Chapter 196: Three National Gifts

home and prepare for the next provincial examination."Li Chen raised an eyebrow and said, "You're at least a minister of household affairs. Can't you even arrange a job for your nephew"Xu Changqing's...Chapter 196: Three National Gifts

Li Chen's words were beautifully spoken.

It not only demonstrated the status of Qin but also took into consideration the Xiongnu, preventing them from feeling too embarrassed.

As for the comparison between the Jiang Hai (the Yellow River and East China Sea) and the small streams, and the sun and moon versus the stars, the gap is undeniably obvious. Even their establishment of the state was aided by the Qin Dynasty. Furthermore, their domestic culture, military, and social systems are almost entirely modeled after or directly copied from the Qin Dynasty.

For the Xianbei people, it was only natural to consider themselves subordinate to the Qin dynasty and serve their imperial power.

After Li Chen finished speaking, he raised his cup first.

Then, officials from the Qin Dynasty and envoys from the Xian Dynasty all raised their cups and turned to pay their respects to Li Chen from afar. In unison, they said: "We... shall always bear your teachings in mind."

According to the Qin Dynasty's diplomatic etiquette, after the opening proclamation was finished and the first cup of wine was drunk, the banquet officially entered a more relaxed stage.

As long as Li Chen, the person at the top, doesn't speak, the people below can toast more casually. Of course, the first cup must be toasted to Li Chen first.

Li Chen could drink, or he could choose not to. Basically, officials below the third rank were not qualified to toast Li Chen directly. For officials below the second rank, Li Chen would only touch his cup of wine lightly, but this was already a great honor.

While the Xi dynasty embassy was concerned about this, they were also preoccupied with something even more important.

"Princess, it's time to offer gifts."

A man with a goatee whispered to Jin Xueyuan.

Right now, Jin Xueyuan's heart was in turmoil. She still hadn't recovered from the shock of Li Chen's identity change.

But seeing that the wine has reached the third round, if we don't begin offering gifts soon, it will be too late.

Jin Xueyuan nodded, biting her lip and glancing at Li Chen who sat high above, overlooking the entire hall. As if by chance, Li Chen's gaze also fell upon her.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

Jin Xueyuan didn't know if Li Chen could understand her confusion, complexity, and questions, but she could see a hint of amusement in Li Chen's deep, star-filled eyes.

She lowered her head slightly and got up to stand in the middle of the main hall.

As she rose, the atmosphere in Kangtai Hall, which had been lively with conversation just moments ago, instantly fell silent. Everyone knew that as the envoy of the Xianchao delegation, Jin Xueyuan was about to begin the formal proceedings.

"The envoy from the Xian Dynasty, Jin Xueyuan, traveled over a thousand miles from the Xian border to Liaodong and finally arrived at the capital city to meet your Majesty. He feels deeply grateful for the selfless help that Da Qin has given to the Xian Dynasty, as well as the centuries of friendship between our two nations. Therefore, he has specially prepared three national gifts to present to Your Majesty, expressing the gratitude of the royal family and the people of the Xian Dynasty. Please allow him to offer them."

Li Chen sat serenely on the high platform, his expression unreadable. He calmly said, "Agreed."

Even envoys from foreign lands need permission from their sovereign state to send gifts.

After receiving Li Chen's permission, Jin Xueyuan suppressed the complex emotions surging in her heart. With a flick of her wrist, someone naturally brought up a wooden tray covered with red satin, walking respectfully forward.

Jinxueyuan spoke: “This is the first state gift.”

Jin Xueyuan raised her hand and lifted the brocade. Immediately, there was a gasp of astonishment.

Although people knew that ginseng grew abundantly in the Xian Dynasty and could even be presented as a national gift, indicating its rarity and value, when they saw this ginseng root as long as an adult arm, with intricate veins spreading out like the majestic crown of a centuries-old tree, they couldn't help but be awestruck.

"This ginseng was discovered by an elderly farmer in our country from a deep mountain. However, it grows at an extremely high altitude, on the summit of a peak that is almost inaccessible to humans. This is why it has been able to grow peacefully for hundreds of years. Later, the royal court of the Xia Dynasty learned of this news and organized a team of the most experienced ginseng harvesters. After half a month of arduous work, with dozens of casualties, they finally managed to dig it out completely."ad, but I will not punish your family. Your wife and daughters can still return home and live out their days in peace."Li Chen looked at Ge Pingyi and said calmly, "You need to weigh the severity of t...