Chapter 258 : It won't happen again.
At this moment, Fang Yuan finally deigned to step out of the cabin. Accompanied by Marquis Chongwu and Yunsi, he stood at the bow of the ship, looking down imperiously at Jin Tian'en and the others in the imperial city.
"What do you plan to do?" Marquis Chongwu asked.
"Simple." Fang Yuan chuckled lightly. "Those who listen to me will live; those who oppose me will die. Let's see how many fools among them dare to defy me."
Prince Yu, who had been relentlessly pursuing them, finally had the chance to speak with Fang Yuan. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on him, he couldn't help but feel a shock in his heart.
Though he had long known that Fang Yuan was the young emperor, his youthful appearance made it hard to reconcile with the rumors of a sovereign who wielded absolute power.
Noticing Fang Yuan's gaze sweeping over him, Prince Yu hurriedly lowered his head, avoiding eye contact, and said in a trembling voice:
"Your guilty subject greets Your Majesty! Baekje is willing to follow the Great Xia's lead. We beg Your Majesty to show mercy and spare our lives!"
Truly a seasoned politician—his first words were a plea for mercy.
"Oh?" Fang Yuan let out a soft laugh. "You surrendered rather quickly."
Prince Yu forced a smile. "Your Majesty is wise. After all, we are martial artists who have cultivated for centuries—we truly do not wish to throw our lives away."
"If Your Majesty grants us the chance to live, we are willing to serve you with utter devotion, even unto death..."
Prince Yu's posture was exceedingly humble, and his flattery was thunderous. After all, as the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face.
"Uncle, why must you act like this?!" Jin Tian'en, standing below, immediately shouted in furious rebuke, his tone dripping with disappointment. "Why? Why must you grovel before him like this?"
"He is the enemy who killed Father—your own brother!"
Jin Tian'en began his performance. According to the script he had previously agreed upon with his uncle, Prince Yu was supposed to angrily rebuke him and order him to kneel.
At that point, he would drop to his knees in surrender to the Xia Emperor—though, of course, he would have to put on a reluctant face to maintain his image as a wise and virtuous ruler in the eyes of his officials.
Sure enough, Prince Yu roared: "Fool! How dare you speak to His Majesty like that!"
But then, to Jin Tian'en's shock, Prince Yu prostrated himself before Fang Yuan in a panic:
"Your Majesty, please forgive this offense! I truly could not dissuade my nephew. Ever since you killed his father, he has been obsessed with revenge, refusing to listen to reason. Even now, he remains stubbornly determined to oppose you..."
The moment these words left his mouth, Jin Tian'en's furious expression froze.
No—this wasn't the script!
His uncle was supposed to scold him and order him to kneel! Why would he say something like this?!
This was outright inciting the Xia Emperor to kill him!!!
Jin Tian'en whipped his head toward Prince Yu, only to see the man obediently prostrating himself beside Fang Yuan, not even sparing him a glance.
*I was supposed to play along with your act, but now I'm pretending not to see...*
It was only then that Jin Tian'en realized—he had been betrayed by his uncle!
The old bastard wanted him dead!
He immediately tried to explain himself to Fang Yuan, but a sudden chill shot up his spine. When he turned his gaze, he met Fang Yuan's deep, abyss-like black eyes. A bone-piercing coldness surged from his feet straight to the crown of his head.
Fang Yuan wasn't exuding any aura, yet Jin Tian'en felt as if the world itself was collapsing around him—an overwhelming despair.
"..."
Jin Tian'en desperately opened his mouth, trying to defend himself, but his throat seemed to be tightly gripped. Only choked, guttural sounds escaped—not a single word.
At this moment, under Fang Yuan's oppressive might, Jin Tian'en's very soul felt like it was being torn apart. This was the crushing disparity between their levels of existence!
*Damn it, I have to pull myself together... I have to muster the courage to beg for mercy!*
*Otherwise... my life is—*
**Squelch!!!**
Before Jin Tian'en's thoughts could even finish, an invisible slash erupted across his body!
His bones and tendons were instantly shredded as if by countless blades, dissolving into a rain of minced flesh that splattered onto the ground, dyeing it crimson in the blink of an eye.
Just like that, Jin Tian'en died—without even the chance to utter a single plea.
No one saw how he died. They only noticed that when Fang Yuan casually glanced at him, Jin Tian'en simply... exploded into a pool of blood.
*So it's true—just a look can make someone explode...*
"This Emperor is a reasonable man," Fang Yuan said coolly, withdrawing his gaze. "Since you had such spine, I merely granted your wish."
His voice was soft as he continued:
"If anyone else here shares the same conviction, feel free to step forward. I shall gladly oblige, ensuring you all leave behind a glorious name in the annals of history."
The moment his words fell, the Baekje officials who had been standing behind Jin Tian'en dropped to their knees in unison, their legs giving out with a **thud**.
"We submit to the Great Xia! We beg Your Majesty to spare us!"
"Yes, yes! We beseech Your Majesty for mercy!"
The fervor that Jin Tian'en had stirred in their hearts moments earlier had now completely extinguished. When facing an overwhelming enemy, shouting slogans was one thing...
But actually throwing their lives away?
*No thanks.*
They'd much rather live—even as dogs—than die for the sake of a noble mention in history books.
Prince Yu, kneeling at Fang Yuan's feet, trembled uncontrollably, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
"Are these all of Baekje's top fighters?" Fang Yuan asked again.
Prince Yu shuddered and hurriedly replied, "Y-yes..."
"Pathetic." Fang Yuan shook his head. Not a single Grandmaster among them. Forget about a good fight—this wasn't even mildly entertaining.
"Your Majesty is wise. Our remote little kingdom could never compare to Your Majesty's mighty empire," Prince Yu quickly flattered.
"Fine." Fang Yuan responded indifferently. "Prince Yu, from this day forth, you shall be Baekje's new leader..."
Prince Yu's face instantly lit up with joy, though he quickly suppressed it. His scheme had worked!
*Nephew, it's not that I didn't help you... but the throne was simply too tempting. With you alive, it would never have fallen into my hands.*
But before his elation could settle, Fang Yuan added:
"However, there will be no more 'emperor.' From now on, Baekje ceases to exist as a kingdom, and there will be no more Baekje Emperor."
"Henceforth, there is only the Baekje Province of the Great Xia. You will serve as its military governor. Understood?"
"Understood! Absolutely!" Prince Yu didn't dare voice even a hint of complaint, nodding repeatedly.
He felt a pang of disappointment, but quickly dismissed it. *Province or not, governor or not—though the title isn't as grand as 'emperor,' the power is still real!*
"And one more thing..."
Just as Prince Yu was lost in thought, Fang Yuan stepped closer and patted his shoulder, speaking softly:
"I appreciate your... pragmatism. But your little schemes? I don't like them."
"Don't let it happen again. If you ever try to manipulate me into killing someone for you, you can join your nephew in hell."
In an instant, a deathly dread seized Prince Yu's heart!
His blood ran cold. *So he saw right through my ploy to use him to eliminate Jin Tian'en!*
Truly... *serving a ruler is like living with a tiger!*