These fairies want me to deal with them every day.

"Are you referring to what this chief priest said about being mindful of the impact and that it would be best to establish friendly relations between the two countries?"

Ye Bingluan nodded.

“Although I can’t find Chechi Kingdom on the map, it comes from a very southern direction. Our Great Shang is not the closest country to them, and it is said that they have a large population and abundant resources. If they were to become enemies with us and join forces with neighboring countries, they would definitely pose a great threat to us. So although I cannot marry into their family, I cannot refuse too bluntly either…”

"Then try to appease them and politely decline."

"It's not that easy. These southern barbarians are incredibly stubborn. They don't understand profound truths; they only have one thought: either I go back to that Chechi Kingdom with them, or I wait for their army to attack..."

"Is that so?"

Considering the name Chechi Kingdom, Wei Tu didn't find it particularly strange. It was indeed something no human could do, but these things... were something that could be done.

Just as Wei Tu was about to say something.

"His Majesty!"

Suddenly someone outside shouted.

Wei Tu recognized the voice; it was the palace maid who had left earlier who had returned.

This time, the voice seemed somewhat urgent.

Ye Bingluan responded directly, "Come in."

"Yes!"

The palace maid pushed open the door and entered, then was startled.

"Wei, Master Wei!"

She really didn't expect that when she went out, Ye Bingluan was still the only one there.

How come there's suddenly a man here!

When did he come?

Could it be that it was hidden inside from the very beginning?!

No wonder Ye Bingluan told him to get lost...

It seems everything can be explained now.

Ye Bingluan immediately understood what the other person was thinking when she saw that look in their eyes.

"The Wei State Preceptor just arrived. What brings you in such a hurry?"

The palace maid snapped out of her daze and immediately replied, "It's like this... Your Majesty, those southern barbarians... have left the villa."

Where did they go?

Ye Bingluan frowned and asked.

"They've now gathered in the market center of Chaoge City and set up an arena..."

"A fighting ring?"

"Yes! They said... that no man from the Shang Kingdom is worthy of Your Majesty, and that the only one worthy of Your Majesty is the ruler of their Chechi Kingdom. They will set up a three-day arena there, and if no one can defeat their warrior, they will marry Your Majesty..."

"This is ridiculous! Since when did it become the business of these few southern barbarians to decide my affairs? Have they gone mad?!"

Faced with Ye Bingluan's fury, the palace maid spoke meekly.

"Now... the problem now seems to be not that... but rather, many dissatisfied people have already stepped forward to challenge them..."

"The results of it?"

"In just one hour... they've all lost, and very few can even last three moves. Things seem to be going wrong now..."

"Is something wrong? Do I have to go and make them remove the platform?"

Ye Bingluan was clearly furious, probably because she hadn't expected these barbarians to have their own savage ways of causing trouble.

At this moment, Wei Tu, who had been silent all along, suddenly interrupted.

"The problem now isn't those things anymore, but the reputation of the Great Shang Dynasty. They'll naturally withdraw after three days, and they won't be able to forcibly take you away in this way. But it will damage the reputation of the mighty Shang Dynasty. A great nation like ours will certainly lose face if it can't deal with the Southern Barbarians..."

"Then I'll personally go and make them get lost!"

Ye Bingluan was about to step forward when Wei Tu naturally stopped the impulsive woman.

"You shouldn't go yet. As the ruler of a country, if you go, you'll likely play right into their hands. They can use you to make a big fuss, and you'll be in deep trouble.

"What can we do then?"

Ye Bingluan stared intently at Wei Tu.

Wei Tu sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I gonna go see."

42. I'll send you to your grave!

"Then this matter can only be left to Lord Wei, right?"

"I am truly gratified that the State Preceptor of Wei is willing to share the burdens of the Great Shang."

"...You two made a plan, right?"

Wei Tu looked at the two of them with annoyance, sensing a cliché.

It's so obvious.

Their previous reactions seemed feigned, but now they appeared incredibly relaxed.

Ye Bingluan, who had just been furious, now seemed to have calmed down instantly, as if nothing had happened.

Wei Tu suspected he was being framed, but had no proof.

The palace maid smiled and said, "What agreement? I just feel that anything can be accomplished with Lord Wei's involvement!"

Ye Bingluan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, that's what I think too."

You think that's bullshit!

Wei Tu let go of his hand. "Alright, alright, stop flattering me. I'll go now, okay?"

"Oh, right, this is for you."

Suddenly, Ye Bingluan took out a jade tablet from the table.

The character "叶" (leaf) is clearly engraved on it.

"What is this?"

It seemed as if the warmth still lingered.

"This is our Ye family's jade token, a symbol of status. If you take it now, any official will believe in your identity and won't make things difficult for you if anything happens."

Wei Tu thought for a moment, "Actually, you didn't prepare any token of the Imperial Preceptor at all, did you? That's why you used this thing to fool me."

Ye Bingluan's cheeks flushed, a rare occurrence for her.

"Well... the Imperial Preceptor has his token... but the new one you're given to is something no one else has ever seen, so it's not very useful, you know?"

"Alright, I'll take this. By the way, what if I lose it?"

Wei Tu turned around and glanced at Ye Bingluan.

The woman in the dragon robe raised her head and looked at the young man with a cold arrogance.

"Then use yourself as collateral."

"..."

Wei Tu left the room without saying a word. The remaining palace maids waited until Wei Tu's figure had completely disappeared before turning back to look at Ye Bingluan.

"Your Majesty! You are truly brave!"

"It's alright... no, it's not alright either."

-

After leaving the palace, Wei Tu, carrying the jade token, arrived at the market area.

Chaoge's market was already a place where people gathered, and now it was even more crowded, with people seemingly everywhere inside and out. Many people were also hurrying towards the center of the market.

"Hurry! There are no good seats left!"

"What kind of excitement is this?"

"Southern barbarians! Southern barbarians fighting in the arena, how interesting!"

As expected, most people are still just watching the spectacle.

These things are just interesting concepts, but... in a few days, things might not look like this anymore.

Wei Tu weaved through the crowded throng and spotted the arena in the distance, right in the center of the market.

At this very moment, right on the arena, stood several burly figures.

She was dressed in clothes that made her look like a nouveau riche, with a jeweled necklace around her neck and her fingers adorned with colorful gems.

The hair was braided into bizarre shapes, resembling the gruff, monstrous figures depicted in paintings from those years.

At this moment, a dark-skinned, but stout man, whose height was exaggeratedly about two meters, was arrogantly shouting down below.

"Is this all the men of your Great Shang Dynasty are capable of?! I haven't even warmed up yet! Are you out of men? If you're out of men, just hand over your emperor! Hahahaha... A bunch of bookish cowards! What good is studying? You can't even protect your own emperor! Hahahaha..."

Clearly, while the other party's rhetoric was poor, it was vulgar and crude enough to effectively provoke the crowd.

Many people below were already filled with righteous indignation.

"This scoundrel is so shameless! Does he really think that we, the Great Shang Dynasty, have no good men left?!"

"Kill him! Kill him outright!"

"Go on!"

But pointless roaring, without real strength, seems to have even lost the courage to step onto the stage.

On the wide arena, there was a flag with the words "Chechi" prominently displayed.

How ironic it would be to raise the flag of Chechi in the capital of the Shang Kingdom.