Vol 2 Chapter 208 (2/2)

The main Imperial hall was extraordinarily vast The double eaves above were ht to saturate the hall unobstructed, eradicating all sense of gloominess commonly associated with Imperial palaces

On both sides of the hall were support pillars made of an unknown old decorations; each one of the into the clouds They were peerlessly beautiful

Behind the pillars were layers of mesh drapes Behind those, people’s shadows could be seen It was iirls or eunuchs

The first sight that greeted Fan Xian’s eyes – the sight which he reht path On either side of the path was a pool of clear water!

The envoy, led by the eunuch, sloalked along the path The Qing officials who entered this place for the first time reacted very much like Fan Xian did; they couldn’t help but be shaken—the floor they alking on was made of jade! This jade floor was covered by a beautiful carpet which yielded a strange softness to all who stepped on it

The two pools proved to be the most unexpected features of the hall The water was exceptionally clear, and goldfish could be seen swiht, like Fan Xian, they could see the deepest parts of the pools, where two great fish – one black and one white – rested on the white sand, gently undulating their graceful tails

Seeing this sight ant palace shows just howover Northern Wei’s assets,” he thought to hiance whichin continuous defeats at the hands of Qing”

The officials of Northern Qi gathered behind the long pathA breeze picked up froround was paved with sandalwood planks Everything was soleon Throne On it sat Northern Qi’s en diplomats with interest

The diplo life

”You may rise” The ebow at his feet

Fan Xian sighed inwardly and rose, only to find a pair of eyes fixated on his face Slightly shocked, Fan Xian stared back and traced the aon Throne

This young emperor had ruled for less than two years This year he would be seventeen; the sa, his tutor was the second son of Zhuang Mohan; in martial arts, his master was the Imperial Advisor Ku He's head disciple He excelled in neither area He shared a si no interest in women He was also a bit overly playful He treated the eer, and was enerous to his people

H called love

That was Fan Xian’s first reaction upon seeing the emperor’s still-childish appearance But he i disrespectful When a nation’s ruler is looking at hiht to stare back

So Fan Xian hurried to lower his head and stood aside in silence Inside, however, he was suspicious of that a voice rang out Since Envoy Fan was being extre, as the vice-diplomat, reluctantly shouldered all the co the letter of credence written by Qing’s e they were just sos like the friendshi+p and brotherhood between the two nations couldn’t even fool Dong’er, who sold tofu back in Danzhou But now they were being read aloud with such seriousness

As expected, the young e approval of his counterpart to the south

Fan Xian jeered on the inside, but smiled respectfully on the outside, as if intoxicated by the friendly atmosphere between the two nations Immediately, the officials from Northern Qi’s Board of Rites stepped forwards and said some fanciful words This diploress

But Fan Xian still felt unco emperor, there were now many more pairs of eyes on him As calm as he was, Fan Xian couldn’t help but wonder

The ones who really wondered were the various officials of Northern Qi Everyone knew the head diplomat of this envoy from the south was none other than the immortal poet Fan Xian, so they were all very interested as to what this young star—the one who sent Master Zhuang Mohan back to Northern Qi dispirited—was really like But now, Fan Xian was keeping silent Even so the letter of credence was left to the vice-diplomat

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