Chapter 114: Diplomatic Rhetoric

Fan Li felt a slight change in his body; his clothes had grown thicker.

[The Emperor’s Undergarments], had they actually put themselves on?

There was no discomfort whatsoever; the fit was clearly perfect.

A second later, the system automatically projected the appearance of [The Emperor’s Undergarments] into Fan Li’s mind. It turned out to be a full set of inner-layer long robes and trousers, styled similarly to the nightwear seen in historical dramas. Its most striking feature was the bright yellow fabric, embroidered with several nine-clawed golden dragons.

No wonder it was called [The Emperor’s Undergarments].

Having obtained a Heaven-rank treasure, the gloom he felt from being 'robbed' by Princess Changle just moments ago dissipated slightly.

But what about the situation at hand?

Fan Li looked at Princess Changle, who was sobbing not far away, and then at the Han Emperor, Liu Xie, who was gazing at him with an extremely complex expression.

"What are you looking at?"

"Your daughter is spouting nonsense, and my innocence is worth nothing? I am still a virgin in this life!"

Fan Li complained in his heart, yet he found it inconvenient to expose the princess's lie. What if the princess had a plan that required his cooperation?

Fan Li even noticed a shift in the Han Emperor’s attitude toward him. The look in his eyes remained one of disgust and resistance, yet it also felt like a father-in-law giving away his daughter. Was he only annoyed at Fan Li because he was the pig rooting in his cabbage?

"Fan Li," the Han Emperor ground out his name.

"Er, yes?"

The Emperor seemed to be struggling, conflicted. After a long silence, he let out a heavy sigh: "Sigh, you may withdraw. I have words for Changle..."

...

Fan Li was 'invited' out of the Weiyang Palace.

He pondered for a while, but unable to fathom Changle's trajectory, he decided not to overthink it. Just as he was about to return to the Reception Hall, and before he had even left the palace grounds, he was intercepted by someone.

The man was tall, upright, and heroically impressive. It was actually Lu Bu?

"Duke of Jin, what a coincidence," Lu Bu said, bowing with hands cupped. Though he claimed it was a coincidence, he had clearly been waiting for him.

Fan Li’s thoughts raced, and he guessed the man’s intent. His summons to the palace to meet the Emperor could not have been hidden from Dong Zhuo. Sending Lu Bu to intercept him was clearly an attempt to fish for information. After all, in Dong Zhuo's eyes, Fan Li ought to be in his camp, right?

"Oh, it is nephew Fengxian," Fan Li said with a polite return bow.

Lu Bu, who had been standing tall and poised, stiffened at the address, a hint of awkwardness appearing on his face. The disadvantage of adopting fathers everywhere was that one was always a generation lower than everyone else.

Fan Li felt contempt in his heart. The legendary status of the Three Kingdoms' peak martial prowess had been dragged into the gutter by Lu Bu. Complaining internally while remaining outwardly courteous, he asked, "Nephew, were you waiting here specifically for me? Does Grand Tutor Dong have instructions for me?"

Fan Li cut straight to the chase.

Given Lu Bu’s intelligence, he didn't know how to respond. *Ah... this... yes.* Lu Bu struggled to maintain his lie, thinking, *My foster father and Fan Li are supposed to be allies, why all the beating around the bush?*

As he walked alongside Fan Li, he decided to simply state the purpose of his visit. "My foster father wishes to know what you and His Majesty discussed."

*Ha!*

*What a fool.*

*If there were any real secrets, would he let you know?*

No wonder in the history Fan Li knew before transmigrating, after Dong Zhuo died, not only did Lu Bu fail to take over Dong Zhuo's power, he was even unceremoniously driven out of Chang'an.

"We merely discussed matters of diplomacy between our two nations; there was nothing special," Fan Li said nonchalantly.

"Oh?" Lu Bu pressed further. "Could you trouble the Duke of Jin to explain the details to me?"

Fan Li smiled slightly. "Very well!"

He would tell him, but he feared that even if he did, Lu Bu wouldn't understand.

"In the Weiyang Palace, I had a cordial meeting with His Majesty, the Han Emperor."

"Representing the Chu Emperor, I extended deep condolences to the Han Emperor. The Han Emperor expressed his gratitude and likewise offered his regards to the Chu Emperor."

"Following that, both sides engaged in a cordial and friendly discussion."

"I reviewed the long history of diplomatic relations between Chu and Han, and the Han Emperor highly praised the profound friendship between our two peoples."

"I noted that under the Han Emperor’s long reign, the Great Han has made astounding progress, yielding fruitful results in politics, economy, culture, and other fields."

"His Majesty, the Han Emperor, also remarked that although the Chu Emperor has been on the throne for a short time, he has demonstrated extraordinary political talent. He believes that under the Chu Emperor's leadership, the future of the Chu people will be even brighter."

"Subsequently, the Han Emperor and I exchanged in-depth views on the current situation of the three kingdoms..."

Fan Li spoke incessantly, while the expression on Lu Bu’s face grew increasingly bizarre.

*What is going on? What is he saying?* He could understand every word, but it didn't seem like human speech.

*This... I heard Fan Li was highly talented despite his youth. He caused a sensation at the Great Chu Luo Lake Poetry Gathering, and even Lu Chunqiu, the master of Lu City, seemed to hold him in high regard?*

*Ah! Is it because I have read too little that I cannot understand the deep meaning in Fan Li’s words? What should I do? If I fail to complete the task my foster father gave me, I will have lost my own face for nothing!*

*I am a dignified Marquis of Wen, how can I be laughed at as an illiterate? No... saving face is what matters!*

Lu Bu had a modicum of self-awareness. He was confident he could sweep through thousands of soldiers on the battlefield, but it was a fact that he rarely read and possessed little ink in his chest. After much thought, he came up with a brilliant plan: *Pretend!*

*Since my foster father controls the Great Han and Fan Li is his ally, I assume the Han Emperor can't stir up any real trouble. I will just agree vaguely for now, and when I return to the Grand Tutor’s mansion, I will just say that Fan Li firmly supports my foster father and that the Han Emperor is at his wit's end.*

Having made up his mind, Lu Bu feigned a look of careful listening. He smiled and nodded from time to time, appearing as if he were very satisfied with Fan Li’s response.

*Yo? Lu Bu is quite amusing.* Fan Li didn't let it show, but he muttered to himself.

*Where was I?*

*Maintaining stability in the Asia-Pacific region under the new situation and new landscape?*

*He can actually understand this? Should I talk about quantum mechanics?*

By the time Fan Li’s throat was dry and he finally stopped, Lu Bu was wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

*Damn it, I didn't understand a single word. This kind of work should be left to Li Ru.*

Lu Bu stared at Fan Li for a while, and confirming that he had nothing more to say, he hurriedly bowed. "Many thanks to the Duke of Jin for sharing the information. I shall return to report to Grand Tutor Dong immediately. Farewell!"

*Huh?* Fan Li noticed that Lu Bu didn't even need to ride his Red Hare horse; he ran incredibly fast!

It was fortunate that this fellow had left, otherwise, with nothing left to say, Fan Li would have had to recite the periodic table of elements.

Returning to the Reception Hall, it was already late at night. There was a curfew in Chang'an. The wide roads were devoid of pedestrians, and as Fan Li rode in his carriage, he could clearly hear the sound of the wheels rolling over every blue brick.

"It's too quiet; it's like a horror movie." He lifted the curtain and peeked outside. It was pitch black! Only the dismal moonlight from above barely illuminated the path ahead.

"Dark nights and high winds are for killing and arson, right? I won't run into an assassination at a time like this, will I?"

As Fan Li thought randomly, he suddenly felt waves of chill invading from outside the carriage.

*Wait! It’s not a chill! It’s killing intent!*

The carriage was torn to pieces by a violent surge of killing intent. The six horses pulling the carriage, along with the carriage itself, were sliced into countless fragments. Blood erupted, staining the ground for a dozen meters around. The coachman was also instantly shredded!

Fan Li sat upright inside the carriage, but with his Qi-Refining stage cultivation, he had no time to react!

A long sword condensed from spiritual energy, cold and biting like frost and snow, instantly pierced his heart!

Agony!

Fan Li felt as if his life were slipping away. His consciousness grew blurred, yet he struggled to focus his gaze, desperate to see what had happened. In the end, Fan Li only caught a glimpse of a single figure.

It was a masked woman in night-traveler clothes, standing on the tip of a distant treetop, with a crescent moon hanging high in the sky behind her. She stood on a single leaf, her slender figure seemingly weightless.

The moment Fan Li collapsed, the woman turned and fled into the distance, walking on air. She had looked back, taking one last glance at Fan Li.

In her eyes, there seemed to be guilt and helplessness...