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

"Your Majesty, we are guilty and have failed in our duty to the Emperor."

Ji Yun, who was in charge, led a group of civil officials and was the first to kneel down.

Just as Fu Chang'an was about to kneel down, he saw this and was very displeased: "You, Ji Yun, actually let him beat me to it, this is outrageous!"

Upon Ji Yun's words, all the officials in the Qianqing Hall immediately rose from their seats, knelt down, and wept.

They beat their chests and stamped their feet, shouting platitudes like "Your subject is guilty" and "This servant deserves to die."

To be honest, even Shen Lang couldn't help but be moved by her acting skills.

Li Hong sighed and quietly watched the performance of the officials.

Whether their tears were genuine or feigned is no longer important.

The harsh reality was staring them in the face: in the war against the State of Chu, the State of Wu Zhao suffered a crushing defeat, being completely wiped out.

Seeing them crying their hearts out, Li Hong slowly spoke: "Have you cried enough? If you have, tell me, why has the Wu Zhao Kingdom fallen to this state?"

Ji Yun was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, we are incompetent and unable to share your burdens, which is a grave crime!"

Qian Feng said, "Your Majesty, I believe that today's crushing defeat was foreseeable and did not happen overnight."

Li Hong: "Qian Feng, tell me in detail."

Qian Feng knelt on the ground, his back straight: "Your Majesty, local officials have already submitted reports detailing the hardships of the people, and how the families of military officers have seized the inner city, openly encroaching on land for profit."

They openly captured innocent people and enslaved them, selling them cheaply for their own extravagant spending. Yet, the officials in the court turned a blind eye to this, causing the people to become increasingly alienated from the Wu Zhao Kingdom.

If my Wuzhao Kingdom is to strive for strength and avenge its past humiliations, the bureaucracy must be reformed, and corrupt officials in all regions must be thoroughly eradicated. Only with a clean and honest government can the people be free from the suffering of oppression.

Only by recognizing shame can the Wu Zhao Kingdom spur itself to action; only through reform can the Wu Zhao Kingdom truly become strong!

Li Hong: "Change, how to change?"

Qian Feng: "Your Majesty, taking the war between Chu and Wu Zhao as an example, Wu Zhao's defeat was not due to Chu's fast guns and cannons, but rather to the complete loss of popular support."

I have heard that wherever the Chu army goes, its military discipline is strict, and it does not harm the poor in the slightest. Even the families of the military camps within the inner city are protected as much as possible by the Chu army.

In this way, the people all went to join the Chu army. The enemy that my Wu Zhao Kingdom faced was not the Chu army, but the people!

In my opinion, the privileges of the families of the inner city's military garrison should be abolished, and they should be strictly forbidden from harming innocent civilians. All should be treated equally. Only in this way can the hearts of the people be won back.

Only when the hearts of the people are won back can the Wu Zhao Kingdom truly become prosperous and strong!

"Be bold!"

Fu Chang'an could no longer tolerate this.

"The inner city surveillance system is an old system from the time of Emperor Taizu, established to prevent civil unrest from breaking out in the previous dynasty. If it is abolished rashly, how will we deal with sudden civil uprisings in various places? This method is absolutely unacceptable!"

This statement quickly gained unanimous approval from a large number of Di officials and scholars from within the pass. In short, the supervision of the inner city could not be abolished, and the superior status of the Di people could not be changed.

Some even directly demanded that Qian Feng be killed.

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Qian Feng shook his head helplessly.

He was completely disillusioned with these scoundrels.

Li Hong waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, before saying to Qian Feng, "As you can see, it's not that I'm unwilling, but this action is contrary to ancestral rites and laws. Let's not discuss this matter any further!"

Qian Feng clenched his fists, finally unable to bear it any longer, and suddenly stood up: "Since the Emperor and all the officials are unwilling to make any changes, then what is the purpose of this banquet?"

Is it really possible to change the current situation of Wu Zhao Kingdom simply by eating a few bites of commoners' food and then having the emperor and his ministers cry together?

"If I could, I'd rather be stuffed to death by these coarse rice and pickled vegetables!"

The hall was completely silent; no one had expected Qian Feng to suddenly reach such a state.

His eyes were red-rimmed as he pointed at Fu Chang'an, Ji Yun, and the others, a look of utter disbelief on his face: "Look at all of you, thinking you're so loyal to the Emperor and the Wu Zhao Kingdom!"

But even now, despite the dire defeat suffered by the State of Wuzhao at the hands of the State of Chu, you still refuse to make any changes.

So, esteemed officials, what is the future of Wu Zhao Kingdom? Do you intend to continue like this, hiding your heads and living your lives in seclusion?

Li Hong's face turned ashen; Qian Feng's words were clearly a veiled insult.

He was about to advise Qian Feng to calm down when Qian Feng pointed at Li Hong.

"And you, Your Majesty, this Wu Zhao Kingdom is your empire! Can you bear to watch it be oppressed like this without making any changes?"

"Be bold!"

Li Hong, unable to bear it any longer, roared in anger.

The next moment, a large group of imperial guards rushed into the main hall and surrounded Qian Feng.

Veins bulged on Li Hong's forehead: "Qian Feng, have you lost your mind? How dare you question me!"

"Yes! As an official of the Censorate, my duty is to expose all injustices!"

"Your Majesty, as the ruler of a country, you should set an example for your subjects and be a benevolent, filial, and loving ruler."

"But what about you? You condone local officials' corruption and exploitation of the people, leading to local corruption and widespread suffering."

"As the monarch, you should shoulder this responsibility, Your Majesty. It's not too late to change now, it's not too late!"

Li Hong was publicly humiliated by his ministers, and his chest ached with anger.

He glared angrily at Qian Feng and shouted sternly, "Guards, drag this arrogant brat who has no respect for his father out and take him to the prison to await his fate!"

The guards immediately grabbed Qian Feng's arms and dragged him out of the hall.

"Hahaha, you tyrant, you tyrant! Hahaha—"

Qian Feng left the Qianqing Palace with a loud laugh, not forgetting to denounce Li Hong before leaving.

"This is outrageous!"

Li Hong, unable to bear it any longer, overturned the imperial desk.

In a fit of rage...

"puff--"

A mouthful of blood spurted out, and the next moment, everything went black before his eyes, and he fainted on the spot.

"emperor!"

"Long live the Lord!"

"Call the doctor quickly!"

Chaos erupted inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

This banquet of reflection, which was essentially a bureaucratic exercise in formalities, ended in such an absurd fashion.

……

On July 28, at Guzhou Port, the battleship Chang'an slowly sailed into the newly expanded port.

As the ship's horn sounded, Shen Lang, who had been waiting for a long time, tightened his cloak and walked to the side of the giant ship.

After the zipline brought the boarding stairs to shore, Jiang Mengxuan, dressed in brocade robes and smiling, strolled down the stairs.

"See Your Majesty!"

Led by Shen Lang, all the Chu soldiers who had gathered at the port saluted in unison.

"No gift."

Jiang Mengxuan raised her hand slightly, then walked up to Shen Lang and quietly looked at him.

The ruthlessness of the battlefield was gone from Shen Lang's eyes; only gentle tenderness remained.

"Your Majesty, please."

"Ah."

Without saying much, the two trusted each other enough to understand each other with just a glance.

Shen Lang stepped aside to help Jiang Mengxuan into the prepared four-wheeled carriage, and then climbed into the carriage himself.

"Let's go!"

The carriage slowly made its way to Zhongdu, with all the soldiers in high spirits, escorting the empire's two most important core members to inspect the results of the battle.