RWNEFE -Chapter 440 Yue Chuhe Is So Angry He’s About to Vomit Blood

“Silencing witnesses by killing them, leaving no proof—that’s the explanation you give this prince?” Yue Chuhe began shouting again.

“You people of Great Zhou have such lax security. You clearly don’t take the lives of us envoys seriously at all!”

“Today it’s Yue State. Next time it could be the envoys of Luo, Gao, Liang, or Wei!”

Shen Lanxi and Zhou Ruyuan’s faces darkened at the same time.

“Third Prince Yue is being rather alarmist,” Zhou Ruyuan said coldly.

Shen Lanxi added, “I have reason to suspect that Third Prince Yue is deliberately using this incident to sow discord between Great Zhou and the other states.”

Yue Chuhe shouted, “Nonsense! If it were me, what would my motive be? Would I really risk offending Great Zhou to do such a thing?”

Shen Lanxi replied, “The motive is already very clear. You have repeatedly tried to use grain supplies to pressure Great Zhou. Seeing that we refused to yield, you set up such a vicious scheme.”

Whether or not Yue Chuhe had actually done it, dragging him into suspicion was the best choice for now.

The officials from the Ministry of Rites quickly caught on and chimed in.

“We all heard it—Third Prince Yue has repeatedly threatened us with grain supplies, and Great Zhou has never once compromised.”

“Our great nation cannot be coerced like this!”

“Third Prince Yue’s intentions are truly sinister!”

Yue Chuhe hadn’t expected to be accused in return. His face turned livid with rage.

“It was you! It was you! Don’t think you can talk your way out of this!”

The officials of the Ministry of Rites were no pushovers. When it came to argument, they were no less skilled than court prosecutors.

“Third Prince Yue, why become angry out of embarrassment?”

“The loss of face at the relay station gate was not provoked by Great Zhou. And the refusal of marriage in the palace was based on mutual consent. If these two matters caused you humiliation, it was not our intention.”

In other words, Yue Chuhe had brought it upon himself.

“You may feel anger, resentment, even hatred—we all understand. Youthful impulsiveness, after all. We understand, we understand!”

Yue Chuhe was so angry he nearly coughed up blood.

“Stop talking nonsense! I didn’t do it. Don’t try to pin this on me!”

The officials responded calmly and indulgently, “We understand, we understand!”

Yue Chuhe exploded, “Understand my foot! You officials of Great Zhou only know how to muddle things and sweep matters under the rug. Don’t even think about it!”

“This prince will go to the palace right now to see your Emperor. All of you just wait!”

Unable to win in debate and unable to outshout them, Yue Chuhe stormed off toward the imperial palace.

Zhou Ruyuan said to Shen Lanxi, “I’ll stay here to calm the envoys. You follow him.”

Shen Lanxi smiled faintly. “Alright.”

This was no time for rivalry between the two of them. If the matter were mishandled, Great Zhou would lose face before all the foreign envoys, its prestige shattered and future troubles endless.

Although the relay station had been sealed quickly after the incident, many people had still seen what happened. Within moments, the news spread quietly.

Several old farmers who had entered the city to sell vegetables quickly sold off their goods, then left the city in an orderly manner, heading in different directions.

“Your Majesty, our Yue delegation has suffered an incident in an inn of Great Zhou. You must give us a satisfactory explanation, or next year’s grain supplies from Yue will cease!” Yue Chuhe declared confidently.

Threatened to his face, Emperor Renxiao was furious inside. Though his expression darkened, he did not lose his temper and maintained a composed demeanor.

“Rest assured. Not only Yue, but any envoy—even if they merely slipped and fell in Great Zhou—would be our responsibility to the end,” the emperor said, a shadow passing through his eyes.

Shen Lanxi said, “Your Majesty, the trail has already been cut off. The poisoner’s entire family has been killed. I believe the person behind this deliberately seeks to sabotage the friendly relations between our dynasty and Yue.”

Hearing this, Yue Chuhe swallowed the accusation that she herself was the poisoner.

The emperor nodded. “That makes sense. If the culprit wishes to cause trouble, it would not be limited to Yue. The safety of other envoys must also be carefully guarded.”

Shen Lanxi said, “The Prince of Zhennan has already tightened security at the relay station. Nothing will go wrong.”

Although the trail was broken, an explanation still had to be given to Yue.

The emperor felt a headache coming on. Where was he supposed to find a culprit now?

“Your Majesty, the two rebel princes have still not arrived. I suspect something is amiss,” Shen Lanxi suddenly said.

The emperor’s eyes lit up. That remark was like a pillow delivered just as he was falling asleep.

“Third Prince Yue, within ten days, I will certainly find the person who poisoned you.”

“And if you cannot?” Yue Chuhe asked.

The emperor’s manner made it seem as though he might simply produce a scapegoat. Though displeased, Yue Chuhe did not dare be insolent before the emperor as he had with other officials.

“Very well. This prince will wait at the relay station for good news.”

After Yue Chuhe was appeased and sent back, the emperor immediately summoned Shen Lanxi.

“You believe this was the work of the two rebel princes?”

Shen Lanxi replied, “Earlier I ordered only the relay station sealed, not the city gates. Instead, I had people watch the gates, and indeed several suspicious individuals were spotted.”

The emperor nodded. “Did they head in the direction of the two rebels?”

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“Your Majesty is wise. It was indeed them. I suspect they have delayed appearing in order to create chaos and sow discord between Great Zhou and the foreign envoys.”

Anger flared in the emperor’s heart. So it truly was those two rebels.

“If those rebels are not eliminated, my hatred will never be appeased.” And negotiations? There would be no negotiations—this time, whoever came would not leave alive.

“Your Majesty, please remain calm. I suspect their reason for targeting Yue was to use the opportunity to cut off grain supplies to our army.”

The emperor had already considered this—and another thought as well.

“They dare to interfere with grain supplies, and now pretend to negotiate peace. They want to lull us into complacency and then seize the chance to wage war,” Shen Lanxi said firmly.

The emperor agreed.

“They truly deserve death!”

He had allowed them to live until now out of familial affection, yet they were so ungrateful.

“Your Majesty, according to my estimation, they will arrive in the capital within a few days,” Shen Lanxi said.

The emperor glanced behind him. “Lanxi, you may withdraw. I must consider a strategy.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After Shen Lanxi left, the emperor immediately summoned Song Daoxi.

Song Daoxi said respectfully, “Your Majesty, I heard what was said just now. A fierce tiger is dangerous, but a tiger that has returned to the mountains is even more so.”

The emperor pondered.

“Rather than letting them scheme outside, it is better to bring them within sight,” Song Daoxi explained.

The emperor nodded. As expected of a successor of the Guigu school—his insight was unique.

“Your Majesty, I believe the most urgent matter now is not the two rebels, but Yue State’s repeated threats.”

The emperor followed his line of thought. “You mean the grain supplies?”

Song Daoxi nodded. “Your Majesty might send spies to Yue to investigate whether they had long intended to use grain supplies to coerce Great Zhou—or whether they merely wish to raise prices and lack a pretext.”

The emperor’s face darkened, as if suddenly enlightened. At last he understood why Yue Chuhe had been acting so abnormally.

A prince of a small state behaving so recklessly on Great Zhou’s soil—it was obvious he had come looking for trouble.

“Wang Bao, immediately dispatch secret agents to Yue.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”