Official Eunuch Chang replied, “They are two envoys from the Longshu Kingdom.”
Wen Chu furrowed his brow. “Why does he want me to meet those two envoys from the Longshu Kingdom?”
Guessing blindly was merely a waste of energy; he would know once he went there.
After briefly washing and freshening up, Wen Chu ordered his sedan chair and headed to the Lake Pavilion.
Inside the pavilion, Xie Huaiqiang was chatting and drinking freely with the two envoys.
“His Majesty has arrived.” Seeing Wen Chu enter, Xie Huaiqiang did not stand up; he merely tossed out those words in an extremely perfunctory manner.
The two envoys by the table stood up and bowed respectfully to Wen Chu.
With a calm and distant expression, Wen Chu sat down and asked Xie Huaiqiang directly, “What is the purpose of bringing me here?”
Before Xie Huaiqiang could speak, Zuo Xilou hurriedly chimed in with a beaming smile, “Your humble subject invited Your Majesty here for a drink, purely to foster and strengthen the friendly relations between our two nations.”
Fostering affection between countries was not something a mere envoy could accomplish; he lacked such authority.
Wen Chu’s gaze swept past Zuo Xilou, noting the overly blatant and naked look in the man’s eyes as he watched him. “Is this the will of the Emperor of Shu?”
The Emperor of Shu was the ruler of the Longshu Kingdom.
Zuo Xilou’s eyes flashed with a sharp, calculating gleam as he stared straight at Wen Chu. “The Emperor of Shu does not yet know of this. Once your humble subject and Your Majesty have deepened our bond of affection, it will not be too late to report it to the Emperor of Shu, haha!”
Wen Chu stated, “Matters of diplomatic relations between two nations are not decisions that a single envoy can make arbitrarily. You do not possess that authority.”
With that, Wen Chu made to stand up and leave.
The smile on Zuo Xilou’s face froze; he had not expected Wen Chu to show him such a complete lack of face.
Yet Wen Chu’s reaction was entirely within Xie Huaiqiang’s expectations.
It was not a matter of Wen Chu being aloof or prideful; as an emperor by birth, this attitude was precisely what he should have. Rather, it was the envoy from the Longshu Kingdom who thought far too highly of himself, a mere Shiba Inu stubbornly masquerading as a mastiff.
“Your Majesty, Yu’er misses you,” Xie Huaiqiang said to the rising Wen Chu. “I told Yu’er that once Your Majesty finished this banquet, I would go see him.”
It was another threat.
Wen Chu closed his eyes for a moment, then sank back down onto the jade chair. Unexpectedly, the moment he sat back down, Xie Huaiqiang stood up and addressed the two envoys, “This Prince still has important matters to attend to. Please excuse me.”
Zuo Xilou chuckled flatteringly, “Official business comes first, Your Highness, please go ahead.” No longer concealing his intentions, he cast a leering, lustful glance at Wen Chu and added, “Your Majesty is here, after all.”
“Very well,” Xie Huaiqiang uttered ambiguously before turning on his heel and walking away without a backward glance.
Wen Chu lowered his gaze, refusing to look at anyone.
His heart was quietly hollow, aching with a dull, numb pain.
Ringing in his ears was Zuo Xilou’s voice, thick with vulgar lewdness, “Let Your Majesty and your humble subjects share a drink. Tonight, we shall drink until we are completely intoxicated.”
Wen Chu raised his gaze and saw that after Xie Huaiqiang’s departure, Zuo Xilou had actually moved over to sit right beside him.
For him to be this audacious within the imperial palace was only possible with Xie Huaiqiang’s tacit permission. If that was the case, what did Xie Huaiqiang view him as? A common courtesan meant to entertain guests!
“I do not drink alcohol.”
Hearing Wen Chu’s words, Zuo Xilou replied, “Your humble subject already heard from the Prince Regent that Your Majesty deeply loves drinking. There is no need to be modest and claim you do not drink.”
Lifting his gaze, Wen Chu’s eyes revealed unconcealed disgust as he said, “I simply do not wish to drink with you.”
Zuo Xilou completely lost his patience, his expression turning gloomy as he threatened Wen Chu, “Your Majesty would do best to be obedient, or else your precious crown prince will be carried away by us to become a hostage living under another’s roof in the Longshu Kingdom.”
Standing beside him, Mu Qing also chimed in, “This humble subject advises Your Majesty not to engage in pointless struggles.”
Zuo Xilou let out a cold “humph.” “What nobility or arrogance can a puppet emperor stripped of all power possibly possess? Serving me properly and pleasingly is your true mission.”
With that, he pushed a goblet filled to the brim with wine right in front of Wen Chu. “Drink it.”
Hidden in the shadows, Xie Huaiqiang watched everything with cold eyes.