"That bastard finally got what was coming to him. If I'd really wanted to stay in the hall, I could've watched and seen whether that kid would cry."
"Cry? He doesn't have any tears left. I'm afraid he couldn't even find the right pitch if he tried." "Just wait and see. A good show like this is bound to come around a few more times. We'll just sit back and enjoy it." The crowd left with Wang Rongrong, thoroughly pleased with themselves. Xu Yi sat alone in the hall for more than half an hour before finally departing.
Zhang Beiyue reported his actions immediately. Kuang Wenyuan was both relieved and delighted. At last, everything was back on the track they had laid out. The next day at noon, Xu Yi returned to the Vast Sea Northern Court and reported the details of the negotiations at South Mountain to the two superiors, the Chief Inspector and the Chief Hall Director, in the central hall.
Xu Yi had expected Kuang Wenyuan to seize the opportunity to berate him. To his surprise, Kuang Wenyuan personally came down from the dais and, in front of everyone, patted him on the shoulder and gently comforted him. He said that everyone ran into one problem or another the first time they handled negotiations, and that with time and experience, Xu Yi would get the hang of it.
He even added that the evildoers of the Evil Court were rampant, but the Heavenly Court's military forces would suppress them. Negotiations were merely an alternative measure, and even failure would hardly be a serious offense. The gentle, soothing words nearly made Xu Yi sick. He saw it all as clearly as a mirror: Kuang Wenyuan was dead set on putting up a virtuous front.
After all, he'd already