flstandardbreds Chapter 248 Han Envoy VS Han Envoy
Chapter 248 Han Envoy VS Han Envoy
Envoys always travel to other countries with a mission, either to seek peace, form an alliance, or issue a declaration of war. But Fei Yi was different. He was sent by Liu Bei to see Lü Meng make a fool of himself and to avenge Lü Meng's crossing of the Yangtze River in disguise.
But whether it was his bad luck or Lü Meng's good luck, Lü Meng died as soon as he entered Jiangling, preventing him from seeing the joke and causing the mission to fail.
What's even more tragic is that he only received the task of watching Lü Meng make a fool of himself from Liu Bei, so after Lü Meng died, he didn't know what to do and could only stay at the post station to freeload.
Fei Yi originally planned to stay for a few days and then find some excuse to go back, but before he could leave Jiang Ji, he decided to do something big: kill Jiang Ji in Jiangling. However, the assassination attempt failed and he was beaten up instead. He has been recuperating at the post station these days.
Today, he finally came out and saw his enemy again. How could Fei Yi not be envious?
Jiang Ji, on the other hand, had a different feeling. Looking at Fei Yi across from him with a face full of resentment, he thought, "I was just walking peacefully down the street, and you suddenly jumped out and hit me. What the hell did I do to you?"
Although he beat Fei Yi up that day, he also got injured himself. The injury didn't matter, the main thing was that he was embarrassed.
He was beaten up by Fei Yi for no reason but did not retaliate. If this got back to Luoyang, his colleagues would laugh him to death.
The ridicule from his colleagues was secondary; if Cao Cao held a grudge against him because of it, he would be in big trouble.
When Han Dynasty officials were sent on diplomatic missions to other countries, beating up the foreign king and sleeping with the foreign queen dowager was the norm. However, being beaten up by another country was a first in four hundred years, and the consequences were predictable.
Thinking of Cao Cao's expression when he patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "How dare you come back after being beaten up like this?" Jiang Ji couldn't help but shudder, his eyes glaring at Fei Yi as if he could devour him.
The two men stared at each other for a long time, their gazes locked like iron claps, across the gates of the Wu Marquis's residence. Suddenly, Jiang Ji extended a finger and beckoned lightly, then cursed like a thug in the street, "Useless..."
"Holy crap..." Fei Yi, with his fiery temper, couldn't stand the provocation and immediately drew his sword and charged forward.
Jiang Ji also drew his sword and charged forward, determined to kill Fei Yi on the spot and use Fei Yi's head to wash away the shame of being beaten innocently.
Officials in the Han Dynasty were that direct; they would draw their swords at the slightest disagreement and would never hesitate to use force.
Just as the two were about to clash, Sun Quan's guards, Hu Zong and Xu Xiang, rushed out at the same time, wielding their swords to strike Fei Yi and Jiang Ji's swords. After temporarily repelling the two, they stood back to back between them, and with a helpless expression, advised, "Doctor Fei, Clerk Jiang, let's talk this out."
Fei Yi is currently just a physician, which is why Jiang Ji is indignant. He, the chief clerk of the Prime Minister's office and the subordinate of the Western Bureau, was beaten by a mere physician under Liu Bei's command. No matter how you look at it, it's humiliating.
He might accept being beaten by the Five Tiger Generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong, or by important officials of Yizhou such as Sun Qian, Jian Yong, Mi Zhu, and Zhuge Liang. But who does Fei Yi think he is?
This is like a county magistrate being beaten by ordinary people; even if the people are killed afterward, it is still an indelible disgrace.
Jiang Ji angrily cursed, "What do you mean by 'please talk'? He already stabbed me, how can I talk to him nicely?"
Hu Zong said helplessly, "Lord Wu is already waiting for you two in the hall. After you've met with Lord Wu and finished your official business, can you take care of your personal matters later?"
Those who tried to break up the fight were also frustrated. To be honest, Hu Zong really didn't want to get involved in this mess. If they could fight anywhere else, they could fight until their brains were turned to mush, and they wouldn't care if they died together. But the problem was, they shouldn't fight in Jiangling. If they really died in Jiangling, wouldn't the pot be ours?
These two men, one with Cao Cao behind him and the other with Liu Bei behind him, which one could Eastern Wu afford to offend?
So even if they were unwilling, they had to come out and mediate, and they had to ensure that both of them left Jiangling and even Jingzhou alive.
Fei Yi was about to retort when he heard this, but then he changed his tone and said in a calm tone that could infuriate someone: "Fine, for the sake of Lord Wu, let this old scoundrel's head stay on his shoulder for a while longer. It's not too late to deal with the dog after I've finished discussing business with Lord Wu."
These words made it sound as if he had the absolute upper hand and could take Jiang Ji's life at any moment. Hearing this, Jiang Ji immediately became furious. He gripped his sword and was about to rush past Xu Xiang again when Xu Xiang quickly grabbed his waist and at the same time called for Sun Quan's personal guards, who were hiding behind the door, to rush out and surround the two of them, not giving them any chance to get close to each other again.
The two men put away their swords and prepared to enter the mansion, but Hu Zong raised his hand to stop them and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, to avoid any conflict in the conversation that follows, please hand over your swords to us for safekeeping. We will return them to you when we leave."
Both of them are the type to draw their swords and fight at the slightest disagreement. What if they start fighting again during a meeting, or one of them impulsively charges at Sun Quan...?
Therefore, it's best to put away your weapons for safety's sake.
The problem is, is this something you can just take away as you please? Jiang Ji was already furious, and upon hearing this, he immediately rebuked, "What do you mean? Does Lord Wu think he is the emperor?"
Fei Yi immediately chimed in, "That's right. I've always seen my king enter the palace with a sword, but when he came to the Marquis of Wu, he wanted to take away my sword. How come I didn't know when the Marquis of Wu ascended the throne?"
The Han Dynasty valued martial prowess, and officials always carried swords when going out to discuss matters or even when meeting their superiors. They would only remove their swords when they went to court to see the emperor.
To be precise, one was only exempt from carrying a sword during grand court assemblies; at other times, one could carry a sword when meeting the emperor.
Even during grand court assemblies, one could wear a sword and shoes in the palace, but this was the exclusive privilege of powerful ministers, and currently only Cao Cao had this privilege.
Now Sun Quan wants to take away their swords, which is intolerable. Although I am not Cao Cao who wears a sword and shoes in the palace, you, Sun Quan, are not the emperor sitting on the dragon throne. What gives you the right to take away our swords?
In this matter, Fei Yi and Jiang Ji surprisingly joined forces, leaving Hu Zong and Xu Xiang speechless.
Hu Zong said awkwardly, "If you don't want to, that's fine, but please both of you must restrain yourselves and not cause any more conflict in front of Lord Wu. We are all decent people and should do something decent."
Fei Yi and Jiang Ji both thought to themselves, "What do you mean by 'respectable'? Crossing the river in white robes?"
Despite their complaints, neither of them caused any more trouble. Instead, they nodded in agreement and stepped inside. Then, another problem arose: who went in first and who went in later?
Who goes through the gate first is a minor matter, but for the two envoys, it becomes a major event concerning the national system. We are both envoys, so why should I go behind you?
If someone follows you, wouldn't that make them your underling? How can you tolerate that? I can tolerate it, but my king can't!
So we're stuck here again.
Seeing the two of them locked in a standoff, Hu Zong and Xu Xiang felt so frustrated they wanted to bang their heads against the wall. Why do you two have so much trouble?
Hu Zong had no choice but to let the two of them enter at the same time. To prevent them from suddenly attacking and killing each other as they entered, he had to stand side by side with Xu Xiang between the two to block them.
Finally, the four of them lined up and entered the room at the same time, maintaining their formation as they headed towards the lobby.
Upon entering, they found that Sun Quan and his officials were already there, waiting for the two of them.
The two continued forward without saying much, with Hu Zong and Xu Xiang remaining between them as they walked together.
Even after they entered the palace, the two of them still dared not relax their guard over Fei Yi and Jiang Ji, which made Hu and Xu feel extremely frustrated. At the same time, they wondered whether they should set up a life-or-death contest and have the two of them sign a death contract to kill one of them.
The four walked to the center of the hall, and Fei Yi and Jiang Ji bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Wu."