What Fruit One Reaps Depends Entirely on People of the World

Di Ai, Zhao Can, and Zhong Yan were members of the Great Rui delegation. They traveled with the caravan and, after several days of trekking and several ambushes, the caravan, at the cost of over thirty soldiers and two officials, safely arrived at the banks of the Three Rivers and met the ruler of the Three Waters Kingdom, the Three Rivers Khan, Yebalu.

However, what happened next was quite different from what the delegation members had Original Edition expected. The Lord of the Three Rivers seemed indifferent to the investiture of the Great Rui Emperor, and had no intention of sending troops. After a brief exchange of words upon meeting, he excused himself, citing illness, and took his leave.

In the two days that followed, Three Rivers Khan Yebalu summoned Meng Qingbin and others several times, but he did not care about the matter of the alliance with Great Rui, and even hinted that he wanted to see them off. If Meng Qingbin had not verbally provoked them, they probably would not have had a chance to even speak!

Even when Meng Qingbin and his companions met the Khan of the Three Rivers in the main tent of the Three Rivers, they were ridiculed by his subordinates and insulted by Great Rui. They were also shown the strength of the Central Plains warriors. Meng Qingbin calmly defused the situation, not only holding his own but also using words to force the other side to express their opinion. Unfortunately, this was defused by one of the Central Plains slaves under Yebalu's Yebalu.

The so-called Central Plains slaves were people they captured from the Central Plains, branded as slaves, and treated as servants, the private property of slave owners. They were stripped of their human dignity and treated like livestock.

Some people, faced with such an ordeal, will feel resentful and will rebel, even at the cost of their lives, to reclaim their lost destiny. But others see it as an opportunity and accept it willingly.

Of course, they might want to be slaves, but they also hope that their masters can become stronger. Therefore, they offer their advice and efforts without reservation, waiting for the day when they can follow their masters in their conquests and become the leaders of their Original Edition tribes, the generals among the slaves.

"That Heluolü, though given a foreign name, reveals his origins at a glance from his speech and appearance. He is quite familiar with the situation in our Great Rui, which is why he was able to defuse Envoy Meng's verbal offensive."

Zhao Can spoke, a look of resentment appeared on his face. "But because of this person, there's no way we can persuade the Three Rivers Khan. Isn't there a rumor that this Khan is planning to relinquish his title and surrender to the Yabghu?"

Yabghu is also a title used on the Grasslands. While their status is below that of the Khan, they can still govern a region. Yebalu his title to Yabghu, which can be seen as a gesture of respect, and the meaning behind it is self-evident.

"These things are hard to stop, the mission is ruined, and all we can do is try to absolve ourselves of responsibility." Zhao Can said earnestly, "The mission already has a historian to record everything. Envoy Meng's reasoned arguments in the Khan's tent were all recorded, and spreading them would be a good thing. Although it didn't work out, the flaws don't overshadow the merits. At worst, the court won't attack Rouluo, life will still go on, and we'll be the same..."

As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes, a cold smile appearing on his face, "Coming all the way to the Grasslands, this determination already demonstrates your will. There's no need to worry about being blamed upon your return, but history will ultimately record a failure, which is undesirable, as you all should know. What kind of fate awaits us after death depends entirely on how the world views us; this is of paramount importance. Even in the underworld, we will be affected. The reputation of a failed mission is not easy to bear..."

"That's true," Zhong Yan nodded in agreement. "Even if this trip north didn't succeed, we still made a lot of money. We won't have to worry about getting an official position when we go back. But this matter will definitely spread among the people and be sung about. It might even become a story or a play. At that time, we will inevitably be labeled as incompetent and criticized after our deaths."

"That's right. There are countless examples in history of missions that failed. No matter what achievements those envoys ultimately made, in the eyes of the people, they were all incompetent, their stories passed down for thousands of years, and they were even treated as clowns in plays, slandered in every way. This is a small matter in the Historical River, but it is a big matter for us involved. We must make preparations in advance! Qiu Yan is the ideal choice to be a shield." When Zhao Can spoke, he gave people a feeling of sincerity.

In fact, the three of them had gradually grown closer over this period of time. After witnessing Qiu Yan's battle, Zhao Can and Zhong Yan had considered backing down, but after contacting Di Ai, they slowly changed their minds and their hostility towards Qiu Yan deepened. At this moment, it finally erupted.

Upon hearing this, Di Ai understood the man's meaning, smiled slightly, and said, "To avoid this situation, we must try to portray ourselves as people who do not give up even in adversity, and turn Qiu Yan into someone who loses more than he gains, because he is afraid of the enemy and flees. Even if we go against the wind, we will still find it difficult to succeed. The nature of the whole matter has already changed."

"That's exactly right!" Zhao Can nodded emphatically. "However, to get this done, we'll need the help of two people."

"Who?" Zhong Yan asked.

"One of them is naturally the chief envoy of the delegation, Lord Meng Qingbin. As for the other one..."

Zhong Yan first asked, "Is it the historian who accompanied the group?"

Zhao Can shook his head. Di Ai, who was beside him, was also pondering, but he wasn't guessing who to choose; rather, he was considering whether Zhao Can's plan was feasible.

"Qiu Yan's influence is growing daily. In discussions of Daoism and scholarship, even the Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio is no match for him. However, he possesses Divine Ability, which is ultimately a thorn in the emperor's side. It's just that his cultivation is astonishing, and we can't really break ties with him to avoid endless troubles. We just need to make him lose his official position, but we can't let him know that I'm the one plotting against him! Therefore, we need to use others..."

Noticing Zhao Can's gaze, Di Ai gently shook his head. "Brother Zhao, you should just tell me who it is."

Zhao Can a deep breath, feeling that the atmosphere was right, and said, "This person is that Pang..."

Whoosh!

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted as Pang Qianru, dressed in military uniform, lifted the curtain and walked in. The two guards at the door seemed oblivious to Pang Qianru's actions, allowing her to come and go as she pleased.

As soon as she entered, she smiled and said, "What's wrong? I could hear you plotting to harm Qiu Yan from a distance. Take my advice: don't provoke him, or you'll be the ones who suffer, and the consequences will be far worse than you expect."

Upon hearing this, the people inside the tent all changed color. The reason they dared to speak like this was because they were from the Hu Tribe. Most of the guards did not know the language of the Central Plains and had difficulty hearing what was being said. However, Pang Qianru was no ordinary person. She came from Military School in the Central Plains, had cultivation, and had clear hearing and eyesight. With a focused mind, she could hear clearly even from several feet away.

"What? Miss Pang isn't in love with Prince Three Rivers, so why is she here speaking up for Qiu Yan? When did you become so intimate with Qiu Yan?" After her initial surprise, Di Ai was the first to recover, speaking casually.

Pang Qianru was someone they encountered two days after entering the Great Desert. Just then, their caravan was surrounded by a band of bandits, and the situation was critical. Pang Qianru appeared like a divine warrior, and in a few leaps, she captured the bandit leader and dispersed the caravan.

Subsequently, they traveled together to the Three Waters Tribe Buluo. The members of the delegation were either placed under house arrest or separated, and were all guarded by the Three Rivers Tribe. Only Pang Qianru, because of her beautiful appearance and heroic spirit, attracted the eldest prince of Three Rivers, Sukai, and was not subject to much restraint.

Hearing Di Ai's words, Pang Qianru sensed the sarcasm in them, but she wasn't annoyed. She shook her head and said, "Don't make it sound like I'm selling my body. The reason I went hunting with Su Sukai twice was actually to help you gather some information."

"Inquiring about information?" Di Ai's expression shifted. "I apologize for missing out, miss. May I ask if you've managed to find out anything?"

Pang Qianru didn't answer immediately, but instead looked Di Ai up and down. The latter remained calm. After a while, Pang Qianru smiled and said, "Well done, Lord Di. With such a thick skin, it would be strange if you didn't rise to high positions in the future. Very well, I won't beat around the bush with you anymore. When I said earlier that you wanted to frame Qiu Yan, you were courting death, I wasn't exaggerating, nor did I have any personal relationship with him. It was truly out of good intentions, but I did make a mistake."

"What did you say wrong?" Zhao Can and Zhong Yan stepped forward and asked.

Pang Qianru glanced at the two of them and laughed, "I miscalculated your timing. You two won't even live to see the consequences of framing Qiu Yan back in the Central Plains. You'll soon be buried here. Sukai has already sent people to inform the Rouluo that he will report everything about the Great Rui delegation and plans to lead troops to capture you and hand you over to Rouluo. Tell me, do you think you have any chance of survival? Let alone framing Qiu Yan."

"What? You want to capture us and offer us up to the Rouluo?"

Zhao Can and the others were greatly surprised.

Pang Qianru continued, "However, this also has its advantages. At least you won't have to worry about your reputation after death. You will all become loyal ministers praised by the people of the Central Plains, just like Lord Su of the Great Yan Dynasty, whose name will be remembered for eternity! Speaking of which, it seems that Lord Su, who was sent as an envoy to the Xionbei, was herding livestock in this area. I wonder if we can find any trace of him."

Upon hearing this, the remaining three remained silent. After a long while, Di Ai asked with a solemn expression, "Is Miss Pang's statement true?"

"Why would I lie to you for no reason?" Pang Qianru said, turning and walking towards the curtain. "I've said what I needed to say. As for where you're going, you'd better take care of yourselves."

"Wait a minute!" Di Ai called out to her. "Miss, you've come here not just to say these things, but to frighten us. I need your help."

"Oh?" Pang Qianru turned around and looked at the other person. "What kind of help?"

"The Three Waters Tribe has many people, and quite a few archers. With the soldiers in the delegation, they simply cannot break through. The only option now is to fight to the death. I have written a letter, and I hope you can pass it on to Envoy Meng!"

After saying this, he took out paper and pen from his bag, wrote a letter, handed it to Pang Qianru, and said to Zhao Can and Zhong Yan on his left and right, "Whether we live or die, whether we return with honor or die with a lasting reputation, it all depends on this one battle." There was a sense of composure and calmness in his words.

ps:

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