After Qiuqiu and the Third Prince returned to the palace, the Empress and the Empress Dowager were very happy.

At noon, a banquet was held in the palace to entertain the envoys, and the emperor also invited Qiuqiu to attend.

The banquet was meticulously prepared in the palace, with everything from the dishes to the song and dance being absolutely perfect.

As Chiu Chiu ate her delicious food, she sighed inwardly.

I'm so lucky! Every time I come here, there's delicious food.

The envoy from the Great Silver Kingdom, Envoy Zhu, sat arrogantly to the side, eating mutton and drinking wine with gusto, completely disregarding his image and showing no manners whatsoever.

The emperor asked the envoy in a flattering manner, "Did you sleep well last night? Did you enjoy the food today?"

The messenger spat in front of everyone and said, "Pah! It's so tough you can't even chew the meat. What a piece of junk!!"

Chirp looked at the messenger in surprise.

[Good heavens! How dare he speak to the Emperor like that? He's completely disregarding us! No, I have to teach him a lesson.]

Chiu Chiu deliberately waved the lamb chop in front of the messenger, then bit off a piece of meat, chewed it, and swallowed it.

Chirp: "I can eat all of this. Does the messenger mean you're not as good as a child?"

No one expected that Qiuqiu would talk back to the messenger, and everyone was on tenterhooks.

Enraged, the envoy stood up and pointed at Qiuqiu, saying, "Where did this little brat come from, daring to mock this envoy!"

Chiu Chiu muttered, "I'm not a little brat, you're a little brat!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

The Emperor had no choice but to put on a stern face and say, "Chirp, chirp, one must not be rude in front of an envoy!"

The messenger slammed the lamb chops on the table and said, “Your Majesty, when will our compensation arrive? His Majesty is getting impatient.”

[Get to the point. Why should I compensate you?]

Hearing what Qiuqiu said, the Emperor mustered up his courage and said, "Envoy, why don't I send someone to your country to see how much damage you have suffered? We can help you out."

Envoy Zhu sneered, "Hmph! Compensate? Can you afford to compensate? Our national treasure has been ruined by your demonic energy!"

The Emperor: "A national treasure? What is it? Perhaps I should find skilled craftsmen to repair it?"

Envoy Zhu: "You can't say that lightly. This isn't something an ordinary person can repair. Our national treasure is the ancient divine sword—the Flame God Sword!"

[What? The Flame God Sword? Isn't the Flame God Sword with me? How do they have it? Could theirs be a fake?]

After hearing what Qiuqiu said, the emperor felt much calmer.

The Emperor questioned the envoy, Zhu: "I've heard that the Flame God Sword disappeared a long time ago. Ordinary people simply cannot find its trace. How did your country obtain it?"

Envoy Zhu: "What's the rush? I haven't finished yet. The national treasure of my Great Silver Kingdom is the scabbard of the Flame God Sword!"

Chuchu couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Envoy Zhu: "What are you laughing at? You little brat, you've never seen the world before."

"You think I'm naive? I think you're the one who's naive. Once the scabbard is separated from the Flame God Sword's spiritual energy, it will only weaken further; an ordinary person definitely can't repair it."

The Emperor looked at Qiuqiu expectantly, then at the envoy and said, "If we can repair it, will we not have to pay compensation?"

The envoy, looking confident, said, "That's right! Our Emperor said that he will use all the resources of the world to repair the ancient divine sword. If you can repair it, not only will we not ask for compensation, but we will also offer you a reward!"

[This is practically a freebie! Your Majesty, grant his request, please grant it quickly!]

Chiu Chiu wanted to agree first, but then remembered her mother's instructions when she left: not to break the rules of the palace.

Upon hearing Qiuqiu's words, the Emperor developed immense trust in her and said, "Very well! Bring your treasures here, and we'll take care of fixing them!"

Envoy Zhu looked at the Emperor with disdain and said, "If it can't be repaired, our compensation will be doubled."

The Emperor nodded.

Envoy Zhu waved his hand.

Twenty strong men carried a rusty sword sheath into the hall.

Although the scabbard looks worn, it is clear that it is indeed a treasure.

The crystal-clear jade, paired with various gemstones, is inlaid on the scabbard, making each piece of jewelry look extraordinary.

However, due to the invasion of demonic energy, there are many black spots on the scabbard, which look like they have penetrated the scabbard. It is indeed difficult to repair this situation.

Envoy Zhu proudly looked at their national treasure and said, "Look, this is an ancient divine object! It would take twenty strong men just to lift it. The people of your country are all weak and frail; I bet even thirty men couldn't lift it! Hahaha!"

The Third Prince thought to himself: "They're looking down on us. But it's true, our people aren't as strong as the people of their Great Silver Kingdom. It's only natural that dozens of people couldn't lift it."

The emperor, however, was determined to prove himself, so he said, "I don't think so. Our valiant general is strong and powerful; he could probably lift it up with one hand."

Xu Ziming glanced at the Emperor and thought to himself: Your Majesty, I have no grudge against you! So many people can't lift it, what makes you think I can?

Envoy Zhu looked at Xu Ziming provocatively and said, "Oh? Is that so? Then we'll wait and see!"

Xu Ziming was indeed highly skilled in martial arts and physically strong. It was because of this that the Emperor promoted him to General of the Cavalry.

But even the most skilled ordinary person couldn't match the strength of dozens of people. Besides, it was with one hand—that was a sword sheath carried by dozens of people, and he was supposed to hold it with one hand?!

The Emperor has his own plans.

Let Xu Ziming hold the sword sheath with one hand; losing wouldn't be shameful. However, winning would be a slap in the face to the Great Silver Kingdom.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!