Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

Whether it was the porcelain used by the people of Xianyang, the fabrics they wore, the accessories they carried, the carriages they rode in, or the brick roads under their feet, everything left them speechless.

After all, even a random merchant or a passerby buying rouge on the street was dressed better than the princes and nobles in their country. How could this not surprise them?

Today was like being stabbed in the backside with a knife; it was quite an eye-opener.

Is this the mighty power of the Great Xia, the so-called powerful nation that reigns supreme over all under heaven? In the past, those so-called powerful nations in the Western Regions and grasslands...

Compared to the Great Xia, it's like comparing heaven and earth; there's simply no comparison.

Meanwhile, in an attic.

Xiang Yu sipped her wine and sat alone by the window on the second floor. She gazed at the bustling street in the distance, lost in thought for a long time.

"Yu'er, are you... are you still hesitating?"

Just then, a gentle female voice came from behind.

Xiang Yu was taken aback for a moment, then turned around and saw Yu Ji wearing a long red dress, walking slowly towards him.

After standing side by side with her, she used her slender white hand to lift her dark hair, then gracefully sat down next to Xiang Yu, picked up the wine pot and poured him wine. Everything was so perfectly in sync.

In a daze, it felt as if I had returned to Jiangdong, to those days when the two of us were inseparable.

Xiang Yu gazed at the distant street with his almond-shaped eyes and murmured, "I've said it before, I would rather die than serve the Great Xia."

Yu Ji raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Yu'er, it's not for the sake of Great Xia, but for your own sake."

"I?"

Xiang Yu was taken aback, momentarily unable to understand what Yu Ji meant.

Yu Ji took a sip of wine and said slowly, "The reason why the State of Chu was defeated by the State of Xia was not due to the merits of the Xia people, but rather the merits of the people of the other six states."

"The Great Xia Dynasty appointed people based solely on their talents, regardless of their background. It employed talents from the six states. Prime Minister Li Si was from the State of Chu, General Meng Ao was from the State of Qi, and Li Bing was from the State of Han. It was they who helped the Great Xia Dynasty unify the world step by step."

"Now, all the philosophers of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and even King Huai of Chu, have submitted to the Great Xia and been appointed to official positions. The people of Chu have already abandoned their hatred. Why do you still live in the past?"

"The banquet for all nations to pay tribute is about to begin, and heroes from all over the world will gather here. Yu'er, you have always wanted to become the greatest general in the world since you were a child. Don't miss this opportunity."

"You possess innate divine strength and the appearance of a tiger. It would be a great pity if you stayed in this small attic all the time."

"Don't you want all the heroes of the land to witness the fierce and valiant prowess of the Jiangdong youths?"

Xiang Yu gently swirled the wine in his hand, reflecting her complex expression.

Seeing Xiang Yu hesitate, Yu Ji whispered, "Yu'er, if you give up now, your life will come to an abrupt end. If you seize this opportunity, you might be able to defeat your master once in the future."

Xiang Yu paused in her movements, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, and she murmured, "Have you ever beaten that Bai Su?"

She seemed to have found some direction, and her dark eyes gradually became bright and alert.

Chapter 382 Hu Yu's Magnanimous Heart

The next day.

The foreign envoys, accompanied by officials from the Great Xia, entered the Xianyang Palace.

Looking out, one sees three imperial roads paved with black stone bricks, stretching forward to the end of the line of sight, where a magnificent hall stands, entirely black, exuding a sense of solemnity and reverence.

Bathed in sunlight, the main hall seemed to lie prostrate on the ground like a giant beast, and a sense of oppression from the depths of one's soul rushed over, making one involuntarily hold their breath.

The power of the Great Xia far surpasses that of foreign lands.

Even some envoys who had traveled all the way from Parthia to purchase silk and porcelain were stunned by the scene before them.

Although they held themselves in high regard, they had to admit that the strength of the Great Xia was comparable to that of other nations.

One can get a general idea of ​​a country's customs and traditions from the scale and style of its architecture.

From the utterly devoid of any superfluous decorations, the solemn and dignified black of everything, and the armored soldiers along the way clad in black armor and wielding long spears, it was clear that the Great Xia before them was a nation founded on military might and a ruthless power that intimidated all sides.

In a daze, they seemed to see a solitary black bird in the sky above the solemn hall.

It was forged from the blood-drinking longswords and chilling arrowheads of the elite warriors of the Great Xia Dynasty. It was made of metal on the inside and fire on the outside. Among the five elements, it dominated metal and water. It was formed by the convergence of iron horses and flowing blood.

The black bird spread its wings and cried out to the heavens.

The birds that gathered from all directions all submitted.

The breathtaking scene left one in a daze.

Hall of Supreme Harmony.

A marble platform surrounds the area, with magnificent columns and railings on the outer side.

Golden dragon patterns were carved on the black pillars. The main hall was covered with a red carpet, and at the end of the carpet, nine steps rose up.

A solitary throne sits at the center of the steps.

The envoys below glanced around curiously and found the throne empty.

Just as the envoys were filled with doubt, a loud shout suddenly came from afar: "His Highness Hu Yu has arrived."

The envoys were taken aback for a moment, then saw a graceful and charming young woman in a plain black palace dress walk out from the side and sit on the throne.

The officials in the hall all bowed and greeted His Highness.

Hu nodded slightly.

Originally, this matter of all nations paying tribute should have been presided over by Sister Zheng herself, but Mother was obsessed with cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao, saying that it was a critical moment for the fate of the Great Xia Dynasty.

To prevent any accidents, he is not allowed to meet with anyone except when summoned by Bai Su.

She had been worried that something might be wrong with her mother's health, and had even pressed Bai Su for answers.

The answer she received was that her mother had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and it would be some time before she could transform into a spirit and leave her body—a statement that left her completely baffled.

Left with no other choice, Hu Yu had to continue temporarily overseeing the government.

Fortunately, Mother specifically ordered that Fusu assist her in handling government affairs. With the two sisters working together, they should be able to stabilize the situation.

Hu Yu glanced at Fu Su, who was dressed in a white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), standing in front of the officials with her heterochromatic eyes, and slowly loosened her tightly clenched jade hands.

Although she usually disliked this older sister, no matter what, Fu Su was indeed much more experienced than her in domestic affairs and handling national matters.

As for my husband, he skipped work again today and didn't come over.

He said he was going to report to his mother on recent court affairs, but...

Why bring so many sour oranges when it's just a report on government affairs?

Just as the clever Hu Yi was deep in thought...

Xiao Li, the envoy of the Yuezhi, stepped forward, bowed to Hu Yu, and said, "Xiao Li, the envoy of the Yuezhi, greets Your Highness Hu Yu."

Her etiquette was impeccable, befitting the princess of the Yuezhi Kingdom who had the greatest understanding of Central Plains culture in the past century.

Hu Yi snapped out of his daze and feigned calmness.

She smiled faintly and said, "I was ordered by my mother to bring ten cartloads of spices as tribute to the Great Xia."

As she finished speaking, many of the foreign envoys present couldn't help but gasp.

My goodness, ten cartloads of spices, that's quite a generous gesture!

You have to understand that in this era, spices were no different from gold. A small handful of spices was worth a thousand pieces of gold. Ten cartloads of spices were not something an ordinary person could afford to show off.

Only the Yuezhi Kingdom, the former leader of the Western Regions, could afford to make such a grand gesture.

After all, by attaching himself to Xianyang, he made a lot of money over the years by trading silk, tea, and porcelain, and acting as a secondhand dealer, which is the envy of many.

Hu Yu nodded slightly and smiled sweetly: "Your Highness, you have come a long way, you must be tired."

After she finished speaking, she asked someone to arrange a seat for Xiao Li, and she sat down in a relatively forward position.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After Xiao Li bowed slightly in thanks, she couldn't help but glance at the procession of civil officials in the distance. When she saw that the figure in white was not there, a hint of disappointment appeared in her beautiful eyes.

The reason she came to pay tribute this time was not only to maintain the relationship between the Yuezhi and the suzerain state, but also to meet the person she had always admired.

She had been looking forward to this for a long time, but Bai Su didn't come today, which made her feel disappointed.

As Xiao Li took her seat, the other envoys in the hall seemed to be deep in thought, thinking to themselves, "This seems to be a good opportunity."

The Great Xia is universally recognized as the hegemon, the suzerain state, and a father figure. In this seating arrangement, being able to sit at the front not only proves that I am the eldest prince and you are the second prince, but also that my father and I are closer.

Besides showing goodwill to the Great Xia, it can also demonstrate their national power to other small foreign countries, increasing their prestige and influence among other nations, thus achieving two goals at once.

For a time, various states vied to offer tribute.

However, due to their relatively weak national strength, most of the items they brought were ordinary and unremarkable, lacking any rare or precious treasures.

The entire hall quickly became noisy.

Then a clear, cold female voice came from the main hall: "The Xiongnu Chanyu Modu has presented 200,000 oxen to Daxia."

For a moment, the entire hall was deathly silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the woman in the Hu dress with a pretty face that had an exotic look.

While the sheer scale of the 200,000 oxen was enough to make the hearts of some small countries skip a beat, what shocked everyone even more was the woman's name.

What did she just say, Modu Chanyu of the Xiongnu?

This man's shadow, the bark of a tree, Maodun's reputation was so great that it shook the grasslands. All the grassland tribes, as well as the small foreign states in the eastern part of the Hexi Corridor, would tremble at the mere mention of the name of the Xiongnu Chanyu Maodun.

Even though the Yuezhi Kingdom is now the top power in the Western Regions, Xiao Li's expression stiffened for a moment when he saw Maodun.

The psychological trauma of almost having his royal court breached by the Xiongnu and having his head chopped off and made into sacrificial wine vessels once again struck him.

However, after her initial shock, she breathed a long sigh of relief when she realized that the Xiongnu had already submitted to the Xia Dynasty.

The other small foreign states, who had just looked at Maodun with such fear, now looked at Hu Yu with such deep admiration. Indeed... the Great Xia was the true overlord.

Meeting the admiring gazes of the crowd, Hu Yu proudly puffed out her slightly developing chest and said with a smile, "You're too kind, Chanyu..."

As she arranged for Maodun to sit down, she subconsciously glanced at Fusu, wanting to see how this older sister would evaluate her now.

However, whether it was her imagination or not, she saw Fu Suhao biting her red lips tightly, her almond eyes filled with shame and anger, staring intently at Maodun who was passing by in the distance, as if she had some deep-seated hatred.

Hu Yu tilted his head in confusion, his mind filled with questions. What was wrong with his sister?

Why is she so hostile to Maodun? Could it be because Maodun presented 200,000 cattle as a grand gift in front of all the officials, which temporarily overshadowed her prestige, thus causing her dissatisfaction?

Thinking of this, Hu Su glanced at Fu Su with disdain, clicked his tongue and shook his head, sighing inwardly.