My Emperor Father Can Read Minds -
Chapter 19
The matter of the Xiqi envoys entering the palace was set for five days later.
The Emperor would host a banquet at the Taihe Hall to receive the Xiqi envoys. At such an important ceremonial occasion, Wei Yu, as a prince, naturally had to attend.
As a prince, his seat was relatively close to the front.
Wei Yu’s seat was diagonally below the old man dad—second row, second column.
The Eighth Prince was seated even closer—second row, first column.
It wasn’t his first time attending such a grand banquet.
On occasions like this, it was usually Wei Yu’s best time to eat, drink, binge dramas, and read novels—a time to relax and unwind.
To describe his anticipation for such banquets metaphorically…
It was like elementary schoolers looking forward to a field trip, middle schoolers dreaming of Sports Day, and college students yearning for the weekend!
And according to past routine, this banquet was no exception for Wei Yu.After greeting his father and taking his seat, the first thing Wei Yu did was reach for the pastry tray on his table, ready to pull out his tablet and sincerely start reading a good novel!
Alas, just as he reached out to grab the tray, the Eighth Prince beside him gave a low cough.
Uh-oh.
His Eighth Brother was warning him.
Wei Yu’s small eyes darted over, just in time to meet the Eighth Prince’s gaze.
“Keep yourself in check.”
The Eighth Prince’s quiet warning caught the attention of the Sixth and Seventh Princes sitting ahead.
The Sixth Prince sat in front of Wei Yu, and the Seventh Prince sat in front of the Eighth Prince.
All four of them had yet to come of age, but only the Seventh Prince had a mother consort backing him—and one who was quite favored at that.
So compared to the cautious Sixth Prince, the Seventh Prince had more confidence and freedom.
Both of them turned their heads. The Seventh Prince spoke first.
“What are you two bickering about? The envoys aren’t even here yet—don’t embarrass the dignity and bearing of Great Wei!”
The words made Wei Yu’s scalp go a little numb.
The Eighth Prince quickly admitted fault. “Understood, Seventh Brother. We’ll be careful.”
The Seventh Prince gave a faint “hm” and turned back around, sitting properly again.
The lecture having been delivered, the Sixth Prince blinked, silently glanced at Wei Yu and the Eighth Prince, then turned back as well.
Wei Yu shrugged at his Eighth Brother.
Under the Eighth Prince’s glare, Wei Yu smiled and made a reassuring gesture at him, but before his brother could respond, he turned his head away.
[Just kidding, of course! A perfect moment of leisure like this—no matter who lectures me, I’m not listening! I’m sitting way back here, who’s even paying attention to me…]
Up on the dragon throne, Emperor Wei glanced toward where Wei Yu sat and let out a soft snort.
Li Cheng, who stood waiting beside him, noticed and asked, “Your Majesty, what is it?”
Emperor Wei tapped the table. “Pour the wine.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
–
The wait for the Xiqi envoys wasn’t long.
Wei Yu had just finished the first three golden chapters of a “Dragon-AoTian” novel and hadn’t yet had the chance to savor the main character’s girl-getting techniques when he heard a voice cry, “Envoys from Xiqi request an audience!”
Wanting to see what these Xiqi envoys looked like, Wei Yu immediately put away his tablet and sat up straight to observe.
At the entrance of the Taihe Hall, a group of over a dozen people in exotic attire entered.
Most of their clothing was made from animal hides—rough yet carrying a bit of foreign flair. Their hairstyles resembled those of Xiongnu nomads, with loose hair tied into small braids.
As for their appearances…
Tsk.
[Not foreigners, huh.]
Wei Yu was sorely disappointed.
Because this group of Xiqi people looked no different from the northern nomads—just a bit more muscular, perhaps.
His expectations hit the floor with a thud.
Losing interest again, Wei Yu opened his tablet, planning to revisit Technique #29 of AoTian’s girl-getting skills.
Wei Yu might have lost interest, but the rest of the Taihe Hall had not.
Emperor Wei looked down at the self-proclaimed envoys from Xiqi and smiled, preparing to display the bearing of a great nation’s ruler.
“You envoys have come from afar—truly a hardship.”
“The Great Wei monarch is too kind. I am Adule, envoy of Xiqi. We have traveled thousands of miles across the sea only to follow the orders of our King of Xiqi—who simply wishes to make a friend of Your Majesty!”
The man in front stepped forward, cupped his hands toward Emperor Wei, and spoke in a booming voice, his momentum so strong that the entire Taihe Hall seemed to echo with his words.
Emperor Wei was briefly stunned by the bluntness.
So straightforward?
What a waste of that towering build.
Emperor Wei chuckled heartily. “All who come from afar are guests. Since your Xiqi bears such sincerity, Great Wei will certainly not turn away a friend…”
[Isn’t this just the establishment of diplomatic relations between nations?]
A stray inner voice suddenly echoed—very familiar-sounding.
Emperor Wei paused, glancing sidelong to the lower left where Wei Yu sat, propped on one hand, munching on pastries.
That leisurely, relaxed posture—one bite at a time—truly a picture of ease.
So, “establishment of diplomatic relations”—what does it mean?
Emperor Wei began mulling over Wei Yu’s words.
As a monarch well-versed in literature and knowledge, Emperor Wei quickly grasped the gist of it.
Social interaction between people builds friendship; when nations establish diplomatic relations, it’s essentially friendship on a national level.
Emperor Wei cast a cold glance at Wei Yu.
This boy still talks so flippantly.
–
The purpose of the Xiqi envoys’ visit had already been stated.
Since their goal was to establish friendly relations with Great Wei, naturally they wouldn’t come empty-handed. So, after a brief exchange, Adule had someone bring in their gifts.
The gifts were packed in chests and placed outside the Taihe Hall.
The people of Xiqi carried in one large chest after another, placing them inside the grand hall, and opened them one by one in front of everyone.
The first chest was filled entirely with gold, silver, and jewels.
“In Xiqi, we may lack many things, but gold is abundant! These are all personally gifted by our King of Xiqi to Your Majesty!”
Although directly giving gold and silver might be a bit vulgar, who would complain about too much gold?
Emperor Wei nodded and accepted the gift with a smile.
The second chest was filled with fine pure white furs.
“Our Xiqi has tall mountains and deep snow, home to many snow-white exotic beasts. These are the best pelts we’ve selected, specially offered to Your Majesty!”
Such flawlessly white fur was indeed rare.
Emperor Wei accepted them with satisfaction.
When the third chest was opened, the people of Great Wei were all surprised.
Because inside was the clear, colorless glass that had already been the subject of many rumors!
The material was clean and transparent, allowing a clear view from one side to the other. Compared to the colored glass circulating in Great Wei’s markets, this was vastly brighter!
One minister couldn’t help but speak up, “Is this the glass from your Xiqi?”
His tone was a bit too eager—like someone who had never seen the world.
Embarrassing!
Emperor Wei glanced at the minister without a change in expression, but silently made a note of him in his heart.
What a disgrace to Great Wei!
Adule’s face bore a trace of pride as he said loudly, “That’s right. This is Xiqi’s unique colorless glass, used exclusively by our nobility. Now, in the spirit of friendship between our two nations, we present it to Your Majesty!”
Emperor Wei narrowed his eyes slightly, just about to speak—when a careless voice drifted to his ears:
[It’s just glass, what’s so special about that? Not even as good as the gold and jewels earlier.]
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