My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

Linde Hall.

The hall was brightly lit, as bright as day.

Although it was not a grand imperial banquet, its scale was still quite high.

Li Shimin sat high on his throne, a warm smile on his face.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian, along with important officials such as Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, and Wei Zheng, were listed in order.

The Japanese envoy to Tang China, Inugami Mitasuki, and his deputy, Yakushi Eiji, led their main entourage into the palace and respectfully performed the grand ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows.

"Your Excellency has come from afar and must be tired. Please rise and take a seat."

Li Shimin spoke calmly, gesturing for them to take their seats in the specially prepared seats below.

The banquet began, and dishes and drinks were served in a continuous stream.

"Your Excellency and your entourage have traveled a long way by sea, enduring many hardships along the way. Have you settled into your new home in Chang'an? Are you finding everything satisfactory?"

Li Shimin greeted him.

"Is the food at Sifang Pavilion to your liking? Autumn is deep in Chang'an, and the climate must be quite different from that of your country, so please be sure to add or remove clothing as needed."

Inugami Mita was flattered and his tense heart relaxed slightly. He quickly left his seat, bowed, and replied.

"We are deeply grateful for Your Majesty's inquiry!"

"The hospitality at the Sifang Pavilion is impeccable. The Tang Dynasty is prosperous and its people are wealthy. Their clothing, food, housing, and transportation far surpass those of our country, and we are completely accustomed to it. The magnificent scenery of Chang'an fills us with admiration."

The pharmacist, Hui Ri, chimed in humbly.

Li Shimin nodded, gesturing for them to sit down.

"You'll get used to it. Our Great Tang Dynasty embraces all rivers and streams, and all nations come to pay tribute. We should make our guests feel at home."

He changed the subject slightly, still smiling.

"I've heard that your envoy has brought quite a rich array of tribute items, including some novel objects that I haven't yet seen. How is the handover going with the Court of State Ceremonial?"

Upon hearing this, Inugami Mitasuki's heart leaped into his throat again.

"Your Majesty, the tribute has been prepared in accordance with the old practice. If there are any shortcomings, we hope Your Majesty will forgive us. The officials of the Court of State Ceremonial have handled matters impartially, and we are deeply grateful."

"Um."

Li Shimin remained noncommittal and took a small sip of wine.

The music and dance in the hall had changed at some point, with slightly denser drumbeats and a hint of ruggedness.

After a brief silence, Li Shimin spoke again.

"I have recently heard that your monarch does not call himself 'King,' but rather 'Emperor.' Is this true?"

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy hall instantly quieted down.

The Tang officials serving at the banquet exchanged glances, revealing expressions that were either amused or indifferent.

Inugami Mitasuki's heart tightened, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

He prostrated himself on the ground again, explaining urgently in a tone that was out of tune.

"Your Majesty, please be wise! This...this is the rambling of an ignorant and arrogant fool within our borders, and is absolutely not the intention of our sovereign!"

"Our sovereign has always regarded himself as a subject before His Majesty the Celestial Emperor, and has never harbored any intention of overstepping his bounds!"

Pharmacist Eri also quickly left his seat to agree, his forehead pressed firmly to the ground.

"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but the title 'Emperor' is a barbaric custom, or perhaps a respectful term for an ancient deity. I would never dare to use it for a human ruler, much less compare myself to Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Li Shimin's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes deepened.

"Oh? Is that so? I thought that your country, being so remote overseas, had been exposed to some of the king's influence and had forgotten its roots, and had developed unwarranted delusions."

"Your Majesty's divine might shines like the sun, and our humble people can only admire you wholeheartedly and faithfully observe the proper etiquette of a subject. How could we dare to have the slightest improper thoughts!"

Inu no Mitasuki's voice trembled, almost as if he were about to cry.

The smile on Li Shimin's face faded slightly.

"Oh? Is that so?"

His voice betrayed no emotion.

"But I recall that during the Sui Dynasty, your country's official documents contained a similar term, which caused displeasure. Is it still an ingrained habit?"

"We are guilty! We failed to properly discipline Your Majesty, allowing rumors to reach Your Majesty's ears!"

The pharmacist Hui Ri touched the ground with his head.

"Our Emperor has long ago decreed that all documents concerning the Central Plains must respect the Tang Dynasty's calendar, and there must be absolutely no confusion whatsoever! If Your Majesty does not believe us, your subjects... your subjects are willing to die to prove our loyalty!"

"Alright, get up."

Li Shimin seemed to think the time was right and waved his hand.

"There's no need for such formalities at today's banquet. I was merely asking a casual question; please don't be alarmed."

Just as Inugami Mita was breathing a sigh of relief.

Li Shimin suddenly spoke up.

"I've also heard that you have several gold mines in Sado, so many that you don't even need to mine them much. Is that true?"

Gold mine!

These two words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the ears of Inugami Mitasuki and Yakushi Eihi.

They looked up in horror, their eyes filled with undisguised shock and fear.

Sado Island has a large gold mine, which is a secret even in Japan. How did the Emperor of Tang Dynasty know about it?!

Previously, Li Shimin only mentioned that their area had abundant mineral resources, but now he has specifically named them.

but……

How did he know?

Inugami Mita's mind went blank with a buzzing sound.

Could it be that there are Japanese traitors among them?

However, apart from him and Pharmacist Eri, the others in the group knew nothing about this.

Inugami Mitasuki glanced at Yakushi Ehi.

impossible!

The pharmacist would never betray us!

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, but his voice still trembled uncontrollably.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... What... What are you talking about? Our country... Our country is barren and poor, where would we find any large gold mines... It must be... It must be a misconception! Perhaps there are some gold dust in the mountains, but there is absolutely no mine with 'abundant production' as Your Majesty claims..."

Li Shimin listened quietly to his sophistry, the smile on his face gradually fading.

"The matter of the gold mine may be questionable. But there is one thing I require a clear explanation from you all!"

He slammed the wine cup down on the table with a loud "thud," a sound that made everyone in the hall's heart skip a beat.

"A report has come from Dengzhou: five days ago, my naval patrol fleet was surrounded and provoked by several unidentified vessels in the waters west of Tsushima Island! Not only did they resist inspection and speak arrogantly, but they also kidnapped one of my Tang soldiers during the conflict!"

Li Shimin's voice suddenly rose, his gaze sharp as lightning, piercing directly at Inugami Mitasuki and Yakushi Eri, and he said sternly.

"Speak! What does this matter have to do with you, or with your country?!"

"Where are those captured soldiers now?!"

boom!

Inugami Mitasuki and Yakushi Ebisu were trembling violently, their faces turning deathly pale.

"Your Majesty! Injustice! A tremendous injustice!"

Inu no Mitasuki banged his head on the ground, making a loud thud.

"Regarding the matter in the Tsushima Sea, we are far away in Chang'an and are truly unaware of it!"

"Our entire nation of Japan reveres the Tang Dynasty's heavenly soldiers with the utmost awe, avoiding them at all costs. How dare we, how dare we, commit such a rebellious act as snatching teeth from a tiger's mouth!"

"That must be...it must be the work of vicious pirates, definitely not the intention of our government! Your Majesty, please investigate! Your Majesty, please investigate!"

The pharmacist Hui Ri also kowtowed repeatedly, his voice hoarse.

"Your Majesty! Our delegation has come to court on orders, solely for the purpose of establishing friendly relations and pursuing knowledge; we have absolutely no ill intentions!"

"The maritime conflict and the abduction of soldiers are such horrific events. It must be a frame-up or the work of pirates. We earnestly hope that Your Majesty will not believe one side of the story and take your anger out on us, your envoys, and our ruler!"

The pressure had reached its peak.

The music and dance had stopped long ago, and all the Tang officials watched this scene solemnly.

Li Shimin slowly stood up.

"To conceal a gold mine is dishonest."

"To capture our soldiers at sea is disrespectful and provocative!"

"These two matters, one factual and one deceptive, clearly demonstrate that your ruler and his ministers are outwardly respectful but inwardly deceitful, fearful of authority but harboring malicious intentions!"

His voice, like the clanging of metal, echoed throughout the palace.

"I have already given you chances. However, you show no remorse whatsoever, only resorting to sophistry and evasion!"

Finally, after these words were spoken, Sakata, a young member of the mission, could no longer bear it.

"Ahhhhhh!!! You idiot!!! You bastards have gone too far!!!"

Sakata's eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted like a demon, and he suddenly pulled a short blade from his chest.

The person opposite him was stunned when he took out a short sword.

No!

How was he brought in?

But it's clearly not the time to think about that.

Sakata glanced around, then gave up after taking one look at Li Shimin.

The emperor was too far away for him to have any chance of killing him.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the censor opposite him, whose face was flushed.

"Rather than die in humiliation, let's perish together!"

"Your Majesty the Emperor! May you live ten thousand years!!!"

"Let's all die together!!!"

A cold light pierced straight into Wang Gui's chest!

"You traitor, how dare you!!!"

"Protect him! Protect Doctor Wang!"

"Pfft!"

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh, accompanied by Wang Gui's muffled groan and splattering blood, instantly stained the floor tiles of Linde Hall red.

Although the Thousand Bull Guards' blades immediately severed Sakata's head, the glaring crimson blood and the fallen Tang Chen had already pushed the banquet into an irreversible abyss.

Seeing the bloody scene before him, Li Shimin's "rage" reached its peak.

"Did you see that?! This is the 'sincerity' you've brought! Murder in front of the palace, assassination of a minister—the evidence is irrefutable!"

"You are all utterly depraved and insane!"