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

Upon returning from the Chu army camp, the envoy quickly relayed the message the Chu army wanted to convey to Ruan Xia Lai.

Having just experienced the bombardment and still in shock, Nguyen Ha Lai fainted upon hearing that Shih Myung Chu's body had been thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

However, he was soon shaken awake by the ministers and finally slapped.

They surrounded Nguyen Ha Lai, anxiously saying, "Your Majesty, you must make a decision quickly! If this continues, the Le Kingdom will be doomed!"

The Duke of Zhenguo said he only gives us one hour to consider. If we don't get a definite answer, the Chu army will storm the palace. You don't have time to faint now!

Ruan Xialai began to tremble all over, muttering to herself, "They...they even dared to kill the envoy of Wu Zhao? That was an angel from a superior country! Aren't they afraid of Wu Zhao's retaliation?"

Minister Ruan Ruowu said, "Your Majesty, we have no time to concern ourselves with the affairs of Wu Zhao and the State of Chu now."

The Chu army is currently eyeing us covetously, and we are waiting for you to personally go and negotiate.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xialai's face immediately turned red: "Do they intend to imprison me? I won't go, I won't go!"

"Not going? Humph!"

Instantly, Ruan Ruowu snorted coldly and stood up with the other ministers, looking at him with gloomy expressions.

"What are you doing...?"

Ruan Xialai panicked immediately.

The ministers, including Ruan Ruo Wu Neng, Qi Chao Pa Ying, and Heng Xing Ba Dao, were all looking at him with sinister eyes.

Ruan Ruowun said: "Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhenguo said that if we do not receive a satisfactory reply, the Chu army will not only attack the palace,

"And you want to slaughter every single person from the Li Kingdom in the city? You don't want Cape Lookout to become a ghost town because of you, do you?"

Hengxing said, “Yes, the Chu army is fierce and unstoppable. Your Majesty must have experienced it firsthand. Now, the sturdy palace walls were directly blown down by a single cannon shot. Does Your Majesty think that my Li Kingdom now has the power to resist?”

Qi Pa Ying said, “Your Majesty, the navy of my Li Kingdom has been almost completely wiped out. Even if the remaining ships arrive, it will be of no use. Are you planning to perish together with the enemy? This old minister advises you to think twice before you act.”

Seeing the ministers' current attitude of forcing him to abdicate, Nguyen Ha Lai felt as if her heart was about to suffocate.

Without a doubt, if we don't agree today, they will do something we don't want to guess.

After a moment's thought, he immediately said, "There's no other way now. I'll agree. Take my royal seal and go tell the Duke of Zhenguo that I'm willing to negotiate."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Ruowu's expression changed: "It is truly a blessing for the people of Le Kingdom that Your Majesty is so wise. We should act without delay."

"I beg Your Majesty to hand over the royal seal so that I may deliver it to the Duke of Zhenguo to quell his boundless rage."

Nguyen Ha Lai immediately ordered his son to fetch the royal seal and hand it over to Nguyen Ngo Vu Ngum.

Ruan Ruowu immediately took the royal seal and left the palace.

About half an hour later, Ruan Ruowu led a group of heavily armed Chu soldiers back to Ruan Xialai's side.

Ruan Xialai was startled when she saw the Chu army and hurriedly asked, "What are you doing here?"

Nguyen Ngoc Vu bowed obsequiously to the officer and whispered, "This is my King Nguyen Ha Lai of Le State. Please wait a moment, General, while I persuade him."

The officer waved his hand: "Hurry up, we need to train them to behave before dawn. Just do as the commander says."

"Yes, I will definitely fulfill the Duke of Zhenguo's request."

After Ruan Ruowu finished speaking, he walked up to Ruan Xialai with a stern face: "The Duke of Zhenguo has ordered His Majesty to arrive at the Water Port Commander's Mansion before Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow to discuss related matters."

Before that, Your Majesty, please wear the official robes of the Great Chu and learn the customs of the Great Chu, so as to avoid any impoliteness on the occasion.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xialai felt a wave of dizziness.

This is outrageous! This is truly outrageous!

On the territory of the Li Kingdom, one still had to wear the official robes issued by the Chu Kingdom and perform the Chu Kingdom's rituals, which truly made Nguyen Ha Lai feel very annoyed.

Seeing Nguyen Ha Lai's hesitation, Nguyen Ngoc Vu Neng said in a deep voice, "The State of Chu is the suzerain state of my State of Le. Does Your Majesty still intend to deny it?"

"No, I admit it, I admit it."

……

The next morning, Jiang Mengxuan, who had stayed up all night, waited quietly for the battle reports from the front.

She only felt a sense of relief when she received a handwritten letter from Shen Lang saying that everything had been settled and negotiations between the two countries could begin today.

Soon, she ordered Qingwen and Amber to dress and groom her, and then she sat in the main seat of the first floor hall of the Naval Commander's Mansion, quietly waiting for Ruan Xialai and his ministers to come and pay their respects.

At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the gates of the Governor's Mansion were opened.

Shen Lang's tall and straight figure came into Jiang Mengxuan's view.

Their eyes met, conveying mutual trust; everything was understood without words.

"Your Majesty, the vassal king Nguyen Ha Lai, along with a group of important officials from the Le Kingdom, are waiting outside the palace gates for Your Majesty's summons."

"Xuan."

The next moment, Nguyen Ha Lai, with her head down and followed by a group of ministers, entered the hall with a submissive air.

Last night, Ruan Xialai spent the entire night learning the etiquette of Chu. It wasn't until this morning, when she was about to set off for the Naval Commander's Mansion, that she learned the person she was to meet was the Empress of Chu.

Ruan Xialai had long heard that the Queen of Chu was incredibly beautiful, a first-rate beauty, and she was eager to meet her.

I just never expected to see her under these circumstances...

As soon as he entered the hall, before he could even see Jiang Mengxuan's face clearly, he immediately knelt down respectfully and performed the kowtow of a subject to a ruler.

"The barbarian king, Nguyen Ha Lai, along with the subjects of Le State, pays homage to the sovereign king. Long live the Emperor! May Great Chu live ten thousand years!"

After he finished speaking, he and the officials behind him knelt down in worship.

Jiang Mengxuan silently observed everything before her, without uttering a sound, and calmly accepted the three bows.

After everything was done, King Nguyen Ha Lai and his ministers all pressed their heads to the ground, not daring to raise their heads even slightly.

They felt an immense pressure falling on their backs, crushing them to the point of despair.

"No gift."

It felt like centuries had passed before Jiang Mengxuan finally uttered two words in a cool, aloof tone.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Ruan Xialai stood up, just wanting to take a look at what the Empress looked like, but Shen Lang blocked her way.

"Alright, now that the formalities are complete, let's get down to business. Please move to the meeting room."

Without any hesitation, she twisted Ruan Xialai's body to the left and pushed him to the newly set-up meeting room next door.

The remaining Li officials were also pushed and shoved into the meeting room by the soldiers.

Seeing this, Jiang Mengxuan couldn't help but smile sweetly.

She knew, of course, that this was Shen Lang's intention; he didn't want more people to see what his wife looked like.

At this moment, the Empress felt that her husband could be quite adorable at times.

Inside the meeting room, after both sides took their seats in an orderly fashion at the long table that had been prepared, Shen Lang began to speak directly.

"To avoid endless wrangling, and to reach an agreement as soon as possible,

You only need to answer yes or no; refrain from any unnecessary questions. Any objections?

"What?! This is absolutely outrageous!"

Ruan Xialai couldn't help but shout angrily.

"Be bold!"

But the next moment, the guard behind Shen Lang twisted Ruan Xialai's arm and dislocated it, then pressed him down, slamming his head against the table.

"How dare you be so disrespectful in front of the Duke of Zhenguo! You're simply courting death!"

Instantly, Nguyen Ha Lai's face contorted in pain.

As for the ministers accompanying him, such as Ruan Ruowu, they didn't dare to utter a sound at this moment, and all shrank back in their seats with their heads down, pretending not to see anything.

Shen Lang smiled slightly: "Alright, Xiao Liang, you mustn't be rude to the king. Release him."

"Yes."

The guard immediately repositioned Nguyen Ha Lai's dislocated hand and stepped aside.