"I see." Queen Mother Gu nodded happily. "Our Great Ye Dynasty is now facing internal and external troubles. If we can persuade the northern invaders to withdraw through peace talks without fighting, it would be the best strategy."
As soon as she finished speaking, a servant came in and reported: "Your Majesty, the Emperor wishes to see you."
Thinking of how the emperor had become increasingly troublesome these days, Queen Mother Gu's expression darkened immediately, and she said in a lukewarm tone, "Please ask the emperor to come in."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Fuhai went out to greet him in person, and soon he was seen leading the emperor in.
Breaking with his usual behavior, the emperor suddenly knelt on the ground, pretending to be flustered and pleading loudly, "I beg you, my mother, to come to court and take charge of the situation."
Empress Dowager Gu and the palace maids were all stunned when they heard this.
"Emperor, what are you playing at?" asked Empress Dowager Gu, puzzled.
The emperor's face was filled with shame. "I am incompetent and have made no achievements since I took power. Now that the northern invaders are approaching, I am exhausted both physically and mentally. I am willing to abdicate and implore my mother to step into the throne and turn the tide."
Empress Dowager Gu was delighted, but she calmly rebuked him, "How can this be? I'm just a woman, and the Emperor is trying to frame me by doing this."
"Please do not refuse, mother. Otherwise, the ancestral temple and the country will be destroyed by your hands, and I will never be able to atone for my sins even if I die a hundred times."
The emperor said in a resounding voice, "To ensure that the Queen Mother maintains unity in her administration, I am willing to persuade Princess Tongyang to enter the northern border for a marriage alliance. I also ask the Queen Mother to allow the Mu family army to retreat to Xiling Pass to cultivate land and resolve the conflict with the Yongning Palace."
Empress Dowager Gu probably guessed what the emperor was thinking. He knew that he could not protect his confidants, so he wanted to abdicate to preserve the Mu family army and the Yongning Palace.
Ever since Prince Qi and Prince Yan disappointed her one after another, she had long wanted to replace them. Now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But she was still worried about the Yongning Palace. She couldn't let that bastard Fu Mingchi disrupt her good fortune at this critical juncture.
After silently glancing at the letter on the table, Empress Dowager Gu's brows slowly relaxed and a plan came to her mind.
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