AUBTN -Chapter 348 Great Wei Has Won Big

This time, however, it was not because of frustration—but shock!

“Open… it’s open! Lord Li has cracked it!”

No one knew who shouted first, but immediately after, the civil officials’ seats erupted into wild cheers.

“Lord Li is truly ingenious! Our Great Wei’s wisdom is as vast as the sea!”

“So what if it’s some Eastern Xia mechanized trick? Nothing special at all! Hahaha!”

At the center of the grand hall—

The smug smile on the face of the Japanese envoy Xiang Du was now as if he had been狠狠 slapped. It froze completely.

His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the pile of dismantled wooden blocks, his face drained of color and filled with disbelief.

“No… impossible. This is the unpassed secret of my nation. How could it be solved so easily…” Xiang Du’s voice trembled.

Shen Jue looked down at him from above with a gaze that was both mocking and faintly pitiful.

“Envoy, Great Wei is vast and rich in resources, with talents everywhere like clouds. Next time, if you bring such child’s playthings to present as treasures, it won’t end with the loss of just three treasure ships.”

With that, Shen Jue turned and walked back to his seat.

The moment he turned around, he cast a distant glance toward the women’s seating area.

On his usually cold and sinister face, a gentle smile blossomed.

His princess consort was truly unmatched in all the world.

Su Hewan held her teacup, returning a faint, composed smile.

Beside her, Yu Qing had already turned into a fangirl—she was practically seconds away from grabbing Yu Qing and spinning in circles.

The young emperor, seated on the dragon throne, was overjoyed. He laughed heartily:

“Good! Envoy Xiang Du, those three treasure ships—this emperor will gladly accept them!”

The hall burst into lively celebration as officials raised their cups and toasted one another.

Xiang Du’s expression, meanwhile, had turned as dark as a pig liver left out for three days.

Not only had he lost his prized national treasure, but he had also lost three treasure ships loaded with silver and spices!

The face of Japan today had been utterly trampled into the ground!

Taking a deep breath, Xiang Du forced out a smile uglier than crying and said loudly:

“Great Wei truly hides dragons and crouching tigers. This humble envoy has broadened his horizons today!”

After a pause, he raised his voice again:

“Since Great Wei is so outstanding in military strength and craftsmanship, its poetry, literature, and cultural elegance must surely be unmatched across the world as well? In that case, to express our friendly relations as neighbors, why not compose a poem on the theme of ‘friendship between states’ here and now?”

As soon as these words landed, the jubilant hall fell silent once more.

Everyone could see clearly—this old Eastern Xia envoy was unwilling to accept defeat and was trying to reclaim face through cultural contest instead.

In the women’s seating area, Yu Qing, who had been leisurely peeling an orange, suddenly paused.

She almost laughed out loud.

【Oh my heavens, is this old East Asian boomer brain-dead or what? Competing in poetry with the five-thousand-year civilization of China?】

【Bring out Li Bai, Du Fu, or Su Shi—any one of them could erase your entire family tree in poetry alone!】

Su Hewan, sitting beside her, also wore a faint smile.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind, and a timeless masterpiece fitting the Great Wei’s style began forming rapidly.

She slightly turned her head and once again activated her whisper mode, beckoning a clever little eunuch behind her.

“Go, recite these lines word for word to your prince.”

The little eunuch obeyed and quietly slipped toward the front of the male guest seats.

On the other side of the hall—

Shen Jue sat behind a purple sandalwood desk, his slender fingers lightly tapping the tabletop in a casual rhythm.

Within his narrow, deep-set phoenix eyes, there had originally been a hint of indifferent coldness.

Immediately afterward, the young eunuch stepped forward, bowed deeply, and in a very low voice quickly recited a few lines of poetry into his ear.

After hearing it, a smile spread across Shen Jue’s eyes like rippling spring water.

He raised his head and, across most of the banquet hall, precisely caught Su Hewan’s gaze.

In that look, there was an undisguised, indulgent fondness—like saying you really are a little troublemaker.

Su Hewan felt the heat creeping up her ears. She quietly lifted her teacup and pretended to admire the scenery elsewhere.

Shen Jue withdrew his gaze and rose slowly and unhurriedly.

“Your Majesty.”

Shen Jue’s voice was low and lazy. “Since the envoy from Envoy Xiangdu has such refined interest, I was just observing his demeanor and felt something stir within me. By chance, I have composed a poem. I would like to add a bit of entertainment for all the envoys present.”

The young emperor’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Shen Jue step forward.

“Oh? The Regent Prince is inspired to compose poetry? Quickly, recite it so I and all my ministers may appreciate it together!”

Xiangdu also perked up his ears, a cold sneer forming in his heart.

A eunuch-born power holder, no matter how much authority he now wielded as a prince, was still nothing more than a brutal man who rose through slaughter. What kind of decent poem could he possibly produce?

Just wait—he would soon find flaws to ridicule him.

The entire hall fell silent.

All eyes focused on Shen Jue.

Shen Jue stood with his hands behind his back, cleared his throat, and began to recite in a clear, sonorous tone:

“Friends from afar, friendly guests arrive!”

The first line came out, and Xiangdu stroked his mustache, slightly nodding.

Guests from distant lands—hm, at least he knows manners.

Shen Jue lowered his gaze slightly, his tone gradually rising with natural authority:

“Head held high, they step onto the golden platform.”

A flash of pride appeared in Xiangdu’s eyes.

Head held high?

So this is praising their East Island delegation as dignified and imposing!

However, Su Hewan had already automatically translated it in her mind:

“Walking in like their chins are about to pierce the sky, acting all smug and full of themselves.”

Shen Jue suppressed a smile and continued:

“Speaking grandly, like rivers and seas!”

The cadence was powerful and resounding.

The vice envoy behind Xiangdu, Watanabe, immediately brightened. He leaned toward Xiangdu and whispered in broken Great Wei official speech:

“My lord! He is praising your profound knowledge, saying your words are like the boundless rivers and seas!”

Su Hewan’s inner commentary floated again:

“Endless nonsense—talking so much you could fill the moat with saliva.”

Shen Jue finally reached the last line. He even paused deliberately for half a beat, his gaze sweeping across every member of the Eastern delegation with a faint smile that was not quite a smile:

“One heart of sincerity, hoping you will guess.”

As the words fell, the hall plunged into silence.

“Good!!!”

The first to break the silence was unexpectedly the Eastern vice envoy, Watanabe!

He stood up excitedly, his face flushed red, stepped out of his seat, and bowed deeply toward Shen Jue in a full ninety-degree salute.

“Your Highness is truly a genius! A genius beyond compare!”

Watanabe was so moved he looked like he might cry. Turning to Xiangdu and the entire hall, he said loudly:

“Friends from afar, heads held high, speech like rivers and seas, sincere hearts! The Great Wei Regent Prince has given us such a supreme evaluation! This poem must be recorded in the annals of our East Island and passed down for generations!!!”

Although Xiangdu felt the last line sounded a little strange, the first three lines were clearly praise!

The tense expression on his aged face finally broke into a smile. He repeatedly cupped his hands toward Shen Jue.

“Your Highness is magnanimous! We accept this poem with gratitude! Many thanks for the gift!”

At this moment, the civil and military officials of Great Wei finally reacted.