Chapter 446
Chapter 446
The Wu-Yue border. Inside the barracks of the Wu army's central command.
The now-composed King of Wu read through several secret reports in his hand, one after another. There was the report that Shen Lang had defeated Su Nan, the report that he had defeated Zheng Ta, and another report that he had defeated Wu Mu's grand army from thousands of miles away. It was truly as if Shen Lang had fought three battles at once.
‘This man's greatness knows no bounds.’
“Sigh!”
The State of Chu had withdrawn its forces, but Bian Wu was still rampaging through Wu, slaughtering people madly and striking terror into the hearts of the Wu people. The grand army of Wu, exhausted, continued to pursue Bian Wu, but to little effect. The King of Wu looked at the map on the wall; this time, there was no hope at all. All his illusions had been shattered, and even Zheng Ta had been brought down by Shen Lang in a single stroke. From now on, ordering Bian Wu to withdraw his troops would be something that could only be mentioned at the negotiating table.
The young King of Wu had to bow his head, personally admit defeat to the King of Yue, and compromise. This time, how wide would Ning Yuanxian open his mouth like a lion, demanding the cession of Wu territory? The utter defeat in battle had led to this disastrous situation, and the King of Wu found it incredibly unpleasant. Just a short while ago, how majestic and renowned had he been, having defeated Ning Yuanxian in a pitched battle on the border? Afterward, Ning Yuanxian had faced crises at every turn, and it seemed the State of Yue, too, was facing a fatal disaster.
But in just a few short months, the situation had completely reversed, with the State of Yue achieving a great victory. Conversely, it was now the State of Wu that was facing disaster. Even the young, valiant King of Wu was now forced to bow to the State of Yue, just like his father. What would the King of Yue extort from them? An astronomical sum in reparations? Or would he demand the cession of territory once again?
The King of Wu sighed and said.
“Send an envoy to the King of Chu's temporary palace!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Soon, the officials of both Wu and Chu were preparing to form a delegation to negotiate with the King of Yue. But suddenly, the King of Wu shot to his feet and said.
“No. I will go to the State of Yue's temporary palace myself and negotiate with Ning Yuanxian.”
Hearing this, his officials cried out in unison.
“Your Majesty, you absolutely must not!”
“Your Majesty, you are the revered monarch, the ruler of a nation. How can you throw yourself into such a dangerous place? If Ning Yuanxian were to go mad and detain you to threaten our State of Wu, would it not be a great disaster?”
The King of Wu's gaze turned to Wu Zhi. Wu Zhi was incredibly anxious inside, but on the other hand, he was pleased and reassured by the King's decision. It was because, despite their defeat in this battle, the King had not lost his spirit and was still full of a desire to challenge. However, for the ruler of a nation to enter enemy territory was an exceedingly dangerous affair.
The King of Wu said.
“It is decided. I must go to meet the King of Yue myself, so that he may better flaunt the glory of a victor.”
Everyone was startled.
‘For what reason is His Majesty going this far?’
Soon after, the King of Wu made an executive decision and, leading several officials, immediately crossed the border and set off for Ning Yuanxian's temporary palace. At this, the commander of the Yue border defense was so shocked to see the King of Wu appear in person that he nearly lost his mind.
‘Wh-what is this? This is a severe breach of protocol.’
“Go and inform the King of Yue. Tell him that this junior, Wu Jue, has come to pay his respects.”
* * *
That day, Shen Lang handed the Qiang cavalry over to Queen Aru'na. While he was there, he waited with Big Dummy and Aru'na for more than two hours. Any other woman would have told the child's father that he must return on the day she gives birth. But Aru'na said no such thing. To the women of the Qiang Kingdom, giving birth was as trivial as a hen laying an egg. She and Big Dummy were truly a pair that embodied the saying, 'If two people's feelings are eternal, what need is there to be together every morning and evening?'
Shen Lang bid farewell to Aru'na, then went to White Night Prefecture to say goodbye to Zhang Chong. Afterward, still leading fewer than two hundred warriors, he left White Night Prefecture and headed back to the capital.
* * *
For the ruler of one nation to head directly into the territory of another without prior notice—was this breaking the rules? Of course. Moreover, it was an act that would startle anyone who heard of it. Typically, for the monarchs of two nations to meet, a platform would be built on the border between them. The central axis of this platform would align with the border, so that both monarchs would effectively remain within their own territory.
Of course, another case was for the monarch of one nation to pay an official visit to another. When Emperor Jiang Li was on the throne, countless crown princes and even kings from numerous nations vied to visit the Great Qian Kingdom. But after Jiang Li's death, the entire atmosphere changed. Visits between kings became extremely rare, and even young crown princes seldom visited other countries.
At that moment, Ning Yuanxian was practicing his calligraphy. He was practicing in a fit of anger because Shen Lang's words to Princess Ning Jue had reached his ears. He had heard Shen Lang's comment that while the King's calligraphy was quite good, it lacked refinement, and that if he were to teach him a new style one day, he would surely be able to write with overflowing elegance. Ning Yuanxian was incensed by this.
‘How dare that wet-behind-the-ears brat make such an audacious claim? Shen Lang, I admit you have a remarkable talent for poetry. But in calligraphy, how can you possibly compare to me? My, Ning Yuanxian's, calligraphy is absolutely first-rate. I have achieved mastery without imitating others' styles. There is no one in this world who writes with more refinement than I, yet you, Shen Lang, you milk-stinking brat, what do you know to be spouting such nonsense?’
The more Ning Yuanxian looked at his own writing, the better he thought it was. It was vexing that he couldn't just drag Shen Lang over, force his damn dog eyes open, and make him look closely. The King then took out a piece of Shen Lang's calligraphy and spoke dismissively.
“Shen Lang's writing is too frivolous to even be worth mentioning. So where does he get the confidence to critique my calligraphy? Truly audacious, and he doesn't even know his own place.”
The Grand Eunuch, Lü Jun, stood by without a word. Since the King was in a good mood anyway, there was no need for him to flatter him. In Lü Jun's eyes, the King's calligraphy was indeed better than Shen Lang's. However, it couldn't be called the work of a master; at best, it was just neat handwriting. The King's writing, in its desperate attempt to appear refined, was meticulously crafted, with every character carved out as if by a sculptor.
In comparison, Shen Lang's characters could be described as completely insane. When he wrote with patience, his calligraphy was even more exquisite than the King's. But when his patience ran out, it couldn't even be called cursive script; it was like a talisman, with half of every ten characters being so illegible they had to be guessed at. In any case, the calligraphic skills of these two gentlemen were on par with each other, neither possessing enough expertise to discuss the art form.
Of course, no one dared to speak the truth. Everyone praised the King's writing to the heavens, causing Ning Yuanxian to become conceited, believe he was a master of calligraphy, and grow very fond of bestowing his writing upon others. If an official's mother had a birthday, he would say, "I shall bestow a character upon you," and write something. The heir of an official's family is getting married? "Then I shall bestow a character." Your family's only son for three generations just had a son? "Here, here, here. I shall bestow a character upon you." Was the King a man who knew how to bestow grace upon his subjects? Not really. He simply enjoyed showing off what he himself considered to be excellent calligraphy.
Some of those who received the King's calligraphy would hang it up and rejoice at the King's favor, but other old officials, the pillars of the state, were quite troubled upon receiving it. For example, the Prime Minister of the Grand Secretariat, Lord Zhu, was a master of calligraphy with profound expertise. The King was so fond of him that he would bestow his calligraphy upon the household for any auspicious occasion. Not hanging the King's gift would be seen as disrespecting the monarch, so soon, the main hall of Lord Zhu's residence was densely covered with dozens of pieces of calligraphy bestowed by King Ning Yuanxian.
Everyone who saw it wondered why Prime Minister Zhu's taste in calligraphy was so low. Why was his house filled with such ostentatious writing? But the King alone stubbornly believed his calligraphy was excellent and would frequently visit the Zhu Clan's main hall to admire his own work. And as if merely admiring it wasn't enough, he would say things like, "The timing was just right to produce such a character," or "Even if I were to write it again now, I couldn't create something so magnificent," and "Even I must come to the Zhu residence to see this character, so only the Zhu family has benefited."
Prime Minister Zhu felt great regret and wished he could say to His Majesty, 'If you like these works so much, please take them all back,' but such words could only be spoken in his heart. Prime Minister Zhu was extremely fond of Ning Yuanxian. He was not only his student but also his son-in-law, and he had personally watched him grow up. Ning Yuanxian was his sovereign, but also like a nephew, and moreover, his hope. Every time he saw Ning Yuanxian lost in self-admiration, Prime Minister Zhu felt a mix of pity and great amusement.
“Send this piece of calligraphy to Shen Lang and put him to shame.”
“As you command!”
The Grand Eunuch, Lü Jun, felt a pang of pity inwardly. Just then, a young eunuch rushed into the room like an arrow and announced in a trembling voice.
“Your Majesty, the King of Wu has arrived.”
King Ning Yuanxian of Yue was so startled he wondered if he had misheard.
‘Does this man not care for rules? Isn't it protocol for a monarch visiting another country to first send a delegation to express their intent, then be invited by the opposing monarch, and only then visit on an auspicious day? But you, Wu Jue, you've ignored all those procedures and just shown up? Do you think this is a marketplace you can just wander in and out of?’
But his surprise and bewilderment were fleeting; Ning Yuanxian was overjoyed. This was because it was a huge diplomatic victory. Generally, a king would only personally visit another country when the king of a vassal state was visiting their suzerain state. After the tragedy of Yanzhou over twenty years ago, the State of Wu suffered a great defeat, but the previous King of Wu did not voluntarily visit the State of Yue. Instead, a platform was built on the border, and the two kings held their negotiations there. As a result of those negotiations, the State of Wu's prestige was tarnished, and they ceded territory equivalent to a full nine commanderies to the State of Yue.
Overjoyed, Ning Yuanxian instinctively summoned all the officials waiting in the temporary palace and even assembled tens of thousands of troops to stand by. Firstly, it was to display his might to the King of Wu. Secondly, it was so they could bear witness to this brilliant diplomatic victory.