The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 674 Intrigue and deception
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and King Baiwa of Hami still did not come. He claimed to be unwell and in the end only sent one of his nephews as his representative to welcome Princess Kangle.

Jia Huan was not surprised by this. He deliberately had Jinbao and Muye spread "false information" to intimidate Baiwa and prevent him from coming to Jiayuguan, so as to provoke Duan Yong.

As expected, Duan Yong was furious about Baiwa's broken promise. He reprimanded Baiwa's "nephew" and Ahemaiti to their faces and made a stern statement: if Baiwa himself did not come to Jiayuguan within five days, it would be considered disrespectful to the Emperor and Princess of the Great Jin Dynasty, and Baiwa himself would bear all the consequences.

After Duan Yong finished speaking, he turned and left the living room. Baiwana's nephew was so frightened that he looked at Ahemaiti in bewilderment.

Upon seeing this, Jia Huan immediately understood that this so-called "nephew" of the Hami King was most likely a fraud. It was clear that Baiwa had no respect for the Great Jin Dynasty and had simply sent someone to fool him.

Ahemaiti gave his "nephew" a wink before turning to Jia Huan with a forced smile and saying, "Envoy Jia, my king has indeed been unwell recently. It is not that I have neglected Her Highness the princess, nor would I dare to show the slightest disrespect to the Emperor of Great Jin. I hope you will explain this to Eunuch Duan."

Jia Huan deliberately kept a cold face and mocked, "Is Baiwa really sick, or does he harbor ulterior motives and therefore dare not come?"

Ahmaiti's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Why do you say such things, Envoy Jia? My king is truly ill. Hami is just a small country with a population of over 20,000. How dare we provoke the mighty Jin!"

Jia Huan sneered, "Good that you know. Then let Baiwa come to Jiayuguan within five days. Otherwise, not only will the marriage alliance be called off, but Baiwa will also have to be prepared to bear the wrath of the Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty." After saying that, he stood up and left in a huff.

Ahemaiti's lips curled into a sneer as he thought to himself, "Who are you trying to scare? The Jin Kingdom is nothing more than a tiger that is terminally ill. It looks strong on the outside but is weak on the inside. It looks intimidating, but it is rotten inside. If it weren't for the fact that Jiayuguan Pass is really difficult to attack, I would have led my troops to attack before the Jin Kingdom even sent troops."

Ahemaiti's expression shifted as he considered the matter for a moment before beckoning to Hami King's "nephew" and whispering, "Go back and tell Baiwa to come to Jiayuguan immediately."

The "nephew" exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't Your Excellency Taiji say that the people of Jin have ill intentions? If my king comes, wouldn't we be sending lambs to the slaughter?"

Ahmaiti said, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If we can take Jiayuguan, what's wrong with taking a risk? To find out the strength of the Great Jin, I even went to the capital of Jin myself. Does Baiwa not have the courage to come to Jiayuguan?"

The "nephew" replied with a fawning smile, "How dare I compare myself to His Excellency Taiji?"

Ahmaiti coldly said, "Enough nonsense. If Baiwa dares not to come, he can forget about sitting on the throne of Hami. My father Khan can help him ascend to the throne, and he can also take him down."

The "nephew" was so frightened that he hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, please calm down. I will go back and inform my king immediately."

Ahmaiti warned, "The Jin Kingdom is now corrupt and rife with internal strife. This is the perfect opportunity to seize Jiayuguan and occupy the Hexi Corridor. If Baiwa ruins this great undertaking, I, Taiji, will cut off his head with my scimitar."

The "nephew" was so frightened that he repeatedly agreed. Ahemaiti patted him on the shoulder and said, "The emperor of Jin originally wanted to use the marriage alliance as a cover to send troops to destroy Hami. You can't hide forever. Since that's the case, why not strike first?"
You can reassure Baiwa that the Jin people will definitely not make a move inside Jiayuguan. If I am not mistaken, the Jin people will definitely make a move after arriving in Hami, or even after entering the city, so as to take Hami without lifting a finger.

Therefore, before arriving in Hami, Baiwa had nothing to worry about. He only needed to make a trip to Jiayuguan, trick the marriage procession out of the pass, and once they entered the desert, it would be their world. Not only would beauties and treasures be within easy reach, but they could also disguise themselves as the marriage procession and return the way they came, taking Jiayuguan in one fell swoop, and even occupying the entire Hexi Corridor.

The "nephew" gave a thumbs-up and flattered, "Your Excellency is indeed brilliant. I admire you wholeheartedly."

A hint of smugness flashed in Ahmaiti's eyes. He waved his hand and said, "Go quickly, lest you ruin the important matter."

The "nephew" then hurriedly left Jiayuguan with his men, his reason being to rush back to Hami to convey the message from Eunuch Duan and Jia Huan, urging the King of Hami to personally come to Jiayuguan to welcome Princess Kangle.

Now, Duan Yong learned that the Hami King's nephew had rushed back to Hami to urge Baiwa to come back, and his anger subsided a little. He said with a bit of smugness, "These barbarians are arrogant and ignorant of manners. They fear power but not virtue. They only respond to force and not to gentleness. They can't be ignored. We really can't give them a good face. Bah!"

Jia Huan said calmly, "Baiwa usurped the throne and is a traitor. It's perfectly normal that he's afraid our Great Jin will lure him here to punish him and dare not risk coming to Jiayuguan." Duan Yong sneered, "Barbarian countries don't know benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and trustworthiness. Our Great Jin Emperor is the supreme ruler, possessing the wealth of the four seas. He always keeps his word and never goes back on his word. How could he go back on his word and resort to such despicable means to deal with him? If we were to attack him, we would certainly raise an army of honor."

Jia Huan echoed Duan Yong's tone, saying, "Exactly, but petty people always judge gentlemen by their own standards. What if Baiwa simply refuses to come?"

Duan Yong was immediately in a dilemma. He was just a dowry eunuch with no power or soldiers. If Baiwa was determined not to come, there was nothing he could do. He also did not have the authority to cancel the marriage. He could only ask the emperor for instructions first. But to just wait like this would be too shameful!
Duan Yong pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution. He then glanced at the composed Jia Huan and asked somewhat displeasedly, "Then, according to Jia Huan's brilliant idea, what should we do?"

Jia Huan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp as a drawn sword, and said calmly, "Just as Duan Zhongshi said, barbarians are beasts, fearing power but not virtue. If Baiwa dares to be disrespectful to the princess of Great Jin, he is disrespecting the emperor of Great Jin and insulting the prestige of Great Jin. We should strike him with thunderous force, otherwise the vassal states of the world will think that Great Jin is weak and easy to bully."

Duan Yong's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Jia Huan meaningfully, saying, "That's true, but isn't this too impulsive? Besides, neither of us has the right to start a border conflict without authorization. Furthermore, is Jia Huan sure he has no ulterior motives?"

Jia Huan retorted angrily, "If Duan Zhongshi thinks I have ulterior motives, then so be it. However, I must still be clear: Baiwa is not trustworthy. The so-called nephew he sent was obsequious in front of Ahmaiti; he is most likely a fraud. This shows that Baiwa is extremely wary of our Great Jin. He doesn't even dare to send a relative to take the risk, let alone be loyal to our Great Jin. The marriage alliance is nothing but a futile effort. If Baiwa marries our Great Jin princess, receives a generous dowry, and gains both beauty and talent, and then turns his back on our Great Jin, what will become of our Great Jin's reputation? What if all the vassal states in the world follow suit?"

After hearing this, Duan Yong was in a state of panic. This was the first time he had encountered such a difficult situation. In the end, he could only retort, "All of this is just your assumption. Baiwa may still come."

"Then let's wait and see!" Jia Huan stood up and slowly walked out of the hall.

Jia Huan deliberately had Jinbao and Muye spread false information, and the initial effect has been achieved. Baiwa is afraid of death and most likely won't dare to come to Jiayuguan. At that time, he can use this as an excuse to continue to stir up suspicion between the two sides and intensify the conflict. Ideally, Baiwa would make the first move and the two sides would start fighting directly, then the marriage alliance would naturally fall through.

This is undoubtedly the safest option. Of course, nothing is absolute. If Baiwa really comes to Jiayuguan to pick up the bride, Jia Huan has a backup plan, but this backup plan is a bit risky and could potentially lead to disaster.

However, in Jia Huan's view, Baiwa is very afraid of death and is unwilling to even send his own nephew to take the risk, so he is unlikely to come to Jiayuguan in person, and the backup plan will naturally not be needed.

Duan Yong watched Jia Huan's figure disappear outside the hall door, his gaze shifting uncertainly. After pondering for a long time, he returned to his room and picked up his brush to write a secret memorial to Emperor Qiansheng: "Your Majesty, this servant Duan Yong reports that Her Highness the Princess arrived safely at Jiayuguan on the second day of the sixth month. However, King Baiwa of Hami did not come to greet her as agreed, which is suspected of being negligent. Despite repeated urgings, she has repeatedly feigned illness and has not come, which raises suspicions of disloyalty..."

While Duan Yong was writing a secret memorial in the room, Jia Huan had already found Man Gui and Lu Xiangjin and secretly instructed them to keep a close eye on Ahemaiti, because he always felt that this person's identity might not be simple. In addition, if Hami King Baiwa dared not come to Jiayuguan, Ahemaiti might run away.

Of course, it would be even better if Ahemaiti ran away. At that time, we could make a big deal out of it, accuse him of having ulterior motives, and then it would be difficult for Dajin and Hami not to fight.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Just when Duan Yong thought that Hami King Baiwa would not come and his anger was rising, Hami King's "nephew" appeared again outside the Jiayuguan city gate, looking travel-worn, and shouted loudly at the city wall.

The soldiers guarding the city immediately brought him before Jia Huan and Duan Yong. Eunuch Duan, with a stern face, questioned, "Why hasn't Baiwa arrived yet?"

The "nephew" quickly smiled and said, "Duan Zhongshi, please calm down. My uncle has just recovered from a serious illness and is still very weak. He cannot ride a horse, but he is on his way by carriage and will arrive within five days."

Upon hearing this, Duan Yong breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Jia Huan with a hint of smugness, as if to say, "Look, here he comes. I doubt he would dare to defy the might of the Emperor of Jin."

Jia Huan frowned inwardly. He hadn't expected Baiwa to actually come. It seemed he had no choice but to use the backup plan.

“Since there is a reason for this, it is understandable. I will inform the princess later. However, Baiwa must apologize to Her Highness in person!” Duan Yong said with a cold snort.

Ahmaiti and the fake nephew of the Hami King smiled obsequiously and agreed repeatedly.

(End of this chapter)