Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 511 Liao Envoy
When Empress Dowager Gao saw the visitor, she smiled and said, "Good, good, very good. Please also convey my regards to the Emperor of Liao. I hope that the Song and Liao nations will forever be brotherly states and maintain friendly relations."

Yelü Yi said, "I will certainly convey the Empress Dowager's words."

Yelü Yi continued, "Furthermore, His Majesty the Emperor of Liao heard that the Empress Dowager had been unwell recently. Therefore, he specially ordered his ministers to bring a thousand-year-old ginseng, a treasure of the Liao imperial family, wishing the Empress Dowager to remain healthy forever."

As Yelü Yi spoke, he secretly observed Empress Dowager Gao's expression. A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

The Empress Dowager sat high on her throne, her face rosy and her expression serene, showing no sign of illness. If one did not already know, one would have thought the old empress dowager before them was no more than fifty years old.

Empress Dowager Gao said gently, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty the Emperor of Liao. I was recently ill. Fortunately, our Song Dynasty is full of talented people, and Your Majesty's sincere filial piety led to the discovery of a good doctor for me. After treatment, I am completely cured. I have heard that Your Majesty the Emperor of Liao is still young and vigorous, and is concerned about the affairs of state, working hard day and night. You should take good care of yourself."

Murong Fu almost burst out laughing: This clever person speaks in a different way. Even his insults are so nuanced. Anyone who didn't know the situation would really think this was a pleasant show with both host and guests enjoying themselves.

It's practically an open secret that the Liao emperor, Yelü Hongji, is indulging in hunting and neglecting state affairs. However, the Liao Dynasty's vast territory, large population, and the presence of a group of dedicated ministers have kept the country relatively stable. To claim that the Liao emperor is overly concerned with state affairs and works tirelessly day and night is akin to saying that a certain leader of the Shaolin Temple is ascetic and lives a simple life.

The Liao envoy appeared polite, but in reality, he harbored ill intentions, using the opportunity of his mission to observe Empress Dowager Gao's health and make his next move.

Yelü Hongji was eccentric, ambitious, and lacking in ability, yet harboring great ambitions. He had long harbored the desire to invade the Song Dynasty, unify the country, and rule the world. Having learned through intelligence channels that Empress Dowager Gao of the Song Dynasty was critically ill, he anticipated that her death would cause a major upheaval in the Song court, and was overjoyed. He then ordered Yelü Yi to observe Empress Dowager Gao's condition under the guise of offering birthday greetings, thereby gaining insight into the political situation of the Song court.

Yelü Yi, upon hearing Empress Dowager Gao's words, was not offended and said, "This humble subject will certainly convey the Empress Dowager's words. In addition, His Majesty the Emperor of Liao has also ordered this humble subject to bring a Wanshou Ding (a type of ancient Chinese bronze vessel) as one of the birthday gifts for the Empress Dowager."

After saying that, he clapped his hands and said, "Bring it up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone heard a muffled thud, and eight burly men carried a large cauldron, eight feet square, into the main hall with a thud.

As the cauldron was slowly lowered, a muffled thud resounded in the hall, like a battering ram striking a city gate, demonstrating just how heavy the cauldron was.

A gasp of surprise immediately rang out in the main hall.

As the giant cauldron fell to the ground, cracks appeared in the stone bricks, a testament to its immense weight. Yelü Yi pointed to the cauldron, carved with flowers, birds, insects, and fish, and said, “I have long heard of the Empress Dowager of the Great Song Dynasty’s benevolent rule, possessing the virtues of an ancient sage. She is praised by both the people and officials, and is hailed as a female Yao and Shun. Therefore, His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Liao Dynasty specially commissioned skilled craftsmen to cast this cauldron using the tribute paid by the Great Song Dynasty last year. This cauldron weighs three thousand catties and is named Wanshou, meaning ‘Longevity Without End.’ May the Empress Dowager enjoy long life and continue to rule as regent.”

Upon hearing this, the faces of the Song court officials immediately darkened. This Liao envoy was utterly lawless, practically slapping the face of the Song Dynasty repeatedly! He was utterly despicable!
First, he brought up the annual tribute that the Song Dynasty sent to the Liao Dynasty, and then he spoke of the Empress Dowager's regency in front of the emperor and all the civil and military officials. This was an attempt to sow discord between the emperor and the Empress Dowager! Such arrogant behavior could be described as open provocation!
At this moment, the so-called three-thousand-jin giant cauldron sat in the center of the hall, its gleaming light piercing the hearts of all the civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty.

Finally, a military general stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Liao envoy's words and actions are utterly disrespectful and tantamount to provocation! I request that this scoundrel be dragged out of the Meridian Gate, beheaded, and his head displayed at the East Gate to be seen by the world. I will lead an elite army north to punish the Liao Emperor and avenge this humiliation!"

Within the court ranks, a civil official stepped forward and angrily rebuked, "Insolence, Zhong Shidao! This is the imperial court, not the battlefield where your Western Army grazes its horses and trains its troops. In relations between two nations, etiquette is of utmost importance. How dare you, such a rude and arrogant person, spout nonsense and boast like this!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Shidao's face showed displeasure. In his moment of anger, he failed to grasp the hidden meaning in the civil official's words. On the surface, the official was criticizing Zhong Shidao for being impolite, but in reality, he was indirectly criticizing the Liao envoy for being impolite and talking nonsense.

Empress Dowager Gao rose and gave Yelü Yi a deep, cold look that sent a chill down Yelü Yi's spine.

Empress Dowager Gao said coldly, "Please convey my gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor of Liao for his deep kindness. Men, take this Longevity Cauldron away."

The Imperial Guards on duty responded, and immediately twenty guards stepped forward to hurriedly carry the cauldron away.

Facing the coldness in the Empress Dowager's eyes, Yelü Yi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. However, considering his mission, he braced himself and said, "I have long heard that the Great Song Dynasty is renowned for its flourishing culture and is a famous land of learning and education. Today, I see that this is indeed the case. This Longevity Cauldron weighs only three thousand catties, which can be lifted by eight of His Majesty's personal guards from the Liao Dynasty. However, the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guards would require more than twenty men. I imagine that these twenty-odd men would be hindering each other and making it difficult to move. If the cauldron were to fall and cause casualties, it would disrupt the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, which would be quite unfortunate. It would be better to let the eight elite guards who accompanied the foreign officials serve His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the faces of all the civil and military officials, as well as members of the royal family, turned completely dark.

The Song Dynasty had a long tradition of using civil officials to control the military, and its policy of focusing on internal defense while neglecting external affairs led to repeated defeats in foreign wars over the years. Some people even compared the Song Dynasty with the Tang Dynasty and came up with the so-called theory of a strong Tang and a weak Song.

Even the civil officials couldn't stand it anymore. Immediately, a civil official dressed in purple robes stepped forward and said angrily, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this Liao envoy has spoken rudely and insulted our Great Song Dynasty, deliberately causing trouble. I implore you to expel this person from the banquet for the crime of disrespect!"

Yelü Yi retorted, "This accusation from you is truly inappropriate. I only wish to serve the Empress Dowager; everything I do is out of good intentions. Where is my malice? It is you who are constantly trying to sow discord between our two countries, and that is where my malice lies!"