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

"The Duke of Zhenguo's reputation is renowned far and wide. It is an honor to meet him today."

Murong Ke raised his hand to bow to Shen Lang, a faint smile always on his face, which looked completely natural and unpretentious.

"Compared to the Second Prince, the pride of Yan Kingdom who possesses four inextinguishable flames, my reputation is truly nothing!"

Shen Lang tossed his cloak aside and stood directly in front of the table to confront Murong Ke.

In an instant, the positions of the three people in the Candle Dragon Hall underwent a subtle change.

The balance between Jiang Mengxuan and Murong Ke, who were evenly matched, was completely shattered by the arrival of Shen Lang.

Shen Lang and Murong Ke stand facing each other, with Jiang Mengxuan in the center, instantly creating a strong sense of depth.

Murong Ke: "Duke Zhenguo, the people of our Great Yan can stop their children from crying at night just by hearing your fierce reputation. I have always wanted to meet you, and today my wish has come true."

Shen Lang sat down directly, glanced at the plum wine on the table, and replied in a cold voice, "This wine smells sweet and fragrant. May I have the honor of tasting it?"

Murong Ke nodded: "This wine was originally prepared to entertain distinguished guests, and the Duke of Zhenguo is naturally qualified to drink it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang scooped up a spoonful and poured it into the wine vessel, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good wine!"

Setting down his wine cup, Shen Lang praised it highly.

"To be able to drink a sip of plum wine from Youzhou in such cold weather is truly delightful."

Murong Ke smiled and said, "If the Duke of Zhenguo likes them, I can have someone send over ten catties of plums later."

"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

"Hahaha."

The two exchanged a smile, and they didn't look like they were meeting for the first time at all.

After a glass of wine and a few pleasantries, Shen Lang's smile faded: "What are your country's plans for peace negotiations?"

Murong Ke also became serious: "I only ask that the Duke of Zhenguo not take action against Great Yan at this time."

Shen Lang chuckled lightly: "The Yan Kingdom and the Chu Kingdom have a ceasefire agreement. How could I dare to violate the agreement? The Second Prince thinks too much of me as a despicable person."

Murong Ke shook his head: "The states of Wu and Chu were friendly nations for centuries, but what was the outcome?"

Shen Lang: "It seems that the Second Prince does not trust the credibility of the Chu Kingdom."

"I have never doubted the credibility of the State of Chu, but now that the Duke of Zhenguo has appeared, I have to think twice."

"So what does the Second Prince intend to do?"

Murong Ke was silent for a moment, then said, "The best solution would naturally be for the Duke of Zhenguo to die, so that Great Yan would have no worries about the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold wind blew by, and Murong Ke could feel the extreme killing intent emanating from Jiang Mengxuan.

"However, I also know that this is impossible. After all, such rumors cannot shake the relationship between the Empress and the Duke of Zhenguo, so there is no need for me to do anything futile."

Murong Ke calmly raised his teacup and took a small sip.

"Since intrigue and trickery are useless, it is a viable strategy to be open and honest with each other."

Shen Lang: "Didn't you say you didn't trust me? Then what's the point of this open and honest discussion?"

Murong Ke: "I am not entirely unaware of the actions that the Duke of Zhenguo has taken in the Great Chu court and among the people over the years."

The state of Chu's current prosperity is undoubtedly inseparable from the assistance of the Duke of Zhenguo.

After careful study, I discovered that although the Duke of Zhenguo is bloodthirsty, the backlash from the aristocratic families is surprisingly minimal.

The key to this is something I've only recently come to understand.

Jiang Mengxuan: "Second Prince, your actions seem very inappropriate."

Murong Ke smiled and bowed to the Empress, his attitude very humble: "I apologize, Your Majesty. I know this is a rash act, but the Duke of Zhenguo is too outstanding, and I simply cannot remain indifferent."

After speaking, he looked at Shen Lang and said, "Going back to what we were saying earlier, the Duke of Zhenguo killed so many scions of noble families, yet it didn't cause much of a stir."

The main reason is to kill some and support others, thus binding their own interests with those of another group of powerful families.

In this way, the subsequent unrest can be kept to a minimum, is that right?

Shen Lang smiled slightly: "The Second Prince is indeed intelligent, he saw the key point so quickly."

Murong Ke shook his head: "To receive such a compliment from the Duke of Zhenguo is truly an honor I cannot bestow."

Now that we understand the Duke of Zhenguo's bottom line, I, the Prince, will venture to propose a cooperative plan.

As long as we share common interests, I suppose the Duke of Zhenguo won't make things difficult for my Great Yan, right?

Shen Lang closed his eyes briefly: "How does the Second Prince plan to cooperate?"

Murong Ke tossed a token at him.

Shen Lang caught it and looked at it, and couldn't help but frown.

"A transfer order for the Jianzhou Camp?"

He looked at Murong Ke with some surprise.

Murong Ke said, "The thirteen tribes of Jianzhou have a population of 200,000 and a fighting force of 60,000. They are the birthplace of the Jin Dynasty."

"With this decree, you may gather the elite cavalry of Jianzhou for your own use. I now entrust it to you. As for how the Duke of Zhenguo intends to deal with Jianzhou, that is no longer my concern."

Shen Lang: "Second Prince, you'd better make your point clearer. You don't actually think that the Chu Kingdom can make the Jianzhou tribes obey me just because of this token, do you?"

"With the Duke of Zhenguo's abilities, is it really that difficult to take Jianzhou?" Murong Ke took a sip of plum wine. "Yan will absolutely not interfere with what your country has done in Jianzhou."

Shen Lang closed his eyes, lost in thought, but Jiang Mengxuan laughed: "The Second Prince has quite the scheme. Let me guess."

"Are you using this as a pretext to divert the attention of the Great Chu Kingdom from your Yan Kingdom's war with the Tianlang Kingdom to the Jin Kingdom?"

"The Empress is intelligent and quick to understand. It's so pleasant to talk to a smart person. I admit that's exactly what I plan to do."

Murong Ke openly admitted his plans.

"In fact, the Jin Kingdom's power has expanded over the years, and it is no longer willing to submit to the rule of the Yan Kingdom. This time, the Yan Kingdom is targeting the Tianlang Kingdom with all its might, and we should also worry that the Jin Kingdom will take the opportunity to start a rebellion."

If the states of Chu and Jin were to simultaneously attack Yan from behind, Yan would be doomed. It would be better to let Chu and Jin contend for power themselves.

This could alleviate the pressure on the rear border of my Great Yan. Don't blame me for being blunt; the Empress and the Duke of Zhenguo are both sensible people.

"It's easy to understand, isn't it? Why don't I take the initiative and reveal the plan that everyone has been keeping hidden in their hearts? That would be a show of sincerity, wouldn't it?"

Jiang Mengxuan: "The Second Prince is quite frank, but what if my Chu Kingdom doesn't accept it?"

"You won't accept it?"

Murong Ke ladled himself a spoonful of plum wine and then swirled the bowl around.

"With the fall of the Yan state, millions of refugees have crossed Youzhou into the territory of the Chu state. May I ask how the Chu state should deal with them? Should they all be killed, or should they be taken in?"

"At the same time, after the fall of the Yan state, the Chu state personally faced the ferocious Tianlang barbarians."

"Trust me, Your Majesty, you absolutely do not want to see the thunder of these beasts' iron hooves echoing within your own borders."

Jiang Mengxuan lowered her eyes slightly and looked at Shen Lang.

Shen Lang was completely focused on the "Jianzhou Camp" token in his hand.

After a silence that lasted about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he finally made up his mind.

"What are your country's conditions?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Wei's eyes lit up.

He immediately uttered two words: "Firearms".

"You want to purchase firearms?"

"The power of Chu's firearms is renowned. I once attempted to replicate a batch, but unfortunately, all attempts failed."

The structure is far too complex to be replicated overnight.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mengxuan was determined to refuse.

But Shen Lang immediately stopped him: "I can sell you the firearms, but they won't be cheap."

Murong Ke laughed and said, "A weapon that can kill even a martial artist without leaving a complete corpse must be very expensive, but the Great Yan Kingdom is in dire straits."

We urgently need a batch of firearms to withstand this storm. If Chu is willing to sell, Yan will buy them no matter the price.

Shen Lang nodded: "I have no objection, but the specifics still depend on His Majesty's approval."

Murong Ke immediately turned to Jiang Mengxuan: "Your Majesty, although Great Yan and your country have had many unpleasant experiences, the current situation is such that if one of us is gone, the other will be in danger."

I urge you to temporarily set aside your prejudices and help the Yan Kingdom overcome this calamity. To demonstrate my sincerity, I am willing to rewrite the agreement from years ago, permanently abolishing the annual tribute your country pays to the Yan Kingdom.

Jiang Mengxuan remained calm and turned her head to look at Shen Lang.

But Shen Lang closed his eyes briefly and immediately understood what he meant.

"Very well, since the Second Prince has said so, I will naturally not make things difficult for the Yan Kingdom any further. From now on, the Chu and Yan Kingdoms shall coexist peacefully and formally become brotherly states."

"Your Majesty is farsighted and magnanimous. On behalf of all the people of Yan, I thank Your Majesty for your great kindness."

At the meeting in the Candle Dragon Hall, the states of Chu and Yan successfully reached a revised agreement.

From then on, the State of Chu no longer had to pay annual tribute to the State of Yan. For the first time, through peace talks, the State of Chu completely won back the humiliation that had weighed on the hearts of its rulers and people.

Just as the new agreement was being signed, Shen Lang suddenly asked, "By the way, Jin Yuanhao in Blackwater City, was he someone you arranged?"

Murong Ke: "Since the Duke of Zhenguo already knows, why ask when you already know the answer?"

"I'm just curious, why can a living person smell so strongly of death? His identity must be extraordinary, right?"

When Shen Lang asked the question, Murong Ke gave a vague reply: "I can only tell the Duke of Zhenguo that Jin Yuanhao's identity is indeed not simple. The rest is a secret of the Great Yan. Please forgive me."

"understand."

After uttering those two words, Shen Lang turned and left Jiumai Mountain with Jiang Mengxuan.

After glancing at the still-warm wine inside the Candle Dragon Pavilion, Murong Ke turned his gaze to the distance.

"Can Great Yan survive this calamity?"