The middle-aged scholar was taken aback, seemingly not expecting this fellow to be so ignorant, much less that he would ask so directly.
Regaining his composure, he hastily waved his hands, "Your Honor has misunderstood; I have always lived in the south of the Yangtze River, with limited virtue and have never had the opportunity to be graced by His Majesty's presence, far from being an imperial envoy."
This was not something he could admit to negligently.
Impersonating an imperial envoy could lead to the extermination of one's entire family!
Yang Ge's brow relaxed as he extended his hand without hesitation, "Since the gentleman is not an imperial envoy, then please be on your way; as a member of the Imperial Guard, it is inappropriate for me to make contact with the Vassal King. Let's pretend we never met today!"
Local officials indulging in corruption and bribery, with a Vassal King getting involved, no matter the reasons, represented trouble, and big trouble at that!
