After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

Helpless, he still forced himself to say, "Minister Xiao, Jing Kingdom in Linshui City cannot be lost..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Mu exclaimed "Ouch!" twice.

Xiao Ran quickly stepped forward to help.

Xiao Mu: "Your Majesty, it's not that I don't want to help, it's just that I have old wounds from the battlefield, and it's really..."

Seeing this, Xiao Ran sniffed twice and said, "Father, I still have some medicine here. Please take it first."

Xiao Mu ate it, his eyes slightly glazed over.

This... isn't this a sugar pill?

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, his expression softening as he said, "My daughter has some medical knowledge and has helped me a lot on the battlefield. I really can't bear to part with her..."

Now that things have been said this far, Emperor Jingyang can no longer pretend not to understand.

His eyes were dark, his knuckles clenched white in his sleeves. Which was more important, the military power of Linshui City or the person before him? He finally swallowed the taste of blood from his tongue: "Miss Xiao is skilled in both literature and martial arts, capable of both battlefield combat and medical practice. Since that's the case—"

Rui Chen cried out, "Father!"

Emperor Jingyang ignored him: "In that case, it would be best for Minister Xiao to leave his precious daughter at home."

Xiao Mu breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Xiao Ran also relaxed a little, and her expression towards Chu Ling became more grateful.

"That makes things much easier."

Chu Ling looked back at her, his eyes filled with deep affection.

He said, "My second matter is to ask for General Xiao's eldest daughter in marriage."

Emperor Jingyang was shocked: "What did you say?!"

Chu Ling glanced around at everyone, his gaze finally settling on Emperor Jingyang, and said decisively:

"I, Chu Ling—"

"I am willing to offer the three prefectures of Linshui as betrothal gifts to marry the eldest daughter of the Xiao family."

The hall fell silent, with only his deep voice echoing in the air.

The idea of ​​marrying a woman from one city and three states astonished everyone; it was unheard of throughout history! Even emperors of past dynasties would not give up their cities to marry a woman.

Although Emperor Jingyang was surprised, he was overjoyed to hear about the three prefectures near the water.

He struggled to suppress the upward curve of his lips and said, "The women of my Jing Kingdom are all of exceptional talent and virtue, possessing outstanding qualities. It's normal for General Chu to be interested in them, but since General Chu has said so, I will reluctantly part with them..."

Emperor Jingyang suddenly gave a sinister smile: "However, we should ask General Xiao and Miss Xiao what they think about this matter. If I remember correctly, Miss Xiao just said that she has already made a private engagement with someone?"

He lightly tapped the dragon throne with his fingertips, his gaze coiling around Xiao Ran like a venomous snake.

The air in the hall suddenly froze, and everyone could hear the chill in those words—the previous words of refusal were now turning into sharp blades that were turning back on them.

Xiao Ran smiled slightly, walked slowly towards Chu Ling, took his hand and turned to say, "Your Majesty, General Chu is the one to whom my daughter is betrothed."

There was a moment of silence in the hall.

Emperor Jingyang tilted the jade cup in his hand slightly, Rui Chen's knuckles turned white, and He Wan's wine pot hung in mid-air.

"Absurd!" Emperor Jingyang slammed his hand on the table, his gaze piercing Xiao Mu like a blade. "My dear minister, you already knew?"

Xiao Mu's face was ashen, but he did not utter a word.

This silence was more glaring than any explanation—the Xiao family dared to join forces to deceive the emperor!

Emperor Jingyang laughed in fury, "Very well, you're all of one mind." His sinister gaze swept over Xiao Ran, "It's just a pity that my son has been made a fool of like a monkey by you!"

Xiao Ran prostrated herself and kowtowed: "This humble woman is unworthy of the Crown Prince."

Rui Chen's gaze darkened, a turbulent undercurrent surging within his eyes, before returning to stillness, leaving only a faint smile:

"Miss Xiao is joking."