Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Sima Hui's words immediately made the hall quiet.

This was indeed a difficult problem in governing the country. The ministers of Chu looked at each other, and no one dared to speak easily.

Henry Zhang twisted his beard in thought, Feng Anguo frowned, and even Jia Yu, who was always resourceful, fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Sima Hui sneered, "How come His Majesty the Emperor of Chu, known as the world's most talented scholar, is also stumped?"

Pei Yanzhi took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire: "It seems that the new king of Chu is just like that. He only knows how to play tricks and is helpless when faced with the real problems of governing the country."

Cui Gaoxuan sneered smugly, "If I had known this would happen, why would I have made such a boast in the first place? It would be better for me to admit my lack of talent and knowledge now so that we can return and report."

The ministers of Chu State glared at him angrily but were speechless for a moment.

This is indeed a dilemma. If we want to provide disaster relief, we need money. If the money is taken from military expenditures, the border will be unstable. If we don't care about the victims, civil unrest will break out.

At this tense moment, Chu Ning suddenly chuckled: "I thought it was a big problem, but it turns out to be just like this."

Sima Hui's expression changed: "What does your Majesty the Emperor of Chu mean by this?"

Chu Ning paced slowly, his voice steady and powerful, "There are three solutions. First, use work-for-relief. Order the victims to build water conservancy projects and official roads and bridges. The court will distribute money and food according to the work done. This will not only solve the livelihood problems of the victims, but also lay the foundation for disaster prevention next year."

Everyone in the hall's eyes lit up, and several ministers began to nod in agreement.

"Second..."

Chu Ning continued, "Opening up the western border trade and allowing border residents to trade with other ethnic groups will not only increase tax revenue and enrich the national treasury, but also ease tensions on the border. When other ethnic groups benefit, they will naturally reduce their intrusions."

"Great!" Minister of Revenue Liu Shouren couldn't help but applaud.

Chu Ning's eyes flashed like lightning as he stared into Sima Hui's shocked eyes. "Third, implement a military settlement system. Transfer some troops to cultivate land on the border. They will serve as soldiers in wartime and farmers in peacetime. This will not only reduce the cost of transporting military supplies, but also stabilize the border and deter foreign invaders."

The three strategies were carried out in one go, like three powerful punches, which forced Sima Hui to retreat repeatedly, his face turning from red to white, and then from white to blue.

The feather fan in his hand fell to the ground with a "click", but he was completely unaware of it.

"This...this..." Sima Hui stuttered and couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.

Pei Yanzhi and Cui Gaoxuan were also stunned. They never expected that this seemingly unsolvable problem could be perfectly solved by Chu Ning in just a few words.

The Chu officials immediately cheered and rejoiced. Feng Anguo laughed heartily, "Hahaha, what else do you, Han envoy, have to say? Our emperor is a man of great talent and vision. How can you possibly fathom this?"

Zhang Xuan stroked his beard and smiled: "Your Majesty, this policy not only solved the Han Dynasty's problems, but also provided a model for state governance. I admire you!"

There was a glint of pride in Concubine Lan Feng Mulan's eyes. She raised her head slightly and looked at the three Han envoys with contempt in her eyes.

Chu Ning slowly walked back to the dragon throne, turned around and faced the three pale-faced foreign envoys, his voice calm but full of majesty:

"I am deeply gratified that the three envoys have come from afar to attend my coronation ceremony. If you have any questions, please ask them all at once!"

This simple sentence was like a sharp sword, completely breaking the psychological defenses of the three Han envoys.

They had originally planned to humiliate Chu Ning in public at the coronation ceremony, but unexpectedly they were humiliated completely by the other party.

Sima Hui bent down with difficulty to pick up the fallen feather fan and forced a smile: "Your Majesty the Emperor of Chu... your reputation is indeed well-deserved. I admire you."

Then he turned his gaze to Pei Yanzhi.

Now that both he and Cui Gaoxuan have failed, they can only pin their hopes on each other.

Pei Yanzhi noticed Sima Hui's gaze and felt a chill in his heart.

According to the agreement between the three, each of them had to come up with a difficult problem. Now Cui Gaoxuan's painting was deciphered by a cat, and Sima Hui's strategy for governing the country was resolved by Chu Ning in a few words. He only had one last chance.

He took a deep breath, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

Since Chu Ning took the initiative to speak, he was too lazy to beat around the bush and simply stood up and said loudly:

"Since the Emperor of Chu is so confident, please solve the problem facing our dynasty!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and shouted, "Come here, bring the things up!"

Outside the hall, two Han Dynasty envoys came in, holding an exquisite rosewood box in their hands.

When the box was opened, everyone in the hall looked at it intently and saw a jade chain made of nine white jade bracelets placed in the box.

Each jade bracelet is crystal clear and exquisitely carved, but the strange thing is that these nine jade bracelets are linked together and entangled with each other, forming an unsolvable knot.

"This is a nine-linked jade bracelet made by our dynasty's skilled craftsmen after three years of painstaking effort. The nine bracelets are connected, with no beginning and no end."

Pei Yanzhi sneered and looked at Chu Ning provocatively: "Is there a way for Emperor Chu to unlock these nine jade bracelets one by one?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of all the officials of the Chu State in the hall changed.

Minister of War Feng Anguo slammed the table in anger and shouted, "This is ridiculous! This jade bracelet was originally made in one piece, how can it be untied? Pei Yanzhi, you are clearly deliberately making things difficult for me!"

Zhang Xuan also frowned and said, "There is no solution to this thing. Could it be that you, the Tang Dynasty envoy, can't afford to lose, so you took out such a rogue thing?"

Even Shen Wanying, who was crowned as the Queen and known as "the most talented woman in Chu State", could not help but shake her head and whispered to Feng Mulan beside her:

"This thing is intricately constructed, with each ring interlocking. Unless the jade bracelet is destroyed, it is impossible to untie it."

Feng Mulan's face suddenly turned ugly.

The Empress Wu Zhao of the Great Zhou Dynasty also frowned at this time, staring at the jade bracelet with a serious look.

Although she was knowledgeable, she had never seen such a complex jade structure before. She thought to herself:

"This Pei Yanzhi is truly insidious. He actually produced such an unsolvable item. If Chu Ning were to forcefully crack it, he would only bring shame upon himself."

The atmosphere in the hall was stagnant for a moment. The Chu ministers were filled with resentment, while the Han envoys looked smug.

Pei Yanzhi sneered and said sarcastically, "Why, wasn't the new king of Chu so confident just now? Now, faced with a minor problem of our dynasty, he's helpless?"

Cui Gaoxuan also took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, sneering: "If you can't solve it, it's better to just admit defeat and avoid wasting everyone's time."

Upon hearing this, all the ministers of Chu glared at him angrily, but were unable to refute him for the moment.

After all, this nine-link jade bracelet is indeed strange. If it is forcibly disassembled, it will probably only damage the jade bracelet and make it look even more embarrassing.

However, just when everyone was angry, sarcastic, or worried, Chu Ning suddenly chuckled.

"I thought it was some serious problem, but it turns out to be just a child's play."

He slowly stood up, his dragon robe fluttering, and walked towards the two messengers with steady steps.

Pei Yanzhi frowned, feeling slightly uneasy, but still pretended to be calm and sneered:

"If the Emperor of Chu has a solution, why not give it a try?"

Chu Ning did not answer directly, but reached out to take the jade bracelet, gently stroking the patterns on the jade ring with his fingertips, and a deep smile flashed in his eyes.

"Master Pei, are you sure... this jade bracelet is truly unsolvable?"

Pei Yanzhi's heart tightened, but he quickly calmed down and hummed, "Of course there is no solution! Unless the King of Chu has the ability to reach the sky, otherwise..."

Before he finished speaking, Chu Ning's finger suddenly pressed lightly on the hidden buckle of a jade ring.

"Click."

With a slight sound, the nine jade bracelets that were originally tightly connected loosened one after another like blooming lotus flowers!