Shen Shi followed the eunuch into the imperial study. Shen Tunan sat behind the desk, and Shen Yu stood beside him.

Seeing him come in, Shen Yu nodded as a greeting.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful for your kindness," Shen Shi said respectfully.

"Shi'er, you've grown up." Shen Tunan looked at him with a distant gaze.

Hearing such a sentimental tone, Shen Shi thought to himself: This is bad!

To avoid arousing Shen Tunan's suspicion, Shen Yu only confined Li Qingping, who had plotted to harm the Crown Princess, to the Crown Prince's residence.

But Shen Tunan must have known that his plan to instruct his niece to harm Shen Yu's unborn child had been exposed.

So, will he strike first?

Thinking of this, he replied with a smile, "Your subject is not yet married and cannot be considered grown up."

Shen Tunan did not react after hearing this.

He sat silently at the head of the table, an eerie atmosphere permeating the study.

Just when Shen Shi thought he was about to explode in silence.

Shen Tunan calmly said, "The Grand Assembly of All Nations is about to begin, and envoys from various countries have been arriving in the capital one after another. You two will be in charge of the reception arrangements!"

The reception of foreign envoys has always been the responsibility of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Sometimes, to show the importance placed on the visiting country, a prince would be appointed as an "envoy" and act as a mascot.

Since Shen Tunan ascended the throne, the matter of receiving guests has been entrusted to the Prince of Huai.

Recalling his meeting with the Prince of Huai a couple of days ago, he felt that Shen Tunan's decision was also inseparable from his own efforts.

At least it did arouse Shen Tunan's suspicion, and Shen Shi felt that his royal uncle was still somewhat useful.

But what Ling Shenshi didn't expect was that the task of receiving the envoys would fall to him and his brother.

It's not a big deal for a prince like him to receive envoys, but for Shen Yu, the crown prince, to do so would be beneath his dignity.

I don't know if Shen Tunan lost his mind to come up with such a terrible idea.

But the emperor's command could not be disobeyed. After a moment of surprise, the two said in unison, "Your subjects obey!"

After leaving the Imperial Study, neither of them spoke.

After arriving at Guangyang Palace and dismissing the servants, Shen Shi frowned and asked, "What exactly is the meaning behind Father's arrangement?"

Shen Yu shook his head, completely bewildered. "I don't know, but the Wanchao Conference is of utmost importance, and there can be no mistakes whatsoever."

Shen Shi agreed wholeheartedly: "Brother, you should prioritize your own affairs. I can handle the envoy's side."

Shen Yu nodded and followed his suggestion.

The two brothers felt a vague unease, but for the time being, they could only remain still.

In the days that followed, Shen Shi was busy receiving envoys from various countries.

Although the envoys from the Qiang Kingdom had already arrived in the capital, they had all sneaked in without any formal ceremonial procession.

It wasn't until three days before the start of the Wanchao Assembly that the Qiang Kingdom's ceremonial guard entered through the city gates.

Shen Shi, as the chief envoy, dispatched officials from the Jieshi Temple to arrange inns for the Qiang delegation.

That evening, a banquet was held at the "Qingyunlou" to entertain the envoys from the Qiang Kingdom.

At this time, Gu Yuanbai had been transferred to Shen Shi's side. After what happened last time, he learned his lesson.

When I reported back two days ago, I slightly revealed a bit of the Qiang Kingdom's plan without affecting the overall situation.

For example, the gemstones that the Qiang Kingdom presented as tribute this year were actually purchased temporarily from merchants in the capital to make up the difference.

Shen Shi was very satisfied after hearing this and even gave him some reward money.

Therefore, Gu Yuanbai felt that his disguise was absolutely flawless.

With the arrangements made by the Jieshi Temple, Shen Shi's role as the chief envoy was very smooth. By the time he arrived at Qingyun Tower, all the envoys from the Qiang Kingdom had already arrived.

Chen Shi sat down in the empty seat at the head of the table.

"I had long heard that the prince of Qi was a man of great manners, and seeing him today confirms it."

The two groups met at the restaurant, and Mu Nu, the fifth prince of the Qiang Kingdom, who was leading the delegation, praised them.

"You are the same."

Faced with Mu Nu's burly physique and fierce appearance, Shen Shi spoke as if he were speaking from the heart.

"Hahaha!" Mu Nu's rough laughter echoed throughout the entire restaurant.

Chen Shi was seated above Mu Nu, and Mu Tu, who was one person away from him, was also sizing up this fifth prince of Qi.

He looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, like a naive child unaware of the dangers of the world.

Aside from his exceptionally handsome appearance, Mu Tu couldn't discern any cunning in him.

Shen Shi sensed Mu Tu's scrutiny, but ignored him and continued talking to Mu Nu.

After all, Mu Nu is now the heir favored by the Qiang king and the leader of the Qiang envoys.

After talking with Chen Shi, I realized more and more that one cannot judge a book by its cover, nor can one measure the depths of the sea.

Since he had never met Mu Nu in his previous life, Shen Shi did not know that although Mu Nu was a rough man, he had a very broad perspective and knowledge.

The two chatted happily for a while.

"This is my seventh brother, named Mu Tu." As he was speaking, Mu Nu suddenly put his arm around his younger brother and introduced him to Chen Shi.

"Nice to meet you."

Fearing that showing too much concern might cause trouble, Shen Shi nodded politely but distantly.

But in Mu Tu's eyes, who was always proud, Shen Shi's attitude was seen as treating people differently based on their status.

Isn't it because he feels he can't become the Qiang King that he doesn't value him?

Mu Tu secretly made a mental note of Chen Shi's actions.

In any case, the envoy's purpose in coming here is to cause trouble. If something goes wrong in this situation, it can only be blamed on Mu Nu's incompetence.

Mu Tu simply stopped suppressing her mischievous, troublemaking nature.

He raised an eyebrow at Shen Shi and said, "It is said that there are rumors in the capital that the Fifth Prince is as handsome as a woman, and now it seems that he is exactly as beautiful as a woman." He said in a playful tone.

Before Chen Shi could react, he asked Mu Nu, "Brother, don't you think so?"

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