Chapter 333 Pretending to be stupid
Xuan Xia's banquet hall was far from comparable to the luxurious palaces of the Han Empire. There were no tall and sturdy pillars and beams, no delicate and complex eaves structure, no dazzling gold and silver ornaments, and even the size of the space was far less vast and majestic than the former Han Dynasty palace.

However, many envoys who entered the banquet hall today still felt the unique charm of this place.

The entire Council of State adopts a large number of new construction technologies and materials, and one of the halls, the banquet hall used to receive foreign guests, showcases the square and magnificent features of the new building.

The main concrete structure is paved with brick and stone slabs. The style is simple but not crude, which inexplicably gives people a sense of power.

Of course, Xuan Xia would not blindly pursue efficiency and economy. After all, receiving guests cannot be shabby. This is a necessary etiquette requirement. Otherwise, not only will others look down on you, but you will also be more likely to be disliked by others.

The affairs of the Executive Yuan are all for the service of government affairs. The same is true for foreign affairs, which naturally cannot be neglected.

Xuan Xia showed enough sincerity in this banquet for foreign guests. When many envoys stepped in, they immediately heard solemn and magnificent vocal music. Even the crude and barbarian envoys on the grassland could feel the beauty of the music. They were quickly immersed in such an atmosphere.

After a brief explanation from a political official nearby, everyone realized that the music was composed and arranged by the Prime Minister's wife herself, which is why it was so effective.

This immediately caused everyone to exclaim and praise. Even though these envoys had never heard of Cai Wenji's reputation as the most talented woman in the Han Dynasty, they all took the initiative to find out about it after learning about the prime minister's marriage.

Now it seems that at least in terms of attainment in music theory, this Prime Minister's wife is worthy of the title.

Then, looking again, there were many murals in the banquet hall, some depicting the magnificence of mountains and rivers, some depicting the production scenes of the people. The strokes of the paintings fully displayed the skill of painting. Even the many envoys who did not know how to appreciate it could feel the art from the basic aesthetics.

And this was also the masterpiece of the Prime Minister's wife, which again amazed everyone.

Of course, many envoys were also envious. Only the Central Plains dynasty could produce such a high level of art, which was something that small foreign countries and tribes outside the Great Wall could only look up to.

Perhaps in terms of military force, the nomadic peoples could still compete with the Central Plains dynasties from time to time, but in terms of culture and system, the Central Plains dynasties were like a proud queen that they could only look up to and worship from afar.

Although Xuanxia is a new country in the Central Plains, it was still born from China. If Xuanxia can rule China one day, it will be the new dynasty that inherits the Chinese legal system.

And many envoys can now feel that Xuan Xia really has this momentum.

Xuan Xia has actually occupied the northern border of Shenzhou, and can be said to have conquered half of the world. Even if the status quo is maintained, it can still be called the Northern Dynasty, and can represent Chinese civilization to a considerable extent.

Many envoys strolled in the banquet hall, or stood under the stage to watch the dance and music, or walked around to appreciate the murals and calligraphy. The envoys were pleasantly surprised to find that the luxurious and magnificent atmosphere was replaced by a strong artistic atmosphere.

After all, as nobles of various tribes, they were not lacking in luxury, and this kind of art that they did not possess was even more rare to them.

While everyone was chatting, they also sighed. No one had expected that Xuan Xia, which was just a small town in the beginning, could rise so quickly in such a short period of time. Now it has gone from being a local bully to becoming the King of the North.

This world is still realistic. As Xuan Xia's strength becomes more and more terrifying, the attitudes of his allies become more respectful.

In the past, they joined the tributary alliance mostly because of the economic benefits. Many allies were not really convinced of Xuanxia's strength. After all, the growth of the alliance did not rely on Xuanxia's military force, but was the result of the joint efforts of many allies.

But now it is different. Considering Xuan Xia’s current strength, they have to give more respect to Xu Chen, the leader of the alliance.

Not long after, the originally solemn music changed, and the style began to become soft and relaxing. The atmosphere in the banquet hall also changed accordingly. Everyone felt something and turned around to look, and sure enough, they saw a man walking slowly towards them with a beautiful woman.

"We have met the Prime Minister and his wife."

All the envoys bowed and clasped their hands in greeting, their expressions and gestures showing great respect.

The man in front of them was indeed worthy of their respect. As the king of the northern border of China, this man was qualified to make the foreign ethnic groups and small countries bow their heads.

After Xu Chen smiled and responded to everyone, everyone raised their heads and looked carefully at the couple in front of them.

As soon as they saw it, they praised it in their hearts. At this moment, they had only one feeling, that is, it was a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman.

Needless to say, Xu Chen has served as the leader and prime minister for many years. His demeanor is no longer concealed by his age. He naturally carries a leadership style, and coupled with the natural and unique temperament of later generations, it is enough to impress people.

It would be difficult for an ordinary woman to match up with Xu Chen if she stood next to him, but Cai Wenji had no such problem at all.

Although the nature of the gentry is not quite righteous in Xuan Xia's narrative, the elites cultivated by the gentry are indeed incomparable to ordinary people. This is the style accumulated through long-term knowledge cultivation.

As one of the most outstanding women among the aristocratic families, Cai Wenji's temperament is no less than Xu Chen's.

The envoys came forward to communicate with Xu Chen and Cai Wenji, and they were not stingy in praising them. Cai Wenji was very comfortable in this situation and could chat and laugh with the envoys in a calm and generous manner, which saved Xu Chen a lot of trouble. Immersed in the music, everyone was in a happy mood, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

As the banquet continued, everyone had enough pleasantries and it was time to talk about business.

Of course, many envoys came all the way to Xuanxia not just to congratulate Xu Chen on his wedding.

Seeing that the atmosphere was harmonious, the envoys looked at each other, and finally their eyes turned to one person, who was the envoy of Goguryeo.

The Goguryeo envoy understood what was going on, and took the initiative to step forward a few steps in front of Xu Chen, and began to put forward his demands on behalf of many envoys.

"Thank you for the Prime Minister's hospitality. We, the envoys of our small country, are deeply grateful. The Prime Minister has always been known among us envoys as a man of broad mind and vision. I also think so. That is why I dare to ask the Prime Minister for a favor today. I wonder if the Prime Minister will listen to me."

Hearing this, Xu Chen glanced at the envoys, then put the wine cup aside, smiled and nodded to everyone: "You can go ahead and say it."

The Goguryeo envoy then expressed his gratitude and said, "In recent years, all the tribes and countries outside our territory have paid tribute to us, and we have benefited greatly from this. However, after a few years, we have encountered difficulties. Now we don't know how to deal with it, so we want to ask the prime minister to solve our doubts."

Xu Chen raised his eyebrows and pretended to be surprised: "The tribute trade is actually about exchanging what we have and what we don't have to create wealth. It is obviously beneficial to all members of the alliance. Why is there any difficulty?"

The Goguryeo envoy smiled bitterly and said, "What the Prime Minister said is very true. Tribute trade is indeed very useful. However, although Xuanxia has a vast ocean of resources, our members are not well-off. After paying tribute for several years, we are gradually finding it difficult to sustain. This may not be conducive to the long-term development of the alliance. Now all the countries are worried, but they don't know how to change the situation."

When he said this, the other envoys also echoed him, and for a moment the whole banquet hall was filled with sighs.

The atmosphere was joyful just now, but it suddenly became gloomy. The change was so fast that even Cai Wenji on the side was dumbfounded.

However, Xu Chen secretly complained in his heart that although these messengers spoke humbly, they were actually cunning as devils. It was not easy to achieve such a unified and coordinated response.

"I never expected this to happen..."

Xu Chen didn't mind playing dumb with them, as it was a necessary skill for conducting foreign affairs.

After pretending to be surprised, he said, "Isn't this a bit exaggerated? Although the members are not as rich as Shenzhou, they are not poor either. How can trade in just a few years be unsustainable?"

Upon hearing this, the Goguryeo envoy said with a bitter face: "What the Prime Minister does not know is that Xuanxia is like thick soil, while the other tribes are like still water. If you use water to moisten the soil, the soil will not be moistened, and the water will dry up."

Xu Chen frowned when he heard this, and was speechless for a moment, seeming to be stumped.

But in fact, he was very clear in his mind. He knew exactly what the envoys were planning. Tian Shitou had already found out, and today's conversation was completely within his expectations.

In fact, due to the low productivity of the alliance members, it is very difficult to even meet Xuanxia's needs for some industrial raw materials, but it is definitely not to the point where it is unsustainable as they say.

All they want is a bargain.

These envoys actually represented the nobles of their respective countries and tribes. These noble groups were the direct beneficiaries of the tribute trade, but these nobles did not seem satisfied with the fact that Xuan Xia had complete control over the pricing of the trade.

The value of the cattle, sheep, camels, horses, leather and wool that they can provide is suppressed to an extremely low level in trade, which obviously makes them dissatisfied, and thus the scene today has come about.

They thought that by continuing the alliance's trade, they could threaten Xuanxia to give up its pricing power and give more benefits to the nobles of various tribes.

However, in Xu Chen's opinion, this is simply a joke. Pricing power is determined by market behavior. Xuan Xia's pricing power does not come from power, but from the value of the product itself.

As for the threat of alliance, Xu Chen didn't care at all. In fact, Xuanxia did not urgently need the economic benefits brought by the alliance. The pitiful basic raw materials that the various departments could provide now were not even a fraction of what Xuanxia could produce internally.

The reason for establishing the alliance was to maintain external stability through economic interests, not because they thought they could control Xuan Xia by doing so.

Of course, Xu Chen would not act on impulse. After all, the alliance still has its benefits, so there is no need to tear each other apart. Giving up pricing power is impossible, but it does not mean that there are no other ways to solve the problem.

After thinking for a while, Xu Chen gave the answer he had prepared long ago.

"As the messenger said, since still water cannot nourish the soil, why not change still water into running water? If the water is not exhausted, it can become rivers, lakes and seas. How can it be said that it is unsustainable?"

(End of this chapter)