Doing things for money?

Is this how a vassal king speaks to the emperor?

Wu Yunyin gritted her teeth, making a grinding sound, wishing she could tear the memorial to shreds.

"Did you all hear that? These are the regional officials who opposed the reduction of the power of the feudal lords! Issue an imperial edict immediately, giving them five days, or I will wipe them all out before I send troops to the Great Yan!"

As soon as he finished speaking, sighs filled the court.

The imperial court is conscripting soldiers but has no money to pay their salaries. Now, the emperor is so disrespectful to the Three Feudatories. If a civil war breaks out, the imperial court will inevitably be attacked from both sides.

But the officials were helpless. The emperor was autocratic and would not listen to anyone's advice. They could do nothing but obey the imperial decree.

Just as the eunuch was about to deliver the imperial decree, the door to the main hall was pushed open again, and an elderly man over sixty years old walked in from outside.

This person is the current Empress's uncle, and also the Han King Wu Xiaolin of the Wu Kingdom.

His steps were steady and powerful, and although his face was etched with the marks of time, his eyes were still bright and piercing.

Wu Xiaolin wore a black robe embroidered with gold thread. The dragon pattern embroidered on the robe was so lifelike that it highlighted his noble status.

A simple, ancient longsword hung at his waist, its scabbard inlaid with several dazzling gems that emitted a faint, cold light.

"Wait!"

Wu Xiaolin shouted loudly, his voice like a booming bell, causing the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall to involuntarily lower their heads, not daring to even breathe.

His gaze was like lightning, sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Wu Yunyin.

"Your Majesty, the Three Feudatories have already established a strong position, and we must not act recklessly."

Wu Yunyin's gaze faltered slightly. If any other minister had spoken out against it, they would have certainly been killed, but Wu Xiaolin was no ordinary person.

Back then, Chen Zhennan led a rebellion and joined forces with the remnants of Wu Xiaolin's army. Although his military achievements were not as great as Chen Zhennan's, he was definitely a major contributor to the restoration of the country.

After the restoration of the kingdom, Wu Xiaolin should have ascended the throne, but knowing Chen Zhennan's attitude towards Wu Yunyin, he voluntarily relinquished the throne, thus avoiding a lot of trouble.

Although the matter wasn't widely known, it was already common knowledge in the imperial court. Wu Xiaolin's appearance instantly eased the minds of the officials.

Wu Yunyin frowned slightly. She knew the influence of this royal uncle. She slowly stood up and met Wu Xiaolin's gaze.

“Uncle, I know your concerns, but if we do not make a decision soon about the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories, we may end up raising a tiger that will eventually become a threat.”

Wu Yunyin's aura weakened considerably. As the emperor, it was her right to act arbitrarily, but she could not bear the stigma of disrespecting her elders and being unfilial.

"Your Majesty, this old minister is not against abolishing the feudal lords, but the time is not yet right. If raising a tiger is a threat, then we should eliminate it. But if we have enemies on all sides, it would be better to use the tiger to devour the wolf."

"Taming a tiger to devour a wolf?"

Wu Yunyin remained silent for a moment. Wasn't what her imperial uncle was saying just what was in the memorial from the Three Feudatories?

She knew the principle of using a tiger to devour a wolf, but she simply couldn't swallow this insult.

“Uncle, the Three Feudatories are asking me to fund their work. They are brazenly demanding money to do things, but the court needs ten million taels of silver to support them every year. If we give them more money, I'm afraid they will become even more emboldened.”

Wu Yunyin didn't care about spending money, but if she gave them money, where would she put her face as the emperor?

Especially for Zhou Xiang, who was originally Chen Zhennan's subordinate, taking the money doesn't necessarily mean he'll do anything.

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaolin shook his head and sighed helplessly.

"Your Majesty must understand that if you save the land but lose the people, you lose both; if you save the people but lose the land, you save both. Our Great Wu is a great and superior nation, with land and people. Do we care about such a small amount of money?"

As soon as Wu Xiaolin uttered these words, they immediately garnered a chorus of responses from the court officials.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Although the Three Feudatories are important, if they are used properly, they will definitely become a force to be reckoned with when facing external threats. You don't need to turn your attention to yourselves."

"What Grand Secretary Chen said is correct. At present, the most important thing for our Great Wu is to defend against enemies. If we can make peace with neighboring countries and stop the war, that would be even better."

Faced with a series of echoes, Wu Yunyin's anger had reached its peak.

But looking at Wu Xiaolin, who was standing there with a gloomy face, he could only suppress his anger.

"I can agree to postpone the withdrawal of the vassal states, but there is absolutely no possibility of peace talks with Yan! Chen Zhennan has defected to the enemy country and will definitely become an enemy of my Great Wu. We must not let them get away with this!"

"But Your Majesty..."

"Silence! This matter is not to be changed. Anyone who dares to speak of peace talks with Yan Kingdom again will be executed without mercy. Issue an edict to Zhou Xiang, Lin Cheng, and Chu Feng, ordering them to advance their troops to the border of Yan Kingdom. My military pay will arrive immediately!"

After saying that, Wu Yunyin flicked her sleeves and turned to leave. Seeing this, Song Xuan hurriedly followed her, and the two walked out of the main hall one after the other.

Wu Xiaolin's face remained gloomy. He turned to look at Grand Secretary Chen Shou, and both of them shook their heads slightly.

"Your Excellency, please take good care of the affairs of the court. Under no circumstances should you offend them again. If you die, the foundation of the court will be unstable."

Chen Shou nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, you must also be careful. Only you can stop His Majesty and prevent our Great Wu from going to its doom."

"If I have no other choice, I will have to threaten to die. I have worked so hard to bring about the vast territory of the Great Wu. I will not let it be lost so easily."

...

Lingnan, the Lingnan Prince's Palace.

Inside the Prince's mansion, Zhou Xiang, nearing forty, sat in the pavilion, holding a teacup in his hand. His resolute face clearly indicated that he was a warrior.

His eyes swept over the group of generals before him, a barely perceptible killing intent lurking in them.

“Your Highness, the Great Wu kingdom was won by us brothers following the commander in our battles. Is there any need to choose? Of course, we should go to the commander and rebel against Great Wu!” said Kou Bo, the right vanguard.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiang suddenly curled up the corners of his mouth and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You mean, a rebellion?" Zhou Xiang asked with a slight smile.

Kou Bo nodded emphatically: "Your Highness, the Emperor will not trust you. We are all former subordinates of the General. Why don't we rebel against Da Wu first, so as not to be restrained by the court later? We must make a decisive move."

Should a decision be made decisively?

Zhou Xiang chuckled inwardly. Rebellion was inevitable. As the current King of Lingnan and the former vanguard of the rebel army, he was a professional rebel.

"I'm not in a hurry for the rebellion; the popular uprisings haven't been quelled yet. What interests me more is, when did you start being Song Xuan's spy?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the pavilion was taken aback and frowned as they looked at Kou Bo.

"Your Highness, what do you mean by that? This humble general has no acquaintance with Song Xuan."

Zhou Xiang snorted coldly and gently put down his teacup.

"Drag him out and chop him up!"

At his command, the guards immediately grabbed Kobo and carried him outside, ignoring his pleas for mercy.

"Make a decisive move? You're still too green to make me a traitor."

Just then, the gate was pushed open from the outside, and a guard rushed in.

"Your Highness, someone outside is requesting an audience. They also brought a letter from the Commander-in-Chief, saying that you will understand once you read the letter."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiang suddenly stood up, his pupils dilating instantly.

"Where's the letter? Give it to me now!"