The Prince of Travelers

Chapter 062: A Gift from Ertamis

“Prince, hunting day is soon. Prepare yourself!” yelling Otugai with his fire spirit that never goes out. The burly man always got more excited every time he discussed the hunt. He is the type of person who likes extreme challenges.

“Yes, I understand,” Li An just nodded slowly with a flat answer.

“Hai, you have prepared the best arrow, right?” Otugai embraced Li An with his familiarity. They look like teachers and students who are very close. “We will provide it if the Prince does not have.”

“I have prepared an arrow that suits me,” Li An took off a large arm around his neck. Honestly, he felt uncomfortable with the pretentious treatment.

The imperial arrow and the arrow of khanate were much different. The khaaganan has a small arrow with a short range. The arrow was made from the horn of a hard hunted animal. Usually, the people of Tarkan use it while riding. They were very good at close-range ambushes.

In contrast to the khanate, the imperial arrow was massive. The range is quite far. The arrow was made with the best wood honed by the best experts in the field. The imperial archery troops had an advantage over the range of the arrows they fired, while the khanate archers had an advantage in short-range archery. They would be much more terrifying at an open battle without a fortress.

“Hoh~ I look forward to the arrow show of an imperial prince,” Otugai faintly grinned. There was an understatement to his words. He was not sure that a thin prince like Li An would be able to pull an arrow from his bow.

“We'll see later,” Li An responded lightly.

Negotiations are still going on. Li An and the imperial diplomats were still trying to secure the silk route. After all, that path was an international trade route. Every country it passes must ensure that it can be used safely, instead of plundering the merchants who pass through it.

Li An also had a chance to meet with trade middlemen from the khanate. They were willing to bring together the Eighth Prince with the peasants and gardeners who controlled the fertile areas of the khanate. From the meeting, Li An instilled the influence of the Fuli Trade Union on the economy of kaaganan. Ertamis Khagan had absolutely no objection to it. He was even happy because trade in the country would develop better.

Li An's work was getting more and more every day. In the morning, he always had an appointment with the people of Tarkan and a meeting with the members of the delegation. After a series of meetings, he will be busy struggling with pen, paper, and ink. The young scholar had to write a report to submit to Emperor Yung Wei later.

Occasionally, Li Xiayu approached him out of boredom. The girl who was a little older than Li An was always whining for a walk outside. He was bored of being confined to his room. It was the result of his own complaint.

While walking around, Li An and Li Xiayu sometimes met Asina. Li Xiayu always greeted him with a friendly smile, whereas Li An looked away—ia was trying to keep her heart. Asina herself even lowered her face shyly. He was still caught up in his fatal misunderstanding.

Day by day passed. The full moon at night is almost rising with its full form. One or two more days, the moon must be perfectly glowing. The joint hunting event was carefully prepared.

The day before the hunt began, Ertamis Khagan gathered ministers and guests from the empire in his palace. He had a very luxurious banquet. At the festive meeting, he wanted to give a gift to Li An as the head of the delegation and the prince of the empire.

“We've been getting more familiar over these few days,” said Ertamis started her speech, “This is a glorious day. After today, peace and friendship between Tang and Tarkan will be realized.”

“Prince Tang the Great, let me give you something as a sign of friendship. Go forward!” yell Ertamis to Li An. The Grand Prince's call had been pinned on Li An from day one. His great authority and scholarship made the Eighth Prince a call among the Tarkans. Members of his delegation also called him that. After all, he was the Ambassador of the Tang Empire.

Li An advanced before the audience. The cracks here and there began to sound faint as soon as he stepped his feet. His voice was like a new beehive built by the worker bees.

“Call Asina to enter,” exciting Ertamis again. His words this time made Li An flinch in silence, but he could hide it. Shortly thereafter, Asina entered the throne room accompanied by servants on both sides. Each waiter carried a tray of different gifts. Although the amount was not as much as Li An gave to kafagan when he arrived, the amount of the gift was still a lot for a person.

“Prince, Asina is my special daughter,” Ertamis words that make Asina moody. He seemed to have only received recognition after feeling neglected because of his weakness. His face was bowed in. Her red blushing cheeks were camouflaged by makeup. He was waiting for this day to come

“Prince, You are a true man who has always been faithful to your stance. I respect and appreciate your determination. You have also shown wisdom and kindness to your heart. That attitude was an example engraved in my heart,” Ertamis remark this time made Li An astonished. He has not been able to capture the intent of the speech of the supreme ruler of Tarkan, let alone the words of Ertamis next, “I have heard the opinion of the Princess of Asina. Therefore, I need not doubt anymore. You also do not need to worry about anything else after this.”

Ertamis paused for a moment. He gave a proud smile. Li An squinted, feeling strange with the words Ertamis had said since. Asina's heart was pounding. The girl closed her eyes in embarrassment to hear Ertamis' next remark.

“Today, I hand Asina over to you,” continued Ertamis with ease. Instantly, the throne room became crowded. That is a khagan saying has a lot of meaning in it. “He is yours now. I hope that you treat him well as the good that emanates to you. I believe that You deserve my daughter. Ah, there's one thing I need to emphasize. I don't accept rejection.”

Li An gulped and took a deep breath amid the cheers of the audience. There is no chance to refuse. If he refused, diplomacy could even run aground instantly because Ertamis was offended. That's not good for both countries. So, Li An also gave one answer that was actually forced, “I received it. I will definitely take care of it as best I can.”

Asina's heart rippled at the short speech. His face was falling in shame. The hue on his face was also getting louder. He silently tried to look at the Great Prince he admired. Unfortunately, he was too scared and embarrassed to do so.

After the event, Asina did not return to her usual room. He followed Li An to the Guest Palace. Starting today, he is “milik” Grand Prince, also the lady-in-waiting of Li Xiayu. He is ready to serve.

Li An immediately wrote a letter to report on the success of diplomacy and all the archives he had recorded. In addition, he also wrote special letters related to Asina to Emperor Yung Wei and the Little Princess Family. He must convey a message to the Little Princess Family so as not to have misunderstandings. It is better to convey well than to incur bad prejudices due to news coming from third parties.

“I don't want to hurt Miss Asina,” Li An said as soon as she got to her room, “However, this is my promise with His Majesty Emperor Yung Wei. I'm not going to approach you until ..”

“Master,” replied Asina softly after hearing that remark. Even though his heart felt slashed, he still accepted it with a spacious chest. After all, he was already prepared with a speech more scathing than those words. “Hamba belongs to Sir. The servant will take all your orders. Also, please don't speak any formal language on servant.”

“You are a respectable woman,” Li An said that spontaneously, “You deserve it.”

“You are a more honorable person than servant,” Asina smiled faintly. Li An's words had consoled her. At the very least, he would definitely get good treatment as Princess Li Xiayu promised. “Please speak casually to the servant as a pair ...”