate not to say hello when meeting someone.
Little did they know that in the eyes of Northern Qi officials, compared to him who was polite and courteous and treated others like a spring breeze, their impression of Fan Xian was much worse. They thought he was a arrogant villain. Of course, the Northern Qi officials did not dare to show any of their dissatisfaction, and since Fan Xian dared to do so, it was obvious that he did not care what impression he left on the other party.
Mei Cheng'an took the opportunity to glance at Fan Xian and saw that he was standing with his hands behind his back and squinting his eyes as if he was looking at the city in front of him, so his gaze also moved over.
This huge and magnificent city has stood on this land for who knows how many years and has experienced countless winds and rains. The city walls are covered with traces of time, and the huge bluestone outer edge has even been weathered a little, but it still stubbornly remains hard.
Mei Cheng'an felt a little emotional. His emotions were different from those of ordinary travelers. He just felt that he had been in this world for nearly ten years, and it was finally the first time that he had truly seen with his own eyes and touched some of the remnants of this world's history. Although the capital of Qing Kingdom was also extremely grand, compared to Shangjing City, it lacked the heaviness of time's erosion. It was much newer and did not have the sense of vicissitudes of time that the city seen today presented.
Fan Xian beside him seemed to be sighing about something and uttered an imperceptible sigh. Mei Cheng'an tilted his head to look at him, then shifted his gaze to the dancers who were still performing the Nuo dance under the city wall.
After taking a look, Mei Cheng'an hissed, with a slightly strange expression. Although the Nuo dance of the Northern Qi Dynasty was roughly the same as the Nuo dance of the Qing Dynasty, it was more formal, better looking, and more matched with the costumes. It looked natural. Mei Cheng'an seriously suspected that his Nuo dance was completely copied from the Nuo dance of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the copy was not perfect, or it was modified a little. In short, compared with others, his own Nuo dance was a bit like the difference between a pirated version and an authentic version.
You are such a good guy, Xin Qiwu. You even compiled the Nuo dance and checked it from ancient books and conducted rigorous research. Bah, I believed your lies!
Mei Cheng'an rolled his eyes and planned to go back and discuss with the Honglu Temple in Northern Qi. Why would she put up a chastity arch when she was just a whore? If she wanted to copy someone, she should do it openly. When seeing a virtuous person, she should emulate him. It would not be shameful.
Just as he was thinking about it, an official from the Honglu Temple standing behind him gently pulled the corner of his clothes. Mei Cheng'an looked back and saw him pointing to the side calmly. He glanced in the direction he pointed and saw an official from the Northern Qi Dynasty who he had never seen before walking towards them.
After thinking about it, Mei Cheng'an had no intention of reminding Fan Xian. He pretended not to know and turned to study whether there were any other traces on the distant city wall besides wind and rain.
It was not until the official walked in front of the three men that the official from the Honglu Temple on their side spoke in surprise, as if he had just discovered him.
"Brother Wei Hua, why are you here today?"
Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian were awakened by the sound. They turned around and looked at the official named Wei Hua, smiled slightly, and remained silent.
Wei Hua bowed and seemed to be quite familiar with the official from the Honglu Temple. He scolded with a smile.
"If it weren't for the reception for your delegation, I would probably still be enjoying myself in Lichun Courtyard."
Mei Cheng'an raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and glanced at Fan Xian beside him. They were both a little surprised, and then they laughed together. Although Wei Hua's words were frivolous and casual, and somewhat nonsensical, they found him quite interesting. After all, they were all young people.
The Honglu Temple official named Chen Wen smiled and hurriedly introduced him to Mei Chengan and Fan Xian.
"This is the Junior Minister of the Honglu Temple of Northern Qi, Lord Wei Hua."
He introduced them to Wei Hua one by one.
"Who is this…"
Unexpectedly, Wei Hua interrupted him with a wave of his hand, as if smiling, and glanced at Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian's faces before speaking.
"Master Fan and Master Mei are already well-known throughout the world. Everyone knows them. Why do we need you to introduce them to us, my brother?"
Fan Xian was stunned for a moment, then smiled and bowed.
"I have only a small reputation, I dare not, I am Fan Xian."
Mei Cheng'an smiled and nodded, speaking concisely.
"Mei Chengan."
"You two are too modest."
Wei Hua looked to be in his twenties, with delicate features, but there was always a nonchalant look in his eyes. He did not look like an official, but more like a madman.
"Two great poets, both of whom have become the chiefs of the Southern Dynasty's Supervisory Council, especially the poet-immortal Master Fan, who may even be in charge of the Southern Dynasty's inner treasury next year."
As he said this he laughed twice.
"I don't know what the emperor of your country was thinking. He didn't keep important figures like you two in the capital to take good care of them, but instead sent them to our Great Qi to suffer. What if they catch a cold on the way? What will we do then?"
Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian both heard a hint of threat in each other's words, but they didn't care. Mei Cheng'an kept smiling, and Fan Xian smiled and said.
"I'm not that fragile. As the saying goes, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. It's good to go out and broaden my horizons."
Wei Hua was stunned when he heard this, and was a little surprised. He silently repeated the sentence "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles", and sighed that he was indeed a talented person who amazed the world. His casual remarks were so thought-provoking and meaningful.
At the same time, he was quite surprised at their calmness. At their age, they were full of youth and vigor, but they remained calm when they heard the soft knife in his words. They were indeed extraordinary.
After thinking about it, Wei Hua turned around and looked at the city wall behind him. When he walked over here, he found that these two extremely talented twins seemed to be very interested in the city wall of Shangjing, and he couldn't help but say it proudly.
"This city has been built for more than 300 years, and no foreign enemy has ever invaded it. I think you two also think this city is extremely majestic. I wonder how it compares to the capital of Nanqing?"
Fan Xian said with a slight smile.
"It is magnificent, but it seems a little old. I think your country needs to find time to repair it."
Taking advantage of the wit in the conversation, the two of them secretly insulted each other. Chen Wen didn't know whether to laugh or cry, while Mei Chengan couldn't help laughing.
After a while, Wei Hua glanced at Mei Chengan and said softly.
"Master Mei and Master Fan have come from afar, so I will naturally serve as the host. After I finish my official duties, I hope you two will do me the honor of visiting me."
Mei Cheng'an glanced at him twice, feeling a little puzzled as to why this man's words always revealed a hint of hostility, yet this hostility did not reach the point of hatred. He couldn't help but feel curious. He and Fan Xian had never met this man before, so where did this hint of hostility come from?
Chen Wen was laughing beside the two of them at this time.
"Let Lord Mei and Lord Fan know that this Lord Wei Hua is the eldest son of the Marquis of Changning who was sent to our dynasty as an envoy a few months ago. At that time, Lord Mei and Lord Fan had a drinking contest at the table, and the Marquis fell drunk. After returning home, he kept thinking about it, saying that the Southern Dynasty had two extremely talented young men who were not only good at writing poems, but also had an amazing capacity for drinking. Lord Wei Hua often heard this, and naturally wanted to compete with the two gentlemen to "avenge" his father."
Mei Cheng'an suddenly realized.
"I see."
Fan Xian also remembered and cried out in pain.
The two looked at each other, both of them were a little amused. Looking at Lord Wei again, they indeed saw some similarities with Marquis Changning on his face. A few months ago, he was a member of the negotiation team and Fan Xian was the deputy envoy for reception. They had a lot of dealings with Marquis Changning. At the end of the negotiations, the two sides went to the Mei family canteen to drink together. At that time, he and Fan Xian were the targets of siege at the table. Although the two pretended to be drunk and left early halfway, before they "passed out", they worked together to get Marquis Changning, the leader of the Northern Qi negotiation team, drunk first. They didn't expect that such a small episode would have subsequent effects. It was really something.
Mei Chengan's smile became more friendly.
"Brother Wei, if you want to avenge your father, you have to wait for some time."
Fan Xian took over the conversation with a smile.
"Yes, it doesn't matter if we two are drunk, but it will be difficult to explain to the emperors of both sides if we ruin the important business between the two countries."
Upon hearing this, Wei Hua laughed and agreed calmly, leaving the matter for later.
……
While they were talking, the welcoming ceremony was about to end. Shen Zhong, who was in the distance, glanced at them and spoke.
"You take the people first, I'll be there later."
After thinking for a while, he turned his head to look beside him and added.
"Just hold him back until I get there. Don't let him get in touch with Sean."
"Yes!"
A Jinyiwei beside him responded and left.
After the Jinyiwei took some people away, Shen Zhong walked quickly towards where Mei Chengan and Fan Xian were.
When Shen Zhong came closer to everyone, he nodded to Wei Hua first. Wei Hua put away his frivolous attitude in front of him, and became visibly more honest and obedient. He returned the greeting respectfully and called out "Sir Shen".
Shen Zhong hummed and looked at Mei Chengan and Fan Xian.
"Master Fan, Master Mei, I will escort you here. All subsequent accommodation arrangements will be handled by Master Wei. You can ask him if you have any questions. I have something else to do, so I will take my leave now."
After saying this, he bowed slightly and nodded to the two of them.
Fan Xian didn't think much about it. He smiled and nodded and was about to respond, but Mei Cheng'an raised his eyebrows when he heard it, feeling quite surprised.
"Didn't Lord Shen say earlier that your Majesty was anxious to see us?"
As soon as these words came out, Shen Zhong, Wei Hua, including Fan Xian and Chen Wen, all showed surprise. Mei Cheng'an himself knew that his question was a bit abrupt, mainly because he really couldn't help it. Once Shen Zhong left, the subsequent conflict with Shang Shanhu in the street, the highlight moment of Fan Xian raising the battle flag in the street, and He Daoren taking the opportunity to pass on the message would all be gone...
After a moment's silence, Shen Zhong smiled.
"There is no rush at this moment. Master Mei and Master Fan have been exhausted from the journey. It would be better for you to return to your residence and rest for a while. As for the summons... I will pick you up from your residence tomorrow morning and then take you to the palace."
Mei Chengan looked suddenly enlightened.
"Ah, in that case I'll trouble you, Lord Shen."
Shen Zhong smiled and waved his hand.
"Of course. If you two have no other questions, then Shen..."
Fan Xian understood what he meant.
"Sir Shen, take care." Mei Cheng'an also smiled and nodded.
Shen Zhong smiled and turned away in a hurry.
Mei Cheng'an glanced at the Jinyiwei team in the distance and found that there were fewer people. Sean and Si Lili's car also disappeared quietly at some point.
……
The capital of Northern Qi was indeed prosperous. Although the streets were not as wide as those of Qing, they were lined with restaurants and food stalls of all kinds. There were many pedestrians on the street, and each of them had a gentle smile on their face, full of confidence and pride. It did not look like a defeated country at all.
Mei Cheng'an felt strange. He didn't encounter the famous scene of being attacked by rotten eggs and vegetable leaves. He didn't know whether he should be thankful or regretful.
Fan Xian sighed.
"It's fine if we're in other places, but Shangjing is a place where news and people gather and disperse. How come they act like they know nothing? I thought I would be driven away and cursed by the people of Northern Qi after entering Shangjing, so I specially asked Chen Pingping to get the battle flag of the Seventh Battalion. Now it's all in vain. What a waste of emotion."
Mei Cheng'an was amused by his regretful tone.
"You're not happy without being embarrassed, look at me, I'm giving you a lowly look."
Fan Xian thought about it and shrugged indifferently.
"Who says it isn't?"
Under the guidance of Wei Hua, the delegation headed west of the city and were arranged to live in the royal villa behind the Honglu Temple office of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
From this arrangement, it can be seen that the Emperor of Northern Qi gave enough face to the Qing State delegation.
Along the way, Mei Cheng'an, Fan Xian and Wei Hua chatted and discovered that this man was quite knowledgeable about the officialdom of Qing Kingdom. Not only could he casually mention the names of some dignitaries that even they didn't know, but from the tone of his voice, he seemed to be acquainted with his elder brother-in-law, Prince Jing Li Hongcheng. This surprised Mei Cheng'an very much. The capitals of the two countries were so far apart, and he didn't know how they knew each other.
During the conversation, the two of them also got a general understanding of the latest news about the current government affairs of Northern Qi. Of course, the two of them who had already read countless files of Northern Qi in the Supervisory Council naturally knew clearly that the court of Northern Qi was far from being as harmonious and glorious as Wei Hua said.
The Empress Dowager of Northern Qi is only in her thirties and is still young. The young Emperor of Northern Qi has only been in power for a short time and is simply unable to fully control the government. The emperor and the empress each have their own forces engaged in a silent contest and confrontation in the court. If the two countries had not been defeated in the war this year, forcing both sides to temporarily suppress their conflicts, the capital would have been in chaos by now.
The Northern Qi general Shangshanhu, who had been resisting the rebellion in the north, was transferred back to Shangjing for this reason.
I don't know how his injury is recovering.
Mei Chengan said casually as if unintentionally.
"I heard that General Shangshanhu is a rare hero. When you are free, could you take us to visit him?"
When Wei Hua heard this, a strange look flashed in his eyes and he was very surprised.
"Are you two interested in General Shangshan?"
Mei Cheng'an nodded, and Fan Xian spoke with a smile.
"Although we are not weak scholars, we always admire heroes who resist barbarians."
Wei Hua had a strange look on his face, and it seemed that he didn't want to mention the Northern Qi God of War. Mei Cheng'an noticed his expression, smiled slightly and said no more, and Fan Xian didn't force him either.
When the delegation arrived at the villa, the relevant people from the Honglu Temple of the Northern Qi Dynasty arranged their accommodation. After a long time of hard work, they finally made all the arrangements.
It was getting dark. As the Shaoqing of Honglu Temple of Northern Qi, Wei Hua had to arrange dinner. During the dinner, he tested the alcohol tolerance of Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian and found that these two young officials drank wine as if it were water. They really practiced the true meaning of the two words "wine and water". He was shocked and gave up the idea of drinking to avenge his father.
After a round of drinking, Wei Hua somehow changed his mind and took the initiative to talk to the two of them about Shangshanhu.
"General Huaiyuan?"
Mei Chengan raised his eyebrows.
“This is a…”
Wei Hua took a sip of wine and smiled.
"It's just an empty title. Although the name sounds nice, he only has a hundred private soldiers left in the capital. There is the Shangjing garrison, three great commanders, and the General of the Cavalry... Although the Huaiyuan General has an extra big word and a high status, he has no soldiers under his command. Even if Shangshanhu has peerless courage, he can only honestly go to court and go home to hug his concubine and sigh, hehe."
Mei Cheng'an smiled, thinking the description was too vivid.
Fan Xian raised his glass and clinked it with Wei Hua's. He drank the wine in the glass and continued his conversation with a hint of drunkenness.
"A tiger kept in a cage, no matter how powerful it is, can only scare people."
Wei Hua smiled and knocked on the table.
"exactly."
After the banquet, only the envoys themselves were left in the entire royal villa. The guards arranged by the Northern Qi Dynasty were very polite and only guarded the outer gate, leaving all matters in the inner courtyard to the envoys themselves.
There were only five people in the room, Mei Chengan, Fan Xian, Wang Qinian, Gao Da, and Chen Wen.
Mei Cheng'an was the deputy envoy of the diplomatic envoy, and Chen Wen was the deputy envoy assigned to him by the Honglu Temple. He was originally his right-hand subordinate in the Honglu Temple and was very experienced and had a wide network of contacts, so Mei Cheng'an specifically asked to bring him along on this diplomatic envoy trip.
As for Teng Zijing, he said that he was not used to this kind of socializing and took the initiative to sit down and have dinner with Hu Wei and others.
He closed his eyes and listened, making sure that no one around the room was eavesdropping. Mei Cheng'an opened his eyes, looked around at the few people, and spoke softly.
"After all, we are in the heart of the enemy country, so be careful with your words."
Except for Fan Xian, everyone else nodded in agreement.
Fan Xian took a sip of wine, put down the glass and sighed.
"Shangshanhu is useless, what a pity."
Chen Wen smiled slightly.
"The emperor and empress of Northern Qi are fighting each other now. Everyone wants to win the support of Shangshanhu, and no one wants Shangshanhu to side with the other side, so now we can only leave it like this. However, Shangshanhu's reputation is here, and his prestige and appeal in the army are too strong. Even if there are only a hundred guards in the capital, no one dares to look down on him."
Mei Cheng'an smiled when he heard this. This was indeed true. Even if Shang Shanhu lost his power and all his official titles, no one would dare to look down on him because of his skills that were above the ninth rank.
It was getting late and everyone was tired from the journey, so they began to make arrangements for rest early. The royal villa here covered a large area and had many houses, so there was more than enough room for each person, and the delegation no longer had to sleep in one room like before.
As for tomorrow's arrangements, the relevant officials had naturally drawn up the corresponding regulations. Chen Wen only picked out a few important matters and reported them to Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian.
The most important thing tomorrow is naturally to enter the palace for an audience with the emperor, and the second is to go to the Honglu Temple to finalize the prisoner exchange.
Mei Cheng'an thought for a moment and then spoke.
"We will go to the palace to meet the emperor in the morning. As for the Honglu Temple in the afternoon... I'll leave it to you guys, Old Chen."
"this…"
Chen Wen was stunned when he heard this and looked at his two superiors in confusion. He thought, how could it be possible to exchange prisoners and pay tribute at such an important occasion without the two envoys, the chief and deputy envoys, and who would make the final decision?
Fan Xian took a sip from the wine flask and added with a smile.
"Old Chen, you can handle it all. We..."
As he said this, he glanced at his fellow villager and finished his words.
"There are more important things to deal with!"
The prisoner exchange agreement had two pieces of paper, one visible and one invisible. The two of them valued the invisible one more. They had already handed Sean and Si Lili over to the other side, so naturally they had to confirm Yan Bingyun's whereabouts as soon as possible.
Seeing that the two of them agreed, Chen Wen naturally didn't say anything more. Although it was inappropriate, it was not impossible to do it.
In a word, the leader has the final say!
After Chen Wen left, Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian did not rush back to the house to rest. Instead, they moved two chairs to sit under the porch, sipping wine and admiring the moonlight.
It's not that the two of them had much leisure time. Mei Cheng'an was waiting for Hongshu to boil water so that he could take a bath before going to bed. During the more than two months of the journey, they had very few opportunities to take a bath and could only scrub themselves. Now that they had the conditions, they naturally wanted to take a comfortable bath.
As for the shameless Fan Xian, he was also waiting for the bath water to be boiled. In fact, if Hongshu hadn't wanted to boil his bath water as well, Mei Chengan wouldn't have to wait so long.
A breeze blew over, and the two of them clearly felt the chill attached to it.
"The wind is a bit chilly."
Fan Xian took a sip of wine, looked around and said casually.
Mei Cheng'an looked up at the moonlight and put down his wine glass after hearing this.
"It's cool, it's almost the middle of July, summer is over, and it's early autumn now."
Fan Xian had not paid attention to the days for a long time, and the unpredictable weather in Northern Qi also blurred his perception, so he was very surprised to hear this.
"What, summer is over? I haven't experienced it yet."
Mei Cheng'an placed the empty wine glass on the small table and tapped on the table to signal him to pour the wine.
“You can wait until next year.”
"..."
Fan Xian rolled his eyes speechlessly, picked up the wine jug and poured him a glass of wine, pushed the glass towards him, and said in a sarcastic tone.
"Thank you so much, I can wait until next year. I wouldn't have known that if you hadn't told me."
"You're welcome."
Mei Cheng'an picked up the wine glass and drank it all, then put down the glass and said a word before getting up and leaving. He heard Hongshu's footsteps, and the water should be ready, so he could take a bath.
……
(End of this chapter)
