The Stand-In Rooster

Xiao Yanchen sampled only a small piece of fruit from the tray. It was indeed just as Shen Anxin had said.

"Very sweet and fresh. Southern Xia was thoughtful to bring it," Xiao Yanchen remarked, still leaving everyone unable to tell whether he had ever seen the fruit before.

With that, the people from Southern Xia had no way to stir up trouble. They could hardly come right out and demand an answer.

After all, they were the ones with bad intentions to begin with. If the others didn't take the bait, jumping out themselves would only make them lose face.

Shen Anxin: Chacha, something's wrong here. I haven't even made my move yet. Didn't you say they'd never seen it before? Why doesn't Xiao Yanchen look like he's eating it for the first time at all?

Chacha didn't know either and could only put it down to the butterfly effect.

Xiao Yanchen didn't want Shen Anxin's thoughts to run wild, so he spoke to divert her attention.

"It's rare for this fruit to reach Great Qi. Some of the ministers at court probably haven't tasted it. If you're interested, you may share it." With those words, Xiao Yanchen had smoothed the matter over. Even if someone later let slip that they had never seen the fruit, it would be understandable.

Of course, the important thing was that, by saying this, Xiao Yanchen could give Shen Anxin some durian.

"Minister Shen, would you like to try some?" Xiao Yanchen asked gently, picking out the largest piece, putting it on a plate, and handing it to Shen Anxin.

Shen Anxin's eyes lit up. Moved, she immediately took the plate.

Sure enough, being the crown prince's close attendant has its perks. Xiao Yanchen, I love you!!!!

Xiao Yanchen's phoenix eyes flew wide, and his heartbeat faltered. The hand holding the plate nearly lost control and jerked sharply. Fortunately, Shen Anxin took it just then, keeping it from falling.

Shen Anxin's eyes and thoughts were full of durian, and she didn't notice anything unusual about Xiao Yanchen.

But everyone on Great Qi's side changed expression in unison and stared at the two of them.

What had they just heard?

Such a straightforward, embarrassing declaration.

Was Shen Anxin confessing her love to the crown prince?

Could it be that, without their knowing, there was another huge melon?!!!

The other princes stared wide-eyed in shock. Are we going to have... an elder sister-in-law?

Even Emperor Hongyao was stunned.

Xiao Yanchen lost his composure for a moment, but quickly recovered. He covered his mouth and coughed lightly, returning to normal.

He had almost let it unsettle him.

How could that have been a confession? He knew Shen Anxin a little better than the others did. Although it was his first time hearing her say something like that, it was probably just an expression of feeling that had nothing to do with romance.

She was simply saying that she was very happy and grateful to him.

If he imagined she had feelings for him, he would only make a laughingstock of himself.

Xiao Yanchen steadied his heartbeat and watched with a smile as Shen Anxin happily ate her durian, still clamoring in her heart, I really want to grab it with my hands!

He smiled, finding her adorable.

Seeing how much Shen Anxin was enjoying it, some of the others grew curious too.

"Elder brother, give me a piece." The fifth prince, Xiao Yanjue, was the most curious about new things. He showed his little canine teeth as he called out in a rather ingratiating tone. Seeing how much Shen Anxin liked it, he was genuinely afraid he wouldn't get a single bite and that his eldest brother would end up feeding it all to her.

Once he had tasted it, he could see if there was a market for it. Perhaps he really could import some in the future and sell it exclusively to high officials and nobles, filling the national treasury!

With the fifth prince taking the lead, others gradually tried it too. Those who dared to try it could all tolerate the stink, and after eating it, they felt as though it didn't stink at all. It was truly a marvel.

Finally, seeing that it was almost gone, even Emperor Hongyao couldn't help coughing.

He, the ruler of the nation, hadn't tasted it yet!

Just now, he hadn't dared act recklessly, so as to safeguard the dignity of a great nation. Surely he couldn't end up without even a single piece.

Taking the hint, Xiao Yanchen had the palace attendants send the remainder to the rear palace for his mother to taste. Presumably, she would save a piece for his father.

But Xiao Yanchen didn't know that, after the empress learned in the rear palace that Shen Anxin liked the fruit, she tasted a small piece herself and then chilled and sealed up the rest, intending to give it all to Shen Anxin after the banquet.

Meanwhile, the Southern Xia delegation saw them happily sharing and enjoying the fruit without betraying the slightest ignorance from beginning to end. They were so angry they were close to bursting.

In the end, they could only finish presenting their gifts. Aside from some utensils, calligraphy, and paintings, only the final gift was worth seeing.

The moment it was brought out, someone cried out in surprise, "A phoenix bird! That's a phoenix bird!"

The instant Emperor Hongyao saw the phoenix bird, his expression improved considerably. The previous gifts had all been unremarkable, but this last one carried some weight. It seemed Southern Xia wasn't entirely made up of arrogant fools.

They had probed Great Qi and harbored ambitions of humiliating it, but they were also worried about truly angering the war machine that was Great Qi.

The phoenix bird was meant to leave them room to make amends.

Shen Anxin said, "A phoenix bird?"

Shen Anxin had never seen one, but it really did look unusual. Its brightly colored feathers shimmered in the sunlight, though its shape looked a little strange.

Shen Anxin: Is that really a bird? It doesn't look like it could fly at all.

Seeing Shen Anxin's confusion, Xiao Yanchen explained, "Phoenix birds are extremely rare. They used to be Great Xia's national bird. They're found mainly in the southern mountains and forests and are very rarely seen in the north. They're also difficult to raise. Catching one alive and transporting it here in such good spirits is hard. Although it's a bird, it really can't fly."

Shen Anxin had grown used to the crown prince's occasional thoughtful explanations. In her eyes, Xiao Yanchen was a good leader who knew his bounds and was willing to teach his subordinates.

"Then Southern Xia put some thought into this gift?"

"Although Great Qi no longer regards the phoenix bird as its national bird, they did indeed put some thought into this gift."

Chacha: They certainly did. What a pity it's a fake!

The sudden voice made the delighted Great Qi people throughout the hall stiffen in unison.

What the hell?!

A fake?!!!

The people of Southern Xia had originally been unwilling to give this to Great Qi. Although the phoenix bird was no longer Southern Xia's national bird either, offering up the former national bird of their Great Xia of their own accord felt a little like bolstering someone else's prestige while diminishing their own.

Seeing how delighted the others were to receive the gift made it even more galling.

But they had barely had time to feel aggrieved when the faces of the Great Qi people changed.

The atmosphere seemed to plunge from a summer day into a world of ice and snow,

leaving the Southern Xia delegation utterly baffled.

What was going on?

Hadn't everything been fine just now?

Why were these Great Qi people acting so erratically?

"Do you have some objection to the phoenix bird our country has presented?" The minister of rites looked displeased, feeling that Great Qi really had offended them this time.

But everyone from Great Qi was pricking up their ears to eat melon, and no one paid him any attention.

Shen Anxin: Is there another melon? Eat, eat, eat! I want to watch the show, and I want points to come rolling in.

Chacha: Actually, Southern Xia was quite wronged in this matter. They really did offer a hefty reward and successfully obtain a phoenix bird, and they had it ready to give to Great Qi. After all, they cared about their reputation too; they couldn't keep doing things that wouldn't bear the light of day. But they never imagined that someone had secretly switched the phoenix bird.

Shen Anxin: Holy plum tree dying in the peach tree's place! If that's not a phoenix bird, what is it? With such an unusual shape, it would be hard to mistake something else for one, wouldn't it?

The others couldn't imagine it either and kept staring.

Seeing that no one answered him and everyone kept staring at the phoenix bird, Southern Xia's minister of rites felt insulted.

"What does Great Qi mean by this?!"

As soon as Southern Xia's minister of rites spoke, the censor and the great general who guarded the nation also stood up to express their dissatisfaction with Great Qi's attitude.

The others really wanted to say, I know you're anxious, but don't be anxious yet. Wait until we've confirmed the answer.

Chacha: A rooster that was dyed and poisoned mute.

Everyone: ...What... a r-r-r-r-rooster?

The kind of rooster that crowed in the morning?!!!

Everyone sucked in a breath, seeming only then to realize that, judging by a rooster's shape and ignoring the color of its feathers, it really did look almost identical to a phoenix bird.

But no one had dared imagine that someone would have the nerve to tamper with a diplomatic gift between nations, passing off a chicken as a phoenix?!

Shen Anxin blinked. So that's a poor rooster who lost his sacred duty to crow and was reduced to a stand-in, living for another bird... Rooster: speak up for me!

Chacha: *That's right. And Great Qi didn't notice when they received him. Only after they had kept him for a while and he accidentally got caught in the rain, causing the dye to run, did they discover he was a rooster.

*But by then, Southern Xia refused to admit it and instead turned the tables, accusing Great Qi of disrespecting their gift, losing the phoenix bird, and finding a rooster to take its place. They said it was an insult to Southern Xia.

*Of course, Great Qi couldn't take the blame for nothing. In the end, neither side could settle the argument, and they could only let the matter drop.

But Great Qi lost face several times during the establishment of diplomatic relations, so this rooster became a scandal whose truth couldn't be determined.

Everyone: Aaaaaaaaaah!

The people of Southern Xia: Have they gone mad? Every one of their expressions keeps changing. Why is even their emperor like this?!

"Your Majesty, Emperor of Great Qi!" The great general who guarded the nation suppressed his anger.

Emperor Hongyao raised a hand and rubbed his brow, his head aching. "You presented a phoenix bird?! Why does it look wrong to me?"

After waiting so long, the Southern Xia delegation had never expected to hear that. They were furious. They hadn't wanted to give Great Qi such a fine gift in the first place, yet Great Qi not only failed to treasure it but even dared to question it. It was utterly hateful.

The minister of rites said, "If Your Majesty, Emperor of Great Qi, wishes to insult us, there is no need to find such an excuse. Or has Great Qi been separated from Great Xia for so long that it has become completely barbarized and forgotten what the phoenix bird of old looked like?"

The words were so harsh that they instantly enraged everyone from Great Qi.

The officials unleashed barrage after barrage, but the Southern Xia delegation refused to yield an inch.

Soon, the state banquet descended into a shouting match.

Shen Anxin: Why have they started arguing? Didn't you say they couldn't recognize it? How did they notice something was wrong?

Chacha: The butterfly effect.

Shen Anxin: ...Then tell me, who did this? Who had the audacity to secretly switch the pillars and beams right under the delegation's noses?

Chacha: It was the brother-in-law of Southern Xia's minister of rites, the one making the biggest fuss.

The minister of rites, who was speaking a mile a minute, berating all and sundry, and determined to defend Southern Xia's dignity, suddenly felt a chill down his back.

When he came to his senses, he saw that the Great Qi people had abruptly stopped arguing and were all looking at him. Their gazes made the hair on his body stand on end.

Shen Anxin: Hahahahaha! If they expose it on the spot and he goes back and investigates, only to find out his brother-in-law made the switch, I can already imagine the look on his face. In a situation like this, in ancient times, he'd definitely have trouble keeping his life.

Chacha: Not necessarily. Strictly speaking, his brother-in-law is a relative of the Southern Xia imperial family, so he might not die, but heavy punishment is certain.

Shen Anxin: No wonder he dared steal it. Turns out he has quite a powerful background. But why steal it? Did he look down on Great Qi?

Chacha: There was no complicated reason. He just took it to please a young woman.

Shen Anxin: Tsk, tsk, tsk. A love brain brings ruin on the whole family.

The others hadn't expected the truth to be so absurd. They were almost angry enough to laugh.

He was just a good-for-nothing who wanted to please a woman. Unable to buy a phoenix bird himself, he switched the national gift. They didn't know whether to call him reckless or ignorant.

By now, the Southern Xia delegation was displaying immense indignation.

Before they could kick up a fuss, the second prince, Xiao Yanfeng, received his father's signal, picked up a wine pot, and splashed its contents toward the phoenix bird.

All the wine splashed onto the phoenix bird. Startled, the bird flapped about wildly inside the cage.

The Southern Xia delegation was dumbfounded, and then their anger erupted.

All the Southern Xia people, including those from Jixia Academy who had been watching, stood up in fury.

In their eyes, such behavior from a Great Qi prince was truly discourteous and contrary to the teachings of the sages.

The Southern Xia ministers were even more furious and humiliated, looking as though they wanted blood to spill right there on the spot.

Great Qi didn't take Southern Xia seriously at all! They had gone to the rare effort of carefully preparing a gift, yet Great Qi not only failed to appreciate it but insulted them. This was simply... simply... sim... Huh????

Why was their phoenix bird... why was its color running?

After the phoenix bird, startled into flapping about by the wine, finally settled down, part of its original color gradually showed through, as though its face were melting.

"Is that... is that... a rooster?" someone on Southern Xia's side cried out, too surprised to keep their voice down.

At that shout, every Southern Xia face changed.

Their heads had still been buzzing just now, and they had thought something had happened to the phoenix bird.

But looking closely now, this damn thing wasn't a phoenix bird at all, was it?

Southern Xia's minister of rites rushed forward in disbelief and touched it. Good heavens, his hand came away covered in dye.

It was a special dye found only in Southern Xia. It could hold its color for a while, but after enough time had passed, it dissolved on contact with water.

The minister of rites was completely dumbfounded, his face blank.

The Southern Xia people who had just been shouting in fury fell silent.

Shen Anxin: Hahahaha, dumbstruck, aren't you? Although I don't know how they recognized it, Xiao Yanfeng's move just now really was cool. That's how it should be: no wasting breath, just get hands-on and produce ironclad proof!

Xiao Yanfeng had already calmly returned to his seat. Hearing the praise, he looked over instinctively, only to meet the gaze of his eldest brother, the crown prince.

Xiao Yanchen nodded approvingly, as though praising him for a job well done.

Xiao Yanfeng was instantly so pleased that he forgot why he had turned to look in the first place.

Now it was Emperor Hongyao's turn to take the stage.

"Southern Xia looks down on Great Qi so much that it would disguise a rooster as a phoenix bird! Did you truly think no one in Great Qi could tell the difference? You will pay a price for making a fool of Great Qi!"

Emperor Hongyao was furious and showed no mercy this time.

The members of the Southern Xia delegation fell to their knees one after another, not daring to breathe loudly. With the matter exposed on the spot, there was no arguing. The fault really did lie with them.

The people from Jixia Academy, however, seemed to think this had nothing to do with them. They kept themselves above the fray and watched everything with lofty detachment.