76: Chapter 76 State Affairs, Marriage

The rate at which the Great Yan Empire was expanding was somewhat beyond Su Fan's expectations.

If they hadn't sent envoys to persuade Great Qi to attack the Great Yan Empire this time, the Jiuyou Principality would have been wiped out.

Once the Jiuyou Principality was destroyed, the next target for the Great Yan Empire would inevitably be the Shanhai Principality.

As the saying goes, "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," which was the reason for this "vertical alliance" maneuver.

However, speaking of national strength and top-tier powerhouses, although Great Qi had an Emperor Realm, he was old and frail, and they had a complete gap at the Saint Realm level with no one to fill it.

The Great Yan Empire, on the other hand, had two Saint Realms, one of whom was a female general from Fengqi Pavilion, making the disparity between the two nations clear at a glance.

If the Great Yan Empire really wanted to deal with Great Qi, Great Qi might not necessarily be a match for them.

Just as he thought of this, a Great Grandmaster figure descended from the sky using Sword Flight, knelt before Su Fan, and reported: "Reporting to the Pavilion Master! I have discovered the next offensive move of the Great Yan Empire!"

Behind Su Fan, Qiu Yuntian asked impatiently: "Which nation is the Great Yan Empire attacking? Speak quickly!"

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master and Master Qiu, the Great Yan Empire is going to attack… Great Qi!"

With a faint wave of his hand, he dismissed the Great Grandmaster. Su Fan looked back at Qiu Yuntian and chuckled: "It seems… our Principality can survive for a few more years…"

In the imperial court, when the officials heard that the Great Yan Empire had gone to attack Great Qi, they were so happy that they almost danced, disregarding court etiquette. However, after the joy subsided, they split into two factions again.

"Your Majesty, the national strength of the Great Yan Empire and Great Qi is comparable; the war will last a long time. Whether to surrender or not, our Principality should make plans early…"

"Surrender to whom? Do you mean surrender to the Great Yan Empire or to Great Qi?"

"Of course, surrender to the Great Yan Empire. Anyone can see that the Great Yan Empire has one Emperor Realm and two Saint Realms. Although Great Qi has an Emperor Realm, there is no Saint Realm. Although Great Qi has a strong military, in the long run, they will not be a match for the Great Yan Empire. Therefore, without a doubt, we should surrender to the Great Yan Empire!"

"Bullshit! Surrendering to the Great Yan Empire is not as good as allying with Great Qi. With Great Qi plus our Principality, and plus Jiuyou, if the three of us unite to attack the Great Yan Empire, we might not be without a fighting chance!"

"Are you joking? The territory of the Great Yan Empire is more than thirty times that of our Principality. Since the Great Yan Empire swallowed Cangyue, which of the surrounding countries can be its opponent? If we don't surrender to the Great Yan Empire now, are we waiting for the Great Yan Empire to destroy Great Qi, become the most powerful Empire in history on the continent, and come to settle scores with our Principality later?"

"We cannot surrender! We would rather live standing than die kneeling!"

"If we don't surrender now, we will die even more miserably later!"

"We cannot surrender!"

"We must surrender!"

The two factions quarreled, pointing fingers at each other, the atmosphere extremely tense, almost coming to blows.

On the throne, Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai looked at this chaotic scene and couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

He looked at his elder brother, the Male Consort, wanting to ask for his opinion.

Su Fan's words silenced the entire court.

"Those who speak of surrender, execute them!"

The surrender faction was stunned. Someone couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "Young Master Xunying… why can we not surrender?"

Su Fan flicked his sleeves and stepped out. His brow carried a natural majesty as he looked down at everyone and said in a deep voice:

"Since ancient times, those who surrendered have never had a good ending. Do you want to see your children and grandchildren become slaves and servants to the Yan people for generations?"

"Do you think… that you will have a good ending if you surrender?"

"What if the Yan people force you to hand over your wives and daughters for their amusement? Will you hand them over or not?"

"If one day, the Yan people rape your wives and daughters, plunder your relatives, destroy your ancestral halls, and seize your homes, will you endure it or not?"

Su Fan's questions left the surrender faction stunned. They had never thought of these things…

They only thought that surrendering would mean giving a few more Shark Pearls to the Great Yan Empire, and they would still be high-ranking officials and enjoy a good life.

However, Su Fan's vision was far more profound. He knew that even if they surrendered, there would be no good ending.

Those who originally advocated surrender, after hearing what Young Master Xunying said, could not help but waver in their hearts about whether to firmly surrender.

Someone muttered in a low voice: "We can't beat them, and we can't surrender, so what should we do?"

Su Fan raised two fingers and said two words: "Ride the fence."

"What? Ride the fence?"

"Young Master Xunying, may I ask what this means?"

Some officials asked in a low voice.

Su Fan explained to the officials unhurriedly: "Riding the fence means neither fighting nor surrendering, maintaining neutrality. Whoever is strong, I will show favor to them. In short, always sway left and right, but never be a loyal lackey…"

The officials were confused. Someone asked: "Then… Young Master Xunying, what should we do?"

"Make friends with both the Great Yan Empire and Great Qi, and sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight."

After hearing Su Fan's words, some were deeply impressed, while others were puzzled: "But what if Great Qi is destroyed by the Great Yan Empire?"

Su Fan looked up slightly and said: "Matters on the battlefield change in an instant. Who can predict whether Great Qi will suddenly have an Emperor Realm emerge to join the battle? What if the Great Yan Empire is pushed back by Great Qi? It is unknown! Now, besides waiting and seeing, no matter who we stand with, we may be settled accounts with later!"

Hearing this, all the officials bowed in submission.

Afterwards, some officials suggested that the King had reached the age of marriage and should marry a good family's daughter as soon as possible to give birth to a prince and stabilize the court.

Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai was stunned. How did the conversation turn to his marriage?

Immediately, he thought, it must have been instigated by his mother!

After dealing with it casually, he announced the end of the court.

Then, he came to the Queen Dowager's sleeping palace.

"Mother, my brother has not married yet. How can I marry before him!"

After Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai knelt and paid his respects, his tone carried a bit of dissatisfaction, as if he was seeking justice for his brother.

Jiang Ji, who was sitting on a luxurious chair with a snow-white, fragrant spirit fox in her arms, was slightly stunned upon hearing this, and then slowly said: "You are the King of the Principality. You should get married when you reach the age. This is a state affair."

Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai straightened his neck and said in a deep voice: "Mother! If you don't let my brother get married first, I won't get married!"

Jiang Ji's jade hand stroking the spirit fox in her arms paused. The words that were about to reach her lips were swallowed back. She sighed and said: "Fine, then let the Male Consort get married first. But you must promise that once the Male Consort is married, you must also get married immediately."

"Okay, as long as my brother gets married, I will get married immediately!"

Crown Prince Qi Xiaobai left the Queen Dowager's palace full of joy, wanting to go to Xunying Pavilion to tell his brother that his mother was going to find him a wife…

At this time, in the Queen Dowager's palace.

Jiang Ji's beautiful eyes slowly scanned a clever and pretty palace maid beside her. Her name was Yun Zhu, she was seventeen years old, looking lively and spirited, and she was her most trusted personal maid…

"Xiao Zhu, I am going to arrange a marriage for you…"