Emperor Deyuan had been rather troubled lately.
The Northern Kingdom's envoy, Yuwen Shu, had died a gruesome death, and the Northern Kingdom had seized the opportunity to make trouble and threaten war. The Three Feudatories, with their wolfish ambitions, were also secretly plotting a rebellion.
Upon learning that Mechuan Yaokuzi was to be beheaded, the Wa Kingdom had officially dispatched envoys to negotiate.
Great Xia's relations with its neighbors had become extremely tense.
The Golden Hall, morning court.
Dressed in his dragon robes, Emperor Deyuan looked down at the ranks of civil and military officials.
Today's morning court was somewhat unusual: three envoys from the Wa Kingdom were present.
The three envoys spoke with considerable arrogance. They claimed to hail from the Great Wa Republic, a land with powerful armies and rich, fertile territory-the place where the sun rose.
Their primary purpose in coming was to seek peace and demand that Emperor Deyuan release Mechuan Yaokuzi and the remaining mighty warriors of the Wa Kingdom.
Though they were seeking peace, their tone was exceedingly haughty. If the prisoners were not released, the Great Wa Emperor would become angry, and the consequences would be severe.
Several of the imprisoned warriors were descendants of the Great Wa Republic's famous shogunal houses: the Tokugawa House, the Yamagata House, the Honda House, and the Kikkawa House.
They had brought no silver to sue for peace, either. It was merely a verbal agreement: as long as Emperor Deyuan released Mechuan Yaokuzi and the other mighty warriors, their emperor would send a nobleman's daughter to become Emperor Deyuan's consort.
This nobleman's daughter was extraordinarily beautiful, the greatest beauty in Great Wa. Her looks rivaled Xi Shi and Diaochan; one smile could topple a city, a second could topple a kingdom.
Unable to gauge the Wa Kingdom's