Chapter 29: Now That I

Alte and Atad had been waiting outside the hall for a long time.

The younger brother, Atad, looked impatient; the elder brother, Alte, still had bandages wrapped around his hands.

Last night, they went to the residence of Minister of Rites Yan Hai, laid out the whole incident, and threatened that if they didn’t get a satisfactory response, it would be an insult to the Snow Eagle Wangting!

At the time, Yan Hai calmed them down, concerned about stability in the north, and assured them he would definitely find the culprits.

Based on their description, Yan Hai judged that the men who had beaten them were most likely scions of noble families.

Liu Hao indeed had identification ornaments on him.

Today, Alte and Atad demanded that the Emperor of the TianCe Dynasty give them a proper explanation!

After waiting a while, a eunuch from the palace summoned them to court.

On their way to the grand hall, they carried themselves with arrogant superiority.

Like envoys from a superior dynasty inspecting a lesser one.

Besides, today they felt they were in the right—they’d not only demand punishment for the attackers, but also compensation for medical expenses.

Otherwise, the northern Wangting’s army wasn’t made of straw!

They had been brimming with complaints, but when they reached the court and saw the face of the new TianCe Emperor, they froze in place.

Wasn’t this the kid who beat Alte last night?

How is he sitting on the throne?

Holy shit, he can’t be the emperor!

Only then did Alte realize why that kid had said “See you another day” after beating him.

He wasn’t afraid of his status as an envoy—he knew Alte would come looking for him.

Damn it, they’d come to cause trouble, and now they’d walked right into his lap!

Merely at first glance, the two Wangting noble envoys’ aura had already shrunk by half.

The earlier cocky, overbearing attitude was gone.

The entire court noticed their sudden change and found it strange.

Finally, Minister of Rites Yan Hai stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, yesterday someone publicly assaulted Wangting envoys in the marketplace—this act seriously violates state dignity. I humbly beg Your Majesty to severely punish the culprits and uphold court order!”

He was Minister of Rites—foreign affairs was his duty.

Calming foreign envoys was his task; if Alte and Atad remained angry and reported this to their Khan, the northern Wangting’s army might march south—that would be a disaster.

So seeing Alte and Atad frozen in silence, he assumed they didn’t know how to speak, and took the initiative.

The civil officials began whispering: which noble scion had the audacity to assault envoys?

Once identified, they’d jointly petition for harsh punishment of this noble.

Hearing this, Li Chen’s lips curled into a wry smile as he spoke slowly: “Do you know why they’re silent?”

Yan Hai shook his head, but a bad feeling stirred within him.

Li Chen teased, “I was the one who beat them yesterday. Minister, how should I be punished?”

At these words, the entire court erupted.

Those civil officials ready to support Yan Hai were suddenly terrified, hearts pounding.

Yan Hai’s political rivals bit back smirks, thinking: this guy’s got balls—daring to accuse the Emperor!

“Your servant is terrified! Your servant had no idea it was Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty’s pardon!”

Yan Hai immediately collapsed to his knees in terror.

Punish the Emperor? What nonsense! That’s no different from seeking death!

He stared in disbelief at Alte and Atad beside him, thinking: You two set me up?

Didn’t you say it was a few noble scions? How could it be the Emperor himself?

Had he known it was Li Chen, Yan Hai would’ve helped Li Chen beat them again—how would he dare file a complaint?

Yan Hai felt he’d been cursed lately—twice now he’d walked straight into the trap.

Last time his subordinate urged him to impeach the Emperor, and now he’d actually done it. Fate had decreed this calamity—he couldn’t escape it.

Alte felt Yan Hai’s gaze and felt equally helpless: I didn’t say a word—you went and opened your mouth. Whose fault is that?

Now you’re embarrassed—we can’t even pretend ignorance anymore.

The atmosphere in the hall grew heavy; even Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan dared not speak up.

After a moment, Li Chen’s voice echoed through the hall.

“Go outside and slap yourself a hundred times. Come back only when you’re done.”

“Thank Your Majesty’s mercy!”

Yan Hai sprinted out of the hall, and soon, loud “slap-slap-slap” sounds rang outside.

He slapped himself with brutal force—as if afraid Li Chen wouldn’t hear.

When Yan Hai returned, his face was swollen like a pig’s head.

This punishment was already mild—offending the Emperor meant punishment depended entirely on His Majesty’s mood.

After this lesson, Yan Hai never spoke again, avoiding the two envoys like plague carriers.

!

Alte recovered faster—he knelt and paid homage to Li Chen as a foreign envoy, hoping to bury the incident.

Seeing his brother kneel, Atad followed suit.

They were the only two Wangting envoys in centuries to kneel—others merely bowed.

What did it matter that Alte’s hand was broken? Last night, he’d provoked it himself.

If someone else had struck them, he might have argued.

But the attacker was the TianCe Emperor—he knew he couldn’t win. Better to change the subject.

“Rise. State your business,” Li Chen said, as blunt as ever.

“Your servant has come under the Khan’s orders to propose a marriage alliance with the TianCe Dynasty, to strengthen friendly relations between our two nations. We humbly beg Your Majesty’s approval!” Alte said solemnly.

Many court officials had already guessed this—Princess Nine had turned eighteen and was one of the Twin Jewels of the capital.

The Wangting envoys had surely come for this purpose.

One princess could buy decades of border peace—the civil officials thought it a fair trade.

The military officials were displeased but stayed silent; they were used to it. The Emperor would surely agree for stability.

And they were right.

Li Chen smiled and said, “No problem. Your Khan is thoughtful—he must know I’ve just ascended and my harem is empty, so he made this proposal. I can’t refuse his goodwill.”

“How about this? I hear your Khan has many sisters. Send me ten unmarried ones. If not enough, include other royal blood relatives—only your own kin can ensure our two dynasties grow closer.”

“I hear the northern tribes are numerous and produce many talented individuals. I don’t ask for much—just 200 to 500 beautiful women from each tribe as dowry. Minimum 200. The more you give, the better—I’ll take it all.”

“As for the dowry, have your Khan prepare 50,000 fine horses and 10,000 tons of premium beef.”

Li Chen had barely finished speaking when the court erupted in shock—the two envoys stood frozen like stone.

True, the Emperor had agreed—but he’d demanded it outright!

For generations, the northern Wangting had always demanded—past emperors, to keep these barbarians quiet, had accepted such terms to secure decades of peace.

But lately, the Wangting’s demands had grown more frequent, fueling resentment.

No one expected the new Emperor, Li Chen, to flip the script and demand it all back, unapologetically.

Alte and Atad were stunned—wasn’t this our script?

And we’ve never asked for so much—how dare the TianCe Dynasty make such outrageous demands?

Li Chen didn’t care—he’d given them so much already; now he’d take it all back, with interest.

I’ve reached the Sage realm—who still coddles you?

(End of Chapter)