AWB Chapter 89 Envoys from Northern Foreign Lands Make Things Difficult for Nanzhao Kingdom
Chapter 89 Envoys from Northern Foreign Lands Make Things Difficult for Nanzhao Kingdom
The envoy from the northern foreign lands was unwilling to accept this, so in the magnificent Golden Palace of the Nanzhao Kingdom, the atmosphere was as cold and bleak as the dead of winter.
Envoys from a northern foreign state and other countries arrived together yesterday. What should have been a meeting to promote exchange and seek peace turned into an ordeal. The foreign envoys seemed to enter this land that did not belong to them with hostility and arrogance.
Today, the Northern Envoy is tall and imposing, dressed in a black robe, with a high nose and deep-set eyes, his gaze filled with disdain.
He stood in the center of the hall, looking at the Nanzhao officials on both sides, who were dressed in fine clothes but had different expressions. A mocking smile appeared on his lips.
Before the emperor of Nanzhao could speak, he began to speak loudly in that difficult-to-understand foreign language, his words coming out at an extremely fast pace. His voice echoed in the empty hall, as if he were announcing his dominant position to everyone.
Most of the officials of the Nanzhao Kingdom frowned and looked troubled.
The emperor sat upright on his dragon throne, his face calm, but a barely perceptible hint of anger flashed in his deep eyes. He coughed lightly, hoping to prompt one of his ministers to step forward and resolve the predicament, but after looking around, not a single person stepped forward. The emperor's gaze swept across the assembled officials, and the expectation in his eyes gradually turned into disappointment. He thought to himself: "These people, who usually pride themselves on being well-read and highly talented, are so incompetent when it matters."
Seeing this, the Northern Envoy curled his lips into a mocking smile and slowly spoke in Chinese: "Your Majesty, I have heard that your country is full of talented people. I wonder if Your Majesty could find someone to translate what I just said?" His voice was not loud, but it was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into the pride of everyone.
At this moment, the foreign envoys from other countries, who had suffered a humiliating defeat at the banquet yesterday and now looked on with schadenfreude, couldn't help but whisper among themselves, their faces full of anticipation. One of them muttered, "The Nanzhao Kingdom is probably going to become a laughing stock."
These words, though spoken softly, spread like wildfire through the corners of the hall, eliciting snickers from the crowd.
"Ding! Sensing the unusually tense atmosphere in the main hall, a mission has been triggered—help the Nanzhao Kingdom win this crisis against the Northern Border Kingdom. The system reward is to contact your best friend in the modern world for one hour!" At this moment, the mechanical system voice sounded in Gu Liuli's mind.
Upon hearing that she could contact her best friend from the 21st century for an hour, her eyes lit up. Having been transported to this ancient Nanzhao Kingdom for so long, she often missed her modern life, and cherished her best friend's companionship immensely. At this moment, this mission reward was like a ray of dawn, illuminating the longing in her heart.
Just as the court officials were embarrassed and at a loss, a figure slowly walked out from the back of the hall. Everyone looked closely and saw that it was Crown Princess Gu Liuli. She moved with light steps, her figure graceful, yet exuding a unique determination.
"Father, I am willing to give it a try." Gu Liuli's clear and melodious voice rang out in the hall, breaking the awkward silence. The Emperor frowned slightly, his eyes filled with doubt and worry. Although he knew that the Crown Princess's actions were sometimes unpredictable, he dared not let her take risks in such a diplomatic setting.
The envoy from the Northern Border looked at Gu Liuli with disdain in his eyes. What could a woman from the harem possibly do? "Hmph, you?" he scoffed dismissively.
Gu Liuli remained calm, a confident smile playing on her lips. "Your Excellency, please don't underestimate me. Why don't you say it again so I can hear it?"
The envoy from the North was skeptical, so he repeated it again in that obscure foreign language.
Gu Liuli closed her eyes slightly, her mind racing. After transmigrating, she unexpectedly gained a talent for languages. Although she couldn't be completely proficient in all foreign languages, basic communication and translation were no problem for her.
A moment later, she opened her eyes, a cold glint in them. “Your Majesty, the envoy just said that the Nanzhao Kingdom is weak and its court is corrupt. It is not worthy of being on equal footing with the Northern Border. It also demands that we cede half of our territory and pay tribute every year, otherwise it will send troops to invade.”
These words caused another uproar in the court. The ministers were furious, clamoring to confront the envoy from the north, while the emperor was enraged, his face turning ashen, his hands gripping the armrests of the dragon throne so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"You audacious scoundrel, how dare you humiliate my Nanzhao Kingdom like this!" An old minister trembled with rage, stepped forward, and glared at the envoy from the northern border.
The Northern envoy remained arrogant, saying, "These are the demands of the Northern Border. If you do not agree, you will bear the consequences."
Seeing the envoy's arrogant demeanor, Gu Liuli already had a plan in mind. She coughed lightly to attract everyone's attention, "Your Excellency, how can you be so arrogant? Do you think the Nanzhao Kingdom has no one to rely on?"
The envoy from the Northern Border curled his lip in disdain. "Your court can't even understand what I'm saying, so what makes you think you have connections?" Gu Liuli smiled calmly and said, "Your Excellency, you may not know this, but the Nanzhao Kingdom has always treated people with courtesy. We originally intended to treat you, a distinguished guest from afar, with courtesy and listen to your insightful opinions. However, your words were full of insults, which is truly unbecoming of you."
The envoy snorted coldly, "Enough nonsense, will you agree to my conditions or not?" Gu Liuli's gaze was firm as she looked directly into the envoy's eyes, "Your conditions are too harsh. Let alone ceding territory, Nanzhao Kingdom will not easily give up even a blade of grass. However, I have heard that the Northern Border has always revered force. Today, let's have a contest of words. If you win, we can discuss the conditions; if you lose, please put away your arrogance and leave Nanzhao Kingdom with your unreasonable demands."
The envoy's heart stirred. Confident in his superior talent, he was not afraid of this literary contest. Perhaps he could even take this opportunity to humiliate the Nanzhao Kingdom once again.
So he agreed without hesitation: "Alright, as you say, what would you like to compete in?" Gu Liuli thought for a moment and said: "We will use the customs, traditions, history and culture of our two countries as the topic, and ask each other questions to see who can answer fluently. Since you are a guest, Your Excellency, please ask the first question."
The envoy thought for a moment and said, "In the northern border there is a strange mountain, covered with snow all year round, and on the top of the mountain is a divine lake. Legend has it that there is a treasure hidden in the lake. What is the name of this mountain?" Gu Liuli was secretly delighted, as she happened to know the answer to this question. She calmly replied, "Is the envoy referring to Hanxiao Mountain in the northern border? And the divine lake is Cangyou Lake. Legend has it that the treasure at the bottom of the lake was left by a war god in ancient times, but no one has been able to find it to this day."
The envoy was taken aback, not expecting the Crown Princess to be so learned; his first question hadn't stumped her at all.
When it was Gu Liuli's turn to pose a question, she said, "Every spring, the Nanzhao Kingdom has a grand festival where the people dress in their finest clothes, hold colorful ribbons, sing and dance, and pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests. Does the envoy know what this festival is?"
The envoy frowned, racking his brains but unable to recall, his face turning red with frustration. Seeing that the envoy couldn't answer, Gu Liuli smiled slightly, "This is the Qijie Festival of Nanzhao Kingdom, which has a history of several hundred years and is one of the most important festivals in our Nanzhao Kingdom."
In the first round of the competition, Gu Liuli won easily. Although the envoy was not convinced, he could not cheat and could only grit his teeth and continue.
Next, the two sides competed in poetry, strategy, and other areas. Gu Liuli, with her modern knowledge and diligent study after her time travel, answered fluently, while the envoy gradually showed signs of fatigue and made many mistakes.