Dressed as the prince's substitute? I took the throne

"Yes!"

Murong Xue continued, "My father said at the time that there was a leader among those sorcerers named Zhang Lin, known as the Old Heavenly Master. He could calculate 500 years in the past and 500 years in the future, and he could even deduce the location of dragon veins and the prosperity of the dynasty!"

"However, when the emperor of the time was inquiring about the fate of the Wu Dynasty, Zhang Lin mentioned a crime that was punishable by death at the time: the lifting of the maritime ban!"

"During the Wu Dynasty, because there was no maritime ban, countless bandits passed through the coast or landed in the Wu Dynasty disguised as merchants. They then caused chaos and harmed the people. The then Emperor Wu was furious and issued an order for a maritime ban. He also issued a strict order that anyone who dared to dissent would be killed without mercy!"

Zhou Chuxuan nodded. This was quite similar to his own understanding. "I can understand why Emperor Wu issued the maritime ban. Those bandits did cause great harm to the people of the Wu Dynasty. Moreover, mobilizing the army to deal with them would be too expensive. It would not be worth it!"

"What happened next? What does this have to do with those warlocks?"

Murong Xue shook her head. "Old Heavenly Master Zhang Lin is a frank and outspoken person. He said that as long as the Wu Dynasty does not lift the maritime ban, within three hundred years, the dragon vein of the Wu Dynasty will be completely severed! From then on, it will be destroyed!"

This angered the emperor at the time, and he ordered the arrest of the old Heavenly Master Zhang Lin and his sorcerers. However, the old Heavenly Master actually vanished into thin air, like a terrestrial immortal. By the time the soldiers entered the mansion, the old Heavenly Master had already vanished!

"In desperation, Emperor Wu ordered the hunt for all sorcerers within the Wu Dynasty. During that period, the Wu Dynasty's sorcerers were forced into hiding... From then on, talented sorcerers were no longer very popular within the Wu Dynasty!"

Zhou Chuxuan smiled and said, "I see! I was saying it. How could the vast territory of the Wu Dynasty, covering tens of millions of miles, be less than a small island owned by the King of Jin?"

"Your Highness, if you really want to find them, you can go look for the successor of the old Taoist priest Zhang Lin. If you can get his help, I think it should be no problem to fight against the divination of the Jin King's lineage!"

Nangong Yanling analyzed.

"Yeah, that's what I mean!"

Zhou Chuxuan smiled and said, "Let's go upstairs. We'll talk about this tomorrow!"

"it is good!"

...

The next morning, in the Taiji Hall, civil and military officials were discussing the matter.

There was no other reason, Zhou Chuxuan wanted to lift the maritime ban.

Now, even some officials who had originally been convinced of Zhou Chuxuan stood up and expressed their opposition.

"Your Highness, this maritime ban has lasted for hundreds of years. The Wu Dynasty was once plagued by overseas pirates and bandits for countless years. Lifting the maritime ban now is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house!"

"Yes, Your Highness, this is absolutely not feasible. Otherwise, it will be a disaster for the people along the coast!"

"Your Highness, please think twice!"

There were voices of persuasion in the Taiji Hall, but they did not change Zhou Chuxuan's mind.

Zhou Chuxuan, holding the Jade Ruyi in his hand, stood in front of the dragon throne and said with a smile, "Everyone, you all take the people of the world as your responsibility. I am very happy! But there are some things that we can't stick to the rules!"

"Otherwise, if our Wu Dynasty doesn't seek reform, and other countries take the lead in reforming, won't our Wu Dynasty decline? And everyone, think about why the Wu Dynasty implemented a maritime ban in the first place?"

"Isn't it because the Wu Dynasty's military strength is not strong enough? If we send troops to eliminate the bandits, it will require a huge amount of military expenditure. But now we are promoting new weapons, which can definitely wipe out the bandits. If they dare to come, they will definitely not return!"

"Don't you all have a rough idea of ​​the power of my Equality of All Beings?"

The civil and military officials looked at each other and started to chatter quietly.

"Indeed, Your Highness's Equality of All Beings is truly extraordinary. If it can be extended to the Wu Dynasty's army, dealing with those small-time bandits will be a piece of cake!"

"No, absolutely not! Lifting the maritime ban will cause coastal residents to stop farming and just think about making a fortune out of sea fishing! If this continues, the country will be ruined!"

"..."

Even though there were many young talents, all of whom were selected by Zhou Chuxuan himself, the Wu Dynasty's moral principles and etiquette had a profound influence on people, and these ideological concepts could not be changed in a short time.

Zhou Chuxuan shook his head. "Everyone, the total amount of silver in the treasury is 1.5 million taels! How about lifting the maritime ban for three months and then seeing how much silver the treasury has before making a decision?"

Zhou Chuxuan's voice was firm, sonorous and powerful, resounding throughout the Taiji Hall and reaching the ears of every civil official and military officer.

Everyone saluted together: "Yes, Your Highness!"

After the court was dismissed, Nangong Yanling and Murong Xue followed Zhou Chuxuan, one on each side. "Your Highness, where are we going?"

"The Empress Dowager's Underground Palace!"

There was a solemn look in Zhou Chuxuan's eyes. Earlier in the morning court, Canglang suddenly appeared at the door, winked at him, and disappeared this way.

He immediately realized that something had happened in the underground palace.

Sure enough, as soon as they approached the abandoned palace, they saw bloodstains inside.

Walking further inside, we found the bodies of palace maids lying on the ground in all directions. Their eyes were wide open, as if they died with their eyes open. They were holding sharp blades in their hands. They must have fought with others and died because they were defeated.

Nangong Yanling immediately took out a pistol from his waist, walked ahead and began to explore the way for Zhou Chuxuan.

When they arrived at the underground palace, they found the empress dowager who was only breathing her last breath.

Seeing Zhou Chuxuan coming, the empress dowager stretched out her hand and waved to Zhou Chuxuan, but at this time the empress dowager was obviously at the end of her strength, and her eyes were full of anxiety and unwillingness.

Zhou Chuxuan quickly stepped forward and looked at the multiple wounds on the Empress Dowager's body with a serious look in his eyes: "Was it done by Prince Jin's men?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager nodded vigorously, but she never said a word. She was almost dying, but she had a little obsession in her heart and didn't want to die here in such a miserable way.

Zhou Chuxuan was about to say something when the Empress Dowager handed him a broken jade pendant: "Empress Dowager, what is this?"

The Queen Mother opened her mouth hard to say something, but still couldn't utter a word.

Zhou Chuxuan judged from his mouth shape that it was King Jin!

"It was left behind by King Jin's men!"

The Empress Dowager nodded vigorously, then closed her eyes weakly.

"Your Highness, the Queen Mother's body is covered with knife wounds, but the placement of each knife is extremely precise!"

"He's a master, an absolute master!"