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

What's even more terrifying is that these people have no idea how cruel their actions are.

They even intend to maintain this tradition indefinitely, which is truly appalling.

Looking at the people in front of him, Yang Xia suddenly realized that they were not as wonderful as he had imagined.

Many things only emerge gradually, like this system of slavery. Back in the Great Zhou Kingdom, he never dreamed that such a scene existed in the impoverished and backward Great Chu Kingdom.

But now that I've discovered this situation, I won't let it continue to develop.

No matter how difficult it is to change this tradition, Yang Xia is determined to make them completely abolish this practice, without any room for negotiation.

Even if the Great Zhou Kingdom cannot cooperate normally with the Great Chu Kingdom, he will still change these unfair treatments.

Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, not to mention that one's actions may save many races.

After considering these aspects, Yang Xia felt that the most crucial issue now was not developing the economic strength of the Great Chu Kingdom, but rather completely reversing their ignorant and foolish thinking.

Only in this way can economic development proceed smoothly.

Looking at the slaves in front of him, suffering inhuman treatment, with handcuffs and shackles on their hands, yet still forced to work like cattle and horses.

Yang Xia even felt his heart bleeding, which strengthened his resolve to change the Great Chu.

It seems that this trip to the Great Chu was the right choice. Putting aside other factors, completely abolishing this cruel tradition would be an immeasurable act of merit.

Yang Xia's inherent stubbornness was successfully awakened, and no matter how difficult things might be, he would stick to his principles.

He certainly understood that the poorer and more backward a country was, the more foolish and cruel people's perceptions were.

In particular, such deeply ingrained ideas are hard to change, and a contest between them is bound to take place. But no matter what, Yang Xia will not give in easily.

Thinking of those whose entire clans were exterminated, and then looking at the inhuman lives of these slaves before him, Yang Xia's heart remained unsettled for a long time. He would never have peace of mind until this matter was completely resolved.

Yang Xia couldn't eat anymore; thinking about these things made him feel suffocated. He glanced at Fei Liang next to him, who was happily eating as if nothing was wrong.

"No, I must save these slaves from their suffering. I cannot let them live such an unfair life. They are human beings, not livestock."

Yang Xia grew angrier the more he thought about it. Reflecting on Fei Liang's earlier attitude, he knew this matter wouldn't be easy to discuss. But whatever the reason, it wouldn't make Yang Xia give up on this idea.

He simply put down his chopsticks, stopped the singing and dancing, and felt that the scene in front of him was a blatant irony that he couldn't bear to watch for even a second longer.

"Stop right now! I can't eat another bite of this!"

Yang Xia's expression changed completely.

Fei Liang was eating when he suddenly noticed that Yang Xia had stopped the singing and dancing, put down his chopsticks, and said such things. He immediately realized that Yang Xia's mood was a bit off.

"You all step back!"

With a wave of his hand, Fei Liang dismissed all his men, leaving only Fei Liang and Yang Xia in the palace.

"Yang Xia, what's wrong? Is it because the food doesn't suit your taste?" Fei Liang asked knowingly.

He knew Yang Xia was angry because of the slaves, but in Fei Liang's eyes, these things were perfectly normal and there was no need to pay attention to them.

Perhaps Yang Xia had never seen such a scene in the Great Zhou Kingdom, which is why he became somewhat emotional.

However, no matter what, Fei Liang would not let Yang Xia deal with the slaves, so he changed the subject and deliberately diverted the conversation.

"Of course not, don't try to fool me. Let's talk about the slaves properly."

Seeing that the other party was still trying to play dumb, Yang Xia bluntly stated the truth.

“I’ve said it before, these slaves are very common in the Great Chu Kingdom, and it’s not a serious matter at all, so we don’t need to talk about it.”

"We should talk about the future development of the Great Chu Kingdom. I am also very grateful for the help from the Great Zhou Kingdom."

Fei Liang looked at Yang Xia with a smile, not wanting things to get so unpleasant over the issue of slaves.

Since Yang Xia came to the Great Chu Kingdom, Fei Liang has been extremely grateful to him.

Aside from the issue of slavery, there were absolutely no conflicts between them, and Fei Liang was willing to unconditionally cooperate with Yang Xia's development in Da Chu.

However, he was unwilling to bring up the matter of slaves again, not wanting such a trivial matter to affect their relationship.

In Fei Liang's eyes, this was indeed a trivial matter, because they had been used to it for decades.

Seeing that Fei Liang was unwilling to mention the matter of slavery and instead chose to avoid it.

This attitude infuriated Yang Xia even more; it seemed Fei Liang had no intention of resolving the slave problem. Now that he knew about this, he wouldn't let it go.

"Lord Feiliang, since you've agreed to cooperate with me, then you must do as I say. Isn't that what you've been promising all along?"

Yang Xia looked at Fei Liang with a serious expression. He didn't want the two of them to have such an unpleasant argument because of this.

Yang Xia was very dissatisfied with Fei Liang's attitude toward slaves. Fei Liang tried to avoid the issue, but Yang Xia insisted on pressing him.

"Yes, I'm willing to listen to you in everything. You have the final say on the development of the Great Chu Kingdom. I'll do whatever you tell me to do."

Fei Liang still looked at Yang Xia with a smile, his attitude still appearing as sincere as ever.

However, Yang Xia knew that his words had a hidden meaning. He was clearly saying that the Great Chu Kingdom was willing to listen to him regarding its development, but he had completely ignored the matter of slaves.

"Then my first request is to change the so-called 'slave system' of the Great Chu Kingdom."

“Give these untouchables equal rights and do not oppress them.”

Yang Xia made this demand so straightforward that Fei Liang had no way to escape.

Fei Liang was stunned when he heard Yang Xia's request. He didn't expect Yang Xia to be so determined to get to the bottom of this.

He had originally intended to feign ignorance and let the matter drop. In his mind, the issue of slavery was truly insignificant. However, Yang Xia persisted in pursuing the matter, directly making this demand, leaving Fei Liang nowhere to hide.

“Yang Xia, do you really want to get involved in the slavery? This is the fate of those lowly people, it has been like this for many years, we really don’t need to care.”

“Those slaves are free labor, so we might as well use them. If we abolish this system, it will still have a certain impact on our Great Chu Kingdom.”

Fei Liang's attitude was also very firm. He would not easily abolish the slave system, nor did he want to change the traditions of his ancestors in his hands. This idea was already deeply rooted.

When Yang Xia proposed this idea, Fei Liang already had the answer in his heart, but he just pretended not to know.

Seeing that Yang Xia was determined to get to the bottom of this matter, Fei Liang had no choice but to make his stance clear.

He felt that the issue of slavery had nothing to do with the development of the Great Chu Kingdom and did not want Yang Xia to get involved in it.

That would affect their relationship and thus hinder cooperation between the two countries, making it seem less worthwhile in these respects.

“They are not born slaves, nor are they untouchables; they should enjoy equal rights. Your thinking is seriously wrong and must be changed.”

Yang Xia's attitude became even more agitated. He hadn't expected Fei Liang to be so resolute, showing no intention of abolishing slavery.

“Yang Xia, this is how our ancestors have always lived. Those lowly people are meant to live like this. Let’s not dwell on these things, okay?”

"Only when the Great Chu Kingdom has such a workforce can it help us with many things in various aspects. Once we lose this workforce, many things will be left unattended, and things will fall into chaos again."

Seeing that Yang Xia was getting agitated, Fei Liang quickly tried to persuade him with kind words, hoping that Yang Xia would listen to what he had to say.

Fei Liang was naturally willing to let Yang Xia help the Great Chu Kingdom move forward.

After Yang Xia's analysis, he basically understood the direction of future development and was full of confidence in the future prospects of the Great Chu Kingdom.

Unexpectedly, this little incident occurred, with them getting entangled in the matter of slaves. Fei Liang felt that Yang Xia was somewhat unreasonable.

However, he dared not speak so bluntly, and could only continue to sincerely communicate with Yang Xia, hoping that he could understand his good intentions.

This has been the way of life for generations in the Great Chu Kingdom. These slaves are free labor, and once they are gone, many things will indeed fall apart.

Fei Liang felt that he had explained everything so clearly, and Yang Xia was a reasonable person who would surely understand his thoughts.

Yang Xia hadn't expected the other party to be so stubborn, making their system of slavery sound so justified. But those people were all living beings, and they didn't deserve to be treated that way.

“You are not a good ruler. If you say that the Great Chu Kingdom needs labor, then those nobles are equally capable of working.”

“They cannot sit back and enjoy the fruits of others’ labor, having these so-called lowly people serve them. This is itself an unequal system that should have been abolished long ago.”

Yang Xia argued forcefully, not believing that Fei Liang's reasoning was correct, but rather that it was a fallacy and heresy.

This is clearly an extremely cruel practice, yet Fei Liang manages to make it sound reasonable. This is the most terrifying thing, indicating that this kind of thinking has already taken root in their hearts.

This, in turn, strengthened Yang Xia's resolve.

If Fei Liang refuses to compromise on this matter, he will cancel the cooperation between the two countries. He will never allow such perverse behavior to exist.

Unless I can no longer see this phenomenon, I will definitely take charge of everything I can see.

The thought of the sorrowful eyes of those slaves made Yang Xia feel extremely distressed. Regardless of whether he could cooperate with the Great Chu Kingdom, he would see this matter through to the end and restore a normal living environment for them.

"Yang Xia, what are you saying? How can nobles be used as laborers?"

"Aristocrats are born to be served by slaves. Are you suggesting that nobles should be made to work like slaves?"

After hearing Yang Xia's remarks, Fei Liang was even more confused and stared at Yang Xia with wide eyes as if he were looking at a monster.

He had never heard such remarks before. If it weren't for Yang Xia, whom he respected, saying such things, Fei Liang would probably have been angry long ago.

This phenomenon has persisted in the Great Chu Kingdom for decades, and no one has ever questioned it; everyone considers it reasonable.

But in Yang Xia's words, it became a completely different story, that the Great Chu Kingdom should treat these slaves equally.

What's even more outrageous is that the nobles are to be used as laborers, a situation that Fei Liang finds completely unacceptable and even particularly repulsive.

“Yang Xia, let’s not talk about this anymore. We will never abolish slavery under any circumstances. This is simply a joke.”

"I have never heard of using nobles as laborers. Our Great Chu Kingdom does not want to make such a joke. It would be a laughing stock."

Fei Liang reiterated his stance once again, and was extremely resolute, determined not to change it no matter what Yang Xia said.

In Fei Liang's eyes, Yang Xia was simply joking, so it was impossible for him to accept. However, he also didn't want them to have a conflict over this matter, and even felt that it was not worth it.

When Yang Xia saw that Fei Liang was completely oblivious and would not agree to this request no matter what he said, he immediately put on a stern face.

"I really didn't expect the Great Chu Kingdom to be so stubborn in its thinking. In that case, there's no need for us to continue talking."

"If you can't even agree to my first condition, then it's impossible for us to continue cooperating. Let's think of another way."

Yang Xia immediately stood up and left, unable to accept the actions of the Great Chu Kingdom.

Since he had such a big problem in his heart, it was impossible for him to stay in the Great Chu Kingdom to help them develop together. Yang Xia would rather give up on such an unreasonable country.

Fei Liang was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected Yang Xia to cancel the cooperation with the Great Chu Kingdom because of the slave issue. This was no joke.

Although their thinking was indeed somewhat ignorant, they knew that the Great Chu Kingdom should follow in Yang Xia's footsteps and develop forward, which was a once-in-a-century opportunity.

Once missed, it will never be encountered again, and the Great Chu Kingdom will remain in this state of poverty and backwardness.

Yang Xia is an extremely capable person; he could certainly seek cooperation with other countries.

After considering these factors, Fei Liang was naturally anxious and afraid, and quickly blocked Yang Xia's path.

"Yang Xia, why are you suddenly angry? It's really not right for such a small matter to affect the cooperation between our two countries. Can't we talk this over properly?" (End of Chapter)