Chapter 67

The next morning, Li You got up early, tidied up, and held the Han flag as he came to the small courtyard. It seemed that Pan Feng and the others had just returned from outside, “Lord, the gifts for the King of Loulan are all prepared! Please take a look!”

Li You nodded after checking each item, “You all have worked hard! But it’s not time to rest yet. Go and bathe and change clothes, and get ready to go with me to the Loulan King’s palace! Tangyi, go to the market and buy some boxes to pack the gifts.”

After another half an hour, Pan Feng and the others were ready, and Tangyi had beautifully packaged the gifts. They followed the inn servant’s guidance to the Loulan government office building, or rather, the Loulan King’s palace.

“Who are you?” Seeing such a group of fierce people approach, the security guard at the entrance of the Loulan government office building, or rather, the Loulan King’s palace, immediately became nervous and shouted from a distance.

“We are envoys of the Han Empire, here to meet your king at the request of your prime minister!” Tangyi stepped forward and said. The guard quickly went inside to report, while the others continued to watch them vigilantly.

“This palace is far inferior to Lord Tangyi’s mansion!” Li You said to Tangyi with ease, showing no signs of tension about entering the tiger’s den.

Before long, the Loulan prime minister who had visited the inn yesterday rushed out and bowed to Li You, “I apologize for keeping you waiting, Your Excellency. The king has already set up a banquet. Please come in.”

“Thank you!” Li You waved his hand, and immediately over ten soldiers carried the brocade boxes forward, “These are the gifts I have prepared for your king. I hope he will like them!”

“You are too kind, Your Excellency!” The Loulan prime minister exchanged pleasantries, then hesitated, looking at the nearly hundred soldiers behind Li You. He looked troubled and said, “To be honest, Your Excellency, the Loulan King’s palace is small and may not accommodate so many soldiers for the banquet. What do you think...”

“In that case, I will bring fewer people inside!” This was already expected by Li You and the others. He left Chen Qingzhi to wait outside the palace with the main group, while he led Pan Feng, Tangyi, and over twenty soldiers with the gifts for the Loulan King into the palace. The Loulan prime minister, seeing this, quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead but still did not look relaxed.

The Loulan King’s palace was not large, and it didn’t take long to reach the main hall. Li You carefully surveyed the area and faintly heard the sound of weapons clashing from behind the hall, indicating that the Loulan King had probably hidden soldiers there.

Entering the hall, Li You held the Han flag and stood tall in the center. On the throne above, a man in his forties sat, with two young men in their early twenties standing slightly lower on either side. The Loulan prime minister quickly introduced them, “Your Majesty, this is the Han envoy, Mr. Zhang Qian! Your Excellency, this is our king, and these are our crown prince and second prince!”

Li You bowed slightly, “The Han envoy Zhang Qian greets the Lord of Loulan, wishing you good health and peace for Loulan.” Li You used the term “Lord” instead of “King,” implying that the Loulan King was subordinate to the Xiongnu, which he already knew.

Unfortunately, neither the king, the princes, nor the ministers understood Li You’s implication. They took “Lord” as a special Han title. The Loulan King replied, “Thank you for your greetings. Please take your seats!”

Li You did not move towards the banquet but called the soldiers behind him, pointing to the brocade boxes, “These are the gifts I have prepared for the Lord. Please take a look!”

“Is it silk?” The crown prince on the left immediately stood up, his eyes gleaming with greed.

“Is it the sword the prime minister brought back yesterday?” The second prince on the right also stood up, eager to know.

“No, no! These gifts are neither silk nor swords!” Li You slowly shook his head, “But I believe the Lord will like them!”

The Loulan King on the throne gave a signal, and the prime minister who had visited Li You’s inn yesterday quickly approached, “Our Lord thanks the Han envoy. What are these gifts?”

“Since you are interested, why don’t you open them and show everyone?” Li You stepped aside, and the soldiers holding the brocade boxes opened the lids.

“Ah!” When the palace officials saw what was inside the boxes, their faces turned pale, and some of the more timid ones even screamed in fear. Suddenly, the sound of armor clanging was heard, and nearly a hundred Loulan soldiers rushed into the hall, surrounding Li You and his group.

Seeing the soldiers, the Loulan King’s expression improved slightly, and he shouted, “What is the meaning of this, Your Excellency! I invited you here with good intentions, but you bring these heads to humiliate me! Do you think Loulan is easy to bully?”

“Ha ha, is this your idea of a good invitation?” Li You showed no signs of tension, scanning the Loulan soldiers who had been hiding for a long time. He pointed to the heads in the boxes, “Does no one recognize these heads?”

“Ah! They are the heads of the Xiongnu envoys!” The Loulan prime minister, who was closest to the boxes, quickly looked inside and recognized the heads of the Xiongnu envoys who had come to the Loulan King’s palace the day before, ordering the Loulan King to capture the Han envoy group.

“What? The envoys of the Great Xiongnu?” The faces of the Loulan King and the ministers turned even paler. The death of Xiongnu envoys in Loulan would surely lead to a brutal retaliation from the Xiongnu! What should they do?

Perhaps if we kill these Han people, the Great Xiongnu Chanyu will forgive us? The Loulan King and the ministers looked at Li You and his group with flickering eyes, seemingly calculating the right moment to act. The impulsive second prince even stepped forward into the hall, ready to attack at any moment.

“You have already offended the Xiongnu. Do you want to challenge the authority of the Han Empire as well?” Li You shouted, “Next year, a million Han soldiers will reach the Western Regions. The survival of Loulan depends on your Lord’s decision!”

“This...” The faces of the officials became even more troubled. The prime minister had already reported his observations to them the previous day, and they deeply felt the power of the Han Empire, making them even more hesitant.

“Pan Feng, act!” Li You suddenly shouted loudly.

...

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