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

The wind and snow hit the window frames of the Linde Hall, making a crackling sound.

Cui Gaoyi turned around and took just three steps when the heavy palace door behind him suddenly creaked open. Warm yellow light streamed out from the gap in the door, casting a golden trail on the snow.

"Why is Mr. Cui in such a hurry to leave?"

Empress Wu Zetian's voice echoed from the palace, its coldness carrying an irresistible majesty: "Since you are here, please come in with the others."

Cui Gaoyi paused, his wide sleeves trembling slightly in the cold wind.

He sighed deeply, and the white air he exhaled quickly dissipated in front of him.

There's no way to escape this after all.

When he turned around, he saw the same complicated expressions on the faces of the other seven family heads - surprise, uneasiness, and a hint of hidden anticipation.

"Everyone," Cui Gaoyi said in a low voice, "Let's go in together."

The seven people looked at each other, their eyes conveying silent communication.

Finally, Li Chong took the first step, his iron boots making a dull sound as they stepped on the stone steps in front of the hall.

Others followed closely behind, filing in.

The moment you step into the hall, a warm breath hits you, mixed with the elegant scent of ambergris.

Cui Gaoyi squinted his eyes and adjusted to the suddenly bright light.

When he saw the situation inside the hall clearly, his pupils contracted involuntarily—

Empress Wu Zetian sat upright on the dragon throne, her bright yellow dragon robe shining brightly in the candlelight.

What shocked everyone was that the Chu Emperor Chu Ning was sitting side by side with her, also sitting on a dragon throne!

There was only a small sandalwood table between the two of them, on which lay an unfinished game of chess.

"Greetings to Your Majesty, greetings to His Majesty the Emperor of Chu!" The eight people bowed at the same time, and their voices echoed in the empty hall.

Wu Zhao nodded slightly, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the armrest: "You all came here again tonight, I believe you have already made a decision."

Her eyes swept across everyone's face, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"I believe you will make the best choice for your own benefit."

Cui Gaoyi felt a chill running up his spine.

The Empress' words couldn't be clearer - tonight we were not here to discuss matters, but to hear their opinions.

"Please rest assured, everyone." Chu Ning spoke, his voice was not loud but full of power.

He was younger than Cui Gaoyi had imagined, probably in his early thirties, with a resolute face and eyes as sharp as an eagle.

The most striking thing is the shallow scar on his left eyebrow, which is said to have been left during the conquest of Zhao State.

"If the Great Zhou Dynasty were to be incorporated into our dynasty!"

Chu Ning continued, his fingers unconsciously stroking a black jade chess piece: "I promise you that you will earn much more every year than you do now!"

The hall was silent, with only the occasional crackling of candlelight.

Cui Gaoyi noticed that Xie An's fingers were trembling slightly in his sleeves, Wang Yan's Adam's apple was rolling up and down, and Li Chong's eyes were wide open.

"What you say is unfounded."

Cui Gaoyi took a half step forward and said in a steady voice, "How can His Majesty the Emperor of Chu assure us that this is true?"

Chu Ning raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he had expected this question.

He put down the chess piece and folded his hands on his knees. "Mr. Cui is cautious, and I admire that."

As he spoke, he pulled out a scroll of silk from under the table and slowly unfolded it: "This is the Trade Order I drafted, and it's stamped with the Imperial Seal of the State of Chu."

Cui Gaoyi narrowed his eyes slightly and saw the densely written clauses on the silk. Chu Ning's voice continued to echo in the hall:

"I have swept across the five kingdoms, and now there are still many places that need to be built, which requires a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources."

He stood up, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the candlelight. "If you are willing to expand your business to other places, I can give you this right!"

He walked up to the eight family heads, his steps steady and powerful. "As long as you pay a certain amount of taxes every year, your business will be able to expand into places you've never been to before! For example, places like Zhao, Yan, Qin, Jin, and Wei, where everything is in ruins and needs to be redeveloped, are great opportunities to make money!"

Cui Gaoyi heard a gasp behind him.

Chu Ning's words hit the nail on the head for the aristocratic families - although they were deeply rooted in the Great Zhou, they were unable to extend their tentacles to other countries.

Now Chu Ning actually took the initiative to open this door!

"Of course!"

Chu Ning turned back to his seat, his tone a little more relaxed: "If you want to trade with my Chu family, I will also give you the right to act at your convenience and be the middleman."

These words were like a huge rock dropped into calm waters.

Li Chong was the first to lose his composure, his gruff voice booming through the hall: "Is this true? His Majesty the Emperor of Chu is willing to allow us to expand our business to the six kingdoms?"

Chu Ning raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "My words are always my bond."

He looked at Wu Zhao beside him and said, "Besides, in front of Her Majesty the Empress, do you think I have any reason to lie to you?"

Cui Gaoyi secretly observed the reactions of the other family heads.

The folding fan in Xie An's hand had been put away at some point, his fingertips had turned white, Zheng Huan's beard trembled slightly, and even the usually calm Wang Yan had excitement in his eyes.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, his heart beat faster involuntarily.

What a huge temptation! Although the Great Zhou is rich, it is only a country after all.

If we can open up the trade routes of the six countries, the family's power will increase tenfold or even a hundredfold!

Cui Gaoyi seemed to see the Cui family's caravans shuttling through the newly conquered lands, with gold and silver pouring into the warehouse like water!

"If that's the case..." Li Chong's resonant voice interrupted his thoughts: "My Li family is willing to support!"

This sound was like opening a floodgate.

Zheng Huan followed closely behind: "The Zheng family is willing to serve you!"

Yang Yan and Lu Wenbin also expressed their opinions.

Xie An bowed gracefully: "The Xie family is willing to share your majesty's worries."

Xiao Hongde and Wang Yan naturally did not want to be left behind, and responded in unison.

Everyone's eyes fell on Cui Gaoyi.

The hall was eerily quiet for a moment; even the sound of burning candles could be heard clearly.

Cui Gaoyi took a deep breath and slowly knelt down: "The Cui family is willing to support the merger of the two countries."

The moment he said this, he felt a strange sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from him.

Chu Ning finally showed a satisfied smile on his face: "Very good."

He stood up and looked down at the eight family heads: "Since that's the case, then you will release the news tomorrow."

"When your news spreads throughout the Zhou Dynasty," Wu Zhao took over, her voice as cold as ice and jade, "I will order the merger."

Cui Gaoyi nodded in agreement, but his heart was filled with turmoil.

Chu Ning played this trick beautifully - first let the aristocratic families spread the word to test public opinion, and then the empress "followed" public opinion and announced the merger.

In this way, a smooth transition can be achieved and civil unrest can be avoided.

"If you have no other questions!"

Chu Ning sat back on the dragon chair and tapped the armrests lightly with his fingers: "You can leave now."

The eight people bowed again and slowly left the hall.

When the heavy palace door closed behind him, Cui Gaoyi realized that his back was soaked.

The night wind blew, bringing a biting chill.

The other family heads couldn't wait to start whispering, their words full of excitement.

Cui Gaoyi remained silent and looked up at the dark night sky.

I don't know when the snow stopped, the clouds dispersed, revealing a few cold stars.

It took Chu Ning less than two days to make them willingly hand over the Great Zhou Dynasty.

With such means and such scheming, it is no wonder that he was able to sweep across five countries in just seven years.

Cui Gaoyi took one last look at the brightly lit Linde Hall, then turned and stepped into the night.

He knew that from tonight on, the Great Zhou Dynasty was dead in name only.

The fate of the eight great families will be closely linked to the State of Chu!