Chapter Thirty-Four: Preparing to be a Diplomat

  "My dear Ernest, I see that your fortune is not going well! Please express my condolences to the beast of bad luck, no need for much, 10,000 gold coins will do."

  Li Xie's cat in his arms immediately lifted its front paws, stretched out a claw, Li Xie realized and added: "Oh, and there are also 100 bottles of fine wine!"

  El's face turned into a bitter melon face. If it weren't for Mercedes VII summoning him to give orders, he really wouldn't have come to the Earl of Evil!

  "God of the Earth, above!" After the last banquet, in order to eliminate bad luck and invite good fortune, El had expressed his sincerity, but now he was short on funds. To take out another 10,000 gold coins would be a problem for his next life. He looked at Li Xie with a pitiful expression, and the steward El's face was bitter: "Sir, can't my last sincerity bring good fortune? How much sincerity is needed to have good fortune? At least, don't have bad luck! I haven't received any rewards recently, I'm short on funds, I don't know if you...I will write an IOU!"

  Looking at El's bitter appearance, Li Xie probably also guessed that he didn't have much gold on hand! This can't be blamed on others, it can only be blamed on himself for being too ruthless last time! A steward officer, a viscount without a fief or many industries, originally didn't have much family property. If there were imperial rewards, they could still live comfortably for some days, but if not, El would be in straits.

  However, Mercedes VII usually directly calls Erl to issue orders to Li Xie, and there are many opportunities to meet, so it's not good to take advantage of this respectful little official too much!

  This person is also a smooth talker, giving him some benefits might help himself too.

  Li Ye smiled generously: "What IOU? Are you kidding me? I'll unconditionally help you out with 500,000 gold coins as a token of goodwill. Just wait for your good fortune!"

  "Really?"

  "Have I deceived you?"

  Aile's eyes lit up, extremely excited! He had just spent 50,000 gold coins last time, which was already a considerable amount of his wealth. Unexpectedly, the Evil Duke opened his mouth and it was 500,000 gold coins! And unconditional! The God of Earth above, praise our generous and magnanimous Evil Duke!

  Li Xie heard the little cat in his arms, lifted its front paws, stretched out its small claws, turned its head to Li Xie and smiled: You're doing a good deed, this cat's wine can't be less!

  Li Xie understood its meaning and felt deeply depressed in his heart. This damned cat that loves drinking as if it's its life! Even I got cheated by it!

  Of course, Li Xie wouldn't mind Meow's money pit too much. He had just helped him earn 10 million gold coins last time, and there would be more to come in the future. This kind of lucky cat, whatever wine it wants, he'll give it as much as it wants!

  Pulling Erla down to the sofa, Li Xie said seriously: "My dear internal affairs officer Erla comrade, as a confidant of His Majesty, you should know something about His Majesty's intentions! Don't you think that His Majesty has gone crazy? I'm telling you, he wants me to be an diplomatic reception officer? He thinks I can do this?"

  It can be said that Li Xie, the Grand Duke of the dynasty, Deputy Director of the Sacrificial Institute, does not need to attend court meetings or go to the Sacrificial Institute to teach disciples. Mercedes VII is extremely lenient towards Li Xie, unprecedented in history.

  But Li Xie really couldn't understand why Mercedes VII suddenly ordered El to give orders, asking Li Xie to serve as the diplomatic reception officer of a foreign mission, responsible for receiving all diplomatic missions!

  As for the diplomatic mission, it's time to mention Duke Everil. The period of "closed doors" is almost over, and some congratulatory messages or requests for an audience have been declined, but news has arrived from the Four Great Empires and the Dajin Dynasty that they have sent a delegation to congratulate our Duke Everil on his promotion to Holy Sacrifice, which is expected to arrive in the Tudor Empire within a month.

  The envoys of the Four Great Empires and the Dajin Dynasty have arrived, everything is related to the national face, a person with high moral character, noble status and familiar with etiquette is needed to entertain, Li Xie smiled but did not speak, however being familiar with etiquette, Li Xie's smile was somewhat bitter.

  Li Xie didn't understand any of this, and Mercedes VII must have known too. This was clearly a call for him to go abroad and make a fool of himself! What's more, his foolishness might even spread to foreign countries!

  Besides, the four major empires are not all provoked by the Tudor dynasty. The Ming dynasty is also at odds with the Tudor dynasty, and if things go wrong, they may provoke a war!

  Li Xie did not think he could bear this responsibility, so he had many misgivings about Mercedes VII's decision.

  Next to him, El was sweating profusely, and whoever dared to say that Mercedes VII had a brain spasm would probably be the only one in the entire dynasty who acted strangely!

  But speaking of generosity, our Grand Duke is also the most generous duke in the dynasty!

  Ai'er was still thanking Li Xie for generously contributing to the sacrifice of the unlucky beast, and hurriedly put on a smiling face: "Respected Grand Duke, Your Majesty knows that you are generous and unbound by trivial matters, so this time, Your Majesty's order, the Grand Duke will take care of the overall direction, and the specific details will be handled by this humble diplomatic reception officer."

  "Huh?" Li's eyebrow arched, the meaning of this sentence, isn't it saying that we should sit in a high position, put on airs, pretend to be intimidating, and then do nothing, letting El handle everything? Heh heh, what a wonderful thing, Mercedes VII is so clever! Master Mian, please take back my curses towards our beloved Emperor just now, he's so lovable! Look at him, all the benefits are being thrown our way!

  Li Ye's attitude suddenly changed 180 degrees, and he burst out laughing: "Ahahahaha! So that's it! Your Majesty is indeed insightful, knowing that I'm the kind of person who always grasps the most correct direction! Alright, I'll reluctantly take on this task! Erl, my dear attendant, does His Majesty have any other instructions? Such as rewards and whatnot? You know, receiving foreign envoys is a very tiring job, and I've only just recovered from my injuries...I mean, it's been only a month since I was seriously injured, so some consolation would be nice!"

  Another cold sweat for Erl. This grand duke really dares to boast! Your Majesty's meaning is clearly that you don't know etiquette! In the end, it's my turn to suffer!

  "Your Majesty didn't mention anything about rewards, but I believe that once this matter is settled, there will definitely be rewards! Come to think of it, Your Majesty also said something else, which I didn't quite understand. As your wisdom far surpasses mine by a thousand times, you must have understood what Your Majesty meant."

  "What's up?" or "What did you say?"

  Aile learned from Mercedes VII's appearance, with a stern face and a suppressed tone: "Our evil duke will understand the king's intentions, he should also express the king's intentions to our lovely envoy!"

  Wow!

  Heart's Desire!

  Li Xie thought that when a strong country comes to visit, their delegation should come with empty hands and then leave with a large pile of wealth.

  "Didn't the foreign envoys bring a lot of gold coins?" Li Xie asked immediately.

  Ai'er's forehead was covered in cold sweat again, such a stupid question, okay, it's because of our generous and evil duke! He hastily replied: "The four major empires will inevitably bring countless gold coins and treasures to show off their prestige and strength when they travel, the Great Day Dynasty probably won't be an exception either!"

  Wow!

  Li Xie seemed to see five horse-drawn carriages carrying five piles of gold rushing over!

  The little cat in his arms opened its eyes, moved its ears and called out in a sticky voice: "Meow..."

  Li Xie understood the cat's meaning and immediately asked: "Where is the fine wine?"

  Why does the evil duke love wine so much?

  Erl said frankly: "Wine is an essential item for socializing, it's definitely indispensable!"

  Meow meowed, and with a swoosh, it stood on Li Xie's left arm, giving El a fright! Then, Meow meowed again, lifted its right front leg, and with another swoosh, revealed four sharp hook-like claws.

  Li Xie nodded in agreement, his right index finger hooked around Miao Miao's paw, swinging it back and forth. The man and the cat exchanged a sparkling glance, their eyes flashing with mischief. The corners of their mouths curled up, revealing a small, pearly white canine tooth on each side, as they both wore sly, cunning smiles!

  "Miao......" Fine wine, this cat wants it!

  "Haha......" The golden treasure is mine, Duke's!

  Seeing a strange light in the eyes of one person and one cat, Er next to him shuddered violently!

  Why does the appearance of the evil duke seem to be molded from the same mold as that of the beast of misfortune? Good heavens, the evil duke has fangs! He couldn't possibly be the incarnation of the beast of misfortune, could he?! I've heard that powerful magical beasts can take on human form...

  "Your Excellency, I still need to report to the Emperor, so I'll take my leave first."

  "Heh heh, take your time, feel free to visit me at the Earl's Manor anytime."

  "It's true... The Earl of Saber is too terrifying, the invisible pressure! Even if I have time, I won't come! If nothing happens, I absolutely won't come!" El thought firmly in his heart.

  "Hey, don't run too fast, be careful, I just saw Lily accidentally spill oil..."

  "Ah..."

  Tudor Palace, Imperial Study

  Mercedes VII sat with a smile, Left Adviser Harry Intert stood beside him, and El, in front of Mercedes VII, was reporting to Li Xie about the diplomatic reception.

  "Alright, you can go now and take good care of yourself! You're usually so steady, how did you manage to get hurt this badly just from walking?"

  Ai'er had an unutterable bitterness, covering his forehead and retreating.

  The official on the left side of the emperor said: "Your Majesty has ordered E'wu Gong Bo to take charge of this diplomatic reception, but I, your humble servant, am stupid and do not understand."

  Mercedes VII smiled with great satisfaction: "It's rare that you can't understand, Left Prime Minister! Please don't stand up, have a seat."

  The servants in the study were all called out, and the Left Prime Minister could only move the chair himself and sit down. He said lightly: "This time, the five-nation delegation came, it is an unprecedented crisis for our dynasty! If something goes wrong, it will be a disaster! Forgive me for being bold, but in the entire royal court, only I can bear the heavy responsibility of diplomatic reception officer! Your Majesty, think thrice!"

  Mercedes VII nodded solemnly, "The promotion of Duke Evie was beyond our expectations. A divine descent can make a dynasty rise, and a holy sacrifice can do the same! Unfortunately, this matter cannot be concealed! Now that all the gods on the mainland know that the Tudor Dynasty has a Holy Sacrifice, the most covetous is the Great Day Dynasty! They sent an envoy this time, why? You and I understand each other's hearts! Isn't it to solidify the Right Chancellor and the Panseng family?! Humph! As for the four great empires, they have been openly competing and secretly fighting, but mostly small frictions, maintaining a stable pattern for a long time. If a new empire rises, it will completely destroy this pattern! The four great empires came to win over and threaten! These five countries all brought danger with them, one step wrong, the Great Day Dynasty would attack the north, and the four great empires might even send troops to assist!"

  "Your Majesty understands, why still let Duke Ye take on this important role? It's not that I, your humble minister, look down on Duke Ye and want him to be a diplomatic reception officer. What I fear is not the four great empires sending troops to assist, but rather directly dispatching troops to Doudou!"