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

After a brief pause in their discussion, Sun Zhengming and the other ministers continued, “Your Majesty, this matter was actually within Yang Xia’s expectations. Yang Xia had previously stated that John and his men were definitely secretly preparing weapons, and that as long as we proceeded according to plan, we could draw their suspicions. Now it seems that every detail Yang Xia mentioned has come true—he not only anticipated that John would send someone to the dungeon to confirm his situation, but he also guessed that John would feel reassured and begin to advance the plan, moving the weapons.”

At this point, Sun Zhengming's tone was filled with admiration: "I truly admire Yang Xia's wisdom; he is simply a prophet. If it weren't for his advance warning, we would probably still be in the dark, and we would have been caught off guard when Xingyun Kingdom's plan was launched, which could have brought great disaster to Yan Kingdom."

Song Jitian remained silent, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of the dragon throne. He recalled his earlier suspicions about Yang Xia—initially, he had worried that Yang Xia, who claimed to be the "King of the Great Zhou Dynasty" and had engaged in "selling titles of nobility."

He wondered if the gimmick was a cover-up, or even if the matter would escalate out of control. But now it seems that Yang Xia not only did not cause trouble for Yan Kingdom, but also helped Yan Kingdom detect Xingyun Kingdom's conspiracy in advance with his accurate judgment. This made him completely put aside his concerns about Yang Xia and felt more respect for him.

He looked up at Sun Zhengming and asked in a serious tone, "Now that things have come to this point, do you have any thoughts on what to do next? Can you tell me your plan, and we can discuss it together?"

After a pause, Song Jitian added, "This matter is of great importance. It not only concerns the safety of the capital, but may also affect the relationship between Yan Kingdom and Xingyun Kingdom, and could even trigger a war. We cannot make a decision based on just one person's opinion. We must listen to everyone's opinions and pool our wisdom to make the choice that is most beneficial to Yan Kingdom."

The ministers in the hall echoed, "Your Majesty is right! This matter is of utmost importance, and we should indeed discuss it carefully and come up with a comprehensive plan."

Sun Zhengming took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe the most crucial thing right now is to continue monitoring John's movements and find out the final destination of these weapons. We can send people to secretly track the transport vehicles to see where they are taking the weapons—whether they are hidden somewhere in the capital or being transported to the border. At the same time, we must strengthen the defenses of the capital, especially the port and the area near the city gates, to prevent the people of Xingyun Kingdom from taking the opportunity to cause sabotage."

"In addition, we can send people to investigate the background of John's fleet to see if they have any other purpose in coming to Yan Kingdom besides transporting weapons. Also, since Yang Xia was able to foresee these things, he may know more secrets about Xingyun Kingdom. Perhaps we can communicate with him again and listen to his views. Maybe we can get more useful information."

No sooner had Sun Zhengming finished speaking than a minister retorted, "But if we continue to monitor them, what if the people of Xingyun Kingdom transport the weapons away and hide them in places we can't find? Wouldn't that be even more troublesome? Why don't we take action now, arrest their people, and force them to tell the truth!"

"No!"

Another minister immediately objected, "Nebula Nation hasn't broken off relations yet. If we rashly arrest someone, it might give them an excuse to provoke a conflict at the border. Moreover, John is the captain of Nebula Nation's fleet, and his status is extraordinary. Arresting him could trigger a diplomatic dispute between the two countries, making the situation even more difficult to manage."

The ministers in the hall began to debate again. Some supported immediate action, others advocated continued surveillance, and still others suggested negotiating with the Xingyun Kingdom first to gauge their attitude. Song Jitian sat on the dragon throne, listening quietly to the ministers' arguments without speaking, but his gaze grew increasingly profound—he knew that his next decision would affect the future of the Yan Kingdom, and he had to be extremely cautious.

Sun Zhengming stood in the hall, watching the ministers argue endlessly, a growing anxiety in his heart. He knew time was of the essence; John and his men would likely move the weapons away today, and a plan had to be devised as soon as possible. He looked at Song Jitian, awaiting the leader's final decision.

Song Jitian finally raised his hand, signaling the ministers to quiet down. His gaze swept over everyone in the hall, and he said in a calm tone, "Everyone's opinions are reasonable, but the most important thing right now is not to alert the enemy, nor to let the Xingyun Kingdom discover our intentions. Sun Zhengming, I think your proposal to 'continue surveillance and find out where the weapons are going' is feasible. You should immediately arrange for your men to keep a close watch on John's fleet and cargo vehicles, and report immediately once the weapons are hidden. At the same time, issue my order to strengthen the defenses of the capital, especially the port, city gates, and the vicinity of the palace. There must be absolutely no oversights."

"Also, go to the dungeon and see Yang Xia, and hear his opinion on this matter. Since he is so prescient, he might be able to offer us more useful advice."

Song Jitian added.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Sun Zhengming bowed and accepted the order, feeling relieved—finally, he had a clear direction. As long as he followed the plan, he could gradually uncover the conspiracy of the Nebula Kingdom.

Watching Sun Zhengming's departing figure, Song Jitian turned to the ministers in the hall and said solemnly, "Ministers, from today onwards, everyone must perform their duties and closely monitor the movements of Xingyun Kingdom. If any abnormalities occur, report them immediately. The safety of Yan Kingdom is entrusted to you all."

"Your Majesty, we obey! We will certainly not fail in our mission!"

The ministers responded in unison, their voices filled with determination.

The atmosphere inside the hall remained heavy, but everyone held a clearer goal in their hearts. They knew that a silent battle had begun, and they had to win—for the people of Yan, for the peace of Yan.

After all, this matter is of great importance, concerning the warriors of both China and Xingyun. We should solicit more opinions, as this will be beneficial to us.

As soon as Song Jitian finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the hall. Several ministers were still discussing countermeasures in hushed tones, while Sun Zhengming stood in the hall, a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face. He had only been thinking about reporting John's news of moving weapons, and hadn't had time to carefully consider the specific follow-up plan. Now that Song Jitian was asking for his thoughts, he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Sun Zhengming's fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of his robe, his eyes flickering slightly. After hesitating for a while, he slowly raised his head to look at Song Jitian on the dragon throne, his tone tinged with apology: "Your Majesty, it is truly my fault for not considering things carefully. I was only focused on monitoring John's movements and hadn't had time to carefully consider the subsequent countermeasures. When you suddenly asked, I was at a loss for words. It was my lack of preparation, and I beg Your Majesty's punishment." Song Jitian looked at Sun Zhengming's sincere appearance, gently waved his hand, and said calmly: "It's alright. This matter happened suddenly, and you have already done very well by reporting the news immediately. Now think carefully about the current situation. What are your thoughts? I just want to hear your opinion; there's no need to have any reservations."

Reassured by Song Jitian, Sun Zhengming's tension eased slightly. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to carefully review the cause and effect of the matter in his mind—from Yang Xia's prediction that Nebula Kingdom might stockpile weapons, to Carter's infiltration of the dungeon to confirm Yang Xia's imprisonment, and now John's open unloading of weapons, every step confirmed Yang Xia's judgment. Since Yang Xia could accurately foresee these things, he probably already had a countermeasure.

A moment later, Sun Zhengming opened his eyes, his gaze hardening. He bowed to Song Jitian and said, “Your Majesty, after careful consideration, I believe that Yang Xia should take the lead in this matter. Yang Xia is exceptionally wise, and all the previous situations were within his expectations. Moreover, he seems to have a more thorough understanding of Xingyun Kingdom’s intentions. It would be more suitable for him to formulate a response plan than for us.”

Upon hearing Sun Zhengming's suggestion, a hint of agreement flashed in Song Jitian's eyes. He recalled Yang Xia's previous actions—"selling titles" through live streaming.

From luring Carter into the trap to anticipating John's attempt to silence him, every step was executed flawlessly, demonstrating exceptional wisdom. He nodded slowly, saying with certainty, "You're right, Yang Xia is indeed exceptionally intelligent. He truly has absolute control over this matter. How about this, you quietly go to the dungeon and bring Yang Xia here. We'll discuss this thoroughly in the main hall, hear what good methods or novel ideas he has for this matter, and we can consider adopting them."

"The minister obeys the order!"

Sun Zhengming quickly agreed, turned around and strode out of the main hall, heading towards the dungeon. He knew that Yang Xia's arrival might bring a turning point to this thorny situation.

In the dungeon, Yang Xia leaned against the stone wall, resting with his eyes closed. Despite the dark and damp conditions, his face showed no anxiety, but rather a calm and composed demeanor. He knew that Sun Zhengming would soon come to him—the news of John moving the weapons would inevitably cause Song Jitian and the ministers to struggle, and ultimately, they would turn to him for advice.

Sure enough, a short while later, light footsteps sounded outside the cell. Yang Xia opened his eyes and saw Sun Zhengming approaching with two imperial guards. The guards opened the cell door, and Sun Zhengming gestured for Yang Xia to enter.

With a gesture and a respectful tone, he said, "Mr. Yang Xia, His Majesty requests your presence to discuss the unloading of weapons from the Xingyun Kingdom."

Yang Xia slowly stood up, dusted himself off, and a calm smile appeared on his face: "Let's go, I was just about to talk to His Majesty about this."

The group quietly left the dungeon, avoiding the patrolling jailers and passing officials, and entered through a side gate of the palace, heading straight for the main hall. When Yang Xia entered the hall, he saw Song Jitian sitting on the dragon throne, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression hesitant; the ministers beside him also had solemn expressions, clearly still worried about the affairs of Xingyun Kingdom.

Yang Xia stepped forward and bowed slightly to Song Jitian: "Your Majesty."

Upon seeing Yang Xia, Song Jitian quickly gestured for him to stand up and said urgently, "Yang Xia, it's good that you're here. There's something I'd like to hear your opinion on—John has already started unloading weapons from the ship, and judging by the size of those crates, there are probably quite a few weapons inside. What we're struggling with now is whether to take immediate measures to stop them from continuing to unload, or to seize those weapons."

Sun Zhengming added from the side, "Yes, Mr. Yang Xia, we just want to ask for your advice on whether we should take action now."

After listening to the two men's words and glancing at the anxious expressions of the ministers in the hall, Yang Xia suddenly couldn't help but laugh. His light and cheerful laughter contrasted sharply with the somber atmosphere in the hall, leaving everyone present stunned—how could Yang Xia still laugh at a time like this?
Song Jitian asked in confusion, "Yang Xia, why are you laughing? Are our worries unnecessary?"

"Your Majesty, my lords, what is there to be conflicted about?"

Yang Xia's smile faded, and he said calmly, "John unloading the weapons is just the first step in their plan. We don't need to worry about these weapons for now; let them stay there for the time being. The best time for us to make our move will be when they confirm that 'Yang Xia is imprisoned and Yan has not noticed anything unusual,' and believe that the plan here can proceed smoothly."

He paused, then continued, "The more we ignore them and let them gloat, the more they will lower their guard. And the lower their guard, the more advantageous it will be for our subsequent actions. Think about it, if we rashly intervene now, we might be able to stop this weapons unloading, but it will also let the Nebula Kingdom know that we have seen through their plot. They will inevitably change their strategy and continue to operate in a more covert way. By then, it will be much more difficult for us to track them down."

Yang Xia's words were clear, logical, and concise, each sentence hitting the nail on the head. As Song Jitian and the ministers listened, the gravity on their faces gradually dissipated, and their eyes brightened—they had indeed overlooked the possibility of "alerting the enemy" due to their concern about the threat posed by the weapons.

The risks they faced were not as clear-sighted as those of Yang Xia.

Sun Zhengming couldn't help but say, "Mr. Yang Xia is right. We did have too many concerns before, always worried that these weapons would bring hidden dangers, which affected our judgment of the overall situation."

Yang Xia smiled and continued, "The most important thing now is not to dwell on the weapons at hand, but to wait for the Nebula Kingdom's next move. Since they dared to openly unload weapons, they must have a follow-up plan—either they want to transport the weapons to a hidden location to stockpile them, or they want to test our reaction. As long as they make new moves, we can follow the clues to find their core plan, and then wipe them out in one fell swoop, which is the only way to fundamentally solve the problem."

Song Jitian remained silent for a moment, looking at Yang Xia's composed demeanor, but still harboring a concern. (End of Chapter)