dognovel Chapter 114 Japanese Envoy Forced to Dance in the Street
Chapter 114 Japanese Envoy Forced to Dance in the Street
Gu Liuli had already ordered a spacious carriage to be prepared. The carriage was veiled with light gauze, allowing the common people to see what was inside while maintaining some secrecy. The Japanese envoy dragged his heavy steps as he boarded the carriage. He stood inside, his body stiff, his hands clenched into fists, as if making a final struggle.
As the carriage slowly made its way through the streets, people, hearing that there was something exciting to see, flocked from all directions to watch.
The crowd grew larger and larger, completely surrounding the carriage. When they saw the Japanese envoy wearing a blouse inside the carriage, they burst into laughter.
"Look, this is the Japanese envoy. His attire is truly comical!" A young man pointed at the carriage, laughing so hard he almost fell over.
"An envoy from a prestigious country dancing in a carriage? I've never heard of such a thing!" An old woman couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle.
The children were especially excited, weaving through the crowd and shouting, "Let's dance! Watch the Japanese envoys dance!"
The Japanese envoy's face turned pale and then red upon hearing these mocking remarks.
His feet seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move an inch. But under Gu Liuli's stern gaze, he had no choice but to begin dancing.
His movements were stiff and awkward, completely lacking the beauty of dance, and more like a painful struggle.
The carriage moved slowly forward, drawing jeers and pointing fingers from the common people wherever it went. The Japanese envoy felt as if he were in hell, every second an agony. He secretly vowed that he would avenge this wrong and make the Nanzhao Kingdom pay the price when he returned to Japan.
Gu Liuli sat in a nearby teahouse, watching everything unfold with a smug smile. She knew that this victory in the bet not only won dignity for the Nanzhao Kingdom but also demonstrated its firm stance to other nations. This farce was merely a pawn in her game to protect national interests, and a much larger game was yet to come…
Just as the Japanese envoy was struggling to complete this "dance of shame" in the carriage, a man in a black robe was coldly watching everything from an inconspicuous corner of the crowd.
His eyes were deep and cold, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips. This man was a spy secretly sent by the American envoy, and he kept all of this in mind, preparing to report back to the American envoy.
The Japanese envoy finally ended the nightmarish dance, and the carriage slowly came to a stop. He impatiently jumped off the carriage, ripped off his blouse, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it several times, as if this could erase the humiliation he had just suffered. He raised his head and glared fiercely at the teahouse where Gu Liuli was, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Gu Liuli, however, paid no attention to the Japanese envoy's gaze. She gracefully rose, straightened her skirt, and then walked down from the teahouse at a leisurely pace. She approached the Japanese envoy, her face still bearing that confident smile: "Your Excellency, did you enjoy the dance?"
The Japanese envoy gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words: "Gu Liuli, don't be too smug. Japan will definitely settle this score!"
Gu Liuli chuckled lightly, "I'm always ready. However, I advise you, Your Excellency, to first think about how to explain this to your Japanese Emperor." With that, she turned and left, leaving the Japanese envoy trembling with anger.
Upon returning to his lodgings, the Japanese envoy immediately sent someone to contact the American envoy. Soon after, the American envoy rushed over. Upon seeing him, the Japanese envoy immediately cried out, "This is an utter disgrace! How can Japan swallow this insult! You must help me find a way to make the Nanzhao Kingdom pay the price!"
The envoy from the United States frowned: "Don't rush things. This matter needs careful consideration. The Nanzhao Kingdom is being so assertive this time, they must have some backing. If we act rashly, we're afraid we'll come out worse off."
"Then what do you suggest we do? Are we just going to let it go like this?" the Japanese envoy asked, unwilling to give up.
After a moment of contemplation, the envoy from the United States said, "I think we can first contact other countries that have conflicts with Nanzhao and put pressure on Nanzhao together. At the same time, we can also create some minor frictions on the border to test Nanzhao's reaction."
The Japanese envoy listened and found some merit in his words, so he nodded: "Alright, we'll do as you say. However, you must act quickly; I can't wait to take my revenge!"
Meanwhile, Gu Liuli was also in the palace discussing countermeasures with the ministers of the Nanzhao Kingdom. An old minister said worriedly, "Miss Gu, Japan and the United States will definitely not let this go easily. We must prepare as soon as possible."
Xiao Han nodded: "I understand. In the past few days, I have sent people to closely monitor the movements of the Japanese and American envoys. They just had a secret meeting, presumably to discuss how to deal with us."
"Then how should we deal with this?" another minister asked.
"Don't worry, everyone. Actually, there's something I haven't told you yet. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess accidentally obtained a book on making weapons from steel. When Xiao Ming rebelled, he secretly opened an iron mine without reporting it. I've already taken back the iron mine, and I estimate that the weapons inside will soon be completed!"
Upon hearing this, the ministers' eyes lit up instantly. No wonder they had heard that Bai Jing had returned, but had not seen him for a long time. It turned out that he had been secretly doing something important.
Xiao Jingchuan and Gu Liuli rode at full speed and soon arrived at the iron mine outside the city. From afar, they could see a bustling scene: workers were going in and out of the mine, carrying heavy ore, and flames roared in the furnace, illuminating half the sky.
"I didn't expect it to be so lively here." Gu Liuli narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at the scene before her. "It seems that weapon manufacturing is proceeding in an orderly manner."
Xiao Jingchuan nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face: "Father has always attached great importance to weapons manufacturing. This book on manufacturing steel weapons will surely enhance the military strength of our Nanzhao Kingdom."
As the two entered the iron mine, an official in charge of management immediately came to greet them. This official, named Zhao Hong, was a burly, middle-aged man with a full beard. Upon seeing the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, he immediately bowed respectfully: "Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, you must be tired from your journey."
Xiao Jingchuan waved his hand and asked anxiously, "Zhao Hong, how is the weapon manufacturing progressing?"
Zhao Hong quickly replied, "Your Highness, the progress is going smoothly. Following the method in that book, we and Lord Bai Jing have successfully forged several batches of steel and are currently working on the prototype of the weapons. However..." At this point, Zhao Hong frowned slightly.