“… The Yiwu envoys paid tribute with 15 bolts of fire cloth, two golden wine jugs, and five pairs of glazed luminous cups… The Turkic envoys paid tribute with 120 high-quality horses, 7,000 regular horses, 12,000 sheep, and 500 camels and cattle… The Gaochang envoys paid tribute to the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty with 50 fair-skinned beauties from the Western Regions, 25 musicians, and two dou of crystal, mica, agate, pearls, and jadeite… The Tuyuhun envoys paid tribute to the Emperor of our dynasty with a Ferghana horse, a Persian gilded silver jug, 60 pieces of Hetian jade and mutton-fat jade, and a set of chain mail from the Great Qin…”
In the Daxing Hall, the eunuchs held the gift list and shouted it out of the hall. The envoys from the four countries walked up the royal steps of Bai Yan one by one. After the final body search, they entered one by one. When they saw the civil and military officials in the hall, they were somewhat frightened and lowered their heads, not daring to look at the Emperor of Sui Dynasty who was on the golden steps opposite them.
The four people came to the middle and stood there, two in front and two in the back. The one standing in the front was Tuyuhun prince Murong Shun, who was in his twenties and had a handsome appearance. Next to him was Gaochang King Qu Boya, who was tall and thin with a typical face of a Western Regions person. The two behind him were the Turkic envoy and the Yiwulu envoy.
After standing still, they heard the eunuchs shouting for greeting, and the four of them bowed to Yang Guang who was sitting on the dragon throne using the etiquette of their respective countries, either kneeling on one knee or placing one hand on their chest and bowing.
"We are here to see the emperor of the upper country!"
"Get up and talk."
Hearing the emperor's voice from above, the envoys from the four countries dared to stand up. Occasionally, they raised their heads and looked over. They went up several golden steps. A figure sitting on the dragon throne appeared. He wore a crown and a golden dragon robe, looking quite imposing. On one side, an old man in an official robe holding a sword stood there, stroking his beard, and seemed to be looking at them with great interest.
"Murong Shun, is your father, Busabo Khan, okay?"
After the other party finished his greeting, Yang Guang started a conversation, first looking at the Tuyuhun prince, who hurriedly bowed his hands and lowered his head slightly: "Reporting to the emperor, my father is in good health, and Princess Guanghua is also doing well."
The prince, named Murong Shun, was soft-spoken. He spoke before the emperor even asked about the royal family girl who had married the Khan of Tuyuhun in his early years, thus winning some favor from the civil and military officials in the palace.
"I am relieved that Princess Guanghua is doing well."
After the gift list was reported, Yang Guang replied with a smile. He took the gift list and looked at it, his smile widening. "Tuoba is richer than I thought. The gifts should come from more distant foreign countries, right? There are so many good things."
Then he handed it to Yang Su, the Duke of Yue beside him and added something.
"I'm afraid it's even richer than my Chang'an."
After the last sentence was spoken, the whole hall was so quiet that one could hear the breathing of the civil and military officials below. Murong Shun's face suddenly turned pale and he quickly knelt down and clasped his hands.
"Your Majesty, all that Tuyuhun has belongs to the superior country, and we are brothers, without distinction."
Being in the Sui Dynasty and being a prince, it was natural for him to save his life first. What he said was no longer important. Who knew if the Sui emperor in front of him would be so displeased that he would drag him out and behead him.
"Get up, get up. I'm just talking casually. Don't take it seriously."
Yang Guang grinned, raised his hand and asked the other party to stand up. After two years on the throne, he was very adept at dealing with the emperor's unpredictable moods.
"It is not easy for the four envoys to come to our Great Sui Dynasty from afar. I am very satisfied with the tribute gifts. I will hold a banquet with the civil and military officials in this Daxing Hall. The four envoys should not refuse. This is the etiquette of our Sui Dynasty."
"Your Majesty invites me, so I will not refuse."
The King of Gaochang showed joy on his face and bowed. The Turkic and Yiwu envoys behind him looked at each other sideways. One of them nodded slightly. After King Qu Boya of Gaochang finished speaking, he said, "Your Majesty, my country has long admired the culture of the Central Plains, and we have specially prepared another gift."
"Oh?" Yang Guang smiled, exchanged glances with the old man standing beside him, and raised his sleeves: "Then present it to me, let me see it."
"Your Majesty, this gift is not a thing, but a trick of our small country."
The Yiwu envoy bowed his head and spoke softly. When he heard the Great Sui Emperor say, "Then I must take a closer look." He then bowed and saluted, stepped back a few steps, stood up facing the palace door, and clapped his hands.
Pah Pah~~
In an instant, an Yiwu attendant respectfully carried the gilded copper lock box, stepped over the threshold, and under the watchful eyes of the guards, walked to the side of the four people, carefully placed the copper lock box on the ground, opened the copper lock on the lid, and stood up and retreated straight out of the palace gate.
"Is the gift you mentioned in the box?" Yang Guang leaned back and narrowed his eyes.
After saying that, the guards on both sides of the hall came over quickly with swords in hand. The armor on their bodies made a clanging sound. They surrounded the dragon court and formed a human wall.
The Yiwu envoy cupped his hands and bowed upwards.
"Yes, sire."
On the polished floor of the hall, the gilded wooden box with the copper lock opened suddenly creaked. Yang Guang, who was originally leaning back, leaned forward a little, staring at the lid that was slightly opened. The civil and military officials around him curiously tilted their heads and cast their eyes on the box on the ground.
The next moment, there was another low groaning sound.
Suddenly, a tiny black shadow poked out from the slightly opened gap of the box lid. Yang Guang looked more carefully and found that it was a human arm. The skin was white and slender, and it seemed like a thin thread was rubbing against the outside.
"Is this a little man?" The emperor became interested. He had seen dragons before and had also seen a lot of magic spells performed by cultivators. Seeing the slender arms stretched out, it was not difficult to guess how small the man was.
Beside him, Duke of Yue, Yang Su, was also somewhat surprised. He pursed his lips and whispered, "Your Majesty, it could also be human Ganoderma lucidum."
The old man has been friends with Lu Liangsheng for many years and has some understanding of Renzhi. For ordinary people, as long as they are ruthless and eat it, it will be a magical medicine that can increase lifespan and cure diseases. For those who practice Taoism, their cultivation will be greatly improved.
"If it is the human chrysanthemums that the small country of Yiwu pays as tribute, we can ask for them from Your Majesty in the future..."
When Yang Su stroked the tip of his chin beard and glanced at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne beside him, a voice from the ministers below exclaimed.
"He's out, what a little guy!"
The gilded wooden box was opened, and what caught the sight of everyone in the hall was a small velvet bed at the bottom of the box, with a little figure in a gauze dress lying on it. When she saw the box was opened, she sat up and stretched, then jumped out in her tiny embroidered shoes, stood on the floor, and looked around curiously.
Inside the Daxing Hall, Yang Guang and Yang Su also found it quite magical. The former stood up from the dragon throne, walked to the golden steps, and his eyes passed over the heavy guards and fell on the little man.
"It's only the size of a thumb... haha... and it's a girl."
The little man on the ground who was looking around noticed the gazes of people around him, covered his mouth with his hands and chuckled, flicked his long sleeves, and his body spun around, gradually rising taller in the eyes of everyone.
The long sleeves fluttered, then slowly brushed down, revealing the delicate and beautiful face of a woman from the Western Regions. Her eyebrows were adorned with a bright red flame pattern, her eyes were as bright as snow, revealing her charm climbing up her curved eyebrows, her lips were slightly thick, and she laughed softly like a silver bell.
In the hall, all the civil and military officials realized that this was the so-called "etiquette".
Yang Guang looked at the woman who suddenly appeared, and their eyes met, unable to move away. At this moment, music sounded from somewhere, and the graceful figure in the hall had the height unique to women from the Western Regions. She twisted her waist slightly, and the embroidered shoes with a velvet flower sewn on them kicked out of the hem of her skirt. She turned slowly, and her arms flew with her long sleeves, like a blooming lotus.
Her eyes were charming as her long black hair fluttered in the wind, staring straight at the emperor standing on the Dragon Court.