Hearing these words, Wei Zhan couldn't help but shake his head. At this moment, for an envoy to concern himself with flowery language was merely a waste of time. Sure enough, Li Jun laughed heartily: "My lord, we are not on the same page and cannot work together. Your reasoning is worthless in my eyes. Guards, throw him out!"
The envoy had prepared a great deal to say, hoping to persuade Li Jun with his eloquence, but he had no chance to do so and was driven out of the Peace Army camp. However, less than half a day after he left dejectedly, a second envoy from the Su Kingdom arrived.
"If you don't want to see him, just say I don't want to see him," Li Jun ordered, completely ignoring him.
The messenger laughed and said he had not expected that the commander, who was fearless in front of the two armies, would be afraid of him, a scholar who was powerless to even kill a chicken.
"Heh, if I were to fall for his provocation, I wouldn't have led my troops to the walls of Liuzhou." Li Jun turned to look at Wei Zhan. "What do you think, sir?"
"The commander probably still wants to hear what this person has to say, right?" Wei Zhan smiled slightly. "Otherwise, we can just fire him."
“You really know me well, sir,” Li Jun shrugged. “Let him in.”
Shi Quan said, "Wait a minute. He can come in, but he has to be searched first."
Li Jun shook his head and said, "Since we're going to see him, there's no need to be afraid of him. Hmm, if Brother Shi is worried, how about letting Sister Ji Su come with me to see him?"
Seeing that Li Jun was quite interested in the envoy, Shi Quan didn't want to stop him too much. Although Li Jun's injuries hadn't fully healed, with Ji Su by his side, he shouldn't be afraid of anyone trying to assassinate him.
The envoy was quickly led into the tent. Though called an envoy, he was accompanied by five or six attendants. Li Jun observed the group with considerable interest. Even if they were assassins, they shouldn't be acting so openly. It seemed the envoy genuinely intended to sway him with words. However, judging from the figures of the attendants, they appeared to be women. Was the envoy trying to use beautiful women to win him over?
"This humble official greets Duke Yu." The envoy's first words startled Li Jun. He had been granted the title of Earl of Yu by Liu Guang in the name of the King of Chen, but the envoy addressed him as "Duke Yu." However, he immediately realized that the State of Su had already granted him the title of Duke.
"Desperate measures are being taken..." Li Jun sneered. If he pushed Li Gou any further, Li Gou would probably agree to hand over Wu Shu.
"His Majesty has sent me here today to inform you of a few things, Your Highness. First, Wu Shu has been dismissed from his post and imprisoned, awaiting Your Highness's judgment. Second, His Majesty sent people to search for Your Highness's family members, only to discover that Your Highness is a descendant of Emperor Xianzong and a cousin of His Majesty. Therefore, His Majesty is very eager to see Your Highness."
"Oh?" Li Jun was taken aback. The envoy spoke crisply and concisely, yet got straight to the point. What he said made him want to find out more. In terms of eloquence alone, he was no less than Lu Yuan.
"Regardless of whether Wu Shu's imprisonment is true or false, what evidence do you have that the king is my cousin?" Recalling his cousin Li Tan, who had saved his life by covering him with a corpse, Li Jun was about 80% convinced, but he still questioned him.
"Here is a genealogy of the Great Su royal family, which can prove the Duke's identity." The envoy handed a scroll to a guard, who then passed it to Li Jun. Li Jun glanced at it and indeed saw the names of his grandfather, father, and himself on it, but he only glanced at it before throwing it on the ground, saying with disgust, "Even so, I have absolutely no connection with the Su royal family!"
Lei Hun's face suddenly flashed through his mind. Lei Hun was originally a member of the royal family of Su Kingdom, and was even once a prince. Lu Xiang had mentioned him briefly before his death. He gave up his right to inherit the throne because he hated the royal bloodline and wandered around, becoming a saint of the three religions. He must have been filled with hatred for the dirty and rotten bloodline in his heart.
"The Duke..."
"Enough. If you have no other explanation, you can go back and report to that tyrannical emperor." Li Jun said, word by word, "It's all too late. The arrow has already been released. Even if he truly repents, he will have to pay the price first!"
The envoy paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, "Your Excellency the Duke has not yet seen the gift bestowed by His Majesty."
Li Jun glanced coldly at the women behind him; their faces were obscured by the large men's cloaks and headscarves. Li Jun asked, "Is it them?"
The messenger gently raised his hand, and the sound of his clapping was quite peculiar, like a drumbeat heralding dawn, or the low tolling of an evening bell. The rhythm was slow at first, but gradually quickened, until finally the clapping became a continuous chorus, like the croaking of frogs in a field on a summer night, but this croaking was a continuous, unified response, not individual chatter. Amidst his applause, one of the women stepped forward, slowly removing her cloak and the headscarf covering her face, revealing a bright and captivating face that was both joyful and reproachful.
Apart from Ji Su, the tent was filled with men, and their gazes instinctively fell upon the woman. The envoy noticed that only Li Jun glanced at her briefly before frowning. The clapping changed, and a second woman stepped forward, revealing her true face. This time, she presented herself to everyone with a delicate face, slightly furrowed brows, and a slender waist so thin it seemed one could grasp it with one hand, involuntarily evoking feelings of pity.
Li Jun's gaze lingered briefly on the woman's face before shifting to the envoy's. The envoy smiled slightly, and the clapping changed again. If the second clapping was as ethereal as a gentle breeze and a bright moon, this time it was as melodious as the harmonious sounds of a zither and the songs of fishermen and woodcutters. A third woman stepped forward, removing her outer garment to reveal a refined and serene face and a pair of deep, alluring eyes. Her scholarly demeanor carried a hint of pride and shyness, making her seem not like a mortal woman, but rather a celestial lady-in-waiting.
Over the years, Li Jun has read a lot of books. Whether it is Feng Jiutian, Wei Zhan, Ren Qian, or others around him, they are all learned and talented people. Under their influence, Li Jun is no longer the ignorant and uncultured man he once was. When he sees such a woman, he can't help but be amazed. How did such a talented and virtuous heroine, the woman of his dreams, come to him?
But Ji Su smiled slightly, because although Li Jun was staring at the woman, he secretly reached out and took her hand. Or rather, Li Jun was simply admiring the woman's temperament, treating her as a work of art where innate qualities and acquired artistry were perfectly blended.
The envoy was clearly very good at reading people. Seeing that Li Jun was not moved by the woman, he stopped clapping and said with a helpless expression, "With such a valiant woman as Lady Ji by your side, the Duke doesn't need to look at this fourth woman. Now, the Duke will meet this fifth woman. I dare say that after the Duke meets her, he will never be moved by any other woman in the world again."
A cold smile crept onto Li Jun's lips. The envoy was praising the fifth woman so enthusiastically while trying to ignore the fourth woman, whose true face had not yet been revealed. It seemed that the fourth woman must be strange. He already had a plan in mind, so he didn't say much, but simply nodded slightly to the envoy. The envoy bowed to the fifth woman and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, young lady."
The woman did not react. When the messenger urged her a second time, she gave a faint "hmm". With just this one sound, the people in the tent felt as if heavenly music had come, or as if their most beloved person was softly pleading in their hearts. They couldn't help but feel a tremor in their hearts.
The woman extended her slender, jade-like fingers from within the cloak and gently lifted it, revealing her tightly bound body. Although she was dressed in a pale purple outfit, everyone felt that her figure was exquisite and perfectly proportioned, every inch of her body was just right. The ancient saying that adding an inch would make her fat, and subtracting an inch would make her thin perfectly described her figure!
Everyone eagerly focused their gaze on the woman's hand, then followed it to the headscarf covering her face. Li Jun also seemed extremely curious about the face beneath the headscarf, staring intently without blinking. Just then, the fourth woman suddenly moved.
"Hmm?" Li Jun's eyes widened, shooting out a sharp light that enveloped the fourth woman. The woman only took one step forward before freezing, for she realized at least three knives were pointed at her chest. Lan Qiao laughed loudly, "I knew you'd be strange, you little chick! Hand over what you have!"
Just as everyone's attention shifted from the fifth woman to the fourth, the fifth woman suddenly cried out, lifted the headscarf from her face, and almost simultaneously, with a soft "ding," Ji Su swung her knife to block a poisoned needle.
Immediately following, the clanging of weapons clashing continued. The woman had somehow acquired two short swords, which she wielded with dazzling speed as she lunged at Li Jun. Ji Su, wielding his saber, engaged her in fierce combat. The two exchanged more than ten blows in an instant, until Li Jun shouted, "Stop!"
Ji Su stopped in response, and the warriors outside the tent rushed in immediately. The woman seemed to know that the assassination was hopeless, so she threw her two swords to the ground and sighed deeply.
But when it came to looking grim, perhaps no one in the tent could match Li Jun. Li Jun slowly sat back down, and after a long while said, "Little sister, was it you who informed the Netherworld Sect assassin of my whereabouts and habits?"
"It's me." Lu Shang's eyes were filled with both sorrow and helplessness.
"Was it you who devised the plan of using poison against poison for Zhao Xing in Nan'an Pass?"
“It’s me too,” Lu Shang said slowly.
"Knowing that I am still seriously injured, it was you who devised this assassination plot. It's remarkable that you were able to find so many people who came with you." Li Jun looked at the messenger, who remained calm despite the perilous situation, showing great courage.
Lu Shang said softly, "Brother Li Jun, I have advised you more than once not to go too far. Ever since we met, you have never listened to me on any important matter. I have also told you more than once that if one day you bring your army to the gates of my Great Su capital, this is all I can do to welcome you..."
Looking at the poisoned needles on the ground, Li Jun suddenly remembered something and asked, "Several years ago, when Brother Meng Yuan fought fiercely with Huo Kuang at Fenglin Ferry, was it you who sent people to assassinate Huo Kuang?"
"Brother Li Jun, although I didn't want you to come here, I also didn't want to see you fail. Brother Li Jun, I'm so sad..." Years of responsibility and burdens can finally be considered over on this day. Lu Shang couldn't help but shed tears, and her voice choked with sobs.
A complex and conflicting emotion welled up within Li Jun. Without Lu Xiang, there would be no Li Jun as he was today. That man, loyal to his country, had effectively taken the place of Li Jun's father, becoming a permanent guiding figure on Li Jun's life path. During those years, Li Jun had also developed a deep sibling-like bond with the woman before him. Although they bickered and witted, Li Jun genuinely considered her his own sister. Her presence to congratulate him on his joyous occasions had always filled him with happiness. But today, things had come to this…
Li Jun wasn't afraid that if he released Lu Shang, she would come back to assassinate him. What worried him was how to explain himself to Zeng Liang and the others who died for him in the assassination attempt, and how to explain himself to the soldiers who fell into the trap and drowned in front of Nan'an Pass. An unprecedented sense of weakness filled Li Jun's heart. In his current position, what choice could he possibly make?
"Put away your weapons..." Ji Su gripped Li Jun's hand tightly. At this moment, she had to stand up and share some burdens with Li Jun, but Li Jun stopped her. He shouted sternly, "Now that things have come to this, Lu Shang, will you surrender or resist to the bitter end?"
Before Ji Su could say anything, Li Jun silenced her with a tender look in his eyes, a look that clearly said, "How can I let my wife bear the infamy that should be borne by me?"
Lu Shang's face was pale and withered, and she no longer had the beauty that could topple kingdoms. The failed assassination attempt had made her look much more haggard. She slowly stretched out her hands, and warriors came up and used iron shackles to bind her hands.
"This plan was devised by me, and has nothing to do with these women. Let them go," Lu Shang said after a moment of hesitation. The envoy, however, said arrogantly, "Li Jun, I was the one who presented this plan to the King. Kill me if you want. Am I, Qiao Zifang, the kind of person who would let a woman bear all the responsibility?"