After writing it all in one go, Qing Xia held the letter paper and looked at it from left to right, feeling the language was too frivolous and not dignified enough, so she couldn’t help but frown. But after thinking for a long while, she still put it in an envelope, called for a servant, and had it sent out.

All night long, she tossed and turned until dawn, when she finally managed to doze off for a while.

Early in the morning, Qing Xia had just gotten up. While Jin Yu and the others were helping him arrange his clothes, Song Yang came to the door with matters to report.

After Qing Xia dressed properly, he flicked his sleeves and walked out very handsomely and dashingly, appearing completely normal except for two dark circles under his eyes.

Seeing Qing Xia emerge, Song Yang respectfully performed a salute. He had once been Chu Li’s personal guard, was capable and efficient, and was a key member of the Black Guard. These past days following Qing Xia around, he had been very loyal and admired her methods to the point of complete submission. Coming early this morning, he had also very cautiously waited until after Qing Xia woke up before reporting. Dressed in blue swordfish robes, he stepped forward and said, “My lord, envoys from the Japanese Emperor have arrived.”

“Japanese Emperor?” Qing Xia frowned, “How could they be the Emperor’s envoys? Isn’t Le Song contacting those three daimyo?”

“This… this subordinate doesn’t know either. There are just some ronin claiming to be envoys of the Japanese Emperor outside the foreign guest hall, requesting to meet the Governor.”

Qing Xia pondered for a long while, then smiled, “Interesting. Let’s go meet them and see what capital this Emperor who’s about to sell his house and land has to do business with us.”

With that, she headed straight toward the foreign guest hall.

Regarding Japan, Qing Xia naturally wouldn’t have any good impressions. That country’s people bullied the weak and feared the strong, were crafty and changeable, with countless rogue behaviors in diplomacy that were famous throughout the entire international diplomatic circle. During eight years of war, the crimes committed on Chinese soil were also heinous beyond measure. This country’s genes seemed to naturally contain bandit tendencies – they could always find high-sounding hats and reasons for robbery, arson, and murder. In the past, whenever she encountered missions involving their country, Qing Xia was always ruthless without mercy. But faced with the complex and strange web of international relations, she had to be careful and cautious. Now unexpectedly, upon waking one day, that small country was so weak. Beating a dog in the water had always been Qing Xia’s specialty, and she was extremely enthusiastic and willing to do so.

Originally she was thinking of dealing with them later, but since advance troops were delivering themselves to the door, she couldn’t be blamed for making an example of them.

However, before reaching the foreign guest hall, a Black Guard junior officer came rushing on horseback. Qing Xia frowned, and Song Yang beside her immediately called out loudly, “What happened?”

Seeing Qing Xia, the junior officer immediately dismounted, saluted, and said solemnly, “Reporting to the Grand Governor, Japanese ronin samurai got into fights on the street. One of their samurai drew his sword and killed someone. Now Master Ji from the Fifth District Military Commission has led troops to surround the scene but hasn’t arrested anyone. More and more common people are gathering – I fear trouble may arise.”

Hearing this, Qing Xia frowned slightly. How could it be such a coincidence – they just arrived and immediately caused trouble by killing someone? Was it that the Japanese ronin samurai were too arrogant and domineering, or was someone secretly stirring trouble to sabotage her sea trade plans?

But none of this mattered. If it were Korea, Ryukyu or other nations, it might be a bit more troublesome, but since it was Japan, there was no need to show any courtesy. They were pieces to be devoured anyway – she didn’t mind humiliating and toying with them before devouring them. And those with ulterior motives had expended such effort to give her this excellent opportunity to win popular support – how could she not firmly grasp it?

“My lord,” Song Yang thought for a moment and said gravely, “In this subordinate’s view, someone is probably stirring trouble in the shadows. My lord should temporarily avoid confrontation and handle this later.”

“No need,” Qing Xia shook her head and spurred her horse forward, “I was just looking for ways to find the Japanese people’s weaknesses. Dongfang Li truly understands my heart. Come, let’s go take a look.”

In the layers of surrounding crowds, over ten Japanese samurai stood there arrogantly with aggressive momentum, having drawn their great swords to confront the surrounding soldiers. Master Ji Yuanting wore military attire and stood before the soldiers, angrily negotiating with the ronin samurai. Unfortunately, both sides couldn’t understand each other’s languages, talking at cross purposes for a long while without either understanding what the other was saying. The surrounding common people looked furious. A man covered in blood lay on the ground, pale-faced – clearly dead for some time.

Qing Xia rode forward. Seeing Qing Xia, Ji Yuanting’s eyes flashed with barely concealed joy, but his expression remained grim as he stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, “Governor, these ronin samurai claim to be guests you invited. Now they’ve broken the law and killed someone. How do you think this should be handled?”

“Kill these damned Japanese pirates!” “Draw and quarter them!” “Hack them to death with random blades!”

Many common people immediately shouted loudly. The Southeast coastal region had long suffered from Japanese pirate raids. The Japanese were brutal – to seize wealth, they often burned, killed, and plundered without restraint, so the common people mostly deeply detested and had no good feelings toward Japanese people.

Qing Xia walked calmly to the center of the crowd. She saw this group of Japanese envoys all had the same shaved heads with a topknot of hair, afraid people wouldn’t know where they came from. Seeing Qing Xia approaching surrounded by people, a man who looked like a leader, about thirty years old, stepped forward and said in not very fluent Chinese, “Excuse me, are you the leader?”

Qing Xia smiled coldly, “I’m not a leader. I’m just a small subordinate of His Majesty the Chu Emperor. But the land I govern is ten times larger than your Emperor’s, and the wealth I possess is a hundred times more than yours. Weak vassal states like yours have no qualifications to engage in trade with us. I also didn’t invite you. I don’t know why you’ve come to our dynasty’s land – what is your purpose?”

Qing Xia spoke these words rapidly and urgently. The Japanese envoys understood only half, but they knew she wasn’t saying anything good. Displeased, he said, “Visitors are guests. We are the Emperor’s envoys. We demand treatment befitting our status.”

A Ministry of Rites official quickly stepped forward, “My lord, they are foreign envoys. According to ancestral law, even if they commit crimes, they can be pardoned. Better to let them enter the foreign guest hall first. Standing here like this – what kind of propriety is this? Don’t let small overseas nations say our dynasty lacks magnanimity and has a narrow mind.”

This Ministry of Rites official was named Zhou Shixiong, a student of Sun Qingcheng. He had always been at odds with Qing Xia and was among the most active in impeaching her. Now coming forward so familiarly to remind her – how could Qing Xia not understand what was happening? Wasn’t he just trying to make her lose face before the people and gain a reputation for bullying the weak, fearing the strong, and selling out the country for glory?

She saw crowds of people all around, with more and more common people gathering, everyone angrily looking at the Japanese people, showing signs of being ready to explode at any moment.

She frowned and deliberately said loudly, “Really can’t deal with them? Ancestral law really has such provisions?”

As soon as she finished speaking, all the common people’s eyes immediately fell on the two of them, everyone’s eyes red with fury. The Japanese people became even more arrogant, glaring angrily at the surrounding people with an attitude of “you can’t do anything to us.” Zhou Shixiong’s expression immediately turned bitter, thinking to himself, “Why did you speak so loudly? Now won’t I have to be a traitor alongside you?”

With the arrow on the bowstring having to be released, Zhou Shixiong gritted his teeth and said grimly, “Yes.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Qing Xia had a sudden realization and nodded.

The people immediately erupted in commotion, with buzzing sounds. Though they didn’t yet dare curse openly, if those angry looks could kill, the two would probably have died a thousand times already. The Black Guards immediately stepped forward to prevent civil unrest, and Ji Yuanting from the Fifth District Military Commission looked pleased as he also brought troops forward to maintain order among the people.

Then, at this moment, there was suddenly a “bang” sound. That handsome and dashing Governor suddenly flew up with a kick, heavily kicking Zhou Shixiong’s knee. Poor Zhou Shixiong, a refined scholar who had spent his whole life with literary pursuits, crashed to his knees on the stone pavement with this kick, screaming like a slaughtered pig.

“It’s because of weak and fearful officials like you that our Chinese people are repeatedly bullied, with even small Japan daring to ride over our heads!”

The young and handsome Southeast Governor, in magnificent robes with sword-like eyebrows and sharp eyes, angrily shouted, “What ancestral law? Whose ancestral law? You are now an official of Southern Chu, yet you keep invoking the former dynasty’s ancestral laws. Do you harbor treasonous intentions? The Eastern Qi royal family was depraved and immoral, fighting fiercely among themselves, but when facing foreign enemies, they became cowardly, enduring humiliation and unable even to protect their own subjects. What qualifications do they have to enjoy the people’s worship and offerings? Our Southern Chu’s Great Emperor is both literary and military, founded the nation through military achievement, expanded territory, and protects the people. The reason for such hardship is to ensure people have clothes to wear, food to eat, and won’t be bullied anymore! Officials who don’t serve the people should go home and sell sweet potatoes. You are a court official, yet so timid and fearful – what qualifications do you have to wear these official robes? Someone! Strip off his official robes!”

A group of Black Guards immediately pounced forward like wolves and tigers. The people’s thunderous cheers and Zhou Shixiong’s stunned cries immediately formed a stark contrast, equally loud as they echoed through the long street.

Even though the Japanese didn’t speak Chinese well, most could understand. A samurai in yellow clothes suddenly jumped out and shouted loudly, “I am a high-ranking samurai under the Emperor! Killing people is not illegal!”

Qing Xia turned around, her gaze ice-cold. She flicked her sleeves and said coldly, “What a pity – you’re not in Japan now, but standing on Southern Chu’s soil. In our country, murderers pay with their lives, debtors repay their debts, and even the Son of Heaven is equal to commoners before the law. Sorry, samurai sir, I’m keeping your life.” With that, everyone saw that usually gentle and dashing Governor, who had always carried the refined air of a scholar, suddenly draw the long sword from his waist. Moving like a dragon with overwhelming momentum, the long sword’s cold light flashed, and a bloody head fell to the ground.