"Your Majesty, those Qin envoys are causing trouble again!"
Just as Yi Yusong finished his audience with the naval commander, a palace attendant rushed in in a panic.
The atmosphere inside the main hall was somber. Several senior officials were discussing countermeasures when they saw the scene and their expressions turned grave.
"What's wrong now?" Yi Yusong rubbed his temples. Ever since these clowns arrived, he hadn't had a moment's peace.
"They...they say they want to inspect the palace! They say they want to see if our Baiyue royal architecture is up to standard. They even threatened that if they aren't allowed in, they'll write to the Emperor Qin, saying we have ulterior motives and dare not even let anyone see the palace..."
"What?!" Yi Yusong jumped to his feet, the teacups on the dragon-shaped table shaking violently. "They dare!"
"That's not all," the eunuch said, wiping his sweat. "They're still shouting and yelling outside, saying our palace is too shabby. That guy named Chu Ping even said he'd go back and draft a memorial for the Emperor Qin, saying that the Baiyue are unworthy of being called kings..."
"Outrageous!" Yi Yusong's beard trembled with rage. "This is outrageous! These people are utterly lawless!" He turned to the naval commander, "Tell me, what exactly do these people want?"
The commander smirked: "Your Majesty, they are testing us."
"First they caused trouble in the market, disturbing the merchants' peace. Then they went to the docks to cause chaos, disrupting our navy's operations. Now they've even ransacked the military camps. This is clearly..."
"They are probing the strength and weakness of my Baiyue people!" an old minister interjected.
"Indeed!" another minister chimed in. "They are deliberately provoking trouble. In my opinion, these people are not here to visit at all, but rather..."
"Enough!" Yi Yusong raised his hand to stop the murmurs. "I understand. These Qin envoys are here to test my limits! Since that's the case..."
He walked to the window and gazed into the distance.
Several merchant ships were slowly passing by the dock there, their sails fluttering with the flags of the Baiyue people.
These sea routes are the lifeline of the Baiyue people!
"Reveal my imperial decree," he said in a deep voice, "that the palace is closed today and no visitors will be received!"
"Your Majesty!" the naval commander said worriedly, "I'm afraid these troublemakers won't tolerate it..."
"Hmph!" Yi Yusong sneered, "If they dare to force their way in, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Before the words were finished, another report came from outside: "Your Majesty, the Qin delegation has barged in! They say that since Your Majesty will not see them, they will tour the place themselves..."
"Outrageous!" Yi Yusong roared in fury. "Guards! Bring this king..."
Just then, Chu Ping's loud voice came from outside: "Oh my, this main hall is decorated quite nicely! It's just that this pillar is a bit crooked, just like your Baiyue navy, it doesn't look very reliable!"
"Your Majesty!" The naval commander's face turned ashen with rage. "These people have absolutely no respect for the Baiyue people!"
"Calm down," Yi Yusong said, suppressing his anger. "Since they want to play, I'll play along!"
As they were talking, Zhang Erhe swaggered in with his bunch of clowns.
They all looked like they were sightseeing, not at all like envoys.
"Oh? Which palace of the Baiyue is this? They're all getting worse and worse!" Wang Pen deliberately exclaimed. "This one's even smaller than an ordinary person's outhouse in our Great Qin!"
"Exactly!" Old Dong chimed in, "Look at this dragon table, it's obviously made of inferior wood. I wonder if the Baiyue people are so poor they can't even afford decent furniture..."
"You!" The naval commander could no longer contain himself. "How dare you be so rude!"
"Rude?" Chu Ping blinked. "We're just stating the facts. What, you Baiyue people can't even handle this much criticism? That's truly..."
"Insolence!" Yi Yusong shouted angrily, "You're not a diplomatic mission, you're clearly here to cause trouble!"
"Oh dear!" Wang Pen said dramatically, "Is the King of Baiyue angry out of embarrassment? Well, your palace is indeed a bit lacking. But, if you let us tour the palace in the south, perhaps you'll give it a good review..."
Upon hearing this, both Yi Yusong and the naval commander's expressions changed drastically.
It's crystal clear what these people are up to!
Just then, a man in black rushed over and whispered a few words in the naval commander's ear.
The commander's face immediately changed: "Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! In the south..."
Yi Yusong quickly interrupted him, saying, "Since you all wish to tour, please do so. However, I have urgent business to attend to, so I will not keep you company."
Having said that, he turned and left, leaving behind the words, "Guards, treat the Qin delegation well!"
After he left, Chu Ping and the others exchanged a glance and both revealed meaningful smiles.
"Commander," Zhang Erhe said with a smile, "then would you please show us around?"
The commander suppressed his anger and still accompanied them as they strolled around the palace.
Throughout the journey, these clowns never stopped for a moment, finding fault with everything they saw and criticizing everything they said, making the dignified naval commander tremble with anger.
As they walked, another man in black hurried over. The commander's expression darkened further after reading the secret report.
"Please take your time with your tour," he said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "I have other matters to attend to and must take my leave now."
After he walked away, Chu Ping whispered to Wang Pen, "Did you see that? The message we released worked. These people thought a merchant ship had really slipped away, and they can't sit still anymore, can they?"
"Of course!" Wang Pen said smugly. "I'll have people disguise themselves as merchant ships and loiter in the south. Those Baiyue navies must be jumping up and down in a panic!"
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