Chapter 260 : You truly outdid yourselves.
"Your Eminences speak wisely."
"Indeed, as long as we preserve the bloodline of our Wasang people..."
...
Others in the hall quickly voiced their agreement. Seeing the palpable relief on their faces, Prince Shōtoku's expression darkened with suppressed fury.
His father had died a miserable death, yet these people showed no intention of avenging him—concerned only with preserving their own lives and power.
But he was powerless. Like the Frostland Emperor, the Wasang Emperor held no real authority.
True power lay in the hands of these so-called High Priests who claimed to commune with the gods... In all of Wasang, their word was law. He, the Crown Prince, was nothing but a meaningless figurehead.
"Prince Shōtoku, wipe that discontent from your face!" One High Priest, noticing his expression, snapped sharply.
"Do you think we *want* to grovel before Great Xia? We have no choice! Your father's vengeance will come in time, but our priority now is Wasang's survival!"
"Yes..." The prince replied, lowering his head.
The High Priests' expressions softened slightly. Another added:
"And this applies not just to the prince, but to all of you. You must greet the Xia Emperor with utmost enthusiasm!"
"Treat him as you would your own fathers." The priest paused, then corrected: "No—treat him as you would treat *us*. Understood?"
"Understood..." The Wasang ministers chorused.
"Yukiko," the four High Priests then turned to an elegant noblewoman, "you will be personally responsible for receiving the Xia Emperor."
"Devote yourself entirely. Ensure his... satisfaction."
"This humble concubine understands..." Yukiko replied softly.
She appeared to be in her thirties, with flawless skin and a figure like ripened fruit, draped in a widow's black gown.
Yukiko was Wasang's Empress Dowager—Prince Shōtoku's mother—and renowned as the kingdom's greatest beauty.
The prince bit his lip, silent. The absurdity was unbearable. The man who killed his father would now be "served" by his mother... A humiliation beyond measure.
...
Fang Yuan spent only two days in Baekje—sightseeing, sampling local cuisine—before departing what was now a province, not a kingdom.
Though left under Prince Yu's governance, reforms would follow once Xia's domestic affairs stabilized. Officials would be dispatched to dismantle noble privileges and uplift commoners.
Initial upheaval was inevitable, but Fang Yuan believed time would heal all.
Compared to slaughter, this "sustainable development" approach yielded far more **Virtue Points**.
*"This trip was disappointingly uneventful..."* Fang Yuan mused on his throne.
*"No收获? You annexed an entire kingdom effortlessly,"* Marquis Chongwu chuckled.
*"Not enough."* Baekje lacked hidden challenges—no "final boss," just smooth, dull conquest. Without righteous deeds, how could his **Benevolent Despot** reputation grow?
*"Next—Qunan or Wasang?"*
*"Wasang."* Fang Yuan smirked. *"Let's see what tricks they have."*
His **Calamity Eye** had already spotted Wasang's spy among Baekje's court. He'd allowed the leak, curious how Wasang would react.
What happened next, however, stunned even him.
As the airship entered Wasang airspace, instead of passive resistance, they staged a spectacle.
*"Wow!"* Yunsi, pressed against the window, suddenly squealed.
*"Must you shout?"* Fang Yuan sighed at her provincialism.
*"Big Brother Fang, look outside!"*
Marquis Chongwu's startled voice followed: *"Your Majesty... you truly should see this."*
Curious, Fang Yuan pulled back the curtain.
Across the azure sky, rolling clouds had coalesced into towering characters—each as vast as a city gate—hanging inverted from the heavens.
Even at 10,000 meters, the message was crystal clear:
**[WELCOME THE GREAT EMPEROR TO HIS MOST LOYAL WASANG!!!]**
Fang Yuan, no stranger to grand gestures, had to admit: *This sycophantic display is... innovative.*
*"Manipulating atmospheric currents to this scale requires at least a Grandmaster's power,"* Marquis Chongwu noted admiringly. *"Wasang's flattery surpasses Baekje's by leagues."*
...
Fang Yuan couldn't deny it. The bootlicking was... oddly satisfying.
No wonder sycophants climbed faster than the diligent. Hard work went unnoticed; flattery delivered instant gratification.
*"Big Brother Fang, Wasang really knows how to lick boots..."* Yunsi marveled.
*"You can read Xia script?"* Fang Yuan was startled.
*"Yes."*
Odd. As a Frostland artifact spirit, her literacy in Xia's language—and her Xia-style name—hinted at deeper mysteries. But now wasn't the time.
As the airship descended upon Kyoto, another spectacle unfolded.
The cramped streets of the capital's eight hundred districts teemed with people. The moment the ship appeared, the commoners—dressed in rough hemp—dropped like harvested wheat, kowtowing en masse.
From above, their bowed forms resembled a gray-green ocean.
Wasang's court had orchestrated an unprecedented welcome—every citizen rehearsed to perfection.