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

The bizarre ancestral rules left Ban Dingyuan and Pei Ju speechless.

To ease the awkwardness of the topic, Ban Dingyuan asked some more questions about the state of Qi.

After Tian Ying's description, Ban Dingyuan gained a general understanding of the situation in the State of Qi.

The State of Qi was located south of Wu Zhao. It was an island nation with a population of approximately 500,000, though no rough estimate has been made.

Due to its geographical environment, the State of Qi had barren land and outdated production tools, making it impossible to cultivate crops on a large scale. It relied on maritime trade with neighboring countries to make a living for its people.

However, an unprecedented tsunami, accompanied by an earthquake, shattered the already fragile economic lifeline of the State of Qi.

After the natural disaster, the State of Qi suffered severe losses. Large areas of farmland were destroyed, nearly half of the common people went bankrupt, and even the royal family's businesses were inevitably affected.

To help the nation overcome this difficult time, Tian Ying tried every possible means, including seeking assistance from neighboring countries.

However, the neighboring countries of Qi were also affected by the tsunami, and their own lives were still difficult, so the help and financial support they provided were very limited.

Left with no other choice, Tian Ying had to bite the bullet and come to Wu Zhao Kingdom to give it a try.

However, to Tian Ying's surprise, all the arguments she had prepared and the information about the current predicament of the Qi Kingdom were of little use.

On the contrary, when the officials of Wuzhao learned that King Qi, Tian Ying, was a woman, they directly proposed that she serve in the harem to please Li Hong.

Tian Ying was in a difficult position. After all, she was the ruler of a country and had her own husband. How could she possibly serve two husbands?

So he suggested sending young and beautiful maids from the state of Qi to the palace to please Li Hong.

However, Li Hong's attitude was firm: if the King of Qi was unwilling, he would not force him, but the matter of supporting the State of Qi would not be mentioned again.

After two months of this back and forth, Tian Ying finally had no choice but to endure the humiliation and submit, intending to sacrifice her innocence for the sake of her people.

"My two envoys, I am very pleased to meet you. Qi welcomes you to visit our country and is willing to become friends with Chu."

Ban Dingyuan: "Naturally, my Chu state is also willing to become a friendly nation with your country and exchange ideas with each other."

Tian Ying smiled slightly, and the three of them exchanged opinions between the two countries in the courtyard, their attitudes quite pleasant.

Before we knew it, it was already late at night.

A maid from Qi rushed in to report: "Your Highness, the imperial carriage has arrived and is waiting outside the courtyard gate."

A look of humiliation crept onto Tian Ying's originally rosy face: "I understand. Go tell them they'll be here soon."

"Yes, the slaves retire."

After the maid left, Tian Ying bowed to Ban Dingyuan and Pei Ju, saying, "Gentlemen, I'm so sorry, I must take my leave."

Ban Dingyuan and Pei Ju tactfully stood up and bowed to Tian Ying, saying, "Your Highness, take care."

After saying this, Qi Qi left the Qi King's residence.

After leaving the Qi King's residence, Pei Ju asked, "Chief of Staff, what's your opinion on this matter?"

"What's the matter?"

"Is the State of Qi a suitable springboard for our Great Chu's distant ocean regions?"

Ban Dingyuan: "Listing to only one side is not enough; we must conduct on-site investigations before drawing conclusions. After Wu Zhao's group concludes their journey, I plan to visit the states of Qi and Jiang on the return voyage."

If possible, upon returning to Jinling, I will immediately suggest to His Majesty and the Duke of Zhenguo that aid be provided to both countries.

Pei Ju: "Coincidentally, that's what I was thinking too. We've gathered almost all the intelligence on Wu Zhao Kingdom. The only thing we can't determine is the attitude of the people living here."

Ban Dingyuan shook his head: "I'm afraid they are extremely dissatisfied with the Wu Zhao court, otherwise there wouldn't have been such a major event as the Tianli Sect's rebellion."

Pei Ju: "That doesn't prove anything. After all, peasant uprisings against the imperial court happen frequently, even within our Great Chu territory."

This does not mean that the entire populace of Wuzhao opposes the current situation.

Ban Dingyuan nodded: "You're right. Let the Duke of Zhenguo worry about this. After all, none of the civil and military officials in the court can understand people's hearts as well as the Duke of Zhenguo."

Pei Ju: "That's right. We're only responsible for gathering intelligence. We can leave the rest to our superiors. Why are we frowning here?"

After saying this, the two smiled at each other and returned to the courtyard side by side.

……

The next day, as dawn broke, Ban Dingyuan, unable to sleep, got up and went out of the house.

The palace and its villa were decorated in a unique style, with all sorts of exotic flowers and rare plants.

Ban Dingyuan habitually washed up and did his morning exercises in front of the flower bushes.

This was a habit he developed while he was in military school.

"Envoy Ban, you're up so early?"

Suddenly, Tian Ying's voice rang out from behind.

Ban Dingyuan was taken aback, then turned around to look.

Tian Ying was also seen wandering among the flowers, a hint of weariness on her face.

"Your Highness, what are you..."

Seemingly knowing what the other person was going to ask, Tian Ying shook her head.

Then, she dismissed her maidservants, gestured to Ban Dingyuan to invite her, and they strolled together in the garden.

“I entered the palace last night, and was sent back just after midnight.”

As Tian Ying said this, a trace of inexplicable humiliation remained on her face.

Ban Dingyuan did not interrupt her, but simply stood by her side without saying a word.

Tian Ying continued, "The Emperor is far more complex than I thought."

Last night I was brought to his bedchamber, and there I lay naked in bed, quietly waiting for him to come and favor me.

As a result, I waited anxiously for almost an hour.

After finishing his official duties, the Emperor leisurely approached the lonely bedside.

I had never felt such a powerful aura before, and I was so frightened that I could only close my eyes and dare not look.

I thought he would ask me to do some unspeakable humiliation and torture, but I didn't expect him to see me like this.

He just asked me one question: "You don't want to?" I shook my head and didn't say anything. He then asked, "Then why are you shaking so badly?"

Gu replied in a trembling voice that it was because he was too nervous. Hearing this, he smiled, but left the bed, turning his back to Gu and saying that since he was unwilling, he would not force him.

He disliked forcing any woman, and once midnight had passed, he sent me out of the palace, thus fulfilling his promise.

They would prepare food to relieve the famine victims of my Qi state, so I was sent back.”

Upon hearing this, Ban Dingyuan was truly surprised to hear such a strange story, and he certainly gained some new knowledge.

"So, Your Highness, what are your plans for the next step?"

"Now that His Majesty has promised to protect my Qi Kingdom, I should return home now to share this good news with my people."

"Once the tribute document arrives in two days, I should return to Qi."

Ban Dingyuan bowed and said, "Then congratulations on your success, Your Highness. With the help of Wuzhao Kingdom, I believe your country will be able to safely overcome this crisis."

Tian Ying smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Envoy Chu. I also hope that Envoy Chu can reach a consensus with Wu Zhao smoothly."

At this moment, Liu Ying came over: "So the foreign envoy from Chu is here. That's good, I didn't have to make a wasted trip. The Emperor has decreed that the foreign envoy be summoned to the palace to discuss trade matters."