Ever since he'd received that secret letter from Yuwen Tong, Mu Hengtian had all along been waiting to see who would come to negotiate with him about the terms of an alliance on Yuwen Tong's behalf, but whatever he'd expected, it wasn't that the negotiator would be Ling Zhang.

Xue Yi was still in the capital city, and all the other forces that knew some inside information about it were secretly keeping a close watch on how the situation developed. Mu Hengtian, who had some misgivings, was aware that he couldn't afford to let anybody find out about his meeting with a negotiator from the Great Wen, so he arranged for the negotiation to be conducted in a secret location. However, he had originally thought that the negotiator would be one of the two prime ministers of the Great Wen. When he saw the negotiator, he found that the person was neither of them, because neither that wily old fox surnamed Ji nor Chu Liangyan could be so young, dashing, imposing and dignified.

"It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I'm Ling Zhang." Ling Zhang greeted him first.

Mu Hengtian's countenance changed several times. Ling Zhang's name had spread throughout all the three countries. He was Yuwen Tong's male empress. For his sake, Yuwen Tong had adopted a couple of children instead of taking concubines. Rumor had it that Ling Zhang tended to keep a low profile, but as the monarch of the Luohai Kingdom, Mu Hengtian knew that Yuwen Tong and his consort had been working in coordination, the former ruling the country overtly, the latter supporting the former behind the scenes, that Ling Zhang was in charge of more than half of the intelligence sources of the Great Wen, but how Ling Zhang had been collecting intelligence was a mystery to everybody. This young man appeared to have no particular talent, but he was by no means what he seemed.

"It turns out the negotiator is none other than the empress of the Great Wen. Yuwen Tong should've told me in his letter. I'm sorry not to have given you a proper welcome," smiled Mu Hengtian after coming to himself.

"You don't have to apologize for that. This is supposed to be a secret talk, so the fewer who know about it, the better. It was a relief to see that you didn't go to the trouble of going outside to welcome me." Ling Zhang also gave a smile, a glitter in his eyes, the sight of which filled Mu Hengtian with deep veneration, making him feel that there was something sacrosanct and inviolable about Ling Zhang, that Ling Zhang was not to be trifled with. When he pulled himself back to his senses, he found those thoughts of his somewhat horrifying, and with that his smile faded noticeably from his face, and he appeared much more serious.

Ling Zhang had specially performed a two-day closed-door cultivation to improve his control over his internal energy so that Mu Hengtian wouldn't be deterred from looking at him or become vigilant and refuse to accept the terms. Now Ling Zhang was capable of mobilizing his internal energy in an accurate manner and adjusting at will the intensity of the sense of power he radiated. Noticing that Mu Hengtian had become serious, that the searching and condescending look in his eyes had disappeared, Ling Zhang was very pleased. Having Mu Hengtian see him as his equal was a precondition for fruitful negotiations.

...

"The hatred between the Wan Kingdom and the Great Wen has been there for generations. There's no way the two countries could coexist peacefully with each other. If the Wan Kingdom wages another war, we wouldn't shrink from fighting back. We've already got used to fighting wars against the Wan Kingdom. This is between the Great Wen and the Wan Kingdom, and there's no necessity for the Luohai Kingdom to get involved in this troublesome situation, is there? If truth be told, the Luohai Kingdom could totally just stand by and sit this war out and reap the benefits when it's over. No matter whether the winner is the Great Wen or the Wan Kingdom, the outcome would always be beneficial to the Luohai Kingdom, which is a fact I believe you are fully aware of," said Ling Zhang in an unhurried tone of voice.

Mu Hengtian smiled, "Currently the Great Wen has a large army of well-equipped and well-trained troops with high morale. My country indeed could choose to stay out of this knotty situation, but as the saying goes, 'When the lips are lost, the teeth will be exposed to the cold.'"

Ling Zhang also gave a smile. "Thank you for your compliment. I'm sure you wouldn't believe me if I tell you the Great Wen has no intention to conquer the world, but that's indeed the truth. The Great Wen and the Wan Kingdom have been fighting each other and weakening each other for generations. We had a hard job earning ourselves a five-year period of peace, but we have just recovered from war injuries when the Luohai Kingdom begins to regard the Great Wen as an imaginary enemy – I really feel flattered. In terms of military strength, the Luohai Kingdom is without equal. In recent years the Wan Kingdom and the Great Wen have been fighting non-stop, but the Luohai Kingdom has barely suffered any casualties and has been at full strength all along. Actually it's not the Great Wen but the Luohai Kingdom that the Wan Kingdom should be afraid of and keep a weather eye on. I don't know what Shan Congli is thinking – he might well be soft in the head, I think. Though we've always been on bad terms with Shan Congli, I believe it wouldn't be too difficult to remind him of this and make him see reason, would it?"

Mu Hengtian looked at him and the expression in his eyes gradually grew menacing. "Are you threatening me, Your Highness?"

Ling Zhang let out a sigh and replied, "How could you see this as a threat? I'm just trying to protect my country. Shan Congli let his desire for vengeance cloud his judgement, which is why he's unable to see sense. He thinks that his cavalry is strong, but he doesn't know that the cavalry of the Luohai Kingdom is just as strong. The Luohai Kingdom is a warlike nation. Even the average combat power of Luohai civilians overshadows that of the other two countries, let alone the Luohai Kingdom's armies. If Shan Congli had caught on to the current situation, he would have been terrified and sought alliance with the Great Wen, instead of foolishly sending an envoy to the Luohai Kingdom. He's giving you so many favorable terms that I'm green with envy."

Mu Hengtian chuckled and then said in a deep, sulky voice, "You're indeed a worthy empress. You play both Mr. Nice and Mr. Nasty so well, but when making these remarks, you seemed to forget that five years ago, when the Great Wen was mired in warfare and civil strife, your army still inflicted a crushing defeat on mine. Given that the Great Wen growing stronger by the day during the last five years, I don't see anybody in my country is Yuwen Tong's match now."

Ling Zhang also gave a chuckle. "You don't have to put it that way, Your Majesty. You better than anybody should know how the Great Wen won that battle five years ago, shouldn't you? Had we not flukily planted a couple of spies in that city and adopted some underhand methods, there was no telling which side might have won the fight. Besides, five years ago, that army of yours was sent there mainly to put out feelers. The Luohai Kingdom didn't show where its true ability lay at all. The main force of the Luohai Kingdom is stationed in the north and the west. We haven't seen it yet."

The look in Mu Hengtian's eyes slightly darkened. Ling Zhang knew about the Luohai Kingdom's military strength so well. "All's fair in war. It's up to the commander what strategy to adopt. Your army won, and that is a fact. I'm not a sore loser."

Ling Zhang said, "No offence, but Your Majesty is being unduly modest, which makes the Great Wen look cocky. Also, Shan Congli has been spreading rumors, and now everybody believes that the Great Wen's army is invincible, but I think you know the truth better than anybody, don't you? About this upcoming war between the Wan Kingdom and the Great Wen, I hope Your Majesty will think twice before making a decision. If you really find it difficult to ignore your alliance with the Wan Kingdom, you could just send an army there to put on an act, but if you really send your men to join the fight, the Great Wen wouldn't stand a chance of winning. Your Majesty have no ambition to unify the three countries, do you?"

Ling Zhang stared at Mu Hengtian with burning eyes which were so piercing as though he were able to read Mu Hengtian's mind.

Mu Hengtian gave a shudder. Ling Zhang's eyes were so penetrating as if they could see into his soul. This struck Mu Hengtian as quite terrifying. Mu Hengtian would be lying if he said that he didn't have the ambition to unify the three countries, but he was also fully aware that it was next to impossible for him to achieve that goal. He would count himself lucky if he managed to live to see another spring. People would think he was joking if he told them he wanted to unify the three countries. Were he still young, he wouldn't care a damn about Ling Zhang's speculations. However, his wish didn't take precedence over the law of nature. He didn't have that much time.

Ling Zhang meant these words as a threat. If Mu Hengtian did have the ambition to unify the three countries, the Wan Kingdom wouldn't make an alliance with the Luohai Kingdom to fight the Great Wen; on the contrary, the Wan Kingdom and the Great Wen, two long-standing foes, would align against the Luohai Kingdom. After all, some of Ling Zhang's words struck Mu Hengtian as reasonable – Shan Congli was no fool. In recent years the Luohai Kingdom had barely suffered any casualties. Compared with the Wan Kingdom and the Great Wen, the Luohai Kingdom had the largest army, and its most elite forces were under the command of Nian Feng.

However, though knowing that Ling Zhang was threatening him, Mu Hengtian was aware that he had no choice but to make concessions, because the infighting in his court had been intensifying. Dugu Shan, Nian Feng and his son, Mu Rongfeng, were contending for power in a full-blown fight, and the Luohai Kingdom could be disintegrated from within at any moment. In the about one year's time he had left, while he was still in a fit state to deal with state affairs, he must figure out a way for this thorny issue to be settled. If he got the Luohai Kingdom involved in a melee of three countries at this point in time, or, in a worse scenario, if the Wan Kingdom and the Great Wen aligned against the Luohai Kingdom, it would be a catastrophe for the Luohai Kingdom.

Both Shan Congli and Yuwen Tong were formidable enemies, and the Luohai Kingdom didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of winning if the two of them joined hands. Compared with letting the Luohai Kingdom become their target, having the two of them fight each other would be a far better choice. Judging from the previous wars between the two, it would take several years for one of them to emerge as a winner. And the duration of the fighting would be the Luohai Kingdom's chance. If the Luohai Kingdom managed to put an end to the infighting during that period, it would be able to send its armies southwards to attack the Great Wen or westwards to attack the Wan Kingdom – either way, given the combat power of Luohai armies, they would definitely be able to take a lot of cities, and the Luohai Kingdom might even stand a chance of annexing the other two countries.

A lot of thoughts flashed across Mu Hengtian's mind in an instant, but he maintained a poker face for fear of Ling Zhang divining what he was thinking. "You flatter me, Your Highness. I'm an old man now. Lofty aspirations of that kind have been absent from my mind for many years."

"Who would dare ignore you, Your Majesty? Although you're older than us, you have far more insight than we do. Also, you have a strong army. Youngsters like me are really scared of you," said Ling Zhang, withdrawing his piercing eyes as he noticed that Mu Hengtian's face softened as though he had been swayed.

Mu Hengtian chuckled, "The world is all about the young now."

Ling Zhang smiled but made no reply, waiting for Mu Hengtian to make a decision.

Seeing this, Mu Hengtian inwardly let out a sigh, coming to realize that this time around he had to give a reply, otherwise the Luohai Kingdom would face consequences that he would by no means want to see his country faced with.

"Shan Congli forked out for an alliance with me. If I turn him down, it'd be a great loss for my country," said Mu Hengtian. Though eventually he had no alternative but to grant Ling Zhang's request, he didn't want to give his consent so easily. He still intended to get the benefits he believed he deserved to get.

On hearing these words, Ling Zhang came to understand what Mu Hengtian meant. He replied, "If it's going to be a mere act, you might as well just take what Shan Congli is offering you. We're only too anxious to see Shan Congli's wallet suffer, but Your Majesty, you must make sure it's going to be no more than an act. Otherwise our partnership would be jeopardized."

Mu Hengtian smiled, "Is this what Yuwen Tong wants?"

Ling Zhang responded, "Since I'm sitting here, naturally I'm saying what he wants me to say."

Chuckling, Mu Hengtian shook his head. "Well, I have to say it's a little dishonorable of him to do this. I mean, he's asking me to go back on my word."

Ling Zhang said, "You'll be able to gloss over it by going through the motions. I'm sure you could make an excuse convincing enough to hoodwink him if you put your mind to it. Shan Congli will be infuriated, but there wouldn't be anything he could do about it, would there?"

Mu Hengtian's eyes narrowed slightly. This Ling Zhang guy was such a smart person. A man like him...And then there was also Yuwen Tong. If it weren't for his poor physical condition, he would really want to pit himself against Yuwen Tong on the battlefield. It was such a pity.

"Making an excuse would inevitably take some doing. Since this is your suggestion, I think it's only fair that you should pitch in a little bit."

Ling Zhang briefly lifted his brows. "No problem. The Great Wen won't sit back and let Your Majesty do all the work."

By asking for reward, Mu Hengtian had made his attitude very clear, and offering him some reward was not beyond the capabilities of the Great Wen.

Since the cooperation had started, terms and details were just a trivial matter.

Mu Hengtian's every move was under close watch, so getting out of his palace without anybody noticing was no easy job for him. Also, it was inconvenient for Ling Zhang to stay in the capital city of the Luohai Kingdom for long, what with his special identity. Both of them wanted to finish the negotiations as quick as possible. Therefore, after the distribution of the major part of the profits was decided, they agreed on the details in a brisk and neat fashion without much bargaining. Two hours later, the negotiations were over and they signed an agreement. Mu Hengtian's treatment of Ling Zhang was quite a contrast to that of Xue Yi.

"It's not every day that Your Highness visit my country. How about I make some arrangements and take you on a tour around the city?" said Mu Hengtian after everything was handled.

Ling Zhang first thanked Mu Hengtian for his kind offer and then added, "My kids are expecting me at home. They're still young, and I tend to grow worried if I'm away from home for too long. I'll set off to return the day after tomorrow."

Mu Hengtian knew that Ling Zhang was referring to the couple of adopted children of his. He had found Yuwen Tong's decision incredible when he'd first heard about it, but now five years had passed, and the marriage between Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang was still solid. The princes and the princess had grown healthy and received proper education. Many people who had been astonished by Yuwen Tong's decision had gradually come to feel that it was meant to be this way.

"Ha-ha...In that case, I shall not insist. It's inconvenient for me to go out of the city to see you off, so I'm afraid I have to bid you farewell right here. I wish you a safe journey home," said Mu Hengtian.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang took leave of Mu Hengtian and then left the place for their meeting.

After Ling Zhang disappeared from view, a thoughtful look appeared on Mu Hengtian's face. Before this day, it had never crossed his mind that the one coming to negotiate with him would be Ling Zhang. Leaving aside the fact that the spies the Luohai Kingdom had planted in the capital city of the Great Wen had never sent back a single useful message in this regard, even after Ling Zhang arrived in the Luohai Kingdom, it'd been when Ling Zhang was entering the city that he'd been informed of it. Had Ling Zhang made any efforts to cover his tracks, would he have still been in the dark about when Ling Zhang had sneaked into this city?

Mu Hengtian was wary and suspicious of Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong, but just like he had considered a while before, he didn't have much time left, no matter how wary he was, which meant that he had no alternative but to accept the Great Wen's suggestion and let the Great Wen and the Wan Kingdom (both of whom were his enemies) fight and weaken each other while the Luohai Kingdom laid low settling the matter of internecine struggles.

After leaving that place, Ling Zhang returned to the "hideout" he'd prepared beforehand instead of the Jiahe Chamber of Commerce. Ever since his departure from the location for the negotiations, some secret agents working for Mu Hengtian had been shadowing him all along. He was capable of losing them, but he didn't do that, because he wanted to lull Mu Hengtian into a false sense of security. Since they were now in a partnership, he should make a gesture of sincerity lest Mu Hengtian remain suspicious or do anything that might jeopardize the cooperation.

The alliance agreement signed, he could immediately set off to return to the Great Wen. The reason why he'd specially scheduled his departure for two days later was because he wanted to give Mu Hengtian some time to show the Luohai Kingdom's good faith.

...

On that very day, Mu Hengtian summoned Dugu Shan and some other top-ranking courtiers, Nian Feng the General-in-chief, and Mu Rongfeng the crown prince to confer with them about the terms of an alliance with the Wan Kingdom.

Dugu Shan had helped Mu Hengtian get information about the absolute maximum the Wan Kingdom was willing to offer, so Mu Hengtian had no misgivings whatsoever about conditions he was going to ask for the alliance. There was a divergence of opinion among the courtiers, but most of them were in support of Mu Hengtian's idea. Nian Feng the General-in-chief raised no objection either, but Mu Rongfeng knitted his brows.

"Father, is it possible that this would undermine the stability of the future alliance? I mean, the Wan Kingdom made the offer on their own initiative. If the conditions we ask are the maximum they could afford, they would very likely feel resentment against us," said Mu Rongfeng.

After Mu Rongfeng made these remarks, all the others looked in his direction. Their countenance gave little away, but actually they all had their respective thoughts on the subject.