Song Tingfeng maintained his composure and said coldly, “This is the capital, not Yun Province. Feel free to file your complaint if you wish.”

“If you dare to do so, I’ll respect you as someone of substance. If not, you’re nothing but a gutless coward.” He kept one hand on his sword hilt, his expression defiant. He wasn’t intimidated by Ji Yuan in the slightest.

Is he just a reckless hothead? Xu Yuanshuang scrutinized Song Tingfeng with surprise. Given the current situation, with the Great Zhou Emperor and various ministers desperately seeking peace negotiations and a ceasefire, the entire upper echelon of Great Zhou had been frightened out of their wits by the Supervisor’s “demise.” At such a critical juncture, anyone who dared to show such boldness against the Yun Province delegation had to be either a fool or someone with powerful backing.

But even with the court officials’ support, if he angered Ninth Brother, they probably couldn’t protect him.

“How dare you!” Before Ji Yuan could speak, the Yun Province officials behind him erupted in anger, pointing at Song Tingfeng and berating him:

“How many heads do you have to spare, speaking to the Ninth Young Master like that?”

“Just publicly insulting a peace envoy alone is enough to get you imprisoned.”

“Such a crude warrior, ignorant of his limitations.”

Ji Yuan snapped his fan open with a crack and studied Song Tingfeng, saying with a smile, “Oh, so you have backing, do you? Do tell.”

“This young master would like to know who instructed you to lurk in the courier station, attempting to sabotage the peace talks with malicious intent.”

The accusation was dropped instantly – if Song Tingfeng’s backing wasn’t substantial enough, or if he had none at all, this charge from the Yun Province delegation alone would be enough to have him imprisoned and interrogated.

Among all the night watchmen guarding the courier station, this was the only one who dared to look at him with such unbridled hostility. Ji Yuan had noticed him when they arrived yesterday.

Though Ji Yuan wouldn’t normally bother giving a mere Silver Badge a hard time, he couldn’t tolerate such brazen disrespect right under his nose.

Xu Yuanshuang frowned slightly, glancing at the sky. “Ninth Brother, let’s go. It’s almost time.”

An elderly official in crimson robes behind Ji Yuan smiled and said, “It’s just a matter of a few words, no harm done. Besides, this happened for a reason. If the Great Zhou court inquires, we’ll simply tell them the truth.”

This was both meant to make things difficult for the young Silver Badge and to put psychological pressure on the court officials.

Having her suggestion so casually dismissed, Xu Yuanshuang fell silent.

Song Tingfeng gave a cold laugh, maintaining his pose with one hand on his sword hilt, looking down at everyone with contempt. He neither made threats nor showed submission.

“Snap!”

Ji Yuan closed his fan, glancing at Song Tingfeng, unwilling to waste more time on such an insignificant figure. He had leverage that could make the Great Zhou Emperor submit; dealing with a mere Silver Badge would be trivial whenever he chose.

Watching their backs as they left the courier station, Song Tingfeng turned and spat on the ground.

“Boss, you were impressive just now!” The Bronze Badges on duty gathered around him, their faces full of admiration.

“But Boss, won’t this cause trouble?” one Bronze Badge expressed his concern.

Given how well-informed the night watchmen were, they knew the Emperor’s and ministers’ attitudes. With Qing Province fallen, the treasury empty, and even the godlike Supervisor dead in Qing Province, any clear-headed person could see that continuing the war would surely doom the court.

If they could avoid fighting, that would naturally be best, which was why peace talks had become a beacon of hope in the eyes of the ministers and Emperor.

It was very unwise for Boss Song to offend the Yun Province delegation at such a critical moment.

Song Tingfeng sneered, “What did I always tell you?”

“Xu Ning Yan was trained by me. Now that he’s made it big, he still calls me Brother Song when he sees me. For such a small matter, why should I be afraid?”

“What’s so special about the Yun Province delegation? They come to the capital and immediately start throwing their weight around, acting all cocky. Back in the day when I was still in Yun Province, if I had my two little brothers Xu Ning Yan and Zhu Guangxiao with me, we would’ve cut him down without a second thought.”

The newly recruited Bronze Badges were skeptical. Although Boss Song always boasted about his iron-clad friendship with Silver Badge Xu, when they privately asked other seniors to verify, they did confirm that Silver Badge Xu, Boss Song, and Silver Badge Zhu used to be close.

But everyone knew Boss Song liked to exaggerate, and there had to be some embellishment in his stories.

For instance, Boss Song often said: “That Xu Ning Yan, he has this habit – he can’t go a day without visiting the brothels, especially during duty hours. Upright fellows like me and Zhu Guangxiao would refuse, saying we needed to patrol. But he’d drag us to the brothels anyway. You ask why it had to be during duty hours. Well, of course, it’s because he’d be busy getting free service from Courtesan Fuxiang at the Imperial Entertainment Bureau at night, so he had no time for brothels then.”

That was a joke – everyone in the capital knew Silver Badge Xu didn’t even pay when sleeping with the top courtesan at the Imperial Entertainment Bureau. Would he bother with common brothels?

So the Bronze Badges only believed about thirty percent of what Song Tingfeng said.

[Continued in next section…]

Meanwhile, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony…

The court session had ended, and Emperor Yongxing suppressed his anxiety, giving an expressionless glance at Chief Eunuch Zhao Xuanzhen.

Understanding immediately, Zhao announced in a loud voice: “Summoning the Yun Province delegation for the imperial audience!”

After waiting for half a cup of tea’s time, there was complete silence outside the hall, with no movement.

“Summoning the Yun Province delegation for the imperial audience.”

Still no response.

Zhao Xuanzhen glanced at the Emperor’s stern face, his forehead beginning to sweat. He turned and bowed to the throne, then quickly stepped out from the left side of the hall to investigate.

Soon he returned at a jog, came before the throne, and reported in a low voice: “Your Majesty, the Yun Province delegation hasn’t entered the palace yet.”

Emperor Yongxing’s face darkened as he gave him a cold look.

Zhao Xuanzhen didn’t explain further, only saying softly, “People have been sent to fetch them.”

The Emperor turned away and said flatly, “Wait another quarter hour.”

“Yes!” Zhao Xuanzhen responded quietly.

Though the court officials couldn’t hear the conversation between the ruler and servant clearly, they could guess the situation – the Yun Province delegation was “fashionably late,” missing their appointed time.

Having weathered many storms, the officials maintained their composure, but privately began their assessments.

The leader of the Yun Province delegation was a young man called Ji Yuan, who called himself the Ninth Young Master, supposedly the ninth son of the Hidden Dragon City’s ruler.

By bloodline, he belonged to the Great Zhou royal clan.

The officials already had a good grasp of this Ninth Young Master’s style – sharp, aggressive, and domineering.

Fortunately, before the quarter hour was up, Ji Yuan and his group were led into the Hall of Supreme Harmony by the eunuchs.

The officials all turned to observe the young man entering the hall.

He wore an elegant moon-white robe embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns, his sleeves hanging naturally, jade ornaments tinkling at his waist, his features handsome and refined.

Behind him were a young man and woman who bore some resemblance to each other, one cold and aloof, the other cool and distant.

Further back were six officials in formal robes – two in crimson robes embroidered with clouds and wild geese, four in blue robes embroidered with white pheasants and egrets.

Their official robes undoubtedly stung the sensitive hearts of Emperor Yongxing and his ministers. What did it mean for mere Yun Province delegates to wear proper official robes?

“Yun Province Envoy Ji Yuan greets Your Majesty.” Ji Yuan smiled slightly, bowing gracefully, naturally exuding an air of nobility and composure.

Emperor Yongxing nodded once, his voice resonant and steady: “As a representative of Yun Province coming to the capital for peace talks, We extended you the highest courtesy, yet you arrived late.”

“Is this Yun Province’s sincerity regarding peace?”

His expression was severe as he looked down at Ji Yuan below the throne.

Ji Yuan remained completely unruffled, smiling as he bowed: “It was truly not this official’s intent. Before departing today, we were delayed by harassment and insults from a Silver Badge at the courier station.”

“This official came with sincere intentions, yet a mere Silver Badge dared to glare and hurl abuse. If I may boldly ask Your Majesty – is this Great Zhou’s sincerity regarding peace talks?”

Listening from the side, the siblings Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai knew Ji Yuan’s eloquence well. Whether late by a quarter-hour or a full hour, he could always argue his way clearly, turning wrong into right.

Sure enough, he had turned the tables while simultaneously hanging a charge over that ignorant Silver Badge’s head in front of the Emperor and ministers.

If Emperor Yongxing didn’t take action, it would confirm the implications of deliberate delay and harassment, leaving a weakness to be exploited.

As expected, Emperor Yongxing frowned, pondered for a moment, then asked: “Who dared to harass and insult Envoy Ji?”

Ji Yuan replied calmly: “Silver Badge Song Tingfeng.”

The Emperor searched his memory but had no impression of this name. His first thought was that this presumptuous Silver Badge might have backing and was acting on orders to sabotage the peace talks.

He was about to pass judgment – disposing of a mere Silver Badge required no hesitation – when Left Censor-in-Chief Liu Hong stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding.”

A crimson-robed official behind Ji Yuan countered: “Is this lord suggesting our Master Ji is making false accusations?”

Ignoring him, Liu Hong continued: “Silver Badge Song is loyal and righteous. When suppressing rebels in Yun Province, he fought alongside Xu Qi’an, later accumulating many achievements as Xu Qi’an’s capable assistant during his time as a Silver Badge. How could he deliberately insult and harass the Yun Province delegation?”

“There must be some reason behind this. I request Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly.”

Emperor Yongxing said mildly: “Minister Liu speaks well. We shall certainly investigate and give Envoy Ji-an an explanation.”

What investigation? No need!

Liu Hong’s words made it very clear – that Silver Badge Song was Xu Qi’an’s man.

With such a powerful backer, as long as he didn’t commit serious crimes like murder or arson, he was untouchable.

The Emperor naturally wouldn’t antagonize Xu Qi’an over such a minor matter. He would simply have someone warn that Silver Badge and transfer him back to the night watchmen’s office.

Ji Yuan started, suddenly understanding why that fellow had dared to be so unrestrained.

So he was backed by Great Zhou’s number one warrior.

“Then I thank Your Majesty.” He knew when to stop pushing and didn’t persist.

The young Emperor wouldn’t offend Xu Qi’an over this small matter. Pressing the issue would only make him look foolish.

The six accompanying officials exchanged stunned glances, now understanding why a mere Silver Badge had been so arrogant.

Though still dissatisfied, peace talks were the priority today, so they would not quibble with such a minor figure.

After some idle chat and beating around the bush, Ji Yuan announced in a clear voice: “Since winter began, our Yun Province has fought with Great Zhou for two months, causing civilians to suffer and souls to perish, with heavy casualties among soldiers on both sides. This official was sent to the capital for peace talks, and thanks to Your Majesty’s and the ministers’ righteousness in agreeing to negotiate…”

The specific process for peace talks was to first establish the main tone, then have the Court of State Ceremonial handle negotiations for details. For especially major matters, the Ministry of Rites would also be involved.

Throughout this process, daily negotiation proceedings had to be submitted for imperial review.

The final results also required discussion between the Emperor and ministers before decisions could be made.

Today was about setting the “main tone,” building the framework for negotiations.

After finishing his long speech, Ji Yuan said: “Our Yun Province forces are advancing unstoppably, having taken Qing Province, with Great Zhou’s Supervisor perishing half a month ago. However, Imperial Father is merciful and cannot bear to see civilians face more warfare, willing to negotiate peace with Great Zhou if four conditions are met.”

The Hidden Dragon City’s ruler had already declared himself emperor in Yun Province.

Imperial Father… the Supervisor’s death… Emperor Yongxing swept his gaze over the officials in formal robes behind Ji Yuan, took a deep breath, and said: “Please speak, Envoy Ji.”

Ji Yuan said: “First, Great Zhou must pay Yun Province annual tribute of fifty thousand taels of silver and six hundred thousand bolts of silk, effective immediately upon conclusion of peace talks. This official must take this year’s tribute back first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue jumped out, berating: “You presumptuous child, speaking such nonsense.”

“Fifty thousand taels of silver? Six hundred thousand bolts of silk? Aren’t you afraid your tongue will be blown away by the wind?”

The Minister of Revenue had reason to jump up – such amounts might not have mattered in peaceful prosperous times.

But now the treasury was empty, barely maintaining court operations and military expenses, struggling to survive. They didn’t even have money and grain to aid disaster victims.

Taking fifty thousand taels of silver at once – Yun Province wouldn’t even need to fight; they could just wait for the court to collapse.

This wasn’t negotiating peace; it was harboring ill intentions, trying to force Great Zhou’s death.

Fearing the Emperor didn’t understand “economics” and might rashly agree, the Minister of Revenue jumped out to denounce it first.

Ji Yuan snapped his fan open with a crack, shaking his head: “The Central Plains are rich and fertile – what’s a mere fifty thousand taels?”

His eyes suddenly brightened as he said: “Could it be that the court can’t even produce fifty thousand taels of silver anymore?”

The Minister of Revenue’s heart tightened, but he coldly snorted: “Our Great Zhou’s national strength is mighty – how could a young upstart like you gauge it?”

Ji Yuan pressed: “Oh? If that’s so, then Great Zhou must have no sincere intention to negotiate peace.”

This youth is sharp-tongued… the ministers secretly frowned.