The emperor is biased and wants to kill me, but you chickened out when the army is at the city gates

Chapter 64 Gourner's Visit

Beining City, Zhuque Avenue.

This is a newly renovated street that stretches from the north gate of the city to the city center.

The road is wide enough for four horse-drawn carriages to travel at the same time.

Along both sides of the street, there are all kinds of shops, and pedestrians come and go in an endless stream.

Gourner's eyes widened, his heart filled with shock, and he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:

"Your prince truly lives up to his reputation as a prodigy. In just a few months, Beining City has undergone such earth-shattering changes."

A few months ago, when the Tulan army stormed into Beining City, apart from the inner city which was still relatively prosperous, the rest of the city could only be described as desolate.

Zhuge Xuan, who was accompanying him, smiled slightly: "His Highness values ​​the economy, so he specially widened the streets and concentrated most of the city's merchants here to make it more convenient for the people to make purchases."

Gourner nodded slightly, but in his heart he didn't think it was that simple.

Four carriages could travel side by side and went straight to the city center, which was clearly a preparation for war.

Once the northern city falls, the inner city can provide support at the fastest speed.

"When I entered the city, I didn't see any guards or anyone collecting entry taxes. Was this also what the King of Chu requested?"

"Gourna asked curiously."

In today's world, whether it's the Great Qi or the Jurchen Kingdom, the taxes collected upon entry are a major source of income.

"His Highness said that wealth should be distributed to attract people. If we have to charge a fee just to enter the city, how can we expect to gather people from all over the world in our Beining City?"

Zhuge Xuan smiled faintly and pointed to the various pedestrians coming and going around him: "Grand Preceptor, my Beining City embraces all things, including people of other races."

"As long as they don't come to Beining City to cause trouble, we welcome you even if you come to settle down."

"settle down?"

Gurna was somewhat surprised. Could it be that Beining City had already attracted the participation of foreign tribes?

"Grand Preceptor, there is no need to be surprised. You see, not only people from Goryeo, Liaodong and Khitan are doing business in my Beining City, but even your Jurchen Kingdom has many clever merchants who have already purchased shops here."

Zhuge Xuan's rather proud introduction.

Since the advent of refined salt, coal briquettes, and soap, countless merchants have flocked to the area.

They could get their goods from Beining City at a lower price than from the three major chambers of commerce, so they would naturally choose to buy or rent a shop in Beining City.

Their arrival will inevitably bring with it goods from their respective countries.

In this back-and-forth process, complete trade routes were quietly formed.

Gourner, being well-traveled and knowledgeable, had a deeper understanding of the current prosperity.

After all, just a few months ago, this was merely a war-torn city!

What truly alarmed Gurna was not the bustling trade here, but the pride and confidence that emanated from the very bones of the people of Beining City.

Looking back, the people of this city were like the walking dead.

Their eyes were filled with despair, fear, and numbness; they didn't even dare to glance at Tu Lanjun when he walked down the street.

But now?

What Gourner saw were faces filled with pride.

Each of them seemed to slightly raise their chins, then look at all the outsiders with a condescending gaze.

Correct!

It means being high and mighty.

"What exactly did the King of Chu do to these people? Why are they all so proud of being the people of Beining City?"

Gurna was somewhat bewildered, unable to comprehend how such an astonishing change could have occurred among the entire population of the city.

"Please wait a moment, Imperial Advisor, I will go and report this."

Before they knew it, the group had arrived in front of the Chu King's residence.

While Zhuge Xuan went inside to report, Gulna couldn't help but ask his attendants, "What did you sense?"

"Prosperous! Extremely prosperous!" someone exclaimed.

"Here, outsiders can easily feel the sense of being looked down upon. The way these people look at us always seems to be wary, yet also reveals a hint of pity."

Another follower could not accurately describe his feelings, only vaguely.

"It must be the arrogance of the people of a superior nation! Yes, I felt this way decades ago in the capital of the Great Qi Kingdom."

Decades ago, the Great Qi Empire was at the height of its power, with foreign tribes coming to pay homage, displaying a terrifying aura of universal tribute.

Gulna nodded with a wry smile.

The entourage he brought this time were no ordinary people, but rather the heads of several major merchant guilds in the Jurchen Kingdom and some top experts.

Seeing that these people could sense such emotions, Gourner's regard for Qin Xuan increased even further.

"Imperial Preceptor, I find this Prince Qin's residence too plain; it is not the kind of residence a prince should have."

Among the entourage, the only leader, Najib, asked with a puzzled expression.

“You have never dealt with the King of Chu, so you don’t know his style of doing things. In many ways, he is indeed as you have perceived him, hardly seeking any material enjoyment.”

"He could live, eat, and sleep with the soldiers year after year, and he was even willing to give up his military rations to help refugees."

"But at the same time, he was extremely ruthless towards his enemies. More than 10,000 of our Tulan soldiers were captured and slaughtered on the spot by him."

The thought of that war fills Gourner with a deep sense of unease.

This was his most complete and devastating defeat in history.

"If we come here, he won't kill us all, will he?"

Najib's expression changed, and he lowered his voice.

Gulna shook his head: "Since he is a great hero, how could he do such a despicable thing? Besides, when two countries are at war, envoys are not to be killed. This is a local agreement that all countries must abide by."

"But he was just a prince, and Beining City was just a small border town."

Najib asked, puzzled.

"you are wrong!"

“If this were before we came to Beining City, I would have agreed with you, but at this moment, all I can say is that this is now a country, and the man in the center of this country is the only king here.”

Gourner had always held Qin Xuan in high regard, so when he said these things, his followers could only marvel, and no one dared to refute him.

During their conversation, Zhuge Xuan returned and led everyone into the palace, arriving at the reception room.

The hall wasn't large, and there weren't many luxurious decorations, but when Gulna and the others saw Qin Xuan sitting solemnly in the center of the hall, they felt a sense of pressure for no apparent reason.

This is the kind of oppressive feeling that only emperors have, yet it appeared in a young prince.

"Gurna, the Grand Preceptor of the Jurchen Kingdom, brings a caravan to pay respects to His Highness the King of Chu!"

Gulna quickly composed himself and then bowed politely.

Qin Xuan smiled faintly and raised his hand, saying, "Grand Preceptor, you and I are old acquaintances, there's no need for such formalities, please sit down!"

Gulna gave a slight wry smile: "Your Highness's demeanor far exceeds my expectations. The reason I came here today is to deliver a letter on behalf of my Emperor. Please take a look, Your Highness."

As he spoke, Gulna took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Qin Xuan with both hands.

Qin Xuan was slightly surprised, but still opened the letter without hesitation.

After a long while, he raised his head, staring sharply at Gulna, and said with a strange smile, "Is the Jurchen Kingdom in big trouble?"