"His Imperial Majesty would like to know how you manage to speak Northern." Xi Chen ignored those murmurs and continued to relay Ye An's messages.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Imperial Majesty. But saying that I could speak Northern is a bit of a far stretch. In fact, I'm not that great in Northern. I could only speak in basic sentences." Sze Chang replied humbly before continuing his explanation. "I spent my entire life up at the Temple of Ninety-Nine Blessings. One day, one of the temple monks brought an injured Northerner back to the temple. The man fell off a steep cliff while plucking herbs on the Northerners' side of the mountain and was badly hurt. He was the one who taught me some basic Northern while the monks nursed him to health. That is all."
The Temple of Ninety-Nine Blessings was located at the highest peak of the northernmost mountain in the country and sit right on the border between the two countries. It's shrouded by wisps of cloud and fog most of the year giving the temple an ethereal air that was far removed from everything else that was happening in the world.
The temple had always been an isolated Xanadu and did not fall under anyone's jurisdiction, not even the emperor's. It's public knowledge that those who reside in the temple distance themselves from both the material world and politics, and the temple monks never turn down anyone who needed help, regardless of who they were, where they're from, and what their political stance was. Their core philosophy was that every human being is equal and should be treated equally.
Behind the bamboo screen, Ye An raised an eyebrow. It was extremely rare to see someone from the temple becoming a minister and a part of the Imperial Court. Ye An was growing more intrigued by this young minister.
"Since he has had multiple interactions with Northerners, ask him if he has any suggestions on the terms of the agreement." Ye An instructed Xi Chen.
"His Imperial Majesty would like to know what you would suggest as agreement terms for the Northerners." Xi Chen continued.
"Knowledge." Sze Chang replied simply.
"Knowledge?" Xi Chen blurted. Like Ye An, he was intrigued. Fascinated, even. Sze Chang was probably one of the few people he knew of, other than him, who had encountered Northerners and lived to tell the tale. But unlike him, Sze Chang's encounters were neither deadly nor traumatizing.
"Yes, knowledge. Knowledge on architecture. Knowledge on astronomy. Knowledge on sword craftsmanship. Knowledge on ship-building. Knowledge on medicine. Stuff like that. The Northerners I've encountered had always expressed their awe in what they thought of as advanced technology. In whispers of course. They would be beheaded if any of their tribe leaders hear about it." Sze Chang added the last bit impishly.
Ye An nodded in acknowledgment behind the bamboo screen.
"Tell him that I would like him to draw up an agreement plan between us and the Northerners." Ye An prompted Xi Chen.
Xi Chen relayed Ye An's message to the floor.
"Your Imperial Majesty! Please think it through. I, your humble servant, do not think that it is wise to make an agreement with the Northerners. It would seem like we have given in to them! We would appear weak to all the other nations, near and far. What we need now is to restore the nation'sdignity!" A court official with silvery-white hair and a matching beard interjected.
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THE NIGHT EMPEROR: 夜安王 【The Night Emperor Book 1】| ✔️
Historical Fiction☑ COMPLETED "There are enough bad things in life, hold on to whatever it is that gives you joy." For the past 22 years, the Empress Mother has held onto the Dragon Throne that was rightfully Ye An's. Now, Ye An has finally ascended to the throne. Bu...
