"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

After bowing respectfully to the Emperor once more, Kang Maode stood up and looked down at his feet.

Before entering the palace, officials from the Ministry of Rites warned him that he should not look directly at the emperor without permission, otherwise he would be suspected of assassination.

Seeing the Roman prince behaving so properly, all the officials in the hall smiled and nodded.

Liu Hong, sitting on the dragon throne, had a solemn expression, his gaze looking at Kang Maode through the beaded curtain in front of his crown.

The Roman prince was about seven feet tall, slightly thin, with bronze skin. He wore a Confucian cap and a plain white robe, looking every bit the Confucian scholar.

It's hard to imagine that such a person could be Commodus, the infamous tyrant in Roman history.

"How have you been these past few days in my Great Han?"

"Everything is fine for me in the Han Dynasty. Whether it's food, drink, lodging, or transportation, or the various literary classics, they have broadened my horizons. The Han Dynasty is truly a paradise on earth!"

Upon hearing Liu Hong's question, Kang Maode replied respectfully. Although his words contained flattery, they were all from the bottom of his heart.

"That's good!"

Liu Hong smiled and then asked, "How are you all doing in Augustus?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My father is well. I have come here on my father's orders to present Your Majesty with a letter of credence, hoping that the Han Dynasty and Rome can exchange goods, forge an alliance, and establish lasting friendship!"

As he spoke, Commodus held the official letter and the gift list high above his head.

Standing next to Liu Hong, Zhang Rang quickly stepped forward, took the letter of state and the list of gifts from Kang Maode, and then placed them on the imperial desk in front of Liu Hong.

This letter is divided into two pages, left and right. The left page is written in Roman script, while the right page is written in Chinese. Judging from the rusty handwriting, it is clear that the writer is a beginner in Chinese characters.

Liu Hong smiled, glanced at it briefly, and then handed it to Zhang Rang, who was standing next to him. "Read it!"

"Here you go!"

Zhang Rang respectfully accepted the letter of state, focused his gaze on the Chinese characters, and said loudly:

"I, Marcus Aurelius, respectfully wish His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty good health and prosperity, and that the Han Dynasty may last for ten thousand generations!"

Our two nations, located at the far east and far west respectively, are both major powers in the world. We should cooperate with each other and work together to promote exchanges between the East and the West…

The official letters didn't contain much content; they mainly consisted of mutual flattery and cooperation.

For the officials in the palace, the cooperation between the two sides was their main focus.

Liu Hong pointed at Kang Maode: "Please take a seat!!"

Upon hearing the emperor's order, four eunuchs from the rear palace immediately carried a chair and placed it behind Kang Maode.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After bowing to Liu Hong, Kang Maode sat down and looked up at Liu Hong on the imperial throne.

Despite being mentally prepared, Commodus still felt his heart race for no apparent reason when he saw the figure of the Han emperor.

The Han emperor was dressed in a red imperial robe, exuding nobility and grandeur. Although his face could not be seen clearly through the beaded curtain of his crown, it was precisely because of this that he appeared even more sacred and awe-inspiring.

With just one glance, Commodus quickly lowered his head.

The wrath of Heaven should not be underestimated for long...

Liu Hong then ordered his men to retrieve a series of agreements that the Han delegation had signed with the Roman emperor in Rome, and presented them to the officials for discussion.

These agreements are very comprehensive, including treaties on religion, industry and commerce, transportation, education, healthcare, culture, and immigration, in addition to necessary military and political cooperation.

The officials in the palace also held a more detailed discussion of the contents of these agreements.

For example, in the case of industrial and commercial cooperation, the original agreement only stipulated that the two parties would exchange goods and services and reduce or exempt some commercial taxes.

However, after discussion among the officials, the plan was refined to: the Han Dynasty would send a group of artisans and merchants to Rome to build factories and workshops to stimulate the immediate economy of Rome, while the Roman government would provide these factories with land, financial assistance, tax reductions, and security.

In short, the Han Dynasty would provide the technology, Rome would provide all logistical support, and the profits would be split 40/60, with Rome receiving 40% and the Han Dynasty 60%.

There is also the issue of immigration. The original agreement between the two sides only stipulated that there would be no restrictions on the lives of people from both countries in each other's countries, and that anyone could travel to the other country at any time.

However, after discussion among the officials, a series of restrictions were proposed.

For example, when the Romans wanted to immigrate to the Han Chinese, the primary condition was that they had to be proficient in using Chinese characters and the Chinese language.

Secondly, one must possess a certain amount of wealth, at least 100,000 taels of silver or more, since no one wants to take in a group of refugees, right?

Finally, those who want to immigrate need to make certain contributions to the Han Dynasty. Otherwise, who will know what your real purpose is for immigrating to the Han Dynasty?

Of course, the same conditions apply to those from the Han Dynasty who want to immigrate to Rome.

However, for the Han people who have always valued their homeland, this immigration treaty was almost equivalent to a unilateral treaty.

No fool would take their hard-earned fortune to a place where the living conditions, food, and environment are inferior to those of the Han people.

After nearly two hours of discussion and deliberation, all agreements were finally revised and finalized.

These revised agreements, on the surface, appear to be mutually beneficial and win-win, and there seems to be nothing wrong with them no matter how you look at it.

However, once implemented, all the conditions would place the Han Dynasty in an absolutely advantageous position, treating Rome as a delicious dish for the Han Dynasty to savor at its leisure.

Commodus clearly did not notice anything amiss with these agreements and readily signed them all.

Of course, let alone Commodus, a greenhorn, even if it were the Roman emperor and a group of Roman ministers, they would not see any problems with these agreements drawn up by the Han officials.

Compared to the descendants of Yan and Huang who have been playing mind games and wordplay for thousands of years, the culture and civilization that the Romans were so proud of were only slightly better than the surrounding barbarian tribes, and were not even in the same league as the Han Dynasty.

Subsequently, Liu Hong ordered a banquet to be held in the palace to entertain Kang Maode and his entourage.

Although, during their stay in the Han Dynasty, Kang Maode and his companions had tasted many of the Han Dynasty's delicacies in the city.

However, compared to the delicacies prepared by the imperial chefs in the palace, the food they ate outside the palace was completely inferior in both style and taste.

Therefore, Kang Maode and his companions thoroughly enjoyed the delicacies served in the palace.

For them, in terms of diet alone, the Han Chinese could easily conquer Rome.

Even Kang Maode couldn't help but want to stay in the Han Dynasty forever. What he feared most was that after he left the Han Dynasty, he would never be able to eat these delicious dishes again. What would he do then?