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

Sunlight shines through the carved window lattices of Fengyi Hall, casting mottled shadows on the green jade floor tiles.

Wu Zhao was leaning on the couch, still wearing yesterday's court dress, the phoenix pattern embroidered with gold thread already had some wrinkles.

Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the edge of the teacup. The tea had already gone cold, with a thin layer of tea film floating on it.

The sound of the palace door being gently pushed open made her look up suddenly.

Chu Ning stood against the light, his black dragon robe stained with a few dark red spots, not sure if it was blood or the reflection of the morning glow.

He was surrounded by a smell of gunpowder and rust, the unique smell of the battlefield.

"What's the situation?" Wu Zhao stepped forward quickly, her embroidered shoes making crisp sounds as they stepped on the floor tiles.

She raised her face, and the two dark circles under her eyes were particularly obvious on her pale face, and the bloodshot in her eyes were like fine spider webs.

Chu Ning did not answer immediately, but put his arm around her slender waist.

Where his fingertips touched, he could clearly feel her slight trembling.

"Didn't I tell you to wait for news in the palace?"

His voice was low, and his thumb gently stroked the corner of her eye: "Why didn't you sleep all night?"

Wu Zhao shook her head, and the golden hairpins in her bun swayed, drawing fine golden lines in the morning light.

"How can I sleep in this situation?" she said.

Grabbing Chu Ning's sleeve, his nails almost dug into the fabric: "Tell me quickly, what's the situation?"

Chu Ning raised the corners of his lips slightly, and this smile instantly made his handsome face lively: "If I take action, there will be no problem."

Behind his light-hearted words were the lives of more than 4,000 people from the eight great families.

Wu Zhao let out a long sigh, and her tense shoulders finally relaxed.

She turned and walked to the window. The sunlight gilded her face, highlighting the graceful outline of her profile.

"Now that the eight great families have been eliminated, there will be no more obstacles to the annexation of the Great Zhou into the State of Chu."

Her voice was soft, but it carried an unquestionable determination.

A hint of admiration flashed in Chu Ning's eyes.

This is exactly what he admired about Wu Zhao - she never hesitated when it was time to be ruthless.

He walked behind her, put his hands on the window frame, and enclosed her in his shadow:

"I have the same intention. Why not summon all the officials now and announce it to the world?"

"Now?" Wu Zhao tilted her head slightly, her hair brushing against Chu Ning's nose, with a faint scent of ambergris.

"Before they recover from the shock of last night."

Chu Ning's breath sprayed on her ear: "By the time they figure out the connection, it will be too late."

Wu Zhao was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, "You've been planning this for a long time, haven't you? You've been waiting for this opportunity since the day you proposed the merger."

Chu Ning didn't comment, but took her hand and kissed her palm: "Go change into court clothes, my queen. From today on, you will start a new chapter."

An hour later, the atmosphere in the Golden Throne Hall was so heavy that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.

The once solemn and dignified hall was now extremely cold. Although the sun was shining brightly outside the window, it could not penetrate the chilling atmosphere of this power center.

The ministers gathered together in twos and threes, talking in low voices.

Many of them were still wearing soft armor under their official robes, and it was obvious that they were on the alert last night.

When the eunuch outside the hall announced in a shrill voice, "His Majesty has arrived," everyone immediately fell silent and knelt on the ground.

However, when the ministers looked up, they saw a shocking scene - two figures standing side by side in front of the dragon throne.

Wu Zhao wore a bright red phoenix robe and a nine-dragon and four-phoenix crown on her head, while Chu Ning wore a black dragon robe and a jade belt around his waist engraved with the Chu State's coiled dragon pattern.

The two stood together, one bright as a blazing fire, the other deep as a cold pond.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Emperor of Chu!" The ministers' voices were mixed, revealing their inner panic.

Wu Zhao waved her sleeves and said, "My dear ministers, please stand up."

Her voice was even colder than usual: "I have called you all together to announce two important events."

You could hear a pin drop in the hall, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the empress's next words.

"First, the eight great families colluded with the Han Dynasty and intended to assassinate the Emperor of Chu."

Wu Zhao's gaze swept across the ministers, and everyone she looked at couldn't help but shrink their neck.

"After their conspiracy was exposed, they dared to gather together to rebel. I have ordered the extermination of all nine generations of their clan!"

A suppressed gasp echoed in the hall.

Although everyone had heard the rumors a long time ago, they still felt a chill run down their spines when they heard the empress's announcement in person.

Especially when seeing the faint smile on the corner of the mouth of the Emperor of Chu who was standing next to the empress, it was even more chilling.

Wu Zhao did not give the ministers time to think, and immediately said, "The second thing is that the announcement of the Great Zhou's annexation of the Chu State, which was originally scheduled to be announced last night, was postponed due to the assassination."

She paused for a moment, then raised her voice suddenly: "Today, I declare that the Great Zhou will be officially incorporated into the State of Chu!"

"boom--"

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

Despite having anticipated this, several elderly ministers still staggered and nearly fainted when the merger was actually announced.

However, looking around, no one dared to stand up and oppose - those ministers who had opposed the merger either died suddenly for unknown reasons or "happened" to be guests at the mansions of the eight great families last night, and now became corpses in a mass grave.

Wu Zhao looked at the ministers' reactions with satisfaction, then turned to look at Chu Ning, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes:

"Next, the Great Zhou will be handed over to you."

The female official at the side walked slowly forward with a gilded tray in her hand. On the tray was the imperial seal of the Great Zhou Dynasty - a piece of crystal-white Hetian jade with five lifelike golden dragons entwined on it.

Wu Zhao personally held the jade seal and gently stroked the eyes of the largest golden dragon with her fingertips. This was the last time she touched this treasure that symbolized supreme power.

Chu Ning solemnly took the imperial seal, feeling its heavy weight in his hands: "Don't worry, I will treat this land and its people well."

He turned to face the ministers, his black dragon robe fluttering without a breeze, and an invisible pressure instantly enveloped the entire Golden Throne Hall:

"From now on, this place is the territory of Chu!"

His voice was not loud, but it was like thunder exploding in the ears of every minister: "Empress Wu Zhao will return to Chu with me and be canonized as Vice Empress, with the same status as the Empress."

When the word "Deputy Queen" came out, Wu Zhao's pupils shrank slightly.

This was different from the position of "Imperial Noble Consort" that they had discussed before, but she could not show any abnormality at the moment and could only maintain a dignified smile.

Chu Ning continued, "Di Ying, the former Prime Minister of the Great Zhou, has been promoted to Right Prime Minister of the State of Chu, in charge of all government affairs within the former Great Zhou. The remaining officials will remain in their original positions for the time being, and a decision will be made after an assessment."

The ministers in the palace looked at each other in shock.

Di Ying was a well-known pro-Chu faction, and "deciding after assessment" meant that the official positions of all of them were in jeopardy.

But in the face of the Chu cavalry and last night's bloody purge, no one dared to raise any objections.

"We will obey your Majesty's command!" All the officials knelt down and kowtowed, their foreheads touching the cold floor tiles, as if this could hide their trembling hands.

Chu Ning nodded with satisfaction, turned to Wu Zhao and extended his hand: "How about following me to see your new palace?"

Wu Zhao placed her hand on his palm, her fingertips cold: "I will obey your majesty's order."

The two men walked out of the Golden Palace hand in hand, leaving all the civil and military officials in the court kneeling on the ground.

The sunlight shone through the temple door, stretching their shadows very long, and finally merging together, becoming indistinguishable from each other.

Outside the hall, the dragon flag of Chu State had been raised, side by side with the original flag of the Great Zhou State.

The breeze blew, and the flags fluttered, as if announcing the end of one era and the beginning of another.