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

"It can't be done."

To Jiang Mengxuan's surprise, Wu Li directly rejected her words.

"Empress Jiang, some things really can't be accomplished just by talking."

I don't want to lie to you; I simply cannot survive without a man to serve me.

Jiang Mengxuan shook her head: "Empress Wu, I really didn't expect that you are completely different from what I remembered."

"I'd like to know, are you truly the legendary empress who led the Great Wu to prosperity?"

"a ha ha ha--"

Wu Li laughed, but her laughter sounded extremely distorted.

"Empress Jiang, haven't you heard the saying, 'Seeing is believing'?"

"Since you saw it last night, I won't hide it from you anymore. I'll tell you how this so-called Empress Wu's wisdom and sagacity came about."

Wu Li changed her sitting posture, resting half of her cheek on her hand as she slowly began to speak.

"I remember when I first ascended the throne, I felt the same way you do now. I only wanted to govern the country well and make Wu prosperous and strong."

At that time, my mind and attention were completely focused on state affairs. Any spare time was spent consolidating my imperial power and engaging in power struggles with my court officials.

However, who could have foreseen that my diligent efforts to reform the court and lead the Wu Kingdom to prosperity would infringe upon the interests of the aristocratic families and even the royal family?

They tried every means to get rid of me, even bribing my newly trained army.

Just then, the State of Song launched a major invasion. With no troops at my disposal, I had no choice but to humbly compromise with the gentry.

As a result, at the banquet, I was poisoned with aphrodisiacs by those aristocratic families who had planned this all along.

That night, the Wu Empress, who was revered as noble by the people, was sent to the Song camp by these greedy beasts…

At this point, Wu Li licked her dry lips, her eyes showing no remorse or humiliation, but rather a deep longing.

"After I sobered up and reflected on the night's events, I realized that being a woman can be so easy and comfortable."

If I had known this would happen, why did I bother with all that effort? Why did I covet the throne? I could have obtained everything I wanted simply by utilizing my own strengths, so why bother fighting for it?

Jiang Mengxuan couldn't listen any longer and spoke up to stop her, saying, "Empress Wu, I know that this humiliation has been a great blow to you."

But I just don't understand how you could have such a bizarre idea?

"That's because you haven't experienced it, so it's normal that you don't understand," Wu Li said with a smile. "If you had ever tasted the feeling of being overwhelmed by a torrential downpour, you would be even more pathetic than me."

There's nothing wrong with being promiscuous; once you get used to it, you can find endless joy. Why care about worldly opinions?

Jiang Mengxuan remained silent; Wu Li's words had shattered her worldview.

"From then on, I gradually lost interest in politics, and I needed to release my stress every night."

As long as it makes me happy, what does it matter if the other person is a human or a ghost? Men can have three wives and four concubines, and three thousand beauties in their harem, so why can't I, as an empress, do the same?

Unfortunately, such days did not last. A palace coup forced me to flee to a foreign land.

Having been in exile for decades, I have long since grown accustomed to the fickle nature of this world. Since my time, the Kingdom of Wu...

The nation's power rapidly declined and became extremely unstable, with emperors changing as easily as eating a meal.

Those emperors of Wu who succeeded to the throne did not even do half as well as I did during my reign.”

After saying that, Wu Li leaned close to Jiang Mengxuan and suddenly asked, "Empress Jiang, the person next to you at Tianxiang Tower yesterday must be your future husband, right?"

Jiang Mengxuan frowned: "I advise you, you'd better not make any moves on him!"

Wu Li replied, "If Empress Jiang agrees to let him spend a few nights with me, I will give you a great gift."

You don't understand, this man is exceptional; the aura he exudes is incredibly powerful.

It will definitely make a woman feel like she's in heaven, completely soaring to the clouds.

Consider this my way of assessing and testing your abilities before you, Empress Jiang, marry him.

"So that on your wedding night, Empress Jiang wouldn't be caught off guard and might suffer greatly."

Snapped--

A crisp slap echoed inside the room.

Jiang Mengxuan glared coldly at Wu Li, her face expressionless.

However, Wu Li wasn't angry at all after being hit. She continued to smile and said, "Empress Jiang, you've hit me and vented your anger. Can you grant my request now?"

"Get out of here! I never want to see you again!"

Jiang Mengxuan pointed to the door, her cold voice devoid of any expectation.

But Wu Li didn't leave; instead, she made an unexpected move.

Suddenly, she took out a jade seal wrapped in yellow silk from her storage ring.

"Do you know what this is, Empress Jiang? This is the Imperial Jade Seal, representing the legitimacy of the Great Wu."

“When I was in exile in a foreign land, I always carried it with me, and because of it, the political situation in Wu Kingdom was never stable.”

"To show my sincerity, I can give you this Wu Kingdom jade seal."

With it, and given the current strength of your Chu state, you will have enough power to control the Wu court.

"If you promise me that your fiancé will completely conquer me in bed, even if it kills me, then it will be your spoils."

Jiang Mengxuan fell silent.

The reason for her silence was not because she was considering whether or not she should let Shen Lang use his body.

What no one could have imagined was that Wu Li would actually trade away even the imperial seal, a symbol of a nation's imperial power, for the sake of lust.

Is it really that scary?

Suddenly, she saw a hint of deep-seated hatred flash in Wu Li's crazed eyes.

In that instant, she remembered what Shen Lang had said to her the night before.

Could it be that……

Looking at the jade seal in Wu Li's hand, Jiang Mengxuan thought of a possibility.

She wasn't crazy; she wanted to use the power of the Chu Kingdom to completely destroy the Wu Kingdom, which had ruined her life.

"Get out of here, Empress Wu. If you still wish to remain in Chu seeking refuge..."

You'd better tone down your behavior, or I'll have no choice but to ask you to leave.

"Empress Jiang, please don't be in such a hurry to refuse. I will wait for your news. I'll use Shu Yingwen to satisfy you for the next few days. You won't question that, will you?"

"If this gets out, I will not spare you either."

"Haha, then I'll take my leave now—"

After Wu Li left, Jiang Mengxuan leaned back in her chair, looking slightly tired.

This face-to-face exchange gave her a completely new understanding of intrigue and power struggles.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shen Lang, who had just gotten up and was preparing to be self-disciplined, was disturbed by an uninvited guest.

Standing in front of Shen Lang was the woman from the martial arts world who had witnessed him killing the assassins from the Dongyu Sect on the rooftop the previous night.

"Commander Shen, let me introduce myself first. My name is Lin Yunxiu, and I am the owner of Biyue Manor."

"Azure Water Manor? You're from the Song Dynasty?"

"Yes, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"What's the deal?"

"Do not extinguish the fire."

Shen Lang frowned. This was the second time he had heard the words "Unextinguishable Fire." The first time was when he heard it from an assassin by the lake.

"I have never heard of any news about an unextinguishable fire. Master Yun, you should find someone else."

Lin Yunxiu immediately said, "Commander Shen, the fire that cannot be extinguished is inside His Highness Prince Jing of your country."

Shen Lang's eyes turned cold: "What, do you intend to harm the Prince?"

Lin Yunxiu shook her head: "No, obtaining the inextinguishable fire doesn't necessarily require killing someone."

"I have a way to successfully remove the undying fire from the prince's body, but I need Commander Shen's help to introduce me."

"Do you take me for a three-year-old child?" Shen Lang retorted. "Besides, even if what you say is true, the unextinguished fire is a treasure of my Great Chu. What does it have to do with your Song Kingdom?"

Lin Yunxiu: "Commander Shen, not extinguishing the fire is merely icing on the cake for your Chu Kingdom, but for my Song Kingdom, it is an opportunity to continue the nation's destiny."

Shen Lang smiled: "I suppose you are aware of the relationship between Prince Jing and me."

Yet you can still utter such naive words. Do you think you're confident you can escape from my blade?

As soon as he finished speaking, the dagger transformed into a stream of light and spun back and forth in Shen Lang's palm.

"How about we take a gamble? If you can survive the time it takes to drink a cup of tea under my blade, I might consider taking you to see Prince Jing."

But if you can't hold on, don't blame me for being ruthless, and don't blame me after you die.