Chapter 105: Twisted Back

Dugu Tianqing entered the Phoenix Perch Palace carrying a golden chest. With each step he took, the chest creaked loudly, drawing the attention of all present. Their brows twitched in surprise—what could possibly be inside that enormous chest? How had the Fourth Prince of Southern Man managed to carry it all the way here? Surely it wasn’t filled with mere dirt!

After a few steps, the Fourth Prince set the golden chest down. To everyone’s astonishment, the floor beneath it cracked and splintered with a sharp, brittle sound, leaving the ground strewn with fragments. The weight of the chest’s contents was immediately evident.

Liu Ling’er’s eyelids twitched—could it be filled with iron sand? She wasn’t exaggerating; this prince of Southern Man was like Li Yuanba of Sui and Tang legend, reborn—a man of monstrous strength.

Setting the chest down, Dugu Tianqing strode toward the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, without the slightest concern for whether the Southern Man envoys accompanying him could keep up. This resulted in an amusing spectacle: Dugu Tianqing walked ahead at a brisk pace, while the envoys had to jog behind to catch up.

Soon, the Fourth Prince reached the Empress Dowager and, with a slight bow of his fists, led the greetings: “May Your Majesty enjoy such days year after year, may every morning bring new joy.” The envoys behind him echoed the sentiment in unison, though their labored breathing betrayed their embarrassment.

The Empress Dowager, Chu Meier, smiled and waved her hand. “You have journeyed far; there is no need for such formality. Attendants, please show our guests to their seats.”

While the other envoys took their places, Dugu Tianqing remained standing in the hall. “It is well known that Eastern Chu is a grand and mighty nation, with civil and military talent as plentiful as carp in the river. My royal father has granted me special permission to present a birthday tribute.”

He pointed to the golden chest. “The birthday gift I have brought is there. Should anyone from your esteemed nation be able to lift it and carry it before the Empress Dowager, Southern Man will form a bond of friendship with Eastern Chu and guarantee ten years of peace between us. If no one can move this tribute, I will take it and return, and henceforth your country will be deemed subordinate, required to kneel before our emperor upon meeting.”

This was clearly a provocation! Liu Ling’er saw at a glance that Dugu Tianqing was laying a trap, and an obvious one at that, yet Eastern Chu had no choice but to step right in.

Prime Minister Li Danqing rose to his feet. “Allow me to try!” Dugu Tianqing glanced at him and snorted with laughter. “You? Be careful not to throw out your back.”

Li Danqing was annoyed, though he said nothing. While he was a man of letters, not of arms, he believed he could manage this chest. Hadn’t he recently hauled a large wooden chest filled with gold to bury in his own courtyard?

He approached the chest, crouched down, and wrapped his arms around it, preparing to hoist it before the Empress Dowager in one go. He fancied himself about to win great merit and reward from the emperor.

Unexpectedly, his face turned crimson from the effort, but the chest did not budge. Embarrassed, he tried again. The chest shifted slightly, accompanied by a clear, sharp crack.

The entire hall watched this performance in utter silence; the sound rang out impossibly loud. Li Danqing’s face turned green, and beads of sweat the size of beans dripped down his face. “Oh! My old back!”

Pfft—Liu Ling’er couldn’t help but spray her tea. The Fourth Prince had called it: Li Danqing really had thrown out his back, and badly. He would be in pain for some time.

The emperor stood up in alarm and quickly called out, “Summon the imperial physician! Help the prime minister to rest.” Li Danqing, face dark with shame, one hand on his back, pointed at the chest and addressed Dugu Tianqing: “I am a scholar, not a warrior. It’s only natural I cannot lift it. But don’t be too pleased with yourself, Fourth Prince. Among Eastern Chu’s generals, there is no shortage of talent. Someone will surely succeed.”

Dugu Tianqing burst out laughing. “I do not boast, but aside from myself, there is hardly anyone here who can lift this golden chest and walk with it.”

His words were like a ladle of water thrown into hot oil—the Phoenix Perch Palace instantly erupted. The generals of Eastern Chu, bristling with indignation, each strove to lift the chest. The outcome proved Dugu Tianqing’s confidence was not unfounded. Of the four generals who tried, the best any could do was lift the chest off the ground; none could carry it away with the effortless ease Dugu Tianqing had shown.

Dugu Tianqing grew even more pleased with himself. “Is there no one else? If your finest cannot even lift a chest, it seems I must take my leave.”

“Insolence!” Liu Degui, the chief eunuch by the emperor’s side, stepped forward and shouted, “A mere prince dares speak so arrogantly? You do not know the height of the heavens, nor the depth of the earth.”

“Is that so?” Dugu Tianqing, though aware this eunuch was no ordinary man, was supremely confident. “Then perhaps you can show me just how high the heavens are, and how deep the earth.”

Though Liu Degui’s appearance was delicate and effeminate, and though he was merely a eunuch, no one in the hall dared look down on him. He was, after all, one of the most formidable experts in the entire palace, a reputation known far and wide.