Outside the main hall, the sound of bamboo canes striking flesh wounds was exceptionally loud, accompanied by cries of pain, sending chills down one's spine.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Linghu Lan held Jiang Wujiang's small hand, her heart devoid of sorrow or joy.
Evil people are spoiled by cowards.
The twenty strokes of the cane were quickly finished.
Several people were carried up.
With Linghu Lan around, no one dared to cheat. The twenty strokes of the cane were delivered solidly, leaving bloody marks on their buttocks.
Linghu Lan smiled.
"Now, please present your report to His Majesty the Emperor. I am listening!"
The crowd was devastated; their earlier bravado in yelling at the emperor vanished instantly.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully obey Your Majesty's decree and dare not have any objection!"
"Your Majesty, I believe it would be better to summon the envoy from the Wushui Kingdom to the palace and ask him directly."
"Exactly! I second that!"
Linghu Lan: "..."
A good beating really did he right! Wouldn't it have been better if he'd been this obedient from the start?
Jiang Wujiang calmed down and, seeing Linghu Lan nod, said, "Summon the envoy from the Wushui Kingdom!"
...
A moment later.
A commotion erupted outside the hall.
An envoy from the Kingdom of Wushui has arrived.
He strode into the hall and arrogantly declared, "The envoy of the Wushui Kingdom pays respects to the Emperor and Regent of the Yu Kingdom."
This is the posture of a victor.
They had every reason to be arrogant. Yu was in turmoil, and Jiang Xinwei had moved south and occupied half the country. Years of war had weakened Yu, making it impossible for them to refuse Wu Shui's proposal.
Supporting Jiang Xinwei and her group came at a higher price, but by threatening Jiang Wujiang with troops, they could easily take over ten cities.
The envoy's attitude angered even the ministers who had just advocated for peace.
"Why don't you bow to His Majesty?"
The envoy from Wushui Kingdom sneered.
"Why should I worship someone who is not my sovereign? You have a saying, 'Loyalty to one's sovereign is unwavering.' As a loyal subject, I only worship the sovereign of my own country and will not worship the emperor of another country."
They are resorting to sophistry and unreasonable arguments; they are from a barbarian land.
The ministers were furious.
"Since your country has no sincerity, why talk about ceding ten cities?"
"Indeed, if you wish to negotiate peace, you must first pay homage to our king."
"Indeed, I had long heard that the Wushui Kingdom was a barbarian land, and indeed they are ignorant of civilization."
Chaos reigned in the imperial court, but Jiang Wujiang remained calm and composed on the dragon throne.
Linghu Lan was so angry she almost laughed.
An envoy makes you think you're incredibly powerful?
"Guards, cut off his feet!"
Everyone was taken aback.
Jiang Wujiang looked at Linghu Lan in surprise. "The Regent?"
Linghu Lan patted her on the shoulder to comfort her.
The envoy looked on in disbelief, "Why did the Regent cut off my foot?"
Linghu Lan sneered.
"You just said you would be loyal to the king and never bow to the king of another country. If you are so loyal, wouldn't it be an insult to your patriotism to set foot on the land of another country? I will grant your wish and make you a loyal subject. Guards, cut off his feet."
As he spoke, a guard stepped forward, lifted the envoy, and led him outside.
The envoy panicked.
"I have come here to negotiate peace on the orders of my king. You have injured me, and my king will certainly not let this go!"
"You, Yu the Great, are finished! Hahahaha! If you have the guts, kill me and watch my Wushui Kingdom's iron cavalry trample your Yu Kingdom's borders!"
Linghu Lan smiled.
"As you wish! Guards! Cut off his dog's head and send it back to the Kingdom of Wushui!"
The ministers felt dizzy.
If this is cut, it means there's no hope for peace talks? It's a complete collapse!
"Regent, please reconsider!"
"Your Majesty, if we sever ties between the two countries, it will lead to hostility. If Wushui then raises an army to attack our country, things could get very bad."
“Those who plead for leniency will be punished for treason!” Linghu Lan calmly added.
Everyone: "..."
The envoy was taken away.
This time I'm really panicking.
"Regent, spare my life!"
Linghu Lan couldn't help but chuckle. He was so cocky just now, but now he's backing down?
Too late, I won't accept your admission of weakness!
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