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墨書 Inktalez
"Your subordinate has seen you, my lord."
"No need for formalities."
"My lord, His Majesty has ordered you to the study."
"Alright, lead the way." Although Liu Guanfeng knew where Sun Liang's study was, it was still the imperial palace, and as a subject, it was inappropriate to wander around without guidance. Therefore, he needed the Imperial Guards to lead him.
Soon, Liu Guanfeng was brought to Sun Liang's study. At that moment, Sun Liang was alone in the study reviewing memorials. Although it had only been a few months since they last met, Liu Guanfeng felt that Sun Liang had matured significantly since becoming king.
Liu Guanfeng approached Sun Liang and bowed, saying, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Sun Liang put down his pen and looked up at Liu Guanfeng with a smile, saying, "Liu Aiqing seems quite free lately."
Liu Guanfeng shook his head. "I merely wish to spend more time with my children."
"That's only natural."
"Your Majesty, may I ask why I have been summoned this time?"
"There's no rush; let's sit down and talk."
A servant brought a chair for Liu Guanfeng. After he gestured to indicate he would sit, he took a seat. At this point, Sun Liang began to get to the main topic.
"Liu Aiqing, do you know about the arrival of the Imperial Envoy from the Eastern Dragon Empire?"
"I just learned about it from the family guards."
"The Imperial Envoy this time is His Majesty the Sixth Prince Shangguan Junhong of the Eastern Dragon Empire. I believe you mentioned this person the last time we spoke, right?"
Liu Guanfeng did not deny it: "Yes, the reason I was able to bring Qin Hongguan to justice so quickly was entirely due to this Sixth Prince."
"What do you think of this Sixth Prince? Is he easy to get along with?"
Liu Guanfeng felt secretly pleased: How could he not be easy to get along with? He is my sworn brother.
"Well, I personally think this Sixth Prince is quite easy to get along with; as the Sixth Prince, he doesn't have any airs about him."
Sun Liang let out a sigh of relief: "Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. I just wonder what this Imperial Envoy is here for."
"I'm not very clear on that either."
"Alright, since you know the Sixth Prince, when he arrives the day after tomorrow, accompany me to welcome him."
Liu Guanfeng nodded: "I understand."
Then Liu Guanfeng chatted with Sun Liang about some trivial matters, and by noon, he took his leave.
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed, and today was the day the Shangguan Junhong's Imperial Envoy team arrived. Early in the morning, Sun Liang personally sent someone to urge Liu Guanfeng, after all, Sun Liang was still a king of a kingdom belonging to the Eastern Dragon Empire.
As one of the oldest of the Four Great Empires in the world, the Eastern Dragon Empire was regarded as a divine dynasty in the eyes of other nations, and their dignity was inviolable. Moreover, this time it was the current Sixth Prince of the Eastern Dragon Empire. After the incident with Qin Hongguan, Shangguan Junhong had emerged like a dark horse before everyone, quickly overshadowing the younger, playful, timid, and fearful Shangguan Junhong, becoming a true prince of the nation and a strong contender for the throne alongside the Crown Prince.
Thus, Sun Liang dared not show any negligence; after all, this Sixth Prince might very well become the future ruler of the Eastern Dragon Empire. Offending him could lead to trouble for himself.
After receiving his orders, Liu Guanfeng quickly dressed and, accompanied by Hank Niu, Chonghong, and Chongkuo, arrived at the Reception Pavilion five miles outside the west gate of Starfall City. This place was specially prepared for welcoming Noble Guests, and each city gate had such a Reception Pavilion.
It was almost noon when dust appeared in the distance, accompanied by the low roars of various magical beasts. Leading the front of the group was Shangguan Junhong, riding on an Earth Elephant, and naturally, his ancestor, Shangguan Jinglei, became his bodyguard.
Upon seeing the two, Liu Guanfeng whispered to Sun Liang, "Your Majesty, the one riding the Earth Elephant is Sixth Prince Shangguan Junhong, and the elder beside him is Shangguan Jinglei."
"Shangguan Jinglei? Why is he here as well?"
"Shangguan Jinglei dotes on Shangguan Junhong to an extreme degree, almost to the point of spoiling him. He must be here to ensure Shangguan Junhong's safety."
Sun Liang nodded. "In that case, you should come with me to greet them."
After speaking, Sun Liang led Liu Guanfeng forward, followed by Liu Guanlei, Liu Guanyu, and other ministers. When they were about ten meters away, Shangguan Junhong reined in the Earth Elephant, and the entire Imperial Envoy group came to a halt.
At this moment, Sun Liang cupped his fists and bowed towards Shangguan Junhong. "King Sun Liang of Starfall Kingdom respectfully welcomes the Imperial Envoy of the Empire."
Shangguan Junhong had already noticed Liu Guanfeng standing beside Sun Liang. Originally, as a high-ranking official, he only needed to respond briefly and let Sun Liang lead the way since his status was higher than that of Sun Liang, a king. However, with Liu Guanfeng standing next to Sun Liang, Shangguan Junhong felt it inappropriate to maintain his aloof demeanor. Thus, he jumped down from his Mount Earth Elephant and walked two steps to stand before Sun Liang, supporting him with both hands. "Your Majesty Sun, you are being too formal; please rise."
Shangguan Jinglei watched this action with a smile but said nothing. Sun Liang was taken aback; he did not expect Shangguan Junhong to be so approachable. However, what happened next completely exceeded Sun Liang's expectations.
After helping Sun Liang up, Shangguan Junhong approached Liu Guanfeng without saying a word and gave him a bear hug. Liu Guanfeng smiled and patted his back. "Big Brother, how have you been lately? What about my two nephews?"
"All is well. Your two nephews are playing at home right now."
After parting from Shangguan Junhong, Liu Guanfeng cupped his fists towards Shangguan Jinglei. "I didn't expect you to come as well, Elder Brother."
Shangguan Jinglei shook his head with a wry smile. "I had no choice; Junhong insisted that I come along. Besides, since you have welcomed a precious son into your family, how could I not come?"
"Alright then, later you must come to my house as a guest. I'll have my servants prepare more dishes for you. Let's enjoy a good meal together," Liu Guanfeng said with a smile.
At this moment, Sun Liang's gaze became somewhat dazed. A dignified Sixth Prince of the empire, a nephew of the emperor, was it really just a matter of cooking a few more dishes?
"Alright, Junhong and I will be staying at your house for the next few days. You can't back out now."
"I'm actually quite happy that my Elder Brother is coming."
After these few sentences, not only was Sun Liang stunned, but all the ministers behind him were equally shocked. Were they really the Sixth Prince and an Ancestor-level figure of the empire? How could they be acting like ordinary commoners?
The mystery was finally unraveled by Shangguan Junhong, who stood sideways in front of Liu Guanfeng and said to Sun Liang, "Sun King, I actually feel a bit guilty for having you come to welcome me. The purpose of my visit is not to conduct an inspection of your country or anything like that; it's simply because my elder brother Liu Guanfeng helped the empire eliminate a rebellious traitor. The entire operation was his idea, and he personally participated in quelling the rebellion. Given my brother's performance, my father rewarded him with a large number of gifts, and I came here specifically to deliver those gifts."
At this point, Sun Liang finally understood. He then looked at Liu Guanfeng and said, "Liu Jianyan, I didn't expect you to accomplish such a significant feat in the empire."
"I just wanted to complete the task Your Majesty entrusted to me as quickly as possible. However, when I arrived on the scene, I realized things were not that simple. It was at that moment that I encountered the Sixth Prince and Brother Shangguan Jinglei, and everything else unfolded naturally from there."
Sun Liang patted Liu Guanfeng on the shoulder. "Well done, Liu Jianyan! You truly are the Pride of Starfall City. Since both the Sixth Prince and Brother Shangguan Jinglei have decided to go to your home, I won't insist on staying longer. But I wonder if you would mind taking me along?"
Liu Guanfeng smiled slightly. "Since Your Majesty is willing to grace us with your presence, I would be more than delighted."
"Alright then, I'll go home with you all. I'll also have a few imperial chefs sent over from the palace. As for the food and drinks, we'll take care of that from the palace."
"I thank Your Majesty," Liu Guanfeng replied.
"Sixth Prince, shall we return home together with Liu Jianyan?"
"Sure, let's go together."
With that, Liu Guanfeng, Sun Liang, Shangguan Junhong, and Shangguan Jinglei walked side by side as a group of officials followed behind them, whispering among themselves as they returned to the city.
When a group of people returned to Liu Guanfeng's residence, the imperial chef had already begun preparing all the ingredients.
However, before the meal was ready, it was necessary to read the imperial edict as per protocol. Shangguan Junhong stood in the middle of the living room, cleared his throat, and then unfolded the edict: "Liu Guanfeng, receive the edict. By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that due to Liu Guanfeng's contributions in strategizing against the rebels, he is specially awarded five hundred thousand gold coins..."
After much effort, Shangguan Junhong finally finished reading all the rewards. In fact, this was merely a formality; earlier, when they entered the residence, Shangguan Junhong had already handed a prepared list of gifts to the housekeeper, who had personally overseen their storage. So this time he was just going through the motions; the items were already in Liu Guanfeng's residence.
After reading the edict, Liu Guanfeng called for his two wives and brought out his two children. Upon seeing the children, both Shangguan Junhong and Shangguan Jinglei were very fond of them. Shangguan Jinglei especially loved children; otherwise, he wouldn't be spending all his time around Shangguan Junhong. Likewise, Shangguan Junhong had a childlike demeanor and got along well with kids. However, since it was their first time meeting the children, neither wanted to come empty-handed. Thus, Shangguan Junhong had specially prepared a jade pendant for Liu Guanfeng's children. These pendants were exquisitely carved and clearly made from top-quality jade; considering their craftsmanship, it would not be an exaggeration to say they were priceless.
Shangguan Jinglei took out a pair of emerald daggers from his belongings. Although these daggers were carved from emerald, they were exceptionally tough. It was said that he had stumbled upon them in a cave during his training outside. The sheath of these emerald daggers was made of pure gold and adorned with numerous gems of various sizes; just looking at their decorative exterior made them quite valuable.
When the jade pendants and emerald daggers were presented to the two children, Liu Guanfeng's daughter Liu Jinfeng joyfully shook her pendant with delight, while Liu Jinlong preferred the emerald dagger and waved it around excitedly, fortunately finding it light enough to handle.
Seeing the children's reactions made Shangguan Jinglei and Shangguan Junhong burst into laughter.
Soon enough, dishes were served at the table. Li Xiaohan and Zhang Yuru took their children and left the hall. Although Liu Guanfeng believed there was no difference between men and women, this was still Knightly Continent; Li Xiaohan and Zhang Yuru understood etiquette well as residents of this continent, especially since those seated at the table held significant status. Thus, they wisely chose to leave.
At the dining table, the four of them chatted while drinking wine. After several rounds of drinks, Liu Guanfeng looked up at Shangguan Junhong: "Second Brother, I wonder if you brought what Eldest Brother asked you to find last time?"
Shangguan Junhong smiled slightly: "How could I fail at something Eldest Brother entrusted me with? Here, take a look if this is what you need."
Shangguan Junhong pulled out an item wrapped in a handkerchief from his bosom. After receiving it, Liu Guanfeng unwrapped the handkerchief to reveal a black fan-shaped object placed before him. This item was part of Master God Game; it was engraved with a sphere similar to the first one but unlike that chaotic sphere, this one was intricately carved with many details. Sun Liang, Shangguan Junhong, and Shangguan Jinglei couldn't make sense of it; however, Liu Guanfeng recognized it immediately because this sphere represented nothing other than Earth—the world he lived in.
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