On the other hand...
The wicked man led his men at breakneck speed, and with the help of scouts in Yangjin City, they took a shortcut straight to Linzi.
Due to the urgency of the situation, the wicked man did not take any rest and directly ordered his men to rush to Linzi overnight. He entered the Qi royal palace early in the morning to meet King Tian Jian of Qi.
The next day, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the sky and shone upon the earth, the wicked man and his entourage arrived outside Linzi, the capital of Qi.
Because the king had given a prior decree, officials were already waiting at the city gate to escort the wicked man into the palace.
The Black Dragon Armored Army was still waiting outside the city. The wicked man led Zhang Erhe and six soldiers responsible for carrying the betrothal gifts into the city. Their politeness relieved the Qi State's Minister of Ceremonies.
Looking at the world today, who doesn't fear the Black Dragon Armored Army's three-way division?
Even though their numbers were only three thousand, their feasibility and achievements were undeniable, and even the heavily guarded capital of Qi was not confident that they could subdue them.
The wicked man followed the courtier, chatting as they walked, until they arrived at the palace.
At the palace gate, King Tian Jian of Qi led all the civil and military officials to personally greet him. When he saw the wicked husband, Tian Jian's smile was so wide that it was almost obsequious.
Now that the Qin state has gained power, coupled with the unintentional display of arrogance by the wicked husband, even Tian Jian, the ruler of the state, appears somewhat humble, as if the wicked husband is the true king.
This scene, witnessed by the Qi officials behind them, filled them with resentment. How could a ruler of a country be so obsequious?
Tian Dan glared angrily, and if it weren't for his wicked husband being right in front of him, he would have definitely reprimanded Tian Jian.
"Grand Commandant Efu of Qin greets King Qi!" Efu raised his hand and clasped his hands in a gesture that was neither overly respectful nor impolite.
Tian Jian smiled warmly and hurriedly said, "It makes me very happy that the Grand Commandant has graced me with his presence! Please come in!"
Having said that, he stepped aside and bowed, signaling for the wicked husband to enter the palace.
The wicked man showed no fear whatsoever, and strode into the palace in front of all the officials of Qi.
"We pay our respects to the Grand Commandant of Qin!"
Although the officials harbored resentment, they were powerless against the powerful, and could only bow their heads and offer their greetings.
The wicked husband seemed completely unfazed, as if it were the natural course of events, which only excited Zhang Erhe and even filled him with a sense of wonder.
"The Grand Commandant is absolutely right. When nations clash, it's all about who has the strongest fist. There's no such thing as equality!"
If the powerful state of Qi were to do so today, would they give it such a great deal of face?
Should the emperor and his officials personally welcome them?
They'd be doing you a favor by just sending you a random palace official to guide you.
The wicked man and Tian Jian walked at the front, chatting and laughing, followed by hundreds of officials from the State of Qi. The scene was quite grand and spectacular.
Upon arriving at the main hall, Tian Jian hurriedly instructed the palace officials to offer him a seat.
After exchanging pleasantries, the wicked man got straight to the point: "Your Majesty, please forgive my intrusion. I have been very impolite, please forgive me!"
"Oh, what are you saying!" Tian Jian said, feigning displeasure. "Qin Qi also has several marriage ties, and the relationships are very close. Grand Commandant, your words are quite distant!"
The wicked man smiled warmly on the surface, but in his heart he looked down on Tian Jian. Even if Qin was powerful and Qi was slightly weaker, how could he, as the ruler of a country, be so...humble?
Just as recorded in historical texts, when Qin attacked Qi, the people of Qi dared not resist or fight back. It truly lived up to the saying, "A cowardly soldier is a cowardly one, and a cowardly general makes a cowardly army." If even the ruler of a country was like this, one can only imagine how cowardly the soldiers and civilians below him were.
The most ridiculous thing is that King Zheng of Qin sent his guest Chen Chi to the State of Qi, saying that if King Jian of Qi surrendered to Qin, Qin would grant him a fief of five hundred li.
At this time, Hou Sheng, a minister of Qi, also advised King Jian of Qi not to resist and to surrender to Qin with his army. King Jian of Qi actually listened to their advice and surrendered to Qin, thus bringing about the destruction of the State of Qi.
The fate of King Jian of Qi was even more absurd. Our Emperor Zheng placed King Jian in a remote place, living among desolate pine and cypress trees, and provided him with no food, causing him to starve to death.
Therefore, his flattery and fawning over his wicked husband is perfectly normal.
"Your Majesty is right. I have come here today precisely for the sake of the long-standing friendship between our two countries. I wish to act as matchmaker and propose marriage to continue the kinship between our two nations." The wicked husband put away his smile and went straight to the point.
Tian Jian glanced at Prime Minister Tian Dan subconsciously, and just as Tian Dan had predicted, he immediately said, "Excellent, very excellent, I wholeheartedly agree with this move."
Then, he pretended to be serious and said, "Grand Commandant, is it the King of Qin who has taken a fancy to one of my Qi women, or is it the Grand Commandant...?"
"Cough...cough..." The wicked man coughed awkwardly, covering his mouth, and said, "Your Majesty, I have come here for Wang Li, the grandson of Wang Jian, the Supreme General of Qin. This young man is very promising and is my sworn brother. He has risen from the bottom to the top solely through his own abilities."
"Now that he has reached a certain age, he is still engrossed in military affairs. General Wang Jian sighs all day long and came to me hoping to find him a marriage partner."
"As it happens, my king also wishes to continue the friendship between our two countries, so I have come to propose marriage."
The wicked husband was extremely adept at lying through his teeth, even dragging the completely unaware Ying Zheng into the mess.
Although Tian Jian was somewhat disappointed after hearing this, his smile remained bright, and he nodded hurriedly, saying, "This is naturally a good thing. He has a woman he admires, and I will do my best to make this happen."
The wicked man smiled slightly and continued, "Qi is the homeland of Confucianism, renowned for its etiquette. The royal women are especially virtuous and talented. Why not arrange a marriage between them and a woman of marriageable age? I'm sure General Wang Jian would be very pleased."
Upon hearing this, Tian Jian frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed and replied, "The Grand Commandant is absolutely right! Where is the Minister of the Imperial Clan?"
An elderly official with white hair and beard stepped out from the ranks of officials and replied, "Your subject is here!"
Tian Jian immediately asked, "Are there any women of marriageable age among the royal family now?"
The Imperial Clan Secretary looked at the wicked man and asked, "May I ask, Grand Commandant, how old is Wang Li?"
"Seventeen!"
Upon receiving the reply from his wicked husband, Zongzheng fell into deep thought. After a short while, he said, "Your Majesty, there are three women of marriageable age."
Whether Tian Jian had lost his mind or was trying to please his wicked husband, he actually gave the order, "Go, quickly bring the three of them to the main hall for the Grand Commandant to see and choose from among them personally!"
Upon hearing this, not only were all the officials stunned, but even the outsider Tian Jian was taken aback.
Just how desperate is this guy to curry favor with the Qin state?
In ancient times, women were not allowed to show themselves to the public easily, let alone daughters of noble and prominent royal families.
He actually let the wicked husband choose in front of him?
What's this?
The wicked man was somewhat dazed, as if he had come to a club and was choosing a princess from among them!
Zongzheng hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Your Majesty... this isn't quite right, it's rather unreasonable!"
To everyone's surprise, Tian Jian raised an eyebrow and coldly rebuked, "Why not? It's an honor for them to catch the Grand Commandant's eye."
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