If another war were to start, Danjue would be utterly powerless to fight back. Rather than being obliterated by Great Shang, they might as well declare temporary allegiance to Great Shang and devise another plan in the meantime.

Wanyan Jin’s scowl deepened as he listened to his ambassadors.

The war between both kingdoms last year had indeed dealt a severe blow to Danjue.

Therefore, he was able to understand the ambassadors’ concerns.

However, he was reluctant to sign the treaty just like that.

Once it was signed, they would all have to return to Danjue.

He refused to leave when he had yet to achieve his purpose.

He needed to buy a little more time, at least.

Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he turned to the ambassadors and said something which made them fall silent.

“Your Majesty, are you reluctant to accept Princess Luosang because of the Empress? I heard that jealous women are shunned in your kingdom. A woman who gets easily jealous is no good, and in the more serious cases, the husband could even divorce her straight away for that. I think that a possessive woman like the Empress is not worthy of being Empress at all. You’re a rare wise ruler, Your Majesty—please save yourself from that jealous woman and the mockery of your people.”

The court officials had long been raising eyebrows at Lu Liangwei’s monopoly of the imperial harem, but none of them dared to voice their disapproval due to Long Yang’s ruthlessness.

Now, with Wanyan Jin taking the lead, several officials started itching for action again.

As long as Lu Liangwei was alone in the harem, the Emperor would be unlikely to take in new concubines. However, if Wanyan Luosang were to break this convention, it would be much easier for them to offer the Emperor women in the future.

Soon, a few officials began to persuade Long Yang. “I think Prince Wanyan makes a fair point.”

“I’ll second that.”

“Since Princess Wanyan admires you, Your Majesty, why don’t you take her as a consort to consolidate the relationship between our kingdoms?”

“I also agree that marrying Princess Wanyan will play a crucial role in strengthening the relationship between our kingdoms.”

…

One by one, the court officials piped up to express their agreement to Wanyan Luosang marrying into the imperial family.

As the clamor went on below, none of them noticed the animosity gathering in the Emperor’s eyes.

Instead of raging, he only smiled. “Are you all done?”

The officials came to their senses, and an eerie silence descended upon the room.

Long Yang raised his hand and pointed at a few of them. “You, and you. Since you’re already advanced in age, I grant you permission to resign and return to your respective hometowns in appreciation of your past dedication to Great Shang.”

The moment he uttered these words, the officials immediately fell to their knees wordlessly.

“Also, if I hear another word of complaint about the Empress, you can say goodbye to your heads.” As he said this, he turned his gaze directly toward Wanyan Jin, making no attempt to conceal the murderous intent in his eyes. “Wanyan Jin, I’ve never worried about causing a bloodbath. If you want to go to war, I will be glad to comply, but I will not accept another request to make peace from you. Think about it carefully. Court adjourned!”

The Emperor’s bone-chilling voice resounded in the ears of everyone present.

Long after the Emperor had left, the crowd was still unable to break out of their shock.

It was the first time the Danjue ambassadors witnessed Long Yang’s fury. When he looked at them just now, the murderous intent in his eyes almost seemed to materialize, terrifying them to their core.

When everyone finally came back to their senses, they could not help casting reproachful looks at Wanyan Jin.

At noon, Lu Liangwei headed to the imperial study with Zhu Yu and Chu Jiu.

Both of them each carried a food basket containing various delicious dishes.

Earlier that morning, Zhao Qian had told Lu Liangwei that the Emperor was in a bad mood thanks to Wanyan Jin and the court officials.

Wanting to reward his hard work, Lu Liangwei decided to specially prepare a few home-cooked dishes.

When they arrived at the imperial study, Lu Liangwei saw that the servants were all standing outside the door, and even Zhao Qian and Chu Qi were in their midst.

Lu Liangwei frowned. It seemed that the Emperor was in a really awful mood.