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Hearing Lu Chen's response, Wu Junwan could hardly believe it. Her dear sister had led troops to attack the Barbarian Tribe, so how had they ended up forming an alliance with them instead?

Dayue and the Barbarian Tribe could be considered arch-enemies. Since the establishment of Dayue, the Barbarian Tribe had assembled large armies to attack Dayue numerous times.

There was deep-seated hatred between the people of Dayue and the Barbarian Tribe; mention of the Barbarian Tribe alone would make the people of Dayue grind their teeth in anger. And now, they had reconciled.

Even the Barbarian Tribe had become a part of Dayue, and their Goddess had become the State Preceptor of Dayue?

Seeing that Wu Junwan wasn't speaking, Lu Chen said, "You also find it hard to believe, right?"

"When I first received this intelligence, I also found it unbelievable, but this is what has happened."

Wu Junwan said, "So that means Dayue now possesses the battle formations of the Barbarian Tribe?"

A long time ago, Lu Chen had told her that the Barbarian Tribe's battle formations might have the capability to combat Celestials.

Now that Dayue had absorbed the Barbarian Tribe, and the Barbarian Tribe Goddess had even formed an alliance with the Yue Emperor, this meant that the Dayue Army also had access to the Barbarian Tribe's battle formations.

With this development, it would likely be incredibly difficult for Great Sum to annihilate Dayue.

Lu Chen said, "According to the spy's report, the Dayue Army has indeed been practicing the use of the battle formations given by the Barbarian Tribe Goddess."

"But whether they can truly harness the power to confront Celestials, that is something we will only know in actual combat."

Hearing Lu Chen's words, Wu Junwan fell silent once again.

In that moment, Lu Chen's other hand was gently caressing Wu Junwan's belly, and while caressing, he said, "I know it's difficult for you to be caught between the Yue Emperor and me, so you don't need to worry about the matters between the Yue Emperor and me. I promise you that even if Dayue falls, I will find a way to keep her alive."

Lu Chen was unsure whether the Yue Emperor would, like the Martial Emperor, commit suicide, but regardless of whether the Yue Emperor would do so, since she was a close friend to Wu Junwan, he would find a way to keep her alive.

Now that Wu Junwan's homeland had been destroyed and her father had committed suicide, the Yue Emperor was her only source of support besides him, her darling.

If anything were to happen to the Yue Emperor as well, Wu Junwan might be struck with immense grief.

Although Lu Chen might not be considered a good person, he also did not wish to see the woman he cared for in sorrow.

After hearing Lu Chen's assurance, Wu Junwan sighed softly and then expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

As soon as she spoke, Wu Junwan's arms instinctively wrapped around Lu Chen's waist, and her whole being snuggled into his embrace.

Afterward, the two remained silent, holding each other quietly.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Lu Chen headed for the Hall of Political Affairs.

Lu Chen wanted to spend more time with Wu Junwan, but with Great Wu annihilated, how to govern the lands of Great Wu was a significant issue. Today's court assembly was of great importance; he couldn't just stay in bed with Wu Junwan.

In the early morning, before the officials of Yan County had entered the Hall of Political Affairs, they learned of the annihilation of Great Wu. All the Ministers were excited; Great Sum had suddenly acquired such a large territory, and they now had matters to attend to.

For most Ministers, this was a great opportunity. If they could manage some of the governance issues of Great Wu well, they had a strong chance of being promoted, so most officials were excited.

Today's court assembly was presided over by Lu Chen himself, focusing mainly on the governance of Great Wu.

After a day of discussion, the governance plan for Great Wu was finally set. It aligned closely with what Lu Chen initially had in mind: the Royal Family and Seigniors of Great Wu would all relocate to Yan County. As for some of the Aristocratic Families, those that needed to be dealt with would be dealt with, while Great Sum would send a large number of its officials to take up posts in Great Wu as local officers.

However, to ease the local populace's resistance, some officials from Great Wu would still be appointed as local officers, and Lu Chen planned to hold an imperial examination in the region of Great Wu two years later. Those who passed the assessment would have the chance to become officers.

As for granting a general amnesty to all under heaven, such a thing was not in Lu Chen's plans. He intended only to release those who had been imprisoned due to political struggles; criminals who committed evil deeds would be dealt with according to Great Sum's laws.

After the governance plan for Great Wu was determined, all officials of Great Sum became busy with their tasks.

One month later.

A massive caravan appeared outside Yan County.

The individuals seated in those carriages were members of the Great Martial Royal Family.

Although Great Martial had already surrendered, they had surrendered to the army of Great Martial. Upon arriving in Yan County, the representatives of Great Martial would once again conduct a surrender ceremony before the common people of Great Sum and offer their allegiance to Lu Chen.

Wu Junwan inwardly did not wish to witness this scene, but in the end, she still endured it and followed Lu Chen to the outskirts of the city.

Soon, Lu Chen's luxurious carriage appeared outside Yan County.

Upon seeing that extravagant carriage, all members of the Great Martial Royal Family felt a tightness in their hearts.

Although the Sum Emperor had promised to spare their lives, no one knew whether the Sum Emperor would go back on his word.

As for the phrase "an emperor does not make false promises," it simply did not apply to an emperor with great power.

Besides, the Sum Emperor had countless ways to eliminate them without anyone noticing.

At that moment, the Guard General shouted beside the carriage, "His Majesty's carriage has arrived!"

As his voice fell, all the commoners present, including the soldiers on the city walls, knelt down to pay respects, "We greet Your Majesty, long live, long live, long may Your Majesty live!"

The sound of the people paying homage resounded through the sky, lingering for a long time.

At this moment, the members of the Great Martial Royal Family also knelt down.

Lu Chen glanced at the members of the Great Martial Royal Family, and quickly, he spotted a familiar figure among them.

Prince Wu Ming of Great Martial, upon feeling Lu Chen's gaze, trembled all over with fright.

Lu Chen simply smiled faintly and did not say anything to Wu Ming. Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire

Lu Chen then said, "Rise."

Immediately, the voices of the people rose again, "Thank Your Majesty!"

Subsequently, everyone stood up.

Wuhe immediately walked towards Lu Chen with a wooden tray in hand, which contained the Jade Seal and the Surrender Document. As he approached Lu Chen, Wuhe knelt down and said loudly, "Your sinful servant Wuhe, greets Your Majesty!"

As Lu Chen was about to proceed with the ceremony and invite him to rise, he suddenly sensed that something was amiss. For some reason, he felt that Wuhe emanated some dark aura.

More precisely, there was a dark aura on his forehead.

Lu Chen then swept his gaze over the other Imperial Family Members of Great Martial. Not all members had this dark aura, only some did, and these individuals were all direct descendants of the Martial Emperor, that is, the Martial Emperor's children.

Moreover, they shared another common point, which was that they all had a mark on their forehead.

Lu Chen frowned, sensing that something was quite not right.

Seeing that Lu Chen had not invited Wuhe to rise, everyone present was very puzzled. According to the procedure, Lu Chen should accept Wuhe's salute, and the Great Martial Royal Family would then be considered part of Great Sum.

People wondered to themselves, could it be that the Sum Emperor has regrets? Is that why he has yet to take the Jade Seal and the Document of Surrender from Wuhe's hands?

After what seemed like a long time, Lu Chen finally spoke, "Minister Wu, rise."

Upon hearing these words, Wuhe and all the members of the Great Martial Royal Family breathed a sigh of relief. They had thought that Lu Chen was going to renege.

Lu Chen then picked up the Jade Seal of Great Martial from Wuhe's tray, looked at it, and then took the Surrender Document of Great Martial to read it.

Finding nothing amiss, Lu Chen said, "From this day forward, the Wu Family will be a part of Great Sum. I hope you can integrate into Great Sum as soon as possible and start a new life."

Hearing these words, the members of the Great Martial Royal Family knelt once again, "We thank Your Majesty for your graciousness!"