"Little girl! Affairs of state are no game. Otherwise... you'll only be hurting yourselves!"
Sun Shangxiang's gaze sharpened, and she hesitated.
Given the environment Sun Shangxiang had grown up in, she naturally understood such simple reasoning. Even if she had not understood it before, someone must have persuaded her before Wu State sent her to this secret meeting.
But understanding was one thing. When it fell upon her own shoulders, that was another matter entirely!
"..."
Recalling what Tianzhi Baize had said before Wu State's envoy requested an audience, Xiao Ying shot Bai Ze a distinctly displeased glare. Then he looked at Sun Shangxiang and spoke first, his tone brooking no argument:
"Your three conditions concerning Fruition Rank, fiefs, and military authority are broadly acceptable. As for Fruition Rank, I can grant hereditary royal titles; imperial titles remain undecided. As for fiefs, I can grant Jianye, Wu State's capital, and its surrounding territories. That already exhausts the bounds of benevolence. As for military authority... I can allow ten fully staffed legions. Provided you do not violate the laws of the state, that allowance will never change, nor will it be arbitrarily revoked. There will be no ten-year agreement!"
He paused, then continued swiftly before Sun Shangxiang could respond: "As for a marriage alliance! All beneath heaven know that I was born an Otherworlder and believe in freedom of marriage. Do not impose upon others what you would not want yourself. Naturally, I will not make things difficult for my children or force them into marriage. Of course, given the talents and qualifications of the Four Heroes of the Sun Clan, they are welcome to pursue the princesses themselves. If they can win a princess's heart, I will neither stop them nor deliberately obstruct them under any pretext!"
"**Your Majesty is