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

After a lavish welcome banquet, Xu Qian invited Wang Xuance to speak privately in a side hall.

"The Chu envoy has had a long and arduous journey. Why not rest in the city for a few more days? Let this old minister receive you properly on behalf of His Majesty."

Xu Qian warmly poured Wang Xuance a cup of fine tea.

"Thank you, Elder Xu. Your country and the Great Chu have been diplomatic allies for generations, so there is no need for such formalities. Since His Majesty is busy and unable to meet me, I should return to report to His Majesty as soon as possible."

Wang Xuance maintained diplomatic etiquette, keeping a faint, professional smile on his face.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qian smiled and said, "Our Wu Kingdom is currently facing many troubles. I imagine the Chu envoy has already seen all of this on his journey. It would be good for him to leave sooner rather than later."

He paused, then sighed, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Wang Xuance: "Old Xu, please feel free to speak your mind. The states of Chu and Wu have maintained diplomatic relations for generations. If your country were to encounter difficulties, Chu would not stand idly by."

"Oh dear, how am I supposed to bring this up?"

Xu Qian sighed, feigning difficulty, and shook his head while holding his teacup.

Wang Xuance: "Does Elder Xu mean that he does not consider my Chu Kingdom an ally? If so, then I shall take my leave."

After saying that, he made a move to get up and leave.

Xu Qian quickly stopped him: "Envoy, please wait. Since you have asked, if I were to remain silent, it would indeed be disrespectful to our friendly nation."

Well, this year the Kingdom of Wu has suffered a once-in-a-century flood, resulting in a complete crop failure in two provinces and affecting millions of people.

I was wondering if it were possible to borrow some grain and provisions from your country to alleviate the spread of the disaster?

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuance sat down again and said with a slightly reproachful tone, "Why didn't Elder Xu say so earlier? Such an important matter has been delayed so much; this is not the way of a subject."

Xu Qian nodded: "Your Excellency is right. I was indeed confused. What about the matter of borrowing grain?"

"There is no time to lose. I will return to the capital tomorrow to report to His Majesty. His Majesty will surely be willing to send grain to aid your country in its time of need."

Upon hearing Wang Xuance's accurate reply, Xu Qian immediately stood up and bowed to him.

"Xu Qian, on behalf of the Emperor and on behalf of the millions of disaster-stricken people, first expresses his gratitude for your country's generous act!"

Wang Xuance returned the greeting: "Elder Xu, there's no need for such formalities. How could my Chu state stand idly by when our friendly nation is in trouble? Please rest assured."

The relief grain will be expedited to your country's border. The situation is urgent, and I must return to my post station to write a memorial to the throne. I will not trouble you any longer, Elder Xu. Farewell.”

Not long after Xu Qian saw Wang Xuance off, Zhu Neng stepped out from behind the screen.

"Old Xu, why did you borrow grain from the State of Chu on Gao Zhan's behalf? What if the Sage finds out..."

"The Sage won't blame us, after all, the Ziwei Palace still needs the remaining payment of 2.3 million taels of silver."

If the project cannot be completed before the end of the year, the Emperor's wrath would be unbearable. I am here to clean up the mess for you.

Zhu Neng suddenly realized: "Thank you for your help, Elder Xu. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

"Yes, once the grain arrives, allocate a batch to Hu Ruzhen first. After all, the bandits are powerful, and military expenses must not be lacking."

"I will inform you, Your Excellency."

……

When Wang Xuance returned from his mission to the State of Wu, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue at the Jinling Shipyard, after a three-day inspection, collectively fell silent.

The steel-connected hull, the colossal ship several times larger than any existing vessel, gave them their first taste of the awe-inspiring power of technology.

"So, everyone, this is the shipyard that His Majesty invested in. What are your thoughts after seeing it?"

Everyone was speechless, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Finally, Yang Xiong, who was close to Shen Lang, stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, Your Excellency, how many nautical miles can this ship sail?"

Shen Lang replied, "As long as the ship has enough fuel, it will be no problem to travel from the waters near Li Kingdom to the west of Wuzhao."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiong silently pondered for a moment, then seemed to realize something and exclaimed in surprise, "This humble official understands the Minister's intention!"

"Tell me."

"The ship's hull is made of steel, which can withstand harsh weather at sea, allowing it to travel thousands of nautical miles and export the special products of our Chu Kingdom overseas."

This will greatly promote the flow of maritime trade, bringing massive benefits to our Great Chu. This single move alone can increase our Great Chu's finances by at least 30%.

In this way, the problem of money and grain that constrains the development of the nation will be solved, and within twenty years, our Chu state will surely be prosperous and its people wealthy.”

Shen Lang was very pleased: "Minister Yang is indeed farsighted. Maritime transport will inevitably be related to the future development of our Chu Kingdom."

Once overseas trade is fully developed, the current predicament facing the State of Chu will inevitably be resolved. At that time, goods produced in the factories can be continuously shipped overseas.

In return, we received gold, silver, copper, iron, and other strategic resources that our dynasty desperately needed. At that point, the so-called salt tax and agricultural tax would no longer be of significant importance in the national treasury.

After Shen Lang said this, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue all nodded in agreement.

Many people immediately took out their notebooks and secretly wrote down everything they had heard that day, so that they could reveal it to the Six Ministries later.

At this moment, a junior officer from the Jingwei Division ran up to Shen Lang, panting.

"Duke Zhenguo, His Majesty requests your immediate return to the palace; there are important matters to discuss."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Shen Lang bowed to the officials of the Ministry of Revenue and said, "Gentlemen, I have to take my leave now."

"Since His Majesty has summoned you, Minister, you should return to the palace immediately and not worry about us."

Shen Lang didn't say anything more, he mounted his horse and rode quickly towards Weiyang Palace with Xiao Qi.

……

"Ah Lang, look at this. It's an urgent message from Wang Xuance from the Kingdom of Wu."

Upon returning to Shuixuan Residence, Jiang Mengxuan immediately handed the letter sent by Wang Xuance to Shen Lang.

After reading it quickly, Shen Lang turned his gaze to Jiang Mengxuan: "So what do you think?"

Jiang Mengxuan: "The Wu Kingdom is currently rife with internal strife, with rampant corruption among officials in the court, and the king obsessed with the path of immortality cultivation, showing no regard for the lives of the common people."

The Wu Kingdom, with its 1200-year history, is now on the verge of collapse. I wish to take this opportunity to give Wu a final push, and therefore I would like to hear your opinion.

Shen Lang smiled slightly: "Since you've made up your mind, Xuan'er, let's add fuel to the fire. Don't they need food? Just give it to them."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mengxuan's face lit up with joy: "Then how much do you think is appropriate?"

I listened to you and started buying up grain at low prices from large grain merchants at the beginning of the spring harvest to prepare for any eventuality.

So far, we have collected a total of 160,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), which was intended for unforeseen circumstances and can now be used for disaster relief.

Shen Lang said, "These past few days, while I was working at the Ministry of Revenue, I specifically checked the grain reserves. The Jinling granary currently has eight million shi of grain remaining, which is not yet needed."

"This is all thanks to Lin Yu. If it weren't for his successful implementation of the grain reserve strategy he proposed on behalf of Han Chaozong, we wouldn't have been able to intervene in Wu's affairs this time."

"The autumn grain harvest has already begun, and the liquidation of the properties of the prominent families in Jiangnan is underway. Given this situation..."

"Why not just send two million shi of grain to the Wu border and let this fire burn even brighter? What do you think, A-Lang?"

Jiang Mengxuan couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes as she waited for Shen Lang's answer without blinking.

"Give me three million shi (a unit of dry measure)."

Unexpectedly, Shen Lang added another million shi (a unit of dry measure).

"Since we're going to do it, let's go all the way. At least in name, our Chu state will have fulfilled its responsibility as a friendly nation, won't it?"

"Yes, my husband, you are so good!"

Jiang Mengxuan threw herself into Shen Lang's arms, pressing her cheek tightly against his chest.

Only in front of Shen Lang would she show such a petite and dependent side.