"Your Majesty! Lord Wang's method is feasible!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, Zhou Cheng's weapons are truly terrifying. If we were to go to war with the court, countless people would die, and the common people would suffer! If we could exchange a princess for peace, why not?"
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you immediately issue an edict to seek peace and harmony with the Zhou family!"
"Your humble servant seconds this proposal..."
“.......
Now that the situation has reversed, it's not Zhou Cheng who should be panicking, but the imperial court!
Emperor Yan did not want to lower himself to seek peace, but... but... Zhou Cheng's weapons were too terrifying. A mere few hundred men could render Commander Zhang and his 160,000-strong army powerless.
Such invincible fighting power!
Even if we face an army of 500,000 from the south, what is there to fear?
Emperor Yan also harbored a glimmer of hope, fantasizing that Zhou Cheng's weapons were insufficient and that he was merely putting on a show of force! But deep down, he knew very well that if it wasn't a show of force but a real attack, he would be finished.
He slandered the Zhou family for treason, used insidious means to suppress Zhou Zhenguang, and attempted to plunge the Zhou family into utter ruin.
Once Zhou Cheng storms into the capital, he certainly won't let him off easily.
“Minister Wang’s suggestion is not without merit, but Yan is a great and powerful nation. How can we send a princess to marry a rebel? Wouldn’t that tarnish Yan’s prestige and embolden Zhou Cheng?”
"I need to think about this carefully."
Emperor Yan had already made up his mind, but he was unwilling to lose face on the surface: "Let's adjourn the court session today."
The ministers exchanged bewildered glances after hearing Emperor Yan's words, which emphasized his pride.
Then, each with their own thoughts, they stood up and left the main hall.
"The Prime Minister, please stay."
"His Majesty summons the Chancellor to the palace for a meeting."
Upon hearing the message relayed by Eunuch Fang Ma behind him, the prime minister paused in his steps.
When the prime minister entered the council hall, Emperor Yan was already sitting in the main seat with a cold expression. He looked at the secret letter sent from the border, rubbing his temples with a headache, and became more and more annoyed as he read.
Emperor Yan had never felt so powerless and angry.
Ever since the day he broke ties with the Zhou family!
The situation spiraled out of control, and no matter how much effort he put into eliminating Zhou Cheng, he never succeeded.
From the initial two thousand imperial guards, to eight thousand elite soldiers, and finally twenty thousand... even more than a hundred thousand, none of them could capture Zhou Cheng, that traitor.
If he had known that Zhou Cheng possessed a peerless weapon of destruction, he would never have attacked the Zhou family. He might have even been able to take advantage of the Zhou family's loyalty and conquer the entire Central Plains. Now, everything is ruined!
"Prime Minister".
Emperor Yan raised his head, his aura heavy and oppressive: "What do you think about Minister Wang's proposal for a marriage alliance?"
The prime minister quickly recovered and replied, "Your Majesty, things have come to this point. It is no longer a question of whether the court wants to seek peace, but whether Zhou Cheng will agree to seek peace and put aside the grievances between the two sides."
These words struck a chord with Emperor Yan.
It pierced Emperor Yan's heart like a knife!
His face darkened further, and he said in a low voice, "Does Zhou Cheng really dare to attack the capital? Who does he think he is! Does he really think that just because he has weapons, he can be fearless?"
"If I didn't have a strong sense of righteousness, and didn't want to see the people displaced or be engulfed in war, why would I have adopted Minister Wang's suggestion!"
"I still have 500,000 troops in the south, what do I have to fear from him?!"
Emperor Yan was furious. He kept talking about an army of 500,000, and he had no fear of Zhou Cheng's rebellion. Clearly, he was feeling guilty and flustered, and could only use this to calm his inner unease.
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