After Lord Shi left, the Crown Prince spoke: “What are your thoughts?"
"Both Wei Country and Liang Country have wild ambitions. They are both threats to Ye," replied Qin Chuyuan.
"Yes, only when our own military becomes truly powerful can we be fearless. After years of effort, we still cannot compete with Wei and Liang. Now, whether Liang Country is a fierce tiger or not, we can only try our best to ally with them to buy us time and give us a glimmer of hope to resist Wei Country in the future. We cannot give up any hope.”
"I have heard in Ye Country that Lord Gao is ruthless and narrow-minded, and has eliminated many dissenters in the court. Now that we have rejected him, he will surely retaliate. I suggest we directly call on the King of Liang," said Qin Chuyuan.
Hearing this, the Crown Prince sighed, "The King of Liang wants to unify the five countries. Wei Country is the biggest obstacle. He would be happy to see Wei and Ye fight as hard as possible, so he can take advantage of the aftermath. It won't be easy to directly convince him."
"Your Highness need not be discouraged. Judging by Lord Gao's attitude yesterday about Wei attacking Ye, he is not completely confident that Liang can conquer Wei in the end. Lord Gao is the most trusted person by the King of Liang, so this concern may not be unique to the King."
"You're right. As long as they have worries, we have a chance to persuade the King of Liang," said the Crown Prince, suddenly feeling enlightened.
"General Gong," a voice came from outside.
The Crown Prince and Qin Chuyuan stopped talking as Gong Xiaohua walked to the study door.
"Why are you here?" asked Qin Chuyuan.
"I already know you rejected Lord Gao's proposal," replied Gong Xiaohua with a frown, emitting a cold aura. Qin Chuyuan realized Lord Shi must have said something inappropriate to her.
"It has nothing to do with Lord Shi. I noticed his somber expression and forced him to tell me the conditions proposed. I said as long as you don't give up, I won't give up either. That wasn't just lip service," explained Gong Xiaohua.
Qin Chuyuan breathed a sigh of relief, as long as she didn't push him away.
"Indeed, I can't hide anything from you," he conceded.
"That's good to know," said Gong Xiaohua.
She then turned to the Crown Prince, "To unify the five countries, the best approach for Liang is to ally with Ye first to conquer Wei, then attack the other three countries. The fact that the King of Liang has never considered allying with Ye shows he doubts the strength of our military."
"What we must do is convince the King of Liang that our troops can resist Wei. The best way is a show of force, like a martial arts display or simulated battle."
"Xiaohua, you make good points. You are our best warrior, so we'll likely rely on you. Are you up for it?" asked the Crown Prince.
"I'll do my best," she replied.
"Your safety comes first," Qin Chuyuan reminded her.
"Yes, don't pressure yourself," added the Crown Prince.
"Understood," said Gong Xiaohua.
The next day, the Crown Prince sent a letter to Liang court, explaining that Ye ministers Lord Guang, the Minister of Rites, and the Protector General request an audience with the King of Liang to propose an alliance against Wei.
The Liang court hotly debated the purpose of the Ye envoys.
"The Ye envoys want to discuss an alliance with us against Wei. Ministers, what are your thoughts?" asked the King.
"They even sent their Crown Prince. How bold! It reflects the desperation of their proposed alliance against Wei. Ye is in grave danger," commented Lord Gao, surprised to see the Crown Prince, having met only ministers previously.
"Your Majesty, Ye has always had the weakest military among the five countries. An alliance with them would be too risky, as they would collapse instantly in battle, leaving Liang to face Wei alone," said a minister.
"Yes, an alliance would be like exposing our backs to danger. I object," agreed another minister.
Some ministers disagreed, "Should we just watch Wei attack Ye and grow stronger? Today's Ye could be tomorrow's Liang."
"Then we can join Wei in attacking Ye and take a share of the spoils," suggested a minister.
After much heated debate, the majority objected to an alliance with Ye. Liang court decided to grant the Ye envoys an audience in three days.
On the day of the audience, the Ye envoys were led to the Liang palace gates by the Grand Monitor. Once inside, all their weapons were confiscated, including Gong Xiaohua's.
The Grand Monitor was shocked to see the Ye general was a very young woman. Even more shocking was her arsenal of weapons surrendered - foot knives, a long saber, a soft sword around her waist, and metal needles up her sleeves. His mouth twitched as he realized the Ye general was rather unique.
This was also the Crown Prince and company's first time seeing Gong Xiaohua's full armory. They had only seen her use a long saber or short knives. They didn't know she had other weapons, including the soft sword gifted by Qin Chuyuan, never having seen her use it.
"The needles are poisoned. Please be careful," Gong Xiaohua told the Liang guards.
"Yes, understood."
Led by the Grand Monitor, they headed towards the Liang palace hall.
Along the way, the Crown Prince and Lord Shi curiously asked Gong Xiaohua, "Do you always carry so many weapons when going out?"
"Only when I'm on duty."
"Isn't that soft sword around your waist cumbersome?"
She ignored their immature curiosity.
Qin Chuyuan deliberately tried to stand between them and Gong Xiaohua to stop their antics, to no avail.
"Also, how do you have so many weapons? Don't soldiers usually specialize in just one?" the Crown Prince circled around Qin Chuyuan to Gong Xiaohua's other side.
"Your knife-throwing skills are so clean and commanding. Can you teach me sometime?"
She didn't respond, but they kept chattering until they reached the Liang palace hall.
"Please wait here," instructed the Grand Monitor.
They finally stopped asking questions.
"Thank you for guiding us, Grand Monitor," said Qin Chuyuan.
Shortly after, a voice announced, "Announcing the Ye envoys."
Led by the Crown Prince, the four entered the hall.
"Crown Prince Helianyi of Ye, along with Ye ministers, pay respects to His Majesty the King of Liang," he greeted.
"No need for courtesy."
"We thank His Majesty."
"May I ask the identities of the three envoys behind you?"
"Your Majesty, I am Qin Chuyuan, Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices of Ye."
"I am Shi Ming, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites of Ye."
"I am Gong Xiaohua, Protector General of Ye."
"Greetings to His Majesty," they bowed again.
The Liang ministers were curious to see such a young female general, stealing glances and whispering.
The King of Liang also looked curiously at Gong Xiaohua and asked, "I heard that in the battle at Xu Mountain between Wei and Ye, a female general finally drove Wei back. Would that be you?"
"Indeed, Your Majesty," Gong Xiaohua replied.
"How interesting. No need for courtesy."
"We thank His Majesty."
"Hahaha, it seems Wei is declining if they can't even beat such a young girl. Your Majesty, Wei is not to be feared," laughed a tall, fierce looking general.
The King dismissed the envoys, "I understand your purpose coming here, but Liang will not ally with you. Envoys, you have travelled far to reach Liang. The New Year approaches, so please stay a few days to rest before heading back."
