Chapter 39: Three Ground Rules

"Am I about to die?"

Having just unleashed the Overlord Spear, Xiang Ning had exhausted all her spiritual power. At this moment, she was utterly defenseless. Watching the golden imperial dragon energy plunge toward her, she felt like a lone boat adrift in the vast ocean—how could such a frail vessel hope to withstand the sea?

Despair...

Defeat...

Confusion...

They were both sovereigns, yet the gap between them was so great. Perhaps she ought to surrender her country to the Ming Dynasty after all? Xiang Ning glanced at Fan Li beside her. He must be just as desperate and helpless as she was, right?

"He's even weaker than I am—barely at the Body Refinement stage. He must be terrified out of his mind already."

She thought this, only to notice a faint smile upon Fan Li's face—a calmness reminiscent of a mountain unmoved even as the earth collapsed before him.

"Lü Chunqiu, protect the emperor."

Fan Li made no movement, merely uttering these five words with composure.

Xiang Ning's face filled with disbelief! At such a perilous moment, did Lü Chunqiu truly dare declare his allegiance, swearing to defend her, the sovereign of Chu, unto death?

No sooner had this doubt flashed in her mind than she felt a barrier envelop herself and Fan Li within a radius of thirty feet. It was a simple yet weighty shield, its hues reminiscent of earth and stone—solid as bedrock and heavy as soil.

The golden dragon energy crashed against this barrier, and Xiang Ning felt as though the ground itself trembled! Yet after the shock, the dragon energy dissipated into the heavens, even letting out a resentful roar. Xiang Ning herself remained unscathed. Fan Li, standing at her side, was likewise unharmed.

The Lord of Lü City, Marquis Wenxin, Lü Chunqiu, had at some point already taken his place before the two of them. He spread his arms protectively, like a mother hen shielding her chicks.

Floating three feet above his head was a book. Xiang Ning took a single glance and forever remembered the four characters on its cover: "The Annals of Lü."

"A Confucian defensive treasure, the 'Annals of Lü'? Hmph!"

The Jiajing Emperor, his attack thwarted, did not strike again. After all, he still bore the dignity of a sovereign and would not stoop to relentless pursuits.

The Jiajing Emperor spoke coldly: "Lü Chunqiu, do you truly mean to oppose me?"

A bead of cold sweat formed on Lü Chunqiu's brow, but his expression remained steady and calm.

"This humble marquis knows he is no match for Your Majesty, but should Your Majesty persist, I am absolutely confident that, even at the cost of my life, I can escort the Empress of Chu safely back to Pengcheng, the Chu capital."

The Jiajing Emperor glared furiously: "You would rather die than stand against me for her sake?"

Clearly, he acknowledged Lü Chunqiu spoke the truth. Should Lü Chunqiu resist with all his might, he could truly see Xiang Ning safely home.

Lü Chunqiu said no more. His calm was in itself an answer.

After his anger subsided, the Jiajing Emperor fell into deep thought. He could not fathom what in Chu was worth such steadfast loyalty from Lü Chunqiu. Yet Lü Chunqiu's determined serenity left even the self-styled hero of the age with a faint, absurd sense of helplessness.

Was there any point in continuing this battle?

To kill the Empress of Chu in public—he would have no qualms. For if he did not kill her today, he would one day conquer Chu, take her head with his own hands, and burn the ancestral halls of the Xiang clan.

But to slay Lü Chunqiu, the master of Confucianism, before three thousand scholars?

The Jiajing Emperor was certain: if he truly did so, half of Ming's civil officials would resign in protest and retire into seclusion.

The emperor rules the realm with the scholar-gentry. Among scholars, there are both civil and military men. An emperor abandoned by the civil gentry—would he not be deemed a tyrant, a fool?

He wished to be the founder who united the realm, to leave a legacy of enlightened rule, not infamy for ten thousand years.

With that, the last flicker of murderous intent faded from his heart.

"Very well," the Jiajing Emperor intoned, his voice deep. "For your sake, Lü Chunqiu, I will spare the Empress of Chu today."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Lü Chunqiu's words were respectful, but the protective power of the "Annals of Lü" did not falter for a moment.

"No need for thanks," the emperor said icily. "Imperial grace is not given lightly."

Xiang Ning's expression changed, fearing misfortune.

Fan Li, however, seemed rather at ease. He knew the Jiajing Emperor was about to name his terms.

Forcing a man of such ambition to the negotiating table—this was already the limit of Fan Li's abilities. To truly defeat the Jiajing Emperor? Even if he completed ten or a hundred more system tasks, it would be nothing but a dream.

"Your Majesty's grace is beyond repaying," Lü Chunqiu said with a deep bow. "So long as Your Majesty's requests are within reason, Lü City will serve to its utmost."

Yet though he bowed, he did not kneel; the Jiajing Emperor felt no satisfaction at this. After all, no subject of one state should pay homage to the ruler of another.

To Lü Chunqiu, the Jiajing Emperor was already a foreign sovereign.

"I have three conditions, Marquis Wenxin. You must fulfill them."

"Please speak, Your Majesty."

"First, what transpired today must not be made public."

Lü Chunqiu nodded without hesitation. "I can keep the three thousand scholars in check."

The Jiajing Emperor's face darkened, as if resenting Lü Chunqiu for wielding such influence yet refusing to serve him.

"Second, for the next ten years, the Lü clan must not publicly acknowledge allegiance to Chu."

Given Lü Chunqiu's reputation in Confucian circles, were his defection to Chu made known, it would greatly affect the civil officials of Ming and Han alike. Some officials, upon hearing the news, might even resign and go to Chu to follow Lü Chunqiu.

But Lü Chunqiu replied, "I am now a subject of the Emperor of Chu. This matter should be decided by my sovereign."

He ignored the Jiajing Emperor's reaction and turned to Xiang Ning with an inquiring look.

The four of them stood atop a platform dozens of yards above the ground—their voices not loud. The three thousand scholars below knew something significant was happening, but not the details.

"Your Majesty, please decide," Lü Chunqiu said to Xiang Ning.

She panicked for a moment, forgetting how to decide.

Fan Li answered for her, "Her Majesty consents."

It was a proper intervention for Xiang Ning's sake; even she did not feel it overstepped, but instead nodded repeatedly.

"Her Majesty also agrees to the second condition. For ten years, Lü City will not openly acknowledge any ties with Chu."

The Jiajing Emperor took a deep breath, as if suppressing the urge to act.

His tone was cold as frost: "Third, there is no longer any need for another Alliance of the Three Emperors. Once you return, the Empress of Chu must unilaterally announce her withdrawal from the alliance."

Xiang Ning's face changed at these words. Was she to pronounce the death sentence of the alliance herself? That was tantamount to telling the world she, the Empress of Chu, had abandoned a peace maintained for millennia. Would the three kingdoms be plunged into war from now on? Should the Jiajing Emperor wage war, it would be entirely justified. Yet all the blame for breaking the peace would fall squarely upon her.

"I..." Xiang Ning tried to refuse.

But before she could speak, Fan Li once again took the liberty to answer.

"This, too, Chu will accept!"

Xiang Ning's eyes reddened with anger. Was Fan Li really pushing her into the abyss, to bear a curse for the ages?