Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 53

Yongye heard his footsteps as he walked out the door. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Li Tianyou's voice calling out, "Guards! Seal off the study!"

He was shocked and quickly leaped out from behind the screen, kicking open the window and freezing in disbelief. After the window shattered, a net was stretched outside. Before Yongye could turn around, Li Tianyou had already appeared in the doorway, looking at him leisurely and saying, "There is only one exit, here."

Without a second thought, Yongye rushed forward, throwing three flying knives. He knew that only by defeating Li Tianyou could he escape. Last time, Yuepo had poisoned him, and he had been extremely careful not to touch anything here. However, Li Tianyou's skill surprised Yongye; he easily dodged the three flying knives.

"Knowing you're a master of hidden weapons, you're nothing special," Li Tianyou mocked.

"You think you can really avoid it?" Yongye wanted to laugh too, but said in a hoarse voice, "How did you know I was in the study?"

"I guessed." A sly smile flashed across Li Tianyou's handsome face. It was too quiet outside. With his and Feng Yangxi's skills, the person would have vanished in the blink of an eye. He couldn't think of anywhere else to hide besides in the study. The glance he exchanged with Feng Yangxi was a signal that he was keeping an eye on Yuepo.

Yongye clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Your Highness is indeed full of cunning schemes!"

"You're the one with the most cunning schemes!" Li Tianyou leaned against the doorway, not giving an inch, and casually said with his arms crossed, "I've already said I want to talk to you face to face. You've entered my study time and time again, so you obviously have the same idea. Why don't you sit down and have a proper talk?"

Yongye nodded, a few black spheres appearing in his palm at some point. His fingertips lightly traced the smooth surface of the spheres. His master in blue had said that these hidden weapons were a specialty of the small Song Kingdom on the border of Anguo, and should be used only as a last resort. He glanced around Prince You's study, its furniture a uniform of rosewood—truly a place where one could enjoy life.

"You like it here? This sandalwood comes from deep forests thousands of miles away. I really like its color and texture. Although it's a bit far and took some labor, it's still worth it. Sitting here drinking tea and chatting is a pleasure. Why don't you give it a try?" Li Tianyou said gently, his gaze fixed on Yongye. He didn't believe that Yongye could escape from him tonight.

"What a pity." Yongye chuckled and waved his hand. Li Tianyou easily dodged by turning his head. With a loud bang, he was thrown into the air by the blast. At the same time, the study window and the netting outside were shattered, and the guards standing outside fell to the ground.

Yongye curled his lip. Same speed, different hidden weapons. Still dodging the same old way? Too stupid. He glanced at the study and felt a pang of guilt. He'd used five at once; what a waste of the study. Thinking this, he used the force of the air blast to leap outwards, his body already ten zhang away. Only his triumphant laughter could be heard in the wind: "Li Tianyou, I've treated you well. I didn't throw a thunderbolt at you, making you catch it with your hands. You should remember this favor!"

Li Tianyou slowly straightened up from ten zhang away, touching the back of his neck with his hand; a trace of blood stained his fingers. Even with his swift dodge, he had been cut by shards of shattered wood. He glanced at the blood on his hand, his face darkening as he stared at the destroyed study. He had indeed underestimated this assassin. He had activated a mechanism to seal the windows with netting when he moved the bookshelf, yet the black-clad assassin had dared to blow it up. Not only that, but he had also used a throwing knife to confuse him, injuring him.

"Unleash the dogs!" He added night-blooming primrose to the candle he relit, mixing it with the scent of sandalwood. When this scent clung to a person, his trained dogs could smell it.

The guards led two small black dogs out, sniffed Li Tianyou, and ran in the direction where Yongye had disappeared. An hour later, the guards reported in a low voice: "Prince Duan's residence."

The Prince Duan's Mansion?! Li Tianyou's eyes turned as deep as the night.

That person actually came from the Prince Duan's residence! A faint smile appeared on his lips, extremely faint, and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The attendant carefully and gently wiped the bloodstains from his neck with a white cotton cloth and whispered, "It's alright."

Li Tianyou hummed in agreement, then walked along the path towards the thatched cottage without even glancing at the study, his hands behind his back.

He wanted the princess with just one sentence.

Heading south from the Donghua Gate in Kyoto, passing Gaotou Street, you arrive at Tianshui Lane, a bustling area. Famous Kyoto shops such as Qingdetang Pharmacy, Guyuelou, gold and silver jewelry, pearl and silk merchants, as well as Pan's Restaurant, Li's Incense Shop, and Liu's Steamed Bun Shop are all located here. Everywhere you look, you see a constant flow of people, shoulder to shoulder.

The guesthouse where Anguo entertained envoys from various countries was located here.

Upon waking up, Yongye felt refreshed and in a good mood, and decided to go and negotiate with the State of Chen.

This was his first time serving as an official, and also his first time holding such a high-ranking position. He had no experience in officialdom and was unfamiliar with the intricate etiquette. He learned to discern rank by clothing and had a rough idea of what to do when addressing the emperor. To the two deputy envoys, he could only bow respectfully and address them as "Your Excellency." Everything else was far too casual.

The two deputy envoys knew that the Emperor had personally issued an edict appointing the Prince of Duan's heir as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the chief negotiator, but they were unaware of the reason. They wondered if the Emperor had deliberately sent this seemingly sickly Prince of Duan's heir to dampen the spirits of the Chen envoy. Therefore, they couldn't utter a single word that was improper to Yongye, who was carried into the post station in a soft sling.

The inn occupied a large area with four or five courtyards to facilitate the lodging of envoys from other countries.

Yongye looked around curiously, praising the excellent location of the inn—a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle. Either the emperor was out of his mind, or the person who came up with the idea was a spy from another country. How could they provide such a good cover for envoys from various nations visiting the capital?

He thought to himself that all countries were probably like this, eager to showcase their prosperity and power, which was why they chose locations like this. Yongye chuckled at his own paranoia, always thinking only of defense. He sighed, withdrawing the wary mindset he'd developed as an assassin, and lay comfortably on the soft cushions, admiring the garden-style hotel.

It took the procession a full fifteen minutes to enter the east courtyard of the post station.

Facing you is the main hall, surrounded by large trees that encircle a spacious nine-tiered gable-roofed building. Under the eaves is a wide corridor covered with brown wooden planks, which have been washed until they are shiny and reflective.

"Lord Li, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies and Ambassador for Peace Negotiations, has arrived!"

Yongye saw that the envoys from the State of Chen were already in place in the hall, and slowly walked in, supported by his attendant.

The envoy from Chen requested Emperor Yujia to have the heir apparent of Prince Duan preside over the talks. He had expected the heir apparent to be dashing and resemble Prince Duan, but instead, a pale-faced, exquisitely handsome young man entered. Seeing that he wore a scarlet silk official robe, a jade belt, and a hat adorned with glass beads, he recognized him as the fourth-rank Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Not daring to underestimate him, the envoy greeted him with proper courtesy.

Yongye raised his hand, as if holding his breath, and said, "This humble official is ordered to negotiate. Please sit down..." He had already mustered all his strength, and before he could finish saying "please sit down," his face turned bright red, followed by a violent cough. He coughed until everyone present felt their throats itch before he finally stopped.

After he finished coughing, he drank some tea and sighed softly: "I have been sickly since childhood. To show his sincerity, His Majesty agreed to Chen's request and appointed me as the chief envoy for negotiations. However, I am not in good health and cannot hold on for long. I will have to trouble the two deputy envoys."

He then closed his eyes to rest.

The two deputy envoys were taken aback, inwardly groaning, but they straightened their posture and said, "This time, it is the State of Chen that has invaded our Sanyu Pass. Our condition is to cede one hundred li south of Sanyu Pass..."

"No! Our country will never concede an inch of land. We request that the Anguo army withdraw from our territory within fifty li as soon as possible and release our prisoners."

"Lord Qian, you are mistaken. Your army has been defeated; how can this attitude be considered offering conditions to our country?!" Vice Envoy Ma's face flushed red with anger. "Our army has already occupied fifty li; you only need to cede another fifty li!"

"Fifty li is still Chen territory. Can An's army stay here for long?" Minister Qian of Chen sneered.

"Hmph, if our army sets off and gains another fifty li, we will lose this hundred-li stronghold. Does Lord Qian want to see our army advance unimpeded?"

The two sides then engaged in a verbal battle.

After arguing for a while, Lord Qian's eyes darted around, and he bowed to Yongye: "What does the Envoy think?"

Yongye opened his eyes, and before he could speak, he coughed violently again. After coughing, he wiped his mouth, took a sip of tea, and said, "What was all that noise about just now? I was so confused that I couldn't understand a word. Lord Qian, what do you mean?"

Lord Qian smiled and said, "What we mean is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yongye interrupted him again, turning to Deputy Envoy Ma and asking, "What do we mean?"

Lord Ma confidently explained An Guo's meaning.

Yongye nodded and smiled at Lord Qian: "Lord Qian, that's exactly what I mean. Do you have any other requests?"

Lord Qian was taken aback, sweat beading on his forehead: "Lord Li, we have no demands. We simply..."

"Since there are no other requests, Lord Ma, draft the treaty. I will return to report back." Yongye interrupted Lord Qian indifferently and gave the order.