Chapter 668: Chicken in a Jar, Frog in a Well

The bell of Ruibin rang long. 【66

The jade treasures and carriages of successive generations were displayed in the great hall, and the Heavenly Feather Guards wore copper masks and armor, their ceremonial guard solemn.

The Holy Emperor sat on the throne in his imperial robes, and the Holy Empress retreated behind the screen.

The hundred officials, the court-gathering envoys, and the civil and military nobles all wore their court robes, standing solemnly, everyone quietly watching the Northern Court envoy walk in all directions, bowing and waiting beneath the jade steps.

The court-gathering envoys did not live in the Imperial Capital and did not know much, just considering it ordinary.

The envoys of the small countries all envied the Northern Court for ascending to the first place.

Great Shun was indeed invincible in the world, but if one had to rank second, it had to be the Northern Court.

Tigers and wolf packs.

All are man-eating beasts.

"Qiyan Tribe's Qite'er Batu, pays respects to the Shun-Yuan Great Treasure Holy Literary Divine Martial Law-Heaven Proof-Dao Emperor Majesty!"

Batu was sturdy and tall, his sideburns gray, his cheeks fat and brown-spotted, squeezing his eye sockets as narrow as willow leaves.

He knelt on one knee, seeing his own reflection on the mirror-smooth floor, seeing the slanted gazes of the crowd, and suddenly felt a surge of unease and worry.

Something is wrong.

However, being selected as the representative of the diplomatic mission, he naturally had three parts of composure and determination. Man proposes, God disposes; Batu did not panic because of the situation in the hall, collected his thoughts, and respectfully presented the congratulatory table.

The eunuch took it and passed it to the official of the Court of Diplomatic Reception.

The official opened the booklet.

"The New Year begins, all things are new... The Ogedei Khan rules the royal court, unable to offer congratulations at the palace, celebrating the festival, specially sending the Qiyan Tribe warrior Batu as an envoy to report the congratulations to the Shun-Yuan Great Treasure Emperor..."

"A Jiang Zongshi envoy..."

Liang Qu observed silently.

In martial arts cultivation, the weak can basically be seen at a glance—not to mention being specific to a small realm or a certain meridian, which is exaggerated—but distinguishing the four passes and seven paths is not a big problem. And if one encounters someone who cannot be seen, one can think with their butt that the realm must be far higher than one's own.

As for big shots disguising themselves and hiding their own aura.

Usually, they are not that idle.

Constantly paying attention to one's own posture and restraining one's aura to a fixed level is too tiring.

The Batu before him gave him a feeling of being unfathomable; he was undoubtedly a Perfected Form Jiang Zongshi!

In the entire hall, except for the Northern Court, one could not find a second big shot with such strength to serve as an envoy.

So rich!

It is estimated that only in this way can one suppress the geniuses of the Northern Court.

After the thought turned, he heard the congratulatory gifts of the Northern Court.

"The Golden Wang Ting presents fifty high-mountain snow leopard cubs, ten unicorn-horned rhinoceroses, thousand-year snow lotus flowers..."

After singing.

Nothing happened.

Just as Liang Qu was confused, the Court of Diplomatic Reception wanted to announce the Loulan envoy below.

"Wait!"

Batu shouted, pulling another booklet from his sleeve, holding it up with both hands, respectfully raising it high.

Cold wind flowed.

There was a slight commotion in the hall.

Late, but arrived!

Liang Qu pricked up his ears.

The envoys of the small countries were not afraid of the Great Shun Censors, looking at each other, and some even discussed it in the hall.

Why does the Northern Court have two congratulatory tables?

What, one wasn't enough to write it all?

The other lower-ranking capital officials and court-gathering envoys were all surprised. If something is abnormal, there must be a demon. Are the Northern Court barbarians trying to stir up trouble?

Batu stood respectfully in the center of the great hall, holding the booklet alone, neither humble nor arrogant.

The attendant looked at the Holy Emperor.

The Holy Emperor nodded.

The second "congratulatory table" was in hand.

The official browsed a few sentences, his pupils shrinking slightly.

What a hot potato!

"Xu Qingjia."

"Your Majesty!"

"Read."

"... Yes!"

The official glanced at Batu and swallowed his breath to recite.

"To the Shun-Yuan Great Treasure Emperor: I have heard that although there is a good sword, it is not sharp if not forged and sharpened; although there is a good bow, it is not straight if not adjusted..."

The sun gradually rose.

The sundial on the imperial steps moved and brightened, the white jade disc reflecting dazzling white light.

"Should it be the Northern Court's turn?"

Hua Qingdu and Li Bingzhong guarded outside the hall, glancing at the vermilion wall beside them, and then at the sundial needle.

The process of celebrating the new festival is about the same every year, first inside then outside, and the time can be calculated.

By rights, it should be the link of envoys from various countries offering gifts and dancing...

As soon as the thought arose.

Commotion came from the hall behind the two.

Numerous sentences mixed into a blur, followed by several resounding curses, the voices unfamiliar, the accents thick, the foreign style heavy, perhaps from the envoys of small countries.

Thunder on flat ground.

Even if the Northern Court envoy Batu spoke nicely, it still did not change the fact of provoking on the day of the festival!

As a result, the Great Shun people themselves were not in a hurry, but the small countries were indignant first.

Of course, most belonged to the small countries in the south.

After that, the voices became familiar, mostly from the Prime Minister and the Ministers of the Six Ministries.

It was just that the Tianchen Hall was too big, the big officials were in the front, and the words reached outside the hall not very clearly, either reprimanding or mocking.

The last one to jump out was even more familiar.

The voluntary request of Meng Qiang, the Meng Commandant, was like a great bell.

"Closing the door to claim heroism, arrogant and self-important; a chicken in a jar, a frog in a well. Not knowing what the sky outside the jar and the sea outside the well are like, and even less understanding that there are dragons in the deep sea, and a single strike of the flood waves travels three thousand miles!

Your Majesty, the Northern Court calls together powerful tribes, picking gold from sand, and the talents combed and washed are now like stars in the sky beneath the jade steps in the great hall, as numerous as ox hair!

So why choose another day for a martial arts competition and select other talents? We can decide the winner today!"

The dagger is revealed when the map is unrolled!

Hua Qingdu and Li Bingzhong were excited, they really wanted to look back, but as the face of the Son of Heaven, they all suppressed their emotions.

In the ranks of military nobles, Xu Wenzhu was secretly surprised.

Meng Qiang had prepared a lot of drafts before entering the hall, the poems and ancient sayings were almost too full to fit...

Many officials who did not know the inside story were stunned and speechless.

They looked at Meng Qiang, for a moment not knowing whether Commandant Meng was one of their own or had accepted bribes from the Northern Court to deliberately stir up trouble.

No.

It's too exaggerated...

The person who knows you best is always your opponent.

The struggle between Great Shun and the Northern Court has continued from the previous dynasty to the present, never stopping. The strength of the Northern Court and the bravery of the eight major tribes are obvious to all.

This move today is undoubtedly prepared.

Above the great hall, not to mention the civil nobles, the military nobles all belong to the Jiang Zongshi level, it is not their turn to compete, so only the Heavenly Feather Guards are left.

Suddenly pulling out the dozens of people on duty in the hall to compare with the elites carefully selected by the Northern Court...

Someone organized the wording, wanting to save some room for Meng Qiang, so it wouldn't be too embarrassing.

"Granted!"

The hundred officials were silent.

The smart ones sensed something wrong, wisely closed their mouths, and decided to observe again.

However, they closed their mouths, but the Prime Minister and the Ministers of the Six Ministries, and even some military nobles, jumped out one after another, speaking out to save face and leave room.

"Your Majesty! Our Great Shun is naturally not afraid of the Northern Court's talents, and there is no need to screen experts from the whole country, the Imperial Capital is enough. However, this matter is ultimately hasty and sudden, relying only on the Heavenly Feather Guards in the hall, I fear it is not enough. I hope you will withdraw the order!"

"Your Majesty! The Heavenly Feather Guards are the heroes of our Great Shun, the number in the side hall is too small, and they are not enough. Why not set aside three days to select experts from all the Heavenly Feather Guards and the Feathered Forest Army! And set up the ring again!"

What's the situation?

A rival show?

Does it work or not?

The envoys of the small countries were confused.

Many officials and court-gathering envoys also circled around twice, repeatedly pondering.

No surprise.

With the phrase "The Emperor has no jokes," the Holy Emperor rejected them all, his gaze falling on Meng Qiang beneath the jade steps.

"Just as Meng Qingjia said, select them in the hall!"

At this time, Meng Qiang, who had boasted before the hall, seemed to suddenly recover, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, looking somewhat "terrified."

"I will strictly follow Your Majesty's order!"

Batu looked sideways, finally understanding where the previous unease came from.

He was afraid he had been set up, but even so, Batu did not have half a difference.

The arrow is on the string.

"Batu Jiang Zongshi, please bring the warriors you mentioned to the great hall."

Batu pulled out a slip of paper from his sleeve: "Trouble the attendant to call people to the hall according to these names."

Outside the Tianchen Hall.

The Northern Court envoys moved upon hearing the names.

Haruhan, who was a zhang tall, took the lead, followed by Sunar, Baibuhua, Helun'e, and others in order. Their height and size, under the contrast of Haruhan, were a bit more ridiculous, like small ducklings trailing behind an old duck's butt.

This scene.

The entire square was whispering, not knowing what had happened.

"Does not fit the process..."

"If offering gifts, the people of the Court of Diplomatic Reception can just take them away, why are all the Northern Court people entering the hall..."

"Could it be that they are offering some good gifts?"

"Can the Northern Court offer good gifts?"

The stairs were long.

White as frost and snow.

Sunar trailed behind Haruhan, stepping onto the carved white jade stairs, entering the magnificent and majestic Tianchen Palace, just like an ant crawling into a tortoise shell.

This place was almost a square, paved with flat golden square bricks, extending for thousands of steps in all directions.

Majestic and silent.

The civil and military ranks were arranged like a vast long dragon.

The Great Shun Emperor was high above, the twelve strings of black pearls standing still, half-covered and half-hidden, his divine might unfathomable.

The heavy might pressed down, and it seemed that the sound of many people talking loudly could be heard in the ears, but when listening carefully, it felt like just a breeze sweeping across the great hall.

A magnificent scene that the Northern Court absolutely does not have.

"Haruhan!" Batu shouted, "Come here to me, let the Shun-Yuan Great Treasure Emperor Majesty take a good look at the warriors of our Wang Ting!"

(End of chapter)