Chapter 597 Asking Beiping

Before coming, the three of them had thought of many scenarios of meeting. The actual ruler of this Chinese land might be an emperor with absolute majesty like the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor, or he might be as wise and profound as the pre-Qin philosophers, but they had never imagined that this gentleman would be like the one before them.

Even in their conversation and behavior, they did not feel the existence of any status hierarchy. The relaxed and casual atmosphere was as leisurely as a conversation among good friends.

Of course, this was just the feeling that Xu Chen's own temperament brought to them at the first time. That was the temperament that Xu Chen, as a person of later generations, carried. When Ma Teng, Zhang Lu and Shi Xie came to their senses, the difference in identity naturally made them feel a sense of oppression.

This oppression is not due to Xu Chen's own temperament, but comes from his identities as Prime Minister of Xuanxia and Heavenly Master of Natural Dao.

"We greet the Prime Minister!"

The three men did not dare to be negligent. When they saw Xu Chen, they all bowed and saluted. Even Ma Teng, who had not yet talked about submitting to the court, was very respectful at this time.

Although Ma Teng is a local tyrant, he does not dare to put on airs in front of Xu Chen. He deeply understands that in the current situation, just one word from this man can bring ruin to the Ma family.

Although the father and son of the Ma family could have kidnapped the entire Liang Province and fought against Xuan Xia, he had already experienced the fighting power of the Yellow Turbans and did not dare to do anything really reckless.

People will die.

Xu Chen walked forward with a smile and picked up a few people, then took them to their seats, and then went forward and sat down in the main seat.

Zhang Lu and Shi Xie were conscious of not saying a word. They knew that they were just a bonus today. They had already surrendered and had their treatment arranged. The meeting was just to express concern.

What is really important is Ma Teng. After all, this concerns the fate of Liangzhou. Whether to fight or surrender depends on now.

"Speaking of which, this is your first visit to the capital. Beiping is the newly established capital of Xuanxia. It has a shallow foundation and I don't know if it can be as prosperous as Chang'an and Luoyang. You are all knowledgeable people. Tell me whether Beiping is worthy of your attention?"

When the few people met for the first time, Xu Chen couldn't help but exchange a few words of greeting, but the greetings were not that simple. The first thing he mentioned was the city of Beiping. He wanted to use the prosperity of Beiping to show the strength of Xuanxia.

How could the three people below not understand such an obvious demonstration, but they did not think Xu Chen was arrogant at all.

The city of Peking is really prosperous.

"Prime Minister, you are joking. Ever since the Dong thief's rebellion, Chang'an and Luoyang have been deserted and in ruins. Not to mention now, even when they were prosperous in the past, they are probably not even one-third as prosperous as Beiping."

"That's right. The prosperity of Beiping is no longer comparable to Chang'an and Luoyang. I have never seen such a magnificent city in my life."

Zhang Lu and Shi Xie expressed their feelings one after another, but these were not words of flattery but admiration from the bottom of their hearts.

When they first arrived in Peking and saw the capital of Xuanxia with their own eyes, they were immediately shocked by the appearance of the capital. This shock was not because of how magnificent and luxurious the capital was, but because of the advanced appearance of the city.

Today's Peking has many of the features of an industrial city, whether it is the standard and wide hardened road surface, the horse-drawn trams operating on the streets, or the concrete high-rises that can be seen everywhere; all of these things are ahead of their time.

And this is just the surface part that you can see first. What is more worthy of reflection is the dazzling goods in the market and the respectable people in the city.

Beiping City is evolving bit by bit. From its initial state similar to other cities in the Han Dynasty, it has begun to show more and more traces of industry. New building materials, standardized urban design brought about by the popularization of standards, and more sophisticated and advanced management have finally presented a look that is increasingly different from the times.

When Zhang Lushixie and his men first arrived, they clearly felt a strong sense of separation.

If we were to make an analogy, that feeling of separation would be roughly equivalent to the natives in the southwest moving from poor and backward tribes to Chang'an and Luoyang during their most prosperous times. It is a kind of weirdness and strangeness from a different era, and an instinctive uneasiness caused by many incomprehensible existences.

It was as if I had suddenly entered an unfamiliar environment and everything seemed so confusing.

In fact, until now, they have not yet recovered from this shock.

Ma Teng was no exception. Although he knew Xu Chen's intention of demonstration, he had to admit the prosperity of Peking. After a moment of silence, he looked at Xu Chen.

"I have seen Chang'an and Luoyang. In comparison, Beiping is like a city in heaven. Although I have only just arrived here, I am reluctant to leave. If I am lucky enough to stay here for a long time in the future, I will have no regrets in my life."

Xu Chen glanced at him and smiled gently: "As long as Shoucheng is willing, I think there will be a chance."

Ma Teng's expression straightened up: "Then I'll borrow the Prime Minister's good words."

Zhang Lu Shixie knew what was going on. With just a few words, Ma Teng had already shown some of his attitude, and Xu Chen also gave a response.

Ma Teng didn't actually state clearly what he wanted to do, but everyone knew it. Now that he came to ask to see Xu Chen, there was no other possibility except to submit to him voluntarily.

Xu Chen looked at Zhang Lushixie again and said, "This time, our dynasty won a great victory in the southern expedition. You two have made great contributions, either actively or passively. Since you can clearly distinguish the greater good, the court will not treat you harshly. Now that you have been settled, I wonder if you two are satisfied."

Shi Xie and Zhang Lu looked at each other. Although they felt bitter in their hearts, they both forced a smile and said, "Satisfied, satisfied. We are all people with bad backgrounds. We are grateful that the court can show leniency to us."

Xu Chen didn't care whether they were sincere or not, and laughed: "As long as you two are satisfied, since you have submitted to Xuan Xia now, you will be Xuan Xia people in the future. Just stay here with peace of mind. If you have any needs in the future, you can come to me."

Although Shi Xie and Zhang Lu didn't know whether they would be able to find Xu Chen in the future, they could only agree with him at this moment.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was quite harmonious, at least on the surface it was indeed harmonious.

Ma Teng felt uncomfortable watching the conversation between the few people. It was obvious that these words were meant for him, otherwise why would they bring Shi Xie and Zhang Lu along to meet him.

Zhang Lu and Shi Xie were "satisfied" with this treatment. It was up to Ma Teng himself to decide what to do next.

Xu Chen looked over at the right time. Although he looked at Ma Teng with a smile without saying a word, the invisible pressure still made Ma Teng sweat on his forehead. He knew that the next choice was related to the life and death of the Ma family and Liangzhou.

If I am not satisfied, it means I will have to bear Xuan Xia's anger.

And if I am "satisfied", wouldn't it be a bit too cheap to sell it? Are my Ma family and Liangzhou worth just this little bit of money?

(End of this chapter)