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

Shen Lang and Jiang Shangxian had already been waiting two miles in front of Weiyang Palace, with officials in tow, for the arrival of the Northern Yan envoy.

At the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the Northern Yan delegation appeared in everyone's sight as expected, and Shen Lang took the initiative to greet them.

"Your Majesty, we're back again."

"Second Prince, it's been a long time."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Shen Lang invited Murong Ke to board the four-wheeled carriage.

On the other side, Jiang Shangxian and Murong Si stared at each other, their eyes revealing obvious disdain.

"That fat guy is disgusting."

"Is this fat guy a pig?"

The two fat men disliked each other's large size and silently decided in their hearts.

But on the surface, they were very polite.

"I, Jiang Shangxian, am delighted to have friends coming from afar."

"Alright, I am Murong Si. Don't bother with my friend talk. If you dare, let's have a contest at the dinner table."

"Hehe, you'd better be prepared, the wine of my Great Chu is not as good as you think."

As the two exchanged sarcastic remarks, their two round bellies kept bumping against each other, threatening to send each other flying.

On the other side, after getting into the four-wheeled carriage with Shen Lang, Murong Ke felt a faint sense of inferiority as he enjoyed the comfortable environment inside the carriage and could clearly see the street scene through the glass windows on both sides.

In fact, he had witnessed all the changes that had taken place since he entered the territory of the Great Chu Kingdom.

The further south you go, the clearer the changes in the State of Chu become.

The spacious and bright streets, the water conservancy and road construction everywhere, and the railway laying all brought Murong Ke an unprecedented shock.

This feeling reached its peak, especially when entering Yongzhou and boarding the train directly to Nanjing.

The trip, which was originally supposed to take about forty days, was shortened by more than twenty days the moment I boarded the train.

This stark contrast almost drove Murong Ke to despair.

He didn't know where this despair came from, but he keenly sensed that the Chu Kingdom now was full of vibrant life compared to a few years ago.

"Your Highness, you really know how to enjoy yourself. This carriage is so smooth and comfortable, it's exceptionally comfortable."

"It's just some petty tricks, nothing serious. If the Second Prince likes them, I'll give you one when you go back."

"That would be disrespectful."

After expressing his gratitude, Murong Ke's expression turned serious: "Your Majesty, I believe you are already aware of the purpose of my visit to your country. I wonder what Your Majesty's thoughts are?"

Shen Lang looked out the car window and saw that Jiang Shangxian and Murong Si insisted on sitting in a four-wheeled carriage, but neither of them was willing to give way. Now, their two huge bodies were squeezed in front of the carriage door.

"Gentlemen, why are you fighting over a car?"

"Your Highness, they are guests from afar. Why are you arguing with them?"

"Your Excellency, if all else fails, you should consider changing your vehicle."

Cao Xianzhi, who was standing to the side, tried to dissuade him, but he still couldn't suppress his inexplicable competitive spirit.

Shen Lang withdrew his gaze and said to Murong Ke, "I have already heard about your country's plight. Since your country is currently experiencing food shortages, the Chu Kingdom will naturally not stand idly by."

His Majesty said that although there were many problems and unpleasant incidents between the two countries in the past, those are all in the past.

We can't dwell on the past; we always have to look forward, don't you think?

Murong Ke sighed, "The Empress is benevolent and righteous; I deeply admire her."

As he spoke, he took a string of wolf teeth from his pocket.

"Here are thirteen wolf king teeth, which symbolize peace and prosperity within our Murong tribe. Now that the Empress is pregnant..."

I, Murong Ke, have nothing much to give, so I present this personal item to the Empress and the Emperor, hoping your child will be born safely.

Shen Lang took the string of wolf teeth and smiled slightly: "Then thank you very much, Second Prince."

Seeing that Jiang Shangxian and Murong Si, two heavyweights, had finally squeezed into the carriage together, Shen Lang immediately ordered: "Let's go, Weiyang Palace."

Soon, the other officials also boarded the carriages and slowly headed towards Weiyang Palace.

At this moment, inside Jiang Shangxian's four-wheeled carriage, the originally spacious area suddenly became extremely cramped after the two pigs were squeezed in.

Jiang Shangxian said with great dissatisfaction, "Your Excellency is too shameless. I have already prepared a carriage for you. Why do you still insist on squeezing into my carriage?"

Murong Si retorted, "I am the guest, and you are the host. Shouldn't the host take good care of the guest?"

Jiang Shangxian was speechless for a moment: "Forget it, let's go back to the palace first."

Then he rolled down the car window and shouted, "Let's head to Weiyang Palace!"

Upon hearing this, the coachman immediately flicked his whip.

"Xu~~"

With a neighing sound, the black Xiliang horse raised its front hooves, its nostrils flaring.

next second...

puff-

The four tires of the carriage finally couldn't withstand the weight of the two fat pigs and burst all at once.

"Rough~"

The two men simultaneously uttered a national treasure, and had no choice but to squeeze out of the carriage again. The driver was so frightened that he was at a loss for what to do. He quickly apologized to the two men and urgently sent someone to contact a tire shop for repairs.

Seeing that Shen Lang and the others had gradually walked away and it would be difficult to catch up in a short time, Jiang Shangxian couldn't help but complain, "Why did you have to squeeze in? Do you know how expensive this car is?"

"Who knew your carriage would be so fragile? If I had known, I would have preferred to ride a horse myself."

"Then go ride it."

"I insist on sitting here."

"Ride."

"Sit down."

"Are you looking for trouble?"

"So what if I look for it?"

"Then come!"

"come!"

Neither of them would give in, and they started jumping around in the street, their bellies sticking out.

This scene left officials on both sides at a loss, so they simply remained silent.

Perhaps due to the hot weather, after fighting for a while, and seeing that they probably wouldn't be able to return to the palace in a short time, Murong Si simply suggested finding a place to rest.

Jiang Shangxian thought about it and agreed, then pointed to the tavern across the street: "Let's go have a couple of drinks to cool off."

"liquor?"

Upon hearing this word, Murong Si's eyes immediately lit up.

"Ale, what kind of alcohol is it?"

"You'll know once you've tried it."

After Jiang Shangxian finished speaking, he walked directly towards the tavern.

Murong Si hurriedly followed.

Upon entering the tavern, a cool and refreshing sensation instantly swept over Murong Si's entire body.

"This feels so refreshing, it's so cool!"

He looked closely and saw that there were ice niches everywhere in the hall, and inside the ice niches were jars of ceramic wine.

"Shopkeeper, one cup, please..."

Jiang Shangxian originally intended to order just one drink for himself, but after glancing at Murong Si, he changed his mind.

"Two glasses of ale, quick."

Before long, two cans of chilled ale were placed directly in front of the two people on the table.

Without hesitation, Jiang Shangxian tore open the seal and poured the contents into his mouth.

Seeing this, Murong Si, who was sitting opposite, followed suit, tore open the seal and smelled it. A faint aroma of wheat mixed with the smell of alcohol wafted into his nose.

He immediately tried to gulp it down.

“Wow~”

A cry of ultimate liberation echoed throughout the tavern, drawing everyone's attention.

Jiang Shangxian shuddered and stared at Murong Si in disbelief.

Murong Si's face was contorted with ecstasy, his eyes narrowed and his mouth agape as he let out a silent laugh.

This scene really scared Jiang Shangxian.

"Awesome, so awesome! Cool and refreshing, it's practically sinful, hahaha—"

Then he tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of liquor, savoring the refreshing sensation of alcohol and malt flavors flowing from his throat into his lungs.

"Wow, it's so cool and refreshing, it makes my heart soar."

"I haven't had such pure liquor in ages, hahaha—"