Chapter 292
Chapter 292
Not just the Court of State Ceremonial, but all the young officials in the Ministry of Rites were pulling strings and showing off their skills in their current duties. Anything to avoid being on the list of envoys to the State of Qiang. It was then that Shen Lang stepped forward, volunteering to go.
‘For the sake of His Majesty the King and the dignity of the State of Yue, I will represent our state as an envoy to Qiang. I will go and condemn the King of Qiang and make him admit his guilt. I will make the State of Qiang provide an explanation that will satisfy our State of Yue and all the people under heaven.’
For a moment, the entire capital fell silent.
‘Shen Lang, are you truly mad? Do you have a death wish? Volunteering to walk to your own doom? Did the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate mistreat you so much that you want to leave the State of Yue? If you’re that eager to die, there are easier ways. You could take poison, or hang yourself, or if you don’t like those, you could find a latrine with a deep pit and jump in. You’d be dead before a stick of incense burned down. At least that way, you’d leave a whole corpse and die without pain. But if you go to the State of Qiang as an envoy? Not only will your body not remain intact after death, but you’ll be eaten alive by those barbarians.’
Shen Lang declared publicly.
‘I, too, know that this path is fraught with peril, with barely a one-in-ten chance of survival. But what is there to fear when I set out for the honor of the State of Yue, His Majesty the King, and my father-in-law, the Count of Xuanwu?’
When the King heard Shen Lang’s words, he scowled.
‘What is the meaning of this? Deliberately trumpeting the honor of the Count of Xuanwu—do you think I won’t keep my word? Are you trying to put me in a difficult position? Rest assured. If you complete your mission in the State of Qiang, I will certainly keep my promise.’
Following this, Shen Lang expressed his reluctance. I, Shen Lang, wish to serve the nation, but I have no official title, and my lowly status as a student of the Imperial Academy makes it difficult to step forward. At this, the Ministry of Rites immediately granted Shen Lang the status of a student of the Directorate of Education. Shen Lang still feigned reluctance, claiming that going to the State of Qiang as an envoy with only that qualification would be too powerless. The Ministry of Rites was furious but gritted their teeth and bestowed upon him the title of Provincial Graduate.
‘He’s going to die anyway, so giving him the title of Provincial Graduate should be fine.’
At least at that moment, all the officials of the Ministry of Rites were unanimous in granting Shen Lang the title. This was an unprecedented and extraordinary measure. The title of Provincial Graduate was exceedingly rare; even if one were appointed a duke or marquis, even if one had performed great deeds, the title was never granted without diligently studying and passing the imperial examinations.
But these were special circumstances, and they knew that going to the State of Qiang as an envoy was tantamount to sacrificing one's life for the country, so they felt such a reward was only appropriate. Yet, Shen Lang expressed his reluctance again, claiming that even with the title of Provincial Graduate, he would lack influence.
‘How can I stand imposingly before the King of Qiang like this? Can’t you raise it a little more?’
All the officials of the Ministry of Rites glared at him.
‘This is more than enough. Shen Lang, you’ve gone too far. Do you enjoy extorting titles? Surely you don’t expect to receive the status of a Metropolitan Graduate? Unthinkable. We would rather die than give you that status.’
As Shen Lang was in a standoff with the Ministry of Rites, the King sent a gift to the Jin Clan’s villa. When Shen Lang opened it, he found an incredibly solid rock inside. The King’s meaning was crystal clear.
‘You say you lack influence even with the title of Provincial Graduate? Is this rock hard enough for you? Shen Lang, shall we see which is harder, your head or this rock I’ve sent you?’
At this, Shen Lang was frightened into accepting the title of Provincial Graduate from the Ministry of Rites. From that day on, Shen Lang was a Provincial Graduate. A day later, the King issued another edict, appointing Shen Lang as an Eighth-Rank Registrar in the Court of State Ceremonial. It was a minuscule post. Two days later, the King issued yet another edict, bestowing upon Shen Lang the rank of Court Gentleman for Dissemination. This was not a position but a nominal official title. It meant, I’m promoting you one step; from today, you are of the Junior Seventh Rank.
Shen Lang had shattered decades of history and records in the court of the State of Yue. Just five days after becoming a Provincial Graduate, he was promoted a rank to the Junior Seventh Rank. It was a meteoric rise, but no one envied him, as they all believed the positions granted to him were hollow formalities devoid of any real power.
Two more days passed, and the King issued a formal edict. Shen Lang was appointed as the official envoy, tasked with leading the envoy delegation to the State of Qiang to condemn its king, and he was strictly forbidden from damaging the national prestige of the State of Yue. Of course, the so-called delegation consisted of Shen Lang alone, without even a deputy. One hundred cavalrymen escorted Shen Lang to the Vermilion Bird Gate, sending him off toward the State of Qiang with great fanfare. Princess Ningyan saw him off for a hundred li, and as they parted, she shouted loudly at Shen Lang.
“Shen Lang, you’re amazing, you’re a hero. Don’t worry. If you die, I’ll take good care of Xiao Bing for you.”
Hearing this, Shen Lang gritted his teeth.
‘Tigress, if you have nothing good to say, just keep your mouth shut.’
“You’ll face death many times on this trip to Qiang, but if you see even the slightest glimmer of hope for survival, you must come back alive. We’re brothers, so I’ll protect your family. Shen Lang, you must hold onto hope and fight to live.”
The tigress princess felt her encouragement was too hollow and unrealistic. She then shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Shen Lang, you wanted to sleep with me, right? Fine! If you come back alive, I’ll sleep with you. I, Ningyan, always keep my word.”
Shen Lang felt a stir of desire.
‘I’m trying so hard to restrain myself, and you, tigress, are tempting me to stray?’
At that moment, Shen Lang entered the third stage. From the a-little-hard stage to the just-plain-hard stage.
‘Hah! It won’t be long before I enter the next stage. Brother Yun Mengze is truly a miracle worker.’
At that moment, the miraculous Yun Mengze was beside Princess Ningyan, waving goodbye to Shen Lang. The Imperial Grand Master Yun Mengze said.
“Brother Shen, on this journey to the State of Qiang, a thousand li away, you must seize the opportunity to break the taboos in your heart and find your new self.”
What a novel way to tell me to cheat. My brother truly is amazing!
* * *
Time flew by like an arrow. The journey to the State of Qiang was terribly boring for Shen Lang, with no chance to show off and no beautiful women around. To his left was Big Dummy, to his right was Huang Feng, and in the middle was Thirteen, who was secretly stealing glances at Huang Feng. Those two had really hit it off.
‘Thirteen, when did your taste get so bad? I never knew you had such peculiar preferences.’
The days without Shen Lang being able to show off passed in a flash.
* * *
Ten days later.
The envoy delegation led by Shen Lang entered the State of Qiang, carrying a dozen heads of Qiang people.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
A sound loud enough to shake the ground echoed, and soon, the cavalry of Qiang charged in like a surging tide, instantly surrounding Shen Lang in layers. From their midst, an incredibly robust and beautiful woman riding a white ox emerged. She held a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, which looked to be over a hundred pounds at a glance. It was understandable why she was riding an ox; a warhorse would have been unable to move with her on its back.
The Qiang woman on the ox asked in a cool voice.
“Are you the envoy from the State of Yue, Shen Lang?”
“I am!”
“Men, seize them! Flay Shen Lang, pull out his tendons, carve his flesh piece by piece, and feed him to the dogs!”
“Yes!”
At her command, the Qiang cavalry roared like beasts and, brandishing their scimitars, prepared to attack Shen Lang’s delegation. Shen Lang shouted loudly.
“Princess Aronana, we’re on the same side, the same side! Do you see the big dummy behind me? He is the man who will be your husband. Big Dummy, what are you waiting for? Go and greet your bride!”
* * *
More than twenty days ago, news of the incident where the warriors of the Qiang envoy delegation were arrested for burning down the State of Yue’s sacred temple reached the ears of the King of Qiang. Without any hesitation, the King of Qiang dispatched an envoy to the State of Yue with a single command.
‘Release my people immediately. Furthermore, comply with the demands we previously made. Otherwise, we will declare war at once!’
What demands? It was a demand for the State of Yue to hand over three hundred thousand gold taels and large quantities of silk, tea leaves, and other goods. The King of Qiang often made such outrageous, tyrannical demands, but he was a formidable man, so there was nothing to be done. How could one describe the King of Qiang’s prowess in battle? He was like a god of war. This wasn’t to say his command of military strategy was godlike. While his ability to lead troops was indeed outstanding, he wasn’t one for reading military texts; he was simply a natural-born warrior.
So how formidable was he on the battlefield? For the answer, one need only look at Qiu Yao’er. Whenever the topic of fighting came up, the conclusion was always that Qiu Yao’er was incredible. She was still young, not yet thirty, and had always been victorious in battle. But the King of Qiang was forty-nine years old, making him even more formidable than Qiu Yao’er. In another five or six years, Qiu Yao’er would surely surpass him, but for now, the King of Qiang’s combat prowess was unparalleled.
If not for this, how could a small country like the State of Qiang constantly wage war against other nations? Why would a powerful state like Yue pay Qiang for peace? It wasn't just Yue; the State of Chu also paid Qiang for peace.
When the King of Qiang heard that the envoy he sent had burned down the sacred temple of Yue, he knew how grave the consequences would be. It was equivalent to burning down the sacred snow mountain temple of Qiang. But he didn’t care.
‘So what if they burned it? Release my people and hand over the money. Otherwise, things will get ugly. Although smallpox is rampant in Qiang right now, do you think that will stop us from attacking you? We have no problem striking your State of Yue.’
However, five days later, before the new envoy from Qiang could even reach the State of Yue, the King of Qiang received new information. The Qiang envoy delegation that had burned the sacred temple of Yue had already been beheaded. Upon hearing this, the King of Qiang was enraged.
‘I, Arugang, have never suffered such a humiliation. I may have killed the envoys of other countries, but never before has anyone dared to kill my envoys.’
It was said that one does not kill envoys even when two nations are at war, but such principles did not exist in the State of Qiang. If they wanted to kill another country’s envoy, they did so without a second thought. This barbaric practice had gone on for so long that other nations no longer sent envoys to Qiang, as they did not abide by the unwritten rules and customs between states. This was also why the Su Clan had managed to monopolize diplomatic relations between the State of Yue and the State of Qiang.
After learning that his envoy delegation had been killed, the King of Qiang could not bear it.
‘I can kill the envoys of others, but how dare they kill mine?’