Blood-Sucking Empress - Chapter 39

“Minister Guo Miao, the envoy of the Sang Empire, pays homage and respects to the Qianhe Empress, wishing for the Qianhe dynasty’s prosperity and flourishing.”  

In the Imperial court, an envoy dressed in the Sang Empire’s Imperial court attire from head to toe stood in the center. This was Guo Miao, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who stood in the main hall, accompanied by a procession of gifts, and at her side, a mysterious figure with a veil stood beside her. However, this mysteriousness could only be said to mysterious appearance-wise, everyone had long conjectured the real identity of this person.

While there was nothing wrong with the Sang Empire’s envoy’s salutations and ceremonial etiquette, but to Qianhe Liyou’s eyes, she was slightly displeased. Her heart contained some bad thoughts: if the Qianhe Dynasty was truly prosperous and flourishing, who knows if these individuals would cry or not. However, it was a fact that at the current moment, these envoys would have to kneel and pay their respects to her, but they were still showing an arrogant expression and ‘humphs’ at the moment. She began to doubt whether this person was sent to negotiate or to actually provoke her.

When Qianhe Liyou did not answer, naturally, the rest of the courtiers at the Imperial court did not dare to answer. The Sang Empire’s envoy awkwardly stood there, slight cracks appearing in the arrogant expression plastered to her face.

The courtiers and ministers, looking at the current situation, also felt some hints of embarrassment. After making a few glances at the Empress, they found that the Empress was still watching the two envoys with a gloomy and somber gaze. So, they shifted their gazes to Prime Minister Li Yao, but Li Yao just stood there calmly, as if she could not be shaken by thunder and so their eyes shifted to Long Xizhao. While Long Xizhao’s current expression was very generous looking, everyone present knew that it was a face preparing to watch a good show, her countenance like a cunning fox. The courtiers had no other choice to proceed with the silent and taciturn atmosphere. Finally, the envoy of the Sang Empire could no longer stand it, coughing lightly to break the silence and continued: “Empress, this time this envoy has come to negotiate peace talks, but it is also to come with a marriage treaty from my Empress, hoping that the two dynasties can be forever united and become friends with each other. To highlight our sincerity, the third Imperial Prince of my Empire has also come with this emissary, hoping that we can achieve a beautiful and wonderful story, like a pair of mandarin ducks.

Not be shaken by thunder idiom: adhere rigidly to regulations, arrangements are unalterable

After hearing the Sang Empire’s envoy, Qianhe Liyou had an illusion and feeling that she was being forced to marry. The marriage of two worlds, becoming two mutual allies, this was her first time seeing such blatant political hypocrisy. The Sang Empire had sent troops to incite war in the Qianhe Empire, and both sides killed more than 100,000 people in total. Those who had been killed in action had not even been given proper burials yet. The culprits who provoked the war had even come to talk about marriage, and still had such an arrogant, haughty attitude, a manner of speaking that was forceful, laced with coercion. What talk about being friendly with each other, this was simply too disgusting!

“Is the Imperial Prince of the Sang Empire unable to marry? Actually, wanting to marry zhen? Zhen does not mind multiple men serving me, but don’t know if the Sang Empire’s Imperial Prince is qualified to climb onto zhen’s bed!”

A thunderclap shook the entire court, the courtiers shocked, including Li Yao, who was usually unshakeable like a mountain, raised her head directly, looking at the Empress reclining on the dragon throne with a pair of extremely astonished eyes. She could not believe that the Empress, who was above the Imperial court, would actually use such insulting and offensive words to reply to the Sang Empire’s proposal!

“Empress, is Your Majesty really planning on starting another war?”

“You…Qianhe Empress….how can you say such a thing…” Envoy Guo Miao flushed with anger, her fingers trembling as they pointed at Qianhe Liyou, her eyes filled with blatant shock and resentment!

“Qianhe Empress, if this prince does not have the qualifications, then you can evaluate these qualifications at once. This Imperial prince does not believe that the men in your harem will be better than this prince!” While Guo Miao was so enraged that she could not speak, the Imperial Prince of the Sang Empire, Sang Ziling, suddenly declared, taking a step forward.

“Hmph, based on your current actions, not just comparing you to zhen’s consorts and concubines, even the male pets in this Imperial harem are stronger than you. Just look at your appearance right now, arrogant like a rooster, do you think anyone would be willing to tolerate this type of man?”

Arrogance! Sometimes it was a commendatory word of praise, but other times, it was considered a derogatory word of criticism. The context varied from time to place, and from person to person. Qianhe Liyou did not reject or dislike people who possessed an air of arrogance. For example, Luo Yu, his pride was shrouded in ice, not very intense, but it always gave people a sense of distance, making people only daring to look from afar; Qin Ning’s arrogance was a manifestation of coldness, possessing a tangible distance to others, but this distance was not contempt. Nonetheless, it made one feel ashamed of one’s inferiority. Yet, the prince in front of her exuded a kind of ignorant arrogance, as if no one could compare to him. But, he had already sunk into this mortal world’s comparisons, childish as can be.

 feel ashamed of one’s inferiority idiom: to feel inferior

Qianhe Liyou’s words left no room for leeway, the extreme and exhaustive satire, coupled with the nodding action of the courtiers around him, Sang Ziling’s whole person trembled with unbridled anger. When had he ever been treated like this! Since he was a child, he had been treated like a pearl held in the palm of other’s hands, the object of everyone’s admiration. He had never been insulted as such!

“Qianhe Empress, do not think that just because you are the Empress of an empire that you can make spout off such wild statements. By humiliating this Imperial Prince to this state are you planning on citing another war between the two Empires again? Although the Sang Empire has indeed lost the war this time, it does not mean that they are no match for you Qianhe. If you do not apologize to this prince, when this prince returns to the Sang Empire, this matter will definitely be reported. When the two Empires find themselves at war again, this is to be blamed on the Qianhe!”

“Hahaha….originally thought you were just naive but did not expect you to be so ignorant. Do you think zhen is insulting you? Then you have judged incorrectly, zhen is merely telling the truth, marrying a worthy and virtuous husband, the character is the most important. But just look at your current appearance, who would be willing to marry you? But zhen can guarantee that the person who marries you is not because of your status, your appearance, nor because they pity you… As for the war that you have just spoken of, zhen can confirm right here and now for you, and as for the rest of you…” As she spoke, Qianhe Liyou’s eyes swept across the court officials present, her tone solemn and terrifying, “Everyone under the Qianhe Dynasty is to listen to zhen, the Sang Empire sent troops to attack my Empire, tens of thousands of zhen’s soldiers have perished in battle. And this also means that tens of thousands of families have been smashed to pieces in my Qianhe dynasty. Perhaps, parents have lost their child, perhaps the husband has lost the wife, or a child has lost a mother, nonetheless, they have incurred the hatred of the nation and the family, all of this was caused by the Sang Empire’s unprovoked declaration of war. And their purpose was obvious, they wanted to occupy our territories and occupy our homelands. If it was not for those brave and courageous soldiers beating back these shameless villains, would it be possible for us to enjoy our currently easy and comfortable lives? Making peace? Does the Sang Empire want to make peace? Simply keep on dreaming that pipe dream. Zhen will never marry a man who is so unworthy and lacking virtue, and furthermore, zhen will not marry a naive, ignorant prince from an enemy country as her husband. Today, zhen is to announce to the entire realm that the Qianhe dynasty will not be so easily bullied. The Qianhe dynasty’s army and soldiers belong to me, Qianhe Liyou. If someone wants to incite a war, if someone wants to plunder what belongs to zhen, then, zhen will tell them using fresh blood, what it means to regret when it is too late!”

Everyone present was shell-shocked and thunderstruck beyond words. Following the initial shock followed waves of overwhelming astonishment. After a few decades and even after hundreds of years, Qianhe Liyou’s words were frequently quoted. No one was not stunned by those domineering and arrogant words!

Guo Miao and Sang Ziling could feel their bodies shuddering in fear, and their entire body seemed to lose strength and go soft, their standing positions could only be barely maintained. Even if they were to act ignorantly again, they felt intense fear this time around. The Sang Empire had been defeated and they were sent as envoys to negotiate a peace. But even so, the Sang Empire’s Empress and Imperial court condemned this defeat due to the Sang Empire’s improper use of personnel and war strategies. As long as the Sang Empire could reorganize their armies, they would triumph over the Qianhe dynasty. The reason he had been sent over to marry was to dispel the Sang Empire’s wariness, to see if he could obtain some beneficial military intelligence. But, he could not have expected that they were facing such a situation now. And what made them feel even more terrified was the imminent feeling of doom that the Sang Empire’s demise was near, and that last sentence of ‘regret’ seemed to be announcing their ending…