Chapter 420 The Backbone Must Not Bend
When Ye Wan spoke, both civil and military officials were stunned.
Since becoming empress, Ye Wan has rarely spoken in court. She would even offer a few words of advice when Lin Anyuan got angry and started cursing. But these last few times, she seems to have lost her temper or something, and her words have become increasingly offensive.
What does it mean to "rid on the crown prince's neck and defecate"? Is this something a prince of a country should say?
"My dear ministers, if it were your mothers, daughters, or sisters who were humiliated in the street back then, would you still be standing here talking so casually?"
"Some outsiders dare to bully us on our territory. Are we supposed to feed and entertain them?"
"If you tolerate them today, what about tomorrow? What if they do something even worse? Will you still tolerate them then?"
Sanya was the first to speak, "We can't tolerate this! We can't let this go! Your Highness is right, and His Highness the Crown Prince is right!"
Ye Wan glanced at Sanya, and Sanya immediately shut up.
"If you think I'm too rash and not a proper host, then let's summon these Jin people and see what their purpose is, so you can stop making a fuss here."
Lord Qi remained silent with his head down in the crowd. He had been in charge of contacting these Jin people during this period, and if this matter were attributed to him, he would be finished.
Who would have thought that the damned Jin man would dare to harass a woman?
During the time they waited for the Jin people, no one spoke in the main hall.
From that small post station to the imperial court, it took more than an hour, and everyone waited like that.
Normally, Ye Wan might have had someone bring over stools and hot tea to sit down and wait, but today was different.
Apart from Lin Anyuan and Ye Wan, even Crown Prince Murong Yuanzhou was standing.
After a long time, the Jin people finally arrived.
"The people of the Jin Kingdom enter the palace—"
Grandpa Ji shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Bian Gang, Consul of the Great Jin Kingdom, greets His Majesty the Emperor of the Xia Kingdom."
Eighty-three people from the Jin Kingdom came in total. One died, leaving eighty-two. It was impossible for them all to enter the palace, so only eleven people came.
When they arrived, they thought they would only be meeting His Majesty the Emperor, but they were surprised to find so many people there, including court officials, and even a woman next to the dragon throne.
Bian Gang had heard recently that the Empress of Xia Kingdom could now attend court, so women's status had risen considerably.
Today's events are probably...
While others were surprised that the woman was sitting in the imperial court, they were even more surprised that the couple was so young and handsome.
The young boy who killed Yuichi that day was also there.
"Tell me your purpose in coming to Great Xia," Lin Anyuan said bluntly, scrutinizing the Jin people.
Those muskets were indeed effective; no wonder they came to other people's territory and acted so arrogantly.
Consul Bian said, "Naturally, we want to have friendly relations with Xia Kingdom."
Murong Yuanzhou sneered and said, "Friendly exchanges are nothing but running wild on our territory!"
"This is a deep-seated contempt for our country."
Bian Gang said, "Crown Prince of Xia, we absolutely did not mean that. Xiong Yi has already paid the price for his actions. Isn't this enough to atone for his sins? After all, Xiong Yi is dead, but that woman is still alive and well."
Ye Wan slowly spoke, "If the people of my Xia Kingdom were to die, do you think you would still be able to stand here and talk peacefully today?"
One of the men next to Bian Gang could no longer contain himself and spoke in a strange tone, "How dare you! Xiong Yi is dead. Our Jin Kingdom is powerful. Do you know the consequences of offending us?"
"A woman like you dares to sit up there and talk? Does your Great Xia have no men? Or are all men cowards?!"
"This is utterly ridiculous! The imperial court has always been a place for men to speak. When did it become a woman's place to babble and chatter!"
Immediately, these Jin people began to mock Ye Wan.
Just as Murong Yuanzhou was about to speak, Ye Wan chuckled.
"Consequences? What consequences? Tell us, let all the civil and military officials of our Great Xia hear them! Will that scare them into spineless cowards, making them kneel on the ground and beg for mercy?"
Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials straightened their backs.
What a joke! Kneeling and begging for mercy with some foreigners? Has Her Majesty been on fire lately? Her words are getting harsher and harsher.
A few foreigners, killing them is nothing! It was originally just to show the demeanor of a great power, but with these people talking so much, it seems unnecessary.
Ye Wan stood up from the phoenix chair and looked down at the civil and military officials below.
"Listen carefully today! As long as my Great Xia Kingdom exists, we will never engage in marriage alliances or pay tribute. The emperor will guard the nation's gates, and the monarch will die for the country. Our heads may be severed, our blood may flow, but our spines will never be bent!"
"The most important thing for a country is its backbone. If foreigners can bully our brothers and sisters at will, that is shameful! What's the difference between that and slapping you in the face!"
"Your Highness, have you memorized it?"
Murong Yuanzhou looked at Ye Wan with a firm gaze, "I've got it."
Lin Anyuan said, "In that case, tie all these people up and use them as a sacrifice to the flag when the army sets off!"
He built the ships for the Jin Dynasty, but he didn't expect these people to arrive ahead of schedule.
He arrived at the perfect time, and could also glean information from these people; he never fought a battle he wasn't confident of winning.
Consul Bian was taken aback by the outcome of his brief conversation and immediately raised his voice.
"How dare you! My Jin Kingdom is powerful and possesses the most advanced weapons. Your Majesty the Emperor of Xia Kingdom, I hope you will reconsider and not make a decision you will regret!"
"Our Jin Kingdom is friendly and has come to visit the Xia Kingdom with sincerity, but that does not mean we can bully or intimidate them at will!"
His plan hadn't even started yet, how did it turn out like this?
Who would start killing someone over a mere disagreement?
When did the Xia Kingdom become so hot-blooded? Could it be because Xiong Yi flirted with a woman? It's illogical for two countries to go to war over a woman.
That's completely illogical.
Lin Anyuan said, "I never regret what I do! You came to my Xia Kingdom to test our national strength, didn't you? It's a pity, I won't give you that opportunity! Your muskets are good, but they are far inferior to our Xia Kingdom's cannons. It's a pity that you will never be able to send this news back to your Jin Kingdom."
As the muskets were brought up.
Consul Bian felt a chill run down his spine. So, their muskets suddenly malfunctioned. Was it the Xia people who did this?
When exactly was this tampering done?
And how is that possible? How could the Xia Kingdom possibly have more advanced gunpowder than them?
Lin Anyuan was too lazy to waste any more words.
"Dismiss the court."
The courtiers were filled with patriotic fervor as they watched the captured Jin people.
I thought the world was at peace, but it looks like there's going to be another war, this time it's about expanding our territory.
If this succeeds, it will be remembered for generations.
The Xia Kingdom is mighty.
...
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com