Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Listening to their words, Xiao Tao said with a forced smile, "Of course, don't worry! We will definitely deal with this seriously and make them pay the price they deserve!"

Upon hearing this, the head envoy from Fusang Kingdom looked extremely displeased.

He then said, "Your Majesty, since they have insulted us, they should be dealt with by us! Otherwise... let's just call this meeting off. We will also tell our Emperor everything about your insults to our Fusang Kingdom! You will be responsible for all the consequences!"

"Is this the kind of talk that envoys should say? How dare you, a mere small country, openly threaten His Majesty of the mighty Great Xiao Empire in the imperial court? You are the ones who should be arrested!"

"Yes, you sea pirates are utterly disrespectful. Even in clothes, you don't look like human beings..."

These pedantic scholars are really something else.

At this moment, he showed no fear whatsoever and continued to speak passionately.

This infuriated Cai Hui.

He shouted to the Imperial Guards from the side, "What are you all standing there for? Cover his mouth... cover his mouth... don't let them keep talking!"

"No no no!"

The pedantic scholars were about to say something, but the Imperial Guards covered their mouths and then dragged them away.

At that very moment, the envoys from Fusang Kingdom also decided not to let them go.

"Your Majesty of Xiao Kingdom, if you wish to hand them over to us, then hand them over to us. In that case, we can continue our talks. Otherwise, since your people from Xiao Kingdom were initially agreeable but have now adopted this attitude, then there is no point in us talking!"

As they were saying this, the people from Fusang were about to leave.

"Wait! Wait! We'll leave it to you." Cai Hui was afraid of offending these people.

Cai Hui knew very well that by doing this, she was essentially betting the rest of her life on these people from Fusang.

Then he winked at Xiao Tao.

"Indeed, esteemed envoys, after this meeting concludes, we will hand them over to you and give you an explanation. We will not show favoritism to anyone."

Xiao Tao's meaning was quite subtle. The implication was that you can take the person away, but now that it's in public and everyone is watching, you should at least give me some face.

These envoys from Fusang naturally understood this meaning; how could they not?

However, they made it clear that they didn't want to give Xiao Tao face; they just wanted to give Xiao Guo a hard time.

"Your Majesty Xiao Tao, you either deal with it now, or you let us deal with it! Otherwise, we will take our leave! You should know very well whether our Fusang Kingdom is your superior country."

"To be honest, even the Xiao Kingdom, which was previously ruled by your father, was not taken seriously by our Fusang Kingdom. Let alone the Xiao Kingdom that is now in pieces... We are giving you a chance out of respect for your Xiao Kingdom's Queen Mother."

"However, if you don't need this opportunity... then I believe there are countless people in your Xiao Kingdom who would beg to cooperate with us!"

With that, the group from Fusang turned around and prepared to leave.

Although they spoke very bluntly, Xiao Tao knew very well that what they said was indeed the truth.

"Wait! My esteemed envoys, I, Xiao Tao, am not the kind of person who enjoys favoritism and corruption. Those ministers have indeed gone too far, openly slandering envoys and attempting to undermine the friendly relations between our two countries! I originally intended to take them away and execute them... However, if the envoys from Fusang are still not satisfied..."

"I'll leave it to you."

After Xiao Tao finished speaking, he ordered the Imperial Guards to bring over several corrupt scholars.

These few pedantic scholars, though they looked weak and uncouth, all of them stood up very straight.

Then they all raised their heads very high.

Although their mouths were gagged, their eyes still glared defiantly at the envoys from Fusang.

These envoys were filled with disdain, yet their eyes held a hint of excitement and cruelty.

He then turned to Xiao Tao and said, "Your Majesty of Xiao Kingdom, are you sure you want to hand them over to us for disposal?"

Although Xiao Tao was unwilling, he had no choice at this point.

His smile was more like a grimace, and he said to Xiao Tao, "That's right, of course. They were rude from the start. I strongly suspect they might be spies sent by those traitorous kings, trying to sabotage our friendship with Fusang! Take them away..."

Xiao Tao's second half of the sentence was clearly intended to appease the officials in the court.

Although it didn't have much effect.

However, he ultimately hinted to the people of Fusang to take the person away for punishment.

Logically speaking, after hearing Xiao Ce's words, the people of Fusang should have given Xiao Tao a way out.

If they each compromised, the matter could be considered resolved peacefully, turning a major issue into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing.

However, it was quite obvious from the excitement in the eyes of these people from Fusang.

These people from Fusang did not want this to happen.

The leader of the Fusang people nodded after hearing Xiao Tao's words and said, "Good! Your Majesty Xiao Tao, we are very satisfied with your attitude. You are right, those who intend to undermine the friendly unity between our Fusang and Xiao kingdoms are traitors! They all deserve to die!"

"However, we won't take their lives! After all, we also need to give His Majesty Xiao Tao some face."

Xiao Tao's heart was pounding from their expressions, but after hearing these words...

That was a real relief!

However, what followed made Xiao Tao's face turn ashen.

"Guards, let them insult our great Fusang Kingdom, insult our Fusang people and soldiers... cut out their tongues! Let's see if they dare to speak so disrespectfully again."

The leader of the envoys from Fusang Kingdom spoke up without saying a word.

The entire court was astonished upon hearing his words.

Just when most people thought he was just talking,

These people from Fusang are incredibly fast.

They went straight over and arrested these corrupt scholars.

The imperial guards behind him glanced at Xiao Tao, who, though his face was ashen, remained silent.

Seeing that the emperor remained silent, the imperial guards dared not move.

These people from Fusang, with their hideous faces, captured the people.

He was then pinned to the ground.

They ripped the cloth out of their mouths.

These pedantic scholars spat at the group, saying, "Pah! You may try to cut off my tongue, but I'll still speak! Your Japan is just a tiny, insignificant place, a people of promiscuity... No matter what you do, you can't change your despicable nature..."

"Long live the Kingdom of Xiao!"

“Um…ah…”

The more the pedantic scholar spoke, the more ferocious these people from Fusang became. They even ripped out his tongue and cut it off...

Fresh blood gushed out immediately.

These so-called pedantic scholars here, every single one of them, are brimming with confidence right now...

They were not afraid at all, and their tongues were cut off one by one.

Because their methods were so brutal, there was no chance of saving them...

One by one, they clutched their necks and bled to death!

After witnessing this scene, the entire court fell into a deathly silence.

However, at this moment, silence speaks louder than words.

All the officials, including Xiao Tao, felt as if they were being slapped in the face by these people from Fusang.

And not only did you get sucked, but the other person even asked you if you enjoyed it...

"Your Majesty, you are indeed wise. There is a reason why Xiao Kingdom made you emperor... Now you can take their bodies away! Your Majesty, I suggest that their bodies be paraded through the streets, not only for them... but also to tell all the people of Xiao Kingdom that insulting our Fusang Kingdom has serious consequences."

"In this way, we can also avoid some unnecessary trouble. Your Majesty of Xiao, wouldn't you agree? After all, we can't let it affect the friendly and prosperous coexistence between Fusang and Xiao, right?"

Xiao Tao said with a forced smile, "Of course...of course...Now, please, esteemed envoys, take your seats!"

Upon hearing Xiao Tao's words, the people from Fusang narrowed their eyes and wore sly smiles.

Still motionless.

Xiao Tao vaguely guessed what was going on, though he was already furious.

However, he has already endured for so long, so what's a little longer?

"I wonder, esteemed envoys, is there anything else you are dissatisfied with?"

The envoys from Fusang continued calmly, "According to the customs of our Fusang Kingdom, after we pay our respects to you, you, as a subordinate nation, are required to pay homage to our Emperor from afar!"

Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Xiao Tao's eyes.

Is it absolutely necessary to worship?

The envoy from Fusang Kingdom, seeing Xiao Tao's fiery expression, still wore a faint smile, showing no sign of evasion.

"Of course, it's customary... When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We've paid our respects to you, so you should reciprocate! Even if the emperor of our Fusang Kingdom came, wouldn't you personally pay your respects?"

Cai Hui chimed in, "Yes, Your Majesty, this is just a matter of etiquette... You shouldn't overthink it... The Fusang Kingdom has been a great help to us lately... It wouldn't hurt for us to show our sincerity, would it?"

"Currently, our Xiao Kingdom is beset by internal strife, with several rebel kings declaring their independence. Now that the Fusang Kingdom has given us such great assistance... it wouldn't hurt for us to offer our respects..."

Xiao Tao realized that Cai Hui was giving him pointers, and he understood perfectly well.

If we don't worship, we won't be able to get through this ordeal today.

If I were to stand up for myself now, then those righteous Confucian officials would have died in vain.

He gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger.

He forced a smile and thought to himself, "Endure!"

As he spoke, Xiao Tao slowly stood up.

And there were many ministers who no longer dared to criticize the people of Fusang.

"Your Majesty, no!"

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely impossible!"

The people of Fusang looked at the expressions of these ministers and amusement appeared on their faces.

Xiao Tao then put on an act, looking at the ministers and saying, "Gentlemen, it's nothing for me to bend over! As long as our Xiao Kingdom stands up, that's enough! My personal gains and losses are nothing."

In fact, everyone can see the current situation of Xiao Kingdom clearly.

Although they disliked the people of Fusang, everyone knew that Xiao Tao's army had changed its equipment.

These weapons came from Fusang (Japan).

Therefore, after Xiao Tao said that, his status in the eyes of this group of people became even higher.

After Xiao Tao walked out, he went to the outside of the main hall.

The people of Fusang pointed to the direction of Fusang and added, "We worship you using our own rituals. But when you worship our emperor, you should use your kneeling ceremony!"

Some ministers were so angry when they saw Xiao Tao being humiliated that they wanted to curse him out.

However, thinking about those ministers whose tongues had just been cut out...

These ministers instinctively shut their mouths.

Since Xiao Tao had already decided to go out, he stopped hesitating and knelt down deeply in the direction of Fusang.

Xiao Tao's kneeling broke the hearts of the ministers present.

Although they were unwilling to admit it, Xiao Tao's kneeling confirmed their status as a subordinate state.

Cai Hui, sitting to one side, seemed somewhat dazed.

She didn't know what was happening, but suddenly a person appeared in her mind.

This person was none other than Xiao Ce.

Her mind raced uncontrollably, imagining what would happen if Xiao Ce were in this situation.

Xiao Ce would never bend down, and these people from Fusang would have died hundreds of times over if they dared to provoke Xiao Ce like this.

Thinking of this, Cai Hui shook her head vigorously, trying to stop herself from thinking about it.

However, after Xiao Tao got up from the ground, he acted as if nothing had happened.

Cai Hui then thought that being able to bend and stretch is what makes a truly great person.

She believed that Xiao Tao would have the last laugh!

After Xiao Tao returned to the dragon throne and sat down, he made sure the Japanese people sat down first before they were willing to do so.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xiao Tao addressed the envoys, saying, "My esteemed envoys, you must have come here on a mission. I wonder what instructions your King of Fusang has for us?"

The envoys addressed Xiao Tao: "First of all, the 200,000 sets of firearms we provided were a loan to you in advance. Since they were a loan, naturally you are obligated to repay them! You can pay this amount now!"

Xiao Tao's face immediately turned ugly upon hearing what the envoys said.

He always believed that these firearms were given away for free...

Xiao Tao subconsciously glanced at Cai Hui to the side. Cai Hui smiled and then said, "Your Majesty, I know this! They told me!"

Xiao Tao's gaze sharpened as he said, "Then why don't you repeat what I said?"

Cai Hui said awkwardly, "It's just that we didn't have time."

Xiao Tao always felt that he had been tricked by Cai Hui, and that if he had listened to Xiao Xiangqing, he probably wouldn't have had to suffer all this.