Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

The silence inside the Taiji Hall was broken by a subtle yet rhythmic, crisp sound.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock."

Marcellus held his breath; he had never heard such a precise, cold, yet strangely rhythmic sound.

He mustered his courage and raised his gaze a few inches off the carpet.

The young prince, leaning back in his chair, was idly fiddling with a round, golden object in his hand.

The object reflected a dazzling metallic sheen in the sunlight.

With a gentle flick of his slender fingers, Li Chengqian opened the golden cover, revealing an extremely intricate white watch face inside.

Three steel needles, as thin as hair, are tirelessly jumping on the dial.

That is the passage of time.

Marcellus felt like his brain was about to explode.

In Rome, they used sundials to observe the sun and huge clepsydras to drip water.

Those things are clumsy and slow; even the most learned astrologer cannot capture such subtle moments.

But this eight-year-old child actually imprisoned time, which only gods can control, in a golden box the size of a palm?

"Lord Marcellus... is that the eye of God?"

Prince Peroz lay on the ground, his voice barely audible.

"No... Peroz."

Marcellus's throat was as dry as if he had just swallowed a handful of sand.

"That is the pulse of God."

"Look at that jumping pointer; every movement is perfect. That's the absolute control of the gods over the laws governing the workings of all things."

He recalled the steel warships that spewed clouds and mist outside the Daedong River, and then saw this exquisitely crafted pocket watch.

Logic completed the final closed loop in his mind.

They can create such colossal beasts capable of destroying the world, and they also possess such precise truths.

This Tang Dynasty crown prince is definitely not an ordinary mortal!

He must be a divine incarnation sent down by God because He saw the chaos on earth!

"Great Son of God!"

Marcellus suddenly let out a high-pitched aria, and due to excessive excitement, he crawled forward on his knees a few steps.

He made the perfect cross on his chest in front of everyone.

"I am your humblest believer, a lamb from the far west!"

"Your wisdom is deeper than the Mediterranean Sea, your strength greater than Mount Olympus!"

This sudden outburst of piety completely bewildered Li Shimin.

Li Shimin tilted his head, looking at the Roman envoy whose face was full of fanaticism and who seemed to want to pounce on Li Chengqian and lick the soles of his shoes.

He thought to himself, "Are these foreigners a little dim-witted?"

It's just a timekeeping device, why get so excited?

But seeing his son's nonchalant, even somewhat disdainful expression, Li Shimin felt incredibly pleased.

did you see it?

That's class!

What you see as miracles are nothing more than a pastime for my son.

"Alright, stop with your empty platitudes."

Li Chengqian closed his pocket watch, making a crisp "snap" sound.

He turned his head, his gaze somewhat unfocused as he looked at the various offerings in the center of the hall.

"I was dragged here by my father before I had even washed my face, not to hear you sing and praise me."

"I heard you brought quite a few 'treasures'? Show them to me."

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, the envoys from various countries jumped up as if they had received an imperial edict.

"Your Highness! This is the purest Buddha relic from India. May it bless the Tang Dynasty to endure forever!"

An Indian envoy wearing a turban carefully picked up a gold box inlaid with jewels.

"Your Highness, this is the 'Star of the Desert' ruby, a treasure of the Persian royal family for over a century, weighing ten ounces!"

Prince Peroz went all out, raising the treasure box high in his arms.

"And then there's our finest ambergris from Rome. Just one piece is worth a fortune, enough to keep the entire palace fragrant for years to come!"

Marcellus directed his entourage to laboriously carry several heavy wooden crates down the steps.

For a time, the Taiji Hall was filled with the glittering jewels and the fragrant aroma of medicine.

Red, green, and purple gemstones shimmered and sparkled under the lights.

Those rare treasures that would have sparked a war and driven countless merchants mad in the outside world were now piled up like cabbages in the center of the hall.

Li Shimin's eyes began to gleam with greed as he looked at these things.

He was calculating in his mind.

These items should be sent to the inner treasury, or given to Dai Zhou to be cashed in.

The Tang Dynasty's ocean-going aircraft carriers... no, the Tang Dynasty's railways can be extended by at least several hundred miles!

however.

Li Chengqian merely narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the treasures with utter casualness.

The initial expectation quickly cooled after they saw through the true nature of these things.

It was a heartfelt, undisguised disdain.

It's like someone who's used to eating a Manchu Han Imperial Feast, only to be presented with a bowl of moldy rice porridge mixed with sand.

"this one?"

Li Chengqian's voice was filled with undisguised boredom.

He stood up from his chair, his movements still a little unsteady as he remained sleepy.

However, the aura of dimensional reduction that he inadvertently exuded was like an invisible mountain that instantly pressed down on the spines of all the envoys.

He walked up to the pile of gems and casually kicked the box full of rubies.

"Perus, the quality of your stone is only so-so, and the cracks inside are like a spider web."

"A few pieces of glass that I could easily burn from my arsenal would be brighter than this."

Peroz's smile froze instantly, turning into utter embarrassment.

Li Chengqian looked at the box of ambergris again and fanned his nose.

"Marcelos, your spices have a strong sea smell that's giving me a headache."

"I have an entire island of spices that haven't been shipped back yet. Who are you trying to fool with these few pieces?"

Finally, he stopped in front of the supposedly sacred Buddha relic.

He didn't even bother to extend his hand, he just gave a cold laugh.

"Friend from India, the underfloor heating in my Taiji Hall is welded shut with reinforced concrete. Could your bone fragments help me reduce the construction costs?"

The hall fell into a deathly silence once again.

The envoys, who were originally overjoyed and thought they could win the favor of the crown prince, were now all struck dumb.

These were top-tier tributes that they had acquired at great expense, enough to buy half a country.

In the eyes of this eight-year-old prince, everything was just worthless trash?

Li Chengqian turned around and looked at the envoys who were silent and at a loss.

A wicked yet domineering sly smile appeared on his youthful face.

"Gentlemen, I was going to give you some face since you have come all the way from halfway around the world."

Li Chengqian picked up the exquisite pocket watch and twirled it between his fingers.

"You think you can exchange these extremely outdated and broken pieces for my Great Tang Technology?"

"You think you can get the protection of the Tang Dynasty's navy?"

He suddenly raised his voice, which resounded throughout the hall.

"Do you think the Tang Dynasty is too easy to talk to, or do you think this place is a junkyard?"

"Is this all the junk you've come all this way to feed beggars?"