Chapter 227: [Barbarian Hearts Diverge] (Part 2)

The prince had just calmed down from last night's fright, left the carriage, and chose to ride on horseback. Although the weather was hot, he still insisted on wearing heavy armor; last night's attack made his fragile nerves extremely sensitive, and his sense of crisis suddenly grew strong.

Hu Xiaotian rode up to the prince, slowed his horse, and looking at the prince in his gleaming armor felt amused—if you're so afraid of death, why take this miserable assignment? He glanced at the Shajia envoy behind them and said, "Your Highness, these Shajia people are utterly heartless; we've painstakingly escorted them, otherwise we wouldn't have been ambushed. Now we're in trouble, and they just pretend not to see—utterly inhumane!"

The prince also disliked the Shajia envoy's behavior, but just sighed and said, "How can these barbarian lands compare to our great Dakang, a land of propriety?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Your Highness, you actually don't need to come in person to meet them; the head of the Shajia envoy is merely an ordinary official, so your personal visit is somewhat beneath your dignity."

The prince also sighed, saying, "They originally said the twelfth prince Hoge would come with the entourage to personally propose marriage in Kangdu, but I never expected the Shajia to change their plans at the last minute—what twelfth prince? He never showed up."

Hu Xiaotian said, "These barbarians don't even know the meaning of respect." He added fuel to the fire from the side.

The prince grew angrier as he spoke, gritting his teeth: "If it weren't for the emperor entrusting this matter to me, I wouldn't care whether they live or die."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Your Highness, don't be angry; I've arranged personnel to monitor the Shajia envoy's movements, and I've discovered one of their secrets."

Hearing the word "secret," the prince couldn't help but become curious, glanced at Hu Xiaotian, and asked, "What secret?"

Hu Xiaotian looked around, then lowered his voice: "Mosalì is extremely respectful toward one person. Though that man wears ordinary guard's garb, he never appears alone—he is always accompanied by at least four guards. Yesterday, when they ate the whole sheep, I personally saw Mosalì bow deeply to him and offer him the best meat first."

The prince is no fool. Having heard this, he already guessed something and whispered, "You mean that guard is actually the Shajia prince?"

"Nine out of ten!"

The prince suddenly reined in his horse, his pale face flushing red, his eyes blazing with anger. He felt humiliated; if what Hu Xiaotian said were true, the Shajia were going too far, hiding their identity from him—even if it was for their own safety, isn't my status more important than yours? The prince gritted his teeth and said, "Xiaotian, go deliver my order: have Mosalì bring him to see me."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Your Highness, they are determined to conceal their identity; even if we summon him, they might not admit it. So…" He leaned close to the prince and whispered a few words.

Upon hearing this, the prince instantly beamed, nodded, and said, "Let's do that!"

At noon, the party entered the territory of Chiyang Mountain. After the rain, the roads were mired in mud, and several landslides blocked the way. In the narrow stretches, the carriages could not pass; after discussion, they decided to abandon the carriages where they stood, and the Shajia envoy also had to leave theirs behind. They had brought many gifts, many of them valuable and not to be casually discarded, so they could only transport them by packhorse. Even so, they could not carry all the luggage; they had to break it down into portions for soldiers to carry on their backs. Since the prince's party had come expressly to greet them, they bore little burden.

Because the Shajia envoy had previously stood by with folded arms, Prince Long Yefang had already been seething with anger, and Hu Xiaotian's instigation only added to it; he quietly issued an order that none of his personnel were to interfere in the Shajia envoy's affairs—their duty was merely to receive and protect them, not to do hard labor. The prince's order was quite popular, and his guards and soldiers developed a strong aversion to the Shajia people.

Because the Shajia people had to carry their luggage, their pace naturally slowed. The prince looked back at the Shajia envoy trudging behind, a faint smile tugging at his lips; he gave Hu Xiaotian a glance, and the two turned their horses and rode toward the Shajia envoy.

Mosalì also chose to lead his horse on foot, his boots caked with mud; this stretch of road was agonizing for him. Seeing the prince approach, he complained bitterly, "Your Highness Thousand Years, why is this road so muddy and difficult to travel?"

The prince said, "This is the nearest route to Xiezhou." Saying this, he felt a secret pride—now that we're on Dakang's turf, you barbarians dare to act arrogant; if we don't let you taste a bit of hardship, you won't know the might of our great nation.

Hu Xiaotian smirked to himself; taking the side road instead of the main one was meant to give you lot a hard time—there's no reason you should enjoy comfort while we suffer.

The prince's gaze fell on the face of the guard behind Mosalì—a tall man with a full beard, thick brows and large eyes, his appearance indeed formidable; this was exactly the guard Hu Xiaotian had pointed out to him. The prince dismounted and tossed the reins to that big fellow.

That Shajia big man clearly hadn't expected the prince's move; he didn't reach out to take the reins, which fell to the ground before him.

Hu Xiaotian snapped angrily from the side, "Bold! You dare disturb my lord!" He raised his whip and lashed it at the Shajia big man's head and face. In seeking provocation, Hu Xiaotian is an expert; this whip strike wasn't delivered with much force—it was mainly for show.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian whip his lash, the nearby people all changed color. A gray-clad figure darted out from the side, snatching the whip's tip before it could strike the big man, then yanked hard. Hu Xiaotian let go just in time; otherwise he would surely have been dragged from his horse by this man.

Four Shajia warriors advanced on Hu Xiaotian at once. Liang Qing and Xu Heng, behind him, saw the situation turning bad, hastily gripped their sword hilts—with a clang, their longswords were half-drawn.

The prince was shocked and pale; compared to him, Hu Xiaotian was far calmer, and he shouted, "Everyone, stop!"

The Shajia big man spread his arms and timely blocked the four warriors who were lunging at Hu Xiaotian from his own side.

Mosalì exclaimed, "Everyone, don't act rashly!"

Cold sweat covered the prince's forehead; although he had come with a plan, he was still startled by this tense, sword-drawn standoff. Having been pampered in the palace, he had never seen such a scene before, and for a moment he forgot the very words he had just prepared.

According to Hu Xiaotian's original design, it should now be the prince's turn to speak up and reprimand them, shocking these Shajia people—but seeing the prince flustered, it was immediately clear that this fellow was a helpless good-for-nothing, not worth relying on. He therefore snorted at Mosalì, "What do you mean? How dare you be rude to my lord!" In fact, those warriors were really targeting him, not the prince.

Mosalì hurriedly bowed to the prince, saying, "Your Highness Thousand Years, it's all because our envoy failed to enforce discipline on our subordinates, causing this misunderstanding; please forgive us, Your Highness."

The prince still hadn't come to his senses, stammering, "No…" He had meant to say "It's fine."

Hu Xiaotian didn't let him finish, interjecting, "Your Highness has never seen such ill-mannered barbarians!" That one sentence made the Shajia people glare angrily; the Shajia people's greatest taboo is being called barbarians, and Hu Xiaotian's remark was tantamount to touching their reverse scale.

Hu Xiaotian didn't care for that; a strong dragon doesn't crush a local snake. On Dakang's soil, I reckon more than fifty of you Shajia wouldn't dare cause trouble. He pointed to the central Shajia big man and said, "With the prince's magnanimity, he naturally wouldn't quarrel with you, an ignorant barbarian—hurry up and kneel, thanking His Highness for sparing your lives."

Upon hearing this, Mosalì's face changed instantly; also nearby were Shajia warriors who understood Chinese. After they translated, those Shajia warriors immediately became inflamed, each gripping their sword sheaths, wishing they could devour Hu Xiaotian alive.

The commotion naturally drew the attention of the prince's side; soon dozens of warriors rushed over, and on the narrow mountain road the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Hu Xiaotian wasn't afraid of the situation escalating; he stared at that Shajia big man and sneered, "Don't you understand my words?"

Mosalì stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said, "Your Highness Thousand Years, my subordinate doesn't understand Chinese; please don't hold his lack of comprehension against him."

At last the prince calmed down, waved his hand, and said, "Since that's the case, I won't pursue it further—but… everything needs a rule; just kowtow once and it's settled."

Mosalì's face turned ashen; he now realized the other side was deliberately provoking them. The prince and Hu Xiaotian had come prepared, aiming all along at that Shajia big man. Ordinarily, a common Shajia guard showing disrespect to the prince would deserve to kneel—but this Shajia big man's true identity is the twelfth prince Hoge of Shajia Kingdom. In state-to-state relations, regardless of size, Hoge and Long Yefang stand equal in rank; how could he kneel to the prince?

The Shajia big man glanced at Hu Xiaotian, then turned his gaze to Mosalì's face and suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice booming, shaking the heavens and startling the birds in the forest from their perches to take flight. He cupped his fists toward the prince and said, "Your Highness Prince, I am Hoge; please forgive any offense!" Had he not been provoked into a deadlock, Hoge would not have openly admitted his identity.

Prince Long Yefang glanced again at Hu Xiaotian, thinking, "You really guessed right—this Shajia twelfth prince was disguised and mixed among the envoy." He said, "Hoge? You are the twelfth prince of Shajia Kingdom?"

Hoge smiled and nodded: "Exactly!"

Prince Long Yefang dismounted, feigning delight, and said, "Prince Hoge, it turns out you've been in the entourage all along."

Hu Xiaotian sighed to himself; the prince truly couldn't gauge propriety—since the other side had already admitted it, he ought to have given him a good dressing-down to vent his resentment. Instead he greeted him with a smile; could it be that he's just letting himself be fooled all the way?

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