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

"Alright, if there's anything else you need to report, just say it all at once. I still need to cultivate the Supreme Ruthless Path, so I shouldn't be so wishy-washy."

"Your Majesty, bandits are causing trouble in the south. Hu Ruzhen has come to report that he requests the Ministry of War to allocate military funds to train 5,000 new soldiers."

"What? Does our Great Wu have no soldiers to use and have to train a new army to defend against the enemy?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Ji was immediately displeased, as training a new army would cost money.

"If I remember correctly, aren't there still 40,000 troops under his command in the three southern prefectures? Are these troops not enough to quell a group of bandits?"

Seeing Wu Ji's unfriendly tone, Xu Qian immediately replied, "With the might of the Sage, the troops of our Great Wu are naturally more than capable of dealing with the bandits."

However, Hu Ruzhen has only recently assumed the position of Governor-General of the three towns; it's doubtful he can control those arrogant and unruly soldiers.

Therefore, the proposal to train a new army likely stemmed from unavoidable circumstances, leading to a request for assistance from the imperial court.

Wu Ji remained silent, and the entire Sanqing Hall fell into silence instantly.

Xu Qian didn't say something: because the troops in the three towns hadn't been paid for two years, the original full roster of 40,000 soldiers had dwindled to less than 10,000, and those were mostly old and weak men without any fighting ability.

As for why the military pay wasn't issued, the money was naturally diverted to build palaces for the emperor.

Of course, Xu Qian would never say such a thing aloud, as that would be a slap in the face to the saint.

A sage is never wrong; the only ones who are wrong are those who fail to work hard enough.

"I've heard that the State of Chu has also formed a new army, what's it called, the Imperial Guard?"

Suddenly, Wu Ji asked a question out of the blue.

Xu Qian replied, "Indeed, it was with this new army that the State of Chu recovered Chang'an, which had been lost for two hundred years."

Wu Ji waved his hand, flicking his Taoist robe.

"How did the State of Chu train its new army? Has that been investigated?"

Xu Qian replied, "Your Majesty, the Chu Kingdom's Imperial Guard is personally controlled by the Empress."

Under the command of its emperor, the methods of practice are shrouded in mystery, and to this day, not a single clue has been discovered.

I've only heard that the Imperial Guard's weapons are extremely sharp, capable of killing silently from a hundred paces away, and are more than ten times superior to bows and crossbows.

Wu Ji: "How did they obtain such a powerful weapon?"

Xu Qian remained silent; this was a question that Zhu Neng, who was in charge of the Ministry of Works, should answer.

Zhu Neng immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I have heard that the weapons of the Imperial Guard are manufactured in the arsenal."

"If they can build it, why can't we? Is our Great Wu inferior to the State of Chu?"

Zhu Neng immediately knelt down.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your humble servant will immediately send someone to the State of Chu to request the Empress of Chu to teach us how to manufacture weapons."

"It's too late to think of these things now."

Wu Ji lay directly on his side on the futon.

"How much military pay does Hu Ruzhen need to train 5,000 new soldiers?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhan immediately replied, "Your Majesty, Hu Ruzhen said that training a new army would cost 600,000 taels of silver per year."

"Six hundred thousand taels? Hmph, that's enough for me to build two more Taoist temples!"

Gao Zhan immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Wu Ji waved his hand and said, "Get up. I don't mean to blame you. Training troops is a matter of national importance, concerning the stability of our Great Wu. How can I refuse?"

"But can this newly trained army match the fighting strength of the Chu State's Imperial Guard? Can it quickly quell the rebellion?"

Xu Qian: "Hu Ruzhen wrote that after six months of training a new army, the southern bandits will surely be quelled!"

Wu Ji: "Can the situation in the south hold out for another six months? Besides, this new army is being trained by Hu Ruzhen."

"Once they've trained, will the army obey Hu Ruzhen or me?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qian immediately understood that Wu Ji was opposing the training of a new army, but was unwilling to speak out directly.

Thinking of this, he immediately said, "Hu Ruzhen is loyal to the court and His Majesty. His training of the new army is also to quell the bandits as soon as possible."

This old minister believes that he could be ordered to draw some troops from the three garrisons for training. After all, the troops in the three garrisons are already of military background, making training easier.

Secondly, they were locals from the south, familiar with the local environment, and quite experienced in suppressing bandits. Thirdly, this could alleviate the pressure of an empty national treasury.

This would be a win-win-win situation, and perhaps it would be feasible. As for the additional expenses required for training the new army, Hu Ruzhen could be given the authority to collect taxes in the three towns.

"If the bandits can be driven out, I believe the local people will be willing to endure the hardship a little longer."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ji, though dissatisfied, nodded with satisfaction: "I said, you don't need to explain these worldly matters to me in detail. Once you have your own ideas, you can decide for yourselves."

After all, I am destined to ascend to the Immortal Realm sooner or later; I have no time to concern myself with such trivial matters. As long as the court remains stable and the Ziwei Palace is completed on schedule, I have nothing to worry about.”

Xu Qian: "The sage is wise."

Gao Zhan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, at least for now, he wouldn't have to ask the Ministry of Revenue for the money to train the new army.

"By the way, did the Chu envoy arrive in the capital today?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I need to cultivate the Dao and cannot receive guests. Minister Xu, you will take care of receiving the envoys. There is only one condition..."

We must not allow our friendly nations to look down on the Great Wu royal family. The necessary expenses must be spent; we cannot allow money to damage the nation's dignity. Have you all understood?

Xu Qian: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, everything is ready and we will ensure that the Chu ministers return home satisfied."

In his heart, he thought: The imperial treasury is long gone, and the national treasury is empty. Does this mean my aristocratic family is expected to raise money to entertain the Chu envoy? Fine, I'll help the sage this once.

"It's good that you know. Don't worry, with me here, the sky over Great Wu won't fall!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Ji closed his eyes, nodded, and continued speaking.

"You can also ask others for advice, and ask them how the State of Chu achieved its resurgence."

Having won so many brilliant battles in a year, he still has the energy to deal with the gentry of Jiangnan.

This isn't just about having courage; she's just an eighteen-year-old girl.

Are we really inferior to them?

After speaking, Wu Ji stood up with the help of the eunuch and slowly walked towards the back hall.

"I need to cultivate the immortal arts. Do not disturb me for the next five days. Go back to your homes and mind your own business. Then the world will naturally be at peace."

With that, he swept the whisk in his hand and entered the inner hall with a carefree air.

After confirming that Wu Ji had left, Xu Qian sighed and asked Gao Zhan, "Did you understand what the Sage just said?"

Gao Zhan shook his head: "Please enlighten me, Elder Xu, what exactly did the sage mean?"

"The sage's words are meant to teach you to learn from the State of Chu how they achieved a balance between income and expenditure."

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhan inwardly complained: If only a few fewer Taoist temples had been built, the national treasury wouldn't be so empty that it couldn't even pay military salaries.

What's the use of learning? It all ends up in the pockets of the emperor and those corrupt officials, with barely a fraction actually benefiting people's livelihoods.

Even the drainage ditches in the capital have been covered with silt due to long-term neglect, and now they are foul-smelling and infested with flies and insects.

Ultimately, it all comes down to a lack of money.

Xu Qian didn't care whether Gao Zhan listened or not, and went straight to Zhu Neng, instructing him: "The Ziwei Palace must be completed before the end of the year, so as not to make the Emperor anxious."

Zhu Neng bowed and replied, "Please rest assured, Elder Xu. The affairs of the Sage are of utmost importance, and how could I possibly slack off?"

Xu Qian sighed and walked out of the Sanqing Hall with heavy steps.

"It's time to go and welcome Chu Chen back. We absolutely cannot afford to lose face for our Great Wu!"

……

At the welcoming banquet, the ministers of Wu took turns toasting Wang Xuance to show their goodwill.

The table was laden with precious delicacies from land and sea, including top-quality spirit wine brewed for sixty years, which was quite a show of respect for Wang Xuance.

Despite the enthusiasm of the Wu officials, Wang Xuance remained unfazed, maintaining the proper attitude of a minister from a friendly state like Chu.

But deep down, he felt utterly contemptuous of the situation before him.

The city was filled with refugees, while the palace was filled with extravagant feasts. It was clear that neither the emperor nor the ministers of the Great Wu court cared about the common people.

It would be an injustice if such a country didn't perish.

After several rounds of drinks and everyone was in high spirits, Wang Xuance suggested that he go and meet Wu Ji.

Xu Qian replied, "His Majesty is very busy and is probably unable to meet with the envoy these next few days. He specifically instructed us to stay here and keep him company."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuance was overjoyed.

He was just wondering how to find a reason to worsen the relationship between Chu and Wu, and now this opportunity has come knocking on his door.

An envoy from the State of Chu was sent to the friendly State of Wu, but was refused an audience by the King of Wu.

Wang Xuance had already drafted the news headlines in his mind, and once he returned, he would use them as a pretext to launch an attack on the Wu Kingdom.