Liyue during this period could truly be described as a time of great upheaval, with major events happening daily.
The most significant news was undoubtedly the Ministry of Civil Affairs in Liyue openly arresting Yusupov, Snezhnaya's Diplomatic Ambassador to Liyue.
The reason was simple: Yusupov had bribed a candidate to replace one of the Liyue Qixing and provided him with an extremely rare slow-acting poison.
This candidate then poisoned the current Tianquan.
Conspiring against a Liyue Qixing and bribing a Liyue Qixing candidate were both intolerable to Liyue.
Most importantly, both individuals were caught red-handed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, with irrefutable evidence.
Even the usually domineering Snezhnaya found no justification in this situation.
To handle this matter, Snezhnaya immediately dispatched Tartaglia, the Fatui Harbinger who was still on vacation, to Liyue overnight as the new Diplomatic Ambassador to Liyue.
When Tartaglia re-entered Liyue Harbor, it was truly a world of difference.
He recalled his first visit to Liyue, when he was at least personally welcomed by Ningguang, one of the Liyue Qixing.
On the day the Inazuma Delegation arrived in Liyue, Liyue dispatched Ningguang, Keqing, and Ganyu, three high-ranking Liyue officials, to welcome Yuto and his party together.
But now, due to Childe's reputation being utterly ruined during Osial's first unsealing, coupled with Yusupov's recent incident, Childe's situation in Liyue was like a rat crossing the street, universally reviled.
Not only was there no one to greet him, but even Snezhnaya's official ship was repeatedly harassed by port officials upon entering Liyue Harbor.
They frequently allowed other ships to cut in line and enter the port first, clearly doing so intentionally.
Snezhnaya's official ships wanted to throw a tantrum, but a Guizhong Ballista positioned at a high point in the harbor fired a shot directly near Snezhnaya's vessels, creating a huge splash on the water.
The accompanying personnel on Snezhnaya's ships couldn't help but gulp.
If there was only one Guizhong Ballista, Snezhnaya's ships wouldn't be afraid.
However, after that warning shot, hundreds of Guizhong Ballistas throughout Liyue Harbor's docks simultaneously aimed at Snezhnaya's official ships.
No matter how excellent Snezhnaya's shipbuilding technology was, it was absolutely impossible to withstand a volley from hundreds of Guizhong Ballistas.
Snezhnaya's official ships could only wait patiently.
Snezhnaya's accompanying officials all looked expectantly at Tartaglia.
They had heard that this Fatui Harbinger was a martial arts enthusiast and the only Harbinger who had risen from a low-ranking soldier to Harbinger through genuine military achievements.
They all hoped that this newly appointed Diplomatic Ambassador to Liyue would be able to do something and not suffer humiliation in vain.
In the eyes of the Snezhnayans, Liyue was just a bumpkin with some money.
Their soldiers still carried crude, primitive weapons, unlike Snezhnaya, where almost everyone had an element weapon.
It was simply not the same era.
They only enjoyed such a long period of prosperity because of Lord Rex Lapis's protection.
But now that their Lord Rex Lapis had passed away, what did Snezhnaya have to fear?
Because of this, Yusupov's actions did not receive condemnation from the public; on the contrary, some even regarded him as a hero.
Even the Snezhnayan upper echelons would only criticize Yusupov for not cleaning up his mess properly and being caught red-handed, which was truly disgraceful.
However, a Diplomatic Ambassador's dignity was at stake for Snezhnaya, so they urgently dispatched Tartaglia, hoping to extradite Yusupov back to Snezhnaya for trial, absolutely unwilling to let him face punishment in Liyue.
Even if Snezhnaya's Diplomatic Ambassador committed a crime, it had to be handled solely by Snezhnaya, with punishment administered according to Snezhnaya's laws.
However, Tartaglia also looked helpless when he received this order.
Others might not know the true situation in Liyue, but as a high-ranking Snezhnayan official, how could he not?
Furthermore, Lord Rex Lapis was not dead at all; he was currently enjoying his retirement at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
However, he had only retired; he wasn't truly indifferent to Liyue's affairs.
If a major war were to break out between Snezhnaya and Liyue, Tartaglia didn't believe that Consultant Zhongli would stand idly by.
In response to this situation, Liyue's handling method was also very seasoned.
In short, it was one word: stall!
Although, according to the privileges of diplomatic personnel, Yusupov definitely had to be returned to Snezhnaya, when he was returned to Snezhnaya was up to Liyue.
During this time, how many secrets about Snezhnaya could be extracted from Yusupov's mouth would depend on Yelan's capabilities.
Tartaglia patiently waited for the official ship to enter the port and immediately rushed to Yuehai Pavilion, demanding to meet with Liyue's high-ranking officials.
However, no one was available.
Yuheng Star Keqing, due to her battle with Osial, was conducting further investigations on the defense lines around Liyue Harbor and would not return for five days.
As for Tianquan Ningguang, she was busy handling numerous foreign trade orders after establishing diplomatic relations with Inazuma and was too busy to meet Snezhnaya's guests within a week.
As for Tianshu Uncle Tian, he was poisoned by your Diplomatic Ambassador and is still recovering.
He would need at least two or three months of rest, wouldn't he?
Tartaglia searched around and found that in such a large Liyue, he couldn't find a single high-ranking Liyue official who could make decisions.
The most crucial thing was that the Liyue Qixing had not directly refused; they had all given a clear time, which made Tartaglia feel like he was punching cotton.
He was a pure martial artist, not skilled in or fond of petty schemes.
Facing Liyue's stalling tactic, he could only return in frustration.
However, the moment he stepped out of Yuehai Pavilion, he suddenly thought of a good idea.
Liyue's high-ranking officials were not only found in lofty places like Yuehai Pavilion and Jade Chamber; a crucial figure was also hidden among the common people.
If I can't find the Liyue Qixing, why don't I just go directly to Lord Rex Lapis?
So, Tartaglia immediately headed straight to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor without a word.
Unfortunately, during the daytime, Zhongli might appear in various corners of Liyue, but the probability of him appearing at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was arguably the lowest.
Tartaglia very normally drew a blank.
However, Hall Master Hu, who was minding the shop, would not let this rare customer go so easily.
With great effort and her mediocre sales pitch, she actually succeeded in getting Tartaglia to order a coffin from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, which deeply moved Hall Master Hu.
Tartaglia bought the coffin for two reasons.
Firstly, to cater to his preferences; since he wanted to ask the Lord to do something, he naturally had to grease the wheels, which was a necessary part of the process.
The second reason was… he heard that the Harbinger 'La Signora' had sacrificed herself in Inazuma, with no remains.
Buying her a coffin and sending it to Snezhnaya for a cenotaph would work, right?
After all, they were colleagues.
Besides, it wasn't his own money, so why feel bad?
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