I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

"May I ask, General, what is the meaning behind the Crown Prince's actions?"

"The finest tea, Junyong, was given to His Majesty, yet he refuses to surrender?"

Wang Hu, with a sword at his waist, glanced at Zhuge Yu, who had asked the question, and said with disdain, "What right do you, a piece of trash who couldn't even pass the imperial examination in the Great Zhou Dynasty, have to ask this general's question?"

"This is only because of the Empress; otherwise, I would have already chopped you down, you traitor and sellout!"

"you……!"

Zhuge Yu was furious when his sore spot was hit!

He quickly fanned himself with the feather fan in his hand, trying to calm down.

His most painful secret, which he was most reluctant to let people mention, was that he had no official rank and could not even pass the minor imperial examination in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Otherwise, why would he have come to serve in Northern Mang?

If you could really do well in your hometown, why would you want to come out here?

……

Long afterward, the aroma of the tea still lingered on her teeth, and even the Empress couldn't help but show a look of intoxication on her face.

"This tea tastes best when brewed by you people from the Central Plains!"

"What I cooked was somewhat lacking in both cooking time and flavor."

The Empress swore that this bowl of tea was absolutely the best she had ever tasted in all these years, without exception.

If she could, she would like to keep Qin Li by her side, do nothing but brew tea for her.

But she knew that was impossible.

"Your Majesty is too modest."

Qin Li cupped his hands in greeting, then extended an arm, looking at the Empress and saying, "I only know the insignificant skill of brewing tea. Unlike Your Majesty, a woman who ascended the throne and achieved such a great feat!"

"Your Majesty lost your father at a young age and was bullied by powerful ministers, yet you were able to lead your two younger brothers to survive through hardship and perseverance."

"Not only did he survive, but he also defeated the powerful ministers and reclaimed the throne. I can't even imagine the hardships he endured!"

"That's not all. After His Majesty ascended the throne, he overcame all opposition and carried out sweeping reforms, which led to the powerful Northern Mang we have today!"

"Now, the people of Northern Mang live in peace and prosperity, and the government is efficient and efficient. Your Majesty is truly a wise and sage ruler!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yu, who was standing outside the pavilion, couldn't help but sneer, thinking to himself that someone was about to be in trouble.

The Empress detested flattery. Not long ago, when King Li of Qin led his troops to Qingling Pass, two generals from the Northern Barbarian tribes flattered the Empress and were immediately beheaded by her orders.

Although Qin Li is the eldest prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Empress has too many concerns right now and cannot kill Qin Li, but she certainly will not let Qin Li off easily.

Zhuge Yu couldn't wait to see Qin Li make a fool of himself.

But after waiting for a long time, the Empress's angry voice still did not come. Zhuge Yu hurriedly looked over and was almost shocked.

The Northern Mang Empress was holding a teacup in one hand and gently covering her lips with the other, laughing incessantly until her eyes turned into crescent moons.

"Ah, this...?"

Zhuge Yu's lips twitched. He had followed the Northern Mang Empress for so long, and he had never seen her smile so happily.

Why does the Empress treat people differently when they are both trying to flatter her?

When dealing with their own people, the Northern Barbarian generals, they showed no mercy and were swiftly killed.

She always smiled broadly when dealing with Qin Li, an outsider.

Little did Zhuge Yu know that Qin Li was simply playing to his preferences.

Qin Li had just praised her appearance, but the Empress was unmoved.

Qin Li knew that the Empress disliked empty formalities.

So Qin Li changed his approach, praising the Empress's achievements to satisfy her inner pride.

After all, it's often hard for someone to refuse praise for what they're most proud of.

"No, no, there isn't."

The Empress waved her hand and said with a smile, "The Crown Prince is not only good at such trivial skills as brewing tea. In Northern Mang, the person mentioned most often is not your emperor, but the Crown Prince. Everyone says that you are the biggest obstacle on the road to unifying the world in Northern Mang."

The two exchanged a few more compliments, and the atmosphere immediately became more relaxed.

Zhuge Yu, standing outside the pavilion, watched this scene with growing anxiety. It was all Qin Li's trap, a trap!

He wanted to get closer to the Empress and gain the upper hand in the upcoming negotiations.

Sure enough, after praising the Empress, Qin Li revealed his true colors and said:

"To surrender? This prince will never surrender, not in this lifetime."

"Unless Your Majesty is willing to conquer the world and then relinquish the throne to me!"

"But you and I both know that's something that could never happen."

"So, let's talk about another possibility."

The Empress was no pushover; she wouldn't be intimidated by Qin Li's few flattering words and back down even a step.

She said, "There is no other possibility: surrender or die!"

Qin Li laughed. "Don't be so absolute, Your Majesty. Why don't you let me finish what I have to say?"

"Now that I have His Majesty's two younger brothers in my hands, they are my bargaining chips in negotiations with His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty's bargaining chip is the hundreds of thousands of Northern Mang troops, whose morale is high. If they continue to march south, they will surely be able to destroy my Great Zhou."

"It's good that the Crown Prince knows."

The empress snorted coldly.

The Northern Mang army has that capability!

This is the source of her confidence in speaking so forcefully!

"But in the end, the winner will depend on who's willing to go all out!"

"I'm willing to risk everything. I'd rather kill His Majesty's two brothers and destroy the vast empire of my Great Zhou than surrender! At worst, I'll be a hero again in eighteen years."

"But can Your Majesty truly risk everything? Can Your Majesty disregard the lives of your two younger brothers? Is Your Majesty willing to exchange the lives of your two younger brothers for the vast empire of the Great Zhou?"

"If Your Majesty wishes, you may proceed immediately!"

"Are you threatening me!?"

The Empress narrowed her eyes.

"I guess so!"

Qin Li replied.

The Empress's eyes narrowed even deeper. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you, kill your father, kill all your brothers and sisters? I'll wipe out your entire Qin family, making them extinct and extinct from this world!"

"I don't even care about my own life, why would I care about them? My relationship with His Majesty is different; we're like siblings. I want to kill them even more than His Majesty does."

"I don't believe it! I don't believe there could be such a cold-blooded person in the world!"

"Believe it or not, His Majesty cares about your two younger brothers, while all I care about is the throne and the throne. For the sake of the throne and the throne, I can sacrifice everything, including all my family!"

"You're lying to me!" The Empress slammed her hand on the table and roared.

"What good would it do me to deceive His Majesty?" Qin Li slammed his fist on the table, his imposing manner showing no sign of backing down.

The two remained deadlocked, neither willing to give in.

They stared at each other, neither willing to blink first.

If you blink first, you lose!

"If you do not surrender, the Iron Pagoda will immediately march out of Qingling Pass. Don't think that you can stop us by hiding in the mountains."

"If the Iron Pagoda is to break through the pass, His Majesty's two younger brothers will be beheaded instantly!"

"If you dare kill my two brothers, the Iron Pagoda will march south all the way to the capital of Great Zhou and destroy your state and ancestral temples!"

"If you destroy my state and ancestral temples, the heads of His Majesty's two younger brothers shall be fed to the dogs immediately!"

"If you dare feed your dogs with their heads, I will slaughter your entire Qin family, tearing you apart by five horses and subjecting you to the death of a thousand cuts!"

"Then the headless corpses of His Majesty's two younger brothers shall be left exposed for ten days, whipped for ten days, and then chopped into mincemeat, never to be reincarnated!"

"Qin Li, how cruel you are!"

The Empress pointed at Qin Li, her expression ferocious.

Qin Li cupped his hands in greeting, "Your Majesty is no less impressive..."