When the Lord of Zheng State had sought his help back then, he had truly been in a wretched plight. But Zheng State had such a large population and such vast territory. How could his life have been so miserable?
The Duke of Qi understood what Luo Yu meant. The Lord of Zheng State had suffered so badly because Zheng State's ruling house held little land. Most of it lay in the hands of the Ducal Clan and the High Minister Clans, who were growing ever more distant from the ruling house.
So no matter how powerful Zheng State was, what did that have to do with its ruling house?
Qi State's ruling house was naturally not in such dire straits, but the High Minister Clans still wielded tremendous power within Qi State. The Lü Clan's rival, the Tian Clan, in particular, had already surpassed the ruling house in certain respects.
His expression changed several times in quick succession, revealing his inner feelings with perfect clarity.
He wore his joy and anger on his face, lacked depth and opinions of his own, and readily accepted others' views. He was a thoroughly mediocre ruler. In this brief span, Luo Yu had already confirmed every assessment of Lü Jing made by Luo State's intelligence organization.
Lü Jing finally understood. Luo Yu had not come on a simple diplomatic mission this time. He had come with important business.
It was probably another major matter requiring the Ji-Jiang Alliance to act!
He straightened his robes and sat upright. "Crown Prince, your words have truly poured wisdom over my head and awakened me from a dream.
"Our states have enjoyed friendly relations for five hundred years. Surely there is nothing we cannot discuss frankly?
"Please, instruct me!"
Seeing that Lü Jing had adopted a serious