Huangfu Xiao, the new Khan of Wumeng, has been very irritable lately.

Ever since that woman Nie Yuhuang became empress, the Prime Minister of Dayu, whom he had finally managed to win over, was executed.

Upon hearing the news, Huangfu Xiao comforted himself, saying it was alright.

In any case, the deepest-buried traitor beside Nie Yuhuang is his trump card.

As long as he doesn't get into trouble, Nie Yuhuang will die sooner or later.

After all, who can guard against their partner in bed?

But to everyone's surprise, the nail was also pulled out by the roots a few days later.

Not only was it removed, but it was also publicized by Nie Yuhuang and became known to everyone.

Huangfu Xiao felt deeply ashamed and immediately smashed a tea set in anger.

He can't even handle a woman, that bastard Xu Shize is a complete waste!

The old Khan of Wumeng had too many sons, and each of them had their own power and territory.

Even though Huangfu Xiao had become the new Khan, his brothers were still unwilling to give up and would try to cause him trouble from time to time.

Dayu is a place of beautiful mountains and rivers and rich resources. Every Khan of Wumeng has long coveted this treasure land.

Huangfu Xiao looked down on Empress Nie Yuhuang from the bottom of his heart.

In Wumeng, women had a very low status; they were basically just tools for warming the bed and bearing children, things that could be disposed of at will.

Sharing and gifting women among nobles was a common form of social interaction.

In Huangfu Xiao's view, a nineteen-year-old girl, even if she was good at wielding weapons, could not possibly understand political maneuvering.

This was practically a free opportunity for him.

Father Khan was old, which is why he lost to her on the battlefield.

Huangfu Xiao was young and strong, and he had no shortage of men, horses, or strategies.

If he makes a move, Da Yu will surely perish.

But recently his troublesome brothers have been causing a lot of trouble, so he can't spare the time to deal with them.

Upon learning of the actions of the Dayu princes, he sent an envoy to deliver a personal letter to Nie Yuhuang.

The meeting began with congratulations to the Empress on her ascension to the throne, followed by the revelation of Xu Shize's identity, referring to Nie Yuhuang as the Crown Princess of Wumeng.

Huangfu Xiao made no mention of the sinister intentions behind it, instead whitewashing it as Huangfu Shize being sent by Wumeng to form a marriage alliance with Dayu.

In the end, Huangfu Xiao began to hold people accountable for stirring up trouble.

Since my Wumeng has already sent a prince to your Dayu for a marriage alliance, may I ask what the Empress means by imprisoning him?

Are you going to start a war with Wumeng?

If you don't want war, then send the people back to Wumeng safely and cede four border cities as an apology.

Huangfu Xiao's purpose was certainly not to save Xu Shize; he wasn't that kind-hearted.

He just wanted to annoy Nie Yuhuang, take advantage of the chaos, and use it as an excuse to launch an attack on Dayu later.

Moreover, he was certain that during the internal strife in Dayu, Nie Yuhuang would not dare to confront him directly.

Being attacked from both sides is a major taboo in military strategy.

The court officials were roughly divided into two factions regarding Huangfu Xiao's threat: either to stand up to him or to back down.

That morning at court, the two sides were clearly divided, spitting and exchanging words.

"The vassal king is coming with great force. We should not antagonize Wumeng now, otherwise we will be attacked from both sides."

This is the group that admits defeat.

"Bullshit! They were the ones with ill intentions from the start. How dare they accuse us and even demand that we cede territory? Those bastards are going too far!"

This is the hardline approach.

"That's true, but the most urgent thing is to appease Wumeng first, at least to prevent him from interfering at this time."

"Fight if you want, I'm not afraid. I won't stand for this kind of humiliation. My Great Yu territory will never be given to those treacherous dogs from Wumeng."

"You bunch of brutes, you only know how to act recklessly."

"You cowardly rat, if you're scared, go hide in your mother's arms and suckle."

...

Qi An leaned back lazily on the dragon throne, coldly watching the debate below.

The two sides argued heatedly, neither willing to back down, and finally both looked at Qi An.

"Your Majesty, please make the decision."

Qi An didn't even change his posture, and said casually, "What you all say makes sense, and I'm at a loss for what to do."

This sounds like she's scared and wants to back down, but is too embarrassed to say it outright.

The hardliners exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with disappointment.

Sigh, women are just women; they don't dare to step forward when faced with such a big event.

Those who backed down smiled with satisfaction and considerately offered her a way out.

"Your Majesty is wise. It is not that we are afraid of death, but that we are beset by internal and external troubles at the same time. For the sake of the country, we have no choice but to retreat in order to advance."

"A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. It's not too late to plan this after we've quelled the internal strife."

The Minister of Revenue said with a troubled expression, "The national treasury is empty now, and we simply cannot afford to wage war against both the vassal kings and Wumeng at the same time."

That's true, the national treasury is indeed short of money.

The Minister of War was a hot-tempered and uncompromising man, but upon hearing this, he fell silent.

An army marches on its stomach.

If the soldiers can't even get enough to eat, how can they fight the enemy?

And there's another very real problem.

During the years the old emperor was on the throne, the Great Yu Dynasty valued civil officials over military ones, resulting in a shortage of military generals, and a number of them had died in battle a couple of years ago.

If we were to fight against the four vassal kings and Wumeng at the same time, where would we find so many generals to lead troops?

In short, without money or manpower, how can this battle be fought?

Qi An looked down at the gloomy and desolate scene below and found it all rather amusing.

With me here, what are these trivial matters?

She had originally planned to destroy Wumeng, but the official letter sent by Huangfu Xiao gave her a different idea.

We still need to wipe them out, but before that, let's annoy them a bit first.

Qi An stretched, sat up slightly, and asked the one who admitted defeat:

"Since you think we should appease Wumeng, you must have a plan. Tell us about it."

The hardline minister closed his eyes, looking utterly annoyed, trying to avoid the sight and the thought.

The Minister of Rites said solemnly, "In my opinion, there are two approaches."

"The first option is to follow Huangfu Xiao's request, send Xu... Huangfu Shize back to Wumeng, and then cede four border cities."

"The second option is a marriage alliance. Since Wumeng says that Huangfu Shize is here for a marriage alliance, then we should also send someone there for the alliance, so they will have nothing to say."

Qi An's lips curled slightly, but his eyes were cold: "So, who do you think should be sent for a political marriage?"

The implication is, who should be sent to their death?

“Naturally, we should send a princess to marry a foreign ruler. Princesses are born to be worshipped by the people, and now it is time for them to give back.”

Qi An asked knowingly, "So, according to you, I am the eldest princess of Dayu, and you mean I should go and marry into a foreign land?"

The Minister of Rites was greatly alarmed and hurriedly offered an explanation.

"That's not what I meant. Your Majesty is the ruler of our Great Yu. How can you go on a marriage alliance? Naturally, you should choose from among the other princesses."

Besides Nie Yuhuang, the royal family has six other princesses, the oldest being seventeen and the youngest only five.

The only princesses eligible for marriage alliances were the second princess, Nie Yuwei, and the third princess, Nie Yudie.