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

The imperial palace in the wind and snow is like a dormant giant beast, and the dark palace walls look even more majestic in the snowy night.

When Cui Gaoyi's sedan chair stopped in front of the palace gate, the snow had already reached his ankles. He opened the curtains, and the biting cold wind immediately blew into his neck, making him shiver involuntarily.

The imperial guards on both sides of the palace gate were wearing iron armor, with a thin layer of snow on their helmets, which gleamed coldly under the torches.

When the leading captain saw that it was Cui Gaoyi who walked out of the sedan chair, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he quickly stepped forward to salute.

"Mr. Cui came into the palace late at night. Is there something important?" The captain spoke respectfully, but his eyes were wandering.

Cui Gaoyi straightened his robe, which had been ruffled by the wind, and said in a deep voice, "I, Cui Gaoyi, seek an audience with Her Majesty the Empress. Please inform me!"

Upon hearing this, the captain's face showed a strange expression. He whispered, "Strange! Did the heads of the eight great families come to see His Majesty so late tonight?"

"What?" Cui Gaoyi's pupils suddenly contracted, and he grabbed the captain's wrist: "What do you mean by that?"

The captain felt pain, but did not dare to break free, and just forced a smile: "My little one is too talkative. Look at your face."

Cui Gaoyi loosened his hand, took out a silver note from his sleeve, and calmly put it into the captain's hand.

The captain took a quick look in the torchlight and saw that it was a hundred taels. He immediately smiled and said in a low voice:

"In reply to Lord Cui, the other seven family heads have already gone in. Their purpose for coming here is the same as yours: to see His Majesty."

These words exploded like thunder in Cui Gaoyi's ears.

His face turned pale in an instant, and even his breathing stopped.

All seven family heads are here? And they have the same purpose? Could it be...

"Take me in quickly!" Cui Gaoyi said sternly, his voice trembling slightly with urgency.

The captain, who had received the banknotes, dared not neglect them. He quickly ordered his men to open the side door and personally led the way:

"Mr. Cui, please follow me. The roads are slippery in the snow, so please be careful where you step."

After passing through the palace gate, you will see a long palace road with high walls on both sides, blocking the wind and snow out.

Cui Gaoyi walked hurriedly, but his heart was in turmoil.

What did it mean for seven family heads to enter the palace at the same time? Why were they so eager? Could it be that they, like him, had sensed Chu Ning's plan?

At the bend at the end of the palace road, a cold wind blew snowflakes in his face, causing Cui Gaoyi to squint his eyes.

In this split second, a terrible idea suddenly struck him - Chu Ning met with Xiao Hongde and Wang Yan alone not to win them over, but to create suspicion among the eight major families!

"What a good trick to sow discord!" Cui Gaoyi paused slightly, secretly shocked.

Chu Ning deliberately let Wang Yan reveal the so-called "benefits" in order to make these family heads panic and fear that they would fall behind others.

Once someone takes the lead in surrendering to the empress, others will surely be unable to sit still and will follow suit.

Thinking of this, cold sweat broke out on Cui Gaoyi's forehead.

He thought he had seen through Chu Ning's plan, but he didn't expect that he was still led by the other party.

The Chu emperor who conquered five kingdoms in seven years was indeed worthy of his reputation.

"Mr. Cui, the Linde Hall is ahead." The captain's voice brought him back to reality.

Looking up, I saw a towering palace standing in the wind and snow, and the copper bells hanging on the eaves jingled in the wind.

In the square in front of the palace, six familiar figures were pacing back and forth, looking at the closed palace door from time to time.

Cui Gaoyi sneered and strode forward: "You all came earlier than me!"

The six people turned around when they heard the sound, with different expressions.

Li Chong came from a military background. Upon hearing this, his face turned red and he turned away in embarrassment.

Xie An gently waved his folding fan, which seemed inappropriate on such a snowy day, but he still maintained the demeanor of a noble family.

"If we didn't come, I'm afraid the Xiao family and the Wang family would have taken the lead!" Xie An chuckled, but there was no smile in his eyes.

Cui Gaoyi's eyes were like lightning, sweeping over everyone present - Li Chong, Xie An, Zheng Huan, Yang Yan, Lu Wenbin, Xiao Hongde, but not Wang Yan.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Xie An: "Where is Wang Yan?"

"inside."

Xie An pointed to the closed palace door and said, "He was the first one to arrive. He has been negotiating with the empress for an incense stick of time."

Cui Gaoyi was struck by lightning, and his face instantly became as gloomy as water.

Only at this moment did he suddenly realize that Wang Yan had no intention of agreeing to Chu Ning's conditions from the beginning!

It was he, Xie An and Wang Su who came to question Wang Yan, forcing him to go to the palace at night to show his loyalty!

"Oh no, this is Chu Ning's real purpose!" Cui Gaoyi smiled bitterly in his heart, digging his nails deeply into his palms.

Chu Ning accurately calculated the suspicions among the aristocratic families and knew that once someone wavered, others would definitely follow suit.

He and Xie An and others became accomplices in promoting this situation.

The wind and snow grew stronger, but Cui Gaoyi didn't feel cold.

He recalled the various legends about Chu Ning - the man who rose from an illegitimate child to become an emperor, the hero who unified the six dynasties in the Central Plains in seven years.

He used to think it was just an exaggeration, but tonight he truly witnessed the terrifying nature of the Chu Emperor.

"Mr. Cui doesn't look well."

Zheng Xuan stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness. "Could it be that you have thought of something as well?"

Cui Gaoyi snorted coldly and did not answer.

He looked at the tightly closed palace door, as if he could see the transaction going on inside through the heavy wooden door.

At this moment, Wang Yan must be expressing his loyalty to the empress and promising to support the annexation of the Zhou Dynasty into the Chu State in exchange for the preservation of his family's interests.

And the empress, the woman who gave birth to Princess Xiuning with Chu Ning, had probably been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"We were all fooled by Chu Ning."

Cui Gaoyi suddenly spoke, his voice as low as thunder: "He doesn't need to try to convince us at all. All he needs to do is sow a little suspicion, and we'll lose our composure."

Xie An's folding fan snapped open, covering half his face. "Mr. Cui is wrong. He who understands the current situation is a hero. The unification of the Chu Kingdom is an inevitable trend. We are just following the trend."

"Go with the flow?"

Cui Gaoyi laughed sarcastically: "Does Lord Xie really think that Chu Ning will treat us surrendered ministers equally? What Wang Yan can get, we may not be able to get."

"Then why did Mr. Cui come here so late at night?" Lu Wenbin asked suddenly.

Cui Gaoyi was speechless.

Yes, he knew it was a trap, but he still came. Wasn't it because he was afraid of falling behind?

Chu Ning's move has completely grasped human nature.

Just when the atmosphere was tense, the door of Linde Hall creaked open.

Wang Yan walked out with a rosy face. When he saw the people waiting outside the hall, he was stunned at first, then he smiled.

"You guys have been waiting for a long time."

Wang Yan bowed and said, his voice full of pride, "Her Majesty is in a very good mood. I believe that you will all get what you want."

Cui Gaoyi looked at Wang Yan's smug face and suddenly felt powerless.

Chu Ning's strategy was so simple, yet so effective - first divide them, then bribe them, and eventually make these aristocratic families give up resistance in order to preserve their own interests.

"Who's next to go in?"

Wang Yan asked with a smile, his eyes sweeping across everyone's faces, finally stopping at Cui Gaoyi:

"Mr. Cui has come a long way, why not..."

"No need." Cui Gaoyi suddenly turned around and strode into the wind and snow.

He had already seen through the outcome of this game, and staying would only bring humiliation upon himself.

Xie An's voice came from behind: "What does Cui Gong mean?"

Cui Gaoyi waved his hand without even turning his head: "Tell the Empress that the Cui family supports the merger."

After saying this, he felt like something was lifted from his heart, but something heavier was pressing down on him.

The snow on the palace road was thicker, making every step difficult.

Cui Gaoyi looked up at the dark night sky. Snowflakes fell on his face and quickly melted into water, just like the last dignity of aristocratic families, silently melting away in this chaotic world.

Chu Ning won without losing a single soldier.