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

"The Heavenly Dao Sect? The strongest sect within the Wu Kingdom, why would they come looking for me?"

"No one gets up early without a reason. It seems that some people have already sensed something amiss and want to make a quick buck from this."

Shen Lang stroked his chin and exchanged a glance with Jiang Mengxuan.

They both saw a knowing look in each other's eyes.

"Take the person to the Wuyi Hall."

……

"I am Zhao Banshan, an elder of the Heavenly Dao Sect. I greet the Empress and the Emperor."

Inside the Wuyi Hall, a martial artist nearing fifty years old, dressed in a black Taoist robe, respectfully bowed and clasped his hands in greeting to Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan, who were seated at the head of the table.

"Elder Zhao, please sit down and speak. May I ask what brings you from so far away to see me?"

"Your Majesty, you must have heard about the situation in Wu, right?"

"I have naturally heard of the disaster that has struck our friendly nation, a once-in-a-century flood, as early as half a month ago."

"I have already sent three million shi of relief grain to our friendly nations. What, is the disaster still not under control?"

Jiang Mengxuan deliberately feigned ignorance of the situation within the Wu Kingdom, looking at Zhao Banshan with a questioning expression.

Shen Lang, standing to the side, rubbed the jade thumb ring on his thumb, quietly waiting for Zhao Banshan to reveal the purpose of their trip.

Zhao Banshan: "Your Majesty, the Wu Kingdom's court is filled with incompetent rulers and ministers, and the emperor is obsessed with the methods of cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao, engaging in large-scale construction projects."

Officials in the court were lining their own pockets, corruption was rampant, and no one cared about the suffering of the common people.

The disaster relief grain that the Great Chu Kingdom transported to the Wu Kingdom has not yet reached the disaster victims.

Instead, the money ended up in the pockets of these rulers and their ministers, leading to widespread famine and misery throughout the Wu kingdom.

The bandit groups of Fang Hanshan and Shi Xiushuang in the south are growing in size and have already conquered thirteen prefectures.

At this critical juncture, although our Heavenly Dao Alliance is but a group of outlaws from the martial world, we cannot bear to see the people suffering in dire straits.

Therefore, we humbly request Your Majesty to send troops to relieve the people of Wu from their dire straits.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Lang asked directly, "This is Wu's internal affair. My Chu Kingdom and Wu Kingdom are friendly states that have been neighbors for generations. How can we send troops to intervene at will? Aren't we afraid of affecting the diplomatic relations between our two countries?"

Zhao Banshan: "Your Majesty, the Wu Kingdom's rulers and ministers have privately diverted your country's disaster relief grain for their own use, clearly showing that they do not regard the Chu Kingdom as a friendly nation!"

Why should you be bound by a mere alliance agreement? Think of the people of Wu suffering from disaster; their lives are truly worse than those of pigs and dogs.

Shen Lang laughed and said, "Even if what you say is true, and my Chu Kingdom sends troops, may I ask who they are going to fight?"

Should we help the Wu court quell the bandits, or help the bandits drive the Wu royal family out of the Wu kingdom?

Zhao Banshan hesitated for a moment, then his eyes darted around before he stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask..."

Whether it was the royal family of Wu or the bandits, they brought only endless disasters to the people.

Why not...why not..."

Zhao Banshan paused for a moment, then looked up at Jiang Mengxuan and Shen Lang's expressions.

Finally, he mustered his courage and said, "Why don't we, the Heavenly Dao Alliance, take over and transform the Wu Kingdom into a nation of inaction!"

Jiang Mengxuan laughed upon hearing this: "Elder Zhao, your Heavenly Dao Alliance certainly has quite the appetite. You actually dare to try to interfere in the imperial court and establish a sect kingdom. Aren't you afraid of violating the rules between the imperial court and the martial arts world?"

Zhao Banshan replied, "Your Majesty, although our Heavenly Dao Alliance is made up of江湖草莽 (jianghu cao, meaning rough and unruly people in the martial world), we know that we should not have such ambitions."

But he could not bear to see the people of Wu oppressed by the powerful and wealthy every day, so he decided to save them from their dire straits.

Shen Lang snorted coldly: "So it seems that your Heavenly Dao Sect is being aggrieved about establishing a sect kingdom."

Jiang Mengxuan chuckled softly, "Since your clan is so compassionate, then go ahead and do it."

Zhao Banshan was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, you've agreed?"

Shen Lang continued, "As I said before, this is your country's internal affair, and my Chu Kingdom has no right to interfere. If your Heavenly Dao Sect truly has the ability to do so..."

"Then just do it, but whatever you do, don't drag my Great Chu into it. I don't want to be branded as someone who colludes with the martial world."

Upon hearing this, a strange look flashed in Jiang Mengxuan's eyes.

Why doesn't my husband blush at all when he says these things?

Zhao Banshan grew anxious: "Without the help of the State of Chu, I'm afraid this matter cannot be accomplished."

Jiang Mengxuan: "Elder Zhao, do you think that the imperial court can send troops just like a sect, taking action based on just a few words?"

Many things require careful consideration. Besides, sending troops is very costly and will only lead to widespread discontent among the people.

My Great Chu has finally enjoyed a few years of peace and tranquility, and has no plans to send troops at present. You can decide this matter yourselves; I will not interfere.

Zhao Banshan became even more anxious: "Your Majesty! If you agree to send troops to help the Heavenly Dao Alliance take over the throne, once the Heavenly Dao Alliance establishes its nation, the seven northern states and thousands of miles of land will forever belong to the Great Chu territory."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled without saying a word upon hearing this. If she hadn't met Shen Lang before, she might have been very happy to hear these words.

But now, I just find it ridiculous.

Even if it were true, she wouldn't agree to it, let alone just hearsay.

Because what she wanted was the entire Wu region.

As strength grows, so does ambition.

What right does the insignificant Heavenly Dao Alliance have to talk to me about the sharing of power?

Shen Lang understood his wife's meaning and said directly to Zhao Banshan, "A thousand miles of land on the border of Great Wu, your clan has quite the grand scale."

However, the Great Wu is not yet under your esteemed clan's control, and what you've said is nothing more than empty talk.

Perhaps we could approach the Wu court and, under the pretext of helping them quell the rebellion and suppress the bandits, initiate negotiations with them.

In this way, we can not only demonstrate our strength and sincerity, but also potentially gain the recognition and support of the Wu court.

In this way, we might be able to acquire these lands legitimately, which is far more plausible than your empty promises!

Zhao Banshan was taken aback. Before he could explain, Jiang Mengxuan interjected, "Alright, Elder Zhao, let's not mention the matter of sending troops again."

The State of Chu would never betray a friendly state at this time. You should go back. If all else fails, you can try going to the State of Song.

Since her husband has no shame, she might as well follow suit and be shameless too.

Only the benefits gained are truly benefits; in the power struggle between nations, face is the least valuable thing.

Shen Lang had told himself this principle more than once: national strength is the most reliable support, and everything else is meaningless.

Zhao Banshan was completely bewildered upon hearing this.

The states of Song and Wu are sworn enemies, and the conflict between the two states has lasted for hundreds of years. Asking them to send troops at this time would only add fuel to the fire.

Moreover, doing so would put the Heavenly Dao Sect at a moral disadvantage.

Such a thing could never gain popular support. Forget about the ideal of establishing a country of inaction; the people's spittle would probably drown him.

"Your Majesty, please consider this carefully. I will return to the Heavenly Dao Sect to report to the Sect Master."

Seeing that his request for troops was fruitless, Zhao Banshan had no choice but to leave.

After everyone left, Shen Lang looked at Jiang Mengxuan and asked, "Xuan'er, don't you think this is getting more and more interesting?"

Seeing that there were no outsiders in the hall, Jiang Mengxuan simply turned sideways and put her legs on Shen Lang's knees.

"I don't know where these martial arts forces got the audacity to extend their reach into the imperial court."

"Sigh, it seems the sects and factions within the Great Chu territory also need to be purged."

Shen Lang gently stroked his wife's fair legs, finding it extremely enjoyable.

"Don't worry, one day, all the martial arts practitioners in our Great Chu will become law-abiding citizens."

"I really hope that day comes soon."

"Not urgent."

The couple looked at each other and saw the tenderness in each other's eyes.

"My lady, while no one's around, how about..."

"No, you're crazy. Why did you suddenly think of this? Tonight, wait until tonight."

"But……"

"No buts, not now, but I can give you a small reward..."

As she spoke, Jiang Mengxuan grabbed Shen Lang and rubbed her tongue against his ear.

Shen Lang shuddered, but thought to himself: Isn't this even more irresistible?

Jiang Mengxuan noticed Shen Lang's unusual behavior and thought to herself: "I've made you so infatuated that you can't help yourself, and you only ever have eyes for me."

……

After the relief grain was distributed, the situation in Wu showed no signs of easing. On the contrary, it became even more decadent due to the unsustainable practice of draining the pond to catch all the fish, which was carried out by the ruler and his ministers.

Inside the Sanqing Hall, Wu Ji looked at the battle report sent from the Southern Border and his face darkened.

"Of the three towns and thirteen prefectures in the south, seven prefectures were captured in one fell swoop by bandits. What exactly happened?"

"In February of this year, the Ministry of War said that the bandits numbered only a few thousand and could be wiped out in one battle. But now, only eight or nine months later, why does the memorial submitted say that the bandits number as many as a million?"

"Why? Why are there more and more bandits than we can suppress? Answer me! I demand an explanation!"