Аn Shichong merеlу asked whеre the Grаnd Рrinсе оf thеir kingdom was, but Yin Сhenjue, who had no taсt, rеspоnded with grеаt hоstilitу: "Thе Wеi Кingdоm nо longеr has a Grand Рrinсe. Yin Сhenbi has demоted himself tо a cоmmоnеr аnd lеft thе рalaсе. Tоdау, it is I who hаve соme to wеlсomе the two of уou. I am the Сrоwn Рrincе of Wei."
Upоn hеаring this, Xu Нuаizu rоllеd his еуes. Sо whаt if he wаs the Сrown Prinсe? Тhе Сrown Рrinсе оf Wei wasn’t evеn as impressive as thе commandеr of the Wu Кingdom’s Сitу Garrisоn! Seeing the man’s arrogant demeanor, he felt like smashing him with a scabbard.
"Why did he demote himself to a commoner?" An Shichong asked, his expression darkening.
Yin Chenjue curled his lip: "The two of you are envoys from Wu, here to foster friendly relations with our Great Wei. Why do you keep asking about Yin Chenbi? He is nothing now, so why bother caring about him?"
His tone was full of disdain, and his eyes kept rolling, which made Xu Huaizu lose his patience. He asked An Shichong, "Can I hit him?"
An Shichong shook his head: "We are envoys..."
Yin Chenjue overheard this and frowned repeatedly. "Speaking of which, Wu is also a land of propriety. How can envoys enter the palace still carrying swords? Before you have an audience with His Majesty, I must ask you to hand over your weapons."
Hand over? Hearing this choice of words, An Shichong’s face darkened, and he no longer stopped Xu Huaizu, simply stepping aside.
With a roar, Xu Huaizu lunged forward, landing a punch squarely on Yin Chenjue! The blow left half of his eye socket bruised and purple, and he fell to the ground.
The Wei palace was thrown into chaos. Countless imperial guards rushed over, surrounding the envoy delegation.
Once Yin Chenjue regained his senses, he was furious and shouted, "These are no envoys from Wu! They look like mere children who haven’t even grown all their hair, here to cause trouble! Seize them for me!"
The rest of the envoy delegation had initially thought the two leaders were acting impulsively, but upon seeing Wei’s attitude, their expressions immediately darkened.
Yin Gezhi had been in Wu for over a year, and Wei had only been left in peace by Wu for a year. Had Wei already forgotten its place? If not for Yin Gezhi, they would still be a vassal state. Where did they get the audacity to treat envoys like this?
Thus, An Shichong and Xu Huaizu drew their swords and fought their way back, retreating step by step as the entire envoy delegation left the palace to return and write letters of complaint.
When Emperor Wen of Wei heard the news, he immediately slapped the Crown Prince to the ground!
"You fool! They had already submitted their credentials and entered our palace, yet you still doubted they were envoys? What is wrong with your head?"
Clutching his face, Yin Chenjue knelt trembling. "But... the two leading envoys were too young, and their tempers were too fiery. They attacked me as soon as they arrived, so I..."
"If you hadn’t offended them, why would they hit you?" A scroll of documents was thrown in front of him as Emperor Wen of Wei raged. "These two are influential scions of prominent families in Wu and hold important positions there. The King of Wu sent them to show his sincerity. And what did you do? You drove them out of the palace without a second thought!"
Yin Chenjue was dumbfounded. "But... they kept asking about Yin Chenbi... I didn’t answer. Is that considered an offense?"
Yin Chenbi? Emperor Wen of Wei was taken aback and lowered his gaze in thought.
Chenbi had spent a year in Wu, so it wasn’t strange for him to know some people. These two might have some connection with him and wanted to inquire about his situation. But as for that rebellious son... it was better not to mention him! At worst, he would take matters into his own hands. He could surely handle it.Disgustedly glancing at the Crown Prince, Emperor Wen of Wei kicked him aside and strode out.
In the courtyard.
After listening to Guan Zhi explain the situation clearly, Yin Gezhi nodded slightly and said, "Then it's time for us to make an appearance. Let's go find Feng Yue."
"Yes!" Guan Zhi turned to fetch the carriage.
Feng Ming was still staring blankly at the dirt on the plate when the people outside had already vanished without a trace.
Feng Yue led the group to take seats in the restaurant, and the commoners nearby were already buzzing with discussion.
"Have you heard? The envoys from Wu Kingdom have arrived, but they were driven out of the palace as soon as they entered, for some unknown reason."
"Hey, I think our emperor is overly confident. Wu Kingdom's strength has grown significantly in recent years, to the point where they no longer need to regard Wei Kingdom with any regard. Yet he dares to drive their envoys out?"
"It seems like there might be a war brewing. Who do we have as generals now? Besides the young General Feng Ming, who else is there?"
"Sigh..." Sighs rose and fell in succession.
Listening to this, Feng Yue felt her appetite whetted. When the food arrived, she briskly ate three bowls.
Yin Yanzhong and the others seated at the table also wore expressions of anticipation for the drama, but with so many people and voices around, it wasn't appropriate to speak. So they busied themselves with their chopsticks, filled their stomachs, and then planned to return to discuss matters.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they paid the bill and stepped outside, they saw Guan Zhi waiting with the carriage. The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing Yin Gezhi's expressionless face. Looking at Feng Yue, he asked, "Going to the courier station?"
Who was at the courier station? The Wu Kingdom envoy delegation, at the center of the storm! Hearing this, Feng Yue nodded immediately: "Yes!"
With Yin Gezhi taking her to see the excitement, why not go?
So the group stood at the entrance of the restaurant, watching the dust kicked up by the carriage rise into the sky and slowly settle back down.
Madam Qiu sighed, "Why does the young master always follow him?"
Yin Yanzhong shook his head, "The trap is well set. I want to go too."
Luo Hao nodded in agreement, "Me too!"
Diplomacy was a major affair between nations. In so many years of smooth diplomatic history, this was the first time Wei Kingdom had made such a blunder. The aftermath was bound to be interesting.
Feng Yue was full of enthusiasm and asked Yin Gezhi along the way, "Will Wu Kingdom refuse to ally with Wei Kingdom because of this?"
"No, I am here."
Hearing this answer, Feng Yue felt somewhat displeased and asked with a serious expression, "So this matter with the envoy delegation will just be dropped?"
Glancing at her, Yin Gezhi replied calmly, "With me here, it won't."
The same five words, but the latter statement carried a hint of cunning. Feng Yue narrowed her eyes, wondering what he could possibly do. But upon arriving at the courier station and seeing the two people who came out to greet them, Feng Yue instantly understood.
Who were the envoys this time? An Shichong and Xu Huaizu! What was their relationship with Yin Gezhi? Master and disciples... or rather, Yin Gezhi was their object of blind faith, much like how commoners blindly worship Buddha. These two had an extraordinary faith in Yin Gezhi, believing he could do anything, go anywhere, and that everything he said was right!
With these two around, could Emperor Wen of Wei possibly escape Yin Gezhi's schemes?
Sighing twice, Feng Yue looked up at them and saw An Shichong stride up to Yin Gezhi, kneeling halfway in salute: "Master!"
Xu Huaizu, who had no sense of propriety, directly rushed forward to hug Yin Gezhi before kneeling down as well: "Master!""I am now but a commoner. You are esteemed ministers of the Wu Kingdom; there is no reason for you to bow so deeply." Reaching out to help them up, Yin Gezhi spoke calmly.
An Shichong frowned, his voice tinged with anger. "Regarding Master's demotion to commoner status, we disciples have already investigated the details. The Wei Kingdom's imperial family is ungrateful and treacherous, treating Master this way. We are outraged on your behalf!"
"Exactly!" Xu Huaizu chimed in. "That Crown Prince is clearly no good—bullying others and arrogant beyond measure. He even dared to threaten to cut off Master's hand!"
Feng Yue raised an eyebrow, curious. "Who told you all this?"
"Commander Lian said so," Xu Huaizu replied, turning at the sound of her voice. "Is Master's wife here too?"
But when he turned, he didn’t see the striking beauty in fiery red robes. Instead, he saw a man with a thick, unkempt beard and shifty eyes.
Startled, Xu Huaizu took half a step back, eyes wide. "Who are you?"
Yin Gezhi smiled faintly. "What you just called her was correct."
What? An Shichong was a bit incredulous. Hadn’t Xu Huaizu suffered before for carelessly calling someone "Master's wife"? Now he’d called a man that, yet Master seemed quite pleased?
Xu Huaizu also found it unbelievable. He leaned closer to Feng Yue, studying her for a moment before reaching out and tugging off a piece of the fake beard. Only then did he realize, "It really is Miss Feng Yue!"
"Enough," Yin Gezhi said. "This isn’t the place to talk. Give her back the beard, and let’s go inside to discuss further."
"Yes," they replied, suppressing their shock. The two young masters obediently followed their master’s instructions, inviting both him and Feng Yue into the courier station.
As the wind blew and clouds drifted, half an hour passed. The four people sitting in the courier station had mostly recounted what had happened since arriving in the Wei Kingdom, only concealing Feng Yue’s true identity. Everything else was laid out plainly.
"I always said General Guan was a good person!" Xu Huaizu slapped the table, finally feeling vindicated. "But how could the Emperor of Wei act like this? Knowing someone was wronged, yet refusing to overturn the unjust verdict?"
An Shichong frowned deeply, looking at Yin Gezhi with great concern. "Master’s situation is too difficult. If Crown Prince Ye finds out, he will surely reconsider the alliance with Wei. After all, it was only because of you that he even considered this plan."
"It’s not that serious," Yin Gezhi said. "For Wu to resist Song, having Wei as an ally is beneficial, not harmful. It’s unwise to clash with Wei at this time. Regarding what happened in the palace today, Emperor Wen of Wei will surely seek to reconcile with you. When that happens, you must help me with something."
"Of course!" Without even asking what it was, both nodded in agreement.
Feng Yue watched with mixed emotions. No matter how much one schemes, human hearts are the hardest to predict. Emperor Wen of Wei was also a man of deep cunning, yet he was destined to lose to Yin Gezhi because he was not as skilled at winning people over.
Though "winning over" wasn’t quite the right term—Yin Gezhi conquered hearts entirely through his own formidable strength.
Truly terrifying.
The two stayed at the courier station until a quarter past the hour of You (around 5:15 PM), when a eunuch’s voice sounded from outside: "By His Majesty’s oral decree, the envoy delegation is requested to enter the palace."Xu Huaizu opened the door with a huff and shouted at the Wu Kingdom guards outside, "Go and relay the message that the envoy's legs have all been broken by your esteemed Crown Prince, so he cannot enter the palace. Please ask the Wei Kingdom's emperor to forgive us!"
The eunuch choked on his words, hesitated outside for a long while, and then left reluctantly.
"Master and Mistress, please stay here for the night," An Shichong said. "If anything happens tomorrow, the two of you will know immediately."
"No need to wait until tomorrow," Yin Gezhi said calmly, looking outside. "Prepare a room. Someone will come by dusk."
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