Chapter 1228: and then the title translation

Zou Yong greeted guests one by one with clasped fists; when Hu Xiaotian came before him, his eyes involuntarily showed a hint of surprise. Hu Xiaotian said: "I am Hu Jing, courtesy name Dafu, son-in-law of the Wan Changlong Qiao family; today I come representing the Qiao family."

Zou Yong burst out laughing: "So you are the Qiao family's dragon-son-in-law; I've long heard your great name, and only today have I finally seen you—my apologies, my apologies."

Hu Xiaotian returned the clasped-fist salute, then entered the banquet hall first; Wang Pangzi followed closely behind, chuckling: "Brother Hu, I finally remember—we didn't meet in Haozhou, but clearly in Hailing Commandery; I visited your residence specially to pay respects to Old Master Qiao."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "You finally remembered."

Wang Pangzi sat down beside Hu Xiaotian and smiled: "Brother Hu, please look after our business in Da Yong from now on."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Likewise, likewise; as I am new here, I hope Brother Wang will look after me."

"Certainly, certainly!" Zou Yong greeted guests at the door; outwardly his manners were impeccable, but in fact he was waiting for the most important guest. Before the banquet began, Da Yong's Grand Princess Xue Lingjun arrived accompanied by Bohai State's Grand Princess Yan Dongqing. The two seemed to have agreed beforehand, both dressing in male attire; even in male garb, Xue Lingjun could not conceal her bewitching, alluring charm, while Yan Dongqing was also a rare beauty, her bearing vigorous and spirited.

Zou Yong smiled, bowed to the two, and said: "Your presence, Grand Princesses, brings glory to our humble Zhichun Garden."

Yan Dongqing glanced at Zou Yong with her lovely eyes; their gazes met, unable to hide the ambiguous feeling between them. If one were to say Zou Yong became the queen dowager's adopted son thanks largely to her Recommendation. Bohai customs are open; men and women are already far more casual than in the Central Plains. Although Yan Dongqing has a prince consort, she still does not observe proper wifely conduct, her licentious reputation known throughout the land. In this respect she is somewhat similar to Xue Lingjun.

Yan Dongqing said: "I had originally planned to play with Elder Sister Jun at the palace; if it weren't for your sincere invitation, I wouldn't have come."

Xue Lingjun smiled: "Wasn't it your Recommendation that made Zhichun Garden so exquisitely crafted and secluded, inviting me to come admire it? Young Master Zou, I've heard you've collected many rare treasures; I came today to broaden my horizons—you must not disappoint me."

Zou Yong laughed: "How dare I show off my modest skills before an expert; but as long as the Grand Princess likes them, I will hold nothing back."

Accompanying the two Grand Princesses into the banquet hall, Zou Yong saw everyone rise to greet the arrival of the honored guest; Hu Xiaotian also stood up, his gaze fixed directly on Xue Lingjun, whose status was noble. Naturally he did not regard these Bohai merchants and literati with any regard, his bearing rather arrogant.

Hu Xiaotian's attempt to catch her attention at once naturally failed; watching Xue Lingjun take the main seat, Wang Pangzi beside him clicked his tongue in admiration: "Damn, the Da Yong Grand Princess is truly gorgeous. Even a single night with her would be worth losing everything."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help glancing at that fellow; he dared to say that—if Xue Lingjun heard that, she'd probably make him think twice. Hu Xiaotian asked: "Brother Wang, do you know what the theme of today's banquet is?"

Wang Pangzi gave a hehe laugh: "Young Master Zou has newly acquired a few world‑rare treasures; that's why he specially invited us to come broaden our horizons—you really think I don't know?" He thought Hu Xiaotian was testing him.

Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered: Treasures? Yet he didn't know what treasures could justify inviting so many people; this Zou Yong seemed also a lover of vanity, but even from a male perspective, Zou Yong is a rare handsome man of the age. Hu Xiaotian looked ahead, only to see Zou Yong and Xue Lingjun chatting happily; his heart stirred—could Bohai be using a beauty‑male plot against Xue Lingjun? It's really hard to see their intentions; the queen dowager actually dared to deploy her own male favorite—there must be some hidden machinations behind this.

Zou Yong rose with his cup and said: "Today I, Zou Yong, have set a banquet at Zhichun Garden, sincerely inviting new and old friends to gather; here I first thank everyone for coming, and I will now solemnly introduce a distinguished guest—the Grand Princess, Your Highness, from Da Yong."

Applause thundered; in the hearts of Bohai people, Da Yong's status is extremely exalted. In fact, since Bohai's founding it has always been a vassal, initially relying on Dakang's protection; after Dakang waned, Bohai turned to rely on Da Yong, and now there is essentially no difference between Bohai and a Da Yong fief.

Zou Yong said: "Let's ask the Grand Princess, Your Highness, who has come from afar, to say a few words, shall we?" Naturally this drew another round of agreement.

Xue Lingjun smiled faintly; accustomed to wind and waves, she was already at ease with such occasions. Raising her wine cup, she stood and said: "Since I set foot on Bohai's soil, I have felt the goodwill of Bohai's court and people toward Da Yong; may Bohai and Da Yong forever be friendly states, generation after generation—let us all drink this cup together."

Following her suggestion, everyone drank the cup together; in fact, most of the Bohai people present understood deep down that the two countries were fundamentally in a subordinate relationship—Bohai had always paid annual tribute to Da Yong, and Da Yong had reaped untold benefits from them.

Bohai's Grand Princess Yan Dongqing said: "Today we are all gathered; we may freely voice our opinions and discuss the future of the two countries." Since Yan Dongsheng ascended the throne, Bohai has advocated rule by ritual first and favored literature over military; in such a social environment it has produced a bunch of empty‑talking debaters—from nobles and officials to peddlers and laborers, everyone can discuss world affairs, taking pride in it, and what they discuss is mostly grand empty talk.

One person rose from the seats—he was the renowned Bohai scholar Li Guoyuan, who clasped his hands and said: "Li Guoyuan is untalented; I hope to throw out a brick to attract jade."

Yan Dongqing smiled: "Mr. Li is a learned scholar of our state; your lofty views certainly deserve our attentive ears."

Li Guoyuan said: "Bohai and Da Yong are brother states, bound by fraternal ties, lips and teeth depending on each other—when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold. I believe the fortunes of the two nations have already risen and fallen together; Bohai's territory limits its development, which has reached a bottleneck. To continue strengthening national power we must expand our maritime domain; to the north lie the Tucì and Molí tribes, whose people are cold‑blooded and fierce; over the past decade their strength has been growing, and any northward development will inevitably face layer upon layer of obstacles; the vast southern seas belong to Dakang, which in its heyday relied on its national strength to seize much of what rightfully belonged to Bohai; now we can join forces with Da Yong to reclaim our seas—Da Yong takes the land, we take the sea, a win‑win, mutually beneficial."

Everyone exclaimed in admiration.

Xue Lingjun smiled faintly; she would not place such armchair strategists, empty‑talking so‑called scholars, in her eyes. Bohai and Da Yong as brother states? That's a joke—how could such a tiny Bohai ever be mentioned alongside Da Yong? Yet from Li Guoyuan's words one can see how fallen Dakang has become: everyone cries out against it, and even Bohai dares to scheme against it.

Amid the chorus of praise, one person spoke up: "Mr. Li's vision is far‑reaching and his strategic planning admirable, but he forgot to consider Python Island; if we want to take back from Dakang the seas that belong to us, we must first uproot this poisonous thorn of Python Island—without removing Python Island, the nation will have no peace."

Li Guoyuan scoffed: "What's a mere Python Island? It's nothing—all because the king is a benevolent ruler who, out of familial affection, cannot bring himself to strike down the rebels; the rebels not only fail to be grateful but act arrogantly, bribing officials and plundering the people. Now the king, having resolved to act, has joined forces with Da Yong to embark on a grand plan; he can surely sweep away Python Island like an autumn wind clearing fallen leaves—this is not worth mentioning."

Many more voiced their approval; Hu Xiaotian listened to this bunch of pedantic scholars spouting empty talk, each feeling pleased with themselves, and he couldn't help feeling amused—he burst out laughing loudly, his laugh standing out sharply amid the sea of flattery and fawning, thus successfully drawing everyone's attention.

Seeing everyone turn toward them, Wang Pangzi noticed Hu Xiaotian still oblivious, felt a twinge of anxiety for him, secretly nudged his arm, and whispered: "Junior Brother Hu, you're being rude."

Zou Yong and the two Grand Princesses were too far from Hu Xiaotian to hear clearly, but Li Guoyuan heard every word, his face dark with displeasure as he looked at Hu Xiaotian and asked: "What are you laughing at, young man? Do you have a different opinion?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, eyes narrowed: "Mr. Li, Mr. Li, your high views—I found something amusing and couldn't help myself; please don't blame me, sir."

Li Guoyuan said: "Unable to restrain yourself? Are my words really that funny?" He could not fail to hear the mockery in Hu Xiaotian's tone.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The king has always governed by virtue and ruled by ritual; Mr. Li, your remarks just now clearly run contrary to the king's practice!"

Li Guoyuan defended himself: "Didn't you hear me clearly? At the outset I said that Bohai and Da Yong watch over each other; as long as the king sends a letter, Da Yong will naturally help eliminate the bandits of Python Island."

Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing, this time louder than before; Li Guoyuan was so angry his face turned green, but to maintain the image of a learned scholar in front of everyone, he flicked his sleeve heavily, showing his dissatisfaction.

Hu Xiaotian said: "A person who wants to survive in this world must rely on himself; likewise, a country that wants to become strong and independent must also rely on itself. In this world there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests—this holds true between people and between nations. Mr. Li surely cannot fail to see this principle, can he?"

Li Guoyuan, hearing him speak out in opposition, instantly felt his competitive spirit aroused; he stepped forward toward Hu Xiaotian and said: "Do you not know what is flesh-and-blood kinship, what is loyalty that shares liver and gall? In this world there is more than just the two words 'interest'."

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