We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 661: This King Likes Being Watched

The Japanese exclaimed, but Li Che had no scruples at all.

Since this group of people had come, Li Che had no intention of letting them go back, and there was no possibility of the map being exposed.

Li Che glanced at the frightened Japanese and sneered:

"Do you think that I, the king, was completely blind and rushed into this tiny place of yours?"

"Let me tell you, Fengguo's spies have already visited every inch of your Japanese land three years ago."

"Your mountains and rivers, your cities and fortresses, the so-called natural defenses you're so proud of...even the few dog holes in your Kyoto Imperial Palace have all been clearly measured by my men!"

He slammed the armrest with a sound like thunder:

"Ha! Are you trying to fool me with something I already have?"

"Do you think I'm a beggar?!"

The mastermind's hand holding the scroll was already shaking violently, and after being frightened by Li Che, the scroll fell to the ground with a "click".

The man felt as if his bones had been pulled out, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to utter a word.

Their greatest sincerity was a huge joke in the eyes of the other party.

Empress Fujiwara was among the crowd and was also deeply shocked by the map.

The fear of Li Che and the morbid admiration in her heart intertwined together, almost suffocating her.

She had no choice but to pinch her palms tightly and force herself to calm down.

At this moment, the limp mastermind seemed to have grasped the last straw and cried out in a sobbing voice:

"Your Highness, calm down! Your Highness, calm down!"

"As long as...as long as Your Highness helps us to kill the traitor Kaibu Munemasa, after the success, Your Highness can take all the rare treasures in Japan at will, and my emperor will repay you with all his might!"

Hearing this, the frost on Li Che's face seemed to melt a little.

He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the armrest as if he were considering the suggestion.

"Oh? Just take it as you please?"

Li Che reached out and patted the big tiger, saying casually, "That sounds good."

A faint glimmer of hope suddenly ignited in the hearts of everyone in the delegation.

"Okay, then this king... only needs three!"

When everyone heard this, they were shocked again.

Ever since they entered this hall, Li Che has put too much pressure on them.

How could they not know that His Royal Highness the Prince of Feng was not someone who was easy to talk to.

If Li Che asked for something outrageous, people would think it was reasonable.

But now, Li Che said he only needed three?

How can they feel at ease when it is so abnormal?

Li Che paused, facing the surprised and doubtful eyes of the crowd, and said word by word:

"I want that...Kusanagi sword!"

"Yata mirror!"

"Qiong Magatama!"

As soon as the words fell, the entire hall became as silent as a grave.

Kusanagi sword, Yata Mirror, Nyan Magatama...what are they?

Three artifacts of Japan!

According to legend, it was bestowed by Amaterasu Omikami to the first emperor, and it is a supreme national treasure that symbolizes the divine legitimacy of the emperor and the eternal lineage of his dynasty.

It is also the fundamental symbol of the existence of the Japanese royal family and the ultimate totem of the Japanese people's spiritual beliefs!

To make an inappropriate analogy, the status of these three sacred artifacts in Japan is no less than that of the imperial seal in China.

Especially when the Japanese monarchy was more thoroughly deified, what Li Che asked for was not three treasures, but the foundation of Japan's theocracy!

All the Japanese in the delegation felt cold all over when they heard Li Che's words.

The appetite of this seemingly lazy and casual young prince was far beyond their wildest imagination.

What he wants is not gold, silver, or treasures, nor land or cities, but the backbone of the entire Yamato nation!

An elderly Japanese official screamed uncontrollably, his face flushing crimson. "No! Impossible! These three items are the sacred treasures of the Yamato Kingdom, bestowed by Amaterasu, and symbols of the Emperor's legitimacy. How could...how could they fall into the hands of outsiders?!"

Another minister burst into tears and prostrated himself on the ground, banging his forehead against the floor. "Your Highness! The Three Sacred Treasures are the foundation of our nation, the very foundation of our dynasty. This is absolutely unacceptable!"

"If we lose the sacred artifact, our country will cease to exist. The gods will be enraged and divine punishment will follow!"

The mastermind was so frightened that his soul was about to be shattered. He begged incoherently, "Your Highness! We are willing to offer mountains of gold and silver, beautiful women and precious treasures, but only ask Your Highness to revoke your order. Do not touch the artifact!"

The hall suddenly fell into chaos.

The Japanese envoys were like a cat whose tail was stepped on. Their previous humble fear was replaced by a deeper panic, and they began to shout without regard for etiquette.

Li Che still maintained that lazy posture, leaning back in his chair, watching with interest the chaos in front of him caused by his words.

There was a faint sneer on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were indifferent, as if he was admiring a group of monkeys struggling in vain in a cage.

"Roar--"

The tiger beside him seemed to be a little impatient with the Japanese's noise, and let out a low roar from its throat, which temporarily stopped the chaos in the hall.

Li Che spoke slowly:

"Have you had enough noise?"

His cold gaze swept across faces that were either angry or pale.

"I see you guys are yelling quite enthusiastically." Li Che's tone was full of sarcasm, "But... who do you think you are?"

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze like an icicle, piercing the group of Japanese officials:

"You are nothing but ministers of the Japanese Empire. According to your emperor's system, you are nothing but slaves at the feet of the so-called 'descendants of God', dogs raised by that puppet emperor!"

The Japanese officials turned pale, but no one objected.

If such words were spoken to any minister in Daqing, it would be enough to make him fight to the death.

The literati in Daqing still have integrity. Although the emperor rules over all the people, the relationship between him and his subjects is still that of superiors and subordinates, not master and servant.

Only under a foreign rule like the Qing Dynasty would the ministers regard themselves as slaves and even take pride in it.

But Japan is different. They really want to be the emperor's dog.

"Dog..." Li Che's voice suddenly rose, with undisguised contempt, "Are you qualified to make decisions for your master? Are you qualified to point fingers in front of this king?!"

This naked humiliation was like a whip, lashing the face of every Japanese official.

It only made everyone blush, feel ashamed and angry, but unable to refute.

Li Che was right. Under the Japanese hierarchy, they were indeed just servants of the emperor and had no right to reject Li Che's proposal on behalf of the emperor.

Li Che looked past the trembling Japanese ministers and his gaze fell again on Empress Fujiwara, who was standing behind the crowd and trying hard to reduce her presence.

"Instead of letting a bunch of you barking dogs make noise here and waste my time..."

"Why not let the person who can really make the decision come out and give this king an answer."

His eyes locked onto Queen Dowager Fujiwara, and he uttered a few words clearly: "Am I right, Queen Dowager Fujiwara?"

Like a bolt of thunder out of the blue, all the Japanese officials froze in an instant and looked back in disbelief.

Empress Fujiwara felt as if her scalp was exploding, and a strong sense of shame and fear of being seen through instantly swept over her body.

Her carefully designed disguise was seen through at a glance by the sharp eyes of the King Feng.

She couldn't help but raise her head, and her charming face turned red instantly.

Li Che looked at her expressionlessly, sneering in his heart.

It's not difficult to see through this woman's identity.

Firstly, the Japanese royal family was in such a state of chaos that how could they possibly rely entirely on outsiders for help in matters concerning their survival and come to them to seek peace?

Second, the status of Japanese women is as low as grass, even lower than that of Daqing women.

How could these Japanese officials who feared him like a tiger dare to bring a maid to see him?

There is only one truth, the scheming frog keeps touching your belly!

The maid in front of him was the Queen Mother who had slept with two Japanese emperors!

Empress Fujiwara knew that she could no longer hide it, so she took a deep breath, forced herself to suppress her turbulent emotions, and slowly stood up.

She tried to straighten her back, trying to maintain the last bit of dignity of the Queen Mother, and performed the formal etiquette of the Japanese court in Li Che's direction:

"Your Highness, the Prince of Feng has a keen eye. I am Fujiwara Akiko, honored to meet you."

There was a dead silence in the hall. All the Japanese officials watched as their honorable Queen Mother was forced to reveal her disguise in front of King Feng, like an actor stripped of his gorgeous clothes.

The huge feeling of humiliation instantly bit their hearts like a poisonous snake.

Li Che narrowed his eyes and looked carefully at the most powerful woman in Japan.

She is indeed born with a good appearance, skin whiter than snow, eyes full of affection, and still has charm.

But her stature was too short and her proportions were a bit strange, like a carefully carved porcelain doll.

She is beautiful, but lacks grandeur and looks more like a dwarf version of a beauty.

"The conditions I just mentioned." Li Che didn't bother to talk nonsense and went straight to the point. "Do you have any ideas?"

The blush on Queen Fujiwara's face had not yet faded. She bit her lower lip, her eyes swept over the pale-faced Japanese ministers in the palace, and suddenly said:

"Your Highness, this matter is of grave importance, and it touches upon the very foundations of our nation... Could Your Highness please dismiss your attendants? I...would like to discuss this matter with Your Highness...in private!"

Once these words were spoken, it was like throwing a huge rock into stagnant water!

"Queen Mother!"

"No!"

"How could the Queen Mother humiliate herself like this?"

"Queen Mother, you represent the dignity of the royal family!"

The Japanese officials were instantly shocked and looked at Empress Fujiwara with disbelief.

What private discussion?

For a woman to be alone with King Feng, especially under such circumstances, it goes without saying what they could use to "discuss"!

This is using your own body as a bargaining chip!

After all, Empress Fujiwara didn't have a reputation for being virtuous, and who in the upper class didn't know about what happened between her, Emperor Shirakawa, and the late Emperor?

It’s okay to have an affair within the royal family, after all, it’s a family disgrace.

But it was still the same when facing the conqueror King Feng of Daqing.

The face of the royal family and the dignity of Japan were torn off by their queen mother and trampled into the mud at this moment!

Empress Dowager Fujiwara ignored their exclamations and just stared at Li Che with a burning gaze, a hint of morbid expectation in her eyes.

"Get out!" Queen Fujiwara said sternly, "Are you going to disobey my orders? Don't forget what we are here for!"

All the Japanese ministers choked and then fell silent.

Yes, they came to seek peace.

Today, Japan is in danger, with rebels at home and powerful enemies outside.

No matter what means are used, the King of Daqing must be persuaded, otherwise Japan will be in danger.

Even if it costs Japan's dignity...

However, before those Japanese officials were ready to retreat in shame and anger, they heard Li Che's lazy voice:

"It doesn't matter."

He waved his hand casually, his eyes sweeping over the Japanese officials who were trembling with humiliation, and a smile full of malicious amusement appeared on the corner of his mouth:

"Let them stay."

"This king... just likes to be watched."