Xiao Huai suppressed the urge to hit him and forced a smile, "Don't you recognize me? I am the Third Prince, Xiao Huai."

He leaned close to Hua Jin and whispered, but Hua Jin couldn't remember for a long time. "Third Prince? Who are you?"

Xiao Huai recognized this man because he had previously schemed to seize the throne, and this Hua Jin was one of the important officials in the Western Regions, one of the people he wanted to win over. He had a deep impression of this man, but Hua Jin had little recollection of him, an ordinary prince of the Great Jin Dynasty.

The veins on Xiao Huai's forehead throbbed. Oh well, for the sake of his ambition to dominate the country, he endured it.

"The Third Prince of the Great Jin Dynasty, don't you remember? We even drank together."

Xiao Huai described where they had been drinking, trying to jog Hua Jin's memory, but those memories were too distant and difficult to recall.

However, Hua Jin eventually remembered that there was a third prince in the Great Jin Dynasty, but in his memory, that third prince was dashing and debonair, and had nothing to do with the middle-aged man in front of him.

Besides, wasn't the third prince imprisoned for rebelling? When was he released?

Seeing that he seemed to remember him, Xiao Huai's wrinkles deepened with excitement. "What are you doing here? According to the rules, this isn't the time for envoys from the Western Regions to come here."

The vassal states usually came to pay homage to the emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty during festivals or on the emperor's birthday.

But it's neither a festival nor the emperor's birthday, so why are there envoys from the Western Regions in the capital of the Great Jin Dynasty?

Hua Jin smiled and asked Xiao Huai, "Did the Third Prince just come out?"

Xiao Huai blushed slightly but didn't answer, which was an admission. Hua Jin sighed and looked at Xiao Huai with pity, "I've lived here for over ten years."

One second Xiao Huai was embarrassed by the other person's sympathy, the next second he was stunned.

Ten or more years?

Xiao Huai couldn't understand Hua Jin's words. Why would a high-ranking official from the Western Regions have lived in the capital of the Great Jin for more than ten years? Had the Western Regions disappeared? Or had Hua Jin defected to the Great Jin during the war between the Great Jin and the Western Regions?

A thousand guesses flew through Xiao Huai's mind, but he never considered that the Western Regions had become a city of the Great Jin. Or perhaps he did think of it, but subconsciously he rejected the idea. If the Western Regions had become a city of the Great Jin, how could he use the Western Regions' military strength to plot for the throne?

However, things in life often don't go as planned, so Hua Jin explained the current situation to him.

Not only the Western Regions, but also some nearby vassal states, all vying for the Great Jin's electricity, have joined the Great Jin. Even more remarkably, the rulers and nobles of those vassal states have settled in the Great Jin capital. Heh heh, well, he's one of them.

However, some fierce barbarians tried to rob them, but the Great Jin Dynasty used a high-tech weapon to poke them, and the barbarians immediately knelt down and called them father.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Huai felt dizzy. Since his release from prison, he knew that the Great Jin Dynasty had changed a lot and become much more prosperous, but he thought it was just a golden age, and although rebellion was difficult, there was still a chance. But he never imagined that the Great Jin Dynasty had become so prosperous!

He was unwilling to accept this and wanted Hua Jin to help introduce their king. He refused to believe that no one would be unwilling to be the ruler of the world, and he refused to believe that the rebellious people of the Western Regions would be so willing to be led by the Great Jin.

Hua Jin was unaware that he was plotting to turn their ruler against them—or rather, the governor of a province—so he agreed.

Since they were old acquaintances, Hua Jin generously treated Xiao Huai to a bowl of spicy soup. Although Xiao Huai was attracted by the aroma, he drank it without any taste because he was in a bad mood.