The boss of a foreign organization called the police, claiming that he was defrauded by me

He stared sternly at Wu Xun, thinking to himself, "This guy really doesn't know what's good for him. If I don't teach him a lesson, he won't tell me what's going on. He really thinks I'm easy to fool and can get away with making up some excuse. How despicable. Such an obvious question, and he still won't tell the truth."

Yang Xia, unwilling to waste any more words, turned directly to Meng Yu behind him and said, "Meng Yu, take him away. Don't let him out until the matter is cleared up."

He planned to have Meng Yu lock Wu Xun up for more than ten years to see if he would still be so arrogant.

When Wu Xun heard that Yang Xia was going to imprison him for more than ten years without distinguishing right from wrong, he was immediately unable to accept it.

If I were imprisoned for more than ten years, then everything would be over.

The thought that his family and years of hard work would all go to waste filled Wu Xun with resentment and made him tremble with fear.

He looked at Yang Xia in a panic, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, spare my life! I'll tell the truth, please don't lock me up."

“I will tell you everything and tell you the truth.”

Seeing Wu Xun trembling with fear, Yang Xia stared at him with a serious expression and asked, "Alright, since you're willing to talk now, then explain everything as soon as possible."

"Otherwise, I really will lock you up. If things don't get to the bottom of this, it won't do you any good either."

Upon hearing Yang Xia's words, Wu Xun trembled all over and nodded repeatedly, saying, "I know, I'll tell you."

"The reason I quarried those stones is because a merchant from the Red Cake Kingdom wanted to obtain a batch of stone Guanyin statues produced by their workshop."

"The stones for these stone Guanyin statues must be quarried from flowing water, and in order to make the stone Guanyin statues more spiritual, they require that all the rubble produced during the carving process be piled up in the river."

“Only in this way will the Stone Guanyin become more spiritual. In order to make more money, I did as the Red Cake Kingdom merchant instructed without thinking much about it.”

"That's how it is. I've told you everything now. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy and don't imprison me."

Yang Xia and Meng Yu listened carefully to Wu Xun's account and were both shocked.

Meng Yu hadn't expected that Yang Xia's guess was absolutely right; there really was a secret behind it.

It seems that Wu Xun, the owner of this stone quarry, has truly been used by the enemy this time, without his knowledge.

Meng Yu felt helpless and didn't know what to say for a moment.

He stood beside Yang Xia, looked up at Yang Xia, and wondered what Yang Xia would do next.

Meng Yu never expected that Wu Xun would act so irrationally in order to make money, causing the people in the lower reaches of the Danshui River to be unable to obtain sufficient water.

If Yang Xia hadn't wanted to lock him up, he probably wouldn't have been willing to tell the truth.

Meng Yu was furious. He never expected that these merchants would be so ruthless in their pursuit of profit.

Yang Xia sneered after hearing this, turned around and looked at Wu Xun and Meng Yu, who looked completely ignorant, and said, "I never expected that the Red Cake Kingdom would resort to such unscrupulous means to deal with the Great Zhou Dynasty, and come up with such a despicable and shameless method. I knew that this was the enemy's doing, trying to undermine the Great Zhou Dynasty from within. Sure enough, it seems that I guessed right."

At this moment, Wu Xun was trembling with fear.

Hearing Yang Xia's words, he became even more frightened and regretted his actions.

He never imagined that he would be used by the enemy for no reason and do such ignorant things, and he felt extremely ashamed.

Wu Xun looked at Yang Xia with a guilty expression and said, "Please spare my life, Your Majesty. I really didn't know about this. I was just trying to make money."

"How could I have been used? This is something I never imagined. I never thought the people of Red Cake Country could be so despicable and shameless."

Seeing that Wu Xun was sincere and explained things clearly, and that he had lost his previous arrogance, Yang Xia seemed to have realized his mistake.

He glared angrily at Wu Xun and admonished him, "In the future, you should use your brain and think things through before you act."

"Don't do such unscrupulous things just to make money. If I hadn't discovered it, do you know how much damage you would have caused to the people downstream?"

"All their hard work for the year has been wasted. How are they supposed to survive?"

Yang Xia reprimanded Wu Xun, hoping he would learn from his mistake.

Wu Xun stood there respectfully, only able to lower his head and listen quietly, not daring to utter any rebuttal.

He was terrified that saying the wrong thing would enrage Yang Xia and actually lock him up, at which point it would be too late to regret it.

Yang Xia knew that he would soon leave the Great Zhou Dynasty and go to the Huaxia Empire to discuss with everyone how to deal with the Nebula Kingdom.

Therefore, before leaving, he had to do everything he could to eliminate all factors that might threaten the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Only in this way could Yang Xia leave with peace of mind and do what he needed to do. Otherwise, leaving these hidden dangers would make him feel uneasy.

He knew that if the surrounding countries continued to covet the Great Zhou Dynasty, they might seize the opportunity to launch an attack after he left, posing a threat to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Yang Xia had to consider these factors carefully.

Thinking of this, Yang Xia turned to Meng Yu behind him and said, "Since he has explained everything clearly, let's release him for now."

"Hopefully he can learn from this and stop doing those heinous things."

"Making money is not wrong, but it must be done within the scope of the law."

Meng Yu nodded slowly after hearing Yang Xia's instructions.

He walked up to Wu Xun and said with a serious expression, "His Majesty is merciful and will spare you this time. I hope you will behave yourself."

"If you make the same mistake again, I will not let you off easily next time. I hope you will go back and think carefully about what to do next."

"Before doing anything in the future, make sure you understand the other person's purpose. Don't be taken advantage of without even realizing it."

"It is fortunate that Your Majesty has uncovered the truth today, otherwise you would be in jail and no one could save you."

"However, you are also at fault in this matter and must be punished. You will pay a sum of money to compensate the people for their losses, and this matter will be settled."

Wu Xun was overjoyed to hear that Yang Xia had forgiven him.

He breathed a sigh of relief; as long as he didn't go to jail, a fine was nothing to him.

This outcome was already very lenient for him. Wu Xun looked at Yang Xia gratefully and said:
"Thank you, Your Majesty... I know what to do now. I will be careful from now on and will never be taken advantage of again."

“I will no longer make this dirty money, and I am willing to accept your punishment.”

"I am also willing to use this money to compensate the people for their losses; this is my duty."

Seeing that Wu Xun agreed with his opinion, Yang Xia did not say anything more.

Yang Xia's actions won unanimous praise and admiration from the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

They all sang praises of Yang Xia, commending him for his love and concern for the people.

Yang Xia felt gratified to see the people's lives getting better and better. This was what he wanted to see most, and it had always been his wish.

After dealing with these matters, Yang Xia began preparations to travel to the Atlan Empire.

He wanted to have a good talk with Doka, the leader of the Atlantean Empire, to find out his recent plans.

He needs to get this sorted out before he can feel at ease.

That afternoon, Yang Xia said to Shaoyao and Meng Yu, "You two should prepare as soon as possible. I'm going to take you to the Atlan Empire."

"There are some things I need to talk to Doka about. You two will have to come with me." Without much thought, Peony and Meng Yu quickly packed their bags and followed Yang Xia to the Atlan Empire.

Although they were curious about Yang Xia's purpose in coming, they did not ask any further questions.

In fact, Yang Xia's purpose in this trip was to completely destroy the opposition alliance led by the Atlan Empire.

Another purpose was that he held a sliver of hope that he could reach an amicable agreement with Doka.

If they can't reach an agreement, Yang Xia wouldn't mind going to war directly.

He was determined this time to get to the bottom of this.

Peony and Meng Yu looked at Yang Xia with curiosity and asked, "Your Majesty... what do you plan to do if the negotiations with the Atlan Empire fail this time?"

Yang Xia smiled slightly, looked at them and said, "If we can't reach an agreement, I don't mind going to war directly."

"This problem needs to be solved sooner or later. We can't keep dragging it out, and I won't give them too much time."

"Either we completely dismantle the alliance led by the Atlan Empire, or we go to war directly. It all depends on Doka's attitude."

Yang Xia was resolute and determined to do something that would solve the problem once and for all.

When Doka of the Atlan Empire learned that Yang Xia was coming to visit, he dared not be careless at all.

He immediately ordered his men to prepare.

Doka said to his confidant with a nervous expression, "Make arrangements as soon as possible to have our elite troops stationed along the way."

"Yang Xia from the Great Zhou Dynasty is coming to visit. We must be fully prepared and not let our guard down, otherwise it will be a devastating blow to us."

Upon hearing this, the confidant respectfully replied, "Yes, Chief... I will make the arrangements immediately."

Under Doka's orders, the elite troops of the Atlantean Empire quickly set up camp along the way.

On the surface, they were protecting Yang Xia's safety and didn't want anything to happen to him in the Atlan Empire.

But in reality, Doka was worried that the people around Yang Xia might do something harmful.

He deployed elite troops to monitor Yang Xia and his group.

This is Doka's true intention, and also his way of guarding against Yang Xia.

When Yang Xia arrived with Shaoyao and Meng Yu, he couldn't help but sneer at the sight before him.

Peony said in surprise, "Your Majesty, look... they have actually sent so many elite troops to guard this place."

"What does this mean? Are you trying to protect your safety, or are you trying to threaten us and give us a hard time?"

Upon hearing Shaoyao's question, Yang Xia sneered and said, "Protect our safety? You're oversimplifying things."

"The leader of the Atlan Empire isn't so kind; he's wary of us."

"So they came up with this high-sounding reason, ostensibly to protect us, but actually to monitor us."

Meng Yu and Shao Yao finally understood the purpose of the leader of the Atlan Empire, and felt disdain in their hearts.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yang Xia led Meng Yu and Shaoyao into the palace of the Atlan Empire openly and legitimately.

Upon seeing Yang Xia arrive, Doka greeted him with a smile and said politely:
"Yang Xia... I never expected that you would visit my Atlan Empire at this time."

"Please do not take offense if the Atlan Empire has done anything inappropriate."

"Please have a seat... Let's sit down and talk about it carefully."

Yang Xia nodded slowly at Doka, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then sat down.

He paid close attention to Doka's every move and word, as these were all closely related to what he was about to discuss.

He was curious to know what changes had occurred in Doka's behavior and actions since his return.

After taking his seat, Yang Xia didn't want to waste any more time.

He looked up at Doka and said sincerely, "Chief Doka... Actually, I came to the Atlan Empire on my own initiative this time because I wanted to discuss some things with you."

Doka looked at Yang Xia with a puzzled expression and asked, "Oh...I wonder what Your Majesty wants to discuss with me?"

Yang Xia smiled slightly and said, "That's right, my Great Zhou Dynasty wants to start normal trade relations with the Atlan Empire."

"But I have one condition: after we start trading relations, the Atlan Empire must take the initiative to terminate its alliance with the Red Cake Country and India."

"I wonder what Chief Doka's opinion is on this matter? I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Doka was somewhat incredulous when he heard Yang Xia suddenly make such a request.

He scrutinized Yang Xia closely, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Seeing Doka's attitude, Yang Xia frowned and said, "Chief Doka... what do you mean by this? Why are you suddenly laughing so hard? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Upon hearing Yang Xia's question, Doka sneered and looked at Yang Xia, saying, "Yang Xia... what right do you have to make such a request?"

"I really didn't expect that my own territory, sea areas and other resources are so abundant."

"There is absolutely no need to trade with the Great Zhou Dynasty, so I cannot grant Your Majesty's request."

"I will not terminate the alliance with the Red Cake Country and India. It seems that our detailed talks cannot continue this time."

Doka, the leader of the Atlan Empire, rejected Yang Xia's request on the spot, without even giving him a chance to consider it.

His attitude was very firm, and Yang Xia couldn't help but frown. He hadn't expected Doka to be so resolute, which made him somewhat angry.

He meant well and tried to persuade them, but he didn't expect that Doka wouldn't give them the chance at all.

Yang Xia sensed that the atmosphere between them had instantly become tense.

Although Yang Xia was somewhat surprised by the attitude of Doka, the leader of the Atlan Empire, he seemed to have anticipated this outcome.

Yang Xia remained relatively calm. He sneered and walked up to Doka of the Atlan Empire.

He looked intently at Doka and said, "It's alright. I won't blame you for your attitude today."

"I hope you will seriously consider my proposal today."

"I can give the Atlan Empire seven days to consider this. I hope you will take my words seriously today."

"If you still refuse to accept my proposal in seven days, then even if you want to establish trade relations with the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future, we will never agree."

"I've made myself clear today. You should carefully consider the pros and cons."

Doka of the Atlantean Empire looked up at Yang Xia, feeling a chill run down his spine at Yang Xia's words. (End of Chapter)