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

The white "Salted Fish" resembled a giant sea monster surveying its territory, breaking through layers of heat waves as it slowly approached this international port located at the hub of the South Pacific shipping routes.

As the distance closed, the huge whistle on the bow suddenly let out a long and deep roar, the deafening sound crashing across the open sea, startling flocks of birds around the harbor into the air.

The once bustling sounds of trade on the docks abruptly ceased, replaced by a deathly silence.

The local indigenous king, shirtless with a bright peacock feather stuck in his forehead, was sitting arrogantly in a soft sedan chair painted with ivory lacquer. But when he saw the enormous, snow-white steel behemoth that didn't even have sails or masts, he was so frightened that he tumbled off the sedan chair.

"Is that...is that the palace of the sea god?" The king murmured hoarsely, his body trembling violently with instinctive awe.

Beside him, the group of Western merchants who prided themselves on their extensive knowledge and roamed the South China Seas with impunity were all too preoccupied to wipe the cold sweat from their brows. They stared intently at the mirror-like hull of the ship, utterly unable to comprehend how such a physics-defying contraption could sail on the sea.

Although the Tang Dynasty's resident governor, who was standing at the forefront of the welcoming team, had seen steam warships before, he still felt an overwhelming sense of awe and wonder when faced with the "Salted Fish," which represented the highest level of craftsmanship of the Eastern Palace.

He was the first to kneel down and respectfully kowtow to the sea.

"Your Majesty, I, the Governor-General of the Southern Seas of the Great Tang Dynasty, pay my respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Majesty the Empress!"

The governor's kneeling was like toppling the first domino.

The thousands of guards behind him knelt down on one knee in unison, the sound of heavy armor scraping against each other was dull and orderly, while the native king and the Western merchants did not hesitate at all, all kneeling facing the sea, forming a dark sea of ​​people.

Faced with this terrifying pressure emanating from steel and machinery, any so-called royal power and dignity appear as fragile as a thin sheet of paper.

On the deck, Li Chengqian was leisurely sipping a glass of grape juice with ice, too lazy to even walk to the ship's side to look down at the group of lowly heads below.

"Your Highness, the king has brought all his most treasured gold and ivory to the dock, saying he wants to invite you and the Queen to disembark and visit their newly built summer palace."

Xu Xiao leaned closer, pointing to the piles of gold specialties on the shore that looked like small mountains, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing.

Empress Zhangsun sat in the glass partition, looking at the spectacular scene of kneeling worship outside the window, and frowned slightly.

"Chengqian, since they are so sincere, even bringing out the national treasury, wouldn't it be too impolite of the Tang Dynasty if we didn't even bother to meet them?"

Li Chengqian spat out a grape seed and shook his head casually.

"Mother, you don't understand. The more approachable you are with these people, the more they will think you are weak and easy to bully. The majesty of the Tang Dynasty is not built by shaking hands with them, but by these ships, by cannons, and by these 'miracles' that they cannot see through."

He stretched and snapped his fingers at Xu Xiao.

"Old Xu, go. Take out my electromagnetic megaphone and read the draft I prepared beforehand. There's no way I'm going to get off the ship. The sun is so scorching, I don't want to suffer in that palace filled with the smell of incense ash."

Xu Xiao grinned, clearly supporting his prince's "arrogance of not disembarking."

He strode to the edge of the deck and pulled out a strangely shaped, all-black metal horn from his pocket. This amplification device, personally tuned by Mo Ju, was equipped with a high-amplification coil.

Xu Xiao cleared his throat and then suddenly pressed the switch.

"Ahem! Listen up, you people on the shore! His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty has arrived here on his inspection tour. Considering your sincerity, he hereby reads aloud the 'Outline for Global Peace and Development of the Great Tang Dynasty'!"

With the amplification of the equipment, Xu Xiao's voice boomed repeatedly over the port like rolling thunder.

"Article One: All nations must learn to speak and use Chinese characters; those who violate this rule will be barred from trade! Article Two: Wherever Tang Dynasty merchant ships sail, the local government must unconditionally provide supplies and may not levy taxes!"

"The Great Tang Dynasty is willing to share prosperity with you all, but on the condition that you understand who truly owns this sea!"

The clumsy yet booming translator then translated these extremely domineering clauses.

The indigenous king, kneeling on the dock, showed no anger whatsoever; instead, he displayed an overwhelming joy, as if he had survived a catastrophe.

He kowtowed frantically on the cement ground, ignoring the redness and swelling on his forehead, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Thank you for your teachings, Your Highness! We are willing to serve the Tang Dynasty for generations to come! We will take any gold from the national treasury, we only ask that Your Highness stay at the port for just one more hour!"

The Western merchants were terrified. Looking at the strange ship that had no sails but could emit sounds like the roar of a tiger and the cry of a dragon, they had only one thought in their minds: the Tang Dynasty had truly arrived, and in a way that they couldn't even see its taillights.

In their eyes, this arrogance of not disembarking was a symbol of absolute power.

"Your Highness, these people are insane. Just now, that king actually asked me if he could send his youngest daughter to your ship to be your shoe-shining maid, saying that as long as she could get a little bit of his divine power, their royal family would be able to stay in power for a hundred years."

Xu Xiao walked back, his old face full of strange expressions.

Li Chengqian chuckled and waved his hand, signaling the engine room to begin pressurization.

"Forget about the maids; this isn't a refugee camp. Let them take the gold back to the warehouse. Do I lack that little bit of gold? What I lack is the rules of this world."

As the internal combustion engine in the engine compartment emitted a deep, resonant hum once more, two plumes of hot white smoke billowed from the exhaust pipes on both sides.

The "Salted Fish" turned gracefully again, its huge propeller stirring up the deep green seawater, creating waves that almost capsized the small fishing boats on the dock.

The foreigners on the shore watched the celestial palace move again, crying and wailing as they chased after it along the beach for a long time, as if they had lost a divine revelation that could change their fate.

Empress Zhangsun looked at the departing harbor and shook her head helplessly.

"You really don't give people any face at all. I saw that little king crying so pitifully just now."

"Mother, if we give them face, they'll dare to secretly cut back on our rubber supplies. Only when they're terrified to the core will they obediently send the best goods to Quanzhou Port."

Li Chengqian lay back down on the rattan chair, comfortably letting Wu Meiniang massage his shoulders.

He casually pulled out a detailed global nautical chart from under the table, his fingers lightly gliding over the vast ocean.

"These people are so unsophisticated. Judging from their appearance, they've probably never even seen a light bulb before. It's really difficult to talk to them."

He turned to look at Wu Meiniang, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Meiniang, we need to speed up our journey. Although these places in Southeast Asia are warm, it just doesn't feel quite as fun."

"Let's go, let's cross the ocean and go to Europe. Let's see how that kid Li Zhi has managed to train those yellow-haired barbarians who only know how to go into the woods and fight chaotic battles all day. I heard he was recently appointed as some kind of 'Grand Governor of Europe' over there. I want to see if he's any good enough."

Wu Meiniang chuckled softly, her beautiful eyes sparkling with lively light.

"If His Highness knew that you personally went to check the accounts, he would probably be so nervous at the port that he would start reciting the Tang Code right now."

"If he fails the HSK Level 4 exam, I'll send him to Antarctica to feed penguins."

Li Chengqian laughed loudly and pressed the lever again.

"Set sail! Destination: Europe!"

The Saltfish cut through the waves, leaving the kneeling and frenzy on the other side completely behind in the wake.

As the sun sets, the white silhouette of the ship appears exceptionally lonely and proud against the backdrop of the sea and sky.

"Xu Xiao, bring me my deep-sea fishing rod. I want to catch a legendary sea monster while crossing the ocean to add to Mother's meal."

"Alright, Your Highness, just you wait and see!"