Chapter 576: The Demon Lord Princess's Slacking Daily Life Chapter 669: Five Clauses of Agreement

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

Having finished speaking, Shao Ning unhurriedly pulled out a sheet of white paper from his sleeve, then cast his gaze toward the Crown Prince opposite him.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince gave a slight nod, signaling him to continue. After receiving permission, Shao Ning nodded and went on: "The first clause is that Dachang Kingdom must treat the people of the former Dongying State exactly the same as its own subjects, with absolutely no favoritism. Whether it is land allocation, the imperial examinations and official appointments, or entering the military camps, all must be treated equally."

After finishing the first clause, Shao Ning paused slightly, then turned his gaze to the Crown Prince, as if waiting for his response.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince gave a slight nod, expressing agreement, and said: "Naturally so. The people of Dongying Kingdom are also my Dachang's subjects; naturally we will not show them any favoritism or mistreatment."

After receiving the Crown Prince's affirmation, a faint smile appeared on Shao Ning's face, and he continued: "The second clause: the original culture and customs of Dongying Kingdom must not be forcibly changed by Dachang Kingdom; they should be respected and preserved." His voice was clear and firm, letting everyone present hear it distinctly.

After finishing this clause, Shao Ning's gaze fell on the Crown Prince again, seemingly observing his reaction. After a moment's thought, the Crown Prince slowly said: "Culture and customs are the distinctive features of a place; this Crown Prince believes they can be preserved. Lord Shao, continue."

After receiving the Crown Prince's instruction, Shao Ning cleared his throat and continued: "The third clause: Dachang Kingdom needs to issue an announcement informing the world that the members of the Dongying Kingdom's royal family, out of consideration for the people's safety, underwent a vote and, following public opinion, chose to submit to Dachang; no one else may therefore arbitrarily humiliate them on this account."

His tone was solemn and dignified, making one feel the importance of this provision. After Shao Ning finished, he looked toward the Crown Prince again. The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and said: "This clause is also reasonable. Since the Dongying royal family has already submitted, in order to pacify their people, it should be so. Lord Shao, are there any other clauses?"

Shao Ning nodded and went on: "The fourth clause: for some capable officials of Dongying Kingdom, Dachang Kingdom may employ them as appropriate, to continue serving the court."

As soon as these words were spoken, the three people on Dachang Kingdom's side other than An Wang looked at each other in dismay, even wanting to rebut a couple of sentences, but before they could open their mouths they heard the Crown Prince speak: "If they have genuine talent and learning, using them for my Dachang is not impermissible, but they must undergo strict assessment. Lord Shao, what is the final clause?"

Shao Ning took a deep breath and said: "The fifth clause: the property owned by the original residents of Dongying Kingdom can all be exchanged at a one-to-one ratio for Dachang currency, to facilitate currency unification." The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and said: "This clause is also fine. Any other conditions?"

Shangguan Xingyan and his companions looked at each other, their hearts full of doubt and surprise.

They had originally thought the Crown Prince of Dachang Kingdom would insist on his own stance on certain key issues, such as the final clause concerning the currency exchange ratio, or retaining certain original Dongying officials.

However, the Crown Prince of Dachang Kingdom showed himself so reasonable and understanding, which caught them somewhat off guard.

Shangguan Xingyan secretly glanced at An Wang, only to see An Wang give him a slight nod, indicating agreement to continue negotiations.

Shangguan Xingyan felt slightly reassured, took a deep breath, and said: "Since the Crown Prince of Dachang Kingdom is so sincere, we naturally have no other objections. We only need to trouble Your Highness the Crown Prince to provide paper and brush, so that Lord Shao can draft the agreement immediately."

The Crown Prince of Dachang Kingdom agreed readily: "No problem!" He immediately ordered his subordinates to fetch paper and brush. Before long, paper and brush were placed on the table.

Shao Ning picked up the paper and brush and began writing seriously. His handwriting was neat and clear, every character appearing exceptionally vigorous.

The other people from Dongying, meanwhile, appeared somewhat idle; after all, they had originally prepared to argue forcefully during the negotiations, but never expected things to progress so smoothly.

Time flew by; the brush in Shao Ning's hand soon stopped. He gently set the agreement he had just finished to one side, then quickly picked up another sheet of paper and continued writing rapidly.

The Crown Prince sitting to the side, seeing this, curiously picked up the agreement Shao Ning had just finished and examined it carefully. This look made the Crown Prince marvel inwardly: "This Honglu Temple Minister really has some skill!"

The characters on the paper were written upright and proper, in standard regular script, and every stroke was meticulously neat, without the slightest carelessness.

The more the Crown Prince looked, the more he felt the calligraphy was beautiful; he even held the two corners of the paper and studied it earnestly, as if wanting to engrave every detail of the characters in his mind.

After a thorough examination, the Crown Prince confirmed that the content written on the paper was completely consistent with the terms they had just discussed, and only then did he hand the agreement to An Wang with satisfaction.

An Wang took the agreement, likewise examined it carefully once, then passed it to the others, letting everyone circulate it. By the time everyone had finished reading, the agreement in Shao Ning's hand was also finished.

Only then did he slowly raise his head, look toward the Crown Prince opposite, and ask with a smile: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, do you see any problem with this agreement?"

The Crown Prince nodded and replied: "No problem, let it be so." Hearing this, Shao Ning also smiled and said: "Good, then we'll wait for this agreement to dry a bit, then sign. The agreement is in duplicate; Your Highness keeps one copy, we'll take one copy when we leave."

The Crown Prince smiled in response: "Naturally." He immediately turned his head and instructed the servant beside him: "Go fetch the ink pad." The servant acknowledged swiftly and left in quick steps. Before long, the ink pad was presented before the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince picked up the brush and solemnly signed his name on both copies of the agreement, then lightly dipped the ink pad and pressed his thumb beside his name.

After he completed this series of actions, Shangguan Xingyan also stepped forward, took the agreement, and likewise signed his name and pressed his handprint.

When all formalities were completed, Shangguan Xingyan carefully folded the agreement, placed it in his sleeve. Then he handed the other copy to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince took the agreement and carefully put it away.

After putting away the agreement, the Crown Prince raised his head, looked at Shangguan Xingyan, and said with a smile: "Brother Shangguan, come with us into the palace later. Before leaving the palace today, Father Emperor specially instructed me to prepare food and wine in the palace, and to insist that all of you return to the palace for a meal together. Imperial Uncle will go as well."

Hearing this, Shangguan Xingyan hurriedly bowed and said: "That is naturally excellent; many thanks for the Crown Prince's kindness." He understood in his heart that this was the Crown Prince's goodwill, and also the Emperor's regard for him, so naturally he dared not decline.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince nodded in satisfaction, then made a gesture of invitation and said: "Then let us set off now." Shangguan Xingyan also smiled and returned a gesture of invitation, saying: "Let's go, together." With that, the two walked out side by side.