Even though Jiang Chen didn't particularly want to meet anyone from the Black Moon Kingdom, in the current situation, he wanted to get a sense of what all sides were up to. Maybe he could even worm some useful information out of this Black Moon Kingdom envoy's mouth?
"Envoy Qi Can of the Black Moon Kingdom greets Young Master Jiang." The envoy was a short, stocky man who looked like nothing more than an ordinary street rogue—there was nothing remarkable about him at all.
This was the kind of person you could lose in a crowd and never find again.
However, his nose was somewhat flat, and his eye sockets sat a little deeper than usual. In terms of appearance, he did carry a few of the Black Moon Kingdom's characteristics.
"Young Master Jiang?" Jiang Chen's lips curled into a half-smile.
"Heh, I heard about it. The Jiang family turned down the Eastern clan's imperial commendation and didn't take the title of First-Rank Marquis. So if I'm not mistaken, the Jiang family is currently untitled. Calling you Young Master Jiang seems the most appropriate, doesn't it?"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "You're a clever one. But I don't quite understand—when did I, Jiang Chen, ever have dealings with your Black Moon Kingdom that you'd bother coming here to visit?"
"I'm here to play the role of a persuader."
"A persuader?" Jiang Chen's brows furrowed slightly. "Don't tell me you think the Jiang family would be the type to betray our own kingdom?"
"Heh heh! That may be so, but the Eastern clan is already past its prime. They can't very well find any reason to keep you all loyal, can they? And I've heard that back in the Royal Capital, the Eastern Lu abandoned your Jiang family like a discarded chess piece—without so much as a moment's hesitation."
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. How could a small fry like this possibly understand the grand ambitions he harbored?
"Our Black Moon Kingdom, on the other hand, is quite different. The Black Moon Kingdom values those with genuine talent above all else. The Jiang family is exactly the kind of powerful clan that our kingdom admires the most. Our King is willing to offer a seat as a First-Rank Noble and invite your family to develop in our Black Moon Kingdom! The territory granted would be three times the size of your Jianghan domain. Wealth and women—as many as your family desires, just name the amount."
"Wealth? Women?" Jiang Chen said with a faint smile.
"That's right. The wealth of the Black Moon Kingdom is simply incomparable to the Eastern Kingdom. As for beauties—if you want the sultry kind, we have the sultry kind. If you want the pure and innocent type, we have those too. As long as you can imagine it, the Black Moon Kingdom can find it for you. Absolutely more beautiful and more alluring than that Princess Gouyu, or that Dongfang Zhiruo!"
Jiang Chen watched the man's tongue-flinging performance with amusement.
"So you think the men of the Jiang family live for wealth and women?"
"Naturally, the men of the Jiang family have their own ambitions. But in this life, wealth and women are the best proof of one's ability and the finest embellishment of power. Without the accompaniment of wealth and women, what good is it even if you reach the pinnacle of power?"
"Moreover, even if your Jiang family stays in the Eastern Kingdom, with the Long family's precedent, the Eastern Kingdom will never give you real authority. You might enjoy wealth and luxury, but you'll never be allowed to hold significant power. The phrase 'reaching the highest rank among subjects'—for you, that's nothing but a pipe dream!"
The envoy's spit was flying as he spoke, looking supremely confident.
Qiao Baishi, standing off to the side, had long since worked himself into a fury. Though he'd left the Apothecary Hall, he was still ultimately a man of the Eastern Kingdom.
He might not have much loyalty toward the royal family, but he had deep feelings for this country and for the land that had given him birth and sustenance.
This Black Moon Kingdom envoy was going on and on, eagerly trying to seduce and subvert.
For Qiao Baishi, this was an unspeakable humiliation.
In this world, whether you were a martial artist or an ordinary person, everyone had a strong sense of identity with their homeland and their country.
Perhaps this country could have internal strife. Perhaps the dynasty could change.
But those were all internal matters.
They did not, in any way, mean that people would accept an invasion by a foreign nation or tolerate the insults of outsiders.
Although Jiang Chen's soul had nothing to do with the Eastern Kingdom, he had merged with the previous Jiang Chen's memories, and so to some small extent, he felt a residual attachment to this place.
Moreover, even the previous life's Jiang Chen would never have been able to stomach the idea of betrayal.
So the Black Moon Kingdom's attempted subversion sounded to him like nothing more than a joke. The reason he hadn't scolded or refused the man outright was that he wanted to hear if the envoy might let anything else new slip.
Seeing the envoy had stopped, Jiang Chen smiled and asked, "Anything else? Is that the extent of your reasons?"
The envoy looked taken aback. "Isn't that enough?"
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Let me summarize, then: a First-Rank Noble title, wealth, and women—is that right? But have you considered that as long as I'm willing, I can easily obtain all of that right here in the Eastern Kingdom—perhaps even more? Don't you think?"
"The Eastern Kingdom?" A trace of mocking laughter appeared on the envoy's face. "Does the Eastern Kingdom—does Young Master Jiang think it still has a future? The royal family and the Longteng Marquis, the two most powerful forces, clashed head-on and practically annihilated each other. This kingdom is now nothing but an empty shell. It'll take decades to recover."
"And then?" Jiang Chen asked mildly.
"Heh, Young Master Jiang, you're playing dumb, aren't you?" The envoy grinned. "Then let me spell it out plainly. Your Jiang family joins our Black Moon Kingdom and enjoys wealth and glory just the same—or you stay in the Eastern Kingdom and very likely go down with it."