Chapter 469 - 470: Envoy

Chapter 469: Chapter 470: Envoy

Gu Wenheng hadn’t expected the envoys from the island country to show up so quickly. Watching the clamoring figures approach, he curled his lip. "These are the envoys? Not much of a spectacle, is it? Any random official from around here has a more impressive entourage."

’Especially those old-timers in the Capital. Which one of them doesn’t keep a staff of advisors and guards?’

"Were they always like this?" Gu Wenheng asked Xiao Yuling, tilting his head in curiosity, completely unbothered by the envoys’ scrutinizing gazes.

Xiao Yuling replied, "Yes. Every time they come, they act all high and mighty. They’re the ones who come here to plunder, yet they act as if we’re the ones who owe them something.

"Lord Liang used to try and appease them, hoping to maintain peace and stability. He’d send them off with kind words every time, but in the end, they still took his life."

Looking at these men, it would be a lie to say Xiao Yuling didn’t feel a burning hatred in his heart.

His own leg... he still limped when he ran. On that day, those bandits had stormed straight into the Magistrate’s courtyard. If they hadn’t even been given a moment to defend themselves, he wouldn’t be standing here today either.

"Mr. Gu," one of the men said in clumsy, accented Mandarin, "I wonder where our Lord Shan might be? You’ve kept him here for quite some time. Isn’t it about time you let him go?"

"Lord Shan?" Gu Wenheng looked at the man in feigned confusion. "Someone from your esteemed country is a guest here? I have received no such person."

"*#@..." The man launched into a tirade in his own language, but Gu Wenheng turned a deaf ear. ’Is that a dog barking? It would be beneath my station to try and understand.’

The man apparently realized how foolish he’d been. He took a deep breath and said to the person beside him, "Ling San, didn’t you see Lord Shan being taken away by them? You come and explain it clearly to this Mr. Gu, lest he continue to play dumb."

Ling San stepped forward. "Mr. Gu, according to information we’ve received, you captured many of our people before the new year. We ask that you release them now."

Gu Wenheng walked to the head seat and sat down. "It is said that a visitor is a guest, but it seems you have yet to master the etiquette of our Rong Dynasty. Isn’t this the part where you’re supposed to introduce yourselves?"

At this, Gu Wenheng shook his head and remarked to Qi, who was standing beside him, "I really feel for your Marquis. Having to deal with these uncivilized people for so long... it must have been difficult!"

Qi: "..."

"Mr. Gu," Ling San said, taking a deep breath. "Allow me to introduce you. This is our Mr. Lang. He is representing our country on this occasion to urge you to help us secure Lord Shan’s return."

Mr. Lang tilted his head back, giving Gu Wenheng a disdainful glance.

Gu Wenheng picked up the tea an old maidservant had just served, took a sip, and only then addressed Mr. Lang. "Although you may not understand the complex etiquette of my Rong Dynasty, a visitor is still a guest. Have a seat!"

Mr. Lang’s face immediately flushed red. He had been holding his breath, trying to maintain an imposing air, not expecting their positions to be so thoroughly reversed.

The man before them was sitting leisurely in the head seat while they were left standing there like fools, putting them at a clear disadvantage.

He grunted, walked over to the seat on Gu Wenheng’s right, and sat down. "Mr. Gu’s hospitality is truly... an eye-opener."

Gu Wenheng laughed. "That depends on who I’m treating. When friends arrive, there’s fine wine and good food. Conversely, when enemies arrive, the fact that I haven’t locked the gates and unleashed the dogs is already a sign of my refinement."

"Prefect Gu, you’d best stop with the clever talk. His Majesty the Emperor of our nation will soon be sending a letter to your Rong Dynasty’s Emperor. If you don’t release our people at once, you will have a bitter price to pay."

"Just a tiny speck of a country, yet you talk so big." Gu Wenheng felt he had a good grasp on these bandits now. To the Rong Dynasty, they were nothing more than a disorderly mob.

They only dared to spout such nonsense because they were banking on the assumption that the Rong Dynasty was ignorant of their true capabilities.

Feeling insulted, Mr. Lang shot to his feet. "#*&...!"

Gu Wenheng cut in, "Watch your mouth. The louder you shout, the more insecure you appear."

"Since you’ve made such a rare trip to my dynasty, this Prefect naturally won’t let you return empty-handed. As it happens, I have something in my possession that His Majesty the Emperor might find very interesting."

Gu Wenheng raised his hand, and Jiang Shiniu swiftly pulled a stack of papers from his robes, respectfully placing it in his palm.

Gu Wenheng flipped through the papers for a moment before picking out a single thin sheet. "Come and have a look. Does this seem familiar?"

Mr. Lang’s eyes went wide. "You... How could you have something like this...?"

"A topographical map of your country’s territory in this sea region, isn’t it?" Gu Wenheng said with a contemptuous smile. "Strikingly familiar, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps even a bit more detailed than the ones you have in your possession."

Mr. Lang was speechless for a moment. "...Where did this come from?"

He didn’t suspect Mountain Leader’s group. A few men like them could never have charted a map like this.

"I imagine you’re aware of your own situation. A tiny speck of a country, no bigger than two of my prefectures at most, yet you dare come here and act like you’re in charge. It seems the ignorant truly are fearless." Gu Wenheng shook his head. ’Even though this dynasty doesn’t exist in the history I know.’

’But the geographical layout is largely the same. I was just testing a theory, and I can’t believe it actually matched.’

Seeing their expressions grow increasingly grim, Gu Wenheng’s smile widened in satisfaction. "For all these years, you’ve relied on the great divide of the strait to come over time and again to conduct your sordid business. This just goes to show how desperate your situation at home must be."

"Unfortunately for you, all your previous schemes have come to nothing. I can tell you right here and now: if you don’t want your tiny little country to become a vassal state of ours, you’d better start showing some sincerity."

Mr. Lang instantly straightened his back. "So what if you know our terrain? With the kind of sailors you have, you’d be making offerings to the sea gods before you even left the coast!"

’So what if they know? We still decide when and where we make landfall,’ he thought. ’This new Prefect Gu is just posturing, winning a purely verbal victory.’

Gu Wenheng casually picked out another drawing. This time, however, he didn’t hand it over, but simply waved it in front of them. "Don’t be so full of yourselves. In the past, we let you get away with a few things because we didn’t know the first thing about you. But things are different now."

To intimidate them, Gu Wenheng had drawn a science-fiction warship on the paper. He hadn’t expected the move to immediately send them into a panic.

Mr. Lang reached for the drawing, but Prefect Gu casually tossed it to the guard behind him. "So? Do you think those ’Water Ghosts’ of yours lurking beneath the waves will be able to handle that?"

Gu Wenheng enjoyed watching the shifting expressions on the envoy’s face. Even Xiao Yuling and the others sitting to the side were completely stunned.

Mr. Gu hadn’t discussed any of these arrangements with them beforehand, but the feeling was undeniably satisfying. They all had to struggle to keep themselves from laughing out loud.