New Year's Eve was unusually quiet because of the snow.

On this quiet night, the sound of horse hooves stepping on the snow could be heard from the snow outside the city. On the horse's back was Leng Xi, who had a gloomy face and was wearing a black nightgown.

It turned out that Leng Xi had made up his mind to cooperate with the Beihai people, and he seemed to realize that this was the only way for him to succeed.

So, after coming out of the palace, he found Yu Shiming and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the people of Beihai. Yu Shiming then told him where Teng Gexiang lived.

He had no time to rest, nor did he have time to return to Xiwang Mansion to spend the New Year with his wife and children, so he mounted his horse and rode non-stop to the outside of the city alone.

The quiet night was disturbed by the sound of his horse's hooves, and the cold winter wind brought a chill to his heart.

He knew that this journey was a one-way trip, but he still felt that he had to take this path because he had no choice.

Perhaps knowing that he would come, Teng Gexiang had already ordered people to wait at the village entrance.

Seeing his horse stopped, the man stepped forward and said before he could speak:

"plz follow me."

Leng Xi couldn't help but feel a little surprised. Had the people of Beihai Country guessed that he would come?

He followed the man to the door of Tenggexiang's room. After the man knocked on the door a few times, there was an echo in the room, so he pushed the door open and motioned him to go in.

After nodding to the man, he raised his foot and crossed the threshold with a heavy heart, which left him with no way back.

After entering the door, he looked at the two people sitting on the kang and said with a look of surprise:

"Master Wu?"

Wu Yuanzhang waved his hands calmly.

"Lord Xi, how are you?"

Although Leng Xi had learned from Yu Shiming that Wu Yuanzhang was the one who connected with the Beihai Kingdom, he did not expect that Wu Yuanzhang would dare to come to the Daning Kingdom.

Seeing that he was a little surprised, Wu Yuanzhang calmly introduced:

"Prince Xi, this is the King of the North Sea. He has come personally to negotiate peace with you, Prince Xi. This shows how sincere the North Sea is about this matter. Prince, you must treat this matter with caution!"

Leng Xi looked at the older, bearded man in front of him, sized him up and down, then clasped his fists and said,

"Since the king is so sincere, I, Leng Xi, will take it seriously. But I don't know how the king will help me? What should I do?"

Teng Gexiang looked at Leng Xi with his sharp eyes, then waved his hand and said:

"Lord Xi, since you are here, please don't be polite. Sit down and talk."

Leng Xi lightly shook his clothes and sat opposite them, but he felt a little uneasy in his heart. After pondering for a while, he couldn't help but said in a cold voice:

"Today is New Year's Day, and I have to go back home to spend the New Year with my wife and children. Let's get straight to the point."

Leng Xi actually didn't have much good feelings towards the King of the North Sea who seemed a bit aloof.

Maybe it’s because he has never been ignored by others.

"Hahaha!"

Zhen Gexiang suddenly raised his head and laughed, then said:

"Prince Xi is going back home to spend the New Year with his wife and children? What about me? I have a wife and children too, but I have come all the way here. By the time I return, spring will have already arrived and the flowers will be in bloom. How can I celebrate the New Year?"

Leng Xi raised the corner of his mouth and looked at him with disdain.

"The King didn't come here just for Lengxi, did he?"

Zhen Gexiang nodded without any hesitation.

"You're right. I didn't come here just for you, but I wanted to see you during this trip. Now that you're here, let's not beat around the bush and get straight to the point!"

After saying this, he glanced at Wu Yuanzhang and continued:

"Master Wu has been in my Beihai Kingdom for over ten years. He knows my temper best. I don't like to drag my feet when it comes to words and deeds. I invited you here today because I want to cooperate with you so that we can achieve mutual benefit. If you agree, do as I say. If not, we can discuss it further."

Leng Xi had heard Yu Shiming mention a long time ago that Wu Yuanzhang had gone to Beihai Kingdom. Unexpectedly, he had already achieved the position of national teacher in Beihai Kingdom. It seemed that Wu Yuanzhang was really an extraordinary person.

He nodded with cold eyes.

"Tell me about it."

Teng Gexiang raised the corners of his mouth proudly and said calmly:

"My Beihai Kingdom is far more powerful than your Daning Kingdom. Over the years, we've gradually recovered some of the smaller border states and are now preparing to unify them. If you're willing to cooperate with us, I promise you that after this, you'll still be the emperor of Daning. However, Daning will no longer be an independent nation, but a part of Beihai. You'll also have to pay taxes to Beihai on time and pay tribute to me in varying amounts each year..."

"absurd……"

Before Teng Gexiang could finish his words, Leng Xi stood up angrily, swung his sleeves, and shouted:

"My Great Ning Kingdom has always been an independent country. Even though your Beihai Kingdom has a strong military force, it has not dared to invade easily over the years. Now you are asking my Great Ning Kingdom to be subordinate to your Beihai Kingdom. This is simply wishful thinking. I will not agree to this request. At worst, I, Leng Xi, will not fight for the throne. Don't be so delusional."

Seeing Leng Xi getting angry, Wu Yuanzhang quickly raised his hand to suppress him.

"Prince Xi, calm down. If you want to accomplish great things, it's not just about who has the loudest voice. Don't you see the current situation in Daning Kingdom? If you rely on your own strength and want to sit on the throne of the emperor, it is simply wishful thinking. Moreover, the emperor has read out the imperial edict today. On the 18th of the first lunar month, Leng Yu will ascend the throne. When he sits on the throne, if you still want to make trouble, it will be a rebellion, and you will be scorned by the people. Therefore, you only have 18 days. You should consider carefully whether you want to agree to our king's request."

Wu Yuanzhang's words made Leng Xi fall into deep thought.

Eighteen days? Is it really that easy to accomplish great things?

Seeing him hesitating, Teng Gexiang continued to mock him:

"This prince knows that today is the day you plan to start a war, but I didn't expect that your plan would be discovered by Leng Yu. The plan you laid out collapsed in an instant. Do you know why this happened? It's because you have never been on the battlefield, never participated in a war, don't know how to deploy troops, and don't have a capable assistant to serve as your military advisor. People without the support of others are like duckweed floating on the sea, without a purpose and no way to retreat. In the end, they can only sink into the sea. If you cooperate with this prince, this prince will be your strong backing. After the matter is accomplished, your Great Ning Kingdom will only need to pay tribute to the North Sea Kingdom with some goods every year. This is just a drop in the bucket for the vast Great Ning Kingdom. Your Prince Xi will not be so stingy, right?"

Their words sent a chill down Leng Xi's spine. How could they know so much about what had just happened in the palace? Could it be that they had spies in the palace?