One day in late February, Jinling, light rain.

Chen Chao got up early in the morning and saw Fang Xiu, who also got up early in the morning, and this old man led the delegation to Jinling three days ago.

At this moment, the old man, who had been a lifelong scholar, was standing under the high raised eaves, with one hand behind his back and the other on his chin and his beard, squinting at the misty rain and fog outside.

Seeing Chen Chao walking towards this side, Fang Xiu put down the hand behind his back, looked at him and said, "It's not dawn today, and the eunuch who announced the decree to enter the palace is waiting outside. ”

Today, the envoy entered the palace and met with the Emperor of Chu to discuss the matter of exchanging the gunpowder formula for sugar treasure.

Hearing this, Chen Chao nodded, took out a piece of white paper from the cuffs with his index and middle fingers, handed it to Fang Xiu, and said, "Put this in the brocade box and bring it into the palace for him." ”

Fang Xiu stretched out his hand to take the white paper, put it in front of him and looked at it, it was an ordinary white paper, there was not a word on it, he even raised the white paper a little, looked at it against the sky, and found that this paper had not been specially treated, it was an ordinary white paper.

The old man shook his head and smiled, "Just fool Emperor Chu with this?" ”

Chen Chao nodded, leaned his hand out of the eaves, felt the misty and cool rain in his palm, smacked his mouth, and said: "A few years ago, the Chu Emperor once used a blank piece of paper to separate me and the Daji courtiers, and the world thought that the blank paper was a private letter from the Chu Emperor to recruit me, but in fact, it was just a blank piece of paper, and there was not a word on it. ”

When Fang Xiu heard this, he folded the white paper handed over by Chen Chao several times, and then put it into the brocade box, which would be brought into the palace of Chu by Fang Xiu in a while, and opened by the Chu Emperor himself, nominally the formula of gunpowder.

"That being said..... But once the brocade box is opened, Emperor Chu will see a blank piece of paper, and he will know that we are fooling him, don't say it's you at that time, don't think that there is a person in the mission who leaves the palace alive. Fang Xiu was faintly worried.

Chen Chao bowed his hand to Fang Xiu and said with a faint smile: "It depends on the boss's ability to delay time." ”

As long as the brocade box was still in Fang Xiu's hands, the world would think that it contained a gunpowder formula, not a blank piece of paper.

"You, you, I really don't know what to say about you......" Fang Xiu laughed angrily and stretched out his finger at Chen Chao.

Giving him such a difficult task to an old man, I really don't know what Chen Chao thinks, if something goes wrong, wouldn't it ......

The two talked under the eaves for a while, then returned to their rooms, burned incense and bathed, and changed into court clothes on official faces. Chen Chao did not use the identity of the prime minister of Daji to enter the palace this time, but the deputy envoy of the mission, an official named "Zhao Cheng" of Honglu Temple, before entering the palace, he would change his appearance to ensure that outsiders could not see it.

It is only during the critical period that the two sides completely tear their faces apart, and Chen Chao will consider whether to expose his true identity.

Speaking of which, the pseudonym "Zhao Cheng" has been useless for a long time.

After changing into court clothes, Chen Chao and Fang Xiu walked towards the door.

Under the steps outside the door, the eunuch Jia Yan was already waiting a little impatiently, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Jia Yan served the Emperor of Chu for many years, and like the Emperor of Chu, he regarded Daji as a mortal enemy.

This time, the Daji delegation came to Jinling of Chu State because of a request for Chu State.

But in the past few days that the Daji delegation has come, he has traveled every day, he must be arrogant, disgusted with this and that, and he has not put Chu State in his eyes at all, Jia Yan, as a native of Chu State, how can he not be angry in his heart.

Just when Jia Yan was thinking about how to harsh the people of the Great Discipline Mission for a while, Fang Xiu and Chen Chao walked out, Chen Chao took a gift from the people accompanying him, stuffed it into Jia Yan's hand, and said with a smile:

"This father-in-law has worked hard, and today he has to bother his father-in-law to lead the way and lead me into the palace, this century-old ginseng nourishes yin and yang, strengthens the body and kidneys, and it should be our filial piety to my father-in-law."

"Hmph." Jia Yan sneered.

An old ginseng is like sending our family away, really when our family has not seen the world.

He was about to speak, but he was surprised to see that everyone in the mission who went out was secretly smiling, and even the groom was secretly smiling.

Jia Yan immediately figured out what to do, looked at the old ginseng in his hand, and was angry.

Old ginseng nourishes yin and yang, strengthens the body and kidneys.

But he is an old eunuch with no roots, what kind of yang does he make up? What kidneys are strong? This is clearly making fun of him.

Jia Yan's face sank, and his heart was extremely unhappy!

"Filial piety is not necessary!!" Jia Yan pushed the old mountain ginseng back, "Now, the hour is not early, please follow the miscellaneous family to enter the palace quickly to meet the saint, go early and return early, but there is an ugly saying that in the past, you have used more swords and soldiers in the past few years, and I am afraid that the rules of this face saint have been forgotten, and the miscellaneous family will tell you about the rules of meeting the saint, after you enter the hall, you need to bow three times and bow nine times, and pay homage.....

Chen Chao frowned.

Thinking that this old eunuch was quite grudgeful, he began to put on small shoes for everyone.

Fang Xiu also frowned, interrupting Jia Yan's chatter.

"This father-in-law, you are probably mistaken, we are Daji officials, why do we have to bow three times and bow to you to make this big gift to the emperor?"

Jia Yan was about to open his mouth to argue, but Chen Chao took over the conversation and said: "What Lord Fang said is right, we are all Daji officials, three bows and nine knocks, worship is naturally my Daji Emperor, how can there be a reason to worship the emperor of other countries?" ”

Everyone in the mission nodded frequently, "Yes, yes, yes, there is no such truth in this world." ”

Chen Chao squinted at Jia Yan and said, "This father-in-law, don't you don't understand the rules and teach indiscriminately?" If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense, lest you make others laugh. ”

Jia Yan was furious, and his face turned red.

But Chen Chao smiled again and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.

Where could the elderly and frail Jia Yan stand Chen Chao's beat?

My legs were weak, and I wanted to sit on the ground with my ass.

He looked at Chen Chao: "What are you doing?" ”

Chen Chao smiled slightly, "I just want to ask my father-in-law's surname, such a big matter as receiving the delegation into the palace, since the emperor of your country sent his father-in-law here, then my father-in-law must be deeply trusted by the emperor of your country." ”

"The miscellaneous family's surname is Jia, and as for being deeply trusted by His Majesty, I dare not be it."

Jia Yan stretched out his hand and patted the place where Chen Chao had just photographed, very disgusted.

Chen Chao raised his eyebrows, "It turned out to be Father-in-law Jia, who has been looking up for a long time, but I just want to ask my father-in-law something...... Is it the meaning of the father-in-law to bow three times and nine bows, or is it the meaning of your majesty? ”

Jia Yan was taken aback.

Naturally, this was his own meaning.

Emperor Chu had never said it, and he didn't know about it at all.

The reason why Jia Yan said this was because he was angry that the Daji Mission gave him Lao Shan Ginseng just now and deliberately made fun of him, so he wanted to deliberately embarrass the Daji Mission.

"If you insist on letting me wait to enter the palace for three bows and nine knocks, then there is no need to go to the palace today, we will immediately go back to the house and return to Daji!" Chen Chao flicked his sleeves.

Jia Yan's mind was racing rapidly, at this moment, when the Daji mission went back, then his sin would be great, and he couldn't afford to bear it.

"Look at the broken mouth of the miscellaneous family, I was confused for a while, no one meant it, everyone should follow the miscellaneous family into the palace, don't let Your Majesty wait" Jia Yan pretended to slap his mouth twice, bowed down and asked everyone to get into the carriage, with a smile on his face.