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

"And what about the situation in Northern Yan?"

"Northern Yan is probably in a more difficult situation than Song right now."

Speaking of the situation in Northern Yan, Jiang Mengxuan tightened her shawl.

"The Tianlang barbarians burned, killed, and looted within the territory of Northern Yan, slaughtering more than 400,000 Northern Yan civilians."

The military commander of Wangzhou submitted several memorials to the imperial court, and the border was surrounded by refugees from Northern Yan who wanted to enter Chu territory for refuge.

Even on the opposite bank of the Han River from Bingzhou Daying, there were instances of Northern Yan herders settling together with their families.

Local government offices in Bingzhou and Jizhou had already captured a large number of refugees from Northern Yan and intended to repatriate them directly.

But those refugees said they would rather be slaves in Chu than return to Northern Yan.

Shen Lang was somewhat surprised: "So, the Sirius Clan's raids haven't ended yet?"

Jiang Mengxuan nodded: "Yes, in early June, an envoy from Northern Yan came and purchased one million shi of military rations from our Great Chu at a high price."

The supplies have already been transported by sea to Northern Yan territory. It is foreseeable that the war between Northern Yan and the Wolf Barbarians will not end anytime soon.

"It shouldn't be."

Shen Lang fell into deep thought.

"The Northern Yan's fighting strength shouldn't be this weak. Even if their fighting strength is inferior to the Wolf Barbarians, they shouldn't have been unable to defeat the Wolf Barbarians for ten months, right?"

"The specifics are unclear. During this period, there were three more trade transactions between Northern Yan and Great Chu, one of which was the grain trade in June."

The second and third purchases were made in July and August respectively, of two batches of munitions from the Jinling Arsenal.

In particular, they purchased four thousand rifles and forty Gatling guns in one go.

The war may have reached a point where time is of the essence, but unfortunately, the spies planted by the Jingwei Commandery in Northern Yan have been unable to transmit any useful information.

None of the court officials knew the specifics of the situation in Yan, but judging from the current movements of the refugees from Northern Yan, it was clear that things weren't going well for Northern Yan either.

"Alright, for now, we should focus on keeping an eye on things and not get involved in unnecessary matters. I plan to make another trip to the Song Kingdom in a few days to discuss the requirements for officer training with them."

"Yes, you and I are thinking the same thing. My Chu Kingdom has been in the limelight for the past few years, and I also want some peace and quiet."

After saying that, Jiang Mengxuan comfortably stretched her arms.

Shen Lang touched his nose: "Then I'll have to take a few days off. I heard the fish in Fish Dragon Pond have gotten fat?"

"You want to go fishing?"

"Yeah, it's been a long time since I've fished. Do you want me to return the fishing rod?"

Jiang Mengxuan smiled lightly, "I really don't know where you got this hobby from. You can fish all day without moving, and I don't know what you enjoy it about."

Even if you're trying to cultivate your mind and character, you should be doing something else. If I don't put your fishing rod away, I'm sure I won't be able to find you again.

"Alright, I'm tired too, I want to go back inside and rest for a bit. Go get your fishing rod yourself, you know where it is."

"Then I won't be polite."

Shen Lang rubbed his hands together with a smile, and was just about to go to the hut to get his fishing rod when he saw Jiang Chaoyun running towards him from a distance.

"Your Majesty, Ye Fan says he has important business to discuss with the Duke of Zhenguo?"

Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan exchanged a glance.

"Since it's for the Duke of Zhenguo, then the Duke of Zhenguo can handle it himself. I'm tired, so I'll go back to my room and rest for a while. Don't bother me with trivial matters."

Shen Lang immediately cupped his hands and replied, "Respectfully seeing Your Majesty off."

After Jiang Mengxuan entered the room, Shen Lang turned to Jiang Chaoyun and asked, "Has Ye Fan come looking for you multiple times?"

Jiang Chaoyun: "Your Excellency, Lord Zhenguo, this Ye Fan is unwilling to be dismissed from his post like this. He has been approaching me since the day before yesterday, and has given me a total of six thousand taels of silver, hoping to bring him to meet you."

"Hehe, Ye Fan is really willing to spend money." Shen Lang smiled amusedly. "Alright, since he is so sincere, let's meet him. Bring him to Fish Dragon Pool to see me."

After accepting the order, Jiang Chaoyun asked, "Do you need me to make any arrangements?"

"Of course, you can arrange it as you see fit."

After saying that, Shen Lang went straight into the hut, grabbed his fishing rod and basket, and headed directly towards the Fish Dragon Pool.

……

These past few days have been extremely painful for Ye Fan, as he set a record for the fastest dismissal in the officialdom of the Great Chu, becoming a topic of conversation among the people of the capital.

This action directly caused his luck points to drop by several dozen points.

During this time, his fellow disciples advised him to simply give up his official career and live a carefree life in the martial world.

But how could Ye Fan be willing to accept this?

Besides, if I leave now and fail to complete the tasks assigned by the system, the punishment would be far too severe.

After reassuring his fellow disciples, he began to associate with high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the city.

As a descendant of the Ye family, Ye Mo still deserves respect from everyone in the capital.

Soon someone told him that the best way to see the Duke of Zhenguo was to find Jiang Chaoyun, who had previously worked with the Duke of Zhenguo.

After two days of persistent pleading and a barrage of financial incentives, Ye Fan finally managed to persuade Jiang Chaoyun to relent and make connections for him.

Now, he was standing in the Fish and Dragon Pool, while Shen Lang, whom he wanted to see, was sitting on the riverbank, holding a fishing rod, leaning back in a deck chair, squinting as he fished.

Beside Shen Lang, Qingwen, on the Empress's orders, served him and waited for orders. Five steps behind them were the commanders of the Imperial Guards and the Jingwei Division's northern and southern garrisons, led by Li Jing.

Five steps away, there were hundreds of elite guards and imperial guards providing mixed protection.

"Commander Jiang, who is that guy?"

Seeing Ye Fan standing behind Shen Lang, Mu Qingqiu couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Chaoyun moved her face closer to Mu Qingqiu, but her face remained turned towards Shen Lang as she whispered.

"This is Ye Fan, the third young master of the Ye family."

"Is that Ye Fan, the guy who dared to offer bribes in the Ministry of Justice's main hall after only two days on the job?"

Jiang Chaoyun squinted and nodded with a look of disgust.

Mu Qingqiu shook her head and sighed softly: "Is this Third Young Master Ye really that brave? Didn't he know that Liu Tiemian is in charge of the Ministry of Justice now? He still dares to offer bribes?"

"Young people are all like that, full of youthful vigor and simple-minded. Weren't we like that back then?"

"I wasn't as stupid as you two back in the day. Don't always attribute your bizarre behavior to youth. By the way, what's he doing here today?"

"This guy wanted to keep the Emperor company, so he specially gave me six thousand taels of silver plus a golden Buddha statue, asking me to make arrangements."

"That's too good for him. You don't know, young masters from wealthy families outside are willing to spend not only six thousand taels, but even sixty thousand taels of gold just to see this young man."

As the two chatted, Shen Lang's fishing line suddenly moved.

But Shen Lang seemed to be thinking about something and didn't react at all.

Seeing this, Qingwen quickly whispered a reminder: "Your Majesty, the fish..."

"Ok?"

Shen Lang then realized what was happening and began to reel in the fish.

But after several attempts, it still wouldn't lift up.

Seeing this, Ye Fan immediately rolled up his sleeves, took off his shoes, and plunged into the water, swimming to the fishing line and feeling around for a while.

After a while of commotion, a large fish weighing seven or eight pounds was scooped out of the water.

Shen Lang remained expressionless throughout.

Jiang Chaoyun and Mu Qingqiu were both stunned.

"My goodness, are they really that dedicated?"

"Young people really have spirit..."