Free Web NovelXu Qing's voice was as calm as still water, neither humble nor arrogant, as if he were handling the most ordinary of official matters.
A flicker of barely perceptible gravity passed through the depths of the Northern Barbarian Chancellor's eyes. He knew that this young, overly youthful Minister of Revenue standing before him was likely the toughest opponent they would have to face in these peace negotiations.
Both sides took their seats. After a round of hypocritical pleasantries, the negotiations officially began.
The Northern Barbarian Chancellor spoke first, his tone earnest as he expressed his nation's desire to cease hostilities and forge peace.
Just then, a burly general with a full, bristling beard, seated below the Chancellor, suddenly slammed his hand against the table.
"Bam!"
The rosewood table let out a dull thud, and even the teacups upon it jumped from the impact.
"Minister Xu!" the general bellowed, his eyes wide as copper bells, his voice like a resonating bell. "Our court came bearing sincerity, yet your nation treats us with such contempt! You leave us cooling our heels in the embassy, His Majesty refuses us an audience, and now you send a Minister of Revenue to discuss matters of state! Is this how Great Xing treats its guests? This is nothing short of bullying through power!"
This man was the Northern Barbarian's Grand Marshal, also serving as the deputy envoy for this delegation—a complete and utter hawk. His table-slamming was clearly meant to seize the initiative and probe Great Xing's bottom line.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the main hall grew tense and strained.
However, to everyone's surprise, faced with this sudden outburst, Xu Qing didn't even raise an eyelid.
He leisurely picked up the teacup before him, gently blowing at the tea leaves floating on the surface, as if he hadn't heard the general's roar at all.
Only when the general's face had turned from red to purple, and he was about to explode again, did Xu Qing slowly set down his teacup and speak in an exceptionally flat tone.
"If Your Excellency is feeling unwell, you may return to the embassy to rest. The Court of State Ceremonies has excellent physicians who can take your pulse."
The moment these words left his mouth, the Northern Barbarian Marshal's face instantly flushed the color of pig liver.
Xu Qing's words seemed like concern, but they were actually a devastating insult. He hadn't even bothered to respond to the general's point; instead, he had directly dismissed the man's powerful opening salvo as the ramblings of someone "feeling unwell."
This was far more humiliating than any sharp rebuttal.
"You!" The general trembled with rage, about to rise to his feet.
"Sit down!"
The Northern Barbarian Chancellor, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
Though the Marshal was filled with resentment, he ultimately gritted his teeth and sat back down in frustration.
The Chancellor stopped the deputy envoy and turned to Xu Qing, forcing a smile onto his face. "Minister Xu, please forgive him. Marshal Batu has spent long years on campaign; his temperament is a bit rough. I hope you'll understand."
Then, he shifted the conversation and began earnestly negotiating with Xu Qing, once again requesting a cessation of hostilities, and carefully probing what terms Great Xing might be willing to offer.
Xu Qing's expression remained completely unchanged.
He offered no promises. He presented no conditions.
To every question the Chancellor threw at him, his answer was the same.
"This matter is of great importance; I must request instructions from His Majesty. It is not something this minister can decide."
He was waiting.
Like the most experienced hunter, patiently waiting for his prey to exhaust its own strength and reveal a weakness first.
The first round of talks ended in this atmosphere that seemed calm on the surface, but was actually fraught with undercurrents.
Neither side had made any substantive progress. All the requests put forward by the Northern Barbarian delegation were deflected by Xu Qing with that same casual phrase: "I must request instructions from His Majesty."
Once the carriages of the Northern Barbarian delegation had left the Court of State Ceremonies, one of Xu Qing's subordinate officials couldn't help but step forward and ask in a low voice, "Sir, are we just letting them leave like this? Shouldn't we put some pressure on them?"
Xu Qing picked up the teacup, now cold, and took a light sip.
He gazed in the direction the delegation had departed, and the faintest hint of a curve touched the corner of his mouth.
"No need."
"There's already a rift forming within their ranks."
...
Several days later.
The Court of State Ceremonies—the highest hall of the Great Xing dynasty for receiving guests from the four corners of the world.
Today, the usual feasting and merriment were absent. In their place was an almost solidified, chilling solemnity.
Inside the main hall, bright yellow coiled-dragon carpets stretched from the entrance all the way to the highest imperial throne. On either side, towering vermillion pillars, carved with intricate cloud patterns, silently proclaimed the majesty of the Celestial Empire.
The Great Xing Emperor sat upright upon the throne, clad in his nine-dragon ceremonial robe, his expression calm, radiating authority without needing to speak.
Slightly behind and to his left stood Xu Qing, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, dressed in a brand-new second-rank official's robe, his hands clasped respectfully. His form was like a spear, tall and silent, his face completely devoid of expression, like a flawless jade statue.
Below the throne, the assembly was divided into two sides.
On the guest side, the delegation led by the Northern Barbarian Chancellor sat formally upright. Though they tried their best to maintain composure, their slightly tightened jaws and occasionally darting eyes betrayed their inner unease and anxiety.
On the other side, near the entrance of the hall, two somewhat isolated seats had been set up.
Seated there were two men in long green robes.
They were the envoys sent by the Cloud Hidden Sect to "witness" these peace negotiations.
The older one, with white hair and beard, was none other than Elder Qingquan. Today, he was acting out of character; his signature gourd of wine was not hanging from his waist. Instead, he sat upright, his eyes tightly shut, as if he were asleep. But not a single person in the entire hall dared to treat him as a common dozing old man.
Beside him sat a young man.
The young man also wore a long green robe, washed somewhat pale. His frame was lean, and his back was ramrod straight. Unlike Elder Qingquan, he wasn't meditating with his eyes closed. Instead, he lifted his head, his gaze calm as he studied the intricate caisson ceiling of the hall, as if analyzing its carpentry structure.
Unlike the previous days when he walked through the capital, he was not wearing his signature wide bamboo hat today.
A clean, calm face—one that could even be called excessively young—was now clearly and unreservedly exposed to the sight of everyone in the hall.
He was Su Ming.
The Great Xing Emperor sat high upon the dragon throne, his majestic gaze, like a tangible thing, slowly swept over every person in the hall.
When his gaze passed over the Northern Barbarian Chancellor, it held a hint of scrutiny. When it swept over those unruly Northern Barbarian generals, it was cold and indifferent.
But when his gaze traveled dozens of zhang, and landed on the quiet young man in the green robe on the side seat, it came to an abrupt halt.
That halt lasted only a single, fleeting instant—so brief it was nearly imperceptible.
But for this emperor, who had wielded power over the entire realm for decades, it felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded within his mind in that single moment.
That face...
