However, once this trade cooperation agreent is signed, from then on the Da Yue Dynasty will have to dispatch a diplomatic mission to permanently reside in Yan County of the North Country, and the North Country will also have to send a diplomatic mission to permanently reside in the Capital City of the Da Yue Dynasty.
In na, they claim it is for the sake of trade cooperation and to prevent issues from arising with the trading caravans on each other's territory, which would leave no one to resolve them.
The mutual dispatch of diplomatic missions ans that, should any comrcial issues arise, they can be communicated in a tily manner.
Although it's said to be for the sake of trade, anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was no different from establishing diplomatic relations, just short of the two sides publicly and directly doing so.
Murong Xue'er smiled at this mont and said, "Replying to the North Prince, we have no further objections regarding the content of the trade cooperation agreent and can sign it today."
Lu Chen replied, "Good, since that's the case, then bring in the trade cooperation agreent."
As soon as Lu Chen finished speaking, two Jinyiwei guards entered the grand hall, each carrying a scroll. One Jinyiwei guard placed a scroll on the table in front of Murong Xue'er, and the other placed one on the table in front of Lu Chen.
After opening the scroll, they revealed black silk cloths inscribed with yellow characters that recorded the terms of the trade cooperation between the North Country and Da Yue.
Although the North Country was already capable of mass paper production, for treaties signed with other countries, silk cloth was still used. Textiles, compared to paper, were not as easily damaged and this also signified respect for the Da Yue Dynasty, as no other dynasties had yet adopted paper for the signing of bilateral agreents.
Once the scroll was opened, Lu Chen took out the King Seal from his hand and stamped it directly onto the scroll, and Murong Xue'er likewise took out a seal from her sleeve to stamp.
After the seals were stamped, the parties exchanged the scrolls.
When the scroll from Murong Xue'er's hand was placed before Lu Chen, he noticed that the seal she used was actually that of the Pri Minister of the Da Yue Dynasty.
Lu Chen chuckled to himself, as he originally thought of Murong Xue'er as rely referred to as the Inner Palace Pri Minister of the Da Yue Dynasty. Now it seed this title was not so simple; with the Pri Minister's seal in her hands, what difference was there between her and the actual Pri Minister of Da Yue.
Without dwelling on the thought, Lu Chen continued to stamp the scroll with the King Seal, and after the stamping was completed, the scrolls were exchanged once again.
In this way, the trade cooperation agreent between the two countries was considered complete.
At this ti, Murong Xue'er said, "North Prince, now that the trade cooperation agreent has been signed, our mission should return to Da Yue. Please determine the mbers of the North Country's diplomatic mission within these two days, and dispatch them to return to Da Yue with us."
Lu Chen replied, "No problem."
...
Two days later, the Da Yue diplomatic mission left three people from the Da Yue Dynasty in the North Country. The rest returned to Da Yue with Murong Xue'er, and of course, Lu Chen also dispatched several North Country officials to accompany the Da Yue mission back to the Da Yue Capital City.
No sooner had the Da Yue mission left Yan County than the envoy sent by the Great Sum court arrived.
To Lu Chen's surprise, this ti his father, the Sum Emperor, did not send Situ Ce to find him but dispatched Right Minister Zhao Wenhan instead.
Lu Chen had not had much interaction with Zhao Wenhan; even when he was in the Capital City, he had never spoken a word to Zhao Wenhan and had only seen him a few tis.
The Sum Emperor sending Zhao Wenhan to the North Country had a similar purpose to the last ti he had sent Situ Ce; it was nothing more than to relay ssages to Lu Chen, saying that the princes of the court were incompetent and then praising the North Prince as both literary and martial, possessing the aura of an emperor.
Lu Chen, of course, understood that the Sum Emperor was trying to stabilize his allegiance by having Zhao Wenhan co to speak these words. He did not believe that the Sum Emperor would one day give that position to him.
The Sum Emperor already doubted whether Lu Chen was his biological son, so how could he possibly pass the throne to him?
What worried Lu Chen the most now was whether the Sum Emperor's plan had progressed to that stage, with the Sum Emperor already preparing to join forces with Grandmasters to assassinate Zhuge Zhongguang. Zhuge was an important figure in the North Country, and Lu Chen did not want to see anything happen to him.
The reason he could remain so relaxed, with ti to cultivate relationships with his wives and concubines every day, was because after Zhuge Zhongguang ca to the North Country, he took over most of the state affairs.
If Zhuge Zhongguang was gone, Lu Chen doubted he would have any ti left to cultivate relationships with his wives and concubines.
Unlike the North Country's mission, Zhao Wenhan only stayed in Yan County for two days. After delivering the Sum Emperor's ssage to Lu Chen, he hastily departed from Yan County.
Zhao Wenhan also feared death; he was afraid that the North Country would suddenly rebel, and then he would be killed as a declaration of war.
After sending Zhao Wenhan away, Lu Chen also welcod the event he most looked forward to, which was marrying Chu Yuqin.
...
Da Yue Dynasty.
Empress's Bedchamber.
Behind the red curtains, the fair jade back of a woman was faintly visible. Outside the curtains, a woman was kneeling on the ground, the very Murong Xue'er who had just returned from the North Country to the Da Yue Dynasty.
From within the curtains, the woman chuckled lightly and said, "So it seems, the North Prince has taken a fancy to your beauty?"
Hearing this, Murong Xue'er's expression shifted slightly, "Your Majesty, this servant has never seduced the North Prince. It was entirely him who kept staring at this servant."
The Yue Emperor paid no attention to Murong Xue'er's words, and instead spoke indifferently, "A man given to lust, yet capable of reaching the Grandmaster Realm at the tender age of seventeen or eighteen. It seems his cultivation technique is quite extraordinary."
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