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

While Ye Fan was working hard to gain fame in the Song Dynasty, the fleet of the Great Chu, which had set sail on an expedition, finally slowly entered Jinling Port.

This voyage lasted for more than three months and left Jiang Mengxuan with many feelings.

"salute!"

The naval officers and soldiers who had been waiting at the naval port to welcome them saluted in unison the moment Jiang Mengxuan and Shen Lang disembarked.

Twelve cannons fired in unison to welcome the king's return.

Jiang Mengxuan and Shen Lang exchanged a smile and readily accepted the respect from this new army.

As soon as they disembarked, Jiang Shangxian greeted them with a smile: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you're finally back! How was your trip to Southeast Asia?"

Jiang Mengxuan smiled slightly: "Uncle, your child should have been born by now, right? I wonder if it's a cousin or a sister?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shangxian squinted and smiled from ear to ear: "Thanks to Your Majesty's great blessing, I gave birth to a big, healthy boy. He weighed a full eight pounds and eight ounces when he was weighed, and the delivery was incredibly smooth."

Shen Lang sighed, "Then congratulations, Your Highness! Now that you have an heir, you no longer need to worry about being gossiped about by the imperial family."

Jiang Mengxuan chimed in, "Judging by the dates, it's probably already past the full moon celebration. It's a pity that I, as his older cousin, couldn't attend his full moon banquet."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shangxian immediately said shamelessly, "With His Majesty not here, how could we dare to hold a full moon celebration? We just casually arranged a few tables for a family banquet. We can hold it together when His Majesty comes."

In fact, Jiang Shangxian's so-called family banquet had invited all the civil and military officials of the court.

The purpose is self-evident: it's all about the monetary gift.

Unfortunately, before he could even enjoy the money he received, Princess Chu Wanyue took it all, leaving him with nothing.

So, they set their sights on the Empress and Shen Lang again.

Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan were well aware of the meaning behind Jiang Shangxian's words, but they simply chose not to point it out.

"Alright, I certainly won't miss my cousin's full moon celebration. I'll definitely prepare a generous gift for him."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shangxian feigned magnanimity and said, "Hehe, it is already an honor for Your Majesty to attend my full moon celebration. As for gifts, a token will suffice."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang said to Jiang Mengxuan, "Your Majesty, since the Prince has said that a token gift is sufficient, we brought some flowers and plants from our trip to Southeast Asia as a birthday present for the Crown Prince."

Jiang Mengxuan wholeheartedly agreed: "The Duke of Zhenguo and I share the same thoughts. After all, he is a prince, and I imagine he has everything he needs in his residence. He should only lack some rare items to play with, and I don't think the Imperial Uncle would mind."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shangxian felt an urge to slap himself twice.

Why waste so much breath? Judging from their trip to Southeast Asia, they must have made a lot of money. Their private wealth should be considerable. Why say "just a token"? Isn't that cutting off their own path to wealth?

Seeing Jiang Shangxian's discomfitured expression, Jiang Mengxuan stopped teasing him: "Alright, Imperial Uncle, I was just teasing you. You and the Princess have produced offspring for our Jiang royal family."

How could I possibly mistreat you? Everything will be handled according to the highest royal standards; you will receive everything you are entitled to.

Jiang Shangxian was overjoyed: "Then thank you very much, Your Majesty."

After exchanging pleasantries and jokes, the group boarded the carriage back to Weiyang Palace.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Mengxuan couldn't help but ask, "By the way, Imperial Uncle, have any major events occurred in the court or among the people while I was away?"

Jiang Shangxian glanced at Shen Lang, then said solemnly, "Your Majesty, all affairs of the court are normal, except for an unexpected incident in Shu County."

"Ok?"

Shen Lang and the Empress frowned upon hearing this.

What happened in Shu Commandery?

Jiang Shangxian replied, "Since Jiang Chong was arrested and brought to the capital, most areas of Shu Commandery have been directly governed by the imperial court. However, an unexpected incident occurred in Hezhou."

Wang Jian, the former military commander of Hezhou in Shu Commandery, disobeyed the imperial court's orders and incited the local people to garrison in the mountain city, seemingly determined to resist to the bitter end.

"Is there such a thing?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang frowned even more deeply.

"Has the reason been found out?"

"The reports from the North and South Garrison Commands indicate that Wang Jian is worried about retaliation from the court against the people of Hezhou, and therefore has moved to the mountain city to refuse the court's orders."

"Why is the imperial court retaliating against the people of Hezhou?" Shen Lang asked, puzzled. "Is there some misunderstanding?"

Jiang Shangxian said, "The local people of Hezhou were the first to support Jiang Chong. When Jiang Chong took office, it was Wang Jian who led thousands of people from Hezhou on foot for hundreds of miles to welcome him."

Now that Jiang Chong has been brought to justice and committed suicide out of fear of punishment, Wang Jian fears that this will anger the people of Hezhou.

They refused the imperial court's order and insisted on relocating 30,000 people into the mountain city, determined to fight the court to the bitter end.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang fell into deep thought.

Jiang Mengxuan: "The ringleader has already been executed, so why would the court implicate innocent civilians? Isn't anyone going to talk to him about this?"

"We talked, but it was no use."

Jiang Shangxian squinted his eyes and twisted his fat body.

"Your Majesty, you have no idea how stubborn Wang Jian is. He insists that Your Majesty personally go to the mountain city to grant a pardon to the people of Hezhou before he will lay down his arms. And coincidentally, Your Majesty has been away at the time."

The only option was for Minister Ye to send envoys to persuade him, but no matter what, Wang Jian refused to abandon the city, and the people of the mountain city strongly supported him and were hostile towards the court.

Jiang Mengxuan frowned, as if she was pondering something.

"And then what?" Shen Lang suddenly asked, "What did you do then?"

"Then..." Jiang Shangxian shook his head, "the negotiations broke down, forcing Wu Jie to lead his troops towards the mountain city, intending to force Wang Jian to abandon the city."

However, Wang Jian resolutely refused, saying that unless His Majesty personally came, there was no hope of abandoning the city. Enraged, Wu Jie launched an attack on Wang Jian's troops.

The Empress was taken aback: "What did you say? Who gave Wu Jie permission to launch a military campaign? Shu County has just been recovered. Aren't you afraid that this attack will shatter the morale of the people of Shu?"

Shen Lang, however, was concerned with practical matters: "What was the outcome of the war?"

Jiang Shangxian's expression gradually became serious: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is the most difficult thing to say. Wu Jie and Wang Jian have been at war for more than a month..."

Despite having a clear advantage in equipment, they still couldn't capture the mountain city.

They couldn't even get close to Wang Jian's outpost at the mountain city, and lost more than a dozen soldiers along the way!

"What did you say?"

Jiang Mengxuan and Shen Lang spoke almost simultaneously, their expressions filled with disbelief.

“It is absolutely true. At first, I also found this too unbelievable, but then the Jingwei Division sent over the mountain city defense map... By the way, I happened to have it with me.”

As he spoke, he took out a piece of oil paper that was twelve inches long when folded from his pocket.

Once unfolded, a magnificent map of the mountain city's defenses comes into view.

"This is the most detailed mountain city defense map drawn up by the surveyors of the Jingwei Division in conjunction with Wu Jie's military advisors, based on sand table simulation. Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please take a look..."

Shen Lang took a closer look and instantly understood why Wu Jie couldn't defeat Wang Jian's troops.

This formation with spikes inside its tortoise shell would be difficult to defeat, let alone Wu Jie; even if he led his troops himself, it would be very difficult.

(Refer to Diaoyu City in the Southern Song Dynasty. The Southern Song Dynasty was destroyed more than a year later, and the Mongol Yuan Dynasty still couldn't conquer it.)

Unless you have air support, you'd be risking countless deaths and injuries just climbing the mountain trails.

"This Wang Jian is quite a talent; I underestimated him before."

Thinking of this, he immediately said to Jiang Mengxuan, "Your Majesty, please ask Wu Jie to immediately cease the attack. I will personally write a letter..."

We will surely persuade Wang Jian to willingly surrender the city. We also request that Wang Jian be pardoned and given another important position.

Jiang Mengxuan gently closed her eyes: "I grant your permission."