I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 315 My greatest strength is that I never cross a river and destroy a bridge
After several days of preparation.

Gongsun Qing, who was in charge of teaching the three Japanese the Chinese language, first brought Liu Ju a message:
"Your Highness, today that wild woman drew three simple pictures on the ground with a stick in front of me."

"The first one looks like a big ship sailing from the sea to a piece of land, and there is a man with long beard and long hair standing on the bow of the ship."

As he spoke, Gongsun Qing dipped his finger in some tea and began to draw on the table in front of Liu Ju.

"Since she knew about the Qin Dynasty's Xu Fu, the man with long beard and long hair in the painting is most likely the Xu Fu who went to sea to seek immortality for Qin Shi Huang."

"In the second painting, there are many people surrounding this man with long beard and long hair, and they seem to be reaching out to take something from him."

"It is rumored that Xu Fu brought a lot of food, clothing, medicinal herbs and farming tools when he went out to sea to seek immortality. If Xu Fu finally arrived at the big island where this savage tribe once lived, he would definitely give the items he brought with him as gifts to the people on the big island to establish contact with them."

"In the third painting, there is also this man with long hair and beard, but this time he is in the corner of the picture. There are two groups of people in the painting. Each of them holds a spear-like weapon and seems to be fighting. Some of them have already fallen to the ground and died."

"It is rumored that when Xu Fu went to sea, he brought 3,000 boys and girls with him. These 3,000 boys and girls served as his followers, and they would also be his men when they grew up. If the big island was full of dwarves like these, Xu Fu could have led these 3,000 boys and girls to raise an army and claim the throne. To claim the throne, he would inevitably have to kill and shed blood."

"Therefore, I think that the three simple pictures drawn by the wild woman are most likely depicting the scene when Xu Fu went out to sea and successfully arrived at the big island."

It has to be said that Gongsun Qing's inference is indeed quite reasonable and is consistent with the legends in some historical books.

However, after hearing this, Liu Ju just grinned without commenting:
"So you no longer believe that what we are looking for this time is a fairyland with vast plains and swamps, but just an island inhabited by a group of short savages?"

"Xu Fu didn't become an immortal back then. He just arrived at this island and never came back?"

"In fact, there is no fairyland overseas. There are no immortal gods. There are only these poorly clothed and hungry short savages hanging on a deserted island."

Hearing this, Gongsun Qing was so frightened that his face froze. He knelt on the ground and apologized:
"I will die! How dare I question your highness!"

"I don't mean to blame you, get up."

Liu Ju stepped forward and helped Gongsun Qing up. In his frightened eyes, he continued to say with a smile,

"Besides, this is the truth, and it is exactly what I want my father and you to see."

"There are no fairylands or immortals overseas. There are only these barren and dangerous islands and a group of hungry short savages. In the eyes of these savages, the land occupied by our Han Dynasty is the real livable fairyland, and our Han subjects are the immortals and immortal people living in the fairyland."

"In the future, it is better to avoid such things as riding a donkey to look for a donkey. After all, it is just a waste of time and money and a vain pursuit."

"..."

Hearing this, Gongsun Qing's face turned red and white again.

Before this, he was a liar who falsely claimed that there were immortals in the sea and deceived Liu Che into going to sea to seek immortality.

However, although he knew that the letter he presented and the words he said to Liu Che were all false, he actually could not be sure whether there were fairylands and immortals on the sea. Anyway, there had been alchemists saying so since the pre-Qin period, so he followed suit.

Many times, even he himself believed it was true.

After all, no one had ever completed such an exploration before. Even Xu Fu never returned. No one has ever really described what the vast ocean looks like and what exists in it.

But this time, Liu Ju gave him a chance to witness it with his own eyes...

Just seeing the savages captured from the islands and personally teaching them their language in a way similar to training dogs gave him an embarrassing feeling of shattered fantasy.

And he wasn't the only one feeling this way.

The Qi local scholars who came with me also felt the same way...

Some people have been discussing this matter privately, and some have even begun to understand why Liu Ju had previously labeled them as rumormongers and punished them with tattooing. Liu Ju seemed to have seen through everything, but they were still self-righteously spreading rumors in front of Liu Ju like clowns. Liu Ju's not chopping off their heads was already a mercy, not to mention that this time he gave them a chance to start a new life...

What is a benevolent monarch?

Your Highness, this is a truly merciful and forgiving monarch!

Thinking about this, Gongsun Qing had nothing to say, so he could only bow his head and apologize again:
"Your Highness is absolutely right. I am ashamed..."

"Since you still feel ashamed, it means I was right about you. Get ready."

Liu Ju nodded slightly and said with a smile,
"General Yang just sent someone to report that he has prepared warships and supplies for sailing to this island. If there are no scorching clouds this evening and the stars are bright enough at five o'clock, we can set off early tomorrow morning."

"This time you and the accompanying alchemists and wizards will go with the three savages. If everything goes well after you get to the island, you will start teaching the people of this tribe their language. These people will be useful... Tell the alchemists and wizards below you that you are my secret weapons this time. Don't let me down."

"promise!"

Gongsun Qing quickly straightened his back and responded solemnly.

"Also, do me a small favor and bring the clothes you brought over later."

Liu Ju continued.

"……promise."

After hearing this, Gongsun Qing was puzzled, but still agreed.

Could it be that the prince is short of a rag?
That's not right. If the prince needed a rag, he could just cut it from the cloth he brought with him, whether it was linen, linen, satin, or brocade, no matter how valuable or cheap. He would never use his old clothes as rags. Otherwise, how could we, the Han people, be any better than those short and naked savages?

It was not until this time that Liu Ju finally revealed his true colors:

"Tomorrow morning, when we set out, I will wear your clothes, draw a tattoo on my face, and go out to sea with you. You must find a way to cover me up so that Zhao Zhou and his men won't make a fuss."

"This... Your Highness, this is probably inappropriate, right?!"

Gongsun Qing's face turned pale in an instant, and his soul and spirit almost left his body.

"What's wrong?"

Liu Ju's eyes turned cold, and he instantly put on a PUA face like a workplace leader.

"It only takes two or three hours to get to that island. General Yang recently ordered people to investigate that island. They have been going back and forth dozens of times and never had an accident. If I hadn't confirmed it was safe, why would I have rashly set out to sea?"

"Anyway, give me a straightforward answer."

"Can you do this? If not, I will find someone else. Three-legged toads are hard to find, but there are more than a hundred two-legged alchemists this time. If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will."

"But Your Highness..."

Gongsun Qing still looked embarrassed, his entire face wrinkled like a bitter gourd.

Liu Ju put his arm around his shoulders again and said in a gentle and persuasive way:

"Don't worry. My greatest strength is that I never burn bridges. As long as they are my own people, I will do my best to protect them, even if it means turning against my father. You have been in the Prince's Mansion for so long, you must have heard about it, right?"

(End of this chapter)