Chapter 127: Greetings, Beautiful Emperor
Before the Dragon Boat Festival in Chang’an, when the scent of zongzi leaves filled the air, a diplomatic mission escorting congratulatory gifts arrived in Chang’an from the distant Turkic lands.
This cavalcade consisted of twenty-some people. As soon as they entered the city gates, they attracted the attention of the common folk. The places the cavalcade passed were guarded, openly and secretly, by the City Patrol and the Jinwu Guard.
Everywhere they went seemed calm, but in reality, every step was a test for the various armed forces in the city.
Because in the past hundred years or so, no Turkic mission had ever come to Chang’an to offer congratulations. Thus, no one knew exactly what this mission’s purpose was. The relationship between the two countries had always been so simple it could be summarized in six words—
You rob me? I beat you!
The reception for the mission was set in Linde Hall, a grand hall for hosting banquets.
Wei Wanlan planned to treat them to a meal and then have them leave. Everyone keeps their mouths occupied, talks less. Zhen has prepared a lot of food; let’s mainly discuss eating and drinking. Zhen won’t take on porcelain work Zhen can’t do (bashing off more than one can chew).
Calculating with this little abacus, Wei Wanlan ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare a few extra hairy crabs for each table of the mission. Not only would it occupy the Turks’ mouths, but it would even occupy their hands.
Zhen is so clever!
Wei Wanlan thought.
However, his plan was popped like a bubble by Xiao Ji before long.
Xiao Mengshi approached the main seat of the Linde Hall banquet and bowed deeply to the Emperor. “Your Majesty has surpassing courage. Your Majesty is wise.”
Wait, why am I wise again?
Wei Wanlan had a foreboding feeling. Unnoticed by others, the tips of his ears twitched.
Xiao Mengshi: “Foreign receptions are the responsibility of the Court of State Ceremonials (Honglu Si). For a State Banquet, Your Majesty may participate, or hand full authority to the Minister of State Ceremonials.”
“But Your Majesty not only personally received the mission but also cared about the details of the menu. These dishes featuring specialties from all corners of the world display the dragon might of a Great Power to the Turks, and also show how vast Great Wei’s territory is, how abundant our resources…”
???
Wei Wanlan suddenly felt a sense of absurdity. If he understood Xiao Ji correctly, he didn’t actually need to receive this mission personally; the counterpart was the Court of State Ceremonials. He had just misunderstood.
He subconsciously looked around the main seat, but the banquet had already been arranged magnificently and neatly according to his requirements. The Jinwu Guards stood densely packed, but the Regent, who gave him the most sense of security, was not by his side.
“Where is the Regent?”
Xiao Ji: “In Chang’an City, overseeing the security of the Imperial City.”
The whiny words from the dragon bed last night were still ringing in his ears:
—Regent King, don’t let them make trouble in the city.
Wuwuwu, it’s all wrong!
The situation Zhen imagined wasn’t like this QAQ…
In the moment he was so annoyed he wanted to scratch the door, a report came from outside Linde Hall saying the Turkic mission had arrived.
Immediately after, the palace doors were pushed open with a creak, and the mission appeared on the horizon.
Wei Wanlan was given no time for mental preparation.
The Turkic envoys were close!
The mission centered around one Turkic envoy. This person was extremely tall, with broad shoulders. Walking at the very front, he had thick eyebrows, a pair of eagle eyes, and stout braids tying up his curly hair, fastened behind his head in the unique style of grassland nobility.
He was, without exception, the first among the Turkic envoys to be noticed.
Wei Wanlan’s pupils reflected this person’s silhouette, and then he discovered that the man was also looking at him.
Even staring at the Emperor of Great Wei, this person felt no psychological burden. He suddenly laughed loudly, staring Wei Wanlan down from top to bottom, causing Wei Wanlan to curl his toes inside his dragon boots, keenly experiencing a wave of discomfort.
He actually couldn’t describe it accurately.
But that attitude made Wei Wanlan instinctively feel shame, and he even unintentionally pulled his dragon robe tighter in secret…
They were not in a suzerain-vassal relationship; the envoy did not need to bow to him. That envoy held his head high, revealing a section of wheat-colored chest muscle. His Great Wei official Mandarin was spoken very stiffly:
“It is widely rumored on the grassland that the Ruler of Wei is a foal just grown. I see that is incorrect. With such moving beauty, comparing you to the moon over Sayram Lake or a flower under the moonlight would not be excessive.”
How could someone speak so bluntly upon first meeting?
The air in Linde Hall seemed to stagnate for an instant. Even though the officials of Great Wei were used to grand scenes, they had never seen an envoy speak like this on a diplomatic occasion. The officials froze for a moment.
At this moment, no one knew who suddenly shouted:
“The Turkic Khan! He is Ashina Shali!!!”
“Protect the Emperor! Protect His Majesty!”
The scene instantly exploded like water poured into boiling oil.
In Linde Hall, swords and sabers were unsheathed. The banquet had not yet begun, but the air was filled with the sound of drawn bows and swords.
“Ha, hahahahahaha…”
Ashina Shali laughed loudly. As he laughed, even the pillars of Linde Hall seemed to resonate; the air was buzzing and vibrating.
Who could have thought that for the agreed-upon Turkic mission, the head of the mission would actually be Ashina Shali!
The enemy Khan had arrived unexpectedly, offending with his very first words, showing great disrespect to the Little Emperor of Wei who had just assumed power.
The Great Wei courtiers frowned deeply in secret.
Ashina Shali took his time, raising his head, even stretching his body in Linde Hall. His laughter instantly filled the hall as he scrutinized the scrambling Great Wei Jinwu Guards with an appreciative gaze.
Very good.
Keep looking surprised like that.
Ashina Shali appeared arrogant on the surface, but in reality, he was not at ease. Since entering Chang’an, he had been secretly observing the Emperor and the Imperial City.
On one hand, Ashina Shali was shocked by the gold powder and silver decorations, the abundance and treasures of Chang’an. On the other hand, he was observing Wei Wanlan, the Great Wei monarch who had just taken personal rule.
Once, in the Grassland Royal Court, he had heard legends of this Little Emperor of Wei from afar.
People said he laid low for three years, but in half a year, he completed things past Emperors failed to do: reforming systems, quelling internal strife, restoring the image of the Wei Court, and even reclaiming power from the Regent’s hands.
He wanted to know, how did he do it?
Currently, within Turkic borders, Ashina Shali also had headaches from heavy contradictions. By comparison, the Wei Emperor who could clear the fog and see the light amidst a chaotic situation appeared even more brilliant.
He felt deep curiosity and puzzlement.
And when he saw Wei Wanlan, he was first deeply stunned by Wei Wanlan’s appearance.
So he spoke those words, wanting to use this extreme method to probe, to see the mettle of this Little Emperor.
Ashina Shali, fearing the hatred wasn’t drawn fully enough, acted even more frivolous:
“This Khan has twenty-five Small Khatuns. Their figures are heroic, actually taller than Your Majesty. Your Majesty is very petite; your face is not even as big as This Khan’s palm.”
A Khatun is a Khan’s wife; a Small Khatun is a Khan’s concubine.
The Turkic Khan comparing the Great Wei Monarch to his own concubines was intolerable.
Some courtiers couldn’t listen anymore and were about to shout, “Barbarian thief, speaking insolently…” but were held back by the civil officials next to them. This was a dialogue between monarchs; it was not their place to overstep.
Thus, everyone in Linde Hall cast their gazes toward Wei Wanlan, waiting for a response.
Wei Wanlan was even more stunned now.
The Emperor felt unaccustomed to being stared at so directly by the enemy Khan, but he still wanted to maintain basic politeness. Being praised meant he should give thanks:
“Thank you for the Turkic Khan’s praise. The Khan is very heroic. Zhen knows I haven’t fully grown yet.”
“Your… Your Majesty—”
It’s over. This sentence chilled the hearts of the Great Wei officials halfway.
…The enemy monarch treats him as a plaything, and he actually praises him back?
For a moment, the officials felt they had lost their dignity.
Ashina Shali laughed even more heroically. The entire Linde Hall seemed filled with his arrogant, wild laughter. He threw his head back, exposing his wheat-colored chest muscles that looked like hillocks.
He got carried away, feeling a bit relieved, thinking the Wei Emperor was just a little flower vase and that rumors had beautified him too much. His heart instantly relaxed.
So, Ashina Shali did not hesitate to continue his verbal flirting:
“Your Majesty is petite and exquisite, while This Khan is heroic and extraordinary. Since ancient times, beauties admire heroes. Why doesn’t Your Majesty return to the Royal Court with me to be the Great Khatun?”
Wei Wanlan tilted his head, suddenly sizing up the Turkic Khan again, and paused. The Great Wei officials, however, clenched their palms inside their official robes.
Linde Hall fell into silence.
This silence gradually brewed. Because Wei Wanlan’s eyes didn’t blink, he appeared to have a sudden, unfathomable depth.
The Great Wei officials, not understanding his intent, began to feel a faint sense of expectation.
Actually, Wei Wanlan didn’t understand what a “Great Khatun” was at all.
He could understand being compared to a beauty by the Turkic Khan. He felt it was very weird, but he absolutely did not want to get mixed up with Ashina Shali who ate people, and going to the Turkic Royal Court was even more impossible!
No one could separate him from the Regent.
Zhen will be angry. Zhen will even lose his temper!
So, Wei Wanlan expressed firmly:
“Great Wei has its own hero. Zhen isn’t going anywhere.”
Wei Wanlan’s attitude changed.
Like seeing a milk cat unsheathe its claws, Ashina Shali’s thick eyebrows raised.
“Oh?”
Wei Wanlan said solemnly, “Our hero is the Regent. He won total victory in two long-distance expeditions. The first time he fought to Chuyue, the second time he fought to the Royal Court. Wherever he went, the army didn’t use supplies; he used the most difficult rations and pay to save the desperate situation of Great Wei when Zhen first ascended the throne.”
Wei Wanlan now carried a sense of pride, revealing it through his tone, and through the small expression of his eyebrows gradually raising.
Wei Wanlan said:
” Zhen’s Regent loves his soldiers like sons. He can remember the names of the garrison commanders in every prefecture of Great Wei, and even their temperaments and resumes. The soldiers of the entire army listen to what he says.”
“The Regent comes from military aristocracy; his ancestors guarded the state for generations, contributing infinite strength to our Great Wei. But the Su family, in raising their children, never taught them to rely on hereditary grace. The Regent started from the cookhouse squad and the vanguard; he understands every branch of the Great Wei military.”
“The Regent fought the enemy bravely, covered in wounds, many of which nearly took his life at the time, yet he never showed any cowardice during war. He is the light and the shield of Great Wei.”
“The Regent is the most heroic and extraordinary person in Zhen’s heart!”
Now that Wei Wanlan started praising the Regent, every sentence was unique.
Along with praising the Su family, everything he said was based on historical fact—he hadn’t gone to the Tianlu Pavilion for nothing.
He described Su Jingzhi as unique in heaven and earth, full of praise and trust. In the hall, only his proud, organized voice could be heard clearly by everyone.
Ashina Shali’s expression became increasingly strange.
The Little Emperor praising the Regent without reservation right in front of the Turkic Khan was, in fact, stabbing Ashina Shali in the heart with every word.
—The Regent’s war merits were basically all won from Ashina Shali.
—The Regent inflicted heavy losses on the Turks twice!
How dared Ashina Shali call himself a hero in front of Su Jingzhi?
It was displaying slight skill before an expert, inviting ridicule!
The full court of civil and military officials and the Jinwu Guards in Linde Hall were astonished.
Everyone secretly let out a long sigh of relief, then felt proud and elated. The lump in their chests dissolved, and they felt comfortable all over!
Their Emperor, Wei Wanlan, without confrontation, had struck back at the enemy leader amidst calmness. The Little Emperor really had standards.
He had truly given them a scare.
The Great Wei officials secretly wiped away cold sweat.
“…”
Ashina Shali was silent for a few breaths, the light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. Finally, he became serious.
It seemed only now did Ashina Shali shift from doubting to gradually believing those rumors that had reached the grassland. Beyond Wei Wanlan’s eye-catching beauty, he saw something just as dazzling as his appearance.
—Wei Wanlan, the Emperor Beauty who possesses the Four Seas.
This setting made him feel it was very interesting.
The Turkic Khan’s throat was a bit dry, his heavy chest heaving slightly. His gaze landed once again on Wei Wanlan’s eyes—eyes as bright as autumn water, wielding the authority of the world, yet innocent as a deer.
Ashina Shali skipped over the topic and moved to the next.
This person changed face so quickly, as if the one who lost face and was embarrassed just now wasn’t him. The Turkic Khan said shamelessly:
“The Turks border Great Wei. The previous few Emperors failed to garner such favor from This Khan. Now I personally escort the National Gift to congratulate Your Majesty on assuming governance. I hope the relationship between our two countries can be as peaceful as fish and stream water…”
The attendant Dada presented a gift box.
The gift was inside a pure gold box. The box wasn’t large, but it was encrusted with agate, the decorative style beloved by Turkic nobility.
The lid opened slowly, revealing a male eagle cast in pure gold!
The eagle was poised to spread its wings and soar, every feather lifelike. And the surface of that gold had been carefully treated and polished with some special technique, so that even though the light in Linde Hall wasn’t very bright, the golden eagle seemed to emit its own light, dazzling the eyes.
Even though Wei Wanlan had seen countless rare treasures in the Imperial Palace, he had to admit that this gift from the Turkic Khan was truly valuable.
This gold, tsk, must weigh several jin.
Ashina Shali’s voice rang out again. This man’s timbre was very heavy, echoing in Linde Hall like a buzzing great bell:
“Does Your Majesty know why This Khan chose this male eagle from among the many gifts in the treasury?”
Wei Wanlan paused. He didn’t show it obviously. Zhen is not a roundworm in his belly. How would Zhen know?
He remained silent.
Villains always have monologue time. Sure enough, the other party couldn’t resist and spoke up voluntarily:
“There are no boundaries to an eagle’s flight. In the Turkic lands, we believe that wherever the eagle flies shall be our territory.”
His voice had barely faded.
Invisible pressure spread out once again.
Different from the last round of confrontation, this time, Wei Wanlan clearly felt that Ashina Shali was plainly telling him his ambition. Yes, this Turkic Khan was here to provoke him!
Wei Wanlan felt prickles on his back. His deer eyes stared at Ashina Shali and the glittering golden eagle he brought; the other party had ill intentions.
Just as Wei Wanlan was in a difficult spot, the announcement of a Jinwu Guard came from outside Linde Hall:
“The Regent has arrived!”
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