Chapter 343: The Envoy Case

Honglu Temple government office.

“The envoys sent by Annan are you lot?”

Wen Siyuan asked indifferently.

As Minister of Honglu Temple, he had received hundreds of foreign delegations and had long developed a set of experience.

The more courteous you are to foreign envoys, the more they push their luck and cause trouble in the capital.

On the contrary, receiving them coldly makes them more respectful.

So every time a foreign delegation arrives, his first task is to reprimand them and teach them the capital’s rules.

If anyone refuses to listen and insists on going out to cause trouble, the Great Yu laws are not to be trifled with.

Vassal states have no right to demand extraterritoriality from Great Yu.

“Your Excellency, it is indeed us!”

The old man bowed in reply.

Back home in Thang Long, far from the emperor’s reach, you could brag however you liked.

But now that we’ve entered the Great Yu capital, it’s better to behave properly.

Envoys who broke the rules have been executed by Great Yu—not just one or two.

“Hmph!”

“How bold of you!”

“The former King of Annan has died, yet without imperial approval, the crown prince dares to seize the throne—do you even recognize Great Yu?”

Wen Siyuan demanded sharply.

In the succession of vassal kings, Great Yu holds decisive authority.

Only after being formally invested by the Great Yu emperor does a new king’s rule gain legitimacy.

Considering a state cannot be without a ruler, Great Yu usually turns a blind eye to early succession to prevent others from scheming.

Mainly because the distance is great and communication is slow—Great Yu cannot learn of events in vassal states immediately.

If we were to deal seriously with every case, Great Yu would have to wage war annually against dozens of vassals.

But this time is different: someone high up gave advance notice to treat the Annan delegation well.

We cannot ignore the face of the court’s senior officials—that’s why I’ve imposed minor obstacles within my authority.

“Your Excellency, we are innocent!”

“Our state has merely assumed the throne temporarily to manage state affairs—we harbor no disrespect whatsoever.”

An Shuhuai hurriedly explained.

Disrespect toward the suzerain is a capital offense.

Though Annan long ago broke free from Great Yu’s control and its king calls himself Emperor of Great Yue domestically, these things cannot be spoken aloud.

Countless Annan kings have boasted of northern expeditions, but few have ever dared to act on them.

At most, they find excuses to Fuyan during tribute missions.

For major matters like succession, they still seek formal investiture from the Great Yu emperor.

Without this legal procedure, the throne remains unstable.

One day, when his subordinates rebel, it becomes a ready-made pretext.

As he spoke, An Shuhuai swiftly slipped a stack of silver notes over.

This was the accumulated experience of past envoys: when trouble arises, pay money—satisfy the Great Yu officials, and the trouble ceases to be trouble.

“Enough!”

“Given your good sense, I shall take responsibility for this matter on your behalf.”

“Bring forth your state letter—I shall present it to His Majesty tomorrow and petition for the investiture of the King of Annan.”

Looking at the silver notes, Wen Siyuan smiled amiably.

As Great Yu’s power waned, the number of tribute delegations declined, causing Honglu Temple’s revenues to plummet.

Under these circumstances, it was natural to treat the patrons with kindness.

“Your Excellency, upon our arrival, all our luggage was seized and held by your yamen runners.”

“The state letter is among them—could you please look into this?”

Seeing Wen Siyuan’s tone soften, An Shuhuai grew bolder.

He quietly lodged a complaint, venting the grievances he had suffered.

“Rascals!”

“Your subordinates are utterly uncouth—how dare they treat envoys so roughly?”

"Lord An, rest assured—I shall see justice done."

“Zhu Qi, immediately order your men to return the state letter and all the delegation’s luggage.”

Wen Siyuan immediately ordered.

But those who knew him understood this was theater.

To perform well, both red-faced and white-faced roles must be played.

Scolding subordinates was merely a placation to the delegation.

True punishment would be direct—never just a careless “rascal” and nothing more.

“Your servant obeys!”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qi, standing behind him, immediately turned and went to the back courtyard.

“Your Excellency, you overrate us—your officers merely followed protocol.”

Sensing trouble, the perceptive An Shuhuai quickly made amends.

“No matter—protocol must also allow for humanity.”

"But since Lord An has spoken, this will not happen again."

“What are you standing there for? Don’t you know to serve tea?”

Wen Siyuan shifted tone and scolded the clerks outside the door.

Seeing this, the entire delegation flushed red with suppressed anger.

Annan had been restless in recent years and relations with Great Yu were poor—they knew they’d face difficulties upon arrival.

But they never imagined Great Yu officials would go this far—even the pretense of civility was abandoned.

Had it not been for the silver notes, they wouldn’t have even gotten a cup of tea inside Honglu Temple.

Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, Zhu Qi returned with the state letter.

“Your Excellency, here is the Annan state letter.”

Taking the document casually, Wen Siyuan opened it—and his face instantly changed.

Everything else was fine, except the crown prince of Annan had styled himself “Emperor of Great Yue.”

“Rascals!”

“This is gross treason—do you think Great Yu has no men left?”

“Seize them! Throw these traitors into prison and await His Majesty’s judgment!”

Though he sensed the letter’s content was abnormal, Wen Siyuan made his decision immediately.

There cannot be two suns in heaven—this was a matter of principle.

For Annan to call itself “Emperor of Great Yue” was to disregard Great Yu entirely—a serious political offense.

Whether it was careless error or deliberate provocation, as Minister of Honglu Temple, he must immediately defend Great Yu’s status as the Celestial Empire.

“Your Excellency, we are innocent!”

As the guards moved to arrest them, An Shuhuai and his men cried out in protest.

They truly did not understand how their state letter had become treasonous.

Before coming, they had consulted their nation’s greatest scholars, analyzing every phrase meticulously.

Only after ensuring absolute safety had they written, sealed, and stamped the document.

“Innocent?”

“If you wish to plead your case, take it to the Imperial Prison and speak to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

“We’ve long heard Annan is restless, always calling itself the Great Yue Empire—apparently the rumors are true!”

Wen Siyuan snapped.

Whether Annan was innocent or not—he didn’t care. The key was to distance himself.

Had he known these people were this trouble-prone, he never would have taken their money.

Fortunately, everyone in the yamen was his own man—if they all stuck to the same story and denied it, Annan’s claims meant nothing as evidence.

“Your Excellency, those were misunderstandings!”

An Shuhuai hurriedly explained.

Deep inside, he was already panicking.

The worst scenario had finally arrived.

Compared to rumors, what he feared most was the truth.

Annan’s official documents had always styled itself “Empire of Great Yue”—an open secret.

In the past, Great Yu merely pretended not to see it.

After all, if they took it seriously, they’d have to wage war.

The court’s finances were strained—it had no capacity to start a major war over face.

After weighing the pros and cons, everyone silently chose to pretend ignorance.

But no matter how much they pretended, they couldn’t let someone come to their door to slap their face.

The presence of the Emperor of Da Yue on the state letter was a direct challenge to the sacred authority of the throne; the court must respond.

Reason told Wen Siyuan that he had unknowingly slipped into a major trouble.

Once the news leaked, the entire court and populace would erupt in outrage, demanding severe punishment for Annan.

Yet the court’s current situation made large-scale military action unsuitable.

The hot potato, tossed out by the Honglu Temple, would inevitably spark a storm.

Recalling the person who had greeted him, Wen Siyuan faintly sensed the truth.

It wasn’t about “hosting” the Annan delegation—it was clearly about killing them.

Perhaps the Annan state letter had been swapped inside the Honglu Temple itself.

After a brief hesitation, Wen Siyuan decisively chose to feign ignorance.

Exposing the behind-the-scenes truth would mean death.

The information he held, even if exposed, would be meaningless and could not establish guilt.

The scheming of the court’s senior officials was beyond his station to join.

As long as he claimed ignorance and followed court protocol, no one could find fault.

After arresting the men, without a moment’s delay, Wen Siyuan took the state letter straight to the palace to meet the emperor.

…

In the palace, Emperor Yongning, in good spirits, had eaten half a bowl more at lunch.

Upon seeing the Annan state letter brought by Wen Siyuan, his good mood vanished.

The King of Annan dared to call himself emperor—clearly he held no respect for this Son of Heaven.

If not severely punished, other vassal states would follow suit, and he would become a laughingstock of history.

The Great Yu Dynasty had never endured such humiliation in all its years.

“Minister Wen, are you certain the envoys were from Annan?”

Emperor Yongning asked, frowning.

At this moment, he truly did not wish to launch a major campaign.

Even if he intended to deal with the Annan people, it must wait until the domestic rebellions were quelled and the northern barbarians subdued.

He had no interest whatsoever in Annan, thousands of miles away.

“Your Majesty, I have verified their identities repeatedly—they are unquestionably the Annan delegation.

According to reports from foreign lands, the previous King of Annan had already declared himself Emperor of Da Yue within his own realm.

The Guangxi Provincial Governor’s earlier memorials also mentioned similar information multiple times.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard should have records archived as well.

Given that foreign barbarians are unenlightened, the court has always chosen to overlook it.

We never imagined these bastards would grow bolder, daring to…”

Wen Siyuan swiftly shifted blame.

All levels of the bureaucracy had reported it; the court had chosen not to quarrel with barbarians.

Now that the scandal erupted, it was no longer solely the Honglu Temple’s responsibility.

If the emperor demanded accountability, it would be the collective burden of all these offices.

“The Annan people are mad!”

“Are they challenging Great Yu, thinking we’ve lost the will to raise our swords?”

After cursing, Emperor Yongning awkwardly realized that, indeed, the court currently could not raise its swords.

Annan, with its army of three hundred thousand, was a regional hegemon in Southeast Asia.

To subdue them, the court would need to commit massive manpower, wealth, and resources—and even then, victory could not be guaranteed quickly.

Great Yu was already poor; how could it open another front?

“Your Majesty, this matter is unknown to me.

Perhaps the Annan people, seeing the rebels ravaging the southeast, believed their opportunity had come and came to provoke and test us.

Or perhaps the official drafting the state letter was careless and made an error.

Or perhaps Annan’s internal factions are in turmoil, and someone seeks to use our hands to eliminate one of the envoys.”

Wen Siyuan analyzed with a serious expression.

The ones provoking border tensions might not be Annan at all—but the aristocratic clique.

As local power brokers in the capital, they had countless opportunities to frame the Annan delegation.

It was perfectly normal for several aristocratic sons to hold posts in the Honglu Temple.

But these thoughts he could only harbor privately; he dared not utter a word aloud.

The aristocratic clique rose through war; advocating war was no fault.

The Annan king’s self-proclamation as Emperor of Da Yue was well-documented.

No matter how many investigations were launched, the final conclusion would always be that Annan had committed high treason.

Under these circumstances, only a fool would speak for the Annan people.

“Hmph!”

“Issue an edict: summon the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries’ ministers to discuss this.

Tell the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to verify swiftly whether the Annan king has declared himself emperor.”

Emperor Yongning spoke coldly.

Deep within, his resentment toward the Annan people surged to its peak.

He had restrained himself from immediately ordering war against Annan.

The Annan state letter, though seemingly a minor mistake, was in fact a direct challenge to imperial authority.

Since his ascension, chaos had erupted constantly, and discontent had accumulated throughout court and realm.

Now this incident was like grinding his face into the dirt.

…

In the Imperial Prison.

The bound Annan envoys on the torture racks were all terrified out of their wits.

They were envoys, not death-sacrificing fanatics; they could not face the horror before them.

“Will you confess willingly, or shall we give you a taste first before you speak the truth?”

The young Battalion Commander sneered.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard feared no case too big—only cases too small.

The bigger the case, the more their value shone.

After one setback, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had become much more restrained.

They no longer dared to arrest Grand Secretaries or detain Ministers.

When high-ranking officials were involved, they rarely acted unless ordered by above.

Even if such officials were imprisoned, they dared not inflict torture out of concern for political repercussions.

This Annan delegation clearly fell outside such cautionary bounds.

“Your Excellency, we are innocent!”

An Shuhuai cried out immediately.

From start to finish, he had no idea how he ended up in prison.

He had never even seen the altered state letter.

Even if he wished to confess, he had no idea what to confess to.

“Excellent. I most admire men of backbone.

Bring out your best techniques—let these foreign guests experience our hospitality, lest they say Great Yu lacks proper manners.”

The young Battalion Commander said coldly.

“Your Excellency, we are envoys.

Your noble state is a land of propriety—even in war, envoys are not executed!”

An Shuhuai seized the opportunity, invoking his Confucian education to try to escape punishment.

Suddenly, a strongman entered and whispered something into the young Battalion Commander’s ear.

“Understood. Go tell them I will handle this matter.”

Saying this, the young Battalion Commander casually took the case file, glanced at it, then asked again.

“If you wish to avoid physical suffering, just sign and affix your seal to the case file!

No need to explain—these details were gathered by our secret agents.

Whether true or false, you know best.

You’re the leader—start with you.”

The young Battalion Commander said irritably.

He had expected these Annan envoys to confess everything under his interrogation.

He never imagined the charges had already been predetermined—leaving him no room to act.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the higher-ups had already settled the charges, leaving him no room to maneuver.

Relying on his political instinct, he also knew this was due to concern for the envoys’ status.

Da Yu has so many vassal states; when handling envoy missions, one must proceed with caution.

Testimonies extracted through torture still lack sufficient credibility.

In the end, they were made to confess all details themselves.

“My lord, this has nothing to do with us!”

“We have never meant any disrespect to His Majesty, nor would we ever dare to covet the territory of the Celestial Kingdom!”

Merely glancing at the case file, An Shuhuai understood the darkness of the Imperial Prison.

“If this one point is false, then are all the other details true?”

……

(End of Chapter)