Two days later, at the Honglu Temple.

"The exchange of prisoners is a top priority." Xin Qiwu no longer had the rash demeanor he displayed during the previous negotiations. He said calmly, "His Majesty has decreed that the captured soldiers must be returned, no matter what. Everything else is secondary. We can afford to make some concessions in this regard."

An official below responded, "The number of captured soldiers from Northern Qi and the smaller nations they control has been roughly tallied. There are over two thousand four hundred in total. We have approximately one thousand captured on our side. According to His Majesty's decree, we could exchange two for one if necessary."

"Mm." Xin Qiwu nodded, pleased with his subordinates' efficiency. He continued, "Regarding the issue of redrawing the border, His Majesty's intentions are also clear. We will not relinquish an inch of the land we've taken this time. If Northern Qi wants land, they can offer the Qianlong Bay grassland in exchange."

Qianlong Bay was located northwest of Qing, connected to Qing's only exclave in that area. If Qing could regain it, that exclave would be secured.

The officials below diligently recorded their superior's words. One said with a headache, "But for some reason, Northern Qi is being particularly stubborn this time, acting as if they're willing to fight to the death. They're only willing to offer money and horses, but refuse to cede any land."

The chief clerk who had jumped up first during the tea party was clearly impulsive. He slammed the table and cursed, "We've already taken those lands! Are we supposed to give them back?"

Xin Qiwu nodded. "Lord Xiao's words were direct, but that is indeed the case." He swept his gaze across his subordinates, placing his teacup down heavily, and said, "Gentlemen, don't forget that these lands were taken by our soldiers, one sword and one spear at a time. They were bought with blood and flesh. We certainly cannot return them with our own hands, not after the soldiers sacrificed their lives. What about us? We're just moving our lips, so we must not abandon our country's interests. We must fight for every thread, every ounce of silver, every inch of land."

The person who had spoken earlier continued to frown. "Your Excellency is right, but according to the secret reports from our envoy stationed in Shangjing, Northern Qi, the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor has become more harmonious due to this defeat. And the Empress Dowager's younger brother has been found guilty and returned home. If we make too many demands during the negotiations, and the talks break down, leading to another war between the two countries, that would not be in line with His Majesty's wishes. You should all understand that if Northern Qi is truly united, even a dying centipede can still bite."

"Shangjing, Northern Qi, is too far away. The information takes too long to arrive, and it may not even be accurate by the time it does." Xin Qiwu had a headache. The key to negotiations was knowing your enemy. Although they currently held the advantage as the host and victor, the other side was located in their own capital, relying on the Northern Qi spy network that the court hadn't had time to fully eradicate. They could get firsthand information on the Qing court's reactions, while it was difficult for Qing to know the true reactions of the Northern Qi court.

Someone suggested, "Why not ask His Majesty to have the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council assist us? Everyone knows that the Fourth Bureau has far more connections in Northern Qi than any other government agency."

Everyone's eyes lit up. As officials in the capital, they both feared and hated the Overwatch Council. But if they could use this "mad dog" of the Overwatch Council to deal with the enemy, no official would object; they would only support it wholeheartedly. Contrary to everyone's expectations, Xin Qiwu lost his composure upon hearing this suggestion and cursed, "Do you think I and the Minister haven't thought of that? That Yama's Palace won't give us anything. What can I do? Am I supposed to kneel and cry outside His Majesty's palace?"

The officials thought, *So that's the reason.* Their expressions returned to tranquility, but deep down they were thinking, *If we could get Northern Qi's intelligence, what's wrong with you crying on the stone steps in front of Xingqing Palace?*

The hall fell silent. Although the Qing officials and citizens had always considered their nation to be the most powerful in the world, before the current Emperor ascended the throne, the people of Qing had always lived in the terrifying shadow of the mighty Northern Wei. Although Northern Wei had been reduced to half its former territory after the Emperor's three Northern Expeditions, becoming the current Northern Qi, forcing them into a corner and starting another war still seemed terrifying. So, without strong confidence to support them, negotiations seemed destined to deadlock.

"I will enter the palace again tonight to seek His Majesty's decree."

Xin Qiwu said, frowning. He glanced at Fan Xian, who had been sitting quietly at the lowest seat all along. This Vice Envoy Fan Xian seemed to lack any awareness of his position. All these days, whether it was negotiations or anything else, he always sat silently with a smile on his face, not knowing what he was thinking. Xin Qiwu had transferred him here on the orders of the Crown Prince, intending for Fan Xian to gain some political capital. This kid was quite sensible, not trying to steal any credit, but it wasn't good for him to stay so silent all the time.

He thought for a moment and said kindly, "Lord Fan, I wonder if you have any opinions on this matter?"

Fan Xian's fist tightened slightly inside his sleeve, but his face remained calm. He responded gently, "I believe that Northern Qi is currently just bluffing. If they really had the strength and will to fight again, they wouldn't be in such a hurry to send an envoy to seek peace."

The officials had always known that Lord Fan was famous for his poetry and his fists. Furthermore, they appreciated his quietness and lack of ambition for credit these past few days, so they had some expectations for his current statement. However, they were disappointed to find that he could only come up with such a common saying. But on the surface, the officials couldn't say anything, and they echoed his words casually.

Xin Qiwu, however, thought that since he was going to give the other party credit, he might as well do it completely. He continued kindly, "What you said is reasonable, but in relations between two countries, reality can be disguised as illusion, and illusion as reality. A nation is like a person, often governed by emotions at times, so we cannot rely entirely on reason. I wonder if Vice Envoy Fan has any other evidence?" He really hoped that Fan Xian could strengthen the Honglu Temple officials' confidence.

Fan Xian secretly praised the Junior Minister for his saying "A nation is like a person." After thinking for a moment, he said, "The key is Zhuang Mohan. You all know his position in the hearts of scholars across the world. If Northern Qi wasn't sincere in seeking peace, they wouldn't have spent so much to invite this Zhuang Mohan to accompany the delegation to the capital."

The Honglu Temple officials were all from the imperial examinations, so they certainly knew Zhuang Mohan's name. After a moment of contemplation, they realized that this was indeed the case, but this alone was not enough to bring the negotiations back to their original path.

Xin Qiwu frowned. "If we could know how Zhuang Mohan was persuaded to come, it might be helpful."

The Overwatch Council's records clearly stated that the reason Zhuang Mohan was willing to come was firstly that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor of Northern Qi lowered themselves to beg him, secondly that Zhuang Mohan prided himself as a sage among mortals and wanted to mediate the conflict between the two countries, and thirdly that there seemed to be a personal reason for this person, which had not yet been found. Although Fan Xian despised this "sage's" attitude, he would not underestimate the man's reputation. However, he would not reveal these reasons in front of the officials, but simply replied softly, "If I could meet him, I might be able to see some clues."

Chief Clerk Xiao shook his head and said helplessly, "It's customary in relations between countries that such figures can only be seen at the banquet given in the palace. If officials from our Honglu Temple try to seek an audience, they may not be able to get it, and would only humiliate themselves." Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he said, "However, Vice Envoy Fan's poetry name has already spread throughout the world. Under the guise of befriending through poetry, I believe Zhuang Mohan wouldn't refuse."

Fan Xian was taken aback. He thought to himself that he had only plagiarized three poems, two of which were written by Ruo Ruo. How could that lead to his poetry name spreading throughout the world? Fortunately, Junior Minister Xin shook his head and helped him out of the situation. "Zhuang Mohan has always been extremely arrogant. His classics, history, articles, poetry, and songs are all considered the world's foremost wonders. How could he condescend to meet with Vice Envoy Fan? In my opinion, the key reason Northern Qi invited him this time is for the banquet in the palace, hoping to use his reputation to persuade His Majesty."

The officials thought that this was probably the case.

After the meeting, Fan Xian found an opportunity to pull the Junior Minister aside and handed over the plan that he and Ruo Ruo had spent several nights "organizing". Xin Qiwu quickly glanced through it, and his eyes lit up. He had never expected Fan Xian to be able to write something like this. Although some of the evidence seemed absurd, a careful analysis seemed to directly point out the current situation in Northern Qi's court.

"Good!" Junior Minister Xin said excitedly, "With this, our Honglu Temple will have confidence during the negotiations. But... Vice Envoy Fan, why didn't you mention this earlier, but give it to me privately now?"

Fan Xian looked at his superior's suspicious expression and smiled slightly. "Some of the deductions inside may be a bit absurd, just my personal opinion, so I didn't dare to say it in public, but just offered it to Junior Minister for reference."

Xin was unable to suppress his excitement. He stood right there in the corridor carefully reading the plan, but his eyebrows gradually furrowed. After a long time, he asked softly, "Lord Fan, there are many secrets inside that even the court doesn't know."

Fan Xian's heart tightened. He knew that he had ultimately failed to hide it from the other party, but he had spent more than ten years cultivating his composure, from Danzhou to the capital. Naturally, his face remained unchanged, and he smiled and said, "There are some things that I can't say too much about."

The way to be an official was to always appear mysterious. As expected, Xin Qiwu didn't pursue the matter, but smiled warmly and said, "If these negotiations can be completed successfully, I will definitely write to His Majesty and ensure you receive a great reward."

Fan Xian smiled, bowed, and took his leave.

Xin Qiwu watched his green-robed figure disappear through the doorway. A look of bewilderment flashed across his face and disappeared quickly. He was close to the Crown Prince, so he naturally knew that Count Sinan, Fan Jian, held a force belonging privately to His Majesty, but this force seemed to have never been shown on the Qing political stage. Could it be... that Fan Jian dared to use it simply because of Fan Xian? He never connected Fan Xian with the Overwatch Council. After all, the Overwatch Council was His Majesty's private secret service, and even the princes couldn't interfere, let alone a minister's illegitimate son.

Sitting in the sedan chair, Xin Qiwu rested his chin in his hand and pondered. After the sedan stopped, he looked at the tall vermilion palace walls outside the sedan and thought to himself, it seemed that his recommendation to the Crown Prince was correct, that the Fan family could only be won over, not attacked.