Of course, Hulü Xian knew that the food was actually not bad at all.
Whether in Great Zhou or Great Yong, it was likely only the palace guards who could eat sorghum rice for every meal.
However, Shen Jing directly refusing to provide food was no longer just a slight!
This was clearly a show of force to intimidate them!
Hulü Xian looked at Shen Jing with a grim expression and said in a deep voice, "Since that is the case, then we shall follow Marquis Shen's wishes! However, when I meet your Emperor, I will certainly report this matter to him!"
"Whatever!"
Shen Jing replied indifferently.
"Good!"
A cold glint flashed in Hulü Xian's eyes. He then waved his hand at the crowd, "Alright, everyone, disperse! Marquis Shen, please send someone to take our people out to buy something to eat!"
As soon as Hulü Xian finished speaking, Gao Yin walked out of the room.
Gao Yin was still tidying his clothes as he walked, looking as if he had just bathed and changed.
"What's going on here?"
Gao Yin asked, feigning ignorance.
Hulü Xian immediately recounted the events to Gao Yin.
Gao Yin frowned slightly, "Forget it, since Senior Minister has already spoken, let's go with his decision!"
"Alright!"
Shen Jing readily agreed, then turned to Lu Heng and asked, "Have the wine and dishes prepared for His Highness and Senior Minister been delivered?"
Lu Heng replied, "The wine and dishes are ready, but because His Highness and Senior Minister just wanted to bathe and change, they haven't been sent over yet."
"Then quickly have someone send them over!"
Shen Jing irritably instructed Lu Heng, "Remember to check if they've gotten cold. If they have, have them reheated before sending them over! Lest someone again say we are being disrespectful!"
Gao Yin and Hulü Xian knew Shen Jing's words were intentionally directed at them.
But they merely exchanged a silent glance, saying nothing more.
"Yes!"
Lu Heng accepted the order.
"Alright! The rest is up to you!"
Shen Jing's face was full of impatience, "I've been busy since early morning and haven't eaten anything. I'm going to find something to fill my stomach..."
With that, Shen Jing walked out.
"Wait!"
Gao Yin stopped Shen Jing, "Since Marquis Shen hasn't eaten either, why not sit down and have a drink with us?"
"Oh no, no!"
Shen Jing immediately refused, "My status is humble; how can I sit with two esteemed envoys?"
After speaking, Shen Jing quickened his pace to leave, a faint smile quietly appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Hmm, it seems Gao Yin is already starting to get interested in the irresistible benefits!
No rush!
Take it slow!
I need Gao Yin to come to me to talk!
Looking at Shen Jing's retreating figure, Gao Yin couldn't help but curse him under his breath for being ungrateful.
It wasn't until Hulü Xian gave him a look that he followed Hulü Xian into the room and sat down.
"Senior Minister just now was too quick to boost others' morale and diminish our own!"
As soon as he entered the room, Gao Yin expressed his dissatisfaction to Hulü Xian.
Spending a little money to buy food, or even going hungry, was not a big deal.
But this matter truly harmed their national prestige!
"We were merely testing them, how can it be said that we diminished our own prestige?"
Hulü Xian waved his hand dismissively and asked, "Your Highness, do you think this Shen Jing is naturally like this, or was he instructed by someone to act this way?"
Gao Yin replied without hesitation, "He must have been instructed by someone, otherwise he wouldn't dare to be so bold."
"I think so too."
Hulü Xian nodded with a slight smile, "Emperor Zhou is merely putting on a show, trying to overpower us with his aura to gain a bit of initiative for the upcoming negotiations!"
"If we want to display our national prestige or give them a warning, there are other ways!"
"Shen Jing is merely following orders. Our constant bickering with him would only be a disadvantage!"
"Moreover, I have another objective!"
They happened to choose a time when Great Zhou was in internal turmoil to send envoys, so as long as Emperor Zhou and the court officials weren't fools, they should have guessed that their visit was not for good intentions.
It was reasonable for Emperor Zhou to want to gain some initiative by putting on a show.
"Another objective?"
Gao Yin was curious, "What objective?"
Hulü Xian smiled and whispered into Gao Yin's ear.
Before long, Lu Heng brought the wine and dishes.
Along with the wine and dishes, there was also a small jar.
Compared to the meals prepared for the other envoys, the food prepared for the two of them was much more lavish.
Although it didn't meet the standards of a palace banquet, they were all appetizing dishes with excellent color, aroma, and taste.
When the small jar was opened, Gao Yin's eyes immediately lit up, "This is... white sugar?"
"Yes!"
Lu Heng bowed and replied, "Marquis Shen knows that people from Great Yong have a sweet tooth, so he specially requested some from His Majesty to entertain honored guests!"
"Marquis Shen is quite thoughtful."
Gao Yin nodded with a slight smile, but secretly pondered.
Could this be the irresistible benefit Shen Jing spoke of?
Although this white sugar was indeed precious, he was still a Prince.
Just this white sugar alone probably wouldn't be enough to make him unable to refuse.
Although, this white sugar seemed even purer than the white sugar his Imperial Father enjoyed.
"Your Highness and Senior Minister, please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, please just ask."
Lu Heng smiled and respectfully withdrew.
After Lu Heng left, Gao Yin asked Hulü Xian again, "Senior Minister, what do you think of this Shen Jing?"
Hulü Xian thought for a moment and said indifferently, "He is eloquent and has some courage, but he is still young and acts impulsively!"
"Senior Minister's assessment is quite fair."
Gao Yin nodded in agreement, then pointed to the jar of white sugar and said, "Do you think this might be the irresistible benefit Shen Jing mentioned?"
Hulü Xian frowned and warned, "Although Shen Jing is not very cunning, he is definitely not a kind person. Your Highness must not believe his words! Be careful that he might set a trap for us!"
"Don't worry, I'm not that foolish!"
Gao Yin smiled dismissively, "Besides, Senior Minister is right here. If anything happens, I will naturally discuss it with you!"
Hearing Gao Yin say this, Hulü Xian finally felt relieved.
Nearly an hour later, a guard knocked on the door of Hulü Xian, who was discussing important matters with Gao Yin, and handed him a secret letter.
Hulü Xian was overjoyed and quickly tore open the letter.
Upon seeing the contents of the letter, the smile on Hulü Xian's face became uncontrollable.
"Your Highness, please take a look too!"
Hulü Xian said with a smile, handing the secret letter to Gao Yin.
Gao Yin took it and read it, a smile also appearing on his face, "Great Zhou is indeed putting on a show!"
This was top-secret intelligence delivered by their spy embedded in Great Zhou.
Great Zhou was simply not prepared to deal with a large-scale war!
Previously, just a rebellion by Prince Ji had put Great Zhou on high alert!
Great Zhou's soldiers' weaponry and armor were also severely insufficient, and even the frontier army's payroll was lacking.
Great Zhou would need at least two or three more years to complete its preparations for a large-scale war!
However, Great Zhou had been very lucky in recent years, with favorable weather conditions.
After several years of recuperation, Great Zhou's national treasury had become quite full.
Preliminary estimates suggested that Great Zhou's national treasury held over ten million taels of silver!
Additionally, Emperor Zhou had suffered a serious illness some time ago, and if nothing unexpected happened, he probably wouldn't last for many more years.
Once Emperor Zhou became seriously ill or died, Great Zhou would surely witness another struggle for the throne!
Their timing for this mission to Great Zhou was perfect!
Gao Yin handed the secret letter back to Hulü Xian and smiled, "Now, it's our turn to act!"
Hulü Xian nodded with a smile, then placed the secret letter in his hand over an oil lamp to burn it...