The Second World in Ancient Times

When the head of the Imperial Household Department entrusted me with the task of organizing cultural exchange activities with neighboring countries and receiving foreign envoys, my heart sank. This was a matter of great importance to the nation's reputation and diplomatic relations!

I returned to my residence. Wanqing saw my worried look and asked hurriedly, "Siqing, what's wrong? Is the new mission difficult?"

I nodded. "This mission is incredibly important. Any mistake could lead to disaster. Cultures and etiquette vary greatly from country to country. I have to start from scratch."

Wanqing held my hand and said, "Don't worry, you have previous experience, and you are so smart, you will definitely be able to do it."

I forced a smile. "I hope so. I feel like the pressure is as heavy as a mountain right now."

I first summoned scholars in the palace who specialized in studying the cultures of various countries and officials who had received foreign envoys.

"My Lords, this cultural exchange and envoy reception is a difficult task. We must have a detailed understanding of the customs and habits of each country. Please share what you know," I said anxiously.

A scholar stepped forward and said, "Lady Siqing, as far as I know, the Fusang Kingdom to the east pays great attention to the details of etiquette. There are strict regulations on the angle of bowing when greeting. They also worship the color white, believing it to be sacred."

An official who had received the envoys went on to say, "The Western Arabs have many dietary taboos. You can't pass things or eat with your left hand because the left hand is unclean in their culture. And when they communicate, they like to talk about trade and culture and art."

I listened carefully, taking notes, and asked, "What about the country of India to the south? What special customs do they have?"

Another scholar replied, "India attaches great importance to religious rituals. Their envoys may pray at specific times, so we need to prepare a suitable venue for them. They also enjoy colorful clothing and spices."

Based on the information I gathered, I began to develop a first draft of the reception process.

I told my assistants, "We need to arrange the reception according to the order in which the envoys from various countries arrive. When the Fuso envoy arrives, we will decorate the reception area with white silk, and the reception staff will wear white as the main color and bow at the standard angle when saluting."

"What about the envoys from the Arab Empire?" asked the assistant.

"Dear envoy from the Arab Empire, we need to arrange for someone to remind the court staff to pay attention to the gestures when handing things over and eating, and not to violate their taboos. The reception venue can display some of our trade goods and cultural artworks so that we can communicate with them." I replied.

"As for the Indian envoys, we need to prepare a quiet and clean prayer place near their residence. We can use colorful flowers and spices to create an atmosphere when welcoming them," I continued.

I took the first draft to discuss it with the Foreign Secretary.

"Sir, this is the reception process I have preliminarily drawn up. Do you have any questions?" I handed over the plan respectfully.

The Foreign Minister took a closer look. "Si Qing, your idea is excellent, but there are still some areas that need improvement. For example, when hosting large banquets with envoys from various countries, the seating arrangements must take into account the diplomatic relations and status of the countries involved. Envoys from countries with whom we have conflicts cannot be seated next to each other."

I suddenly realized, "Your Excellency, I was right. I overlooked that. I'll rearrange the seating arrangements. Any other questions?"

The Foreign Minister reflected for a moment and said: "For exchange activities, we must select translators who are proficient in the languages ​​and cultures of various countries. They must not only be able to translate superficially but also understand the cultural connotations to avoid misunderstandings that may lead to diplomatic problems."

After returning to my residence, I immediately readjusted the reception process with my assistants.

"We need to reorganize the diplomatic relations between countries. When arranging the banquet seats, envoys from friendly countries should be placed together, envoys from countries with whom we have conflicts should be separated, and envoys from neutral countries can be interspersed in between." I said to my assistants.

"As for the translators, we need to re-select and train them. We will select those from the palace who have a deep understanding of the cultures of various countries and give them intensive training in language and diplomatic etiquette," I continued.

The assistants started to get busy, and I also carefully checked every detail.

The content of the banquet is also of paramount importance, so I called the head chef.

"Master Li, this banquet must satisfy the tastes of envoys from various countries. Fusang's cuisine is light, so prepare more seafood and vegetarian dishes. Roasted lamb and spiced dishes from the Arab Kingdom can be included, but they must be in line with their cooking methods and tastes. India likes sweet and greasy food and dishes mixed with various spices, so these should also be arranged." I reminded him.

Master Li frowned. "Madam, this is not easy. Tastes vary greatly from country to country, and some ingredients are hard to find here."

I thought about it and said, "Master Li, we can try to replace some of the scarce ingredients with local ones, but we have to ensure that the taste is similar. If we really can't find them, we can purchase them from other places, but we have to ensure the freshness and safety of the ingredients."

In addition to food, the entertainment program of the banquet also needs to be carefully arranged.

I told the officials in charge of the performances, "The performances should be diverse and include programs that reflect the unique cultural characteristics of our country, such as classical dance and music performances. At the same time, there should also be programs that integrate cultural elements from various countries. We can arrange dances that combine the dance styles of our country and Fusang, or programs that blend the music of the Kingdom of the Caliphate with the performances of Chinese instruments."

The official replied, "Madam, such a fusion performance requires time to rehearse, and we need to find the right dancers and musicians."

I nodded. "Time is running out. We need to select the personnel and start rehearsals as soon as possible. We must also pay attention to the order of the performances. We need to proceed step by step so as not to cause any abruptness for the envoys."

During the preparation process, I also took into account possible emergencies.

I said to the security director, "Sir, security must be tightened during the event. The safety of the envoys is paramount, and we must prevent sabotage. If unexpected situations arise, such as riots or assassins, we must have contingency plans."

The security director replied, "Don't worry, Madam. We will increase guards and patrols around the venue. We will also have medical personnel on hand in case anyone is injured. If an assassin were to appear, we have specialized response training and will ensure the safety of the envoys and court personnel."

I also told the logistics staff, "If there's a change in weather, like a sudden rain, outdoor activities must be able to be quickly moved indoors without disrupting the progress of the event. Sufficient equipment and supplies must be prepared, with no shortages."

In order to ensure that the reception process and banquet content meet the expectations of envoys from various countries, I decided to communicate with them in advance.

I took the translator with me and went to visit the envoy of Fuso first.

"Dear Envoy from Fuso, I am the receptionist in charge of this event. We hope to provide you and your delegation with the most comfortable reception. Do you have any suggestions for our arrangements?" I asked through the translator.

The Fusang envoy nodded slightly. "We appreciate your country's kindness. However, we hope to see some Fusang elements in the reception venue, such as our country's flowers."

I immediately replied, "Yes, sir, we will arrange it."

Then, I visited the envoys from the Kingdom of Daqin and the Kingdom of India, listened to their opinions, and made corresponding adjustments to the reception process and banquet content.

There were also some problems in personnel training.

The official in charge of training translators came to me and said, "Madam, some translators have difficulty understanding the dialects of certain countries, which may affect communication."

I frowned. "What should we do? We have to solve this problem. Is there any way to strengthen their learning of the dialect?"

The official replied: "We can find some merchants or travelers who are familiar with these dialects to help, but it will take time and cost money."

Without hesitation, I said, "Time is of the essence. Cost is not an issue. We must resolve this issue as soon as possible. We cannot let translation become a barrier to communication."

Dance rehearsals also encountered trouble.

The madam in charge of dance rehearsals said to me, "Madam, the rehearsals for the fusion dances aren't going well. The dancers are having a hard time blending the different styles, and their movements aren't always coordinated."

I went to the rehearsal space and watched for a while. "Mammy, we can break the dance down into several parts, practicing different styles of movements separately first, and then gradually integrating them. Also, we need to let the dancers understand the cultural meaning behind each movement so that they can perform better."

Mama adjusted the training according to my method, and the dancers' performance gradually improved.

The new dishes prepared by the royal chef need to be tasted and adjusted.

I came to the imperial kitchen and looked at the table full of dishes.

"Master Li, these dishes need to be tasted to see if they suit the tastes of the envoys from various countries," I said.

Everyone started tasting the food. I took a bite of the Japanese-style seafood dish and said, "Master Li, this dish is a bit bland. Although Japanese food is light, it still needs some umami. You can add some special sauce."

He then tasted the roasted lamb from the Arab Empire and said, "The spices in this roasted lamb aren't strong enough. The Arab Empire likes strong spices. I'll adjust it a bit."

As preparations progressed, I reviewed the entire reception process again.

I told my assistants, "We need to go through it all over again to make sure every step is flawless. From the welcoming ceremony for the envoys upon their arrival, to the banquet, to the farewell ceremony upon their departure, every detail must be considered."

My assistants and I checked each item one by one and found some minor problems. For example, the color of the flag used to welcome the envoys was slightly inconsistent with the preferences of a certain country. We immediately made changes.

As the day of cultural exchange activities and reception of envoys drew closer, the atmosphere in the palace became increasingly tense.

Wanqing said to me, "Siqing, I see you've been too tired lately. You should take care of yourself."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Nothing can go wrong right now. This event is too important. It concerns the reputation of the country."

Everyone is busy, and I can feel that everyone is under tremendous pressure like me, but also full of expectations.

The day before the event, I did a final check.

I said to everyone, "Thank you for your hard work! Tomorrow is the day of the event, and we must be in top form. There can be no negligence. Let us work together to bring this cultural exchange event and envoy reception to a successful conclusion."

Everyone answered in unison: "Yes, lady-in-waiting!" I looked at everyone's determined eyes and prayed silently in my heart, hoping that everything would go well.