Zhang Ci had a meal at Su Manor before taking his leave.
Su Yourong was also extremely annoyed by the assassination attempt on Shen Jing. She agreed with Shen Jing’s assessment that the Second Prince could largely be ruled out as a suspect.
However, the most frustrating part was that, besides the Second Prince and Yao Jian, they didn't even have a suitable suspect.
“Let’s wait for the results of Dali Temple’s investigation!”
Shen Jing said with a hint of helplessness, then reminded Su Yourong, “You should also be careful. It’s possible you’re also their target.”
“Mm, I will be careful.”
Su Yourong nodded, a cold glint in her eyes.
“Alright, don’t think about this for now!”
Shen Jing comforted her, “Actually, if you look at it from another angle, this is a good thing! With all this commotion, that person should be worried that we’ll expose his affairs to the Emperor, so he’ll probably send the silver to us as soon as possible!”
“That’s true.”
Su Yourong nodded slightly.
After chatting with Su Yourong for a while, Shen Jing went to the Court of State Ceremonial.
Currently, at the Court of State Ceremonial, besides him, the Vice Minister, the two highest-ranking officials were Lu Heng and Wang Xichuo, both Vice Ministers of the Court of State Ceremonial of the sixth rank.
Shen Jing called Lu Heng and Wang Xichuo and asked them about the Yong Country Delegation.
The Yong Country Delegation sent to Great Zhou was led by Gao Yin, the Third Prince of Yong Country, with Hulü Xian, the Senior Minister of Yong Country, as the deputy envoy. Including other envoys and guards, there were nearly two hundred people in total.
However, Xie Yunshan, the former Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, believed that Hulü Xian was likely the true leader.
Hulü Xian was skilled in both civil and military arts and was one of the core figures of Yong Country’s reformist faction.
As for Gao Yin, the Third Prince of Yong Country, they only knew of his existence but had heard nothing of his achievements in military or political affairs.
The Court of State Ceremonial had extensive information on Hulü Xian, but very little on Gao Yin.
After reviewing the information on both men, Shen Jing gained a preliminary understanding of Hulü Xian.
At the same time, he also formulated an initial reception plan.
Negotiations and such were not his responsibility.
His main task was to persuade them to agree to use white sugar instead of tribute.
However, just from Hulü Xian's information, it was clear that he was not someone easily fooled.
To accomplish this, it might require some unconventional methods!
Putting down the documents, Shen Jing then said to the two men, “You should also know my situation. I don’t understand many things, so the specific reception arrangements will be handled by you.”
Wang Xichuo shook his head and said sternly, “The specific arrangements should be decided by Your Excellency. We are merely assistants.”
“Hm?”
Shen Jing looked at Wang Xichuo in surprise, “Is it not acceptable for this Marquis to arrange for you to make the arrangements?”
Was this Sunzi trying to give him a hard time?
Or was this Sunzi a subordinate of Yao Jian or the Second Prince?
“This is not our duty!”
Wang Xichuo replied indifferently, “If Your Excellency handles it poorly, and the Emperor investigates, it will be Your Excellency’s responsibility!”
He was just a lucky son-in-law!
Did he really think of himself as a Marquis?
He wanted them to take the blame? Not a chance!
“Is that so?”
Shen Jing slowly stood up and walked in front of Wang Xichuo, asking with a half-smile, “You seem to have a lot of opinions about this Marquis, don’t you?”
Wang Xichuo showed no fear, raising his head to face Shen Jing directly, and snorted, “This official is merely speaking the truth! Your Excellency doesn’t need to throw your weight around in front of this official!”
Bang!
As soon as Wang Xichuo finished speaking, Shen Jing suddenly kicked him.
Caught off guard, Wang Xichuo grunted and fell to the ground.
This scene stunned Lu Heng, who was standing nearby.
He hadn't expected Shen Jing to have such a violent temper.
“Cough, cough…”
Wang Xichuo coughed violently twice. After he recovered, he immediately looked at Shen Jing with a face full of anger, “Shen Jing! This official is also an imperial official, how dare you…”
“What about hitting you?”
Shen Jing raised an eyebrow, interrupting Wang Xichuo, “Go ahead and report this Marquis wherever you want! It’s best if you can get the Emperor to dismiss this Marquis from my position as Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial! If you really have that ability, this Marquis will thank your ancestors for eighteen generations!”
“You…”
Wang Xichuo was furious, grinding his teeth.
“You want this Marquis to make the arrangements, do you? This Marquis will make arrangements right now!”
Shen Jing snorted coldly, “From now on, you don’t have to do anything! When the Yong Country Delegation arrives, your only job is to feed their horses!”
“Dream on!”
Wang Xichuo roared, “This official would rather die than feed horses!”
“Then go die!”
Shen Jing said dismissively, “Oh, and you’d best die at the hands of the Yong Country Delegation. That way, you can still make a contribution to our Great Zhou!”
Wang Xichuo’s face twitched violently. He struggled to get up from the ground, gritting his teeth and growling, “We’ll see!”
“See your grandpa!”
Shen Jing was displeased, and with another flying kick, he sent Wang Xichuo tumbling to the ground again, “You’re not qualified to ‘see’! But you can lie there and watch!”
With that, Shen Jing kicked Wang Xichuo several more times.
Wang Xichuo shrieked repeatedly, rolling forward.
Only after kicking Wang Xichuo out of the door did Shen Jing turn to look at Lu Heng, whose forehead was sweating, “Do you also want this Marquis to arrange something for you?”
“No… no need!”
Lu Heng quickly shook his head, “This matter won’t trouble Marquis Shen. This official will arrange the specific details! It’s just, the silver…”
“What about the silver?” Shen Jing asked, confused.
Lu Heng chuckled, “The Court of State Ceremonial hasn’t hosted a foreign delegation in several years. Normally, they only allocate silver when the court holds grand ceremonies or sacrifices. Currently, there’s less than a thousand taels of silver in the entire Court of State Ceremonial’s account…”
Upon hearing this, Shen Jing immediately became displeased, “If you don’t have silver, go find the Ministry of Revenue!”
At the mention of this, Lu Heng’s face became helpless, “We reported the silver matter a few days ago, but there’s been no response from the Ministry of Revenue. Furthermore, Marquis Shen is now the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, and Chancellor Yao manages the Ministry of Revenue, so the Ministry of Revenue will likely…”
Lu Heng didn’t finish the rest of his sentence.
But his meaning was already very clear.
Yao Jian would likely use his position to settle personal scores, holding up the Court of State Ceremonial on the silver matter.
Shen Jing pondered for a moment, then asked, “How much silver did you report to the Ministry of Revenue?”
“Thirty thousand taels.”
Lu Heng replied.
“How much?”
Shen Jing’s voice suddenly rose.
“Thirty thousand taels.”
Lu Heng replied again, “We didn’t dare ask for more…”
Upon hearing this, Shen Jing’s face immediately darkened.
Ask for more?
You want thirty thousand taels of silver just for a reception?
Forget Yao Jian, I wouldn’t approve it either!
Their reception would merely involve arranging food, lodging, and entertainment. Thirty thousand taels of silver at the drop of a hat? Are you going to feed those Sunzi dragon meat?
Shen Jing gave Lu Heng a speechless look and instructed, “Since you’ve already submitted the budget to the Ministry of Revenue, I won’t say anything more! You will draft a new reception budget and compress all reception expenses to within one thousand taels!”
“Ah… this…”
Lu Heng was dumbfounded.
The Yong Country Delegation consisted of nearly two hundred people!
One thousand taels of silver wouldn’t even be enough for the people and horses to eat, would it?
He had seen greedy people, but never one so outrageously greedy!
This was too ridiculous!
“It’s settled then!”
Shen Jing was too lazy to say more to him, “You first draft a preliminary reception plan and give it to me when it’s done!”
Upon hearing this, Lu Heng became even more distressed. He tried to speak several times but didn’t know what to say.
Afterward, Shen Jing had Lu Heng take him for a tour of the Four Directions Inn, which was less than a li from the Court of State Ceremonial.
The Four Directions Inn was a place specifically for accommodating foreign envoys, and the Yong Country Delegation would also stay there.
After a brief look around, Shen Jing left with his men.
As he was heading to the pharmacy with Du Heng, he ran into Ye Xian and his entourage.
Ye Xian was riding a tall horse, followed by two carriages piled high with boxes…