I?
How dare you address me like that?
It should be noted that even when it came to Meng Ao, Ying Zheng never referred to himself as "I". He only referred to himself as "I" in front of his wicked husband, and he made no attempt to hide his intimacy with him.
"This young man has a limitless future; given time, he will surely rise to the highest ranks of officialdom."
The civil and military officials felt a chill run down their spines. These shrewd and experienced men were already plotting how to get close to the wicked husband.
"Your Majesty, when has your wicked husband ever disappointed you? Back then..." The wicked husband's eyes suddenly lit up, and he was about to give a speech reminiscing about the past when he was interrupted by the embarrassed Meng Ao.
"Alright, enough nonsense. The weather is bitterly cold. If the King and his officials get frostbite, you will be held responsible."
Ying Zheng smiled knowingly, glanced at his wicked husband, and said with a smile, "The General is right. It must be a bit cold to be here with all the officials so early in the morning."
The wicked man's smile froze on his face. He glared at Meng Ao with hatred. Such a good opportunity to show off had been interrupted by this old man.
"Let's go back to the palace and talk about it!" Ying Zheng was indeed feeling quite cold, so he turned around and quickly boarded the carriage.
They returned to Zhangtai Palace in silence.
Before Ying Zheng could even settle into his seat, a palace guard rushed over and announced in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, an envoy from the State of Wei has arrived and is requesting an audience outside the palace."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was stunned.
Mission? What mission?
Could it be that they've come to interrogate me?
Just as everyone was lost in thought, the wicked man stepped forward and sneered, "Your Majesty, why don't you meet them and see what they mean?"
Ying Zheng also smiled strangely and nodded, saying, "Go, bring them in!"
Shortly after, three envoys from the State of Wei entered Zhangtai Palace.
"The envoy from Wei pays his respects to the King of Qin." The three men bowed respectfully, and then the middle-aged man in the lead stepped forward. "I am Zhao Sheng. I have come on the orders of the King of Wei to bring congratulatory gifts and congratulate Your Majesty on your assumption of power."
Zhao Sheng was a eloquent man; in doing so, he both preserved the face of the Wei Kingdom and indirectly flattered Ying Zheng.
I can't possibly come here with a gift to offer my congratulations, giving you all the face you deserve, only to have you still be so unreasonable, can I?
As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's money is bound to him, and he who eats a man's food is bound to him," and some things are better left unsaid.
"Awesome!"
Before Ying Zheng could speak, a loud exclamation rang out in the hall, followed by a buzz of discussion.
The wicked man looked at the Wei envoy with amusement and gave him a thumbs up. "Wei is awesome. It truly is a land of etiquette."
"It's unprecedented to see someone get a good beating and then rush to give gifts."
A hint of resentment flashed in Zhao Sheng's eyes; he was extremely dissatisfied with the wicked husband's almost humiliating words.
But alas, the situation was beyond their control!
He carried the imperial edict of King Xi of Wei and the safety of hundreds of thousands of people in Anyi City on his shoulders. How could he dare to contradict the wicked man? He could only force a smile.
“Hey, you’re still too young, you know too little!” Meng Ao suddenly chimed in.
Seeing the wicked man's puzzled expression, he said in a serious tone, "Since the time of King Hui of Wei, it has been common for people in Wei to be beaten and still come to my Qin to send gifts."
"You're incredibly adept at the art of defeat, appeasement, and territorial concessions. I was just as shocked as you were back then..."
As the old man spoke, a look of reminiscence appeared on his face, as if he were recalling his youthful vigor.
Zhao Sheng dared not speak out against his anger. The saying goes, "Don't hit someone in the face, don't insult someone by revealing their shortcomings." But the Qin state was stabbing him in the heart with every blow.
"How dare you be so rude!" Ying Zheng reprimanded the two with a stern face, but the twitching corners of his mouth made him look very hypocritical.
Li Si's face turned ashen, clearly at his limit, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, why not ask Wei how sincere they are?"
Ying Zheng nodded and looked at Zhao Sheng.
Zhao Sheng hurriedly took out a bamboo slip from his robes and read aloud, "To celebrate the ascension of the King of Qin, I present this gift: one million coins, jade..."
The quantity of gold, silver, jewels, and rare treasures was enormous, many of which even the wicked king had never heard of. It must be said that King Xi of Wei truly spared no expense.
After reading the congratulatory gift, Zhao Sheng cautiously looked at Ying Zheng and asked softly, "Your Majesty... are you satisfied with this gift?"
Ying Zheng glanced at Li Si, who immediately understood and asked, "Where is the congratulatory gift now? Was it brought to Xianyang, or was it detained on the way?"
Since the State of Wei arrived without prior notice, transporting such "gifts" would require at least several hundred people, and without proper travel documents, they would be easily detained and interrogated in various places.
Zhao Sheng nodded quickly and whispered, "Qin is hospitable. We haven't encountered many checks along the way. In various places, they only checked the gifts and then let us pass."
The wicked man almost burst out laughing when he heard this. Qin was not afraid of these few hundred people from Wei. As long as they really brought treasures, they would naturally let them pass.
"Then bring it to Zhangtai Palace quickly, so that we may have a good look!" Li Si coughed lightly, covering his mouth.
Zhao Sheng's eyes suddenly lit up, and he felt a sense of confidence. He quickly turned around and winked at the two people behind him.
"I will go with you." Li Si followed the two men and went straight out of the main hall.
Not long after, Li Si returned to Zhangtai Palace, his eyes full of joy, and said, "Your Majesty, the congratulatory gift has been delivered. Please come to the square outside the palace to take a look."
Ying Zheng understood the meaning in Li Si's eyes, and immediately stood up and walked to the palace gate. Zhao Shengzi stood beside Ying Zheng like a lackey, bowing and scraping.
"Open it, let me see what a generous gift the State of Wei has sent!"
As Ying Zheng finished speaking, the palace guards opened all the large wooden boxes, and the treasures inside gleamed in the sunlight.
"Priceless, absolutely priceless!!" The wicked husband was almost blinded by the light.
Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction. "Please thank your King of Wei on my behalf. You are very kind. I am very pleased!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng couldn't help but smile, and said with lowered eyes, "I, the King of Wei, have said that I hope to establish a ten-thousand-year alliance with the State of Qin and never wage war again."
"Send the treasures to the Imperial Treasury!" Ying Zheng did not answer immediately, but instead waved his hand to signal the Imperial Guards to carry the treasures away.
Only after the guards disappeared from sight did Ying Zheng smile and say, "I have already withdrawn my troops, and my army has just returned in triumph before you."
As he spoke, he pointed at Evil Fu and said sarcastically, "This man is named Evil Fu. He is a tiger general of our Great Qin. He is the one who broke through Juancheng, Hucheng, and Anyi. He also killed all 300,000 soldiers in Anyi."
Zhao Sheng looked in the direction Ying Zheng was pointing, his eyes and face filled with unconcealed shock and fear, and even his body trembled slightly.
The wicked man laughed upon hearing this, "Wei envoy, I truly did not intend to humiliate you. To tell you the truth, I have swept away everything of value in Anyi City..."
"Even with this, your king still sends congratulatory gifts. I admire you greatly, and that's why I say that your Wei Kingdom is truly a land of etiquette."
"King Wei repays evil with kindness, which truly fills me with admiration and shame!"
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