The next day, the Yong Country Delegation was about to arrive in the capital.
Shen Jing and Lu Heng led a group of people out of the city to welcome the Yong Country Delegation.
However, they didn't go far, welcoming them right at the city gate of the capital.
Before long, scouts reported that the Yong Country Delegation was less than five li away.
Marquis Shen immediately ordered everyone to prepare for the reception.
After all, it was to welcome a foreign delegation, so proper etiquette still needed to be observed.
After waiting for a while longer, the Yong Country Delegation appeared in their line of sight.
Shen Jing stood at the front, with the others lined up on both sides, facing the Yong Country Delegation.
When they approached, Shen Jing slowly stepped forward a few paces, bowed, and said, "Marquis Shen Jing of Loyalty of Great Zhou, by the order of the Emperor of Great Zhou, respectfully welcomes the envoys of Great Yong!"
The Yong Country Delegation stopped advancing.
Gao Yin and Hulü Xian successively pulled back the curtains of their carriages and stepped down.
Gao Yin was richly dressed, wearing a golden Jinxianguan on his head, and appeared slightly older than Shen Jing.
Hulü Xian was dressed in official robes, his beard somewhat grizzled, but he looked vibrant and energetic.
Gao Yin arrogantly scrutinized Shen Jing, displeased, "Great Zhou only sent a marquis to welcome this Prince?"
Hearing Gao Yin's words, Lu Heng's heart immediately skipped a beat.
The Yong Country Delegation was already starting to find fault?
It seemed the Yong Country Delegation had ill intentions this time!
Meeting Gao Yin's gaze, Shen Jing maintained a slight smile, "May I ask Your Highness, is there a problem with that?"
"Of course there's a problem!"
Gao Yin snorted coldly, "This time, Great Yong has sent a Prince as an envoy to your country, and according to etiquette, your country should send a Prince to welcome him! Yet your country only sent a marquis to welcome him, which is too disrespectful!"
"Your Highness, you are mistaken!"
Shen Jing still maintained his smile, "We are merely here to welcome your esteemed envoys to the Four Directions Inn to settle down and rest. Later, our Emperor of Great Zhou will personally receive the Yong Country Delegation. How is this disrespectful?"
"On the contrary, Your Highness, when faced with this Marquis's polite reception, you not only fail to return the courtesy but also nitpick!"
"Is this the upbringing and etiquette of a Prince of Great Yong?"
Hearing Shen Jing's words, Gao Yin immediately frowned.
He had originally thought his words would be enough to intimidate Shen Jing, but unexpectedly, Shen Jing actually questioned him back?
Seeing this, Hulü Xian immediately interjected, "It's not that we are ignorant of etiquette, but this concerns national prestige, and His Highness must argue for it!"
Listening to Hulü Xian's words, Shen Jing couldn't help but secretly curl his lips.
National prestige?
What national prestige!
In this world, there is only the law of the jungle!
They were clearly trying to use this to put pressure on Great Zhou.
"Arguing for a principle and finding fault are two different things!"
Shen Jing's gaze fell on Gao Yin, "May I ask Your Highness, when you usually visit someone's residence, who is the first person you see?"
"Naturally, the doorman!"
Gao Yin answered casually, but secretly wondered why Shen Jing asked this.
"Then that's it!"
Shen Jing smiled, "Today, this Marquis is equivalent to Great Zhou's doorman. Any doorman Great Zhou sends is a titled marquis. Is this still called disrespectful?"
"You..."
Gao Yin hadn't expected Shen Jing to be so eloquent, and for a moment, he didn't know how to retort.
"Marquis Shen's words are not right."
Hulü Xian took over, "Your country must have known about our visit as envoys to your country long ago. Sending a Prince to welcome us should be reasonable, right? If Marquis Shen were to visit someone's residence, having informed them in advance, and they still only sent a doorman to greet Marquis Shen, would Marquis Shen not feel slighted?"
"This Marquis has always been understanding. As the saying goes, 'the guest follows the host's customs.' If the host sends someone to welcome me, I already consider that good."
Shen Jing shook his head with a smile, "May I ask your esteemed envoy, on this mission to Great Zhou, are you here to see a Prince, or to see our Emperor of Great Zhou?"
Hulü Xian frowned slightly and replied, "Of course, we are here to see the Emperor of Great Zhou."
"Then isn't that the conclusion?"
Shen Jing smiled, "Could it be that your esteemed envoy believes that during your mission to Great Zhou, our Emperor of Great Zhou should not show his face at all, and only send a Prince to liaise with you throughout, and only then would it not be considered disrespectful? If your esteemed envoy requires this, this Marquis will immediately send someone to inform His Majesty of your wishes. I think His Majesty would also be happy to have some leisure!"
Damn it!
These two scoundrels really have no regard for anything!
They didn't even maintain the most basic surface cordiality.
They couldn't possibly think that Great Zhou would back down just because Yong Country was angry, could they?
"I didn't expect Great Zhou to have such an eloquent person!"
Hulü Xian looked at Shen Jing with interest, then turned to persuade Gao Yin, "Marquis Shen is also just following orders. It's useless to discuss these things with him! Let's talk about these matters when we see the Emperor of Great Zhou!"
"That's right!"
Gao Yin said, then snorted again.
Hulü Xian simply bowed to Shen Jing, "Please lead the way, Marquis Shen!"
"Hmm."
Shen Jing responded coolly, then turned to Lu Heng, "Lead the way with your men!"
On the way to the Four Directions Inn, Hulü Xian pulled back the carriage curtain to look outside.
It was Hulü Xian's first time in the capital of Great Zhou. Looking at the bustling capital, Hulü Xian felt a faint sense of worry.
Great Zhou had gradually emerged from the difficulties of the past few years.
Great Zhou had experienced internal strife a while ago, but quickly quelled it in a very short time, which also proved that Great Zhou's military strength was recovering.
That Emperor of Great Zhou, though not a dominant ruler, was not an incompetent one either.
Once Great Zhou fully recovered, it would probably no longer pay tribute to Yong Country.
They absolutely could not give Great Zhou a chance to recover!
Gao Yin lowered the carriage curtain and turned to Hulü Xian, "Senior Minister, do you think the Emperor of Great Zhou will agree to our demands?"
This time, they had two objectives.
One was to demand that Great Zhou increase its tribute.
The second was to demand that Great Zhou designate a princess to marry him, thereby fostering a marriage alliance between the two countries.
Hulü Xian thought for a moment, then whispered, "Judging by Great Zhou's attitude, this matter might not be easy."
No matter how Shen Jing argued, Great Zhou's reception standards were definitely too low.
Under normal circumstances, Great Zhou should indeed have sent a Prince to welcome them.
The Emperor of Great Zhou should have considered that if the reception standards were too low, they would make an issue of it.
But the Emperor of Great Zhou still did it.
Could it be that after quickly quelling the internal strife, the Emperor of Great Zhou was not afraid of them making an issue of it?
"I'm also worried about this."
Gao Yin frowned, "If Great Zhou doesn't agree, what should we do?"
Although he was the chief envoy, the Emperor of Yong Country had already instructed him before their departure that all matters in Great Zhou would be decided by Hulü Xian.
Hulü Xian pondered for a moment, then replied, "As things stand, this old man can no longer hide it from Your Highness! Your Highness must be prepared for the failure of the marriage alliance!"
Hearing Hulü Xian's words, Gao Yin's eyelids suddenly twitched, and then he understood, "If Great Zhou refuses the marriage alliance, it will be difficult for them to refuse increasing the tribute! One of two, right?"
So, from the very beginning, the marriage alliance was just a pretense?
He was merely being used!
Although he didn't necessarily have to marry a Great Zhou princess, being used and treated as a pretense still made him feel very uncomfortable.
"This old man is just asking Your Highness to prepare for the worst!"
Hulü Xian avoided Gao Yin's question and said seriously, "If both can be achieved, that would naturally be even better! Your Highness, rest assured, this old man will also do his utmost for this!"
Hearing him say this, Gao Yin finally felt a little more comfortable, then asked again, "What if Great Zhou refuses both?"
"Refuses both?"
A cold glint suddenly flashed in Hulü Xian's eyes, "Your Highness, do you think Great Zhou has the courage to fight Great Yong?"
Gao Yin shook his head without hesitation...
