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

It’s November in Los Angeles, and a light snow fell last night.

As the morning light broke, the glazed tiles on the palace walls were still covered with a layer of crystal frost, which sparkled coldly in the morning sun.

The sound of the drum at the hour of Mao pierced through the biting cold wind and echoed over the imperial city.

Wu Zhao wore a bright yellow dragon robe and a silver fox cloak as she walked towards the throne room along the frost-covered palace road.

Her steps were steady and powerful, and the soles of her boots embroidered with golden dragons left clear marks on the snow.

The palace maids behind her carefully held the heater and handkerchief, but did not dare to get too close - the empress at this moment exuded a cold and stern aura that kept strangers away, and she was completely different from the shy look she had in Chu Ning's arms yesterday.

Inside the Golden Palace, civil and military officials had already lined up waiting.

The civil service team was headed by Prime Minister Di Ying. This veteran of three dynasties specially changed into a brand new purple robe today, and the jade belt around his waist shone with a warm luster in the morning light.

On the side of the military generals stood the mighty General Li Junxian. He was wearing armor and had a sword at his waist. His tiger eyes were bright and sharp under his thick eyebrows.

The charcoal fire in the hall was burning brightly, but it could not dispel the chill in the hearts of the ministers - the empress showed up a full quarter of an hour late today, which had never happened before.

"Your Majesty is here!"

Following the eunuch's shrill call of greeting, Wu Zetian entered the hall. All the ministers knelt in unison, "Your Majesty!"

"Stand up." Wu Zhao waved her sleeves, and the lingering scent of ambergris spread in the air.

She sat upright on the dragon throne, her eyes sweeping across everyone in the hall like lightning.

The palace maids immediately stepped forward to help her take off her cloak, revealing her court dress embroidered with nine golden dragons.

"My dear friends."

Wu Zhao spoke calmly, "I believe everyone already knows that Princess Xiuning went to the front line without permission."

Since we want to test the ministers' attitudes, we cannot reveal our intentions right at the beginning. We need to proceed step by step.

The incident involving Wu Xiuning is a good entry point, and by following this incident we can slowly guide everyone to think about the merger.

A whisper suddenly rang out in the hall.

Prime Minister Di Ying stepped forward and said, "I heard that Her Highness was in danger. Fortunately, His Majesty the Emperor of Chu personally rescued her. This is truly a blessing for our Great Zhou."

"Yes, yes!" The Minister of War quickly echoed, "His Majesty the Emperor of Chu led 3,000 cavalrymen through Han territory as if entering an uninhabited area. Such courage and insight are rare in ancient and modern times!"

The Minister of Works stroked his beard and sighed, "What's even more rare is that a king of a country would personally risk his life for a princess from a foreign country. This friendship is truly unbelievable."

Wu Zhao watched coldly as the ministers praised Chu Ning, a barely perceptible curve appearing at the corner of her lips.

When the discussion died down, she suddenly changed the subject: "Aren't you all curious why the Emperor of Chu would go to such great lengths to save Xiuning?"

The hall suddenly became quiet.

Grand Marshal Pei Yan's brows jumped, and the tablet in his hand unconsciously tightened a little.

This issue indeed troubled many ministers - Chu Ning's risky act of rescue had long gone beyond the scope of friendship.

Amidst the crowd's bewildered gazes, Wu Zhao slowly stood up and spoke word by word, "Because Xiuning is the daughter of me and the Emperor of Chu."

"boom--"

It was like a bolt of thunder striking the throne room.

The tablet in Pei Yan's hand fell to the ground with a "bang", which was particularly harsh in the silent hall.

Li Junxian's eyes widened, and the muscles under his armor tensed instantly.

Several elderly ministers staggered back and almost lost their balance.

"Your Majesty!" Pei Yan finally found his voice and hurriedly stepped out and knelt, "This matter must not be made public!"

This sentence was like opening the floodgates, and the court immediately exploded:

"Your Majesty, please think twice! This matter concerns the national system!"

"Does Your Highness know? This... this... this..."

"If this gets out, how will our Great Zhou maintain its reputation?"

The civil officials were so anxious that their faces turned red, while the military generals looked at each other in confusion.

Only Prime Minister Di Ying looked at Wu Zhao thoughtfully, then lowered his head and remained silent - this old fox seemed to have already seen the clues.

Wu Zhao looked coldly at the chaotic court officials, and only spoke again after the noise gradually died down:

"This is a fact and there is no need to hide it."

Her voice was not loud, but everyone could hear it clearly: "Xiuning has already reached the age of marriage and has the right to know her own life experience, not to mention..."

The Empress's gaze swept over the crowd. "Chu Ning risked his life to save her. If I were to conceal even this truth, wouldn't the world laugh at me for being heartless and disloyal?"

There was silence in the hall.

The ministers had to admit that if it were them, they would never lead 3,000 cavalrymen across the enemy country to save a daughter like Chu Ning did.

This courage and friendship are truly moving.

Pei Yan refused to give up. He kowtowed heavily, resting his forehead on the cold gold brick. "Your Majesty! Now that Chu has occupied the lands of the six kingdoms and its military is at full strength, if the Emperor of Chu seizes this opportunity to demand the princess, how should our dynasty respond?"

He knew the empress's weakness too well, and every word pierced his heart: "Your Highness the Princess is your Majesty's only flesh and blood!"

These words really worked. Several ministers immediately echoed: "Yes, Your Majesty, this matter requires further consideration!"

"It's better to block the news first!"

"What if the State of Chu uses this as an excuse to send troops?"

Wu Zhao's face became increasingly cold.

Suddenly, she slammed the dragon table hard, and with a loud "bang", the dust on the beams of the hall fell down.

"enough!"

The empress's angry roar made everyone silent.

She stood up, the golden threads on her dragon robe gleaming in the morning light. "I'm here to inform you today, not to discuss matters! I've already announced Xiuning's life story to the world, and your objections are useless!"

She walked down the stairs step by step, the sound of her boots on the golden bricks like a war drum: "As for what Pei Aiqing is worried about..."

Wu Zhao stopped in front of Pei Yan and looked down at him condescendingly: "Do you think that with the current strength of the Chu State, if it really wants to use military force against our dynasty, it still needs an excuse?"

Pei Yan trembled all over and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Wu Zhao turned and looked around at her ministers, her voice suddenly rising: "Everyone, please think carefully about the future of the Great Zhou! Is it going to follow the same fate as the other six kingdoms?"

These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew outside the palace, carrying fine snow particles that penetrated through the cracks in the door and hit the faces of the ministers, making them feel freezing cold.

Wu Zhao said no more and left with a flick of her sleeves.

The cloak fluttered behind her like a dark cloud passing through the court.

The palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly followed, leaving only a mess of footprints on the ground.

There was deathly silence in the Golden Palace.

Pei Yan sat slumped on the ground, his official hat askew, no longer as majestic as before.

Di Ying looked in the direction where the empress left, with a gleam in his eyes.

Li Junxian clenched his hands, his knuckles turning white.

The copper clock in the corner of the hall ticked, and the snow light shone through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on everyone's face.

On this cold winter morning, the sky of the Great Zhou Dynasty changed.