Chapter 46: The Honey Trap Part 3

Gu Huaiyu frowned as if confused. “Last night, the embassy where the Chief Envoy stayed was surrounded by Eastern Liao’s elite guards.”

“How could they fail to notice their own Chief Envoy being abducted?”

He tilted his head slightly, his tone lacking any hint of interrogation. Instead, he sounded like he was earnestly seeking knowledge. “Could it be that your Chief Envoy simply left on his own?”

As his voice trailed off, Yelü Chi let out a muffled chuckle.

The Chancellor Gu who had appeared so righteous in the grand hall that day was now being utterly unreasonable.

Hearing the laugh, Gu Huaiyu knew exactly what the man was thinking. He lifted his foot to kick the man in the face.

To his surprise, Yelü Chi didn’t dodge. Instead, he suddenly opened his mouth—

Snap.

He caught the tip of the brocade boot between his teeth.

A nobleman’s boots never touched the dirt; the soles were cleaner than most people’s faces. Yelü Chi’s tongue and nose were filled with the rich, heady fragrance.

Gu Huaiyu had intended to suppress this restless wolf, but he hadn’t expected the other to dare provoke him. Anger flared in his heart, and he tried to yank his foot back.

For every inch Gu Huaiyu pulled, Yelü Chi bit down harder. The silk of the boot ground against his teeth, producing an ambiguous, wet sound.

To Yun Niang and the Vice-Envoy, it looked like Yelü Chi had merely let out a muffled groan from being kicked. They had no idea that beneath the gold-woven robes, the Eastern Liao man was licking the moisture from his lips, a wild fire burning in his grey-blue eyes.

Gu Huaiyu had to exert considerable force to pull his boot free. Having “won” this skirmish, he gave the man a light, dismissive kick. “Translate it for him.”

Yelü Chi, still tucked under the robes, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, looking unsatisfied. Only then did he repeat the words to the Vice-Envoy.

Upon hearing them, the Vice-Envoy’s face turned bright red. He pointed at Gu Huaiyu and began to curse. “You sinister, cunning Great Chen people! You—”

“This Chancellor has treated you with due courtesy.”

Gu Huaiyu suddenly cut him off, his voice cold. He sat up straight. “Yet the Honorable Envoy speaks with such insolence.”

“If our armies meet on the battlefield one day, it will be your country that invited its own ruin.”

Yelü Chi raised his head from beneath Gu Huaiyu’s robes. He looked at the Vice-Envoy with a calm expression and said in the Eastern Liao tongue, “It’s time to go.”

The Vice-Envoy glared with unwilling eyes, but under Yelü Chi’s unperturbed gaze, he eventually forced down his rage and rose to take his leave.

Only when the Vice-Envoy reached the door did Yelü Chi stand up. “Chancellor Gu, may I have a few words with you in private?”

Gu Huaiyu nodded with feigned reluctance. He had been waiting for those words. He wanted nothing more than to meet this Eastern Liao Regent one-on-one and see who was truly the superior tactician.

Yelü Chi didn’t beat around the bush. “Release Wu Wei, and I will return to my country to persuade the Regent to return the envoys and officials captured from your country over the years.”

Gu Huaiyu rested his chin on his hand, thinking seriously for a moment. He sighed softly. “This Chancellor would be most willing, but Wu Wei truly is not in my hands.”

Seeing him play his part so convincingly, Yelü Chi let out a low laugh. “Since the Chancellor doesn’t want the man, how about we add some stakes?”

“Release him, and I can convince the Regent to return the Annual Brides sent to Eastern Liao over the years.”

At those words, even Yun Niang froze.

The Annual Brides were girls chosen from the common folk of Great Chen when they reached the age of fifteen. Nominally, they were sent to Eastern Liao for marriage to demonstrate the Grand Marriage Alliance between the two nations. In reality, everyone knew what their fate truly was.

Gu Huaiyu’s expression shifted slightly as if moved. He tapped his lips with a finger. “Your country’s willingness to return our women is an act of great virtue.”

“A pity, then—Wu Wei is not in my hands.”

If not for his clean, innocent smile, Yelü Chi might have actually believed him.

He remained silent for a long time before suddenly letting out a short laugh. “Your Lordship has quite an appetite.”

“You want that horse pasture in the Northwest, don’t you?”

This was the real price.

It was a strategic territory ceded after the defeat in the Thirteenth Year of Changping. By now, it had long been incorporated into Eastern Liao’s map, yet it remained the heart and soul that the Northern Frontier Army of Great Chen dreamed of reclaiming.

Gu Huaiyu shook his head slowly, sighing with a touch of helplessness. “Of course, this Chancellor wants the Northwest Horse Pastures. I also want the Annual Brides, and the detained Great Chen officials.”

“But alas—”

“Wu Wei really is not in my hands.”

Yelü Chi fell silent for a moment, looking at him with a hint of amusement. “Don’t you think the price you’re asking is a bit too greedy?”

Gu Huaiyu finally laughed out loud, looking up at him. “Compared to what your country has taken from my Great Chen over the years, you call this greedy?”

“If you truly have the sincerity, you might as well send over a formal document. This Chancellor can then post a public notice and offer a reward for the search.”

“If the Chief Envoy is indeed found… that document shall take effect immediately.”

Yelü Chi’s gaze drifted down, slowly sweeping over Gu Huaiyu’s still-relaxed, open posture. His eyes darkened, and he nodded with a subtle expression.

He had effectively agreed to Gu Huaiyu’s terms.

As for what Gu Huaiyu meant by “found”…

Whether it was a whole Wu Wei, one-fifth of a Wu Wei, or a Wu Wei that could barely be recognized after being stitched back together—

That would depend on whether the Chancellor’s tea hit the spot today.