My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

The sky slowly began to brighten.

A pale, fish-belly white light appeared in the east.

The morning bell outside Chang'an City tolled 108 times, echoing through the 108 wards.

The Four Directions Pavilion is a multi-courtyard building.

The Japanese envoy sat on the tatami mat, holding a cup of hot water in his hands, which were still trembling involuntarily.

I was so angry in the Taiji Hall yesterday that I fainted and didn't wake up until midnight.

He touched his chest, which was still aching slightly, his eyes filled with resentment.

The princes of the Tang Dynasty were too arrogant, and the generals of the Tang Dynasty were too shameless.

He couldn't swallow this insult; he wanted to write down all these humiliations in his official letter and report them to the Emperor.

"Bang bang bang".

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the courtyard gate, so loud that dust fell from the door frame.

The envoy was startled and quickly gestured to the servant next to him to open the door.

The door opened.

An old eunuch in a purple robe stood outside the door, holding a whisk in his hand. Behind him followed two rows of heavily armored guards with swords at their waists.

"The Japanese envoy, listen to my decree." The old eunuch's voice was high-pitched and arrogant.

The envoy scrambled out of the house and knelt in the courtyard.

"His Majesty has issued an imperial edict." The old eunuch glanced down at him. "Summon the chief envoy of Japan to proceed immediately to the side chamber of the Ganlu Hall for an audience."

The envoy was stunned.

Was it a private audience? Or in a side chamber of the Ganlu Hall, a place where the emperor usually resided?

His heart, which had been pounding with frustration all night, suddenly began to race.

What does the Tang emperor mean by this?

Could it be that he couldn't save face in front of all the officials yesterday, so he's trying to appease him privately today?

Yes, that must be it! The Celestial Empire values ​​face above all else, so they will definitely give him a generous reward in private as compensation!

The envoy's eyes lit up, and he quickly kowtowed to the ground.

"Your humble servant obeys the decree! Many thanks to Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang for your great favor!"

He got up, not even having time to change his clothes, and hurriedly tidied up his shaved head.

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency. I will accompany you into the palace immediately."

The old eunuch watched him wring his hands excitedly and a strange, cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Your Excellency, please." The old eunuch stepped aside to make way for him.

The envoy straightened his chest and strode out of the courtyard gate.

The morning light shone on the glazed tiles of Taiji Palace, reflecting a cold, hard light. Zheng Shi followed behind the old eunuch, walking quickly all the way.

He noticed that there seemed to be twice as many guards in the palace today as usual.

Before each palace gate stood fully armed imperial guards, their faces grim.

Zhengshi didn't think much of it, assuming it was just the grand display of the Tang Dynasty emperor.

After bypassing the main hall and passing through several long corridors, we finally arrived at the side pavilion of the Ganlu Hall. The atmosphere here was even quieter.

It was so quiet that not even a bird chirped.

The old eunuch stopped in front of the heavy nanmu door of the side room and turned around.

"Your Excellency, His Majesty is waiting for you inside." The old eunuch's voice was very soft, and he flicked his whisk in mid-air.

The envoy took a deep breath and straightened his wide sleeves.

He fantasized about hearing the gentle words of the Tang emperor and about the chests of gold and silver treasures that would soon be bestowed upon him.

He raised his hand and forcefully pushed open the door to the side room.

The door hinges creaked loudly, like a giant beast opening its bloody maw.

The envoy stepped in, lifting the wide hem of his robe, a fawning smile on his face.

A muffled "bang" was heard.

The heavy nanmu wood door slammed shut behind him, blocking out the faint morning sunlight.

There were no candles lit in the side room, and the light dimmed instantly.

The envoy was startled and quickly turned around.

Four people stood behind the door, like four impenetrable iron walls.

Cheng Yaojin, Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Qin Qiong.

None of them were wearing court robes; their dark everyday clothes seemed to blend completely into the shadows of the side chamber, and they even breathed very softly.

No one spoke; only four pairs of eyes stared intently at him.

There wasn't a trace of human warmth in his eyes; they were as cold as if he were looking at a corpse that had just been pulled out of an ice hole.

"My lords..." The envoy swallowed hard, his voice a little dry.

A faint sound of fabric rubbing came from ahead.

The envoy stiffly turned his neck to look at the center of the hall.

Li Shimin stood with his back to him, his hands behind his back, his figure like a solitary, oppressive peak.

"Your Majesty," the envoy knelt on the cold gold bricks, "this humble subject has been summoned to an audience. What are Your Majesty's orders?"

Li Shimin neither turned around nor uttered a sound.

The main hall was deathly silent, with only the echoing "plop" of water dripping from the water clock.

The silence was like an invisible net, tightening around the envoy's neck little by little, giving him a sudden feeling of suffocation, making it hard for him to breathe.

He raised his head, trying to find a clue on the faces of the powerful Tang officials around him.

Cheng Yaojin's hand rested on the hilt of the horizontal sword at his waist, his thumb already pushing the blade out half an inch, a cold, eerie light faintly visible in the dim light.

Just as he was starting to panic, he finally realized something was wrong.

This is not appeasement, there are no rewards here. What permeates this side room is a tangible killing intent!

"Your Majesty! This foreign minister represents..."

Before the envoy could finish speaking, Li Shimin slowly turned around.

The envoy's voice was cut off as if by scissors; his mouth was wide open, but he couldn't make a sound.

What a face it was!

His face was extremely haggard, his eyes were sunken, and his eyes were covered with dense red blood vessels, as if he had been soaking in blood all night.

Li Shimin's face showed no anger, but was as calm as a stagnant pool.

But this stagnant calm exudes a terrifying pressure that chills one to the bone.

Li Shimin strode towards the chief envoy.

The leather boots clattered heavily and slowly on the gold bricks, one step, two steps.

"No...no..." He was using both hands and feet to desperately back away.

He retreated too hastily, his back slamming heavily into Changsun Wuji's leg, but it felt like hitting a cold stone; Changsun Wuji didn't even glance at him.

Li Shimin stopped in front of the chief envoy, looking down at him from his superior position.

Without warning, Li Shimin reached out his right hand and grabbed the envoy by the collar and neck.

With a sudden burst of strength, the thick arm lifted the short Japanese man off the ground with one arm!

"Well--!"

His feet were dangling in the air, and his throat was tightly blocked.

The envoy's face instantly turned purplish-red, and he frantically grabbed at Li Shimin's arms with both hands, while his two short legs kicked wildly in mid-air.

Li Shimin's hands remained motionless like iron clamps, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the struggling prey in his hands. The calm on his face was finally torn apart, turning into a ferocious demonic expression.

"Cough...let...let me go..." The envoy rolled his eyes, squeezing out broken pleas for mercy.

"Spare the foreign official..."

Hearing the words "let them go"...

Li Shimin suddenly laughed, the laughter rolling out from deep in his throat, growing louder and louder.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

He threw his head back and let out a desolate and maniacal laugh, which echoed under the dome of the side room, making the window frames tremble.

The laughter stopped abruptly.