With the return of Crown Prince Su, this solemn and majestic palace gradually gained some liveliness. Those palace maids and servants no longer had to be on tenterhooks all day long.
The Eastern Palace became lively with the arrival of the Crown Prince's family. Although many of the palace maids and attendants had never seen the Crown Prince before, the Crown Prince's reputation was outside, so the palace maids and attendants were not very afraid. The residents of the Great Qin Empire had a rough temperament, and even the palace maids were no exception. A few palace maids whispered to each other beside the eaves and discussed the Crown Prince's suave and elegant manner. The Crown Prince held great power and had traveled all over the world for more than ten years. His demeanor, which had been washed away by time, was naturally not something that these yellow-haired maids could resist.
In the afternoon, the officials began to enter the palace to attend the Emperor's birthday banquet. It was the Emperor's birthday, and as officials, they had racked their brains to give gifts.
In terms of value, the entire world belonged to him. What could you give him that was more important than the world? The only thing they could do was to think about their intentions and rarity. The honest officials could only use their advantage of not having a capital to write a beautiful and beautiful article to praise the emperor. The emperor was celebrating his birthday just to be happy. He would wear thousands of clothes to flatter the emperor, but the emperor's flattery would still come out of his mouth.
Moreover, the local Dayuan collected some rare and precious items from the people and sent them over, such as bottles that could live forever, colorful corals, immortal herbs from the snow mountains, and so on.
There were also the surrounding small countries. Even though Great Qin did not have many elite soldiers, it was not something that any country in the world could look down on. No matter how unstable the borders were, they had to give face to the old Emperor and send envoys to the capital to celebrate the birthday of the Great Qin King. These small countries still had some national treasures, so after lunch, the main entrance of the Royal Palace was like a food market. All that was missing was a group of aunties and uncles hawking their wares.
Emperor Ying Ji asked Ying Su and Ying Hai to accompany him for lunch in the rear hall. The Emperor was also a human being. He remembered that his beloved wife had passed away for many years, but every day when he opened his eyes, he still hoped to see that familiar face beside his pillow. So what if he owned a territory of ten thousand miles, and so what if he owned all the women in the world? The descendants in front of him now were his true family.
Ying Ji felt very energetic today. It had been a long time since he had felt this way, or perhaps it was an illusion. His entire body was filled with endless energy, and he did not feel tired even after hugging this little brat for a long time. After his birthday, he would be able to enjoy his old age. Thinking about it, if he did not have the supreme power in his hands and cultivated in peace, it would not be a problem for him to advance to the Xiantian realm, and it would not be a problem for him to live another hundred or eighty years. It was a pity that he could not have both.
Perhaps in the entire Imperial Palace, or even the entire capital, the Emperor was the most idle. He was hugging his grandson and watching the butterflies in the Imperial Garden. The chubby boy was not shy with strangers. Moreover, there were many rare places in the Imperial Palace. His two eyes seemed to be insufficient. His little head shook like a rattle drum as he kept looking around.
At noon, the Emperor ascended the Xuanzheng Hall to accept the worship of the officials and the envoys of the surrounding countries. The entire hall was bustling with people in order to congratulate and praise the Emperor. Fortunately, no one could say more than two words. Otherwise, if all the good words were said by one person, the people behind could only repeat the previous words.
It was still fine for the officials of this dynasty, but it was more complicated for the foreign envoys. Whatever they gave, they would carry it out for everyone to appreciate, and what kind of friendly intentions the monarch of their own country had expressed. All kinds of procedures were tormented until the sun was approaching the west mountain before it was finally over. Then, the emperor waved his hand and everyone went to Lin De Hall to eat.
For a time, the Lin De Hall was filled with singing and dancing. The officials were all feasting, the emperor was drinking, and the officials were toasting. Some who were good at bootlicking would stand up from time to time to sing praises, so that the banquet would not be silent.
After three rounds of wine, when the beautiful women in the hall changed places, the envoy sent by the Rong people of the Northern Borderline stood up and said,"Esteemed Great Qin's Emperor, today, we offer you our Khan's most sincere blessings. On this day that is worth celebrating, esteemed Great Qin's Emperor, there are a few people who have come with me from the Korean Kingdom to wish you a happy birthday. They are quite capable, so why don't we let them perform and wish you a happy birthday?”
Even if the foreign envoy was familiar with the language of the Central Plains, he could not speak the language of the Central Plains well. This was a simple matter that the envoy had to take a big detour to explain clearly.
Great Qin and the Rong people in the north were mortal enemies, but in recent decades, their relationship had eased a bit. The situation in Mobei was quite complicated, and after the Rong people died in the battle 100 years ago, they had fallen into an internal conflict between their sons who were fighting for the throne. The Rakshasa people in the west took this opportunity to rise, and the Rakshasa King had been recuperating for decades. The Rong people had been fighting for decades, and the Rakshasa people now had the strength to fight against the Rong people.
The current Rong man, Morton Lianse, was quite talented. He was able to rectify and ease the conflicts among the various tribes, shrink the territory and concentrate the strength to defend against the threat from the Rakshasa. He was also able to make good relations with the various countries on the outside. He used the good breeds of horses unique to the grasslands to exchange with the various countries. Now, the strength of the Rong people had shrunk to the east of the desert, while the west was in the hands of the Rakshasa people. The two tigers were unable to do anything to each other.
This time, Great Qin's Emperor was celebrating his birthday, and Lian Se had sent an envoy to congratulate Great Qin. He also had a mission to investigate Great Qin's situation, and he had the envoy bring Great Qin's Emperor a steed, Telibiao, that was a hybrid of a fine breed horse from the grasslands and a type of demonic beast. This steed was the king of horses in the army, and even the Thunder Beast and the Wind Beast that were nurtured by the Luosha people could not compare to this Telibiao in terms of individual quality.
However, they were few in number. 100 years ago, Moton Hater had only managed to nurture 3,000 Telibiao, but it was these 3,000 Telibiao and 3,000 martial arts experts loyal to Hater that had caused Great Qin an indelible wound. Even now, Great Qin had not recovered from that wound, and Ying Luo's most elite guards and closest brothers had sacrificed their lives and numbers to perish together with the 3,000 cavalry.
Therefore, although Ying Ji knew that the gifts given by the Rong people this time were not cheap, the Teller Pao had brought back a scar in his heart. Therefore, he was against the Rong envoys from the bottom of his heart. However, as the saying went, one should not hit a smiling person. After all, they were here to show that he was an emperor and should have the bearing of an emperor. Moreover, if he were to embarrass the Rong envoys in front of his subordinates and the foreign envoys, it would not be good.
What Ying Ji was thinking in his heart, however, was a beautiful and gentle expression on his face. He smiled and said,""It's rare for Lian Se to trouble himself. I know his ancestor, the Khan Hatie, and I admire him very much. I thought he would come to visit me, but I think he's too busy with government affairs to come.”
At this point, Ying Ji paused for a moment, glanced around and continued,""I, the Great Qin Emperor, have accepted Lian Se's intentions and thanked him. I hope that I can meet Lian Se in my lifetime! Since the envoy is already in the mood to perform for everyone, then…allow it!”
After saying that, he signaled the Rong envoy with his eyes. The Rong envoy was furious, and the Great Qin Emperor spoke in the tone of an elder, calling him by his name as Lian Se and revealing the past as Moton Hater. If it weren't for the great war a hundred years ago, how could our Rong people be in a situation where even the Luosha people came to bully us? If you want to see me, the Great Khan, do you want to go to the grasslands? It's my Great Khan who came to Qin City to see you! You mean that there will be a war between the Rong people of Great Qin sooner or later!
Although the envoy was furious, he remembered what the Great Khan had told him, so he suppressed the anger in his heart and said to Ying Ji with a laugh,""Even though I'm here as an envoy to congratulate the Emperor, I'm not the only envoy. When I came, the Great Khan sent a deputy envoy, but due to some reasons, he couldn't meet with the Emperor, so I hope that Great Qin's Majesty will allow it!”
"Oh?" Ying Ji looked at the Rong envoy in surprise and said,""There is also a deputy envoy. In that case, summon him to the palace and let zhen see what deputy envoy he is.”
At this moment, the palace attendant shouted in a shrill voice,"Xuanrong deputy envoy, please come to the palace! Xuan... Rong... people... Vice... make... Go... Hall!"
A moment later, a woman slowly walked in from the entrance of the hall. Behind the woman was a burly man who looked like a guard. No wonder the Rong envoy spoke so secretively. It turned out that this deputy envoy was actually a woman.
This woman was wearing a red pleated chest wrap with a red hat on her head. The tip of the hat was inlaid with a dazzling pearl. There were two rows of pearls on both sides of her cheeks. She was wearing light-colored Confucian pants on her legs. The Confucian pants were covered with a red cotton dress unique to the grasslands. The dress was covered with a transparent gauze. Between the chest wrap of the long dress, a flat, snow-white willow waist was revealed. A pearl and agate waist chain was wrapped around her waist. The gemstones on the waist chain were sparkling, and half of the face was covered with a gauze. Although he couldn't see her face clearly, he could tell from her eyes that she definitely wasn't bad.
The woman was wearing a pair of black boots with golden edges. The chains on her waist were clattering as she walked. Her fair and slender waist was like a wind blowing into the willow forest in March, swaying like the candlelight in the hall.
When the Rong envoy saw the woman come up to the hall, he shouted,""Esteemed Emperor of Great Qin, this is the princess of our Khaganate, Khan Lian Se's younger sister, Princess Yuzhu. Princess Yuzhu had long heard that the Great Qin was the most powerful country in the world and wanted to see the elegance of the Great Qin's ruler. Thus, she begged my Great Khan to allow her to be the deputy envoy to come and congratulate the Great Qin's Emperor on his birthday.
As he did not know the culture of Great Qin, he did not dare to rashly go to the palace. He asked for the Great Qin Emperor's forgiveness.”After saying that, the Rong envoy bowed to the bottom, and Princess Yuzhu also bowed to Ying Ji.
These words sounded like flattery. As long as one wasn't a fool, they would know the hatred between Great Qin and the Rong people. The northern side of Great Qin's territory was mostly adjacent to the northern border. Even though Vietnam's territory was connected to the northern border, those places were negligible compared to Great Qin's border. Moreover, those places were barren mountains and rivers, filled with poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts, so there was basically no war in Vietnam's northern border.
It was also because of the threat of the Northern Borderline, their enemy. No matter how the regime changed in Great Qin, the people were always brave and ruthless. Unlike the Vietnamese who were good at doing business, the Yan Kingdom's poetry was the best in the world, and no one could compete with them.
As such, the Rong envoy's statement that Great Qin was the most powerful country in the world was not wrong. However, it was a bit inappropriate to say it in such a place where envoys from various countries gathered.
Ying Ji didn't care about these things. He thought to himself,'What kind of show are these Rong people playing today? Are they trying to use a honey trap on me? They are looking down on me too much. Besides, how can a peace achieved through a marriage alliance stand up to the test?'
Just as he was thinking about it, the girl suddenly lowered her head and began to speak a string of words in the language of the Northern Borderline. Then, she gestured to the Rong envoy, who said to Ying Ji,""Esteemed Emperor of Great Qin, Princess Yuzhu grew up in the territory of the Khaganate and has never come into contact with the culture of the Central Plains, so she doesn't know much about the language of the Central Plains.
Just now, Princess Yuzhu had said that the Central Plains was indeed a rich place. There were many beautiful sights that could not be seen on the grasslands, and there were many foods that could not be eaten on the grasslands. Your Majesty's palace was even taller than all of the Golden Tents in the Han Kingdom, and Princess Yuzhu really liked Great Qin.”
Ying Ji smiled and said,"The smoke in the desert is straight, and the sun is round in the long river." The desert has the style of the desert, and the Central Plains has the scenery of the Central Plains. The culture is different, and the landscape is naturally different. Thinking back, I also admired the high sky and clear clouds in the desert. I still want to see it again.”
After saying that, Ying Ji suddenly felt that using words to suppress a group of juniors would not be the demeanor of the Great Qin Monarch. He then changed the topic and said,""Since Princess Yuzhu likes the customs of the Great Qin Dynasty, she can naturally stay in Chang 'an for a long time as a guest. "I will send people to take you all to see Great Qin's environment.”
After saying that, the Rong envoy translated to Yu Zhu, who said,""Thank you very much for your hospitality, Your Majesty. Although Great Qin is beautiful and rich, it is not as warm as our homeland. In order to thank Your Majesty for your hospitality, please allow me to perform a dance for Your Majesty and wish Your Majesty good health and longevity.”
" It's my honor to be able to appreciate the princess's dance," Ying Ji said." Please."
Along with the lively and hoarse music of the horse-headed zither and the four-stringed zither unique to the Northern Desert, Princess Yuzhu's graceful body began to dance to the bright rhythm of the music.
Princess Yuzhu was performing the dance that was common in the north of the desert, but it was also the dance that tested one's dancing skills the most. The rhythm of the Hu Xuan dance was fast and lively, and it was endless. Princess Yuzhu's waist spun, and her short boots stepped on the ground. Her dance dress was as light as the white clouds and the wind, and the woman was as charming as a blooming peony. For a moment, the strings of the zither were broken like a silver bottle, and the rain fell rapidly. Princess Yuzhu's feet seemed to be stepping on the clouds with the drumming. Everyone in the hall was stunned.
At first, Ying Ji did not care. But as Princess Yuzhu danced, as she twisted her waist, as the hills trembled, as well as the delicate corners of her mouth that were faintly visible under her veil, Ying Ji felt that his vision had turned into threads, and one end of these threads was wrapped around the body of the dancer. As Princess Yuzhu's waist twisted faster and faster, his vision became tighter and tighter around his body, until
"Pa! Pa! Pa!"
A few applause suddenly rang out in the hall. The applause was not loud, but it sounded like thunder in the ears of the ministers who were sitting in the corner and indulging in Princess Yuzhu's dance. They were shaken awake from the illusion of indulging in the dance.
For a moment, the hall was noisy and chaotic. Some picked up the wine glasses that had already fallen in front of them, some wiped the saliva from the corners of their mouths, and some stood up and walked forward.
Some of them closed their eyes and focused their minds to resist this temptation. Most of them were highly respected scholars in the court or generals who held military power. It was likely that everyone in this hall was not on guard. When they realized that something was wrong, they had already fallen into the demonic realm. They could only close their eyes and focus their minds to resist.
After all, Ying Ji was the ruler of a country, and he had been a warrior all his life. When he was young, he was also a martial arts expert, and he had his own bearing. Although he was immersed in Princess Yuzhu's dance, he did not lose his composure. However, when he saw the ministers and envoys in the palace losing their composure, he was very unhappy.
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