Chapter 610: I Want to Make Huang Tian Prefecture Disappear
Lin Ran took a deep breath, the cold air chilling her to the bone. If the man before her were just an unreasonable father, she could have endured it with a little compromise. But this man was also the ruler of a nation, and it was the common people of the entire Xihui Dynasty who would suffer.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Her Highness the Princess is still young and speaks thoughtlessly. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
At this moment, Eunuch Zhong, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward to mediate. Having been a eunuch his entire life, he naturally understood when to advise and when not to.
“Forget it. It’s a joyous occasion, and I won’t argue with you. You may withdraw!”
Lin Tu readily took the offered way out and waved his sleeve.
Lin Ran didn’t want to stay any longer and turned to leave the Imperial Study in a hurry.
“Eunuch Zhong, do you think I should really give the HongHua Sect a lesson? Qi Huang not only disgraced me but also affected the father-daughter relationship between me and the Sixth Princess. She is truly detestable.”
Lin Tu said, his anger still unquenchable.
“This old servant dares not speak rashly. It is up to Your Majesty to decide.”
Eunuch Zhong replied respectfully.
Lin Tu did not speak but fell into thought.
A few days later, Lin Tu held a grand celebration in the Imperial Palace for his sixtieth birthday and ordered the entire country to celebrate.
On this day, the Imperial Palace was filled with singing and dancing, the Imperial Capital echoed with the sound of drums and gongs, and many large towns also set off firecrackers, making it as lively as a festival. However, the remote small towns and villages remained shrouded in darkness, with evil spirits rampant and people living in misery.
In a magnificent palace hall, Lin Tu sat majestically on the dragon throne, clad in a golden dragon robe. After a few cups of fine wine, his face showed a trace of intoxication, and he seemed to be in good spirits.
On both sides of the hall sat some of the imperial family’s princes and nobles, as well as many foreign guests who came to offer congratulations, some from friendly nations, and some who had come uninvited.
Lin Tu looked at the uninvited guests, and his look of pride became even more evident. In his opinion, this was because his influence was great enough.
“Today is Your Majesty’s sixtieth birthday. I am deeply grateful that you could all take time out of your busy schedules to come and offer congratulations! Especially to all you foreign guests, you have traveled thousands of miles to be here, and it must have been tiring. I toast you all!”
Lin Tu, feeling proud, raised his wine cup again and toasted the crowd in the hall.
“Your Majesty is too kind, this is our duty as subjects!”
“Yes, Your Majesty has worked tirelessly for the Xihui Dynasty, allowing us to live such happy and fulfilling lives. You are like our own parents, so it is only natural for us to come and congratulate you.”
“Your Majesty, after your enthronement, you established good relations with our Gaosheng Kingdom, ensuring that the people of both countries were not affected by war. It is only right that we come to congratulate you, and we hope that the friendship between our two countries will last for generations.”
The officials and foreign guests below raised their cups and flattered him.
After a cup of wine, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.
“Your Majesty, traveling thousands of miles is nothing, but there are indeed too many evil spirits on the road. We, having some strength, are not afraid, but what about the common people? As the ruler of a nation, your responsibilities are heavy and far-reaching!”
The envoy from Gaosheng Kingdom suddenly spoke sarcastically. They were one of the uninvited groups, and they were currently having frequent friction with the Xihui Dynasty.
Lin Tu’s smile gradually became stiff. He had originally thought these people came out of respect for him, but now it seemed they had come purely to cause trouble. It was truly detestable.
Lin Tu pondered for a moment, then shifted the responsibility: “Honored guest from Gaosheng Kingdom, what you say is indeed true. However, as the emperor of the mortal world, I can only deal with those bandits and outlaws. I am truly powerless against evil spirits, so this matter must rely on the Immortal Alliance!”
As Lin Tu spoke, he looked at Elder Zuo sitting below and asked, “Don’t you agree, Elder Zuo!”
Elder Zuo was taken aback for a moment. After a moment, he finally realized that this dog emperor wanted to shift all the blame onto him. Although he was furious, he could not refuse in such a setting. He could only say with a dark expression, “Your Majesty, please rest assured, this is the responsibility of the Immortal Alliance, and I will do my best.”
“That’s good.”
Lin Tu smiled indifferently.
“Your Majesty, although this foreign minister traveled a long way and was indeed a bit tired, being able to taste such delicacies and appreciate such graceful dances has long since dispelled my fatigue!”
At this moment, the envoy from Beiling Kingdom also spoke, seemingly complimenting him.
“Since our honored guest from Beiling Kingdom likes it, please enjoy it to your heart’s content. If there’s one thing the Xihui Dynasty is not short of, it’s delicious food and beautiful women.”
Lin Tu declared proudly.
“Your Majesty, the delicacies of the Xihui Dynasty are indeed mouth-watering, but the dances are a bit lacking. May this foreign minister offer some suggestions?”
The envoy from Beiling Kingdom suddenly stood up and cupped his fists.
“What high opinion does the envoy have?”
Lin Tu’s smile faded again, as the Beiling Kingdom was also a country with frequent friction with the Xihui Dynasty.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, court dances emphasize elegance and grandeur. But look at these dancers, they are all small and delicate, like a group of children who haven’t grown up. They are too petty and cannot express the solemnity of this occasion. Are all the women in the Xihui Dynasty so short?”
The envoy from Beiling Kingdom began to pick a fight.
As the words fell, the only sound in the entire hall was the music and dance, and the atmosphere became strange.
A few dancers were caught off guard and some of the more sensitive ones began to falter in their movements.
Lin Tu’s smile finally disappeared completely. He frowned and retorted:
“But I think their height is not low!”
“Is it? I see they are quite short. Your Majesty says they are not tall, is that compared to the people of your Huang Tian Prefecture? I have been to that place before, and it is indeed as the rumors say, everyone is only three inches tall, haha…”
The envoy said, then laughed to himself.
“Hahaha…”
The envoys from several other uninvited delegations also began to chime in.
At this point, all the people of the Xihui Dynasty present had unpleasant expressions on their faces.
“Envoy from Beiling Kingdom, you have traveled a long way, and I should treat you with courtesy. But what is the meaning of your unwarranted attack on my subjects? If you cannot give a reasonable explanation, then don’t blame this princess for asking you to leave.”
Lin Ran suddenly stood up and rebuked.
“Sixth Princess, please calm your anger. This foreign minister has no ill intentions, he is merely speaking up for you. You all look tall and majestic, slender and graceful, yet you are implicated because of a small Huang Tian Prefecture and are ridiculed by other countries as inhabitants of a midget country. It is truly unjust!”
The envoy from Beiling Kingdom explained hypocritically.
“You don’t need to worry about that. No matter how short the people of Huang Tian Prefecture may be, they are still subjects of my Xihui Dynasty, and the court will never treat them differently!”
Lin Ran declared forcefully.
“Since Her Highness the Princess is so benevolent, then there is nothing that can be done. Your Xihui Dynasty will probably have to bear the nickname of the midget country for all eternity. It is truly a great humiliation!”
The envoy from Beiling Kingdom deliberately sat down with a sigh.
“You…”
Lin Ran trembled with anger and was about to step forward to argue.
“Presumptuous!”
Lin Tu’s cold reprimand rang out.
Lin Ran had no choice but to sit down with an unwilling expression.
Late at night, Lin Tu returned to the Imperial Study with a grim face. He had originally intended to have a pleasant sixtieth birthday today, but instead, he had been filled with anger.
“Huang Tian Prefecture! It’s Huang Tian Prefecture again!”
Lin Tu slammed the table violently, his features contorted.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”
Eunuch Zhong, who was by his side, quickly advised.
“How can I calm down? That Qi Huang is from Huang Tian Prefecture! I lost face because of her, and today the entire Huang Tian Prefecture was publicly ridiculed. It is simply a great humiliation!”
Lin Tu said sternly.
“I know how to advise you now.”
“It seems that as long as Huangtian Capital exists, my Xihui Dynasty’s reputation will not improve.”
Lin Tu muttered to himself.
“But it’s always there, you can’t just make it disappear out of thin air, can you?”
Eunuch Zhong reminded him cautiously.
“Hmph! The land will not disappear, but the people might.”
A hint of malice flashed in Lin Tu’s eyes.
“Does Your Majesty mean to kill all the people in Huang Tian Prefecture?”
Eunuch Zhong looked shocked and quickly advised, “Your Majesty, please think twice. This is not something a ruler of a nation should do.”
“I can’t act directly, but I can use a knife to kill others.”
Lin Tu sneered and then asked, “Eunuch Zhong, I remember there is a terrifyingly dangerous place in Huangtian Capital, right?”
“Yes, it’s called Pingshan Mass Grave. It seemed to have broken out once a few years ago and then quieted down again for some reason.”
Eunuch Zhong replied.
“Go and investigate the specific situation as soon as possible and report back to me.”
Lin Tu commanded.
“Your meaning is…”
Eunuch Zhong’s face showed astonishment again.
“If possible, find a way to make it erupt completely. This way, not only will my annoyance be resolved, but it will also give the HongHua Sect and Qi Huang something to do. How dare they toy with me! They deserve to die!”
Lin Tu sneered repeatedly.
“Your Majesty, do you really want to do this? If it cannot be controlled, then not only Huangtian Capital and the HongHua Sect will suffer. Once the evil spirits spread, the entire Xihui Dynasty will be at risk.”
Eunuch Zhong attempted to persuade him.
“It doesn’t matter, that’s the Immortal Alliance’s business. Can’t the entire Immortal Alliance control a Pingshan Mass Grave? Just do as I say!”
Lin Tu waved his hand impatiently.
