Diqin Designer

Chapter 460 Unwelcome in Qin
"Oh, you must be the distinguished guests from the Peacock Kingdom? Please come in, please come in!" Pijianu and his entourage stopped outside an inn in Xianyang City, where dozens of Qin people were already waiting. When Pijianu and his group got off the carriage, the Qin leader immediately stepped forward to greet them warmly.

Looking at the inn in front of him, Pijanu was a little puzzled. This was not right. According to Master Moye and others, the Qin people had arranged for them to stay in a place called "Sihai Pavilion," which was a place where the Qin people specially received foreign guests. But this place was obviously not it.

Pijanu glanced at the "Qin Guotong," who was equally bewildered. When they came last time, the Qin people had arranged for them to stay at the Sihai Pavilion. Why were they being treated differently this time? Could it be that the Qin people were intentionally targeting them?

If that's the case, then their mission will likely be very difficult!

Seeing that Pijanu and the others were pondering, the Qin man who was in the lead laughed and said, "Are you wondering why we didn't let you stay at the Four Seas Pavilion, but instead brought you to our shop?"

Pijanu and the others immediately turned their gazes to the Qin man at the head of the group, who said, "This is because of the recent sports meet and exposition, which have brought many distinguished guests from other countries to Xianyang. The Sihai Pavilion is already full, and you gentlemen..."

The Qin man glanced at Pijianu and the others, then continued, "There are quite a few people, and Sihai Pavilion cannot accommodate them all, so the imperial court arranged for you distinguished guests to stay at our establishment."

So that's the reason. It wasn't that the Qin people were targeting them specifically, but rather that the Sihai Pavilion, which was used to receive foreign guests, was already full and couldn't accommodate everyone, so they were arranged to stay here.

This reassured Pijanu and the others somewhat, as long as the Qin people weren't deliberately making things difficult for them. But they quickly realized something else:

No, according to Master Moye and others, the Sihai Pavilion is quite large and can accommodate many people, but it is now full. How many foreign envoys have come to Qin? Are all those foreigners coming to Qin because of the Games and the Expo?

They heard about the sports meet and exposition from Qin people chatting on the streets after entering the city. It seemed that the two grand events were hosted by the Qin state and involved many other countries.

However, the Qin people did not invite the Peacock Kingdom to such a grand event, which made Pijanu and his companions feel that they were being looked down upon by the Qin people. Resentment and humiliation arose in Pijanu and his companions' hearts, but they could not express it to the Qin people.

Because the Qin people were stronger than them, even if they underestimated them, they could only endure it. Moreover, they were currently on Qin territory, so they had to suppress their resentment and humiliation.

Pijanu performed a Qin etiquette ceremony for the Qin leader and said in somewhat broken Qin dialect, "Then we will trouble you all to make the arrangements for us. Thank you, thank you!"

The Qin man at the head of the group laughed and said, "You're too kind, honored guest! Please come in, please come in!"

As the Qin man at the head of the group invited Pijianu and his entourage into the inn, he introduced them, saying, "To be honest, esteemed guests, while our inn may not be the best in Xianyang, it's certainly among the top five. If you don't believe me, you can inquire around Xianyang..."

Pijanu wasn't very interested in the inn; he was more interested in news about Qin. However, with Qin soldiers watching them, Pijanu abandoned his intention to inquire about the news now.

"I must inform you, esteemed guests, that our hotel does not have many rooms. Although we can accommodate you all, you will have to share rooms."

Pijanu said indifferently, "As long as we have a place to stay, that's fine. We came from the country, and many times we don't even have a decent place to stay."

The Qin man at the head nodded and pointed to a room, saying, "This is the room arranged for you, our honored guest. It is the best room in the inn and can accommodate three people. You may choose to share with two others."

The door to the room was open, and Pijanu followed the Qin man inside for a look. The room was fully furnished with tables, chairs, and beds. Although the decorations and furnishings were different from those in their Peacock Kingdom, they were still quite nice. Although they were not as nice as his residence in the Peacock Kingdom, this was Qin territory, so he couldn't ask for too much.

Pijanu toured the room and then said, "Demohr, Ron, you will stay in this room with me."

Demore was his most trusted bodyguard, while Ron was the "Qin expert." There were several "Qin experts" in the delegation, all of whom were Peacocks who had been to the Qin Dynasty and were specifically accompanying the delegation on this mission. Among these "Qin experts," Ron was more to his liking.

After all the rooms had been shown and assigned, the Qin man in the lead said to Pijianu, "Distinguished guests, you have come from afar. Please rest in your rooms first to relieve your travel fatigue. Meals will be served shortly! By the way, does anyone have any dietary restrictions? Would you like to eat in the main hall or in your room?"

Pijanu said, “Beef is not edible, but other things are fine. It’s best to eat in the room. Thank you all for your trouble.”

At this time, the religion had not yet been established and had not yet spread to the Peacock Kingdom. Therefore, the meat that the people of the Peacock Kingdom avoided was mainly beef, and they did not avoid pork.

Upon hearing Pijanu's reply, the Qin leader laughed and said, "Then we will deliver the food to your esteemed guests' rooms shortly. If you require anything else, please let us know at any time, and someone will always be there to assist you."

Pijanu nodded and said, "Thank you all. We will let you know if we need anything!"

After the Qin people left, Pijanu carefully toured his room. The decorations and furnishings were very different from those of their Mauryan Kingdom. At first glance, they seemed a bit strange, but the more he looked, the more he realized that the decorations and furnishings were very sophisticated and had a cultural charm different from that of their Mauryan Kingdom.

On the dark brown round table in the room was a very exquisite painting, accompanied by a poem. Vijanu had seen that poem in the Peacock Kingdom; it was a poem recorded in a book called the Book of Poetry.

The rest of the room also showcased the characteristics of the Qin state, all indicating to Pijanu that they were now in the Qin state, a civilization different from their own Peacock Kingdom.

As Pijanu was looking around the room, there were three knocks on the door. Pijanu looked outside and a voice came in: "Your Excellency, the Qin people have brought tea. Shall we accept it?"

The Qin people actually brought tea over. He knew about this tea; Master Moye had brought some back from Qin, and Master Moye treasured it greatly, rarely taking it out. He had only drunk it a few times when he went to Master Moye to learn the language and writing of the Qin people.

The last time was before he was appointed as the chief envoy and was about to lead the delegation on his journey. Master Moye personally brewed him a cup of tea. According to Master Moye, this was not a common item even in the Qin Kingdom.

After recalling the events in his mind, Pijanu said, "This tea is a kind gesture from the people of Great Qin, how can we refuse it?"

Pijanu walked to the door and opened it himself. He saw a Qin man holding a wooden tray with a pottery pot on it, from which white steam was rising.

The white steam dissipated after rising from the spout, but Pijanu caught a faint scent—it was indeed the aroma of tea. Pijanu said to the Qin man, "Sir, please come in, please come in!"

A Qin waiter entered the room carrying a tray, placed the earthenware pot on the table, and said with a smile, "This tea is a gift from the host to our distinguished guests. Tea is invigorating, and we hope it will relieve your fatigue from your long journey. This tea is made from this year's new tea leaves and has just been brewed. Please enjoy it while it's hot!"

Pijanu bowed to the Qin waiter and said, "Thank you for your kindness!"

The Qin waiter waved his hand and said with a smile, "Honored guests, you should thank the owner, not me. It was he who gave you the tea, not me."

When the Qin waiter left, Pijanu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided not to call the Qin man back.

After the Qin waiter left, Pijanu looked at the pottery pot whose spout was no longer emitting wisps of white steam, wondering what the Qin people meant by giving them tea.
There was no deeper meaning behind it; it was simply a spontaneous act by the innkeeper, who wanted these people from the Peacock Kingdom to experience the tea of ​​the Great Qin.

As evening fell, Pijanu summoned the high-ranking members of the Peacock Kingdom delegation to his room. According to the Qin people's arrangements for them, they were to meet the Qin emperor the next day, but they knew very little about the current Qin state.

This also means that they could not prepare in advance for their audience with the Qin emperor, and without knowing the latest news from Qin, it was difficult to judge the Qin people's attitude towards them.

This made Pijanu very uneasy. He knew nothing about the Qin people and was worried that there might be problems when he met the Qin emperor the next day. He wanted to call out to the Qin waiter who was serving tea so that he could ask him for some information about the Qin state.

Pijanu glanced at the high-ranking members of the delegation in the room and said in a heavy tone, "Tomorrow is the day we meet the Emperor of Qin, but even now, we don't know much about Qin."

"There's a saying in Qin: 'He who knows both himself and his enemy will never be defeated; he who knows himself but not his enemy will win one and lose one; he who knows neither himself nor his enemy will be defeated in every battle.' We are currently in a situation where we 'do not know our enemy.' Do any of you have a way to change this?"

They are to meet the Qin emperor tomorrow, but they are only now trying to come up with a solution. In such a rush, what good solution could they possibly have?

This is also because the Qin people restricted them too much. On the way here, they were not allowed to have contact with the Qin people or to be informed of any news about the Qin state. As a result, their understanding of the Qin state is still limited to the information given to them by Master Moye and others, and they know very little about the current Qin state.

The Qin state has clearly undergone significant changes since the time of Master Moye. Judging the current Qin state based on outdated information could lead to serious problems.

It's unclear why the Qin people did this. Even if it was to prevent them from proselytizing, there was no need for such strict control.

Inside the room, after a brief silence, one person said, "When the Qin man brought the tea earlier, I asked him and got some information."

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze fell upon this man. Pijanu asked, "What information have you obtained?"

The man said, “I dared not ask too much, I only asked about the Games and the Exposition. Perhaps it was because we arrived in Xianyang that the Qin people felt they could share some information with us, and they did not hide anything from me and told me. The Games and the Exposition are the two major events recently held by the Qin state, and their real names are the ‘Games of All Nations’ and the ‘Exposition of All Nations’!”

The word "various states" made Pijanu's expression solemn. "Various states" must mean many states. Qin itself was already very powerful. If it were to unite with a group of states... just thinking about it sent chills down his spine. Moreover, Qin's attitude towards their Peacock State was not very friendly.

According to Master Moye and others, the Qin state is very likely to send troops to their Peacock Kingdom in the future. Based on their own experience along the way, the Qin state has indeed not been very friendly to them. Don't be fooled by the Qin people in this inn who warmly welcome them and offer them tea; that is just a courtesy to foreign guests.

The Qin people looked down on them completely. If they had, they wouldn't have been assigned to live here. The Qin people were unfriendly to them and even harbored strong malice.

They didn't know why the Qin people were hostile towards them, since they had never provoked the Qin people and the two countries were far apart.

If we're really talking about grudges, maybe only a thousand years ago, their ancestors might have fought a war with the ancestors of the Qin people. But that was a thousand years ago, why would the Qin people hold a grudge for so long?

However, if the Qin people do not harbor any ill will towards them and may send troops to attack them in the future, they will not go to Qin. Their mission is precisely to dispel the Qin people's thoughts of attacking them.

Although many princes and ministers in the country were stubborn and refused to admit that Qin was stronger than their Peacock Kingdom after Master Moye and others reported their trip to Qin in the palace, they actually knew very well that what Master Moye and others said was probably true, and that Qin was indeed stronger than them.

These princes and ministers outwardly claimed loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, regarding Qin as nothing and Peacock Kingdom as the greatest in the world, but in reality, they were all afraid that Qin would actually attack.

According to Pijanu, many of the nobles and royalty in Huashi City were learning the language and script of Qin, so that they could communicate with the Qin people should they ever invade.

The fact that Master Moye and others were not killed, or even severely punished, is further evidence. Shapur (the first ambassador from the Peacock Kingdom to the Qin Dynasty) openly defied the king's authority in the palace, committing a serious crime, but was only imprisoned. This clearly indicates that the king wanted to spare his life so that if the Qin people attacked, he could be released to negotiate with them.

Shapur's words in the palace were correct. The people in the country never thought about how to fight against Qin. They were all thinking about how to prevent Qin from attacking, and how to protect their power and wealth if Qin attacked.

With such people in the country, how could the Peacock Kingdom stand against the Qin Kingdom?

Of course, he was one of these people, otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen as the chief envoy for this mission. Shapur was too stubborn. What did it matter if the country was destroyed, as long as their power and wealth could be preserved? Perhaps under the rule of the Qin people, their power and wealth could even increase.

While Pijanu was thinking, he listened to the man say, "'International Games of Nations' and 'International Exposition of Nations' are just names that indicate that many countries are participating in a grand event."

"According to that Qin man, this International Games and International Exposition is the first one organized by the Qin people, with dozens of countries and tribes participating. The Qin man said that the Four Seas Pavilion does not have any extra rooms, and he is not deceiving us."

The people in the room tacitly refrained from asking, "Why didn't the Qin people invite the Peacock Kingdom to participate in the Games of the States?" The answer was obvious: the Qin people didn't like the Peacock Kingdom and didn't want to invite them.

(End of this chapter)