At the dinner, the two women had a chance to get to know each other as they leisurely spent the evening with Wu Long. Sui Luxiao, much like Lian Zhiqiu preferred less attendants in her living space and her mansion was divided into two parts as well, a general area where the attendants would be coming and going through, and an area where only she was allowed.

Which was why it was a shock to her attendants when she told them that her guests will be staying in the restricted area. Right now, however, they sat in a hall of the general area, though only three of them were in the room.

“Hmm, I see, I am glad it was resolved”

Sui Luxiao sighed with relief as the conversation naturally turned to the events that happened earlier in the Imperial Palace. She was shocked to hear about the throne room audience, and even if she saw Wu Long sitting at the same table she was still worried about the repercussions of his actions on the Wood Spirit Continent.

“But didn’t you antagonize the entire Imperial Family with your actions?”

She then asked, since making Song Gengxin kneel in that situation surely did not make him a popular figure among the Imperial Family.

“I don’t really care much of their opinion. Since I do not plan to interact that much with them anyway. Though I am interested in Her Highness” 𝘪𝑟𝒶.𝑐ℴ𝘮

“Haha, honey is getting greedy again”

“Guilty”

Wu Long chuckled to Wu Mengqi who already saw it coming before.

“But if you plan to eventually depart for the Seven Boundless Worlds, how will you take her with you if she is the one whose existence makes the Crown Prince the prime candidate for the throne”

“His Highness would not get the throne no matter if she is here or not, since that Emperor is inclined to choose someone like himself, cold and calculating. The look he had in his eyes was speaking volumes about his intentions, and Song Minfu is too soft in his opinion”

Wu Long shrugged and Sui Luxiao widened her eyes.

“But does that not mean that he would be eventually ostracized? It leaves even less chance for Her Highness to agree to leave”

“Not necessarily, I think I can persuade the Crown Prince to leave this Empire behind as well, since it would be crumbling soon anyway”

“C-crumbling?”

“When one dynasty stays in power for too long, and becomes too massive, the descendants start vying for power and the country eventually descends into chaos. That of course does not happen if the ruler is an immortal, since then he would just never pass on the throne, but in mortal countries, dynasties where rulers change one after another rarely can last longer that a few thousand years”

Wu Long spoke as he saw the rise and fall of many kingdoms and empires, and most of them were the result of gradual decline in the ruling dynasty. One could not ensure that his descendants would be competent, just like a righteous ruler could not ensure his descendants would be just and righteous.

Even in countries ruled by people with long lifespans that did not reach immortality, this observation held true, just on a different time scale.

Only immortal empires stood the test of time, and even then, not all of them did.

—

“Hmm, Golden Ox Trading Company seems like a problem”

Wu Mengqi said as near the end of the evening the conversation turned to the Soaring Feather Trading Company and she heard the recent problems Sui Luxiao had, particularly with her largest competitor.

“It can’t be helped, it is business after all”

Sui Luxiao ruefully smiled as she could not shout “that’s not fair!” in business.

“You know they don’t strictly use business means though, why not play as dirty as them?”

Wu Mengqi asked and she chuckled.

“True, they play dirty, but that doesn’t mean I would have to stoop as low as them, especially what they do to cheapen manufacture in the Jurong and Liugwei Kingdoms.

And even if I am willing to counter their shady moves to disrupt my transportations I do not have a hand that can combat their Golden Ox Mercenary Corps. Not to mention that recently the sects I had been in partnership with are starting to break agreements one after another”

“You know why this is happening”

Wu Long said and she nodded.

“Of course, which is why it is not as dire. The Song Dynasty is naturally inclined to side with me in this feud, and thus I receive most of the Imperial Orders of Purchase. They also dispatch Imperial soldiers to escort those orders”

She naturally understood that her company was just one part of a larger conflict that was brewing in the shadows, one she had once warned Wu Long about. So the problems her company faced did not seem strange to her.

“I did try to find a mercenary group that would be on par with the Golden Ox but the decent ones are also aligning with other big Trading Companies and seem to avoid mine since we are quite apparently the Golden Ox’s target”

Sui Luxiao shook her head as she also thought of striking back but the noose around the neck of her company kept tightening with all the steps she took seemingly countered before they could have any effect.

With the scale of the powers at play, it was like she was playing chess while only seeing a few figures she could move on the board while the opponent was seeing all of it.

Wu Long nodded since that was what he more or less expected.

“Well at least you don’t have to worry about the Exquisite Peacock Trading Company sabotaging you from within since they were cleanly excised before your feud with the Golden Ox started in full”

“You mean…”

Wu Long only smiled to Sui Luxiao who looked at him with widened eyes.

“You said it yourself, sharks have sensed the smell of blood”

He said and she slowly nodded. Even if she knew what her and Golden Ox’s feud on this continent represented, albeit partially, the realization that the events started moving long before, when she was very young and had only inherited the company painted a much grimmer picture of her situation.

“Don’t worry though, as I am sure we can find that ‘hand’ that can combat them, not to mention that I have my own scores with the Bull** Training Camp”

“What’s that?”

“His nickname for the Golden Ox Mercenary Corps”

Wu Mengqi explained to the slightly confused Sui Luxiao after Wu Long’s reassuring words. Sui Luxiao first looked dumbfounded and then started laughing as Wu Mengqi joined her, though Wu Long vaguely sensed they were not laughing because the name was funny.

“Sister Luxiao, I am too impatient to drag honey to the room right now, do you want to join us?”

After the dinned, Wu Mengqi took Wu Long’s arm and chuckled as Sui Luxaio’s cheeks became rosy. Wu Long shook his head with a smile as Wu Mengqi was too straightforward.

“I… want to join”

As Wu Long thought that Sui Luxiao would probably need some time to get used to sharing her man with other women, she suddenly raised her voice, giving him a surprise.

Wu Mengqi, on the other hand, understood her sentiment. It was worse to delay the inevitable, and facing it head on was much more comfortable eventually, since dragging it out would create room for doubt and thus emotional turmoil.

She knew what she was agreeing to when she accepted Wu Long, and knew that he had other women. It was only a matter of time when she would meet others as well, and eventually see him being intimate with others. So jumping into it early on was a way to adapt faster.

Though not many could make this decision even if they understood all that so Wu Mengqi inwardly noted to herself that Sui Luxiao was much stronger mentally than her demeanor would suggest.

‘Though she might have just felt too good the night before that it does not matter anymore’

Wu Mengqi then wryly smiled as she thought of another possibility.