They've already breached the palace, yet all they ask of me is an edict of self-reproach.

On the other side, the Western Xia Imperial Palace.

Inside the Golden Palace.

Emperor Li Yuanzheng of Western Xia sat high on the dragon throne, with civil and military officials lined up on both sides.

In the center of the main hall stood a middle-aged man dressed in the official robes of the Dali Kingdom.

The arrival of this person made the atmosphere in the Golden Palace somewhat heavy.

This person was none other than Yang Wolong, Han Pingchuan's top strategist.

After Yang Wolong and Han Pingchuan finalized their agreement to stabilize the court by facilitating a marriage alliance between the imperial court and Western Xia, they immediately set off for Western Xia, fearing that delay might lead to unforeseen changes.

"I am already aware of the envoy's purpose. In fact, I have long desired to form a marriage alliance with His Majesty of Dali and establish a lasting friendship. I wonder, Lord Yang, which princess of the Western Xia royal family do you wish to marry?"

Emperor Li Yuanzheng of Western Xia got straight to the point.

The Western Xia's national strength is no longer what it once was. Back then, it assisted the Western Chu in resisting the Dali. After the Western Chu was destroyed, if the Dali emperor hadn't suddenly passed away, the Western Xia might have followed in the footsteps of the Western Chu and perished.

Although the Western Xia had not been at war in recent years, its development had been restricted, and it had been in a state of near-death.

Although Dali is currently facing internal and external troubles, it still has no problem dealing with Western Xia.

Li Yuanzheng was well aware of this, which is why he chose an unprecedented marriage alliance.

Seeing that Li Yuanzheng was so straightforward, Yang Wolong didn't waste any time and smiled, replying, "Princess Zhaoning and Princess Huaishuo."

"What!?"

Yang Wolong's words shocked all the civil and military officials in the Golden Palace.

Li Yuanzheng, sitting on the dragon throne, couldn't help but frown.

This Dali envoy is incredibly arrogant. Although the Western Xia is not as powerful as Dali, it is still a country.

The other party actually dared to ask for the marriage of two of their eldest princesses from Western Xia at once.

Moreover, the two princesses are aunt and niece.

Princess Zhaoning was Li Yuanzheng's younger sister and the late emperor's eldest legitimate princess, while Princess Huaishuo was Li Yuanzheng's daughter and the current eldest legitimate princess.

"This is outrageous! Throughout history, when has there ever been a precedent of sending two eldest princesses to marry into a foreign land at the same time!"

A highly respected senior official immediately jumped out and reprimanded Yang Wolong, his attitude extremely dissatisfied.

The other ministers began to whisper among themselves.

Yang Wolong's words clearly angered the public.

"Has the foreign envoy misunderstood His Majesty the Great Li's intentions? To ask me to send two of my eldest princesses for a marriage alliance is simply too much!"

Li Yuanzheng said coldly.

Yang Wolong's demands made Li Yuanzheng feel extremely humiliated, but he was powerless to do anything about it and could only suppress his anger.

Yang Wolong was not surprised by the others' attitude.

Yang Wolong smiled and said calmly, "Your Majesty and the ministers have misunderstood. Your Majesty should know that I have not come here on imperial orders to ask for the princess's hand in marriage, but to help Your Majesty marry off the princess."

At this point, Yang Wolong cupped his hands towards the sky and said, "His Majesty of Dali is the ruler of the Central Plains, and everyone knows that His Majesty of Dali is concerned about the country and its people and does not like women. If Xixia wants to make peace through marriage, I cannot guarantee that His Majesty of Dali will not be furious if we do not show some sincerity."

After speaking, Yang Wolong paused, then gave a disdainful smile to the Western Xia civil and military officials in the Golden Palace:

"I believe that all of you princes and ministers are intelligent men. The fact that I am here shows that there is still room for maneuver between Western Xia and Dali. Of course, Your Majesty and you gentlemen can refuse, but then it will probably not be a marriage alliance. I'm sure you all know about the fact that the Queen of Jingjue was sent to the capital of Dali. That's all I have to say. I will not interfere with Your Majesty's decision."

After Yang Wolong finished speaking, the Golden Palace fell into an instant silence.

The officials who had been making a ruckus just moments before fell silent, and Li Yuanzheng, sitting on the dragon throne, looked extremely grim.

They naturally knew that the Kingdom of Jingjue had been destroyed and that its queen had been sent to the capital of Dali.

Although Yang Wolong didn't say it explicitly, that's the gist of it.

If Western Xia does not agree to send its two eldest princesses to marry foreign rulers, then Jingjue Kingdom will suffer the same fate.

After a moment of silence in the Golden Palace, Li Yuanzheng stood up and looked down at Yang Wolong expressionlessly:

"Is this a threat to me?"

"This is not a threat from your subject, but rather a clear path for Your Majesty."

"A clear path? What if I don't agree?"

Li Yuanzheng said coldly.

Emperors have the dignity of emperors. Li Yuanzheng is, after all, an emperor. How could he suffer such a humiliation?

Yang Wolong smiled and said, "Then Your Majesty may kill the foreign official as a sacrifice to the flag."

"you……!!!"

Li Yuanzheng was immediately speechless.

He never expected the other party to suddenly say such a thing, which put him in an awkward position.

Li Yuanzheng was furious, but he was not a fool. If he went to war with Dali, then Western Xia would inevitably be destroyed.

Li Yuanzheng did not want to become a ruler who brought about the downfall of his country.

"Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Li Yuanzheng said angrily.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Yang Wolong quickly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"When the emperor is angry, millions will die. Your Majesty is certainly capable of killing foreign officials, but they are just insignificant people and their deaths are not worth regretting. If the lives of foreign officials lead to war between the two countries, Your Majesty will suffer a great loss."

Sending two eldest princesses to marry foreign rulers is indeed a difficult task. How about this: we each compromise. Your Majesty will send the two eldest princesses to marry foreign rulers, and we will give Your Majesty half of the territory of Jingjue Kingdom. What do you say?

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the anger on Li Yuanzheng's face vanished instantly.

Sending the two eldest princesses to marry into a foreign land would not have been a loss for him. The reason he was unwilling to agree earlier was ultimately because he had no interest in it.

If Dali is truly willing to give half of Jingjue Kingdom's territory to Western Xia, then sending its two eldest princesses for marriage alliances is not out of the question.

The other ministers were also moved by Yang Wolong's words.

Given half of Jingjue Kingdom's territory and two pampered eldest princesses, even a fool would know which to choose.

"Is what the foreign envoy said true?" Li Yuanzheng asked.

"I dare not deceive Your Majesty."

Yang Wolong cupped his hands in greeting.

Li Yuanzheng glanced at the civil and military officials, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "The foreign envoy has just arrived in Xingqing Prefecture and must be very tired. The foreign envoy should go and rest first. Tonight, I will hold a grand banquet to welcome the foreign envoy and wash away the dust of his journey. As for this matter, we will discuss it again tomorrow."

Although Li Yuanzheng was extremely tempted, as the emperor, he naturally could not agree immediately, otherwise how could he maintain his authority in the court in the future?

After all, one is her own younger sister, and the other is her own daughter.

"It is entirely up to Your Majesty's arrangement."

Yang Wolong bowed respectfully, everything was under his control.

The main reason Yang Wolong proposed ceding half of Jingjue Kingdom's territory was that their current military force was unable to control such a large area.

Although the Divine Warriors are incredibly brave, they cannot be dispersed too far apart, otherwise they will not be able to form an effective fighting force.

Another objective was that Yang Wolong wanted to use the troops of Western Xia to intimidate Chen Sangui, the King of Western Liang.

Yang Wolong established his main base in the Loulan Kingdom, while the half of the Jingjue Kingdom's territory that was given to the Western Xia was located in front of Loulan.

If Chen Sangui wanted to send troops to punish them, he would first have to deal with the Western Xia.

Subsequently, Yang Wolong left the Golden Palace under the escort of several eunuchs.

After leaving the main hall, Yang Wolong suddenly stopped, looked back, and muttered to himself:

"This game is finally about to begin...!"