Chapter 38: Gathering for Qin, The Imperial Capital Xianyang

Chapter 38: A Collective Pilgrimage to Qin, the Imperial Capital of Xianyang

Seeing the Parthian envoy’s expression of utter disbelief, Sadik, the King of the Yuezhi, felt a throbbing headache.

"My dear envoy, do not be impatient. I have only just learned of this myself," the King said with a forced, genial smile.

The Parthian Empire to the west was not a power the small Yuezhi kingdom could hope to contend with; its land and population were many times greater. For a princess of that empire to go missing within the borders of the Yuezhi and be captured by a third party—should the Parthian King discover this, he would surely erupt in fury. Princess Vivian was the King's youngest and most cherished daughter; otherwise, he would never have permitted her to wander so far afield.

Sadik prayed that the Princess had merely been captured. If something worse had befallen her, there was no telling how the King would vent his rage.

"How exactly did this happen?" the King of Yuezhi shouted at his subordinates. It had been so long, and yet he, the sovereign, had been kept in the dark. It seemed some had developed agendas of their own.

"During the last great war with the Xiongnu, your Princess somehow received word and took her retinue to the Xiongnu royal court at Touman City, only to be captured by the Qin army. Who knows if she is even alive or dead in the Great Qin now?" The Wusun envoy spoke up again, his small eyes gleaming with cunning.

"What! King of Yuezhi, you must provide me with an explanation!" the Parthian envoy demanded, his words dripping with menace.

Upon hearing the envoy’s tone, the King of Yuezhi’s round face flushed with anger. His furious gaze bore into the Parthian envoy. His fists clenched, loosened, and clenched again, before he finally opened his palms. He composed his face and said to the envoy: "Rest assured, my dear envoy. While the Princess left my domain of her own accord, I still bear responsibility for failing to ensure her safety. I shall do everything in my power to rescue her. Please, have faith in me!"

Sadik replied with a hollow smile, though his chest burned with suppressed rage. Sadik was a king in his own right; while the Parthian Empire might be stronger than the Yuezhi, he would not be insulted by a mere envoy.

Sadik had not ascended to the throne by being an idiot. He filed this grievance away; if the Parthian Empire ever faced trouble, he would be sure to "assist" them thoroughly.

"Then I thank you, Great King!" the Parthian envoy replied coldly. A mere small-state ruler dared to defy Parthia? "Hmph! Overestimating your own strength!"

"The Great Qin is powerful. I suggest we appease them for now. We can send people to Qin to investigate, and decide our next move once we have more information. What do you all think?" Faced with the sudden demand from the Great Qin, one must be wise to the times. King Sadik chose to wait and see.

"That is the only way." After discussing it, the envoys and leaders of the various nations reached a consensus. However, it was impossible to tell who was sincere and who was merely putting on a facade.

***

"Ah! You wretched thing, I shall kill you!" Once back in his palace, Sadik could no longer suppress his fury. He hacked wildly at the air with his royal sword, causing the slaves and servants to collapse to the floor in trembling terror.

After a long while, Sadik finally calmed down. He sat down slowly and commanded, "Someone, clean this up!"

"As you command, Great King!" the survivors scrambled to obey.

"Anli!" After everyone had cleared out, Sadik called out suddenly.

"Master!" A figure leapt from behind a palace pillar, completely shrouded in clothing, making it impossible to distinguish their gender.

"This time, you will lead the Yellow Sand Guard to accompany the diplomatic mission to the Great Qin and rescue the Princess! Furthermore, arrange for someone to go to Parthia. Once their envoy returns home, you shall..." Sadik whispered with a sinister intent.

"As you command, Master!"

Three months later, the envoys from various nations, bearing gifts, arrived in succession at the gates of Xianyang. What they saw and heard along the way overturned most of their preconceptions about the Great Qin.

The neighboring nations had known a fair amount about the Qin, while those further away merely assumed Qin was slightly stronger than their own lands. They had not expected that in just five years, the Great Qin would have undergone such a cataclysmic transformation. Sturdy, flat cement roads and gravel-paved rural paths allowed their carriage trains to travel at significantly higher speeds.

In the fields, Qin subjects could be seen working with smiles on their faces, full of hope for the future. The clear, resonant sounds of children reciting lessons interrupted the envoys' thoughts, leading them to marvel at how well the Qin court treated its people. The wise among them understood that this was the foundation of a nation’s strength; only the foolish believed that education would make the people clever and threaten the ruler’s position.

They did not realize that the common people merely desired a stable and peaceful life. It was only the ambitious who pondered how to overthrow rulers to satisfy their own desires for power and chaos.

Along the way, aside from seeing Qin soldiers at major cities and mountain passes, they most frequently encountered the "Security Guards"—soldiers who maintained public order and possessed physical disabilities. Upon inquiry, they learned these were mostly retired veterans who had left the service due to injury, illness, or age.

Their presence kept the crime rate across the Great Qin remarkably low, maintaining the internal environment of the empire at a relatively high standard.

By now, the diplomatic procession had reached the outskirts of Xianyang, and the silhouette of the city was faintly visible.

"Gentlemen, this must be Xianyang. Truly magnificent!" a leader of a small tribe exclaimed excitedly.

"Look at you, have some dignity! Is Xianyang your home? Why are you so excited?" a man riding beside him mocked.

Amidst the chatter and bustle of the journey, the carriage train moved slowly toward Xianyang.

Yang Zimo had received news of the collective mission to Qin and had informed Ying Zheng early on. He accompanied the others to the South Gate of Xianyang. By his status, coming in person to greet them was perhaps a bit unconventional, but he was bored and the urge to join the excitement was etched into his bones. Accompanying him was Yao Jia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Originally, per Yao Jia’s arrangements, a subordinate should have been sent to lead the envoys to the embassy.

But since the Marquis of Zhenguo, Yang Zimo, had nothing better to do and wanted to take a look, how could the Minister not follow? This was, after all, the best opportunity to build a relationship with the Marquis.

Gazing at the towering walls before them, the visitors from the surrounding nations gaped in awe, at a loss for words. They lacked the vocabulary of later generations to describe their feelings.

The Xianyang city wall, so wide it could not be taken in with a single glance, sprawled across the Guanzhong Plain, blocking their path and leaving only a massive gate as the sole point of entry.

At the gate, two hundred soldiers, armed with long blades and shields, stood in two rows, diligently guarding the South Gate of Xianyang. They occasionally conducted spot checks on pedestrians. The travelers would produce card-like copper tokens from their pockets, which the soldiers would inspect before returning them.

Looking up, the four-zhang-high walls were manned by soldiers with spears and bows stationed at every battlement. As they looked on, ten-man patrol squads would occasionally pass through the city. Such defensive strength left no one with the slightest inclination to harbor ill intent.