Chapter 19: A Debate with the Liao Minister, a Small-Scale Scene

After Liu Fu finished speaking, he picked up the beauty in his arms.

Ruobing tried fiercely to resist, but she felt that her body was being held by two large, inescapable pincers, and she couldn't move an inch.

In the blink of an eye, she was left at his mercy, helpless, two lines of clear tears falling from the corners of her eyes...

It's already the fifth day.

However, Ruobing, who was sent there, did not return all night, and it was already noon, yet no report had been sent.

Amidst his doubts, the Liao emperor selected another secret agent.

"Moon Shadow, go and search for Ruobing's whereabouts. If Ruobing is not found tonight, you will secretly monitor Liu Fu's every move."

The Liao emperor had a specific purpose in choosing the person to monitor Liu Fu. Knowing that Liu Fu was a skilled fighter, he deliberately chose a woman with exceptional lightness skills to keep watch over her.

This makes it less likely to be detected.

Unexpectedly, this was another big gift delivered to Liu Fu late at night.

Yueying waited until nightfall, but Ruobing was nowhere to be seen.

Finally, when it was completely dark, Liu Fu grabbed him and pulled him down as soon as he climbed onto the roof beam.

When she saw Ruobing on the bed next to her, she knew that something terrible was about to happen.

In the end, he couldn't escape Liu Fu's clutches either.

She was quickly won over by Liu Fu in bed, and she and Ruobing became like sisters.

When the Liao emperor's men failed to report back, he knew something had gone wrong. In the early hours of the morning, he sent the imperial guards to the post station to investigate.

As soon as Liu Fu opened the door, the imperial guard leader saw two women getting dressed at the head of the bed behind him.

In his astonishment, he cupped his hands and said:

"Eighth Prince, today is the day His Majesty formally summons you. Please bathe and change your clothes, and come with us to the palace as soon as possible."

Liu Fu washed up and changed into a prince's robe. He looked refreshed and had an extraordinary air about him, exuding nobility.

The imperial guard leader never expected that Liu Fu would be completely unharmed after being starved for five whole days.

Looking further down at the table inside, the abundance of leftover food was astonishing.

He dared not say more, and after bringing Liu Fu into the Liao palace, he began to prepare for the audience ceremony.

It was only at this point that...

Only then can the sisters, Ruobing and Yueying, who have fallen on hard times, regain their freedom.

They immediately took advantage of Liu Fu's absence and thoroughly searched the entire post station, inside and out.

Not a single clue, not even a hair.

The two then limped up the wall and quietly left.

As Liu Fu followed him into the palace, the Liao soldiers, who were there to make a scene, shouted loudly and made a great show of it.

But it was no use; Liu Fu wasn't afraid at all.

Among the onlookers were several spies from the Later Han Dynasty who had been secretly following Liu Fu out of concern for his safety.

Today, in the Golden Palace of the Liao Dynasty.

The Liao emperor was dressed in his finest attire, with the newly appointed future crown prince, Yelü Hongqi, beside him.

The Left Chancellor, Right Chancellor, Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, the newly appointed Grand General, and the four Liao Kings all stood in the court.

The Liao emperor had already received the report and starved Liu Fu for five days, but it was to no avail. The spies he sent had even become his concubines.

However, today was a grand occasion, and the Liao emperor did not lash out, but outwardly appeared quite pleased.

"By imperial decree, Liu Fu, the hostage prince of the Later Han Dynasty, is ordered to come to court!"

With a call from the old eunuch, Liu Fu stepped into the Liao court.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor of Liao."

Liu Fu cupped his hands in a slight gesture of respect and then stood still in place.

But this time, the Liao ministers in the court were outraged and stood up to criticize:

"Since the Eighth Prince is a hostage, he should be courteous upon arriving in our country and kneel to pay respects to His Majesty the Emperor. How can he be so disrespectful?"

“That’s right. The Eighth Prince keeps saying that your Central Plains is a land of etiquette. Does a land of etiquette come to my Great Liao and become so ignorant of etiquette?”

Faced with pressure from the Liao officials, Liu Fu remained calm and retorted:

"In relations between two countries, mutual respect should be the norm. I, the prince, have come from the Later Han Dynasty to your Liao capital. I have not been given food for five days, and tens of thousands of Liao soldiers have surrounded the inn, making noise day and night. Is this the etiquette for the Liao Dynasty to receive a prince?"

Liu Fu chuckled:

"Your country treats me this way, so our country will treat you the same way. Showing a courtesy is already more than enough."

Now, looking at Grand Tutor Xiao, who was pointing at Liu Fu and trembling all over, he rebuked him:

"Outrageous! Outrageous! The Emperor of the Great Liao is the sovereign, and you are merely a lowly subject. If a subject does not kneel before the sovereign, are you plotting a rebellion?"

Liu Fu laughed heartily and asked Grand Tutor Xiao in return:

“I am a subject of the Han Dynasty, not a subject of your Liao Dynasty. I should only kneel to the Han Emperor, not to your Liao Emperor.”

Grand Tutor Xiao was about to speak in rebuttal, but Liu Fu seized the opportunity and countered:

"If the Grand Tutor wants me to kneel before your Liao Emperor, then your Liao subjects should kneel before the Han Emperor. Although I am not the Han Emperor, in terms of status, I am a prince, and you are merely a Grand Tutor. Shouldn't you also kneel down to pay your respects when you see me?"

After being thoroughly refuted by Liu Fu, Grand Tutor Xiao could no longer argue and had no choice but to back down.

A heated debate ensued in the court, with several Liao officials coming forward to refute the arguments, but Liu Fu refuted them all.

At this moment, the Liao emperor, who was high above all others, did not speak, but his crown prince, Yelü Hongqi, stepped forward:

"What the Eighth Prince just said is that a prince is more noble than a grand tutor, and a grand tutor has to kneel before a prince. So my status as the crown prince is much more noble than yours, a mere prince, isn't it?"

The Liao crown prince looked up at Liu Fu, as if he had Liu Fu completely under his control, and sneered:

"Shouldn't the Eighth Prince also kneel before me, the Crown Prince?"

At this moment, the Liao emperor stroked his beard and smiled, and the Liao courtiers all wore smiles on their faces.

Their status was not as noble as Liu Fu's, but now that their own crown prince had personally taken action, they were far superior to Liu Fu in terms of both status and identity.

Let's see what excuses he can come up with now.

Liu Fu's single sentence infuriated all the Liao court officials, including the crown prince and the Liao emperor!

“A hundred years ago, there was a Liao emperor named Yelü Hai, who was captured alive by General Yue of the Central Plains. He was brought to the Golden Palace, knelt down before the emperor, and kowtowed three times.”

"This is enough to confirm that your Liao emperor is inferior to my Central Plains emperor, and your Liao crown prince is naturally inferior to my Central Plains crown prince. In that case, what is the point of comparing your crown prince to me, a prince?"

Liu Fu's words ignited the anger of Crown Prince Yelü Hongqi.

Because the kneeling emperor Yelü Hai mentioned by Liu Fu is the great-grandfather of the current Liao emperor, and the ancestor of Crown Prince Yelü Hongqi.

In front of so many civil and military officials, Liu Fu deliberately brought up his sore spot, directly exposing his shortcomings, which angered Yelü Hongqi so much that he had already drawn his sword!

"Guards, drag this arrogant prince of the Later Han Dynasty out of here, boil him in oil first, then behead him and display his head to the public!"

Unexpectedly.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, Liu Fu was not afraid at all; instead, he pointed at the Crown Prince's nose and started cursing.

Liu Fu spoke directly to the Liao Emperor:

“Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but the person you have chosen does not have the ability to be the crown prince. He was provoked to this extent by my few words. He is really not steady enough. If he succeeds to the throne of Liao, he will surely be ruined.”

When the Liao ministers saw Liu Fu being so defiant, they all thought he had gone mad.

Damn it, you publicly humiliated the prince's ancestors, and now you're speaking ill of his son in front of his father.

You're really stubborn, kid. You dare to keep stirring things up at a time like this. Aren't you afraid the Liao emperor will punish you?