HBWnovel Chapter 374: Envoys from the State of Yu Enter the Capital
Chapter 374: Envoys from the State of Yu Enter the Capital
Chapter 374: Yu State Envoys Enter the Capital
When the Yu people saw the city gate, one of the horsemen squeezed his horse's belly and galloped towards the carriage. He pulled the reins beside the carriage, leaned forward slightly, and said respectfully to the carriage, "Princess, the capital is just ahead. Please hold on a little longer. We can rest at the inn once we get inside. We'll find you a doctor then."
Inside the carriage, a slightly hoarse but tender voice of a young woman was heard, accompanied by two suppressed coughs: "Cough, cough, thank you for your hard work." There was a hint of fatigue in the voice, but it was still gentle.
The news that the envoys from the State of Yu braved the snow to enter the capital did not cause much response in the city. The postmaster only found out when the group arrived at the inn. After hurriedly checking all the travel passes for the people of Yu to the capital and arranging accommodation for the group, he quickly wrote a memorial and instructed his entourage to deliver it to the Honglu Temple.
Inside the palace, heavy snow continued to fall, coating the once-cleared palace paths with a thin layer of snow. Yao Yongjian, the Minister of Rites, strode briskly through the icy snow, oilcloth umbrella in hand. Snowflakes, whipped by the chill wind, swished against the umbrella, making a rustling sound. His boots left a trail of deep and shallow footprints on the snow.
Earlier, the postmaster had delivered a memorial, informing Yao Yongjian that the Yu Kingdom delegation had arrived in Beijing. His heart tightened at the suddenness of the news, and he quickly arranged for his trusted aides to arrive quietly in the snowy weather. As the Minister of the Honglu Temple, in charge of foreign affairs, Yao Yongjian was fully aware of the heavy responsibility and dared not slack off.
When Yao Yongjian arrived at the Imperial Study, a biting cold wind, swirling with snowflakes, had already soaked his shoes, leaving the fabric stained with dark water and a hint of chill. After waiting for the eunuch to report, he folded up his oil-oil umbrella and handed it to a eunuch in the corridor. He straightened his clothes and stepped into the Imperial Study.
The room was warm, the floor heaters blazing. Zhangsun Hongze, clad in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat erect before the imperial desk, a red brush in hand, reviewing a mountain of memorials. Nearby, Eunuch Fuquan waited quietly, his posture slightly bowed, his hands tightly gripping a whisk. His expression respectful.
Seeing this, Yao Yongjian quickened his pace, took a few steps forward, lifted the corner of his robe, knelt on the ground with a "thump", and performed a great salute. His voice was loud and respectful: "Your Majesty, your humble servant, Yao Yongjian, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, pays homage to His Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
The emperor put down his pen, looked up at Yao Yongjian, and said slowly, "Get up. What's the important matter that brought you here in the snow?"
"Your Majesty, the Yu State delegation has arrived." Yao Yongjian handed over the memorial with both hands and replied respectfully.
Eunuch Fuquan quickly stepped forward to take the memorial from his hand, then turned back to the emperor and handed it over. Yao Yongjian waited until Eunuch Fuquan took the memorial away before he stood up, his hands hanging down, his expression respectful.
The emperor's expression straightened as he took the memorial from Eunuch Fuquan and read it carefully. The memorial detailed the itinerary, number of people, and the arrangements for the Yu Kingdom delegation after arriving in the capital.
After reading it, the Emperor's brow furrowed slightly, a look of deep thought in his eyes. "The people of Yu arrived so late. Instead of sending a prince, they sent a prince and princess. This Prince Dun, Ji Boyi, is said to be the younger brother of the King of Yu. He has always been concerned with love affairs and ignored the affairs of state. Why would they send him to negotiate peace? What conspiracy is going on here?" The Emperor pondered inwardly, his face expressionless, his fingers subconsciously tapping the imperial desk.
He turned his head to look at Eunuch Fuquan and said, "Go and summon Prime Minister Mu, Lord Mu, and the Minister of Rites to come to the audience."
Eunuch Fuquan quickly obeyed the order and left the imperial study.
Changsun Hongze turned to look at Yao Yongjian standing below him and said in a deep voice, "Yao Siqing, you will be responsible for entertaining them. All requests will be the same as before. Also, arrange for a doctor to treat Princess Ji Lanruo. It's snowing heavily now, so they shouldn't wander around the city unless necessary. Since they are not accompanied by a prince, I will have the Ministry of Rites take over the arrangements for the rest. You should discuss this with the Minister of Rites to avoid any mishaps that would bring shame to our Jin State."
"This..." Yao Yongjian hesitated, his head lowered slightly, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. He had assumed the Emperor would send a princess to receive the envoys. After all, there was a princess in the delegation, and according to etiquette, it would be more appropriate to have a female member to receive them. Without a suitable female member, he feared a lack of diplomatic protocol, a lack of thoroughness. Furthermore, reports had come in that the princess had caught a cold, yet the Emperor hadn't sent a physician, instead ordering him to find a specialist outside. But the Emperor's will was unpredictable, so how could he dare disobey and speak his mind?
"Hmm? Do you have any objection?" Changsun Hongze raised his eyebrows slightly, and looked at Yao Yongjian with sharp eyes as cold as an eagle. Although his voice was not loud, it carried unquestionable majesty.
His eyes seemed to see through people's hearts. Yao Yongjian felt like a thorn in his back, and the chill on his body seemed to deepen. He knelt down quickly, "Your Majesty is wise! I obey your command!"
Chang Sun Hongze raised his hand, his expression calm, and said in a calm tone: "Alright! Go back!"
Yao Yongjian didn't dare to delay even a moment and quickly thanked the emperor, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Then he slowly stood up, bowed, and left the imperial study. When he reached the door, he turned around and walked out of the imperial study lightly.
As he stepped out of the room, the cold wind blew in his face, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, took the oil umbrella handed to him by the eunuch beside him, and hurriedly walked out of the palace with the umbrella.
As luck would have it, just as he was leaving the palace, he saw the Mu family's carriage and the Minister of Rites' carriage slowly approaching the palace gate, one after the other. He quickly put away his umbrella, stepped forward, and bowed slightly to the two carriages.
The curtain of the carriage opened, and Prime Minister Mu and Mu En got off the Mu family carriage one after another. The Minister of Rites also got off the carriage with the help of his entourage. When the three saw Yao Yongjian standing beside them, they all nodded slightly and bowed in return.
Afterwards, Mu En took the oil umbrella from his entourage with swift movements, and held it firmly over his father and himself to shield them from the falling snowflakes.
Upon seeing this, the Minister of Rites raised his hand to gesture to Prime Minister Mu and the other two to go ahead, and with a gentle smile on his face, he said, "Prime Minister Mu, Lord Marquis, please!"
Prime Minister Mu nodded slightly, a faint smile on his face, and replied, "You're welcome, Minister." Then, he and Mu En walked towards the palace gate. The Minister of Rites followed closely behind, and the three of them passed through the palace gate and walked into the imperial palace.
Yao Yongjian's attendant, who had been waiting outside the palace, watched the three men leave. They hurriedly drove the carriage over, set up the riding stool, and Yao Yongjian, holding the attendant's hand, climbed in. The attendant swiftly turned and sat down in front of the carriage. The groom gently shook the reins and shouted, "Gee!" The horses slowly began to move, the wheels turning, and the carriage creaking as it slowly moved forward, leaving a deep rut in the snow that was soon covered by falling snowflakes.