My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

"You...you..." The Japanese envoy was so choked by Li Chen's words that he almost couldn't catch his breath.

He suddenly turned to face Li Shimin and kowtowed heavily.

"Your Majesty! You heard it! He admitted it! The Prince of Qin of the Tang Dynasty is utterly arrogant and disregards human life! We beg Your Majesty to uphold justice!"

Li Shimin took a deep breath, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

He stared at Li Chen, his eyes constantly giving Li Chen meaningful glances.

That means: quickly find an excuse, say they attacked first, or say you mistook someone for someone else, and I'll go along with it and punish you with half a month of confinement, and that'll get by.

Li Chen understood instantly.

Li Chen's expression suddenly changed.

That unbridled arrogance was like ice and snow under the scorching sun, melting away completely in an instant.

Instead, their faces were filled with fear, grievance, and lingering apprehension.

He stumbled back two steps, as if he had been subjected to some great shock. He clutched his chest tightly with both hands, and his breathing became rapid.

"Father, you are wise!"

Li Chen suddenly opened his throat and let out an extremely mournful wail, tinged with sobs.

The voice echoed in the empty hall, completely stunning Li Shimin, who was brewing his anger.

The entire court was taken aback and stared at him intently.

Li Chen's eyes reddened, and he forced out two glistening tears, which slid down his cheeks. He pointed at the two Japanese men on the stretcher, his fingers trembling like leaves falling in the autumn wind.

"Your Majesty, I have been wronged! Your Majesty, I have suffered an unimaginable injustice!"

Li Chen burst into tears and began his Oscar-worthy performance.

"Yesterday, I simply went to the West Market to buy a flatbread to fill my stomach, as I always do."

"These two thieves, dressed in strange clothes, approached with shifty eyes."

"They grabbed me, insisting they possessed an unparalleled treasure, and tried to lure me into a secluded, dark alley!"

"Your subject was only focused on eating the pancakes at the time, little did he know the world was so treacherous. As soon as we entered the alley, those two revealed their true, vicious nature!"

Li Chen gestured with his hands in mid-air, making vivid and expressive gestures.

"They not only hurled insults at me with extremely vulgar and obscene language, but they also attempted to commit indecent acts against me!"

"As a prince of the Great Tang Dynasty, how can I endure such a humiliating disgrace? I will resist to the death and refuse to submit!"

At this point, Li Chen lifted the hem of his moon-white robe, revealing a stain that had been dirtied by mud and water yesterday.

"Father, look! These are the marks they left when they dragged me! They outnumbered me and even carried knives! I was powerless to even kill a chicken, and I almost met a terrible end in that dark dead end!"

The atmosphere in the main hall became extremely strange.

The civil and military officials looked at the barely noticeable mud stain on Li Chen's body, and then at the two severely wounded men on the ground, their limbs severed and their mouths rotten.

Weak as a chicken? Almost met a terrible end?

Even the imperial guards standing watch outside the palace gates didn't believe him when he said this.

But Li Chen was so engrossed in his performance that he wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye and continued his accusation.

"Fortunately, Heaven has eyes! Qin Huaidao happened to be patrolling the streets with Wuhou when he heard my desperate cries for help and rushed in with his men to rescue me."

Li Chen suddenly turned around, pointed at the Japanese envoy's nose, and loudly rebuked him.

"And guess what? These two were surrounded by the Martial Lord, but instead of laying down their weapons, they became extremely arrogant and even drew their swords to resist arrest!"

"They took advantage of their status as envoys from a foreign land and started a fight, even daring to attack the patrol guards! In the end, it took dozens of military officers risking their lives to subdue these two desperate criminals!"

Li Chen flicked his sleeves, straightened his chest, and looked both righteous and aggrieved.

"In order to protect myself and to uphold the dignity of the Tang Dynasty, I may have accidentally kicked them a couple more times in the chaos."

"Is this considered unprovoked assault? Is this considered vigilante justice? This is self-defense! This is assisting the government in catching a thief!"

Inside the main hall, you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was shocked by Li Chen's ability to distort the truth and spout nonsense.

One second he's a mischievous devil who thinks, "What can you do if I hit you?", the next he's a weak scholar who narrowly escaped being harmed and fights back.

The speed at which this person changes their expression is faster than turning the pages of a book.

The Japanese envoy stared with bloodshot eyes and his mouth agape, wide enough to fit a fist.

He understood.

This prince of the Tang Dynasty is blatantly lying in front of the entire world!

"You...you're talking nonsense!"

Zhengshi was so angry that he was trembling all over, and he didn't even care about the most basic etiquette. He pointed at Li Chen and cursed him.

"Nonsense! Slander!"

"This is blatant slander! They are samurai of Great Japan, how could they possibly rob you? How could they possibly attempt to harm you? You are throwing dirty water on the face of Great Japan!"

He turned to look at Li Shimin, his voice stern.

"Your Majesty! You cannot believe his one-sided story! He not only assaulted someone, but he also turned around and accused us!"

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

As he watched his son perform with great emotion below, the nameless anger in his heart inexplicably dissipated.

Although this kid talks a lot of nonsense and doesn't tell the truth, he delivered this step down very smoothly.

As long as they insist that the other side was the one who first plotted against them and violently resisted arrest, then the Tang Dynasty would have a valid and justifiable claim.

So what if his leg was broken? Not being beheaded on the spot is already a great favor from heaven.

"Oh?" Li Shimin leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming authoritative and cold. "The envoy says that the Prince of Qin's account is only one side of the story. In your opinion, whose side should I listen to?"

"A thorough investigation is warranted, of course!" the envoy gritted his teeth, pointing to the stretcher on the ground. "Once they wake up, we'll know the truth with a few questions!"

Li Chen chuckled beside him.

"Ask them? They've all been beaten to a pulp by me... no, by Zhuge Liang, all their teeth are gone, and their tongues are bitten off. What kind of gibberish could they possibly utter?"

Li Chen spread his hands, striking an extremely magnanimous pose.

"Since the envoy doesn't believe me, the victim, that's fine. No problem."

Li Chen turned around, facing the outside of the main hall, and raised his voice.

"The one who led the patrol and personally arrested the two thieves was Qin Huaidao, the Left Guard General! He saw everything that happened in the alley at that time."

Li Chen looked at the Japanese envoy, a provocative smile curving his lips.

"If you don't believe me, then let's bring Qin Huaidao in and confront him in court."

"Do you dare listen to what the Tang Dynasty generals have to say?"

The Japanese envoy was cornered. He firmly believed his men would never attempt to rob a Tang Dynasty prince, and immediately shouted, "A confrontation is fine! Bring him here! If he dares to give false testimony, this foreign minister will not rest!"

Li Chen turned his head and winked at Li Shimin on the dragon throne.

Li Shimin understood immediately and slammed his hand on the imperial desk.

"Summon Qin Huaidao, General of the Left Guard, to the palace!"

A long, shrill voice from the eunuch echoed through the hall.

Heavy footsteps echoed on the white marble steps outside the hall.

A cold wind blew in from outside the main hall, stirring up a chilling atmosphere.

Qin Huaidao was striding towards the palace gate.