Knowing he was in the wrong, the Loulan envoy frowned. "That is indeed true, but the amount of tribute is far too much for Loulan. I hope Your Majesty can reduce the tribute, otherwise Loulan simply cannot afford it."

The envoy from Dongyue echoed, "Dongyue also begs Your Majesty for mercy!"

The Gu Mo envoy cupped his hands in greeting, "Gu Mo only wishes to temporarily reduce tribute. Once the internal strife ends, Gu Mo will resume tribute!"

Ying Zheng's gaze turned slightly cold. "Too much? When you were suffering terribly at the hands of foreign enemies, you never complained about the amount of tribute you were paying!"

In the past, these small countries were very honest. When the time came, they would pay tribute voluntarily and never complain.

But now that things have gradually settled down, there's been a sudden increase in activity.

The Loulan envoy said, "In the past, the soldiers of the Great Qin helped us resist foreign enemies, shedding blood and losing their lives. Even if they paid more tribute, we would have no complaints."

"But to be precise, there are almost no foreign enemies attacking Loulan now, so it doesn't make sense that we still have so many tributes to offer."

The envoy from Dongyue echoed, "Yes, to be precise, the Great Qin has done nothing yet, but they still demand so much tribute from us."

Ying Zheng snorted coldly, "If it weren't for the sacrifices of the Qin soldiers, would you have the peaceful life you enjoy today?"

"There are no foreign enemies attacking Loulan now? You don't think Loulan has risen up, do you?"

"If it weren't for the prestige established by the thousands of soldiers who sacrificed themselves for Qin, and the news of Qin's protection now, how could Loulan live in such peace?"

The Loulan envoy's gaze narrowed slightly. "If Your Majesty feels this way, then Great Qin may declare that it will no longer protect Loulan, and Loulan will no longer pay tribute!"

The Dongyue envoy bowed, "Dongyue too!"

The Gu Mo envoy echoed, "Gu Mo is the same!"

Ying Zheng's gaze darkened slightly.

When did a few small countries ever show such backbone in the face of the Great Qin?

"Dad, the gift is ready."

Just then, the little guy came back with the cloth.

The little guy's eyes turned slightly cold as he glanced down at the people bowing below.

[A bunch of ingrates! They had plenty of food but hoarded it, and now that life is stable thanks to Qin, they've turned their backs on us!]

Ying Zheng's expression changed slightly.

These guys actually have enough food?

What's even more hateful is that they've now colluded with foreign enemies to harm Qin, repaying kindness with enmity and endangering Qin—truly despicable!

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng's expression turned cold.

Not only did they turn their backs on us, but now they're even repaying kindness with enmity?!

Don't they realize that their peaceful lives today were bought with the lives of countless Qin soldiers?