Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 671 - 671 0431 Apologize Properly_2

Chapter 671: Chapter 0431: Apologize Properly_2 Chapter 671: Chapter 0431: Apologize Properly_2 The Emperor Bei Rong did not expect that under his contempt, there was still someone who could continue to look at him directly without any fear. He was secretly enraged, thinking of exerting further pressure on Zhou Qingyu. As a formidable Gold Core cultivator, there were countless ways to deal with Zhou Qingyu, a mere mortal.

At this moment, Qi Tian’s words drifted over. “Your Majesty, if you’re going to apologize, just apologize sincerely, without any tricks. If when you’re apologizing, there’s anyone lowering their heads, or anyone unwilling to accept your apology, or if your attitude does not satisfy me, then I’m sorry, you will need to apologize again. If the first apology isn’t accepted then a second time, if the second isn’t accepted then a third, until these three conditions are met. Furthermore, I hope you won’t blame me for being blunt: there are ten witnesses to today’s history, among them General Zhou and his men. I’m counting on them to spread word of today’s events, so they need to be alive, until the day they die of old age. If any of them die an unnatural death, then I’m sorry, you and your royal family of the Bei Rong Kingdom will have to bear responsibility for their death.”

“What?” The Bei Rong Emperor didn’t expect Qi Tian to make such demands, let alone give such solemn warnings for these ordinary people. This forced him to abandon his plan of appeasing them today and dealing with Zhou Qingyu and his men in the future.

“Let’s not waste any more time, let’s get started.” Qi Tian commented casually.

The Emperor Bei Rong had no other choice but to sigh quietly. Accepting his fate, he stood in front of Zhou Qingyu, bowed his head, bent at the waist, and said, “I sincerely apologize to all of you and to the tens of millions of people in the Great Zhou Nation for the unfortunate events that happened in Yanming Pass and Baoding Prefecture in the past few days. I humbly ask for your forgiveness, and I promise you all here that during my lifetime, the army of Bei Rong Kingdom will never invade the Great Zhou Nation.”

Even though the Emperor’s speech was short, it was substantive and humble, covering all necessary grounds. The soldiers who had protected Baoding Prefecture for so many years were moved to tears. They remembered the hardships and sacrifices they had endured for this momentous day. The blood that was spilled, and the brothers they lost on the battlefield.

Qi Tian then asked, “General Zhou, do you accept the apology from the Bei Rong Emperor? If you’re not satisfied, you can tell me and I’ll ask him to apologize again.”

Zhou Qingyu and his men did not push their luck, instead, they chose to be content with what they had. “Master, we are satisfied with the apology from the Bei Rong Emperor and willing to accept it. However, we hope that what the Bei Rong Emperor said is sincere and not just empty words to appease you.”

“What about the rest of you?” Qi Tian turned to the other soldiers. The others nodded in agreement. Some of them were still not satisfied and wanted the Bei Rong Emperor to apologize again, perhaps even involving the Crown Prince of Bei Rong, but they knew better than to voice such absurd demands.

Seeing that no one voiced any objections, Qi Tian nodded and told Zhou Qingyu, “Alright, all of you may be dismissed.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingyu hastily agreed and led his soldiers away from the city wall.

Qi Tian invited the Bei Rong Emperor to sit back down. This time, his face was wreathed in smiles. He said, “Your Majesty, you must feel quite aggrieved, don’t you?”

“Sure, I do. But that’s all my fault. I will accept the punishment for my mistake.” Admitted the Bei Rong Emperor, not bothering to conceal his true feelings.

Qi Tian replied with a smile, “Your Majesty, there is no need to blame yourself to such an extent. This time, I invited you not only to discuss compensation and apologies. There is also something I need to discuss with you, or rather, I want to respond on behalf of the Great Zhou Nation to your request to expand the economic and trade relations between our two nations.”

The Bei Rong Emperor’s eyes widened, “Are you telling me that Emperor Tian Rui of the Great Zhou Nation has granted you the authority to make decisions on his behalf?”

Shaking his head, Qi Tian said, “I haven’t received such authorization from Emperor Tian Rui, but I don’t need it either. Surely, Your Majesty is well aware that I am strongly supporting Prince Zhao. In the near future, I am certain that he will become the emperor of the Great Zhou Nation. By then, any agreements I make with you will be acknowledged by Prince Zhao.”

The Bei Rong Emperor knew Qi Tian was not lying. At present, Qi Tian indeed had the confidence to ensure Prince Zhao’s succession to the throne and his eventual ascension as emperor of the Great Zhou Nation. Therefore, it was entirely possible for Qi Tian to negotiate and finalize the agreement on expanding trade between the two countries.

“Good. I must not conceal from you, Master, that I have been hoping for a long time to reach a similar agreement.” The Bei Rong Emperor replied earnestly.

Having lived in a time when his country was open to the world in his previous life, Qi Tian understood and recognized how detrimental it was for a country to isolate itself from the rest of the world. The costs of self-imposed isolation are too much for any nation to bear. Although both the Great Zhou Nation and Bei Rong Kingdom were home to both cultivators and ordinary people, this was not a reason for seclusion. On the contrary, cultivators were some of the most open-minded individuals. Had they not been willing to engage with the outside world, Qi Tian would not have achieved what he had today. Maybe he would still be struggling in the Qi Cultivation Period, instead of reaching the Tenth Layer of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Soon, Qi Tian and the Bei Rong Emperor reached a tentative agreement. The specifics of the agreement such as how to open up, and how to expand the economic and trade relations between the two countries, were not discussed in detail. Qi Tian would pass on this preliminary agreement to Prince Zhao, and let him choose suitable candidates to negotiate with the representatives from Bei Rong Kingdom. The main aim was to finalize a mutually beneficial agreement that would not disadvantage the Great Zhao Nation.

The Bei Rong Emperor had no extravagant expectations of reaching a detailed agreement with Qi Tian. Having reached a preliminary agreement, he was already very satisfied. With this agreement in hand, today was not without gains. Having to apologize to Zhou Qingyu and the others suddenly didn’t seem as degrading.

“Master, you don’t know the cost of living until you run a household.” The Bei Rong Emperor rolled up the agreement, put it away and sighed, “Even though I am a cultivator at the First Layer of the Gold Core Realm, I am also the Emperor of Bei Rong. I have to worry about the basic necessities of my people. In recent years, I always feel that the economy of Bei Rong has reached its peak. If we cannot find new markets, I fear that our kingdom will decline in a few years. Who knows what troubles will arise then?”

Qi Tian nodded and said, “Your Majesty, I may not be in a position to comment on your other actions, but in this matter, I give you my utmost respect.”

“Haha.” The Bei Rong Emperor laughed heartily in front of Qi Tian. To receive praise from Qi Tian was precious to him. He stood up, bowed to Qi Tian and said, “I should stay here for a bit longer, but as an emperor, I have too many responsibilities and cannot waste time. Therefore, I have to bid you farewell, Master.”

Qi Tian smiled, “No problem, Your Majesty. You’ve done everything you need to, you can leave anytime.”

“Very well, I will leave then. Oh, if there are any opportunities in the future, Master, you must pay a visit to my palace. I will welcome you with the highest etiquette.” The Bei Rong Emperor extended his invitation to Qi Tian.

Qi Tian smiled but did not respond to his invitation. Unless under very special circumstances, there was no chance that he would be visiting the capital of Bei Rong Kingdom.