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

Chu Ning's gaze seemed to penetrate the city wall as he looked towards the direction of the imperial palace: "Go and report to your Empress Dowager Cixi, Dugu Jia."

"Just say that the Great Chu Emperor, Chu Ning, has his troops at the gates of the city and asks her to come... and answer."

On the top of the city wall, the chief general in charge of the defense of the east gate was a general named Zhang Ben.

When he heard Chu Ning directly ask to see the Queen Mother, he was shocked. He knew that this matter was of great importance and he had no right to make the decision.

He hesitated for a moment, bowed towards the city, and replied in a dry voice:

"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will send someone to the palace to consult the Queen Mother!"

After saying this, he immediately turned around and whispered a few quick instructions to a trusted captain.

The captain did not dare to delay. He crawled down the city wall and ran towards the palace.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning said no more and just stood quietly in front of the formation, waiting.

He knew that the real game had just begun.

His appearance and those words, like a huge rock thrown into stagnant water, have stirred up waves in Chang'an City that cannot be calmed down.

Chang'an City, deep inside the imperial palace, inside Changle Palace.

Although the enemy was at the gates outside, the atmosphere inside the palace was as oppressive as the dead silence before a storm.

Dugu Jia sat upright on the phoenix couch, his face covered with a layer of frost, his fingers unconsciously twisting a string of cold jade beads, trying to calm the turbulent waves in his heart.

Liu Xiang was like a frightened rabbit, huddled to the side, not daring to breathe.

At this moment, a guard led the dusty and breathless East Gate Captain into the hall in a hurry.

The captain fell to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling with fear and running:

"Report... Report to the Queen Mother! Your Highness! Emperor Chu... Emperor Chu Ning of Chu has personally led the army and has arrived outside the East Gate!"

"He... he's right outside the city walls right now, calling out names and asking... asking Your Majesty to come up to the city walls and answer them!"

This news, like the final judgment, was finally delivered to us.

Although he was prepared, Dugu Jia's heart still suddenly sank, and a cold chill instantly spread throughout his limbs.

Chu Ning, finally here!

And it came so quickly and so aggressively!

However, the long-term power struggle has cultivated in her a strong ability to conceal.

She forced herself to suppress the throbbing in her heart. Instead of panic, her face showed a sneer of extreme disdain. Her voice was sharp and full of sarcasm:

"Humph! Answer? Is Chu Ning worthy enough for me to personally go up to the city wall to have a conversation with him? What a joke!"

"He simply wants to take this opportunity to humiliate me in front of the enemy and undermine the morale of my soldiers defending the city! How can I allow such a crude trick to succeed?"

She became more and more angry as she spoke, and suddenly slapped the armrest of the phoenix couch: "Go tell Chu Ning! I am in this palace. If he really has the ability, he can bring his Chu army to attack us!"

"If you want to see me, you must speak with strength! Before that, I will never set foot on the city wall and engage in a meaningless verbal dispute with him! Give him up!"

These words were spoken with absolute certainty, full of the Empress Dowager's majesty and determination.

The captain was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, replied "yes", and turned around to pass on the message.

"and many more!"

Liu Xiang, who had been shrinking aside, suddenly spoke timidly.

He looked pale as he looked at his furious mother. He swallowed his saliva and mustered up his courage. His voice was as soft as a mosquito's, but it carried a hint of clarity.

"Mother...Mother, please...please think twice! I think...this...this might be Chu Ning's conspiracy!"

"Open conspiracy?"

Dugu Jia's sharp eyes were instantly fixed on his son.

Liu Xiang shuddered at her gaze, but still said with a stiff upper lip, "Yes... yes, mother, remember, Chu Ning made a big fuss and asked to see you at the foot of the city."

"If you flatly refuse and stay indoors... he'll definitely make a big fuss about it."

"They even spread the word...that you, Queen Mother, were afraid of him and dared not show up, causing the army to lose morale and suffer a significant drop."

"Even if your original intention was to avoid being demoralized by him, the result would be... it would play right into his hands, making the defenders think we're weak!"

These words were like ice water poured over his head, causing Dugu Jia, who was already in a state of rage, to shudder suddenly!

She reacted instantly!

Yes, Chu Ning’s move seemed to be an attempt to have a conversation with her, but in fact it was a carefully designed trap!

If you go, you may be verbally frustrated and humiliated by him in public.

But not going would be tantamount to admitting cowardice, which would also deal a devastating blow to the already shaky military morale!

Whether he goes or not, Chu Ning can achieve the goal of weakening the morale of the defenders!

"What a treacherous Chu Ning! He is indeed a despicable and shameless person!"

Dugu Jia figured this out and was so angry that he gritted his teeth and his chest heaved violently.

She found that she had been tricked by Chu Ning again without realizing it!

After calming down, she quickly weighed the pros and cons.

It is absolutely impossible to go there in person. The risk is too great and it would be beneath one's dignity.

But completely ignoring it would, as Liu Xiang said, encourage the arrogance of the Chu army and undermine their own morale.

Someone must be sent!

Send someone who is influential enough and can represent her attitude!

Her eyes quickly filtered out the available people in her mind.

Wang Yu? Quick-witted, but not always reliable in crucial moments.

Zhang Tao? A mere warrior, he probably couldn't win an argument with Chu Ning.

Other officials either do not have high enough status or are not capable of taking on important roles.

Finally, a person's name came to her mind - Guanglu Doctor, Li Bi!

This veteran minister has extensive experience and is quite prestigious in the court. He is tactful and sophisticated in his handling of affairs. In recent days, he has been very active and has taken the initiative to undertake many matters related to defending the city. He seems to be trustworthy.

By coming forward, he not only showed his response to Chu Ning's request and preserved his dignity, but also used his eloquence to deal with Chu Ning and convey his own tough stance.

"Humph!"

Dugu Jia snorted coldly, having made up her mind, she instructed the captain who was still kneeling on the ground:

"Go to the East Gate and deliver my oral instructions. Tell them that I am not feeling well and cannot come up to the city walls to get some fresh air."

"I have specially dispatched Li Bi, the Imperial Household Official, to represent me and the Han court in a dialogue with the Emperor of Chu!"

She paused, then added in a stern tone, "Go to Li Bi's residence and pass on the order, asking him to go to the East Gate immediately!"

"Tell him that when facing Chu Ning, he must be neither humble nor arrogant, and his words must be firm!"

"We must make Chu Ning understand that the entire Chang'an City is united and vows to live and die with the city!"

"We must not weaken the prestige of the Han Chinese and undermine the morale of the defenders! If we fail... let him bear the consequences himself!"

"The slave obeys the order!"

The captain kowtowed as if he had been pardoned, crawled out of the palace, and went to convey the empress dowager's orders.

Once again, only mother and son were left in the palace.

Dugu Jia leaned tiredly on the phoenix couch with a sinister look in his eyes.

She knew that sending Li Bi might not gain any benefit, as Chu Ning was definitely not someone to be dealt with easily.

But this is the best choice she can make under the current circumstances. At least it can temporarily stabilize the situation and prevent Chu Ning's psychological warfare plan from succeeding easily.

Afterwards, when Li Bi received the imperial edict, his heart was filled with another storm of shock.

The Queen Mother sent him to face Chu Ning at this critical juncture, which was clearly putting him on the fire!

But he had no choice but to bite the bullet, straighten his clothes, and walk towards the danger-ridden East Gate city wall with an extremely complicated and uneasy mood.

A special dialogue concerning the morale of Chang'an City is about to unfold on the city walls where swords and guns are everywhere.