Chapter 136 Roadblock.

The deputy envoy bowed his head slightly, and then said softly: "Northern Qi continued the Northern Qi Dynasty, so the people are very proud and self-respecting, and they still enjoy the glory of the past. The officials and disciples in the court were trained by the previous dynasty. Although they are corrupt and weak, their literary foundation is worthy of the title of orthodoxy in the world."

"The way of literature is in the Northern Qi Dynasty, and many scholars in the world regard it as a holy place."

"Every spring, many scholars from Dongyi City and Qing Kingdom travel thousands of miles to the capital to take the exam. In the past two years, I heard that even Xihu Kingdom and the Northern Barbarians have sent a small number of people."

"Plus, even Li An, who is now famous in all countries, has joined Qi. How can the people of Northern Qi not be proud?"

After saying this, the deputy envoy ended his remarks with a sigh.

Fan Xian was shocked when he heard this, and felt it was extremely absurd, but he also gained a new understanding of Northern Qi.

He felt incredible, this was very different from the ancient world before. He laughed and cursed: "Can foreigners be officials in Northern Qi?"

"This is how flourishing the literary style of Northern Qi is!" The deputy envoy gestured to Fan Xian to look at the officials accompanying the envoy at the back of the convoy, and then continued, "As far as I know, there are several people in this team who took exams in Northern Qi before. It seems that their teacher during the exam was Zhuang Mohan, and they also claimed to be Zhuang Mohan's students. After returning to Qing Kingdom, His Majesty also recognized them."

The people of Qing went to Northern Qi to take the exam. Although they could not stay in Northern Qi to be officials, they could return to their country to be officials. This really made the people of Qing feel ashamed!
"Literature is a minor art and is worthless in my opinion."

Fan Xian said: "What is truly beneficial to the people is how to govern and allocate resources."

The deputy envoy laughed when he heard this and said, "Of course. Since our country of Qing has a great governor, who dares to look down on us in literature?"

Even Wang Qinian and Gaoda, who were accompanying them, agreed with this from the bottom of their hearts and nodded.

Fan Xian smiled bitterly and did not argue.

Looking at the martial artists who refused to leave in front of him, he said, "Who can lend me a sword?" and then stood on the shaft of the cart.

"Drive forward, and follow me to meet this expert from Northern Qi!"

······
Northern Qi Imperial Palace, inside the main hall.

Zhan Doudou, who was sitting on the dragon throne, placed her left hand on the armrest, tapping it from time to time. The nails on her slender jade hand were shining, setting off her beautiful, somewhat impatient face.

At this time, all the civil and military officials of the court had already gathered in the hall. They were standing there with solemn expressions, waiting for news.

However, they did not receive any news from the Qing Kingdom delegation, but instead received another piece of bad news.

"Report!"

An eunuch holding a file in both hands trotted in from outside the hall, came to the stage closest to the throne, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, the border has sent a report that the Nanqing border troops have moved their camps at the same time, advancing thirty miles and stopping at the border line!"

Finally, Zhan Doudou stopped tapping the armrest, sat up straight, and his expression became heavy.

"How can this be done?"

"Didn't Nan Qing come here to negotiate?"

"We can't fight anymore. If we fight, the people will suffer!"

"Your Majesty, the treasury is empty and we cannot afford another war!"

After discussing for a while, some ministers looked up, waiting for His Majesty to make a judgment.

"Summon the Right Master to the court to discuss this matter!"

Zhan Doudou subconsciously looked back, but did not see the familiar figure of her mother. She forced herself to stay awake and told the eunuch to summon Li An into the palace.

Yu Wenyun was about to agree when he heard a voice coming from outside the palace:

"The Imperial Master has arrived!"

Zhan Doudou's expression relaxed, he smiled slightly, waved his robe and said to Yu Wenyun: "No need to send anyone."

"Mr. Imperial Master is very wise." Yu Wenyun bowed and said some witty words to His Majesty.

After Li An strode in, he shut up and stood quietly by the side. "Your Majesty, Li An, pays respects to His Majesty!"

Although it was a greeting, Li An just nodded towards the leader.

"Master, please stand up. Please take a seat!"

Zhan Doudou was all smiles, and her confident and majestic demeanor filled the room. Before Li An could sit down, she asked, "I think the Imperial Master has already known about the Qing border troops' advance. What do you think of this?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry!" Li An sat down and bowed, saying, "The Qing border troops will move forward and will only be stationed on the border. They will neither advance nor retreat. This is only to bring pressure and panic to our dynasty and provide convenience for their envoys."

Zhan Doudou nodded, seeming to agree with what Li An said. She asked softly, "I heard that the envoy from Nanqing this time is Fan Xian. Sir, you have a good relationship with him. What do you think of him?"

Li An understood what the little emperor was asking, and said without hesitation, "Fan Xian is a man of both civil and military talents, and has a quick wit. He came here with an important mission."

"Oh? Tell me in detail."

"In addition to handing over the credentials and exchanging hostages, he should also take over the intelligence network within our country!"

Li An said in a deep voice, and in one sentence he told the purpose of Fan Xian's trip. Now the positions of both parties are clear, unlike before. Private relations are allowed, but if it is for national affairs, there can be no negligence.

As for the plot by Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping to have Sean reveal the secret of the temple to Fan Xian, he did not tell it. As a member of the royal family and the imperial teacher, Ku He naturally had his reasons for not telling it.

Perhaps the Northern Qi was not ready to accept the gift from the temple at that time.

"Then should we stop Fan Xian from taking over the spy network?"

Facing the Emperor's question, Li An thought for a moment and then replied, "No need!"

"Now that the enemy is in the open, there will be more opportunities available."

Everyone present could understand this sentence. They could filter out some information and 'inadvertently' leak it to Fan Xian, have him pass it back to Qing State, and then take advantage of it.

Li An hadn't finished his words yet, and he continued, "Fan Xian will do a business with Your Majesty during his visit to Qi this time. This can help alleviate the urgent need for an empty treasury."

Zhan Doudou was in high spirits. She had not expected that the problem that had troubled her for days could be solved by Li Anlai in just a few words. Her beautiful eyes lit up and she looked at Li Anlai in the audience more carefully.

"I still have to thank the Imperial Master for clearing up my doubts. I will not forget the rules. This question is worth a thousand gold."

Li An was slightly stunned and fell silent.

······
At the city gate, Shen Zhong got off the carriage, faced Fan Xian, stretched out his hand, and said, "Master Fan, please come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless guards emerged from the crowd in front. It turned out that it was Uesugi Tiger who had surrounded Fan Xian before!

The people from the Supervisory Council and the Tiger Guards in the Nanqing delegation stepped forward to confront them. Even the officials from the Northern Qi who were ordered to receive them ordered their soldiers to stand out and protect the safety of the delegation.

We must avoid conflicts. Otherwise, once a fight breaks out, not only will our negligence be a small matter, but disputes between the two countries will arise, which will be a big deal!
"General, what are you doing!?"

"This is the Nanqing envoy. Are you going to disobey the emperor's order?"

Seeing that the situation was unusual, Fan Xian sat down and watched silently.

Under the suppressed gazes of the crowd, Uesugi Tora rode forward with his gun in hand, his face full of anger.

He pointed his gun at Shen Zhong in the crowd and said, "How could this happen? Why is my foster father so badly injured? Who did this?!"

"That's exactly what I did." Shen Zhong didn't dodge. Instead, he walked in front of everyone surrounded by many Jinyiwei and said loudly under Shangshanhu's gun: "Your Excellency doesn't know that I was ordered to interrogate Sean about something. I had no choice but to do this~"

That sinister laughter and smug look all irritated Uesugi Tiger's nerves.

He shouted angrily: "Give me the person!"

(End of this chapter)