Chapter 380 "Haha, you've come at the perfect time!"
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Was Li Shiyue doing this on purpose?
Li Shiyue did it on purpose, of course!
Upon seeing the two Blackwater Mohe, Li Shiyue already had a vague idea in her mind.
When she returned to her tent that evening, she and Li Qiutian were soaking their feet and chatting. When Li Qiutian mentioned that he had brought the curved knife, her previously unformed idea immediately came to fruition.
“...I didn’t want to take it, but my mother said that we were going to the Turks, and that this thing might be of some unexpected use, so I took it off the wall.”
"Sister! Aunt is really amazing!"
So, at this moment, looking at the curved knife that Li Shiyue had slammed onto the table, Li Qiutian didn't show much surprise on her face, but she was thinking to herself, "So this is the surprise Shiyue was talking about at the banquet."
Li Shiyue was very good at handling things. Seeing that everyone in the tent was looking at the crescent-shaped scimitar in her hand, she stood up without waiting for anyone to ask.
She first bowed to the new Khan sitting at the head of the table, then picked up the scimitar from the table and raised it to the entire audience.
"Everyone, that's right!"
This curved sword is the very one that the old Khan wore back then!
"It was also on that occasion that I met with all the princes," Li Shiyue said, glancing at She'er sitting directly opposite her as she spoke the word "princes."
"After the contest, I finally won this scimitar!"
By sheer coincidence, I have returned to the grasslands today with this scimitar!
Khan, how about I use this scimitar as the prize for this competition tonight?
Who wants this scimitar?
"Just beat me, Li Shiyue, and that's all that matters!"
After saying this, Li Shiyue, who was holding the scimitar, suddenly drew the scimitar with his right hand with a "whoosh"!
The gleaming blade dazzled everyone's eyes, and at the same time, the guards holding swords in the corner of the tent rushed towards Li Shiyue.
Of course, the new Khan, who was sitting at the head of the table, was suddenly rushed in front of him by the Turkic guards behind him, who drew their swords to protect him.
Yes, Li Shiyue did it on purpose!
She knew, of course, that the privilege of carrying a sword in this tent, given that she was an envoy from Andong, was already due to Andong's power.
Of course, another reason was that they brought gold and silver to trade. Gold and silver are valuable items that can be used to buy things that are scarce on the grasslands, such as grain and salt.
Moreover, Anton isn't just doing this one business; barring any unforeseen circumstances, this wool trade can continue for a long time.
So, for the Turks, this kind of business, which only required raising more sheep and finding slaves to shear their wool in the spring, was like money falling from the sky.
With such a good deal, how could the new Khan not be happy when facing the envoys from Andong?
Therefore, he generously granted the people from Andong a special privilege: they were allowed to carry swords when entering the tent.
This really shows a lot of respect to Anton. After all, they are the Turks themselves, and princes like Sher would have their swords removed when they entered the tent.
Not to mention the leaders of those small tribes, who couldn't even hide a dagger on their person.
So, Li Shiyue's sudden drawing of his sword in front of everyone was probably because he was frightened by the Turkic guards inside the tent.
However, the new Khan at the head of the table was not frightened at all by Li Shiyue's actions; at least, there was no sign of being frightened on his face.
The new Khan said something to the guards in front of him, but Li Shiyue couldn't understand the barbarians' language anyway.
However, after hearing the new Khan's words, the guard sheathed his sword and retreated.
Li Shiyue smiled as she held up the gleaming curved blade of the sword, which shone brightly in the tent's lamplight. However, the smile only lasted for a moment. After the smile faded, she looked as if she had been impolite and quickly sheathed the sword.
Immediately afterward, Li Shiyue bowed and clasped her hands in greeting to the new Khan at the head of the table, saying, "I was rash!"
They had completely forgotten that they were inside the Khan's golden tent!
Please, Your Majesty, do not blame me!
The old Khan's precious sword is truly something to behold!
Hearing Li Shiyue's words, Zhou Yiran, who was closest to Li Shiyue, twitched at the corner of his mouth. He really felt that Li Shiyue's acting was so embarrassing to watch.
But so what if it's awkward?
As long as the goal is achieved, that's fine.
Then Li Shiyue saw the Han official say something to the new Khan at the head of the table, and then the new Khan waved his hand and mumbled something else.
At this moment, the Han official bowed to Li Shiyue and then translated for the new Khan: "My king highly agrees with Lieutenant Li's proposal!"
Furthermore, my king has added ten celestial horses from the Milky Way as a prize for this game!
The final victor will not only receive the scimitar drawn by Lieutenant Li, but also the ten heavenly horses bestowed upon him by my king!
Upon hearing this, Li Shiyue put down her scimitar, bowed to the new Khan at the head of the table, and praised him profusely, "The Khan is indeed the master of the grasslands, so magnanimous!"
Li Shiyue's lips moved as he spoke, and before he could finish, he added, "It is said that the men of the grasslands value righteousness the most, and the Khan's magnanimity moves even the mountains and rivers!"
Hearing these words of praise, the Han official's lips twitched, just like Zhou Yiran's, who was standing next to Li Shiyue.
However sweet the words were, the Han officials still translated them carefully.
This pleased the new Khan so much that he immediately raised his glass and clinked it against Li Shiyue's!
Therefore, the female slaves dancing in the center of the tent were all called away, and the servants also moved the tables and chairs to the side of the tent, leaving a large space in the center of the tent.
Zhou Yiran understood Li Shiyue's abilities after their battle with the wolf pack. He knew she must have something to rely on to say that.
And the others?
Only two of the Turkic princes opposite him, like Sher, all three of them had rather sour expressions.
These two, along with She'er, were all Turkic princes who had participated in the competition with the old Khan. Including She'er, the three of them could be considered defeated opponents of Li Shiyue.
And the others?
Whether it was other Turkic princes, leaders and their sons from other Turkic tribes, or people from the Blackwater Mohe and other small tribes, they all started rubbing their hands together, eager to fight Li Shiyue.
Although women are not looked down upon as much as Han Chinese are, in many of their tribes, the eldest daughter of the tribal chief's family is not much different in status from the eldest son.
Moreover, due to the harsh living conditions on the grasslands, women there are trained from a young age to ride horses to draw bows and to dismount to wield knives and whips.
However, apart from the two Turkic princes who had seen Li Shiyue before, just like She'er, how could anyone else take Li Shiyue, who looked like a small and thin Han girl, seriously?
Even if they might pay some attention to Li Shiyue because of her status as a female official from Andong, they still wouldn't care much about her.
Therefore, the first to come and probe Li Shiyue's background was one of the two cousins from the Blackwater Mohe tribe on the Sixth Prince's side, a Mohe barbarian.
"Haha, you've come at the perfect time!"
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