Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Battle reports from the Gaochang Kingdom continued to arrive from the front lines.

Not only did the Ministry of War utilize its intelligence-gathering speed to the fullest, but also, tempted by the real money on the front lines, major merchant guilds in the Tang Dynasty established their own escort agencies specifically for transmitting intelligence from the front.

Sometimes, the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce in Taiyuan Prefecture would just issue a document regarding the acquisition of real estate in a certain location.

Soon after, another fast horse arrived from Gaochang.

It's said that the chamber of commerce manager at the front lines acted first and reported later, taking over the area...

The work being done at the Shougong Hall has become increasingly detailed recently.

These are mostly directional decisions on important matters; the workload isn't large, but it mainly requires careful consideration.

Now, Li Gang, Yu Shinan, and the others no longer have to toil away at their desks, facing so many documents, as they did before the New Year, to the point that they feel like their souls are about to leave their bodies.

While drinking tea and chatting with Crown Prince Li Chengqian, he finished all the matters at hand.

"Your Highness, when you sent Prince Wei to Luoyang, your first priority wasn't to vigorously promote commercial tax reform, but rather to place it second, focusing instead on land reform in the Yi-Luo Plain. I've always felt this was a preemptive measure prepared for today's drought..."

Li Gang speaks his mind; he's been thinking about this for several days.

In the end, I couldn't hold back and asked.

Beside him, Yu Shinan, the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, also looked at Li Chengqian with curiosity.

They have been following this prince for two years now.

Over the past two years, the crown prince has appeared to act swiftly and decisively, striving for speed in advancing various affairs. However, the relationships and arrangements between different government affairs have been remarkably orderly.

Even Yu Shinan has been speculating about this in recent days.

This crown prince knew in advance, a year before, or even shortly after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, that a drought was coming in the second year of the Zhenguan era.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have kept mentioning the Kingdom of Linyi to His Majesty and his ministers so early on...

"Hehe, Master Li, Master Yu, the way you're looking at me makes me feel like I'm looking at some kind of monster," Li Chengqian said with a laugh.

Li Gang shook his head slightly and sighed.

"Monsters? Monsters can't possibly cause such a huge change in my Great Tang Dynasty in just two years... Crown Prince, are you perhaps a reincarnation of a deity?" The great Confucian scholar Li Gang also started talking about supernatural forces and gods.

Just as the master and his disciples were having a relaxed chat inside the hall.

Amidst the sound of footsteps, Sun Yi, the eunuch on duty that day, strode in.

"Your Highness, the Japanese envoy Soga no Kiseki requests an audience!"

Suwo stone?

Li Chengqian was taken aback.

Didn't this guy protest against their arrest of Japanese people for a while, and then leave Taiyuan after finding that no one was paying attention to him?

Why are you back again?

Li Chengqian sneered. These Japanese dwarfs just wanted those students who had spent real money to study in the Tang Dynasty.

Unfortunately, some of these people are now imprisoned, some are being exploited, and others have drifted away to who knows where. Even if we gave them to them, they might not recognize us.

Li Gang and Yu Shinan exchanged a glance.

This Crown Prince seems to harbor an innate hatred for these Japanese people, a hatred so intense he feels he could tear them apart alive.

Although the two teachers couldn't understand what these lowly dwarfs had done to offend His Highness, well... even if he was the Crown Prince, he was still a spirited young man.

When they act a little willfully, what can they say?

Of course, we can let him have his way.

A short while later, Suwo Qishi appeared in the Shougong Hall, led by Sun Yi.

His expression was solemn.

The look in his eyes had lost its previous humility and fawning; instead, it seemed to carry a hint of resentment, as if he had come to demand an explanation.

As soon as they entered, they bowed.

He took a deep breath and spoke loudly: "This humble subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty. May Your Highness enjoy peace and health!"

"Your Highness, I have come here on the orders of my lord to bring back the Japanese citizens who have been living in the Tang Dynasty. I humbly request Your Highness's permission!"

Li Gang and Yu Shinan sipped their tea in silence.

With a brush in hand, he sketches and reviews today's documents.

Li Chengqian smiled faintly: "Ambassador Soga, when your students came to study in my Great Tang Dynasty, I made it very clear to you. There was even a contract, which your family head signed and stamped."

"Your people can only return after their five-year study abroad period is over."

Soga Kishoku was furious: "Your Highness, but they are no longer at the Imperial University, they..."

"They went to a more distant place, the new campus~" Li Chengqian chuckled, rolled his eyes, and looked at the other person as if he was making a fuss over nothing.

“Didn’t my Prefect Wang Qing also tell you this? All your international students have gone to the new campus. It’s normal that you can’t access it because the research they’re involved in needs to be kept secret.”

"After all... Ambassador Suwa, you were the ones who made mistakes first!" Li Chengqian's voice turned cold.

Suga Kishoku naturally knew that what Li Chengqian was talking about was their secret contact with those overseas students to have them transmit the technology back to them.

however.

He knew it, but he just couldn't admit it.

He took a deep breath and shook his head: "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I don't know what you're talking about, but my family head, Suwo, ordered me to bring our people back this time. As for the extra tuition fees, we can waive them..."

Ah!

Li Gang and Yu Shinan couldn't help but twitch their lips.

You don't want it?

Tsk tsk tsk, making it sound like you can take it back.

Li Chengqian also showed a hint of sarcasm on his face and snorted coldly.

"This is the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, everything is governed by two words: rules and regulations!"

"Since the contract was made, there is absolutely no possibility of going back on it. Envoy, you should go back and tell your family head that those students will return to your Japan in five years!"

He waved his hand, signaling Sun Yi to drag the other person out.

Unexpectedly, seeing his assertive attitude, Soga Kishoku suddenly pulled out an envelope from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

"Your Highness, this is a personal letter from our patriarch! Please take a look!"

Sun Yi stepped forward, checked the letter, and then handed it to Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was standing to the side.

The letter was written in Chinese characters.

The handwriting was delicate, as if it were written by a woman, which made Li Chengqian scoff inwardly at Japan, a tiny and insignificant country, for doing everything in such a petty way.

however.

Although the handwriting was elegant, the content was outrageous enough.

Li Chengqian only glanced at a few lines before his expression grew colder until the very end.

"Bang! How dare you!"

Li Chengqian slammed the letter onto the table with a bang.

Looking at Soga Kiseki, who stood before him with his head bowed, he spoke in a cold voice.

"Threatening me? You won't acknowledge the legitimacy of my Great Tang's construction of Fukuoka unless I hand over the people? Ha! You truly impress me!"

Instantly, the expressions on everyone's faces in the hall turned cold.

Even the eunuchs and palace maids around him looked at Soga no Kisho with a hint of coldness in their eyes.

The six soldiers of the Eastern Palace, standing on either side of the entrance, were ready to rush in and drag that damned little dwarf out at Li Chengqian's command.

To be torn to pieces...

Soga Kiseki clutched his clothes tightly with both hands.

"Your Highness, this matter is not solely the fault of Japan. In the past few months, the Imperial Guards of your country have been arresting Japanese citizens in Bingzhou Province under various pretexts. If our Japanese students have gone to the so-called new campus, then where are our merchants and the families of our students?"

"Since Japan and the Tang Dynasty are allies, why do you treat our people like this?!"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty are the first to break your promise!"

"How dare you!!!" Sun Yi shouted in a sharp voice.

A wave of his hand.

"Get this audacious Japanese scumbag under my nose and have him torn to pieces!!!"

Immediately, several eunuchs pulled out a small, gleaming knife from their sleeves.

They walked toward the strange stone.

However, Li Chengqian simply raised his hand to stop them from doing so.

He looked at her with a half-smile, though fear was clearly in his eyes.

But because of his loyalty to the Soga family, Soga Kiseki remained kneeling there with his body upright.

"Heh, Soga no Envoy, in the end, you just want to meet those Japanese exchange students who went to the new campus, am I right?"

Soga Kishoku took a deep breath, clenching his trembling teeth.

"If Your Highness can assure me of the safety of our Japanese students and people, our patriarch will still be willing to support the Tang Dynasty in establishing the port of Fukuoka in Tsukushi Province, a vassal state of Japan."

"Regarding the Tang Dynasty's actions in Goguryeo, our Japan is also willing to provide assistance..."

Li Chengqian waved his hand and smiled faintly.

“Simple! Since this is a misunderstanding, I will have someone take you to the new campus... I still value the alliance with the Soga family very much.”

Upon hearing this, Suga Kishi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Just after the other person was taken away, Li Chengqian's face instantly turned gloomy and cold.

He beckoned, and Sun Yi immediately bent down to listen respectfully.

"Send someone to tell the Prince of Han... I want to eat fish from Fukuoka! Tell him I want fish caught by the fleet of my Great Tang Dynasty; I find it disgusting that the Japanese have touched it..."

Sun Yi nodded immediately and walked away quickly.

Seeing this, Li Gang, the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, chuckled and shook his head slightly.

"A small country with a small population dares to threaten my glorious Tang Dynasty? I've never seen anything like it before..."

Yu Shinan stroked his beard and chuckled.

"Hahaha, that Suo Wo clan has never been to my Great Tang, so naturally they don't know what kind of existence he is facing, or perhaps they still think my Great Tang is like the previous dynasty... a mere so-called vassal state, no bigger than my county town, really thinks my Great Tang needs their help..."

"Arrogant and ignorant! You've made a laughingstock of yourself!"

Li Chengqian's eyes were also cold, and he chuckled twice.

"It's alright. Sheep are sheep, whether you herd one or a flock. Don't they want to learn the shipbuilding technology of my Great Tang? Then I'll capture tens of thousands of Japanese slaves and let them learn how to build ships!"