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

The palace door with carved golden nanmu wood slowly closed behind him, and Chu Ning followed Wu Zhao into the Zhengyang Hall of the Great Zhou Palace.

Thirty-six gilded palace lanterns in the hall lit up one after another, illuminating the hall covered with embroidered carpets as if it were daytime.

Four golden pillars with coiled dragons stand tall, and the luminous pearls inlaid on the pillars emit a warm glow under the light.

"Give me a banquet—"

Following the eunuch's shrill "hello", two teams of maids dressed in lilac palace costumes filed in.

They held gilded food boxes in their hands and placed nine tripods and eight gui on the rosewood table.

The roasted golden and crispy suckling pig is glistening with oil, the tribute lobsters from the South China Sea lie on the lotus seat carved from ice, and even the most ordinary stir-fried seasonal vegetables are arranged into the shape of a phoenix with its wings spread.

"I remember you loved this."

Wu Zhao picked up the jade chopsticks and personally served Chu Ning a piece of crystal braised meat.

The thin slices of meat appear amber-colored under the light. This is a royal delicacy marinated for three days with aged Huadiao wine and secret sauce.

"Hmm...this is delicious!" The clear voice of a child broke the charming atmosphere.

Wu Xiuning grabbed a honey-glazed chicken leg with her hand, and the oil dripped down her pink wrist.

The little princess's cheeks puffed up like a hamster's, and she mumbled incoherently, "The food cooked by the imperial kitchen is much better than the rations for the march!"

"Xiuning!"

Wu Zhao rapped her silver chopsticks against the porcelain plate with a lotus pattern: "How can this be proper in front of the Emperor of Chu?"

A trace of embarrassment flashed in her phoenix eyes, and she caught a glimpse of several female officials in the imperial kitchen, hiding their sleeves and laughing.

Chu Ning suddenly stood up, and his black dragon robe swept across the gilded candlestick on the table.

He walked straight to Wu Xiuning and pushed the whole plate of roast duck in front of her: "Eat slowly, no one will snatch it from you."

He turned to Wu Zhao and winked: "We've been sleeping in the open air all this way, why not let the child have a good meal?"

As the candlelight flickered, Wu Zhao noticed a new arrow wound on the base of Chu Ning's right hand, which was obviously caused by his recent rescue of Xiuning.

Her heart trembled slightly, and she finally sighed softly: "Pass the order to give Her Royal Highness the Princess an extra copy."

By the time the maids had re-set the table, Wu Xiuning had already finished three lamb ribs.

She patted her round belly contentedly, and suddenly leaned over to whisper in Chu Ning's ear:

"Actually, the Queen Mother also likes to eat..."

"Wu Xiuning!"

The glass cup in Wu Zhao's hand was almost knocked over, and her earlobes, like mutton-fat jade, instantly turned crimson.

"When you're full, go back to your Hanzhang Palace!"

Looking at the little princess's back as she skipped away, Chu Ning suddenly picked up the gilded wine pot.

The amber liquid drew a graceful arc in the air and filled two gold-inlaid dragon cups.

"Try this." He pushed one of the cups in front of Wu Zhao. "This newly brewed Zui Chun Feng is quite good. It's made with water melted from the first snow..."

Wu Zhao frowned and waved her hand to signal everyone else to leave.

"You know exactly what I'm going to ask."

Wu Zhao interrupted his chatter, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the gilded patterns on the rim of the cup.

The ticking of a copper clock in the corner of the hall made her voice even more cold and clear: "The Tang-Han coalition forces are approaching, and instead of staying in the army to command, you personally sent Xiuning here."

Warm breath suddenly brushed past her ears, and Chu Ning had come around behind her without her knowing.

Chu Ning's fingers with light calluses touched her tense shoulders and neck. He grinned, put his arms around Wu Zhao's slender waist, and with a little force, he pulled the Queen of the Great Zhou into his arms.

Wu Zhao was caught off guard and fell onto his lap. The beads on the Nine Phoenix Rising Sun Crown rustled with her movements, reflecting tiny golden lights in the candlelight.

"That's their own business."

There was a hint of laziness in Chu Ning's low voice, and his fingers were casually entwined with a strand of Wu Zhao's drooping black hair.

"This time I came here in person, of course, not just to send Xiuning back."

As he spoke, his warm breath sprayed on Wu Zhao's ears, causing the tips of her ears to turn slightly red.

The air in the hall was filled with the aroma of incense, and the scent of the sunken incense in the gilded animal-head incense burner lingered between the two of them.

Wu Zhao subconsciously wanted to get up, but was firmly restrained by Chu Ning's strong arms.

She raised her eyes and met Chu Ning's suddenly serious gaze. She saw that his face turned serious and a sharp light flashed in his deep eyes.

"Since Tang Han has joined forces, we can't just sit there and wait for death!"

Chu Ning's voice suddenly became deep, with unquestionable majesty.

His slender fingers lifted Wu Zhao's chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. "I wish to announce my relationship with you, Xiuning's identity, and incorporate the Great Zhou Dynasty into the territory of my Chu State."

This was something he had wanted to do for a long time, but for Wu Zhao's face, he had waited until now.

Now that the six kingdoms have been pacified, he believes that no one would dare to object to incorporating the Zhou Dynasty into the Chu State.

As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Zhao's delicate body trembled, and her slender jade fingers unconsciously clenched the fabric under the wide cuffs of her dragon robe.

Although she knew that this day would eventually come, she didn't expect Chu Ning to suddenly bring it up at this moment.

The ticking sound of the copper clock in the corner of the hall was particularly clear in the silent hall.

"You and I agreed that we would meet after we pacified the world..." Wu Zhao spoke with forced composure, but her voice was a little softer than usual.

Before she could finish her words, Chu Ning suddenly stretched out a finger and gently pressed it on her soft lips, stopping her from speaking.

"There are nine dynasties in the world, and I have conquered six of them. Isn't that enough?"

Chu Ning chuckled softly, and caressed her lips with his fingertips in an ambiguous way: "Besides, the situation has changed now, can't we make some adjustments?"

He suddenly leaned in close, his nose almost touching hers: "Or do you not want me to announce our relationship?"

"No...no!" Wu Zhao blurted out, then realized her gaffe.

She glared at Chu Ning in anger and shame, and happened to meet his smiling eyes.

The half-smile on his face made her realize instantly that she was being teased by this man again.

"Hmph!" Wu Zhao snorted coldly and suddenly broke free from Chu Ning's arms.

As she turned around, the wide sleeves of her dragon robe drew a sharp arc in the air: "If you want to announce it, then announce it!"

After saying that, she walked towards the hot spring pool behind the hall without looking back, her pace a little faster than usual.

The beads on the Nine Phoenix Rising Sun Crown swayed violently with her steps, drawing golden streaks of light in the candlelight.

Chu Ning looked at her slightly flustered back and couldn't help laughing.

He stood up lazily, the gold embroidery on his black dragon robe gleaming in the candlelight:

"Wait for me!"

As he spoke, he strode after him, the jade pendant on his waist making crisp clash sounds with every step he took.

When he turned around the screen, Chu Ning saw Wu Zhao standing by the hot spring pool, her slender fingers resting on the jade belt around her waist. When she heard footsteps, she turned around and glared at him.

In the steaming water vapor, her beautiful face was looming, and her phoenix eyes looked particularly charming in the mist.

Chu Ning's eyes darkened, and he took three or two steps forward and held her in his arms again.