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

The two of them were astonished after hearing this.

After all, the two of them came here, including knowing that Xiao Ce came for Yin Pan'er.

When the Mad Taoist told Xiao Ce, neither of them were present.

Therefore, Xiao Ce did not have a suitable opportunity to speak.

Moreover, although he previously believed that the person was indeed Yin Pan'er, Yin Pan'er was wearing a mask at the time, so he wasn't entirely sure and didn't say anything.

After all, he still had some doubts about the Mad Taoist at that time.

However, now that Yin Pan'er has shown her face, it can be confirmed.

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, the two looked on in astonishment and exclaimed, "Really? Where?"

Xiao Ce then recounted what had just happened.

Both of them were clearly surprised: "What? That agent is Yin Pan'er?"

Night Owl nodded and said, "No wonder I felt like I recognized her when I saw her wearing the mask, but I just couldn't remember who she was!"

After listening to Night Cat's words, Da Lei laughed and joked, "You really are good at hindsight... Why don't you just say it to Brother Wang...?"

After listening to Da Lei's words, Xiao Ce realized that he had almost let slip again, now calling him "Brother Wang".

"Actually, I'm not even sure I recognize myself..."

Seeing this, Da Lei asked Xiao Ce, "Brother, now that she has revealed her true colors, have you recognized each other?"

Xiao Ce said to Da Lei, "That's definitely not the case. I don't know anything about Yin Pan'er's situation right now. And based on our initial understanding, I think she might have been brainwashed by the Illuminati... and a lot of things must have happened to her."

Da Lei nodded: "That's true. In such a short time, it's already incredibly difficult to become a representative or an agent."

The night owl on one side spoke up: "That's right, I know that. Back when I was in that Blood Nether Pavilion, I almost lost my life..."

As he spoke, Night Owl covered his mouth, seemingly realizing he had let something slip.

Xiao Ce said to Night Cat, "It's alright! There's no need to be particularly afraid of them. I only realized their weakness after arriving in the Kingdom of Sulu."

"I thought they still had most of their troops here, but after arriving, I realized that the people of Fusang are now like stray dogs. They not only have to resist the natives here, but also have to be wary of each other, and even the army of the Illuminati."

"Their constant vigilance against each other has already exhausted a tremendous amount of their energy..."

"Furthermore, once the Illuminati sees through their true nature, they're nothing but a rabble... After we understand Yin Pan'er's situation, we can go back. Then, we'll officially begin our attack on the Western world..."

After hearing what Xiao Ce said, Night Owl and Da Lei's eyes rekindled with hope.

They were actually getting a little tired of being here. After getting to know these Japanese people up close, they realized that they weren't the people they had imagined.

They were all extremely weak.

Da Lei still asked, "However, brother, we still need to understand. These people are all agents; to be frank, they're the very fringes of the Illuminati... And I've heard they're sending a lot of weapons and ships to attack our Xiao Kingdom..."

After listening to Da Lei's words, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "That's right... I'll take all of their stuff... We can't have come all this way for nothing, can we?"

When Da Lei heard Xiao Ce say this, his expression was priceless.

Their expressions towards Xiao Ce had changed somewhat.

In their eyes, this is the Xiao Ce they know.

As they were talking, Xiao Ce realized that the Mad Taoist was not there.

Xiao Ce asked Da Lei, who was standing to the side, "By the way, where is our third uncle?"

Night Owl then remembered and recounted the story of the Mad Taoist's departure.

He then said, "I mentioned it to you before..."

Xiao Ce then remembered: "They're not back yet?"

Night Owl nodded: "He's always acting mysteriously; after all, when we try to follow him, we can never find him..."

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "Next time I have the chance, I'll try to follow him..."

Da Lei gave a wry smile: "We really did send Night Owl to follow them..."

Da Lei looked at Ye Mao as he spoke.

Night Cat gave a wry smile, then said to Xiao Ce, "That mad Taoist priest is incredibly powerful. He seemed to know I was following him... and he still managed to shake me off..."

Xiao Ce asked doubtfully, "It won't be easy to shake you off, will it?"

Night Owl smiled and said to Xiao Ce, "Actually, it's quite easy."

Xiao Ce looked at Night Owl with a puzzled expression: "It's that easy?"

Night Owl nodded and gave a wry smile: "He doesn't have any fancy tricks, he just runs. He's fast and has great stamina..."

After hearing what Ye Mao said, Xiao Ce felt somewhat helpless.

"Alright, let him go. As long as that guy isn't our enemy, that's fine."

Night Cat said to Xiao Ce, "However, although I didn't follow him, I can roughly guess where he went based on the scent left on him."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ce asked curiously, "Oh? Where did you go?"

Night Owl said to Xiao Ce, "I suspect he went to sea because I smelled seawater and kerosene on him."

Xiao Ce listened with curiosity: "The smell of seawater and kerosene? What can you do with that?"

The group gave an awkward smile, then shook their heads.

Xiao Ce nodded: "Alright, let him go... He'll definitely speak along with us when he's able to."

With that, Xiao Ce went to sleep.

The next day.

Xiao Ce was woken up again by Okamoto Juzo to have breakfast together.

I don't know why Okamoto Juzo is so determined to have breakfast together.

Xiao Ce hadn't thought about it before, but now he really felt that it was a bad habit.

Xiao Ce also secretly asked Da Lei and Ye Mao if he thought it was just as annoying to have them eat together.

Da Lei and Ye Mao shook their heads; they were quite pleased.

However, having breakfast with Okamoto Juzo was not so enjoyable.

They also discussed with Xiao Ce that it wasn't that eating together was bad. Rather, eating with Okamoto Juzo and the other Japanese was unpleasant.

Once at the dinner table, Okamoto Juzo was very hospitable.

They beckoned Xiao Ce to his side and then asked him how he was doing.

Xiao Ce naturally told the truth, including mentioning that he had seen Yin Pan'er's face behind the mask.

This made them extremely happy.

They placed high hopes on Xiao Ce.

After some boasting, Okamoto Juzo asked Xiao Ce, "Yice, what do you think we should do next?"

After a moment of silence, Xiao Ce told them that all they needed to do now was wait and not do anything.

The two nodded.

Just as they were eating, they saw Tojo Senichi walking over.

Okamoto Juzo was originally calling him over.

Tojo Senichi smiled and said that he had something to discuss with Xiao Ce privately.

Okamoto Juzo was initially somewhat displeased.

Xiao Ce stood beside them, which made them very happy.

"Young Master Qianyi, please speak frankly about what you need..."

"We're not exactly staunch allies right now, so it's better for everyone to be open and honest. Your secretive approach to me is making us suspicious..."

Tojo Senichi's goal was to sow discord among them.

However, he did not expect Xiao Ce to be so blunt and direct in saying it.

Tojo Senichi looked embarrassed for a moment, then coughed lightly, trying to salvage the situation: "Mr. Ichisaku, it's a misunderstanding, you've misunderstood... I didn't mean anything by it. It wasn't that I was deliberately avoiding you, but I saw that Lords Okamoto Juzo and Okamoto Juroku were having breakfast. It wasn't that I was afraid of disturbing you..."

After listening to Tojo Senichi's words, Okamoto Juzo and Okamoto Juroku gave each other a look that said, "Do you believe me or not?"

Tojo Senichi's composure was quite good. Ignoring their expressions, she directly asked Xiao Ce, "Mr. Ichisaku, my father wants to ask you about the situation you discussed with the agent yesterday."

Just as Okamoto Juzo was about to speak, Xiao Ce interrupted him.

He then gave Okamoto Juzo a meaningful look.

"I gave him a plan, but the specifics, let alone you, I haven't even told our lord about it..."

"Of course, there are still some things I can tell you. Right now, they've pinned all the blame on Tokugawa Heiyasu. So, the Tokugawa family members all need to be imprisoned, but how to deal with them afterward still needs to be discussed further."

Tojo Senichi saw that Xiao Ce seemed to be speaking sincerely, but the information Xiao Ce mentioned was something he already knew.

After Xiao Ce finished speaking, Tojo Senichi was not satisfied with the information he had received.

However, seeing that Xiao Ce seemed to have only this much to say, he exchanged a few pleasantries and then left.

...

Tojo Senichi returned to Tojo Seisuke's side.

When Tojo Seisuke saw Tojo Senichi return with a dark expression, he smiled and said, "How was it? Did things not go smoothly?"

Tojo Sen nodded: "That's right! They..."

Tojo Senichi angrily recounted the attitudes Xiao Ce and the Okamoto family had shown him, then grumbled, "Before, let alone a mere strategist from the Okamoto family, even Okamoto Jūzaku and Okamoto Jūjuku had to treat me with utmost respect... Now, they've become so arrogant! Not just Okamoto Jūzaku and Okamoto Jūjuku, even that Okamoto Ichisaku has started acting all high and mighty..."

Tojo Seisuke looked at him angrily and said, "Haha, Senichi, there's no need to be so angry. The fact that Okamoto Ichisaku has become so powerful means that he must have been given important positions by the Illuminati. As for Okamoto Juzo and Okamoto Juroku, those two are not very capable to begin with."

"Isn't our current success just a matter of luck? Actually, the fact that Okamoto Kazusaku has become so powerful is a good thing for us."

Seeing his father's calm demeanor, Tojo Senichi asked, "Father, why are you so much calmer now... And how could this be a good thing? The Okamoto family is visibly becoming more and more powerful every day. They weren't like this just a few days ago."

Tojo Seisuke said with a smile, "It's actually very simple! Who was that Okamoto Kazusaku before?"

Senichi Tojo said to Seisuke Tojo, "Naturally, it's the Okamoto family."

Tojo Seisuke nodded and continued, "And now? Do you think that as the Illuminati's agents trust Okamoto Ichisaku more and more, Okamoto Ichisaku will still obediently listen to the Okamoto family?"

Tojo Senichi shook his head: "Of course not."

Tojo Seisuke said, "Furthermore, as Okamoto Kazusaku and the agent's cooperation becomes closer, they will not tell the Okamoto family anything about what they do, and may even be ordered by the agent to be forbidden from doing anything for Okamoto Juzo."

"After all, the Illuminati would not allow a servant to have two masters."

Tojo Senichi suddenly realized: "So, the Okamoto family has actually lost the Okamoto strategy."

Tojo Seisuke nodded.

Tojo Senichi added, "That wouldn't do us any good."

Tojo Seisuke smiled and said to Tojo Senichi, "My son, aren't you usually very smart? Why are you like this all of a sudden? You can't even understand something this simple."

Tojo Senichi was taken aback for a moment, then said to Tojo Seisuke, "Father, please enlighten me!"

Tojo Seisuke took a sip of water slowly and then said, "After Okamoto Kazusaku went to the agent's side, he was working for the Illuminati."

"And the people from this Illuminati branch here are actually serving us, right?"

Tojo Sen nodded.

"So, if the Illuminati is going to support one of the two families in the future, do you think it will support the Okamoto family or us?"

Tojo Senichi blurted out, "It must be the Okamoto family! After all, Okamoto Ichisaku comes from their family, there's no doubt about that."

Tojo Seisuke shook his head: "No, those two brothers are just clever in a little way. They don't have any great strategies. We see things clearly, and Okamoto Issaku sees them even more clearly. Besides, you have to know that Okamoto Issaku was given a name; he didn't have this name before, understand? So, strictly speaking, he's not a member of the Okamoto family at all."

"Because Okamoto Kazusaku is a smart man, he knows the importance of smart people."

Tojo Senichi asked with even greater confusion, "Shouldn't they be looking for someone easier to control? We're definitely not someone they can control."

Tojo Seisuke said, "They don't just want a simple puppet. They've already supported the Slavic countries in East Asia. Similarly, they won't let the Slavic countries become dominant, so they also need someone on our side to make Japan strong. They can't stay here forever."

"Do you think the Illuminati can rest easy if Japan is handed over to the Okamoto brothers, Jūzō and Jūrō, after they leave?"