"Everyone, why the long faces?"

Zhao Xinghe toyed with the wine cup in his hand, a triumphant smile spreading across his face as he spoke in a clear voice. "On such a fine evening with such beautiful scenery, shouldn’t we be celebrating? Why... are some of you still so stern? What are you worried about? Or... are you... suspecting me... of something?"

Zhao Xinghe’s eyes swept over the faces of the Civil and Military Ministers below. He gave a faint smile and said, "This is the first banquet I have held for you ministers since my father, the Emperor, passed away. You are all pillars of the state. When my father was alive, you were all his most trusted advisors. Now that he is gone, I, the New Emperor Zhao Xinghe... will still regard you as such! I treat you as the nation’s finest, but will you... repay me with the service befitting the nation’s finest?"

"We are, of course, willing to toil like horses and dogs for Your Majesty!" A minister from Zhao Xinghe’s own faction stepped away from his table and prostrated himself on the floor.

However, the others did not follow suit. The atmosphere instantly turned awkward and cold.

Zhao Xinghe’s expression immediately soured.

Many of the high-ranking ministers who had originally belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction had simply been making a choice. Siding with the Crown Prince or with the second Prince was a normal part of politics. This had been the situation for generations, including during the reigns of countless previous emperors of this dynasty.

Internal strife and factional conflict had always existed and would never cease. But no matter what, the vast majority of them held a strong sense of national identity in their hearts!

You could call them villains—sinister, malicious, cunning, even capable of any evil, and greedy to the core. But the vast majority of the people of this nation still held a deep love for the land that had birthed and raised them!

Patriotism was the most fundamental idea that people of any country possessed! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

This... really had very little to do with good or evil!

Besides, these Civil and Military Ministers had, for the most part, been raised under the influence of loyalist and patriotic ideals. How many of them could truly be considered irredeemable villains?

Choosing whom to support was just a matter of picking a side!

But even a commoner could see what Crown Prince Zhao Xinghe was doing now. How could this group of highly intelligent Civil and Military Ministers fail to see it?

’Treason!’

Even those who originally belonged to Zhao Xinghe’s own faction thought the same. What was this act of Zhao Xinghe’s if not selling out the country?

Civil Servants have their integrity, and military generals have their honor!

How many people could tolerate such a thing?

"What... do you all think... that I am unworthy of your service?" A chilling, ruthless edge began to creep into Zhao Xinghe’s words.

He had only one goal for this grand banquet, which could be described in two words: beat and woo.

He wanted to completely purge the court of those who refused to serve him! As for the group that had belonged to Zhao Xinghai, he would use those he could. As for those he couldn’t... he would dismiss them all!

’And if there are any stubborn fools who insist on opposing me, hmph, then they will be killed!’

If he couldn’t make them feel true fear, the vast majority of these people would probably never submit to his rule.

So, after Zhao Xinghe uttered those bloody words, the atmosphere in the entire banquet hall grew taut. Most of the people held their breath, unwilling to provoke Zhao Xinghe at a time like this.

"Hmph, I knew it! Honor, dignity, integrity—it’s all bullshit! Worthless crap!" With a disdainful sneer, Zhao Xinghe looked at the Civil and Military Ministers, whose faces were beginning to flush red. Then, as if he wouldn’t be content until he said something truly shocking, he continued, "I know you are dissatisfied with my friendship with the New Qin Kingdom! What pains me the most is that even many of my former subordinates don’t understand my actions!"

As Zhao Xinghe spoke, a furious expression appeared on his face. SLAM! He slammed his hand on the table before him and shouted, "What do you understand? Let me tell you straight! Right now, the New Qin Kingdom simply doesn’t have the energy to bother with us! Otherwise, in their eyes, we are nothing but trash! We would have no room to resist whatsoever! You don’t believe me, do you? Huh? Do you see these two masters beside me? Do you know what realm of Martial Artist they are?"

An excited look appeared in Zhao Xinghe’s eyes. "The Celestial Shattering Realm! Do you understand?! The Celestial Shattering Realm!"

BUZZ!

The faces of the ministers below finally showed expressions of shock. Although they had guessed that Zhao Xinghe must have found some extremely powerful experts to help him, they had never imagined they were truly Martial Artists of the Celestial Shattering Realm.

Zhao Xinghe took in everyone’s expressions and sneered, "This is the power of the New Qin Kingdom! And I... by befriending the New Qin Kingdom, am not selling out the country! I am not selling out the country! Do you understand? This is called diplomacy between nations!"

Zhao Xinghe’s roar filled the silent banquet hall. He panted slightly, a look of resentment flashing across his handsome face. He said, "And you... what are you all doing? Suspecting me, resenting me, even secretly... secretly plotting to overthrow me! While I am exhausting my mind and body for this country, unable to sleep at night, what... are you doing?"

From beginning to end, the two Celestial Shattering Realm experts beside Zhao Xinghe showed no change in expression, their eyes narrowed as if they had fallen asleep.

"Great Qi, Great Chu, Qingqiu, Silo... there is only one outcome for these four kingdoms for opposing the New Qin Kingdom! And that is... annihilation!" Zhao Xinghe declared with passionate intensity. "But we, Cyan Dragon! Only we, Cyan Dragon, will still retain our title as a kingdom when the New Qin Kingdom unites the world in the future!"

"A vassal state, you mean."

Among the crowd at the banquet, a military general, unable to bear Zhao Xinghe’s shameless speech any longer, stood up and said coldly, "I am ashamed to be associated with a shameless person like you!"

With that, he started walking out.

At the same time, several other people stood up, both Civil Servants and military officers. Their faces were red with anger. One of the Civil Servants declared loudly, "Even if we die in battle, we will never surrender to another country! The day Great Qi, Great Chu, Qingqiu, and Silo are all destroyed will be the day we die for our country! Because from that day forward, the Cyan Dragon Kingdom will no longer be a kingdom!"

Another man sneered at the ashen-faced Zhao Xinghe and said loudly, "Your Highness, you invited us here today for the sole purpose of coercion and recruitment, to make an example of a few troublemakers to establish your authority, didn’t you? Fine, we’re standing up now. Kill us, and you can establish your authority! But Your Highness, don’t you forget, there is one person who will never let you get away with this!"

Another person picked up, laughing loudly, "Haha, that’s right! Marquis Qin! It’s Marquis Qin! I remember how I used to dislike Marquis Qin, finding his actions too arrogant and domineering. But ever since Marquis Qin kicked away those so-called geniuses from the Mysterious Land who thought they were invincible, I’ve become a supporter of Marquis Qin! It would be better to hand this country over to Marquis Qin than to a shameless traitor!"

"The most hateful part is how he makes it all sound so righteous!" someone added fearlessly.

The few of them laughed heartily, then exchanged a determined look.

"Brother, we may have belonged to different factions before, but it seems we’ll be walking the same path this time!"

"Haha, Li, what are you even saying? These so-called factions are all our own internal family matters. But now, look at him! He’s practically become their adopted son!"

"His own father’s bones are not yet cold, yet he has the gall to spout such passionate bullshit here. How shameful, pathetic, and laughable!"

These men spoke without restraint, and they didn’t even call Zhao Xinghe emperor, but Crown Prince, clearly refusing to acknowledge his current status.

Zhao Xinghe did indeed want to establish his authority, but he had never imagined that someone would be so unafraid of death as to humiliate him like this in public. His handsome face twisted violently with rage, and a murderous aura erupted from him.

He shot to his feet and roared, "Seize these traitors! Now! I will execute their entire clans!"

"Bring it on! I’m not afraid! My family isn’t afraid either! I’d rather die a clean death than live as a traitor!"

"That’s right! The day Marquis Qin returns will be the day you, Zhao Xinghe, die!"

"Good. Good. Good!"

Zhao Xinghe said the word "good" three times in a row, suppressing his towering rage. He took a deep breath and said with a slow, cold smile, "Marquis Qin? Who the hell is he! Just a piece of trash at the Celestial Level! Trash! Do you understand? Right now... I’m actually hoping he’ll appear before me this instant! My two super Tributors will tear him to shreds! Shreds! Shreds!"

"Is that so?" A faint voice, very soft, yet it overpowered every other sound in the banquet hall and entered Zhao Xinghe’s ears with perfect clarity.

The two Celestial Shattering Realm experts beside Zhao Xinghe, who had kept their eyes narrowed all evening as if asleep, simultaneously snapped their eyes open. A sharp glint shot from them as they stared at the entrance of the banquet hall, their auras erupting violently.

When Zhao Xinghe heard this voice, his body first trembled uncontrollably, his eyes filled with disbelief. But then, a look of wild joy spread across his face. He laughed loudly, "Hahahaha, Qin Li, you dare to come here? You actually dare to come here to die! Excellent, excellent! Today, I will capture you, and I will have you sliced into a thousand pieces! To avenge my master!"

Saying this, he turned his face to the two men beside him. "Seniors, that’s Qin Li! You must capture him!"

Zhao Xinghe spoke with an excited expression, but he suddenly noticed that the two super experts, who would remain unfazed even if a mountain collapsed before them, now wore incredibly grave expressions.

And their focus... was precisely on the person walking slowly towards them: Qin Li!

"Crown Prince, you’ve missed me, haven’t you? Well, I’m here now." Qin Li’s face held a faint, mocking smile as he looked at Zhao Xinghe.

Then, he turned his head to the two Celestial Shattering Realm Martial Artists beside Zhao Xinghe and said coldly, "Scram!"