Lou Yunchun and his entourage had traveled only two miles without stopping when they were caught up by the deputy second-in-command and the captain. The deputy second-in-command was an excellent horseman and galloped forward, blocking the way in front of the guard of honor and forcing them to stop.
The captain also followed with his men. He dismounted and knelt before Lou Yunchun, saying, "Your Excellency, we respectfully invite you to enter the city."
As soon as he knelt, all the soldiers who had come to stop him knelt before the carriage and shouted in unison, "Your Excellency, please enter the city."
Old Duan whipped his whip, making a hollow sound, and shouted, "Make way!"
The captain kowtowed, his face to the ground, and said, "The Grand Protector requests that you, my Lord, enter the city to atone for your neglect and to show some courtesy as a host."
Old Duan's eyebrows shot up in anger. "You won't let me in, and you won't let me leave. What on earth do you Tingzhou Guards mean? Are you kidding me?"
The captain dared not argue any further and only pleaded guilty. "I dare not do that. I am willing to take all the blame. I ask the envoy to give me a chance to atone for my sins."
I have learned to be smart.
Old Duan turned to look at Lou Yunchun, but Lou Yunchun remained calm.
Old Duan understood and said to the captain, "Since you acknowledge your guilt and have confessed, then return to the capital with your Grand Protector to face the charges. Why keep us here? Our lord has other important matters to attend to. Please make way."
The captain continued to advise, "It is getting late, and it is difficult to travel. Besides, there are many wild beasts in the north. It would be better for the envoy to go into the city and rest for a night, and then set off again tomorrow morning."
Can I leave tomorrow after staying here?
Old Duan sneered, "There are wild beasts outside the city, but aren't there any inside? I'm afraid the wild beasts in the city are even more terrifying."
How could this man be so mean? The captain wanted to smack Old Duan dozens of times with the sole of his shoe.
After Old Duan finished speaking, his expression suddenly turned cold. He placed his hand on the sword at his waist and said solemnly, "Say it again, make way."
The captain made up his mind and thought to himself: If he draws his sword, then he will charge into him and capture him anyway, otherwise he will not be able to escape the punishment of the Grand Protector.
As the two sides were in a stalemate, the sound of horse hooves came from behind.
"Your Excellency, I am late, please forgive me."
Old Duan pulled his horse back and saw a burly man in golden armor riding a tall horse galloping towards them.
Is this Guo Yuanzhen? The cattle and sheep in this northern land are quite nourishing.
The captain was delighted to see Guo Yuanzhen arrive, and he hurriedly introduced Lou Yunchun, saying, "Your Excellency, this is our Grand Protector."
Lou Yunchun sat upright, did not get off the car to greet him, did not look back, and did not even twitch his eyebrows. It was not until Guo Yuanzhen drove his horse to the front of the carriage that he raised his eyes coldly.
The two looked at each other, one with contempt, the other with arrogance.
Guo Yuanzhen laughed first, "I never thought that the envoy would be such a young hero. It seems that the capital has produced many talented people in recent years."
The twenty-seven-year-old 'young hero' stared at his bandaged hands and replied, "Nothing compares to the Grand Protector, who is still strong despite his age and bravely kills the enemy. It's admirable."
The forty-three-year-old Grand Protector smiled, gritting his teeth. "The envoy and I hit it off immediately. Why don't you come into the city for a chat?"
Seeing that he only expressed human feelings and did not mention the imperial edict, everyone knew that he wanted to cover the matter up.
But can Lou Yunchun get what he wants?
He stood up, held up the royal staff, stood at the front of the carriage, and stared at Guo Yuanzhen.
Guo Yuanzhen slowly put away his smile, and a hint of anger appeared between his brows.
Lou Yunchun, without any regard for his dignity, questioned, "Guo Yuanzhen, your guilty subject, when you saw the king's staff, why didn't you dismount and kneel to greet him?"
What an ignorant idiot! How dare you call him by his given name and even call him a 'guilty minister'? You simply don't know how to spell death!
When the captain, the second-in-command and others heard this, their expressions changed. This young man from the capital was simply risking his life. He dared to be so presumptuous in front of the Grand Protector.
I don’t know what the emperor was thinking, as he sent such a reckless and unsophisticated person to announce the decree.
Guo Yuanzhen mentally chopped Lou Yunchun into pieces, then warned himself that a lack of patience could ruin a grand plan. If this bastard wanted to show off his power, then let him do so. When I launch my rebellion, I'll kill him first and sacrifice him as a sacrifice!
He dismounted, walked to the front of the carriage, knelt on one knee, saluted, and said, "Your Highness, Guo Yuanzhen, respectfully welcomes the Emperor."
Lou Yunchun asked, "Guo Yuanzhen, do you admit your guilt?"
Guo Yuanzhen suppressed the urge to strike him and was about to respond when the captain beside him apologized first, "Your Excellency, it is all my fault for my negligence. The Grand Protector was unaware of this. I beg your forgiveness."
Old Duan scolded, "The envoy didn't ask you to answer, why are you butting in?"
The captain said, "I know my guilt, but I don't want the Grand Protector to bear the responsibility for my negligence."
Old Duan was about to speak, but Lou Yunchun raised his hand to stop him. He asked again, "Guo Yuanzhen, do you admit your guilt?"
Guo Yuanzhen knew that if he did not admit his guilt and answer, this bastard would not give up, so he swallowed his anger and bowed his hands and said, "I acknowledge my guilt."
Lou Yunchun looked at him proudly and asked, "What crime have you committed?"
Guo Yuanzhen took a deep breath. "I failed to leave the city promptly to welcome the emperor, which was a breach of etiquette. This is my first offense. I failed to investigate the dereliction of duty of my subordinates and detained the imperial carriage outside the city. This is my second offense. I took advantage of my injury to arrive late and was unable to personally hear the imperial edict. This is my third offense. However, these three offenses were not committed intentionally by me. I hope Your Majesty will understand and forgive me."
It seemed that he was admitting his guilt, but he avoided the important issues and cleared himself of the crime of disrespecting the emperor and despising the court. He really had a good eloquence.
"You're implying that I, the envoy, don't know how to be compassionate?"
"I have no such intention. I just want to clear up the misunderstanding between me and the envoy."
What a lighthearted 'misunderstanding'.
Lou Yunchun tilted his head slightly and glanced at Deputy Envoy Lu Yan who was hiding in the carriage next to him.
Deputy Envoy Lu Yan nodded at him.
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