June 28th, Quanzhou.
Early in the morning, the bustling city of Quanzhou welcomed a special team.
Honglu Temple Official Zhang Yi of the Xia Dynasty led a group of officials from the Science, Education, Civil and Defense Bureau and Commerce Bureau to form a group of more than a hundred people. They were officially on a mission to the Sui Dynasty.
Two days ago, the Xia Dynasty's Honglu Temple had informed the Sui Dynasty about the mission. The Sui Dynasty's Minister Gao Ying received the report and after consulting Emperor Wen, he agreed. This was why the Xia Dynasty's mission was here today.
Gao Ying represented Emperor Wen to receive the mission and welcomed them into the Four Quarters Embassy.
In the reception room of the embassy, the two officials met alone.
Gao Ying picked up the teacup and took a sip. She asked, "What did Emperor Xia say about the mission?"
The Xia Dynasty's mission was not out of Emperor Wen and Gao Ying's expectations. But what was the Xia Dynasty's intention? Was it to continue working with the Sui Dynasty or to go against them?
No one could be sure.
Therefore, Emperor Wen arranged for Gao Ying to find out what was going on before the official meeting with the mission. This was to prevent any awkwardness in the court.
Zhang Yi smiled. He had the demeanor of a diplomat and displayed the Xia Dynasty's character. He said, "My King said that the Xia Dynasty and the Quanzhou Imperial Court have always been on good terms. Now that the city has changed owners and the Sui Emperor has ascended, he sent a foreign official to congratulate him. At the same time, he hopes to maintain good relations with Quanzhou. "
Gao Ying heard this and heaved a sigh of relief. She smiled and said, "I will definitely convey Emperor Xia's good intentions."
Then, the two old foxes exchanged a few more words, trying to find out the truth of the other party. After chatting for a full hour, Gao Ying left to report the good news to Emperor Wen.
Seeing this, Zhang Yi was deep in thought. Now that the Xia Dynasty had taken the initiative to be friendly, it was up to Sui to return the favor.
…
Afternoon, Handan City.
The news of the Xia Dynasty sending a mission to the Sui Dynasty had already reached Di Chen's ears.
The secret agent of the Imperial Wind noticed that Gao Ying was calm when she left the Four Quarters Embassy. Obviously, the Xia Dynasty's mission was not here to cause trouble.
"Emperor Wen is giving in." Di Chen stood in front of the window and looked up at the sky. He was rather annoyed.
Peerless Elegance looked at the man in front of her, who was constantly being thwarted, but had never fallen. She let out a long sigh and softly said, "What are you going to do?"
Di Chen turned around. A cold light flashed in his eyes as he said, "Tell me, if the Xia Kingdom's emissaries were assassinated in Quanzhou, would they still be able to work together?"
"Will it work?" Unparalleled Elegance hesitated. "The Four Quarters Embassy is guarded by the Great Sui Imperial Army, and the diplomatic party of Great Xia is also escorted by high-level Imperial Guards. It is simply too difficult to assassinate them."
Di Chen smiled and said slowly, "You don't have to use a sword to kill someone. You can also use poison."
Peerless Elegance frowned and said in surprise, "You want to use No.15? Isn't it not worth it?! "Peerless Elegance was in charge of [Imperial Wind], so she was very clear about [Imperial Wind]'s arrangements in Quanzhou.
Just like the Mountain Sea Soldiers, [Imperial Wind] had planted spies in the Nine Great King Cities. The Number 15 that Unparalleled Elegance spoke of was, on the surface, a manager of the Four Quarters Embassy in Quanzhou.
In order to nurture No.15, Unparalleled Elegance had spent a lot of effort.
Di Chen shook his head and said coldly, "Great Sui is an important chess piece to keep Great Xia in check. We cannot allow them to work together. If this plan succeeds, sacrificing No.15 will be worth it. "
"Alright, I will do it now." Seeing that Di Chen was insistent, Unparalleled Elegance could no longer object.
At the end of the day, Di Chen was still his master.
… …
Night, Four Quarters Embassy.
According to tradition, Emperor Wen of Sui would only officially receive the diplomatic party the next day.
Zhang Yi had no interest in Quanzhou, so he naturally would not go sightseeing in the city like Gao Ying had suggested. Zhang Yi stayed in the embassy for the entire day, preparing for the audience the next day.
Part of the reason why he did not go out was for safety reasons.
Before coming to Quanzhou, His Majesty had instructed him to be worried that someone would make a fuss about the diplomatic party.
The previous time when Ouyang Shuo signed a trade agreement with [North Sichuan City State] and [South Hunan City State], Lord Chunshen had arranged for someone to assassinate Fan Li. This was still fresh in Ouyang Shuo's mind.
This time, other than the fifty most elite Imperial Guards accompanying them, the Shadow Guards were led by Guardian Cui Tianqi. They would personally protect the diplomatic party in secret to ensure the personal safety of the diplomatic party, especially Zhang Yi.
At six in the evening, Gao Ying once again came to the Four Quarters Embassy to represent Emperor Wen of Sui to host a banquet for the Great Xia diplomatic party.
The banquet was very lively with the accompaniment of singing and dancing.
At this moment, a maid served a bowl of nourishing soup as the finale of the banquet.
"Please!"
Gao Ying sat on the main seat and looked at Zhang Yi from afar. Smiling, she said, "This is ginseng soup made from Korean ginseng specially bestowed by His Majesty. It is very nourishing and can also relieve fatigue."
Zhang Yi said, "Emperor Sui is very considerate." As he spoke, he picked up the spoon and drank a mouthful. "It is indeed delicious."
Gao Ying's expression was very joyous when she heard this. Both the host and the guest were happy.
Just as Zhang Yi drank the third mouthful, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. "Wu ~ ~" Accompanied by a sharp pain, Zhang Yi's mouth and nose started bleeding. The bright red blood dripped into the soup and quickly dissolved into a blood flower.
"Lord!"
Because they were attending a banquet and they were in the Four Quarters Embassy, Zhang Yi didn't want to attract too much attention. Thus, he only brought two Imperial Guards with him. They stood behind Zhang Yi dutifully and kept an eye on the surroundings.
The two of them immediately noticed Zhang Yi's abnormality.
The Imperial Guard's exclamation immediately broke the lively atmosphere of the banquet. The other members of the diplomatic party looked over and saw that their leader was bleeding from his mouth and nose. It was obvious that he had been poisoned. They couldn't help but be shocked and quickly surrounded him.
"Lord!" An official from the Commerce Bureau exclaimed. He rushed to the door and shouted, "Men, men!"
The Imperial Guards accompanying the diplomatic party were standing guard outside the door. Upon hearing the call, they immediately rushed in. The problem was that the banquet hall was guarded by the Great Sui Imperial Army. Before they understood the situation, how could they allow the Imperial Guards to rush in?
The two groups of Imperial Guards faced each other outside the door.
"Move aside!"
The accompanying Imperial Guard leader had a grave expression. Without hesitation, he unsheathed the Tang saber by his waist.
"Shua!" The fifty Imperial Guards unsheathed their sabers simultaneously. Under the reflection of the moonlight, the sabers gleamed coldly.
The Great Sui Imperial Army wasn't easy to deal with either. With a deep voice, they said, "Without orders, no one is to enter." Fortunately, the commanding officer knew the severity of the situation and didn't draw his sword. Instead, he drew his shield.
In an instant, the Great Sui Imperial Army erected a shield wall in front of the door.
At the same time, the commanding officer intentionally shouted, "Send a team to see what's going on." He said this to reassure the Great Xia Imperial Guards.
"Yes!"
A team of Great Sui Imperial Army received the order and entered the banquet hall. At this moment, the hall was already in chaos.
Seeing that Zhang Yi had been poisoned, Gao Ying could no longer maintain her composure. The soup ladle in her hand slipped and fell into the poisonous insect. The soup splattered all over Gao Ying, but she didn't even notice it.
Gao Ying knew that if Zhang Yi were to be poisoned to death in the Four Directions Embassy, it would be a disaster for Great Sui. At the thought of this, Gao Ying forced herself to calm down and said to the person beside her, "Quick, summon the imperial physician!"
Saving Zhang Yi was the top priority.
"He mustn't die," Gao Ying prayed in her heart.
Just then, Gao Ying rushed into the Imperial Guards and said, "Seal off the Four Directions Embassy. No one is to enter or leave. Take everyone in the banquet hall into custody and interrogate them one by one. "
"Yes!" The leader of the Imperial Guards nodded and asked, "Lord, what about the Great Xia Imperial Guards outside?"
Gao Ying frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "Let them in!"
The fifty Imperial Guards couldn't cause any trouble. If they tried to stop them forcefully, they might even get into trouble.
"Yes!"
In just a few minutes, Gao Ying had already made the necessary arrangements and controlled the chaotic situation. As expected of an experienced official.
After arranging the important matters, Gao Ying walked towards Zhang Yi. Although he was fifty years old, he walked like a gust of wind. When the other members of the diplomatic group saw Gao Ying, they all looked at him with hatred.
Zhang Yi looked at Gao Ying in disbelief and said with difficulty, "You, you guys actually poisoned him …"
Gao Ying said sincerely, "We definitely didn't have the intention to harm you. The imperial physician will be here soon." At this moment, Gao Ying couldn't explain too much. He believed that Zhang Yi was an intelligent person.
The more he said, the easier it was to be misunderstood.
"Lord was poisoned after drinking the ginseng soup. How dare you quibble?" The members of the diplomatic group were indignant and almost scolded Gao Ying.
Gao Ying was expressionless and just looked at Zhang Yi. After a few minutes, Zhang Yi's face had turned black. It was obvious that he was heavily poisoned. Seeing this, Gao Ying broke out in cold sweat.
Zhang Yi looked at Gao Ying deeply. For a moment, he couldn't determine whether the Minister of the Great Sui Dynasty was acting or telling the truth.
No matter what, Zhang Yi knew that he couldn't panic now. He endured the discomfort and said to the other members of the diplomatic group and the imperial guards who rushed in, "Go back to your room first. Don't, don't act rashly."
"Yes!"
Zhang Yi was the backbone of the diplomatic group. No one dared to disobey his orders.
After a while, Zhang Yi was moved to his room and laid on the bed. Gao Ying was stopped outside the door.
In the room, Cui Tianqi was already waiting and looked ashamed.
Zhang Yi knew that the young man in front of him was the real confidant of the king. He endured the discomfort and said, "This time, the enemy poisoned us. It was impossible to guard against. It has nothing to do with you."
"Sir, what do you want us to do?" Cui Tianqi asked.
"Send the news back to King City as soon as possible." Zhang Yi was preparing for the worst.
"Understood!"
Cui Tianqi nodded his head forcefully. Somehow, he disappeared from the room.
"All of you, leave. We'll talk when the imperial physician is here." Zhang Yi dismissed the other members of the diplomatic group. His face turned darker. "Remember, before things are clear, we must, must not have any conflict with the Great Sui Dynasty."
Zhang Yi knew the mission he had to shoulder. Seeing Gao Ying's behavior, Zhang Yi would rather believe that it was someone else who poisoned him. Because of this, he couldn't be impulsive at this time, lest he ruin the king's plan.
Zhang Yi's life was not important. The king's hegemony was important.
"Yes!"
Seeing this, the other members of the diplomatic group had no choice but to leave.
In an instant, only Zhang Yi was left in the room, lying alone on the bed. No one noticed that Zhang Yi had been holding a small porcelain bottle in his hand.
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