From the fake emperor to the concubine

"Secondly, I hope the Lu family will provide more resources and protection. Qingyun City is located on the border and is frequently harassed by demonic beasts; it needs powerful forces to protect it."

"Thirdly, I need time to appease the people of the city. If I suddenly announce my allegiance to the Lu family, the people may become uneasy. I need three months to prepare."

After listening, Lu Tianming remained silent for a moment.

"Lord Wang's conditions are rather harsh," he said slowly.

“This is my most basic requirement,” Wang Tianhai said. “If the Lu family cannot accept it, I’m afraid I will find it difficult to agree to submit.”

Lu Tianming looked at Wang Tianhai, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Lord Wang, are you trying to bargain with me?" His tone turned somewhat cold.

"I am merely expressing my own demands," Wang Tianhai said neither humbly nor arrogantly. "The Lu family is a prominent and influential family; they should understand my predicament."

Lu Tianming fell silent.

He originally thought Wang Tianhai would obediently give in, but he didn't expect the other party to dare to make demands.

This surprised him and annoyed him.

"Lord Wang, I'll give you one more chance," he said, a hint of threat in his voice. "Take back your demands and submit to the Lu family obediently. Otherwise, you'll face the consequences."

Wang Tianhai's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Elder Lu, my conditions are already quite reasonable,” he said. “If the Lu family doesn’t even have this much sincerity, then I will have to find another way.”

"Find another way?" Lu Tianming sneered. "Do you think there are any other ways to go?"

"Perhaps it exists, perhaps it doesn't," Wang Tianhai said, "but I can give it a try."

Lu Tianming's expression grew increasingly grim.

He stared at Wang Tianhai, a sinister light flashing in his eyes.

Just then, Zheng Yi spoke up.

"Elder Lu," he said calmly, "I advise you to calm down."

Lu Tianming turned his gaze to Zheng Yi, "Who do you think you are? Do you have the right to speak?"

“Of course I do,” Zheng Yi said. “I am Lord Wang’s friend; his affairs are my affairs.”

"Oh?" Lu Tianming narrowed his eyes. "Then what do you want?"

“What I want to say is,” Zheng Yi said calmly, “that Lord Wang’s conditions are not excessive. If the Lu family wants to control Qingyun City, they should show sufficient sincerity. Using threats will only backfire.”

Lu Tianming sneered, "Backfired? Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that?"

"Who I am is not important," Zheng Yi said. "What is important is that if the Lu family wants to forcibly control Qingyun City, it won't be so easy."

"Not so easy?" A sharp glint flashed in Lu Tianming's eyes. "Are you threatening me?"

“It’s not a threat,” Zheng Yi said, “just a reminder.”

He stood up, walked up to Lu Tianming, and looked down at him.

"Elder Lu, I've heard that among the nine great families, the Lu family isn't the only one interested in Qingyun City," he said calmly. "If the Lu family isn't willing to cooperate, perhaps other families would."

Lu Tianming's expression finally changed.

He never expected Zheng Yi to say such a thing.

Are Wang Tianhai already in contact with other powerful families?

"What do you mean by this?" he asked in a deep voice.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Zheng Yi said. “It’s just to let Elder Lu know that City Lord Wang is not without options.”

He turned around, walked back to his seat, sat down, picked up his teacup, and leisurely took a sip.

Lu Tianming stared at his retreating figure, his eyes filled with uncertain emotions.

The atmosphere in the hall became tense, and for a moment, no one spoke.

The hall was silent, with only the occasional chirping of birds coming from outside the window.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the carved window lattices, casting dappled shadows on the floor. A faint scent of sandalwood, the unique incense of the city lord's mansion, filled the air.

Lu Tianming sat in the chair, picked up the teacup, and took a small sip.

His movements were slow and elegant, as if the tense conversation that had just taken place had never happened.

“Mr. Dark Night,” he finally spoke, his voice unusually calm, “what you just said was very interesting.”

"Oh?" Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow. "What's interesting about it?"

"You said that the Lu family isn't the only one among the nine great families interested in Qingyun City." Lu Tianming put down his teacup, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Zheng Yi. "What do you mean by that? Is it that City Lord Wang is already in contact with other families, or are you just bluffing?"

"What does Elder Lu think?" Zheng Yi asked in return.

“I think,” Lu Tianming said slowly, “you’re bluffing me.”

"Yeah?"

"Qingyun City is just a small border town. Although its location is important, it's not so important that all nine major families are fighting over it," Lu Tianming analyzed. "Moreover, City Lord Wang has only just regained his position as city lord, and his power base is not yet stable. He has no leverage to negotiate with the other families. Your claim that the other families are interested is just a way to put pressure on me."

Zheng Yi smiled slightly after listening.

“Elder Lu’s analysis makes a lot of sense,” he said, “but you’re wrong about one thing.”

"Which point?"

“You say Qingyun City isn’t worth the nine great families fighting over,” Zheng Yi said, “but you’ve forgotten that the Lu family itself is vying for Qingyun City. If Qingyun City were truly unimportant, why would the Lu family send an elder to negotiate in person?”

Lu Tianming's expression changed slightly.

He had no way of answering that question.

If he says Qingyun City is unimportant, then his trip here would be pointless. If he says Qingyun City is important, then other powerful families might naturally be interested.

“Furthermore,” Zheng Yi continued, “Elder Lu should know that there has always been competition among the nine great families. The Lu family wants to control Qingyun City, and the other families may not stand idly by. Even if they haven't acted yet, it doesn't mean they won't in the future.”

Lu Tianming fell silent.

He had to admit that Zheng Yi was right.

The competition among the nine great families has never ceased. If the Lu family controls Qingyun City, it will essentially control the gateway to the Eastern Wilderness, posing a threat to the other families. They might intervene to stop it, or they might find alternative routes, but they certainly won't remain indifferent.

"Mr. Dark Night is indeed insightful," Lu Tianming nodded. "You're right, there is indeed competition among the nine great families. But you've forgotten one thing."

"What?" "Competition is competition, but there's also an unspoken understanding among the nine great families," Lu Tianming said. "Each family has its own sphere of influence and generally doesn't easily cross boundaries. Qingyun City is located in the eastern part of Tianyuan Domain, within the Lu family's sphere of influence. Even if other families wanted to interfere, they would have to consider whether it would trigger a conflict among the nine great families."

"So?" Zheng Yi asked.

“Therefore,” Lu Tianming stood up, walked to the window, his back to Zheng Yi and Wang Tianhai, “Lord Wang doesn’t actually have many choices. Submitting to the Lu family is the best option.”

He turned around and looked sharply at Wang Tianhai.

"Lord Wang, I'll ask you one more time. Are you willing to cooperate, or are you willing to fight?"

Wang Tianhai's expression was rather unpleasant.

Lu Tianming was right; his options were indeed limited. Other powerful families might be interested, but they might not necessarily intervene. Even if they did intervene, it might only be to restrain the Lu family, rather than to genuinely help him.

"Elder Lu," he began, "I do not wish to oppose the Lu family. I merely hope for a fair cooperation."

"Fairness?" Lu Tianming sneered. "What right do you, the lord of a small border town, have to talk about fairness with the Lu family?"

“Although I am merely a border city lord, Qingyun City is very important to the Lu family; otherwise, Elder Lu would not have come in person,” Wang Tianhai said. “Since Qingyun City is valuable to the Lu family, then my conditions are not excessive.”

"Your conditions?" Lu Tianming scoffed. "Retain autonomy? More resources and protection? Three months to prepare? Who do you think you are?"

"I am the city lord of Qingyun City," Wang Tianhai said, his voice neither humble nor arrogant. "I am responsible for the people of Qingyun City."

"The common people?" Lu Tianming shook his head. "Lord Wang, you're too naive. In this world, strength is everything. Without strength, you have no right to negotiate."

"So Elder Lu intends to use force?" Wang Tianhai asked.

Lu Tianming didn't speak, but just quietly looked at Wang Tianhai.

The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly tense.

The birdsong outside the window had ceased sometime earlier, and the entire city lord's mansion seemed to have fallen into a deathly silence. The sunlight was still bright, but it gave people a strange sense of oppression.

Just then, Zheng Yi spoke up.

"Elder Lu, I have a question for you."

Lu Tianming turned to him. "What's the problem?"

"If the Lu family uses force, how much will they have to pay?" Zheng Yi asked.

"What's the meaning?"

“What I mean is,” Zheng Yi stood up and walked to Lu Tianming, “if the Lu family wants to forcibly take control of Qingyun City, how many people would they need to send? How much time would it take? How many people would die?”

Lu Tianming frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"What I want to say is that using force is the most foolish method," Zheng Yi said. "Although Qingyun City is just a small border town, it won't be easy to take it. City Lord Wang is a master at the early stage of the Mahayana Realm, and there are several thousand city guards in the city. Even if the Lu family sends people to attack, they will have to pay a considerable price."

"Furthermore, what happens after we capture Qingyun City? The Lu family will need to send people to garrison it, requiring a significant investment of manpower and resources to maintain control. The people of Qingyun City won't be truly convinced; there will be various forms of resistance and unrest. The Lu family will need to continuously invest resources to suppress these uprisings, ultimately resulting in more harm than good."

"Conversely, if the Lu family and City Lord Wang reach a cooperation agreement, the situation will be completely different. City Lord Wang will help the Lu family manage Qingyun City, maintain order, and win over the people. The Lu family won't need to give too much to get what they want."

"So, cooperation is the best option. Isn't it?"

After listening, Lu Tianming remained silent for a long time.

He had to admit that Zheng Yi was right.

Using force is definitely the most foolish method. Even if the Lu family manages to conquer Qingyun City, the subsequent governance will be a huge problem. It would be better to cooperate with Wang Tianhai and let him manage Qingyun City; the Lu family only needs to profit from it.

The problem is that Wang Tianhai's conditions were too harsh. Retaining autonomy meant that the Lu family's control over Qingyun City would be greatly diminished. This was not the outcome the Lu family desired.

“Mr. Dark Night,” Lu Tianming began, “you have a point. Cooperation is indeed the best option. But cooperation requires sincerity from both sides. The conditions proposed by City Lord Wang are excessive.”

"Where is it excessive?" Zheng Yi asked.

"Retain autonomy?" Lu Tianming sneered. "If the affairs of Qingyun City are all decided by City Lord Wang, and the Lu family cannot interfere, then why should the Lu family support him? What's the difference between that and not cooperating at all?"

"Elder Lu has misunderstood," Zheng Yi said. "When City Lord Wang said he would retain autonomy, he meant that he would make the decisions regarding the daily affairs of Qingyun City. However, matters involving the Lu family's interests, such as the development of the Eastern Wilderness and resource allocation, will naturally be discussed with the Lu family by City Lord Wang."

"Is that so?" Lu Tianming looked at Wang Tianhai.

Wang Tianhai nodded. "Mr. Dark Night is right. That's exactly what I mean. I'll handle the daily affairs, and we'll discuss major decisions with the Lu family."

Lu Tianming pondered for a moment, "What about the three months of preparation time? Why does it need so long?"

“I have just regained my position as city lord, and the situation in the city is still unstable,” Wang Tianhai said. “If I were to announce my submission to the Lu family now, it might cause discontent and opposition from some people. I need time to appease them and make preparations.”

“Three months is too long,” Lu Tianming said. “One month.”

"Two months," Wang Tianhai bargained.

“A month and a half,” Lu Tianming said. “That’s the longest I can accept.”

Wang Tianhai glanced at Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi nodded slightly.

Although a month and a half is half the length of three months, it's still better than no time at all. In this month and a half, Wang Tianhai can do many things: strengthen defenses, recruit experts, and contact other forces.

“Okay, one and a half months then,” Wang Tianhai nodded.

"What about retaining autonomy?" Lu Tianming asked.

“Do as we just discussed,” Wang Tianhai said. “I will handle the daily affairs, and we will consult with the Lu family on major decisions.”

Lu Tianming thought for a moment, "Okay. But I have one condition."

"What conditions?"

“The Lu family will send someone to stay in Qingyun City as a liaison,” Lu Tianming said. “This person will represent the Lu family and oversee affairs in Qingyun City. Any major decisions will be reported to the Lu family immediately.”

Wang Tianhai frowned.

Sending someone to stay in Qingyun City to supervise is no different from planting a spy in the city lord's mansion. Everything he does will be known to the Lu family; what autonomy will that entail?

“Elder Lu, this condition is too harsh,” he said.

“This is the Lu family’s bottom line,” Lu Tianming said. “If City Lord Wang cannot accept it, then there’s nothing more we can discuss.”

Silence fell over the hall once again.

A gentle breeze blew in from the window, carrying a faint floral fragrance, but it couldn't dispel the somber atmosphere in the hall.

Zheng Yi looked at Lu Tianming, pondering to himself.

The Lu family's condition of sending people to stay in Qingyun City to supervise is indeed difficult to accept. However, if he refuses outright, the negotiations will break down. The Lu family might take even tougher measures, putting Wang Tianhai in a very passive position. (End of Chapter)