Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Shuyu Tower, this magnificent building standing in Jinling City, can be described as the largest and most upscale brothel in the area.

It is renowned for its luxury and elegance, becoming the dream paradise for countless men.

Stepping into Shuyu Tower is like entering a dreamlike world.

The interior of the building was decorated in a magnificent and opulent style, with exquisite carvings and gorgeous decorations that were dazzling to behold.

However, the most eye-catching were the beautiful women.

They were all incredibly beautiful, their delicate features radiating captivating charm like blooming flowers.

These women were graceful and charming.

Their faces were like poems and paintings, their delicate skin as white as mutton fat jade, crystal clear;

Her eyebrows were curved like distant mountains shrouded in mist;

His eyes were bright, like twinkling stars.

Every smile, every glance back, is full of charm, captivating and irresistible.

From the moment Shen Lang entered Shuyu Tower, he wished he had more eyes, constantly lingering over the women, without even pretending.

"See? I told you so, didn't I? This place is guaranteed to be worth it."

Jiang Shangxian kept showing off everything he saw to Shen Lang.

He pointed ahead at what appeared to be a group of female musicians playing instruments, drooling as he said, "See? These women are all incredibly beautiful and talented."

Even any one of these performers, taken individually, could make countless men's hearts flutter.

This place will absolutely let you enjoy all the bliss of life.

As they were speaking, a stunningly beautiful woman in her late twenties, dressed in brocade, walked up to Jiang Shangxian with a graceful, swaying gait and a slight twist of her supple waist.

She bowed slightly and gave a curtsy: "It's been a long time since I've seen Your Highness. I thought you had forgotten your name."

"Fu'er, I've missed you so much! Come and be affectionate with me."

Jiang Shangxian's eyes narrowed into slits, and he pulled the woman into his arms.

The woman let out a soft moan and, half-heartedly, lay down on Jiang Shangxian's broad chest.

"Your Highness, please have some self-respect."

The woman named Fu'er let out a seductive moan, then wriggled and struggled to break free from his embrace.

"Oh, Your Highness, who is this? What a handsome young man! I've never seen him before. Is this your first time here?"

The moment Fu'er saw Shen Lang, she immediately began to look him up and down, her eyes shining with admiration.

Shen Lang remained silent, while Jiang Shangxian introduced, "This is my sworn brother, someone I'd risk my life for."

I brought him here today specifically to let him see the world, Fu'er, shouldn't you make some arrangements so he doesn't get disappointed?"

"Then it's the same as before?"

Fu'er waved her round fan and asked curiously.

Jiang Shangxian nodded, then leaned down and whispered a few words in Fu'er's ear.

After hearing this, Fu'er looked at Shen Lang curiously for a few moments, then immediately covered half of her cheek with her fan, seemingly trying to suppress a laugh.

This scene displeased Shen Lang greatly, and he slowly reached his hand behind his waist, gripping the hilt of the dagger in reverse.

Jiang Shangxian urged, "Alright, Fu'er, hurry up and make the arrangements. Don't keep my brother waiting too long."

Fu'er then waved her round fan and said, "Your Highness, the rules of Shuyu Pavilion are clearly stated. I can find a girl for you; I guarantee she will be of superior beauty."

But whether you can have a good night with her depends on your skills, young man. After all, these girls in secret perform, not sell their bodies, unless they're willing.

"Hurry up." Jiang Shangxian immediately took out two ten-tael gold ingots from his storage ring. "Remember to bring two more jugs of good wine and a few side dishes. Don't mistreat my brother."

Fu'er accepted the gold with a delighted expression: "Alright, Your Highness, you and this young man should go take a bath and change your clothes first, then wait at Junyue Pavilion. He will be here shortly."

As soon as Fu'er left, Jiang Shangxian patted Shen Lang on the shoulder with a smile: "How was it, brother? Did I arrange it well?"

Don't worry about anything today, just have a blast! I'll cover all the expenses.

Shen Lang scoffed at this: "Your Highness, do you have any shame at all?"

Strictly speaking, all the money you have belongs to me. When you use my money to flaunt your wealth, can you at least consider how the person involved feels?

"Why should we, as brothers, distinguish ourselves?"

Jiang Shangxian rubbed Shen Lang's shoulder as they walked up to the second floor.

"Following your older brother, you'll have plenty of fun like this in the future. Come on, let's take a bath first."

Later in the evening, girls will give you massages, and then they'll do something really special for you. Consider it my way of thanking you for your help these past few days.

Shen Lang silently pushed away the hand that was on his shoulder and asked suspiciously, "What did you say to the shopkeeper just now?"

Jiang Shangxian narrowed his eyes: "Let's say you're still a virgin, so that people will take better care of you."

"rough!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang turned around and tried to leave without saying a word.

But as soon as he took a step, Jiang Shangxian grabbed his cloak from his shoulder.

"Brother, what are you doing? Where are you going?"

Shen Lang was extremely annoyed: "Who the hell are you calling a virgin? I hate it when people call me a virgin! I'm better off without a friend like you!"

"How can this be considered an insult?"

Jiang Shangxian was very puzzled: "Brother, this is for your own good."

The rules of Shuyu Tower state that if a man is still a virgin, there's a high chance he'll get laid.

"Isn't saying this to create an opportunity for you?"

"Hilarious! Since when has being a virgin become something to brag about?" Shen Lang retorted.

"Does that mean you're virtuous? Any girl would have a good first impression and would inevitably want to try something new."

"You've come to a brothel, and you're still talking about being chaste and self-disciplined? What's the difference between that and wanting both ways?"

"Alright, alright, I can't argue with you. Let's go, having fun is the most important thing."

Jiang Shangxian pushed Shen Lang into a bathroom.

Half an hour later, Shen Lang and Jiang Shangxian, each wearing a silk nightgown, were comfortably lying on the bed in the elegant private room—Junyue Pavilion—enjoying fine wine and delicacies.

Beneath them, two alluring young women dressed scantily were giving them foot massages.

"Ah, it's been a long time since I've enjoyed myself. Brother, how does it feel?"

"It's alright, not as bad as I thought."

"Look at what you're saying, you're just being stubborn."

Jiang Shangxian shifted his obese body, settled into a comfortable position, spread his arms, and lay on the bed, no longer speaking, fully enjoying the massage service from the beautiful woman beneath him.

After the foot massage ended, Jiang Shangxian ordered two more back oil massages.

During the substitution, he asked curiously, "Brother, what do you think our Great Chu would have in terms of victory if we were to go to war with the Great Yan Kingdom now?"

Shen Lang lay on the bed, and upon hearing this, said with his eyes closed, "You should know that I don't like to give advice when I'm resting."

"I've dealt with those bastards from the Green Robe Pavilion for you. Don't even think about giving me any more tasks for the next two weeks."

"I was just saying it offhand, otherwise what would I say?"

Anyway, it's fine to offer some casual advice; I can't exactly start telling dirty jokes, can I?

Shen Lang tilted his head: "Without the intervention of a third party, even if Great Yan is defeated by Great Chu in a war between the two countries, Great Chu's national strength will suffer a huge loss."

It's possible that recovery won't be possible for decades. In my opinion, not fighting now is the right thing to do; the time isn't right yet.

Jiang Shangxian: "Then I'm puzzled. You say my Great Chu is stronger than Great Yan, right?"

We have more people and ten times the financial resources, so why can't we compete with them?

Shen Lang replied, "That's because the nation's strength hasn't been concentrated where it should be used, and resource allocation can't be coordinated as a whole."

They're like a pile of loose sand; isn't it only natural they can't win?

Jiang Shangxian immediately became interested: "Then tell me, how do we unite as one?"

Shen Lang smiled and said, "To give you an example, if East Street sells tables and North Street sells chairs, people who want to buy either of these items have to go to both places."

If we put the tables and chairs in one store, wouldn't that save a lot of effort and free up a shop to sell other goods?

This is what it means to allocate resources rationally. If this can be achieved, I don't believe that the Chu army is inferior to the Yan army.

"So, this way we can easily defeat the Yan state?"

"What kind of dream are you having? This is just a premise."

"What else?"

Jiang Shangxian pressed for an answer.

He wanted to see if Shen Lang was truly capable. If he was, Jiang Mengxuan would have a capable assistant by her side to help her solve her problems.

However, Shen Lang seemed to sense something and asked directly, "Your Highness, aren't you asking a bit too many questions?"

"Weren't we here to have fun? Why are you giving me this nonsense?"