Chapter 806 The Assab Royal Family Arrives in Beijing

In mid-July, the weather got hotter and hotter.

In this sweltering summer season, Xiao Qin Academy has finally established a foothold in the capital, and the Assab royal family has arrived as scheduled.

The royal city gates were wide open, and members of the Assab royal family entered through the city gates in semi-enclosed palanquins, waving to the onlookers.

The royal family members who came to the Great Yu Kingdom this time were King Asab and Queen Asab, along with some court officials, and the remaining hundred or so people were all attendants.

When the two highest-ranking officials of Asab arrived, the Great Yu Kingdom naturally treated them with the highest honors.

The emperor, accompanied by the empress, princes and princesses, and civil and military officials, personally greeted them at the gate of the imperial city.

The Ministry of Rites played music, bells rang, and everything was solemn and grand.

The king and queen of Asab led their courtiers to pay homage to the emperor of the Great Yu Kingdom.

One hand is placed on his lower back, the other hand is clenched into a fist and placed on his heart, his knees are slightly bent, and he speaks in the Assab language.

Cheng Wanwan stood in the middle and translated, "King Asabu wishes the Great Yu Kingdom eternal prosperity and the Emperor and Empress good health."

The emperor raised his hand, gesturing for you to dispense with the formalities: "You have all had a long and arduous journey. A banquet has been prepared in the palace. Please come in."

The Emperor and King Assab walked in front, followed by the Empress and Queen Assab. Lord Zhang was in charge of translating for the Emperor, while Cheng Wanwan served as the translator for the two mothers of the nation.

The group walked and talked until they reached the Imperial Garden.

Countless palace maids and eunuchs decorated the Imperial Garden to an exceptionally grand scale, with hundreds of flowers blooming in competition, displaying the beauty of a prosperous era.

Hundreds of people sat down according to their status and rank, with Cheng Wanwan positioned below the Empress, serving as a translator for both sides.

She entered the palace early in the morning to prepare for the welcoming ceremony, and was so tired that she hadn't even had a bite to eat yet. But sitting in the most prominent position with countless people watching her, she didn't know whether to eat or not. In the end, she covered her mouth with her sleeve and ate a small pastry to fill her stomach, which marked the end of her meal. Then she threw herself into her work.

The king and queen of Asab kept praising the strength of the Great Yu Kingdom and its delicious food, constantly flattering them.

Cheng Wanwan translated the same content over and over again; there was nothing particularly surprising about it.

After several rounds of drinks, King Asab stood up and said, "I heard that Your Majesty keeps a wild wolf. Therefore, before coming to the Great Yu Kingdom, I issued a royal decree to summon all the warriors of the Asab Kingdom to go into the mountains to hunt wild beasts. Finally, we lived up to expectations and captured a king of the forest. I have brought it all the way here to present to Your Majesty of the Great Yu Kingdom."

He waved his hand, and eight warriors immediately appeared at the entrance of the Imperial Garden.

The emperor's eyes narrowed immediately.

The last time someone offered auspicious omens as tribute, it resulted in a palace coup on New Year's Eve, so he really didn't have much affection for these tributes.

Not only the emperor, but also the civil and military officials sitting below became serious.

Last time, He Ling, the eldest son of the He family, said he would present auspicious omens, but instead he sent up a group of assassins.

Could the people of Assab also be up to something like this...?

He Xiao slowly turned around and gave a wink to the person behind him. His attendants immediately went down to summon the Imperial Guards in case of any unexpected situations.

Seeing the tense expressions on everyone's faces, the king of Asab immediately said, "Although I am the king of the forest, I have come a long way and am quite exhausted. I have no offensive power, so please do not be afraid."

Cheng Wanwan relayed these words to all the civil and military officials.

Everyone knew that King Asab had misunderstood, but they did not explain. Countless eyes were fixed on the eight warriors who slowly walked in.

The warriors were very strong, their steps were very neat, and their footsteps made a thumping sound on the ground. The eight men carried the iron cage covered with a red cloth to the very center of the Imperial Garden.

The King of Qin immediately stood up: "Let me see just how mighty this King of the Forest really is."

He walked to the center, drew his sword from his waist, and used the blade to lift the red cloth, then suddenly ripped it open.

Inside the iron cage was indeed a tiger.

This is an adult tiger, estimated to weigh around 600-700 pounds. Its fur is a mix of brown and black, and there are several black stripes on its forehead that vaguely resemble the Chinese character for "king".

Before the red cloth was lifted, the tiger lay listlessly in the iron cage, looking completely devoid of energy.

But when the red cloth was pulled open, light flooded in, and gasps of surprise filled the air. The tiger suddenly stood up, its body dominating the entire space of the iron cage, exuding a powerful and imposing aura.

Its four sharp claws extended simultaneously, like blades drawn from their sheaths, and its mouth opened, letting out a wild roar.

Even though it was indeed wilted, it still possessed the aura of the king of the forest. With a roar, it frightened the women present into retreating hastily.

“This is the fiercest beast in Asab. Only this king of the forest is worthy of the supreme emperor of the Great Yu Kingdom.” King Asab placed his hand on his heart and spoke sincerely, “This wild beast is unruly and will not be controlled. I ask Your Majesty to keep it in captivity for a period of time. Once its wildness has subsided, it can be tamed and made into a mount.”

The emperor was overjoyed.

As the head of a country, what he likes most are these untamed beasts.

Regardless of whether the tiger could be tamed into a mount, it had to be kept in the royal back mountain; this was a symbol of imperial power.

The Queen of Asab also presented a gift she had specially prepared for the Queen: "This is a skin-moisturizing cream made from snow lotus from the Tianshan Mountains. The snow lotus, which blooms only once every hundred years, is soaked in the morning dew, along with snow water from the Tianshan Mountains that has been around for a hundred years, and water from glaciers that have been around for a thousand years. When applied to the skin, it can nourish and beautify the skin and remove scars... The best skin-moisturizing cream from the Kingdom of Asab is presented to the most honorable Queen Mother of the Kingdom of Da Yu."

Inside the ice-blue porcelain bottle was a milky-white paste that emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance; it was clearly a good product.

The Empress took a liking to it at first sight, and her smile became even more ardent.

The emperor was not a stingy man; he immediately bestowed generous rewards upon the emperor, including porcelain, cloth, jewelry, and books…

In this back-and-forth exchange, the friendship between the two countries quickly warmed up.

The long state banquet lasted for the entire afternoon before it ended, and Cheng Wanwan was exhausted with a sore back.

But there are even more tiring times to come.

The Court of State Ceremonial was responsible for this work, arranging numerous activities for the Assab royal family, such as flower viewing, lake tours, horseback riding, and playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football).

Because the other party was a member of the royal family, the Queen accompanied Queen Asab throughout the entire process, and Cheng Wanwan naturally had to accompany her as well.

For six or seven days in a row, the activities were different every day, which exhausted Cheng Wanwan, a lazy person.

All she wanted to know was whether the King and Queen were really that free, whether they were in no hurry to go back and deal with state affairs, and how much longer they were going to stay...

On the eighth day, it was finally time for indoor activities, and the Queen invited the Queen to Kunning Palace for tea.

Early in the morning, Cheng Wanwan got up, washed and dressed herself, put on the official robes of a second-rank lady, wore a heavy crown, and rode in a carriage to the palace.

During this period, she did not need to announce her arrival at the palace; she only needed to show her token.

As they approached the entrance of Kunning Palace, they happened to meet Queen Asab.

The queen was not old, only in her early thirties, and was dressed in gold and silver jewelry, making her look dazzling. She was accompanied by as many as eight people.

Upon seeing Cheng Wanwan, the Queen appeared delighted: "Greetings, Lady Sui."

Cheng Wanwan curtsied and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Let's go in together." The Queen took Cheng Wanwan's hand and turned to look at the attendants behind her. "You all wait outside."

The old woman closest to the queen said meekly, "The queen is Asab's most honored woman, and she must have someone serving her."

His tone was very respectful, but it conveyed an unquestionable air.

Cheng Wanwan glanced at the old woman a few more times, then noticed the Queen's face held a suppressed anger...