"Qin Ying! You're going too far!"
"Li Junshi studies the teachings of sages; he is a disciple of the saints! How dare you make him bark like a dog! This is an insult to all scholars in the world!"
The Wei envoy exploded in outrage, pointing fingers at Qin Ying and cursing him angrily, throwing accusations at him as if he had stepped on their tails.
Qin Ying coldly regarded this group of clowns, slowly shifting his gaze to Li Denggao. "Brother Li, do you concede?"
Li Denggao's face turned pale, struggling to find his voice.
At that moment, a stout old official from the Wei delegation stepped forward, shouting fiercely, "Li Denggao! If you dare concede, I won't spare you!"
Concede?
There was no way he could concede! If he admitted defeat, the Wei delegation would have to publicly bark like dogs! The entire Wei state would become a laughingstock!
"Shut up!"
Qin Ying snorted coldly, his gaze sharp as a knife directed at the official.
A savage bloodlust emanated from him, instantly causing the official to tremble uncontrollably, his face pale and sweat pouring down his forehead.
At this moment, Qin Ying was no longer the same Qin Ying as before; this murderous intent had been honed through countless brutal battles. That official was fortunate not to have fainted on the spot.
"Hmph!"
Qin Ying let out a cold snort and said lightly, "This is not your Wei state! Don't blame me for being rude if you continue to be disrespectful."
The official's face turned ashen, sweat soaking through his back; he gritted his teeth but truly dared not speak further.
"Is this truly the Ninth Prince?"
"How imposing! How domineering!"
...
Among the Han officials, whispers spread.
Qin Ying's suddenly revealed dominance not only intimidated the Wei officials but also awed the entire court of the Han Empire.
Wei Zhiyan's face changed color, looking as though she had swallowed a dead fly. "Ninth Prince Qin Ying, you're going too far! Don't forget we are the envoy; if you humiliate us like this, are you not afraid of the Wei king's anger?"
"Princess, your words are truly laughable! The wager was made publicly, and you admitted it yourself! Where is the humiliation? To gamble is to accept the loss; since you lost, you must fulfill your promise!"
Qin Ying retorted coldly, sneering:
"As for going too far, I am merely following your Wei state's example. You know well that my Han literary circle is weak, yet you still insist on challenging us in a literary contest, demanding one hundred thousand cattle and three hundred thousand measures of grain from my Han!"
"Is that not going too far?"
"Only you can hit me, but I am not allowed to strike back?"
Qin Ying's words darkened Wei Zhiyan's expression completely, her silver teeth biting down until they almost shattered.
The Wei envoys were so furious they seemed to smoke from all seven orifices.
Facing the murderous glares directed at him, Qin Ying remained unperturbed, calmly stating, "If you can't come up with a poem, then admit defeat. After all, the Wei state is a major power; losing should be done with some dignity."
"Hahaha…"
Li Denggao suddenly let out an abnormal laugh, veins bulging on his neck, trembling like a sieve. People thought he might go mad. He suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed uproariously, "I never thought that I, Li Denggao, who considers myself unmatched in talent, would today suffer such a total defeat!"
His eyes turned bloodshot, resembling a raging demon as he almost screamed, "I concede!"
Once those three words were uttered, it drained him of all strength.
Li Denggao fell to his knees, like a dog with a broken spine. Anger surged through him, pulling at his heart and lungs, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, fainting on the spot.
"Li Junshi!"
"Is he going to die?"
The Wei delegation panicked, while Wei Zhiyan's face was like water, feeling a wave of helplessness inside.
Unexpectedly, the prestigious Wei Qingyi had been angered to the point of spitting blood; this was truly a historical rarity.
Qin Ying's eyes showed no glee; instead, a hint of pity flashed through them.
We have no grievances, but our stances are different.
You helped Wei to oppose my Han, so I can only be ruthless.
Big fish eat small fish.
If I don't eat you, I'll be eaten by you, so it's just your bad luck.
"Prince Qin Ying, congratulations on your victory!" Wei Zhiyan forced a stiff smile, saying.
She felt unwilling yet powerless, unable to believe that a sure victory had turned because of a useless Ninth Prince.
Today was destined to end in failure.
With Wei Zhiyan conceding, the Han officials burst into laughter, overjoyed, and even the Han Emperor let out a sigh of relief.
Even he felt a bit like it was a dream.
He actually won!
"With a best of three, we've won the poetry contest today! As for the other two rounds of painting and music, how do you want to proceed?"
Wei Zhiyan shifted the topic, her stunning face regaining its earlier confidence.
The Han had won!
So what?
This was only the first round of a best-of-three!
She did not believe Qin Ying could continue this winning streak in the second round.
"Let's not rush into what to compete in," Qin Ying narrowed his eyes, revealing a wolf-like, dangerous smile, "but don't forget the stakes! I expect the Wei delegation to bark like a pack of dogs in public!"
The Han officials wore smug smiles, eager for the spectacle.
The Wei delegation members twitched in anger.
Hearing Qin Ying bring it up again, Wei Zhiyan took a deep breath and calmly said, "I concede to the wager! But I want to replace it with something else!"
At this point, Wei Zhiyan glanced at the Wei delegation behind her and helplessly said, "Letting them bark like dogs would be better off killing them! Of course, as a grand nation, how could we be untrustworthy! This princess is willing to offer three million taels of gold to replace this wager!"
Upon hearing this, the Wei delegation erupted.
"Your Highness!"
"No, it can't be!"
Wei Zhiyan turned and shot a fierce glare at several officials who had spoken, angrily rebuking, "Shut up! Aren't you embarrassed enough already?"
The officials, publicly scolded, turned various shades of green and purple, not daring to speak further.
The Han officials exchanged glances, their eyes glinting with excitement as some began silently calculating in their minds.
Three million taels of gold!
For the wealthy Wei state, this might not seem like much.
But for the Han, it represented an entire year's tax revenue.
The Han Emperor was starting to feel uneasy.
Although the Han was one of the seven hegemons during the Spring and Autumn period, it was at the bottom in terms of wealth compared to the first-ranked Wei.
Qin Ying keenly noticed the change in his father's expression and immediately said, "Great! Since the princess has said so, I will accept it."
Hearing this, Wei Zhiyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She was worried that Qin Ying might refuse, but he agreed so readily.
While three million taels of gold was a substantial amount, spending it to save face for the Wei state was undoubtedly worth it.
"Oh, what a pity…" Qin Ying thought to himself.
With his temperament, today the Wei delegation would not leave without barking like dogs.
But seeing his father's desire for money, he figured it was better to go along with it. After all, he had already achieved his objective.
Wei Zhiyan then suggested, "How about we hold the next match in seven days to contest our painting skills?"
Qin Ying raised an eyebrow.
A painting contest?
Did she really not know what "defeat" meant?
He readily replied, "See you in seven days."
Unexpectedly, Wei Zhiyan coldly laughed, "Prince Qin Ying, I would like to propose another wager. Are you willing?"
"Oh? Another bet?" Qin Ying smiled.
Did she really forget the pain after just falling?
"Yes! The original stakes remain unchanged. If you lose, you must still provide cattle, horses, and grain, and you must return the three million taels of gold. As for you, Prince Qin Ying, I want you to personally go to the capital of Wei and bark like a dog for three days!"
A wager this big?!
On the dragon throne, the Han Emperor looked astonished. Was Wei Zhiyan trying to repay him in kind?
Qin Ying was unfazed and calmly replied, "Sure! Since we're playing big, what happens if you lose, Princess?"
Wei Zhiyan replied without hesitation, "If I lose, I will accept your terms without any resistance."