After traveling through time, I became Han Zhang’s grandson?

"Your Majesty and His Majesty have arrived—!"

Following the eunuch's loud singing, a pair of handsome men and beautiful women walked out from outside the Juying Hall. They were Yelu Hongji and Xiao Guanyin who had just changed into their usual clothes.

Although Yelu Hongji was slightly inferior in the first round and lost the initiative, after changing into casual clothes and joining hands with Xiao Guanyin, he added a wildness unique to the Khitans.

Although Han Ming was also from the north and was naturally tall, he still had a bit of southern handsomeness compared to these Khitans.

Both of them have their own characteristics, one is handsome and the other is handsome, which makes the people in the hall look a little dull.

Among them, Xiao Ge, Xiao Tuguci, Yelu Yixin and others were all elegant and outstanding people in their youth.

Now that he is getting older, he is regarded as so unsatisfactory by Yelu Hongji and Han Ming.

"Your Majesty and Your Majesty are welcome!"

"External officials pay their respects to His Majesty the Great Liao and His Majesty the Empress—!"

Xiao Ge, Han Ming and others paid homage to Yelu Hongji and Xiao Guanyin respectively.

Looking at the 'Empress Xuanyi' walking gracefully from outside the palace, with her graceful waist and elegant beauty, Han Ming couldn't help but secretly admire her: "She is so beautiful, the best in the Xiao family. She is indeed worthy of being a talented woman."

Xiao Guanyin seemed to feel an inexplicable gaze as well, and her eyes turned involuntarily, and she saw a certain Han who stood out from the crowd.

When the other party saw Xiao Guanyin's eyes sweeping over him, he couldn't help but smile and bowed to express politeness.

Actually, Xiao Guanyin, the talented female poet and poetess of the Liao Dynasty, is actually a fan and a little crush of Han Ming, the great poet of the Song Dynasty!

However, compared with her own efforts in the field of poetry, Xiao Guanyin valued her political status as queen more. She could not do anything disrespectful that would harm the royal family and the queen's family.

After Yelu Hongji and Xiao Guanyin took their seats, everyone bowed again.

"Stand up and sit down!" Yelu Hongji also put aside the aggressive attitude he had during the court meeting in the main hall and seemed to be more relaxed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After everyone bowed, they sat down and started eating and drinking!

It must be said that the cuisine of the Liao Dynasty does have the characteristics of grassland tribes, including various cooked, stir-fried beef and mutton, as well as dairy products.

Of course, there are also many special foods belonging to the Central Plains dynasty. In short, it gives people a feeling of a grand gathering of the north and the south.

Han Ming had no idol baggage when it came to eating, but he also didn't want the Khitans to look down on the Song Dynasty, so he could only put on airs and eat according to the way he had learned privately.

As a result, he, who was already very handsome, seemed even more out of place among these rough and uncouth people from the grasslands.

"Mr. Han, if you eat like this, you won't be able to fill your stomach, and the food won't taste good!"

Yelu Hongji took the knife in his right hand and casually cut off a huge piece of mutton. He dipped it in the seasonings tributed from the south and the Western Regions and ate it with great relish.

Hearing this, everyone in the Liao Kingdom laughed secretly. It turned out that people like Han Ming who were good at pretending were an inherent characteristic of the Song Dynasty.

Han Ming frowned slightly and quickly glanced around. He found that except for the people from the Song Dynasty delegation, the Liao Dynasty's monarchs and ministers ate in a wild and unrestrained manner, with a special exotic beauty.

Of course, there was an exception among this group of Liao people, and that was Xiao Guanyin, who sat in the host seat. She was as gentle as a woman from the south of the Yangtze River, and she ate like people from the Central Plains, chewing her food in small bites.

Fortunately, I did nothing wrong!

Han Ming felt relieved. At first he thought he was unique, but now he realized that what He Zhengru and others taught him before he came here was diplomatic etiquette.

Unlike in China, now in the Liao Kingdom, every move I make represents the face of the Song Dynasty.

But we can't bring the same system from China here. It would be embarrassing and humiliating, and people would use it as an excuse to spread rumors. Then we wouldn't be able to face the people of the Central Plains.

"As the saying goes, each ethnic group has its own unique characteristics: the gracefulness of the south, the boldness of the north; the gentleness of the interior, the swiftness of the exterior..."

"Confucius said: The noble man is harmonious but different, while the mean man is the same but not harmonious."

"It shows that when it comes to differences and misunderstandings, all we can do is respect and treat them with kindness, but as for whether we agree with this approach, there's no need to force ourselves to accept it."

Han Ming put down his cutlery, bowed, and then started a macro-level debate with everyone.

This made the eyes of Yelu Hongji, Xiao Guanyin, Xiao Ge, Xiao Tuguci, Yelu Yixin and others light up, and they couldn't help but look up and down at this young man.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect that Mr. Han would have such insight. I really like him!"

Yelu Hongji also understood why the secret reports sent by Long Xijin were so consistent about Han Ming's situation in the Song Dynasty.

It goes without saying that people who like and appreciate Han Ming naturally prefer him; people who dislike or hate Han Ming may curse him when they have nothing to do, but generally speaking, they still approve of Han Ming's character and work.

"It is an honor for a foreign minister to be favored by His Majesty."

Han Ming stood up and bowed, which, combined with his previous words, made him look very impressive.

"If one day you feel uncomfortable staying in Song State, you can come to me. Then you can choose the position of Privy Councilor of the Two Houses or Prime Minister."

"Of course, if you are interested, I will also grant you the surname of the country, make you a king, and become your brother."

Yelu Hongji's words were shocking. After all, there was only one Han official in the Liao Dynasty who could receive these honors - Han Derang.

Han Derang (941-April 1011, 4), whose courtesy name was Zhiyao, had the Khitan name Xingning Yaoge. He was later given the surname "Yelü Longyun". He was a native of Yutian, Jizhou, and an important official of the Liao Dynasty.

After Emperor Jingzong of Liao ascended the throne, Han Derang entered the officialdom through family connections. He started his career as a Dongtou Gongfeng official and was temporarily in charge of Shangjing and Nanjing affairs. He was granted the title of the founding Duke of Changli County.

During the Battle of Gaoliang River, he participated in repelling the Song army and was transferred to serve as the Jiedushi of Liaoxing Army and the Privy Councilor of the Southern Court.

In the fourth year of Qianheng (982), Jingzong passed away. Han Derang and Yelu Xizhen were both entrusted with the task of assisting Emperor Shengzong of Liao, Yelu Longxu, and concurrently served as the Minister of State Affairs. They were highly regarded and favored by Empress Dowager Chengtian, Xiao Chuo, who was in charge of the government.

In 986, he participated in repelling the second Northern Expedition of the Song army and was promoted to Duke of Chu for his merits.

In 989, he was promoted to King of Chu, and later served concurrently as Prime Minister of the Northern Palace and Privy Councilor of the Northern Court.

In the 999th year of Tonghe (), he was appointed Prime Minister and was renamed King of Qi, the highest position among officials.

In the 1004nd year of Tonghe (), he participated in the Southern Expedition and concluded the Treaty of Chanyuan with the Song Dynasty. When he returned from the expedition, he was given the surname Yelu and was renamed King of Jin.

In the 1010th year of Tonghe (), he was given the name "Longyun" and became the sworn brother of Emperor Shengzong, ranking above the prince.

In the 1011th year of Tonghe (), Han Derang died of illness on his way back from Goryeo at the age of .

Emperor Shengzong posthumously awarded Han Derang the title of Shangshu Ling and gave him the posthumous title of Wen Zhong, and buried him next to Qianling Mausoleum.

It can be said that the "Holy Emperor's Reign" of the Liao Dynasty was created step by step with the support of Han Derang. He is undoubtedly the pillar of the Liao Dynasty.

Hearing Yelu Hongji's words, the ministers and envoys stopped eating in shock and looked back and forth between Yelu Hongji and Han Ming.

"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your kindness, but the Han family does not want to leave our homeland and lose our roots for nothing. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Han Ming's tone was neither salty nor bland, and seemed to be just an ordinary diplomatic refusal.

But why did it sound so harsh to the ears of some Han officials who were subordinate to the Liao Dynasty?

Losing your roots?!

Damn it! Isn't this just calling us traitors who have forgotten our ancestors and lost our roots?! How the hell can we tolerate this?!

A group of Han officials were about to bang their tables, glare, and puff their beards to accuse Han Ming, but when Yelu Hongji glanced at them, they immediately lowered their heads like chickens.

"Young Master Han truly has the demeanor of your grandfather. I have nothing more to say. Please continue your meal."

Yelu Hongji gestured with his hand and immersed himself in eating.

Han Ming sat down calmly and continued his elegant way of eating.

Seeing the two people with such a result, everyone was stunned. Only Xiao Guanyin seemed to understand the thoughts of her partner and could not help but shook her head and smiled bitterly.

"My Lord, you..." He Zhengru asked in a low voice with some concern.

"Don't panic. We will fight back if the enemy comes, and we will block the water with earth. This is a test of our professional skills, so we can't show any fear!"

Han Ming still looked calm as he cut the leg of lamb in front of him and put it into his mouth.

Hearing this, He Zhengru immediately gave a thumbs up in his heart. Although it was Han Ming's first diplomatic mission, his calm demeanor made people feel at ease.

Han Ming's thoughts were now caught up in the subsequent issues. After all, Yelu Hongji's move just now seemed to be a recruitment, but in fact it was also a final test of himself.

If I agree to the other party's recruitment, everyone will be happy.

But after I refused, Yelu Hongji was not so easy to talk to, and he might even resort to some shady means.

Han Ming knew very well that compared with his grandfather, Fan Wencheng, who were civil officials who had been sent as envoys to the Liao Kingdom, Yelu Hongji was more afraid of him as a capable official with outstanding military skills.

He did not want the Song Dynasty to have an opponent like Zhuge Liang who could handle both internal affairs and military affairs. Such a person could integrate the resources and people's hearts of the Song Dynasty and unleash extremely terrifying abilities.

The Wei Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms period was deeply aware of this situation, or in other words, when Zhuge Liang was alive, the military focus of the entire Wei Dynasty was in the western Yongliang area.

Therefore, it can be seen how terrifying it would be if a "Zhuge Wuhou-type" figure appeared in the current Song Dynasty.

Yelu Hongji, who lowered his head to eat, was like a lion at this moment, with a strong murderous intent flashing in his eyes...