Chapter 38: I Will Carry Out My Duty Without Hesitation,

Outside the great city of Chang'an, capital of the Tang Dynasty.

A wavering flame flickered tremulously in the night, surrounded by a group of men, their bodies shivering, their teeth chattering uncontrollably. The chilly autumn wind swept suddenly through the darkness, nearly snuffing out the uncertain flame. The biting cold seeped into their collars, making everyone shrink involuntarily.

"Huddle closer, don't let this devilish wind snuff out the fire..." Lin Xianrong, chief envoy of the Zhou delegation, called out, his voice tinged with helplessness and the shiver of cold.

"Yes, sir..." the Zhou officials replied feebly.

Soon, the crowd drew closer together for warmth, and the fire at the center managed to keep burning. Yet the sound of clattering teeth rose and fell through the night air, soon joined by the rumbling of empty stomachs.

The men exchanged glances but kept silent, none wishing to break the uncomfortable silence with talk of their hunger—a most untimely embarrassment.

An uneasy, desolate atmosphere settled over them.

A soft sigh drifted through the darkness, its source unknown.

Lin Xianrong glanced toward the city walls, his eyes dull and lifeless. "The Tang reception envoy has been gone so long without word—it seems they do not trust us at all. Who would have thought I would suffer such hardship today? All because we acted rashly..."

At this moment, Lin Xianrong couldn't help but reflect that, had they dispatched scouts to investigate the situation in Chang'an before coming, they might have been spared this ordeal. Their own Zhou court, upon hearing the Southern Guardian King of Tang was deposed, had simply assumed the Tang would be easy to intimidate, without a thought to how swiftly the empire might recover.

Now, the Little King of Tang had left the Zhou envoys outside the city, ignoring them completely—a clear sign that he did not fear them in the least. If he did, he would never dare treat them so.

"I only pray His Majesty can restrain himself and not act rashly against the Tang border," Lin Xianrong prayed silently. "Otherwise, it will be our great Zhou who suffers the most..."

With the Heavenly Sun and Moon Sect switching sides to aid Tang, their own military defenses had no doubt been thoroughly exposed. Yet the envoy delegation was so exhausted they could hardly move. Even if they wished to send someone back with urgent news, that messenger would likely perish of hunger before reaching home.

Lin Xianrong guessed that news of their being refused entry into Tang had already spread throughout the city. This was the Tang king's way of delivering a warning.

If he tried to send someone back to Zhou at once, they would struggle even to buy food or water along the way—no one in Tang would sell to them. Even the tavern vendors would rather pour out their tea than serve it to the envoys, let alone the common citizens of Tang.

"Your Majesty, please hold firm—do not act rashly..." Lin Xianrong prayed again.

It was only after the events stretching from midday to now, carefully pieced together in his mind, that he understood the situation at last. As he brooded, a sudden flare of light illuminated the city walls of Chang'an, casting brightness over the nearby “Sajia Tavern.”

"What’s this...?"

At once, the Zhou envoys craned their necks to look, surprise written on their faces. They could not fathom what the Tang people meant to do.

"Sir, could it be..." After a moment’s hesitation, one of the Zhou officials ventured hopefully, "Has the reception envoy been punished by the Little King of Tang? Perhaps they have been ordered to let us into the city?"

The others, starved and weary after half a day outside the city, seized on this hope. The firelight atop the city wall seemed to them a beacon of salvation, stirring sweet thoughts of deliverance.

But Lin Xianrong only sighed and shook his head, paying them no heed. Wrapping his cloak tighter, he rose and gazed at the city wall.

"Open the gates! Let them pass!"

Suddenly, the voice of Chen Duolong rang out atop the wall.

Yet, when the words "open the gates" reached the ears of the Zhou envoys, they seemed almost too good to be true, as if they had misheard.

None of them dared believe it.

"Yes, sir," the gate guards replied, and the gates did indeed swing open.

Chen Duolong then smiled down from the wall. "Honored envoys, you have endured the hardships of travel. I have prepared fine food and wine for you in the Sifang Pavilion. Please, come inside."

Lin Xianrong: "???"

The Zhou officials: "!!!"

How could this be? How could the Tang open their gates so suddenly and invite us in with such hospitality? Was this a ruse to detain us?

A thousand questions raced through Lin Xianrong’s mind.

The sudden opening of the gates and the promise of a banquet left Lin Xianrong bewildered, his thoughts clouded with suspicion.

"Sir," he said, not entering at once but hesitating, "Is this the command of His Majesty the Emperor of Tang?"

Chen Duolong inclined his head with a slight smile. "It is indeed. Please, honored envoys."

Lin Xianrong, seeing the reply so prompt and the absence of the official who had received them at midday, was only half convinced. Yet, since ancient times, even warring nations have not slain envoys. Although they had deceived the Tang before, since the emperor had given his word to admit them, he chose to accept.

The cold and hunger had become unbearable.

"Then, many thanks to you, sir," Lin Xianrong said with a formal bow, refraining from asking after Bai Muge, the official from earlier—knowing any inquiry would be futile.

So it was that Lin Xianrong and the Zhou envoys entered the city, following Chen Duolong to the Sifang Pavilion, where they were to be received.

"Please enjoy your meal and rest well. I shall take my leave," Chen Duolong said blandly, not staying to converse further.

As he departed, the envoys finally turned their gaze to the banquet table.

Sure enough, as promised, it was laden with fine wine and delicacies.

Starving as they were, their mouths watered at the sight.

"Sir..."

“Let’s eat first!” Lin Xianrong commanded.

“Yes, sir.”

At once, the Zhou envoys sat and began devouring the food ravenously.

But just then, the clash of weapons sounded from outside, and the voices of guards shouting came through the doors:

“The remnants of the Azure Dragon Gang are here! Brothers, quickly call for reinforcements!”