After Emperor Mingde agreed, Xie Yun invited Tulev to sit down, along with his handsome companion. Then, the toasting began, a time for the men to take center stage.
Zhao Shu watched the play about the Xiongnu's difficulties with boredom. After a few rounds of drinks and half a meal, and after the palace musicians and dancers had performed several shows, she secretly yawned and happened to see Zhao Wanshi on the stage looking at her.
Zhao Wanshi was somewhat smug, but in recent years she had grown up and become much more ambitious. She quickly concealed her smugness and stopped looking at Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu was baffled. Could this girl have already taken her place?
How naive! Glancing at Prince Tulev, who was sitting in his seat without a smile, and who was of average appearance but barely passable, I realized that apart from being the future Khan, he had no redeeming qualities whatsoever, especially in his looks.
I don't know what Zhao Wanshi is so proud of. Could it be because she will become the mother of a nation in the future?
If she knew how the Xiongnu survived, she wouldn't feel so smug. The Xiongnu environment was hardly a place for a delicate young lady.
She covered her face with her wide sleeves, yawned again, and her eyes were moist. She was really sleepy. The musician was playing the imitation of Guangling San, but she didn't have much of an appreciation for art. She was really too sleepy. If Sun Yun were here, that would be great. She plays the zither very well.
Suddenly, someone with a malicious heart raised their voice and said, "I have heard that Princess Jun is proficient in poetry, songs, music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Forgive my impertinence, but I would like to ask the Princess to demonstrate a few skills to us to add to the fun."
"Bang." Zhao Shu slammed her hand heavily on the long table. Her hand trembled with pain, but she didn't even frown. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw that the speaker was an envoy who was with Tulev.
The fact that he was brought in suggests that he was Tulev's strategist.
When this person met Zhao Shu's gaze, he remained neither humble nor arrogant, and even raised his eyebrows in a provocative manner.
Before the Empress Dowager could speak up in defense, Zhao Shu retorted with a cold laugh, "Since you know it's presumptuous, why did you say it? I am a princess of the highest rank bestowed by the imperial court. Even if your Khan were to come, he would not be able to accept my entertainment!"
“Princess, I apologize for my rudeness and recklessness. Please forgive him. He had only long admired your name and was excited to finally meet you. He spoke nonsense in a moment of excitement. Please forgive him, Your Highness.” Tulev immediately stepped forward to speak on his behalf.
Everyone held their breath. This was a difficult question to answer. If they forgave, they would feel wronged, and the other party would seem too arrogant. If they didn't forgive, they would appear petty.
No matter how she answers, it feels like she'll damage the nation's reputation, since Zhao Shu's rank is very high, enough to represent the daughters of the Zhao imperial family.
Even the Empress Dowager held her breath, watching Zhao Shu with worry.
"Your Highness speaks excellent Chinese, which suggests you have studied Chinese culture. May I ask, Your Highness, do you know Confucius?" Zhao Shu quickly composed herself, her face now displaying a polite smile, dignified yet authoritative.
Before his arrival, Tulev had investigated the main figures of the Zhao royal family. Zhao Shu was naturally the subject of his investigation. But Zhao Shu was not so easy to investigate.
He only knew that Zhao Shu was no longer the same as before. Seeing her dignified expression, he couldn't help but be on high alert, because he also represented the face of the Xiongnu Kingdom.
After taking two deep breaths, he smiled slightly, clasped his hands in a fist and faced the sky outside the door, and said, "I am naturally aware of a sage of this generation."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu replied, "Confucius once said something that I'm sure Your Highness, with your extensive knowledge, must know: 'Repay kindness with kindness and repay injustice with justice.' What do you think, Your Highness?"
Tulev's face instantly turned ugly. He gritted his teeth and said to the strategist beside him, "Hurry up and apologize to the princess!" He was quite annoyed and showed that Zhao Shu was being unreasonable.
The envoy was quite indignant, but still apologized, saying, "I was rash and used inappropriate language. Please forgive me, Princess."
Zhao Shu sat calmly in her seat, not even glancing at the envoy. "Fine, I am not a petty person. However, my Dayong is a superior country, a land of etiquette. Ganlu Palace is a place blessed by heaven, and we do not entertain rude and uncouth people."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Minister of Rites immediately stood up, looked at Emperor Mingde, who nodded, and said, "This envoy, please leave!"
"You!" The envoy pointed angrily at the Minister of Rites, wanting to say something harsh, but was stopped by Tulev, who then turned to Zhao Shu, "Princess Jun, we Great Xiongnu believe that the strong rule. When two countries are at war, shouldn't we follow our own customs?"
"Haven't you heard of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do', Your Highness?" Zhao Shu retorted firmly.
Tulev was shocked by Zhao Shu's blatant disrespect. No one in the entire court intervened, and she dared to talk about a land of propriety? He was furious, his face turning ashen.
"Does Dayong not intend to form a friendly alliance with our country?" He brought up the matter of a marriage alliance.
Now, facing Tulev, Zhao Shu felt like a scholar encountering a soldier. She remained unmoved, saying, "It's rare. I thought the prince had forgotten about the marriage. It turns out the eldest prince still remembers."
Tulev was even more furious. He had been so busy making things difficult for Emperor Mingde as soon as he came in that he hadn't even mentioned this matter yet. Unexpectedly, Zhao Shu beat him to it, and he immediately became passive.
"Your Highness, there is no need to panic. My Great Yong is a great nation with the grandeur of a superior country. Just now, Your Highness mentioned that the strong rule. May I ask what Your Highness is good at? My Great Yong may not be full of talented people, but we do have a few capable people. You may challenge us, but your subordinates, get out of here immediately!"
She said it casually, as if it didn't sound like an argument at all. However, in the back and forth, Tulev had already been put on the defensive and could only be led by the nose by Zhao Shu.
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