"Thank you, Parliament, for your fair ruling."
After laughing wildly, the fellow even put on a show of bowing to King Como and thanking him.
King Como was shameless enough to smile and say:
"My dear nephew, remember to treat those newly naturalized subjects well. As rulers entrusted with governing our realms, we must always keep a reverent heart."
"This is bad. When did the Weiji Kingdom get in with the Kingdom of Como? That fellow's wolfish ambitions are plain for all to see now."
A marquis seated beside Chen Cheng whispered this to another marquis next to him.
"Come now, old friend. Who here doesn't know that? But what can we do?
"Things are fierce in the north right now, though. That man has taken the entire Northern Frontier, and that should give them plenty of headaches. The Weiji Kingdom probably won't dare launch any major campaign for a few years.
"But the upheaval in the north has been so great that small states like Xiahou, which are still loyal to the royal family, have suffered terribly. No fewer than five are on the brink of destruction."
"Tell me about it. We thought we had a chance, so we all rose up together. But that man won't pay us any mind. What can we do?"
Listening to the two kings sigh, Chen Cheng finally understood what it meant for the whole world to have suffered under the five kingdoms for far too long.
Unfortunately, the story Chen Cheng had chosen for himself was not one of a noble prince returning for revenge. It was a dark comedy about rebellion, draped in the cloak of a revenge tale.
After that, Chen Cheng saw what hegemony truly meant. One small state after another was invaded by a great kingdom, and every