Even Sa’er Khan, no matter how good his composure, couldn’t maintain that calm and collected appearance. His face turned iron blue.

“Then let’s discuss!” Bai Qingyan looked toward Liu Rushi again. “Minister Liu…”

“This humble minister accepts the command and will certainly strive to facilitate the alliance between our two nations.” Liu Rushi said.

Chun Tao replaced Bai Qingyan’s tea with hot tea and stood to one side.

Bai Qingyan nodded: “Then I trouble Tianfeng Kingdom’s ruler to stay in the capital for some more days. If you have any other requests, feel free to discuss them with Minister Dong. Great Zhou… will do our utmost to make Tianfeng Kingdom’s ruler feel at home.”

Sa’er Khan stood up and said to Bai Qingyan with a taut face: “Then I thank Your Majesty. I’ll leave the peace negotiations to my ministers. I wonder if Your Majesty has leisure time?”

“Naturally, I do.” Bai Qingyan remained seated in her chair. “However, if Tianfeng Kingdom’s ruler has something to say, please speak directly… There aren’t so many secrets between ruler and ministers in our Great Zhou court, and it saves me the trouble of having to repeat everything to my ministers later.”

Bai Qingyan heard the sound of Sa’er Khan’s knuckles as he clenched his fists.

He had never been so humiliated before.

He was the dignified ruler of Tianfeng Kingdom, the supreme king! When had he ever been treated like this?!

“The rest is private business. If Great Zhou’s Empress is unwilling to move, then forget it…” Sa’er Khan’s expression grew increasingly ugly.

“Private business?” Bai Qingyan pondered for a moment, then finally stood up, still maintaining that courteous and composed appearance. “Please, Your Majesty…”

Sa’er Khan’s expression finally softened somewhat. He nodded to Bai Qingyan, and the two left together, leaving the court to Grand Commandant Lu.

Bai Qingyan brought Sa’er Khan to a side hall, had Wei Zhong bring in a small red clay stove, and personally brewed tea. She waved her hand to signal Wei Zhong and the others to leave before kneeling and sitting down to speak: “If Tianfeng Kingdom’s ruler had honestly engaged in trade with my Great Zhou, I wouldn’t have had to embarrass Tianfeng Kingdom so in the great hall today.”

Sa’er Khan hadn’t expected Bai Qingyan to speak so calmly, which truly caught him off guard.

This tone and attitude differed from the aggressive pressure in the great hall. It was as if they were ordinary friends who had just argued stubbornly, and now that both had calmed down, she was the first to soften and speak gently, though her gentleness carried firmness.

Bai Qingyan used a cloth to lift the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Sa’er Khan, pushing it in front of him. She looked up at him: “I am Great Zhou’s emperor, and I must protect Great Zhou’s territory and people. If your Tianfeng Kingdom doesn’t harbor designs on Great Zhou, I’m very willing to become good neighbors with you. But if you insist on coveting Great Zhou’s territory and turning our Great Zhou people into your Tianfeng Kingdom’s slaves, even if it means mutual destruction, I absolutely won’t let you succeed. Do you understand my meaning?”

These words sounded like she was speaking from the heart.

Sa’er Khan lowered his eyes to gaze at the clear tea swaying in the cup, then looked up at Bai Qingyan again. He had originally wanted to mock how this halfway emperor from a military family had already grasped the imperial arts of speech and controlling people. He had wanted to mock and say it was a pity he, Sa’er Khan, was not her subject.

But when he looked up, he saw Bai Qingyan’s clear black and white eyes, resolute and clean.

“Hearing Great Zhou’s Empress speak like this, you seem like someone who loves peace. If so, why can’t you coexist peacefully with the Yan Kingdom? Why must you wager with Yan Kingdom? Are you coveting Yan Kingdom’s territory?” Sa’er Khan’s tone carried a hint of subtle mockery.

Seeing Sa’er Khan like this, Bai Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “How old are you?”

“What?”

“How old are you? How many years have you been king? Do you think… our wager between Yan Kingdom and Great Zhou is for each other’s territory?” Bai Qingyan shook her head. “That’s why you can only ever be Tianfeng Kingdom’s king, never the king of this entire realm.”

Sa’er Khan’s palms tightened as he suddenly remembered the great shaman’s words…

The great shaman had said the Sky God’s chosen master for this land was not in Tianfeng Kingdom… was not him.

Today, Bai Qingyan had also said such words, which made rage burn in Sa’er Khan’s heart.

“Our two nations’ wager is so this land can be unified without warfare, becoming one… Only thus can there be lasting peace! And our wager… implementing each nation’s governance in both territories is to truly test whose governance is superior for the people. Thus… whichever nation wins and can truly unify, can naturally implement that nation’s governance!” Bai Qingyan looked at Sa’er Khan. “Our wager is for the people’s peace and sustenance. What about your Tianfeng Kingdom… for slaves, for making you so-called nobles live comfortably! Am I wrong?”

“Such righteous words!” Sa’er Khan clenched his fists, putting on an expression of disbelief. “Just excuses! When our Tianfeng Kingdom conquered other nations, we also had such righteous excuses. Great Zhou is currently strong – if you win, that’s fine, but if you lose… can you guarantee you won’t use force to seize what you want?”

“Speaking of Yan Kingdom…” Sa’er Khan laughed lowly. “Yan Kingdom is currently forced to bow to Great Zhou, but when three years pass and Yan Kingdom recovers, if Yan Kingdom loses… won’t they fight desperately?”

“I can’t guarantee for Yan Kingdom, but Great Zhou absolutely will not.” Bai Qingyan’s brows and eyes carried a light smile. “Would Tianfeng Kingdom’s ruler be willing to wager with me?”

“I am Tianfeng Kingdom’s ruler – I dare not gamble with my ancestors’ legacy! Nor do I have… Your Majesty’s such fine interest in national wagering!” Sa’er Khan spoke solemnly.

“In this regard, Your Majesty is inferior to Yan Kingdom’s young emperor!” Bai Qingyan picked up her teacup. “I’m a halfway emperor with no burden of ancestral legacy, only the Bai family’s original intention to protect the nation and its people. The Yan Emperor, though young… born of the Murong imperial family, also dares to wager his nation for the people’s sake. Yet you, as Tianfeng Kingdom’s ruler, only toil for Tianfeng Kingdom’s nobles. How lamentable.”

Watching Bai Qingyan drink tea, Sa’er Khan was struck by that phrase about “toiling for nobles’ interests,” and his fists clenched.

“I wonder what private matter Tianfeng Kingdom’s ruler wishes to discuss with me?” Bai Qingyan drained her teacup.

“So after you ascended the throne and dealt with the vassal princes, it wasn’t to avoid being constrained, but to implement new governance?” Sa’er Khan didn’t answer the question directly. “I don’t believe there exists in this world someone who doesn’t love power!”

“Before dealing with Tianfeng Kingdom, I never believed there could be a nation… that values animals’ lives more than human lives, where armor for beasts is more sturdy than weapons for their soldiers.”

Sa’er Khan’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t put on any pretense. Rarely showing his true nature before Bai Qingyan, he spoke honestly: “They’re merely… a group of slaves. How could they compare to the precious giant elephants!”