GBP Chapter 74 Envoy of Yan
Chapter 74 Envoy of Yan
Wei Ziyuan had just returned to his villa when his subordinate rushed in to report that the King of Qin had invited him to the palace. Wei Ziyuan was secretly surprised by the King of Qin's swift reply. He dared not delay in the slightest and quickly boarded his carriage, speeding towards Zhangtai Palace.
When Wei Ziyuan met the King of Qin again, the King of Qin had just finished performing the grand ceremony when he said, "The Great Qin agrees to teach the State of Wei the method of papermaking."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ziyuan was overwhelmed with emotion. He quickly replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty. You are truly generous and magnanimous."
The King of Qin's face remained grim. He said in a deep voice, "Although the papermaking method can be bestowed upon the State of Wei, if my Great Qin were to teach it to your State of Wei, would the other states also be obligated to do so? This is indeed a thorny problem."
Upon hearing the King of Qin's words, Wei Ziyuan hurriedly replied, "What the King of Qin says is absolutely right. Our Wei state will never ask for the papermaking method without a reason."
The King of Qin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? What does the envoy from Wei mean?" Wei Ziyuan solemnly replied, "Before the envoy departed, my King of Wei promised that if Qin could teach us the method of papermaking, Wei would offer 500,000 taels of silver as compensation."
Upon hearing Wei Ziyuan's words, the King of Qin frowned and asked in a cold voice, "Is Envoy Wei joking? You think you can exchange 500,000 taels of silver for the papermaking method of my Great Qin? Isn't that a blatant disregard for my Great Qin?"
Wei Ziyuan felt the unparalleled aura emanating from the King of Qin, and his heart skipped a beat, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He said in great fear, "Your Majesty, I had no such intention! Please calm your anger."
The King of Qin snorted coldly, his eyes revealing a hint of majesty and indifference. He said coldly, "Ten million taels of silver or one million taels of gold. There is no other choice!"
Upon hearing this astronomical figure, Wei Ziyuan's face turned deathly pale, and his body trembled uncontrollably. His eyes widened, and he asked incredulously, "King Qin, isn't this amount far too enormous? My Wei state is merely a small country; such a huge sum of money is simply beyond our capacity to bear."
The King of Qin looked at Wei Ziyuan expressionlessly and said in a calm but firm tone, "Wei Envoy, I have heard that the envoy from Yan has already entered our Qin territory and will arrive in Xianyang in a few days. Why don't you come together to discuss this matter when the envoy from Yan arrives?"
Upon hearing the news that the Yan envoy was about to arrive in Xianyang, Wei Ziyuan felt a surge of urgency. He clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and said, "Very well, I, on behalf of the King of Wei, agree to the conditions proposed by the King of Qin. However, I wish to begin learning the art of papermaking immediately." He knew that time was of the essence and that he must master this skill as soon as possible to secure more benefits for the State of Wei.
Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible smile flashed in the King of Qin's eyes.
He readily agreed to the Wei envoy's request and arranged for a special person to be responsible for teaching papermaking techniques.
In the days that followed, the Wei envoy devoted himself entirely to his studies. He observed carefully, took meticulous notes, and did not overlook any detail.
After a period of effort, the Wei envoy finally mastered the Qin's papermaking technique. He embarked on his journey home, laden with his newfound knowledge. Before leaving, Wei Ziyuan glanced back at the three-story building. He recalled what he had recently learned: this three-story building and the Great Qin Bank were both established by Princess Jiayang.
Although Wei Ziyuan was filled with curiosity about all this, he also found it somewhat amusing that a princess of Qin could wield such immense influence. After all, in his view, women should be virtuous by being gentle, demure, and devoted to their husbands and children, not by acting like men. However, the King of Qin allowing a woman to act in this way was something Wei Ziyuan could not condone. But it was a matter for Qin, none of his business, so he was just watching the show.
By the time the Yan envoy arrived in Xianyang, the Wei envoy had already completed his studies and left Xianyang.
The envoy from Yan was Chancellor Li Fu. As soon as he entered Xianyang, he saw a group of people pointing and gesturing around a wall. Curious, Li Fu ordered his guards to stop the carriage and investigate. The guards quickly returned and reported to Li Fu, "Your Majesty, there's a notice posted on that wall. It says: 'Foreign countries are welcome to come to Qin to learn the papermaking method, but the tuition fee is ten million taels of silver or one million taels of gold. If one acquires the papermaking method without learning it, it will be considered stealing Qin's technology, and Qin will send troops to demand an explanation.'"
Upon hearing Qin's tyrannical treaty, the deputy envoy's voice trembled with anger: "Qin is going too far! They're charging such a high price for a mere papermaking technique! This is outrageous! They're not human! The King of Qin is not human!"
Upon hearing the deputy envoy's words, Li Fu's face darkened, and he sighed inwardly. He knew the deputy envoy was young and impetuous, but losing his temper here would only bring trouble to himself and the country. So, he sternly rebuked him, "Shut up! This is Xianyang, the capital of the Great Qin Dynasty! Do you want to die?"
The deputy envoy was startled by Li Fu's rebuke and, realizing his lapse in composure, immediately shut his mouth. He understood that in this place, any impulsive action could lead to serious consequences.
Li Fu looked at the deputy envoy, his tone softening, and said, "We are now in a foreign land, and we must remain calm and rational. Let's go see the King of Qin first, and then make further plans." After saying that, he signaled the guards to continue driving to Zhangtai Palace.
The guards reacted quickly, remounted the carriage, and continued towards Zhangtai Palace.
Soon after, they arrived at Zhangtai Palace. Li Fu and the others tidied their appearance and entered the palace to pay their respects to the King of Qin.
The King of Qin sat upright on his throne, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd before he asked, "The envoy from Yan has also come for the method of papermaking, hasn't he?"
Li Fu respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I have indeed come for the method of papermaking, but I have heard that someone has already come?"
The King of Qin nodded slightly and said calmly, "The Yan envoy has arrived at an inopportune time. The Wei envoy just left, and you have already arrived."
Li Fu's heart sank; he hadn't expected the State of Wei to also be interested in papermaking. He knew the competition was about to intensify. However, he remained calm and decided to gather more information before making a decision.
Li Fu asked with a curious look, "King Qin, I wonder how much the Wei envoy offered?"
The King of Qin smiled slightly and replied casually, "Ten million taels of silver or one million taels of gold—didn't you all see that in Xianyang before entering the palace?"
At this moment, the deputy envoy, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up, his tone tinged with doubt: "King Qin, did Wei really pay so much money?"
The King of Qin nodded firmly and solemnly said, "Of course." His voice was deep and powerful, as if declaring to everyone that this fact was beyond question.
Upon hearing the King of Qin's words, the people of Yan remained silent. The King of Qin, however, was unhurried. He said slowly, "There is no need to rush this matter. Everyone, please go to the detached residence to rest first. We will discuss it again after you have thought it through." After he finished speaking, everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and took their leave from Zhangtai Palace, heading towards the detached residence.