"Father, should we ask Prince Kang to speak to us and ask the Great Zhou to accept us? Give them a mine and let us trade. I really want to go to the Great Zhou! I've traveled all over Jinnan, I'm so bored!" Princess Jinnan said, leaning closer.
Prince Kim Nam was the most normal one. He witnessed his own father and sister trying to hand Kim Nam over to someone else, but he didn't say a word.
Prince Jinnan clearly understood the situation: once the Great Zhou Dynasty reclaimed the God of Cloud Sand and the Kingdom of Langge, the Kingdom of Jinnan would inevitably be doomed.
The Great Zhou Dynasty was not as cruel as the Lang Kingdom claimed; the current emperor was actually quite benevolent towards his people.
Prince Jin Nan did not want to go to war with the Great Zhou, but he also did not want Jin Nan to cease to exist. If only there were a way to achieve both goals.
"Oh dear, Brother Nan, you're really worried! And you're so foolish to actually believe what Langge Kingdom said!" Uncle Gu put his arm around King Jin Nan, looking like close brothers. "Brother Nan, let me tell you, our Great Zhou's emperor is the best. The best emperor I've ever seen. Our Great Zhou people are living very well. Before my brother became the top scholar, my family was doing very well. Everyone in our village had enough to eat. The emperor was worried that our people couldn't afford to eat, so he reduced taxes drastically. He's not like those emperors of the previous dynasties who were obsessed with the harem. He's good to the empress and doesn't favor the other concubines. Our Great Zhou is very harmonious."
A look of longing appeared in the eyes of the King of Jinnan.
"Isn't that right? Who in our Great Zhou doesn't speak highly of the Emperor?" Duke Cheng'en chimed in. "Brother Nan, to be honest, I'm related to the Emperor. I'm his brother-in-law! He has a knack for punishing officials. From the time he ascended the throne until now, he has never initiated a war. It was always others who attacked first, and only then did he order a counterattack, which resulted in a crushing defeat. Even in the Southern Frontier, which is full of poisonous insects and weeds, our Great Zhou still managed to defeat them!"
“Brother Nan, if you ask me, your Jin Nan region is really equivalent to a prefecture city in Jiangnan in my Great Zhou. The key is that you have nothing here except jade. If you hold the imperial examination, very few people will come to take it! Tsk tsk tsk…” King Kang said disdainfully.
"So that's why!" Uncle Gu hugged King Jin Nan again. "Brother Nan, why did you do this? Just go along with the Great Zhou! Let the Emperor make you a king, and you can have a great time in this land, without having to worry about government affairs. You can go to Kuncheng if you want, or go to the capital if you want. We'll take you to even more fun places!"
"Oh my, I'm so tempted!" said King Jin Nanguo.
"Prince Kang, Uncle Xue, Uncle Gu, tell me, if Jin Nan submits, will I still be a princess? Will the emperor's princess bully me?" Princess Jin Nan asked.
“The Emperor’s princess is only this young. How could she possibly bully you?” Prince Kang gestured with his hand.
“Oh dear, my dear niece, you’re even planning to offer up a whole mine? Do you still think you’re not a princess?” Cheng En said.
"Isn't that right? Our Emperor isn't going to send people to take over your Jin Nan directly. You're the King of Jin Nan now, and even if you follow our Emperor, you'll still be the King of Jin Nan. The territory is yours. You can manage it yourself if you want, or let your son manage it if you find it too troublesome. The Emperor won't force you, right? Isn't that a great deal!" Uncle Gu hiccuped and continued, "Brother Nan, let's settle it like this! I, Lao Kang, and Lao Xue will take you all over the Great Zhou! You, a King of Jin Nan, a prince, and Lao Kang is also a prince. Compared to Lao Kang, how boring is your life? Lao Kang drinks, fights crickets, plays with birds, and travels all over the country. What about you? You only have this small territory of Jin Nan to play in, and the worst part is, nobody plays with you. How miserable!"
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