Chapter 704: Chapter 257: Going to the Western Regions

The Western Regions Envoys were all burly, strapping men. With their faces covered in thick, wiry beards, they looked like savages who drank blood and ate raw meat. Yet, these seemingly crude and ferocious envoys were currently engaging in a highly articulate and refined debate with the assembly.

"It is precisely because Mr. Zhao achieved the Six Firsts that we are doing our utmost to invite him back with us.

"The Wei Dynasty has a flourishing literary culture and an abundance of talent. There is no shortage of great scholars who can teach intellectuals. But there is only one Zhao Jing. For him to achieve the Six Firsts, he must possess an extraordinary understanding of the Four Books and Five Classics, making him perfectly suited to educate the common people. Moreover, his reputation is resounding enough. If the people learn that he has come to the Western Regions, they will surely empty the streets to listen to his lectures.

"So what if he lacks the experience to educate the masses? He can just teach us on the journey to the Western Regions. With a man as brilliant as Mr. Zhao, he might just master the techniques after a few attempts." The envoy cunningly shifted his tone, smoothing over his harshness with slick words. "Your Majesty has already reduced the rewards bestowed upon us. If you refuse even this simple request, are you sure you are treating us as vassal states, and not as mere servants to be ordered around at your whim?"

Another Western Regions Envoy, his face full of anger, added, "We did not expect that after coming all this way full of admiration to congratulate Your Majesty and Madam, we would be looked down upon like this. If we take this news back to our country, our people will be enraged, and our king will wage war once more. Can you bear the consequences of that?"

This man was actually threatening war the moment things didn’t go his way. However, it had to be said that he had struck the Wei Dynasty right where it hurt.

Was the Wei Dynasty afraid of another war right now? Naturally, it was. It would be afraid at any time.

Once blades were drawn, countless soldiers would die. The ordinary soldiers on the battlefield were fathers, older brothers, and sons in the homes of commoners; they were the pillars of their families. The death of any single one of them would shatter a family. If hundreds or thousands were to die, no matter how many years of peace and recovery followed, the trauma in the hearts of the people would never fully heal.

Yet, the fierce and predatory armies of the Western Regions would march south sooner or later; this was inevitable. After ten years of rest and recuperation, the Western Regions were no longer what they used to be. Their forces were strong and their horses sturdy, and their power was steadily recovering. They were unwilling to bow as subjects to the Wei Dynasty forever, and their ambition to conquer the Capital had never died.

The venue fell silent once more. But this silence was thick with the scent of gunpowder. The banquet hall was currently like a powder keg; all it took was a single spark to detonate an unprecedented bloodbath.

In the dead silence, Zhao Jing slowly stepped out from among the officials. He lifted his robes and knelt, his back straight and his voice ringing out with resonant force.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that ’if distant people are not submissive, one should cultivate civil culture and virtue to attract them.’ Today, the Western Regions Envoys are seeking the teachings of our Wei Dynasty, which is entirely due to Your Majesty’s magnificent virtue shining across the four seas. Though untalented, I am willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility. In going to the Western Regions, I will do my utmost, remaining diligent and cautious. I shall educate the masses, living up to the title of ’envoy’ and to Your Majesty’s grace in recognizing my worth."

At this point, Zhao Jing pressed his forehead to the ground, bowing deeply once more. "I only pray that Your Majesty grants my request. Even if my body is crushed to powder and my bones to ash, I will not regret it, not even if I die a hundred deaths."

Later that evening, the Xu family’s residence, which was usually bustling and lively at this hour, was now as silent as a graveyard.

In the main courtyard, the old madam had fainted the moment she received the news. When she woke up, no one’s persuasion had any effect on her. She stumbled into the small Buddhist hall, knelt before the Buddha, and did not get up again.

Xu Su Ying, normally such an open-minded and magnanimous person, was so infuriated that she lost her composure. She sat under the veranda with a bone-cleaver she had grabbed from the kitchen, grinding it against a whetstone with loud SCRAPE, SCRAPE sounds. It looked as if, in the very next second, she was going to drag out the Western Regions Envoy and whoever was playing tricks behind the scenes, and hack them to death one by one.

In Wangyue Inn, Chen Wanqing was still in a daze even now. She had thought that once Jing passed the imperial examination as Champion Scholar, they would be able to live the rest of their days in peace and stability. She never expected a bolt from the blue to strike her down without warning.

She wondered how things could turn out like this. The Western Regions was so far away; if someone went there, would they ever really have a day they could come back?

Her tears spilled from her eyes, falling drop by drop like an endless spring that could never run dry. Zhao Jing sat beside her, wiping her tears away in a state of utter helplessness. Yet, the moment he wiped them off, more would fall. He wiped them again, and they flowed again. The tears fell on her face, but it felt as though they were dripping straight into his heart. Zhao Jing’s heart ached so intensely that even his breaths seemed tinged with the scent of blood.

Biting his lower lip, he gripped Chen Wanqing’s hand tightly. "Wanqing, I have let you down this time. But given the situation back there, if I hadn’t stepped forward, there would have been no way to break the deadlock."

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